A very impressive show using modern technology plus creativity for backdrops. Please enjoy!

The Australian Oromo Community in Victoria, Australia, celebrated its third annual community festival at the Federation Square in Melbourne on December 19, 2010. Here’s a report about the festival.

2010 marks the third annual opportunity for the Australian Oromo Community Association in Victoria (AOCAV) to spread awareness of Oromummaa to the local community and the wider global village. — READ MORE –

On 1st November 2010, Australian-Oromo families and youth joined forces in yet another exciting community initiative. Scores of Oromo people united in Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) to teach the wider Australian public about the Oromo cultural heritage and overall task was simple: to hand out pamphlets about Oromia to commuters in the afternoon rush hour. Read More »»»

Thousands of Borana Oromos living in Nairobi and Marsabit, Kenya, celebrated their culture in Nairobi on November 27, 2010. Also attending the cultural festival was Kenya’s Prime Minister, Mr. Raila Odinga.

Visit the Australian Oromo Community website at OromoCommunity.org.au

Visit the Australian Oromo Community website at OromoCommunity.org.au

Color of Malaysia 2010

Citrawarna Malaysia
May 22, 2010
Dataran Merdeka
Kuala Lumpur

About 5,500 dancers performing the traditional dance and folk song during the cultural show of the Color of 1Malaysia at Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur.

The traditional dance and song that are shown during this event are from various enthnics in Malaysia. The peak of the event are Dikir Barat, the local Kelantanese traditional song and dance that was performs by 5,500 dancers. This Dikir Barat are to be set in the Malaysia Book of Record as the biggest Dikir Barat ever perform in Malaysia.

The three hours colorful cultural event was perform by secondary school children and adult from local school and art and cultural institute in Kuala Lumpur. Color of 1Malaysia is yearly program conducted by Malaysia’s Ministry of Cultural, Art and Tourism as one a tourist attraction.

Click here for more pix  :  Color of Malaysia, 2010

http://www.azharrahim.com

After 25 years of scholastic success, academic excellence, Christ-centered education and a values- oriented community of friends, the La Consolacion College-Binan celebrates its Silver Jubilee which kicked-off with “Beloved LCC: The Silver Anniversary Show”.

This school year is very special to us LCCians. It was very significant because of our new administration, many significant changes in our school and of course- our 25th anniversary. As another era of our school’s history dawns, we celebrated it with enthusiasm, pride and joy- especially in it’s opening,the Silver year cultural show. Directed by alumnus Brian Jayson (BJ) Borja, the show really had the spectacle expected by the audience.

The show celebrated “the Vision that was La Consolacion”. Through the years, we LCCians can never forget our roots: from a small parcel of land with a building to become one of Binan’s finest campuses. Speaking of Binan, our town’s (or as we should it a city) rich history was also remembered as a tribute to the our hometown,where everything started. Not only Binan was remembered. The entire archipelago’s traditions and culture was also commemorated through dance and music. LCC Binan is famous for our dancers, especially when it comes to inter-school competitions. But now, everyone shows their talents for our alma mater. Likewise, a quartet of our the BED’s finest singers offered a medley of kundimans for the show.

The cultural show showcased the talents of an LCCian. Not only were talents in singing and dancing seen, but excellent speakers also took center stage. They spoke literary pieces in such way that the feelings of the poems were really felt. Also, speeches can be heard at every part of the celebration. Representatives from the student body, faculty, administration and the Home and School Association were also present in the show.

The cultural  show was dedicated to the Augustinian Sisters of Our Lady of Consolation, or the ASOLC. Also, previous principals, directresses and presidents were also honored by the event.

Our school is really proud because BJ Borja, an alumnus of the High School Department, was the director of the cultural show. Borja, from the Theatre Arts program from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, also took with him the Binan Youth Performance Council as the production staff of the said play.

And just a short fact, a new version of our LCC Hymn was played for the show.

This cultural show is perhaps a great feat for us LCCians: we gave our talents, time and effort for the success of this event. And of course, it was worth all the efforts: our 25th anniversary was a great success.

Even the time goes by, month by month, but it all kept in my memory….

“Its” –  experiences while I was traveling on my latest trip…Chiang Mai unlimited…everything never!

We (our Fungsaichon’ family) was continuing to “The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek Chiang Mai”, let see some useful information before we start the trip:

Shuttle service inside the project

The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek was a flower festival held 1 November 2006, to 31 January 2007, in the Thai city of Chiang Mai that drew 3,781,624 visitors. It was one of the grand celebrations being hosted by the Royal Thai Government in honor of King Bhumibol, the world’s longest reigning monarch.

The Ratchaphruek (Cassia fistula L.) or Golden Shower Tree is the national flower of Thailand. It is also named “Khun” or “Chaiyaphruek”. The reason that the Ratchaphruek is used to symbolize the nation lies in color: its yellow blossoms match the yellow of Buddhism; furthermore, the Thai people

Close up...

Regard yellow as the color of the King as well. Moreover, all golden shower trees bloom at the same time; this unity in flowering is felt to reflect the unity and identity of Thais.

