Would you look at that... my very 'own' train, hehe. :-) Picture was taken at Stasiun Pasar Senen in Jakarta; we were on our way to Jogja. The station is quite a scary place to go to alone, especially if you're a girl, banyak abang-abang gatal, oh tidak!
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Merdeka 2001 at KLCC!
by Farah 'Fairy' Mahdzan (31-Aug-2001) | Readers Say

I've always spent Merdeka night just sitting at home because the idea of joining the crowd to celebrate the anniversary of our nation's independence was just too much to handle. Who can blame anyone for wanting to stay home? No need to fight crazy traffic jams, no need to brush around thousands of people trying to get a good spot to watch the fireworks. Why not just watch everything live on tv in the comfort of your plush armchair in your air-conditioned living room while sipping a cold-ice can of Coke. However this year I decided to venture out and see what the whole fuss was about. So I went to KLCC with Linda and MK to celebrate my first ever outside-home Merdeka!

Getting to KLCC was enough to drive me up the wall but thank goodness I wasn't driving. :P Great job driving Linda and MK! Thanks for letting me save my sanity hehe. Anyway, we managed to get into KLCC (in one piece) and immediately started to head for the park outside KLCC. Ants everywhere! I mean people lah... sooo many people. They looked like squashed ants! But we managed to get a good spot and settle down near the edge of the KLCC lake.


I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Sheila Majid was performing at the little stage propped on the other side of the lake. So was Zainal Abidin. Excellent entertainers. Didn't quite care for the others like Siti Nurhaliza and this one group of female singers singing some Bangra song ... I actually prefered the Kadazan dance performers over them! *grin* What was odd about that concert was that folks weren't too enthuasiastic about Sheila Majid's performance. The poor singer was trying so hard to get everyone to participate clap and shout with her, but to no avail. Why ah? I myself a Sheila fan was frantically shrieking with support for her - sorang-sorang in my area :P. Perhaps the crowd wasn't really... into Sheila? And perhaps she intimidated them by speaking English instead of BM? One can only wonder and I leave it up to you to figure out the kinds of people who were there. I mean, the crowd went wild when some female singer sang a dangdut song, for goodness sake. Nonetheless, Sheila was a charismatic performer, I was truly treated.

Amongst all those people who were there, adalah some idiots who tried to make their own firework show by bringing their own set of crackers and setting them off in front of everyone. Dangerous gile. Kalau ada orang punya rambut terbakar siapa nak menjawab?

Well there is not much else to say about because pictures say it best. So come on and browse into my Merdeka 2001 photo slide show!

Selamat Hari Merdeka ke-44 everyone!

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WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT Merdeka 2001 at KLCC!:
#37. Siti Nurhaliza?? Who's that mysterious gurl...Hahahah
Posted by Ahmad on 26-Nov-2001, 20:17 MYT

#36. siti nurhaliza lah paling best di dunia ni!
Posted by vale - Website   on 24-Nov-2001, 17:28 MYT

#35. Mohd Farid Mohd Nor from PennState turned 21 on Merdeka day. Happy belated bday! Let me know when you're finished with using my pictures of KLCC for your site or whatever.
Posted by Fairy - Website   on 11-Sep-2001, 13:17 MYT

#34. Yupe, I'm not gonna disagree with you on that point. Like I said before there are other factors that are involved.....
ie. peers etc

but of course, by right we shouldnt hate people or a particular country just because of one bad/several experience(s)

if that person hates you, be nice to them or just ignore them...cant put yourself down to their level.

i know it's difficult, coz we're all human and we have nafs. But it can be done.




Posted by IaNo on 11-Sep-2001, 01:21 MYT

#33. heheh raya sure boleh punya dapat cuti! definitely will be there for a friendly discussion yeah?

I do get what you mean IANO, but sometimes I find that kids also, even though their parents had laid whats right for them still wanna stir away from the path.

Neways, thanx fairy for letting us 'argue' over here hehe at least I get to learn more!
Posted by Rafthah on 10-Sep-2001, 20:16 MYT

#32. Fairy, maybe.........or

" mungkin tidak..."

I've spent 3 Rayas away from home, Insyallah,maybe, I'll be home for this year's.

and yes we can have a friendly debate at your open house ...as dr evil would put it...

" mmrrriiigghhhttttt.."


Posted by IaNo on 10-Sep-2001, 11:57 MYT

#31. Lutfi, you memang.. Kelantanese taste habis... sweet tooth lah awak nih hehe. So how's your new place? Ok sikit tak you have your own room now? Kesian dulu takde room sendiri. Pilu I dengar.

