Hopefuls look for friendship, love and suitors on Chap Goh Meh Read more: Hopefuls look for friendship, love and suitors on Chap Goh Meh
09 February 2012 | last updated at 12:04AM
By SARAH RAHIM AND OLIVIA PETER
KUALA LUMPUR
streets@nstp.com.my
A HUGE crowd turned up at Taman Jaya Lake in Petaling Jaya and Taman Tasik Permaisuri in Cheras to celebrate Chap Goh Meh, which is also the Chinese Valentine's Day.
At Taman Jaya, the Petaling Jaya City Council distributed 3,000 mandarin oranges and teh tarik for about 5,000 visitors.
The guest of honour, Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh, said in her opening address that Bukit Gasing had allocated about RM5,000 for the event.
"The local authority takes this opportunity to give back to the community," said Yeoh, who is temporarily overseeing Bukit Gasing constituency following the demise of its assemblyman, Edward Lee Poh Lin.
There were dragon and lion dances at the beginning of the ceremony, after which Yeoh joined the crowd in tossing oranges into the lake.
Evelyn Cheang, 20, who was there with two friends, left out the last digits of her contact number.
"Whoever got my orange will need to put in the effort and guess the last digits," she said.
Another girl, 27-year-old Vicky Lim, said it was safer to write her email address than phone number.
The crowd was then entertained by love songs by the band Sunshine, while the men were busy scooping out the oranges.
A bachelor, Jason Leong, 27, said he was lucky to bring an aquarium fishing net this year and would definitely call the girl.
"This is my first time celebrating Chap Goh Mei. I will try my luck and scoop the oranges tossed into the lake," said Leong, who was there since 5.30pm.
Jinny Chong and husband, Philip Wong, wished the organiser could do something that would allow others to scoop oranges from the other side of the lake.
Meanwhile, Kenny Ho, Fendy Edip and Eric Tan Jze Hau from Sabah were "scooping" out girls with their cameras instead of fishing nets.
Lanterns and lighters sold like hotcakes at RM3 and RM2 respectively.
A couple, Connie Lee and Ales Ling, who inscribed vows on their lantern took more than five minutes to release it into the air.
"This is our first time doing it together," said Lee, who hugged her boyfriend after seeing their lantern fly.
At Taman Tasik Permaisuri in Cheras, about 5,000 visitors thronged the pool compound also looking for friendship and love.
Cheng Pai Events manager, Dennis Loh, said the crowd has grown over the past 12 years, from 350 visitors to 2,000.
"We often have more males than females. Giving out bananas for men to jot their numbers on was introduced for them to get to know the ladies," he said.
Around 9pm, the men then waded into the pool to collect the oranges thrown by the women.
Store executive John Tan, 32, did not bring along a fish net to scoop out the oranges.
"Let others stand a chance too. I don't want to be greedy and take too many," he said, adding that once he was even hit on the head by a flying orange.
Food business entrepreneur Hotaka Suzuki, 28, from Japan said he was not familiar with this custom, but hoped to meet up with some cute girls.
"At times, single Japanese practise gokon, a drinking-cum-mingling party that takes place in a restaurant," he said.
Loh Bo Bo, 24, from Kuala Lumpur said she would let her father pick up calls from pushy guys.
Sales executive June Chun, 35, from Kajang was out of the dating scene for the past seven years.
"I was too occupied with work. My parents became worried, though they did not pressure me to get hitched," she said, adding that a friend recommended this event after the latter met her spouse there two years ago.
Housewife Chong Yock Yuw, 50, got divorced three years ago and now is ready to find a man who will take good care of her.
A guy from Ara Damansara felt that tossing oranges was a friendlier way of getting to know people than just chatting through social networking.
Mok Pui Ling, 19, from Cheras will let men initiate the contact after her bag of bananas was taken away.
Hardware shop employee Nicholas Fai, 27, from Kuala Lumpur, said he valued reciprocal love more than physical attraction.
Tan Kong Fee, 42, from Puchong brought along his twin daughters to embrace the celebration and said he would not get upset if anybody called up his wife Wong Lian Hwa, also 42, for friendship.
Visitors wrote down their well- wishes on a paper and some let the folded paper float in lantern boats, priced from RM3 to RM8, on the lake.
