Merdeka Ball 2015: CELEBRATE

“Selamat datang…..”

“…we have many reasons to celebrate…” 

“We CELEBRATE with pride the Independence Day of our country.”

“We CELEBRATE the coming together of MAHK and MCCHKM in joining hands for the first time to organise the Merdeka Day Ball.” 

“We CELEBRATE  the first year of MCCHKM.”

We CELEBRATE our presence in Hong Kong and Macau and we CELEBRATE our long lasting bonds with our friends in Hong Kong & Macau….”

So many overseas Malaysians and their friends, choosing at this time to declare loudly and publicly their still-Malaysian-ness.

Merdeka Ball 2015. Or, A Story By The Numbers. 

The ~620-attendee event sold out way in advance of ticket sales deadline, and as everyone in Hong Kong knows, there is nothing that raises the value of a seat nearly as much as the inability to purchase one 😀 (That alone would’ve made me quip “A Very Hong Kong Merdeka Ball,” except… other than it being at the JW Marriott in Hong Kong with the then-reigning Miss Hong Kong pageant winners and other celebrities at a premium table bought by TVB….. it was a party very much coloured by Malaysian dress and food.)

Platinum head table went for HKD 98,000, Premium diamond table for HKD 78,000, Gold and silver for HKD 50,000 and HKD 38,000 regular seat tickets HKD 1,480 or HKD 1,280 (HKD 300 off those prices for their own members, so yeah the fee you pay for membership is offset by various activities discounts pretty quickly)

The Merdeka Ball in Hong Kong is a celebration by Malaysians living abroad – many of whom have been living here for decades (for e.g. we are told the average time Malaysian Chamber of Commerce members have been in HK is 25 years), some from very humble beginnings, not a few of whom have become wildly successful professionals and businesspeople with outstanding personal achievements.

It is a “show of commercial strength… of many successful Malaysian businesses and many successful businesses run by Malaysians” who have made the deliberate choice this day of a celebration by way of saying to the rest of Hong Kong: AND We Are Proud To Be Malaysian.” Ok, that might be a little louder than the Secret Handshake That Doesn’t Exist, that I once wrote about among us Malaysians.

Still, no names in this one – too many VIPs, dignitaries, and contributions <intimidated mummy blogger> – instead, a post about a great party to give our kawan-kawan (friends) a taste of Malaysia outside of Malaysia. No Can-Can but still Very Can :). Full event pictures here and here (with downloadable souvenir program).) Be warned: There are a lot of important, well-dressed people with their hands in boxes (there is a non-exhaustive list of lucky draw prizes at bottom of this post).

However, now to the festivities.

Star performer of the night was one Shila Amzah.

I had never heard her sing before this night, and for all of you out there who haven’t heard her, lemme tell you – she can seriously give Mariah Carey a run for her money. Except Mariah Carey is probably not fluent in Putonghua as well as English and Malay. This Merdeka Day, Ms Amzah sang (and spoke) in all 3 languages, after asking the audience which language they prefer. She’s about to have her first concert in Hong Kong and a thing I said a little earlier about what happens with sell-out tickets in Hong Kong comes to mind 🙂

… Preceded by….

Comedian extraordinaire Kuah Jenhan killed that night:

However, here’s the REALLY BIG ONE.

Designated charity of the evening was the Viva China Children’s Cancer Foundation. They work to bring the best knowledge from the US to China and (if I heard correctly in the speech that night) all their doctors are pro bono.

What happened next formed the spirit of this entire blowout celebration for me:

To inspire donations, one VIP had, (with pretty short notice) decided to arrow nominate the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce Chairman to go up and sing onstage.

Question: Without alcohol, would you be willing to go up there knowing your act will then be followed by some serious-deal singers as well as someone who has not only won a bunch of professional singing competitions but is about to have a likely sold-out concert in Hong Kong shortly?

All around, ball organisers and staff with mikes and camera start moving swiftly back and forth among the many, many tables, each proudly named after a Malaysian State or Town. One donor at our table has a slight wait…… before he is attended to by a notably breathless (if immaculately dressed) ball committee member. (And no, it’s not like they just had uh, two people to do this or something. There’s – I don’t know, looks like a dozen? – people walking swiftly around the ballroom.)

The numbers start to climb.

NOW IT’S A PARTY.

HKD 30,000 here.
HKD 50,000 from over there.
HKD 10,000 right next to me.

One MC has happily pledged HKD 10,000 herself (and with her own mike 🙂 )

The number crosses HKD 210,000 within minutes.

“<imperiously> MR CHAIRMAN – I donate 10,000……….. RINGGIT!“ an appreciative burst of laughter from all around. (About HKD 20,000).

HKD 13,800 (auspicious number. Someone’s going to have a good day at work, Monday.)

HKD 100,000 (ok ying liau loh.)

Over HKD 380,000. Who’s counting? I can’t keep up.
Malaysian Association contribute HKD 11,000.

It’s intoxicating. Adrenaline, Ladies and Gentlemen is legal. Do-good-ing, along with so many others, is out of this world.   