Wah, Iano and Rafthah, punya lah ligat korang berdebat pasal Spore and Msia. Scary weh. But I do agree with a lot of things you guys are saying... thus my lack of involvement in the whole discussion hehe. Lepak ar guys. As long as we are happy wherever we choose to be kan, it's alright.

Iano any prospects of coming home for Ramadhan? Jom ajak Rafthah over and then kita boleh sambung discussion at my Raya open house! *grin*
Posted by Fairy - Website   on 10-Sep-2001, 10:02 MYT

#30. Yes, I agree with you that as we grow up we are capable of making our own decisions and judgements. But I pointed out one of the many factors that affects our beliefs, behavior and family values. Good parenting, in my opinion, is the most important aspect of shaping one's characteristics and bla bla bla....It depends on how strong the foundation has been laid for the kids by the parents.....get what I mean?
Posted by IaNo on 10-Sep-2001, 08:42 MYT

#29. You could say the parents alright, but when you grow up surely you have your own brains to think which to follow? No offence yeah?

But of course like you say, everywhere theres the black sheep.
Posted by Rafthah on 10-Sep-2001, 07:14 MYT

#28. Rafthah,in my opinion, I find Singaporeans in my school over here very friendly and cool. But you know what, black sheeps exist in every country,culture and races. So those malaysians or singaporeans that are rude, simply have bad manners....now that's the fault of their parents.


Posted by IaNo on 10-Sep-2001, 03:07 MYT

#27. Malaysia is rich compared to Singapore, only that cause Singapore is quite a small island (just a small dot ha ha) they're much more easy to handle? They can advance much more faster than their counterparts and thats cause they dont have to think of other states.

Malaysia is slowly picking up, and I'm sure one fine day they will be much much more advance than Singapore.

Till then we just have to wait and work for it. Of course good stuffs dont just drop on ya right?

Though sometimes it piss me off that some malaysians could be quite rude but I find Singaporeans who traveled there are much much rude than the locals. Cause they're pampered in Singapore having these and that, the lack of stuffs makes them complaint more. And even now we're doing fine, the people are still complaining complaining complaining. AKu pun naik pening!

Posted by rafthah on 9-Sep-2001, 21:05 MYT

#26. What's wrong with being a Malaysian?

The country may not be a utopia but so does all the countries in world...

if utopia means having money and capitalizing...i believe you wont have a happy and peaceful life....why? coz you'll spend your days worrying about making money and forget the joys of true peace in life and the afterlife..

And even though we have social problems and many other problebms in this country, this doesnt mean you should migrate or disown the country....

its up to us to improve the situation of this country....by any positive means!

wouldnt it be nice if everyone had the feeling of patriotism that they felt in primary school days...I think as we grow older we tend to forget that feeling...except during Merdeka day saja...

Okay Malaysia isnt such a rich country compared to singapore but hey....you have to give and take a bit-lah...If youre a bumi you wont be able to enjoy certain previleages in singapore....and with that pun we tend to take the special previlieages for granted...

if we just complain and dont start working for it obviously we wont go anywhere.....

phew....sorry kalau this sounds a bit like a speech/debate

just speaking my mind out guys..

no harm intended

Posted by IaNo on 9-Sep-2001, 02:17 MYT

#25. kat mesia ade nasi dagang.. ade lepat pisang.. ade tapai.. ade nasi kerabu.. ade pulut durian.. (forgive my kelantenese taste.. heh).. ade korang seme.. cume tak de cedar point je.. ahaks..
Posted by lutfi on 9-Sep-2001, 02:06 MYT

#24. udika, you couldn't have said things better you know? Happiness is not necessarily triggered by money. Well said!

And hey, Malaysia is not that bad you know... we are pretty prosperous. I for one am certainly thankful to be here.

So what are ya waiting for... come on over!
Posted by Fairy - Website   on 9-Sep-2001, 01:23 MYT

#23. poor man of malaysia?
singapore has all the money but not the peace of mind I guess? this is my own opinion not for the rest of this island. I'm tired of having to live mylife 24-7 and making use of every minute of it. I need a break, sundays means off days without having to think about work and mondays means going to work with a peaceful set of mind not dreading it.

Money cant promise happiness,but somehow I feel much more at home in Malaysia. yeah maybe I'm weird. even my msian friends sometimes couldnt even think why I have to be so sure of msia more than em.

Maybe msia couldnt offer me money, but it could offer me peace. and yes maybe a house not a cramp, expensive, stuffy hdb house.

Singapore offers u lotsa of money and takes it away much faster than u can hold it in your hand.
Posted by rafthah on 8-Sep-2001, 21:22 MYT

#22. mmm..singaporean nak jadi malaysian??

