Beauty & the Hisss Exhibition

So I made my way to the Darul Ridzuan Museum along Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab in Ipoh a couple of weeks ago to get up close and personal with the snake girl, whose real name is Noo Azahariah.

gadis ular

Although a visit to the Darul Ridzuan Museum is normally free, because of the snake exhibition, visitors have to pay MYR4 (adults) and MYR2 for students and senior citizens. The physically and mentally-challenged are admitted free. Camera is an additional MYR3.

Beauty & the Hisss Exhibition entrance fee

I have no love lost for snakes but I thought it interesting to see the girl “living” in a room with hundreds of snakes. Apparently, some of them are venomous. This “stunt” is part of her preparation to be entered into the Guinness Book of Records.

snake girl on a break

There was a notice by the door that the snake girl will not be performing a “show” so if you thought you could see something ala Rose Chan, sorry lah. All you’ll see is the snake girl getting online on her laptop and the occasional teasing of the snakes, when she feels like it. The snakes looked pretty well-fed and lazy, though, so there wouldn’t be much action.

Video (below): Two snake charmers doing their magic

The afternoon I was there, she took a break and was out of her room from 3pm onwards. So if you are planning to watch the snake girl, she will be there until 18th November, I hope you will be able to catch her IN her room. I have no idea how long her break lasted, though. Meanwhile, there was a snake show by two guys to keep the crowd psyched.

Video (below): Noo Azahariah in action

I took the opportunity to shoot a video of the snake girl in action. Too bad you wouldn’t be getting a dose of the smell with hundreds of snakes in one room! Enjoy!

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My friend, Ket, a practitioner of crystal matching, aura enhancement and chakra healing, will be holding a workshop in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, this Saturday, 30th October, 2010. He was kind enough to give me a preview of what he will be doing at the Workshop.

crystal matching in progress

By the way, if you have read my blog earlier, you would remember that I received two freebie crystals from E-World Gift Dot Com Sdn. Bhd. last year. Although I have kept them in my drawer all these while, I have always wondered if they are compatible with me. So armed with these two crystals, I set out to seek the truth.

Ket came with his two dowsing rods and using them, he was able to determine my energy level. According to him, my energy level that day was at about 60%, which was slightly higher than the average person. When he found out that I was actually carrying TWO mobile phones, he asked me to put them aside (at least two metres away from my individual energy field) and retook a new reading of my energy level, which was closer to 90%. That’s considered VERY HIGH since I wasn’t wearing any energy enhancement matters, like crystals, yet. A good explanation for this is that the day was a very good day for me, astrologically.

Using the dowsing rods, Ket was able to determine the compatibility of the crystals with my own aura. According to him, holding the crystals on different hands, or even wearing them at specific parts of the body, could emit a different energy level. I did this test with both crystals, holding one on my left hand first, and then my right hand.

In my case, wearing the amethyst crystal enhances my energy level to up to 80%. However, since I always carry two phones, the positive effect is not noticeable since it has balanced off the negative energy that emits from my phones. By the way, even watches emit negative energy, though only slightly.

Now, I am sure a lot of you would be asking why someone would want to enhance his or her aura or chakra and why does one need a higher energy level. We cannot see our aura with the naked eye, so how do we know if it’s weak or strong? What are chakras? Where, in our body, are they? Are they functioning well or even functioning at all? How can crystals help and if they do, what kinds of crystals help? What are the crystals that are beneficial to us? Will the same crystal bring the same benefits to different individuals? If a certain crystal maximises our energy, how shall we wear it? Or shall we just place it in our office, bedroom or even on our bed?

I am not able to answer any of these questions but Ket will be able to prove it with his dowsing rods so you can see the effect with your own eyes. For only RM30, you can have up to five crystals matched, and if you don’t own anything that is compatible with you, Ket should be able to find one that is.

Video (below): Ket demonstrates how crystals are matched

For more information and details on this workshop entitled “Crystal
Matching & Basic Aura, Chakras & Feng Shui with Ket”, visit: Lightworks.

To sign up for the workshop, and you have to do so fast because of limited seats, click THIS LINK. You can also find the location map here.

To read the background of Ket, you can visit him at his website:
Stones n’ Chakras.

Event: Crystal Matching & Basic Aura, Chakras & Feng Shui with Ket
Venue: 19, Jalan Mesui, off Jalan Nagasari, 50200 Kuala Lumpur.
Time: 11am to 12.30pm
Contact number (Lightworks): +603-21432966/77
Email: contact@lightworks.com.my

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compacting the fire pit

Yes, I made a second trip to Tow Boh Keong Chinese temple in Ipoh last evening, on the ninth day of the ninth moon on the Chinese Lunar Calendar, to witness the fire walking ceremony. Prior to last evening’s event, I have only witnessed it once years ago also at Tow Boh Keong temple in Ipoh, and I remember that the fire pit was very long and it was conducted outside of the temple compound.

fire pit

This year, it was held on temple grounds, as you can see from the photos that I have enclosed in this post, and the length of the fire pit was estimated to be 12 feet long. All in all, I spent more than three hours at the temple, from waiting for the fire walking ceremony to begin to the end of the event. By the time it was over, it was already dusk.

open air altar

I don’t have the actual figure but I would say that there were easily a couple of hundred devotees who were brave enough to walk across the coal, and I haven’t taken into consideration temple committee members or mediums yet. Members of the public who undertook this act of warding off obstacles and cleansing of impurities and enhancing good luck, ranged from toddlers who where carried by their parents to teenagers, working adults and senior citizens.

Tow Bog Keong @ Ipoh, Perak

Although the fire pit was well-prepared and doused regularly with coarse salt, it was still intensely hot and I take my hat off to these gutsy people. It truly is a miracle that no one’s clothes caught fire or was burned.

temple musicians

I had a chat with a lady devotee who told me that she was on vegetarian diet for ten days, which means she started on the eve of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. This year is the 18th year that she has participated in firewalking, while her son, who is about ten years old, is checking in for the third year, though he had to be carried by his father. Still, children like him have to go on vegetarian diet as well.

before the firewalking ceremony

Also, participants of the firewalking ceremony had to be dressed in all white, with yellow threads tied around both their ankles, while some had yellow sash talismans tied around their waist too. Even so, before the start of the ceremony, all of them had to pray to the Gods first, and then at 7pm, the first mediums in trance and smaller chariots started to cross over the fire, followed by the main Chariot of the Nine Emperor Gods, paving the way for “ordinary” devotees.

inviting heavenly soldiers and horses to guard the grounds

Most devotees carried with them (yellow) bags containing garments, talismans and other personal effects, so that those who were unable to participate in the fire walking ceremony themselves, could also be cleared of obstacles and impurities in spirit.

colourful chariot

Unlike some stricter Chinese temples, women here were allowed to walk across the coal (literal translation: cross the fire pit). Other devotees who did not participate in the ritual were allowed to go as near to the pit as they could endure the heat.

Nine Emperor Gods chariot coming my way. All had to kneel.

Yours truly was only about a couple of feet away in an attempt to get better shots. Although I am not very satisfied with my position as the crowd was so huge I could hardly move (by the way, those born in the year of the Snake are not supposed to watch the fire walking ceremony this year), and neither did I have the best camera equipment or photography technique, I think I managed (hopefully) to catch the essence of the entire event in my photos and video.

Video (below): Fire-walking during Nine Emperor Gods festival at Tow Boh Keong, Ipoh

If you have missed this year’s Nine Emperor Gods festivities, I am afraid you will have to wait a full year as the Nine Emperor Gods were sent off late last night or early this morning through various waterways where they arrived nine days ago.

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