CY@CY Says Welcome to my dreamscape. Where a Lim is also a Ling.
What a countdown it was! Thousands thronged Jalan Post and North Yu Seng Road from early yesterday evening till 2am this morning to celebrate the 916 Malaysia Day Countdown 2014, making it a most memorable night for all.
The 916 countdown was jointly organised by Miri City Council (MCC), Imperial Group of Companies and Shin Yang Sports and Recreation Club.
A huge canopy was erected along North Yu Seng Road in front of Imperial Permaisuri Mall and Imperial Mall for the comfort of the crowd in case of rain.
A giant LED screen measuring 13 feet high & 30 feet across was set up as the background of the stage near the sky bridge linking Imperial Mall to the Permaisuri Imperial City Mall so that the crowd could get a better view of what was going on.
The event kicked off with a Malaysia Day Youth Talent Competition at 6pm yesterday prior to the arrival of Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang and his entourage. There are a total of 22 teams and individuals vying for cash prizes of RM5,000, RM2,000 and RM1,000 for the top three winners.
Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang launched the Malaysia Day Pictorial Expo at the lobby of Imperial Permaisuri Mall yesterday. The four-day expo features the history and development of the state, particularly Miri. The expo which commenced on Saturday will end today.
Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang then joined the crowd at the 916 Malaysia Day Countdownn.
The countdown was hosted by Cassie and Kiyoshi, two DJs from Hitz.fm. The crowd was entertained by Barbie Girls from Korea, Astro singing talents Chloe Chan and Christine Chua, Nadia from Akademi Fantasia, Finger Basket, SuperGirls (from Riam Road Secondary School), international disc-jockey Ominia, KL DJ Jakeman & Skeletor as well as Lil Eyes and Redemption bands from Club Celebrities and Cherrie Berries respectively.
I think Miri's Christine Chua, who sang one English song and one Chinese song, was exceptional in her performance of the Chinese song. Her voice was so powerful! Below is a photo of her performance.
Omnia, real name Evgeny Smirnov, is a trance and progressive music DJ and producer and is currently ranked no.48 in the TOP100 DjMag.
The various DJs kept the crowd swaying with their pulsating music. It was truly a big street party!
For the first time, two Universo Robot were brought in all the way from Spain. These robots are actually two men in robot costume with full LED and laser show on stilt measuring up to 12 feet tall.
The stars for the night were The Barbie Girls, a Korean K-Pop all-female group coming all the way from South Korea. They thrilled the crowd with their sexy and high-energy moves with many in the crowd screaming their hearts out. The power of K-pop!
I did not record the performance of the Barbie Girls on video so I am sharing a YouTube video featuring the Barbie Girls. This is not a recording of their performance in Miri.
As midnight approached, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang was invited onstage for the countdown together with local dignitaries including Mayor Lawrence Lai. At the stroke of midnight, confetti and firework filled the air. The crowd went wild with boisterous roars and waved Malaysia flags. It was a sight to behold!
The party was expected to continue till 2am but I left at about 12.20 am as I was feeling tired and sweaty. This was the first time I have ever attended a Malaysia Day countdown and it has been a quite an experience to say the least.
Happy Malaysia Day!