*garu kepala*

malaysian nak jadi american, canadian, australian ada la pernah dengar.. hehehe

nak jadi m'sian boleh... hehe.. at least ada la rumah instead of hdb flat..

but why do you want to be the poor man of asia??? singapore has all the money...tak pahammmm..
Posted by aslan on 8-Sep-2001, 11:17 MYT

#21. Maybe next year you boleh pergi tengok Merdeka day Ellie. Celebratelah... not a bad idea. I miss Malaysia, most of the time when I'm in this website. I miss friends and family too. Miss you too Fairy. Definately will keep in touch. Once I've settle down with house cleaning and getting rid of your brother's stuff here, I'll try post something on this site. It's a promise. Jim is still planning to come to Athens this weekend(8th).
Posted by Linda on 5-Sep-2001, 19:48 MYT

#20. alah. duduk depan memang best. tapi nak masuk kena sempit-sempit dengan FRU. (ada ke FRU tu pi tengking ada satu pakcik tu. kesian dia.)
duduk depan kena himpit-himpit. ada geng mamat-mamat sebelah aku bau ketiak tengik. aku tak tahan lah. jadi aku menjerit kuat-kuat.
heh.
Posted by azidin - Website   on 5-Sep-2001, 15:44 MYT

#19. ..no worries Fai. Im always okie with that
Posted by Jae Bot - Website   on 5-Sep-2001, 12:38 MYT

#18. 5.56 am
dah tido blom fai?

One daylah k, hopefully id join that ranks of msian.
Posted by rafthah on 4-Sep-2001, 05:56 MYT

#17. Jae, soweee belom balas email. You know lah, not too happy these days but biasalah. Gotta face what comes kan! Dengar JJ awak nak balik. Yahu good for you sis

Udika, I don't think there's anything remotely wrong with wishing to become Malaysian or anything. I think it's cool. I think it's cool to be anyone as long as you sendiri cool... doesn't matter what nationality you are. But definitely looking forward to having another young awesome person like you to join the ranks of us Malaysians hehe.

Ebb, you were in KLCC too? Tak habaq. You sorang lagi sanggup jalan pi Bintang Walk hehe. I linda and MK give up lah, trus balik lepas tuh, gi Melawati to minum2. And pasal mercun tuh, I dengar they spent about RM40,000 for that alone this year. Dunno just for KLCC or the entire festivity in all of KL. Yup, heard azidin was there too. Lucky him, got to enjoy Sheila Majid up close!
Posted by Fairy - Website   on 4-Sep-2001, 03:07 MYT

#16. sampai klcc at 11.30, banyak sungguh gerai sementara, maybe because ada concert. got myself kinda near to the stage tapi preferred nak gi tgk fireworks. tah sapa penyanyi kira countdown, then senyap. aikss..no fireworks?!

my friends buat joke kata the chinese businessman tanak support fireworks sbb takde ong (40-49 sei). dah nak jln gi bkt bintang then terkejut tiba2 ada fireworks. lambat pulak eh? but it was fun and we screamed ooohh ahhhh.. LOL. heard that azidin was there too. tak nampak korang kat situ, fai. pastu gi bkt bintang, ngam2 butterfinger tgh perform. berhimpit2 dan menolak2. baper kali nak terjatuh. pastu jln2 tgk kawasan flux, the beach and then went home. hehe
Posted by Ebb on 3-Sep-2001, 16:22 MYT

#15. ah fairy
funnily (irritating to some people) since I was 14, I've been having this dream to be a Malaysian hehe. It's something my mum tried to shake the idea out of my brain but she herself was a former Malaysian, so what could she do?

Most commonly phrase heard in this house " ah panggil budak msia tuh dia sure ada nak backup" <-- my bro's call me that when theres some issues bout msia which I find it amusing to argue with em about heh.
Posted by rafthah on 2-Sep-2001, 23:41 MYT

#14. what?
tak ada orang menjerit pekik
"f--k the british?"

perjadah nyer merdeka macam tu? apa guna merdeka kalau tak boleh menjerit ayat sakti tu?

i saw the crowds kat kl malam tu. lain kali pakcik naik keretapi
Posted by aslan on 2-Sep-2001, 18:51 MYT

#13. Cool!
Posted by Jae Bot on 2-Sep-2001, 03:36 MYT

#12. tu lah ellie.. kinda wished you were there too you know. best giler. tapi insyaallah kita gi celebrate merdeka sama2 ok...

Linda just left for Ohio today. Praying for a safe journey back there for her. Linda keep in touch ok dearest. Miss you.

Udika, apparently they say this year celebration Merdeka Malaysia paling meriah. I pun rasa mcm tuh, sebab I sendiri ada kat situ! Hehe. Ok praying for your October break ok. Hey didn't know you had a thing abt wanting to become Msian. Do you?