Ho Kham Royal Pavilion: This building featured Lanna architecture, the architectural style of northern Thailand; inside, visitors saw pictures of King Bhumibol’s works and his dedication.Thai Tropical Garden: The enormous 100,000-square-meter garden showcased the diversity of tropical horticulture: fruit varieties, plants, flowers, herbs, and rare plants.

Expo Plaza: This was the focus of the exposition’s fun-filled activities, amenities, and services. Visitors were able to purchase products from the Royal Projects and authentic local products from Chiangmai such as handicrafts, paper umbrellas, and souvenirs.

The Royal Pavilion

Cultural shows: A total of 45 cultural shows from various regions of Thailand were performed here, including traditional music and dance. In addition, cultural performances from other nations were presented in this place. Information

source: Wikipedia.org

Below are the pictures taken in Khoo Kongsi…

One of the Shaolin Master performing the Iron Head kung fu!

Below are the pictures taken in Cheah Kongsi…

Climbing the Coconut tree

After lunch which was curry suprise suprise, we got back to work. The womans home we were working for interacted with us invited us into her home. She welcomed me and Becca in and showed us were she prays, the one room her family sleeps in and also gave us each a teddy. She has three daughters and was married, her husbands mother lived with them too , she showed us a picture of her dad covered in flowers as he passed away ten years ago. It was very interesting and kind of her she also gave us flowers and showed us uses of the plants around her home. Today we carried on plastering and got the toilet we was working on finished, after lunch a group of us organised what we are going to do in the culture exchange show on Sunday.

1st plastered Toilet

Me and Scott are going to do a speech and were also going to do a song and dance for the villagers, they will also do the same for us so im really looking forward to it. As a group we started a real life cluedo game, everyone has someone to kill a location and murder weapon, you have to get that person in that place and both connect using that weapon its pretty fun as were all very weary of one another, apparently someone has to kill me in the loos with a sleeping bag so im watching myself lol. 3 and a half more working days then the hike, then we go to Mysore to sight see and before you no it ill be home. Loving it but the worst part is missing you all and the home comforts ☹ lots of love Ella X x X x X

One night, a local brought me to dinner at a famous seafood restaurant in KK, known as, Kampung Nelayan Floating Seafood Restaurant (trust me, we had difficulty finding a parking spot as it was packed that evening).

http://www.kampungnelayan.com/

We managed to secure a table and the service was quite fast.  I walked into the restaurant and a cultural show was going on with patrons joining in and taking pictures with the cultural show dancers.

The best part, I get to choose my own fish from the fish tank!  There were tons to choose from and I had a tough time to decide what to eat!

I settled for a few dishes and the portion of each dish was generous!

Delicious and scrumptious buttered prawns…

Crispy fried fish with soy sauce…divine…

Fried chillie with crab … don’t worry, it’s not that spicy

I will definitely return to the restaurant on my next visit to KK!

memulakan perjalanan kami yang jauh
menuju ke Kota Bangkok yang terkenal sebagai
“Venice of the East”‘

Berikut ialah catatan perjalanan itu:

Last night we held the International crew show. This is where the crew of Pacific Dawn come out on stage and show off their hidden talents, which are many!
We had crew from accommodation, food and beverage, laundry and the youth departments entertaining our passengers. The international show lounge was packed for both shows – cheering on the crew as they took to the stage!

It’s a very scary feeling stepping out of your comfort zone and into the limelight – I should know, because I do it every day. It is a daunting feeling but they took to the stage as true professionals. I was very proud!

The theatre came to life with music as the crew came out and sung wonderful love songs, showed off their culture by performing traditional dances from Indonesia and the Philippines. We even had a special guest appearance from Michael Jackson and the “Macho Men”!
The audience loved the show and the crew lapped up the attention. It’s not every day they can show off what they do in their off time.
A big round of applause, well done to the crew of the Pacific Dawn, you made us all very proud to be working on such a wonderful ship.
Have fun everyone and we will talk again soon!

 
Zoltina-J
Cruise Director

Anyways, it’s a great day for the city to be listed as one of the Heritage Sites. It will sure put Penang into the tourism map. It will be a great awaraness campaign outside of the country. It’ll be a great recognition! Now that Penang will be a known heritage spot, hopefully that the state government will be able to upgrade the facilities here. Need not explain more of it, which I am sure that the state government will be doing a great job to upkeep the facilities and of course, to keep everything clean.

Without delaying, here are some of the photographs that I took on that historical day!

Opera - Emperor

Opera - Close Up

Opera - Warrior

Masjid Kapitan Keling

Kongsi

Hanging Lantern

Khoo Kongsi

Malaysian Singer, Syafinaz

Kids On Drums

Drumming

Traditional Dance

Traditional Dance

Not Guitar

Audience

Hanging...

