After I go through those 2 events stated in the title, I'm going to write down a bit of my own views.
4th Feb 2012(13th day of the Chinese New Year)
2100HRS Till 2300
Official Web Site
Fo Guang Shan, Dong Chan Temple held a Chinese New Year Carnival from 21st Jan 2012 till 7th Feb 2012. We have big statues, Chinese New Year (Dragon Year) theme decoration with LED warp up, loud musics, food stalls, and small parade. for a carnival, it's quite successful.
First the traffic, it's a bit crowdie, but we still manage to get our car parked. It's 9pm, maybe that's why we have one. There are some RELA / cops making ways for visitors and going through vehicles. Consider ok the transportation section.
Thanks to the Chinese New Year atmosphere and weekdays, crowdie peoples makes the carnival live up. Loud music and colorful LEDs will be the first contact when you get in. You came here, one of the main events / "task" is to take some photo with your friends and family, so, those huge Buddha statues and LEDs covered decoration fits and serve their purpose. Really, those huge dragon boat, lanterns, cartoon monks, I can see the efforts been pump in by the organizer. I hear there's dancing and singing, maybe we've came here late, didn't saw any.
Here I would like to add an extra view for the commercial level of the event. For this carnival, acceptable, no entrance fees, free to walk through any corner you want, any ankle for photo shutting, it's FREE. Fees for some extra activities like buy lily candle, cards and red strings for wishing and blessing, within expectation and acceptable. Foods and drinks, like usual. Over all it's free if you didn't buy anything. Its good cause people didn't feel the stress (financially), specially parents. Those daddy and mommy have space to pose their children, couples and friends group snap pictures everywhere, feel and enjoy the "FREE"dom, at least I’m. Personnel serve people politely.
One good thing for large crowd and carnival, you can see a lot pretty and handsome, hey don't deny, I know you enjoy it. There's a small parade of Buddha and dynasty emperor cosplay, the time they go through crowds, they bless, the sing, good, everybody love blessing, don't we? Funny when I saw some of the dynasty maid Cosplayers, they have their traditional dresses, wearing sport shoe, parade car black out when the genset stop, wakakakakaka~
People can do some prayers and burn some sandalwood stick near the temple lobby. The carnival end around 2230hrs, they put "goodbye" theme songs to notified you first, then they force you to leave by turn off the LEDs and lights, aww~ we're just starting to have fun~
Anyway it's a worthy trip to the carnival. Enjoy it like I enjoy the following activity after the carnival, what is it? Well, you don't need to know, let's go to another main event I’ve been on the 14th day of the Chinese New Year.
5th Feb 2012(14th day of the Chinese New Year)
0700HRS Till 1900
After 2 hours sleep (yes, after yesterday last activity), prepared and we take bus to Genting Highland for Doraemon World 2012! The exhibition of Doraemon theme start from 23 January 2012 (Mon) till 05 February 2012 (Sun), 10.00am till 10.00pm, located at Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia. Entrance fees for adult is RM35, children (12 years old & below) RM30.
Alright, before I start, I want to make things clear that not that I want to defame (point out the weak points, is this the right word? Google translate) the show but this is what I’ve been through, hope some suggestions will make the next show better organized. For the queue part my friend say it's because we go at the last day of the show, can't blame anyone, yea, she's right, but I still need to write this down, it's part of the story.