Zack kata MK kalau you dok kat apartment dia paling atas tu you boleh tengok all the mercun going off for New Years, Merdeka dan apa lagi lah. Mcm gempak je.
Posted by Fairy - Website   on 2-Sep-2001, 02:19 MYT

#11. Fairy, MK & Linda.. wow! great u all guys dpt celebrate Merdeka kat KLCC... nengok bunga api lagik tuh... kite..?? uwaaaaa.. jgn di tanyaaa.....

Well, frankly kite tak pernah celebrate Merdeka Day pun b4... just stay at home.. ermm..

Thanx Fai for all marvellous pix... kan best kalau kite ada kat situ.. isk isk! perhap next year laaa...

ape pun... Kerana mu Malaysia *muah*
Posted by eLLieZ de`HearT - Website   on 1-Sep-2001, 16:32 MYT

#10. Glad everyone had a fun last night. Seeing the twin towers bathed in those spotlights, and the music, the fireworks.. it's all.... majestic. You can't help but marvel at it.

I just got back from KLCC tonite (ada Konsert Suria Merdeka KLCC) and they repeated the lightshow, minus the fireworks.
Posted by MK84 - Website   on 1-Sep-2001, 01:22 MYT

#9. guess what? i found out the enjoyment of staying at home during merdeka eve. it was a hell of an "experience"!
i made hot dogs at midnite and listened to the cracking and thumping of fireworks bursting thru the dark clouds of the klang valley sumwhere... it could be heard all the way in KJ but i'm not sure where it came from... so anyways.. i'm thankful that nuttin but fireworks exploded.. all in all.. selamat merdeka m'sia! again!

Posted by zack on 1-Sep-2001, 01:17 MYT

#8. ah hopefully oct boss will gimme some mercy to go over there and have a break, tension dah nieh! hahaha.

national day in singapore is kinda of quite this yr. i was even surprised the celebration wasnt as grand as per normal. kinda of lame still.(maybe sengaja buat buat boring sbb the next day dorang kata recession ahaha)

i told my sis just now, next yr merdeka im there, and she laughs at me, then lagu negaraku plak kat tv (advert maxis) and i told her "see i could sing it"

satu malam kene kutuk bout menggiler nak jadi msian haha
just when will i be one!!!!

Posted by rafthah on 1-Sep-2001, 00:23 MYT

#7. aku dok bertenggek depan tempat nyanyi tu.
sakit telinga.
depan speaker.
Posted by nora - Website   on 1-Sep-2001, 00:03 MYT

#6. Aku tak paham, ape yg menariknye fireworks tuh? Tak menyumbang kepada produktiviti masyarakat...
Posted by The throat on 31-Aug-2001, 23:33 MYT

#5. Linda, it was a fabulous celebration wasn't it? I mean we say being patriotic is corny, tapi bila datang hari kemerdekaan tu rasa macam.. wow... bangga semacam.

Udika, glad you enjoyed the pics! Feel so happy. I had a blast putting them together into a picture documentary type of thing. You really should come over you know... just waiting to hang out with you. I'll be waiting for you ya?

Fibi, Indonesia juga baru sambut kemerdekaan juga kan. Tanggal 17 Augustus... Happy Merdeka to our jiran also, Indonesia! They are 56 years old this year.
Posted by Fairy - Website   on 31-Aug-2001, 22:59 MYT

#4. Hari Kemerdekaan Malaysia? iya ya...soalnya disini sewaktu 31/8/2001 ada acara TV3 yang muncul di televisi Indonesia, acara nyanyi2.
Sama aja kayak di Indonesia, hari kemerdekaan selalu rame, cuma kalo di Indo banyakkan acara perlombaan2, nanti ada panggung joget dangdut, dllsb. Tapi biar gimanapun ya kuucapkan juga selamat hari kemerdekaan buat rakyat Malaysia.
Posted by Fibi on 31-Aug-2001, 22:31 MYT

#3. hey kewl pics. i have to say i did enjoyed going thru frm one pic to one pic.

ah i miss msia as well linda. dekat jer seberang tambak, but sooo hard to go there

thanx for the pics fai
Posted by rafthah on 31-Aug-2001, 22:20 MYT

#2. Correction - We shouted 
Posted by Linda on 31-Aug-2001, 21:59 MYT

#1. Fairy, you did a good job posting the greatest Merdeka Celebration!! FYI, we shout "Merdeka" 7x (1st time ever in KLCC).
Nice to be out with MK too! Thanks for spending time with me, Fairy and MK! My time in KL is over for the summer vacation. Good luck people! *Muah* Miss Malaysia already. ESP my beloved ones.
Posted by Linda on 31-Aug-2001, 21:58 MYT

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