Lion Dance

Lion Dance Drummer

Lion Dance

Dad & Daughter

3 Generation

Kid In Crowd

Kid Audience

Lion Dance

Kid Audience

Structure

Dragon

Dragon Dance

Dragon Chasing

Penang Municipal Council Hall

Penang Municipal Council Hall

There you go! Not much but I had a great time taking these photos. Too bad that there was rain at around 5 something, otherwise, I think I would’ve been more productive. Before this, I was a proud Penangite, but now, I am even prouder to be Penangite! Congratulations Penang!

Early this year, a Balikbayan relative of Davis’s arrived and wanted to see Villa Escudero (as he have heard so much about it).
Davis’s uncle loves anything that is native to the Philippines so off we went for a day trip at Villa Escudero (just beside Hacienda Escudero).

It took us almost 3 hours to get there from Manila to Quezon.
whew!!!

The day tour rate is Php 1,250 per person.
This includes the following:

• Welcome Drink/Carabao Cart and Jeepney Rides/Use of most recreational facilities and lunch at the waterfalls.
• Tour of AERA Foundation Museum (courtesy of trustees)/Tour of Rural Village and Chapel
• Philippine Experience Cultural Show every Friday/Saturday/Sunday/Holidays 2:00-3:15PM
• River Rafting, swimming pool

Some other available facilities are:
• Nipa huts
• Chapel
• gameroom
• auditorium
• bike rentals
• souvenir shops
• tennis, basketball and volleyball courts

They also offer overnight packages. See their website for the rates

As soon as we arrived at Villa Escudero, we went to the reception area to get registered, where we were offered our welcome drink, which was Sago’t Gulaman
Refreshing!

We also went around to take a quick look of the place.

on our way to the Carabao Ride

Shaney and Lola waiting for the Carabao to come

Finally!!!

That’s the museum at the back

Bunches and bunches of Esudero family collections are showcased in the museum. They even have a shrunken head!!!!

Meet our Carabao, “Sexy”
there were locals in costumes seated at the back of the Carabao ride, serenading us the most beautiful native songs

time for our lunch buffet at Labasin WaterFalls area

Most diners like us opt to sit at tables placed directly in the stream coming from the man-made falls and enjoy the cooling spring water flowing over our feet.
The buffet lunch served is all Filipino food. I do, however, wish that they serve a free buko juice per person.

River Rafting

The Labasin Lake is 30 feet deep!!! don’t worry, you won’t drown if you fall since they make sure that each rafter wears a life-vest

Shaney can’t ride the raft, she’s too young and too small for it. Safety First!

Shaney and Lola while waiting for the Cultural Show to start

Everybody will get the chance to see and experience the Philippine’s cultural dance shows from Luzon to Mindanao at the Coconut Pavillion.

Shaney Bologne enjoyed the trip the most

By the way, don’t be surprised if you see locals taking pictures of you and your family because they do it for business. At the end of the day, you will be seeing your pictures posted at the corridor near the exit and they will try to sell these to you… at an expensive price! *teehee*
i guess it’s about Php 100 each!!!

Wow, talk about a goofy looking photo!  9 months working with interpreters 14 hours a day with no days off tends to wear on you.  Add in two weeks in India and questionable visits to the toilet and you get run down quickly.  Needless to say, India is not easy travel.  If you decide to come, fatten up a bit before you leave home!

Cliff and Tamala invited me to a “cultural show.”  It sounded really good so I agreed to come along.  I mentioned it to my Aussie friends and they said that they would come later.

There was a nice mix of locals and expats and everyone was enjoying some nice drinks and some hot chai tea as the show began.

Some magicians came out and did some tricks and amazed the crowd.  I only brought my little tiny camera and shot a few shots as best as I could.

Later, Rajasthan dancers came out and put on a variety of dances to different music and it was quite entertaining.  I thought that the clothing was bright and colorful and quite beautiful.  After Cliff and Tamala left, I found Claire, Bradley, & Jennifer and joined them for the rest of the evening.  They let Bradley go on stage and juggle his kerosine-drenched (flaming) juggling balls and I took a gazillion photos with Jennifer’s Nikon.  I’ll have to email her for some of those pics; Jen, if you read this, email me some of your SLR pics – LOL. 

The grand finale was what everyone was waiting for; the fire breathers.  And they did not disappoint.  These guys launched flame-thrower sized dragon breath flames out of their mouths.  I was genuinely afraid that one of them would catch himself on fire.  The crowd oohed and aahed with each flame as it lit up the otherwise dark courtyard.  I had seen some fire-breathing before, but these were the largest flames I had ever seen.

I visited in Pushkar for a few more days and then worked my way back to Delhi by way of Jaipur.  But, I decided to compress the photos in these last few posts.  I could write a few more entries, but I think it would start to become a bit redundant.  And, I have 12 more years of travel-blogs to write…  so, with this, I close out India until my next visit.

And so I wrap up my short visit to India.  I vow to return next time when I have more time.  I will (next time) remember to bring, my Cipro, Pepto, SLR camera, & mosquito net.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time here – as hectic as it was.  The people were warm and friendly.  The culture was diverse and interesting and the landscape was stunning in its variation and beauty.  I can see now the popularity and allure of India and vow to return again in the future.

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