Straight my friends and I go to the Arena of Stars once we arrived, we saw the long queue and the crowd in front of the outdoor theme park (the Arana Of Stars exhibition hall of the Doraemon World is within the outdoor theme park), yes, it's "growing" from time to time. Well, need to wait for another group of friends (like usual, those who came early grap tickets for the others, all for one, one for all~) we'll have a tea first. Then around 12pm, we go back there, WTF! We can't see the end of the queue! grumble still grumble, get to the back buddy~ The big banner hang in front main gate entrance, Hugh posters stick on the queue gate, load Doraemon songs (repeat and repeat....) Thank God it's not rain that day, really, if not things will become worst. We walk all the way left, we queue 2 hours to get near the main gate, Yay! Huh? What? the queue didn't make a 90 degree turn into the entrance, it go straight down till another side, the right side, near the parking of the Ria Hotel, zig-zag back into the restaurant (the castle like building beside the out-door theme park). Go on, no choice, follow the queue. (There're some fat guy make some silly face and cut queue in front of me, some more bring in his friends, this really piss me off. Curse) I get the map flyers and a token sticker for the next "road block" in that building. (for your info, they make another zig-zag queue in the building). After another 1 hour Then, we came out from the building into the spiral queue in front the out-door theme park main gate~
The security at the “road block” asks for token sticker, wait har, it's in pocket. I step front few steps because the queue push that bloody fool scream at me and hold me! Damn! Take your token! Even worst for my friend's girl friend, a security personnel (female) grip her (some sensitive area) before they show the token, damn! So so rude! Anger is accumulating, my complaints turn to curses. The Doraemon balloon doll near the entrance stay flat the whole day, lame. After 3 hours something, we finally get in the out-door theme park (not yet the exhibition hall). It bright us up a bit when we redeem the Doraemon World 2012 theme TouchnGo card.
I’ve become a creep in tower defense for almost another 1 hour, spiral queue with people selling peripheral products. When my friends ask them is these products original, they answer some nuts and didn’t answer us the questions. 4 hours queue, we get into the exhibition hall, Arena Of Stars. Finally!!!
We manage to take some pictures, they “quarantine” the statues, lose some good ankle for photo snapping, lame. After few small rooms, we get to another wider room with Doraemon items gallery room attaches at side. Guess what, yes, product, product, product, sell, sell, sell. The Gallery is kinda poor of content, big nice container but items inside too few. Some more the items looks like low quality toys that we can buy at night market (really, by looking at the curve and the paint)
Although we miss the opening, me manage to watch the performance of Doraemon mascots, they dance, they response to the DJ, cute! Doraemon mascot eye can blink! Ahahahah~ After the show, what else take pictures!! Here, only limited visitors can take picture (yes picture, not pictureS) with the full Doraemon Team members. Pity. But then still the release Nobita and Sizuka afterwards for a while. First I thought I want to take a picture hugging Sizuka, but then the aunty uncle are all frenzy nuts! They rounded up Sizuka and Nobita!! I only manage to take pictures stand beside them with their face turn to another side…. (T.T) Rm 25 to get a picture with full team member of Doraemon STATUE (not mascot, statue) and I took one, no choice.
After the show, before you get out guess what? Yes, you need to go through a booth full of peripheral products. Doraemon hypnotize you: Wahahahaha, Buy ! Buy! Buy! T- Shirt’s quality is not reasonable compare with it qualities and design. I didn’t buy. But I did bought some card tags with soft key chain. The time we get out it’s 7pm something already, we spend whole half day for queue.
Here are some thoughts and suggestions for the organizer:
1. It’s too commercial! You promote peripheral products from the entrance till the end, I can understand, Boss’s order, but it’ll be more better if you can provide some original and higher quality products.
2. Please don’t “quarantine” the good ankle for photo snapping, it’ll be good if visitors have a closer contact with the statues. You said people will spoil the exhibition decorations, yes, I don’t deny, but you have few personnel lead a group of people within 10-12, should be ok. (The shouting and grapping outside the queue there can transfer here for fully utilize)
3. It’s too little content inside the gallery, also the qualities / appearance of the gallery items, you need to put more efforts pal.
4. When Personnel lead the mascot out to the visitors, they should have line up the visitors so everyone have their chances, like in Disneyland. But the personnel let the visitor round up the mascot like zombies, some of them even make the mascot their personal model, this is lame. Not enough chances to take picture with full team of Doraemon Mascot, this even more lame.
But still I enjoy it, why? You love to queue? No (I get sun burn for this) I feel good because I feel happy spending times together with friends, going out with friends is all about sticking together and do things together, even it’s suffering. Do you agree?
~ 光之军 ~
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