They also aimed coins at wishing bells lined up by Persekutuan Tantrayana Cheng Fo Chong Malaysia.
In both venues, traders set up stalls selling food, drinks, torches and hair accessories. Tourists, including those from Iran and Canada, also joined in the celebration. Additional reporting by Seri Nor Nadiah Koris
The guest of honour, Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh, said in her opening address that Bukit Gasing had allocated about RM5,000 for the event.
"The local authority takes this opportunity to give back to the community," said Yeoh, who is temporarily overseeing Bukit Gasing constituency following the demise of its assemblyman, Edward Lee Poh Lin.
There were dragon and lion dances at the beginning of the ceremony, after which Yeoh joined the crowd in tossing oranges into the lake.
Evelyn Cheang, 20, who was there with two friends, left out the last digits of her contact number.
"Whoever got my orange will need to put in the effort and guess the last digits," she said.
Another girl, 27-year-old Vicky Lim, said it was safer to write her email address than phone number.
The crowd was then entertained by love songs by the band Sunshine, while the men were busy scooping out the oranges.
A bachelor, Jason Leong, 27, said he was lucky to bring an aquarium fishing net this year and would definitely call the girl.
"This is my first time celebrating Chap Goh Mei. I will try my luck and scoop the oranges tossed into the lake," said Leong, who was there since 5.30pm.
Jinny Chong and husband, Philip Wong, wished the organiser could do something that would allow others to scoop oranges from the other side of the lake.
Meanwhile, Kenny Ho, Fendy Edip and Eric Tan Jze Hau from Sabah were "scooping" out girls with their cameras instead of fishing nets.
Lanterns and lighters sold like hotcakes at RM3 and RM2 respectively.
A couple, Connie Lee and Ales Ling, who inscribed vows on their lantern took more than five minutes to release it into the air.
"This is our first time doing it together," said Lee, who hugged her boyfriend after seeing their lantern fly.
At Taman Tasik Permaisuri in Cheras, about 5,000 visitors thronged the pool compound also looking for friendship and love.
Cheng Pai Events manager, Dennis Loh, said the crowd has grown over the past 12 years, from 350 visitors to 2,000.
"We often have more males than females. Giving out bananas for men to jot their numbers on was introduced for them to get to know the ladies," he said.
Around 9pm, the men then waded into the pool to collect the oranges thrown by the women.
Store executive John Tan, 32, did not bring along a fish net to scoop out the oranges.
"Let others stand a chance too. I don't want to be greedy and take too many," he said, adding that once he was even hit on the head by a flying orange.
Food business entrepreneur Hotaka Suzuki, 28, from Japan said he was not familiar with this custom, but hoped to meet up with some cute girls.
"At times, single Japanese practise gokon, a drinking-cum-mingling party that takes place in a restaurant," he said.
Loh Bo Bo, 24, from Kuala Lumpur said she would let her father pick up calls from pushy guys.
Sales executive June Chun, 35, from Kajang was out of the dating scene for the past seven years.
"I was too occupied with work. My parents became worried, though they did not pressure me to get hitched," she said, adding that a friend recommended this event after the latter met her spouse there two years ago.
Housewife Chong Yock Yuw, 50, got divorced three years ago and now is ready to find a man who will take good care of her.
A guy from Ara Damansara felt that tossing oranges was a friendlier way of getting to know people than just chatting through social networking.
Mok Pui Ling, 19, from Cheras will let men initiate the contact after her bag of bananas was taken away.
Hardware shop employee Nicholas Fai, 27, from Kuala Lumpur, said he valued reciprocal love more than physical attraction.
Tan Kong Fee, 42, from Puchong brought along his twin daughters to embrace the celebration and said he would not get upset if anybody called up his wife Wong Lian Hwa, also 42, for friendship.
Visitors wrote down their well- wishes on a paper and some let the folded paper float in lantern boats, priced from RM3 to RM8, on the lake.
They also aimed coins at wishing bells lined up by Persekutuan Tantrayana Cheng Fo Chong Malaysia.
In both venues, traders set up stalls selling food, drinks, torches and hair accessories. Tourists, including those from Iran and Canada, also joined in the celebration. Additional reporting by Seri Nor Nadiah Koris
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