Around HKD 500,000, Mr Chairman breaks into “Pang Yau”. “Friends.” If not for a barely detectable waver in pitch at the very beginning, I would have wondered if it was a recording. Somewhere at the back of my mind I remember an A-list pop star once defended her choice of frequently lip-syncing to pre-recordings during concerts instead of singing live, saying how difficult it is to keep in tune, what with the disorientation of surrounding acoustics, echoes, stage lights, and yes, the pressure of a live audience.

Across the room, a hand goes up. HKD 120,000. The numbers start again.

The figure is around HKD 750,000 now.

Egged on by all the excited new fans (not a few of whom appear to now be brandishing the flowers from their tables),  the room is soon filled with a recording quality (but much more spirited) version of “Ai Pia Chiak Ai Ia”.

Our other MC pipes up (after I think gamely also putting in another HKD 10,000 at some point), “If you guess the right final amount, YOU GET TWO MUSANG KING DURIANS!!!!!!” 

I’m slightly disappointed at the lack of a picture of two giant and very delicious-looking durians being waved around onstage by someone exquisitely dressed in a tux. Or gown.

But – HKD 916,980. I am so turned on right now.

Malaysian Chamber rounds it up to HKD 928,000. (Why Not? <shrugs>)

I mean, someone won the Musang King durians (no one’s going to cry foul and Referee Kayu over that, right.. Come on…) for guessing within HKD 10,000 of that figure, BUT……. then some VIPs must’ve thought…..

Yup, you guessed it. So Close Ah? Why Not Push It Over HKD 1,000,000 Ah?

SO VIVA CHINA CHILDREN’S CANCER FOUNDATION GOES HOME WITH HKD 1,063,000 – with love, from the Big Malaysian Party.

After dinner, there was supper. The street food of good friends, shared together casually at the end of an evening of camaraderie and bonding.

The dancing and partying however, lasted til the wee hours.

At some point in the evening, there were lucky draws…

Ok well here’s a rough list:

1) Heting Jewellery – Earrings @HKD 30,000
2) 3D2N Tour Package to Singapore – SIA flights and stay in Kings Hotel Singapore incl 2 breakfasts @HKD 20,500
3) BMW Sports Bike @HKD 15,000
4) 6D5N SuperStar Libra Cruise Miyakojima and Naha, Japan – Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom for 2 persons @HKD 14,800
5) 3D2N Travel Package to Penang for 2 persons – Dragonair flights and stay in Shangri-la Tanjung Aru (incl 2 breakfasts) @HKD 12,000
6) 3D2N Travel Package to Penang for 2 persons – Dragonair flights and stay in Copthorne Orchid Hotel (Superior Room including 2 breakfasts) @HKD 11,880
7) 4D3N SuperStar Virgo Cruise to Sanya and Halong Bay for 2 persons – Ocean View Stateroom @HKD 10,420
8) 3D2N SuperStar Libra Cruise to Penghu, Taiwan for 2 persons – Deluxe Ocean View Room @HKD 8,160
9) Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral – 3 nights stay in Sweet Suite incl 2 breakfasts @HKD 6,388
10) Manathai Khao Lak – Weekend stay in Junior Suite incl 2 breakfasts @HKD 6,000
11) Mira Moon Hotel Hong Kong – 1 night stay in Full Moon Residence (incl 2 breakfasts) @HKD 6000
12) Samsonite suitcases @HKD 5000
13) Samsonite suitcases @HKD 5000
14) Samsonite suitcases @HKD 5000
15) JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong – Weekend stay in Premier Mountain View Room (incl 2 breakfasts) @HKD 4500
16) Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral – 3 nights stay in Loft Room @HKD 3888
17) Manathai Koh Samui – Weekend stay in Lamai Suite @HKD 3000
18) MontBlanc Pen @HKD 3000
19) Mary Kay Cosmetic Basket @HKD 2500
20) Mary Kay Cosmetic Basket @HKD 2500

Also leather wallets, assorted large bottles of biohealth pills…

(Think the rice is to symbolise “plenty”… There was a nice table set up outside (so no they didn’t put a 1kg bag of rice for guests to carry around haha) and had a ticket with which they could use to collect the rice as they left that evening, or let it be donated – there’s many food collection drives in Hong Kong for such staples…)

(It’s a lot – like, a big shopping bag full of stuff for every single person ok. Party on, this Saturday night, tomorrow no need to do your grocery shopping :D)

And this us. Possibly the only pic we took that night, somehow. (I had no nice batik skirt to go with my Nyonya Kebaya top (I have a few, lovingly sized for me by my mum or passed down from my grandma) unfortunately)

And now it’s time to take a bow…….

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet some of the amazing people who have made the ball happen, and their friends. (Apologies if I missed out anyone – obviously, I don’t know everyone)

 

and as the last credits roll across the screen of this blockbuster…………………….

He sent me that pic after reading what I wrote about him wearing that to swanky hotels for meetings. Showed up in a suit for Merdeka Ball, though 🙂