The Zuiho Daiko drum troupe is a team of five people with intellectual disabilities hailing from Nagasaki, Japan. The Japanese drummers (together with 17 family and other support staff) arrived on Thursday night and will be performing later this evening at 6:30 pm at the Sibu Gateway.
This is the actual Japanese Taiko drummer that we used for the massive billboard promoting the event. He was ecstatic at seeing himself featured in the billboard and immediately posed for a photo in front of it. Heh!
The organizing committee brought them on a city tour yesterday morning and introduced them to several local delicacies - this is the salad fruit, which they found oishii (delicious) - whether out of politeness or genuine ardor, I could not be certain. ;)
They were also very interested in the way we sell our chickens at the central market - alive, and bundled in newspaper wrappings with nylon for easy carrying for slaughter at the privacy of the purchaser's own home. I told them it's easier for the sellers too, since live chickens tend to run around.
We brought them to the famous seven storey pagoda as well. One episode I found interesting was the level of amazement they experienced when they chanced upon a cluster of mimosa. Mimosa pudica is a herb that grows in the wild over here and it's very sensitive to touch. It closes its leaves under any stimuli and they found it sugoi (amazing).
The city tour ended at the Agape Center, our local facility for people with disabilities which includes Methodist Care Center, Sibu Autistic Association, Special Olympics Sibu and other organizations under the umbrella group. I know I look obese in the photo, it's due to the double shirt I was wearing, tucked in some more.
I am a volunteer in organizing this event and have been doing press releases for the local newspapers for the past week. The performance will be held at 6:30 pm this evening at the Sibu Gateway followed by another performance in Kuching at 3 pm tomorrow (Sunday) at tHe Spring.
OMG! I have been writing so many press releases that I'm starting to repetitively drive in the dates and times of the performances. ;)
I've also been involved in radio interviews to promote the event (which also ends up as an excuse for a press release for our week-long publicity blitz ;)) and it's been a very long and tiring week, but it's for a good cause.
It's a good chance for everyone to catch the performance of the Zuiho Daiko troupe, which has performed in two Paralympic Games and a UN function. The event will hopefully foster better understanding between the public and people with intellectual disabilities to promote awareness and tolerance.
Charity work is surprisingly fulfilling and I've learnt a lot in volunteering for the Zuiho Daiko event. See ya all tonight!
No wonder no time to reply comments. Good to hear it is for a good cause. :) Are you going to Kuching with them too?
Fantastic! It is wonderful to know that you have spent your time helping others especially people with intellectual disabilities. Well done mate! It is no wonder you have had no time to reply comments left on your blog... :)
great stuff! the least i know, u start doing charity! put a smile on my face :) sigh~ how i wish i could go to see their show at The Spring, but need to work tomorrow. double sigh~
Did they like the Malaysian foods? What kind is their favorite. I like picture of chickens so strange to see them bundle up. We use to have a store sold live chicken but animal protection stop it.
Glad that you use your expertise in a better field. Really a brand new Sixthseal. hahaha... I dun even see the xxx chromosome post on the 4th pic from the last.
So, are they coming to Kuching to perform too?
only 1 word to say here: FANTASTIC! keep it up, huai bin;)
Dude, don't worry bout replying comments...keep the trolls away.
Good on ya, HB!
It's good to get involved in charity and keep you busy.
Keep up with the good work.
thumbs up my friend! good to see you're doing something for a good cause. I had always been in love in volounteer jobs and i hope more would do!
Melanie
www.chefmel.blogspot.com
Great!!
This is another side of you not many people know and seen before of you. It more of a productive side. I do community service in having children bringing their pet for free medical day in checking them and adopting them too.
Great your work is for people with disablities. I worked with children with disablities problems and volunteer in gardening projects with disablities children. Your effort in helping is good and unselfish. Giving to me is better than taking.
It wonderful to help and give to community. Which reason many out there see and know but never do so. I do volunteer at youth center and teach hip hop and ballroom dancing. Learn many dancing as a youth and love sharing it with kids who unable to afford classes to attend.
This is another side of you people like to see. It good to give and to take and helping the community.
I help out by volunteering at children arts center.
I teach Chinese Folk Dances and set up stage shows for children to perform. They learn to over come their shyness to be more out going.
Yo Man, This is So Aw- Some of You. Been reading your blog off and on. Liking of other bloggers doing things too. Hey, If HB went out to help anyone with some free time on hand anyone could also do so. I am a art grad. My sister told me could you help share some your arts talent and there at center ever since. Just weekends off and on. It for people with mental disorders problems well cause by drugs.
So it is true HB helping out in charity. So differents then chiling with the homeboys. Some of my Bros. think why should spend my time helping eldery people ? Well I never had known my grandparents from side at all. So I meet the eldery and go on field trips and mostly talking to them. It make them happy.
You knock me over with this entry. So many bloggers also donating time to help out. It to see lending hand to help another. I collect books and DVDS, CDs for the Public Libraries due cutback so not much fund to get things. Belonged to Friend of the Libraries Group and that what we do also help volunteer in libraries in sheving books and things. Some put on story time show for the children.
Since I worked in reserch of Down infants, Down children love story times at the libraries.
Yeah way to go man. This is good for you in helping disadvantise children. Homeless shelter make me sad. So many homeless people come in for food and overnight sleeps over. Helping out in kitchen and serving them is not much but on my freetime it not bad. Food donated by many supermarkets and restaurants and bakeries. It for the causes.
I wondered if that was you in the newspaper report!
Buah salak? I love them! Anything for the good cause, man. Thumbs up!
ps: Can't help but to notice you are covered up nicely hahaha! 6th photo :P
fish fish: Yeah, I've been very busy that week with the event.
We're not going to Kuching, the Kuching events management is handled by tHe Spring. :)
The Bull: Balancing up my karma points and all that. ;)
Yeah, I'm always very meticulous ever since I started blogging - philosophy was to reply every single comment and I've been doing that since 2002 and I'm not about to stop.
...which is why I'm going back to the entries last week and replying the comments. :)
owllow: Thanks mate! Oh, working on a Sunday? That must suck, I feel sorry for you.
Shelly: They liked the crispy fried pork (different one from the entry two down, it's at a restaurant) and I noticed that the Japanese eat a lot of rice. Yeah, the bundled chicken thing is common over here.
Choonie: Thanks Choonie! :)
Yeah, doing an image makeover. Zhng my reputation. ;)
They did go to Kuching to perform, on the Sunday after the performance over here at tHe Spring.
ai-ling: Thanks ai-ling! :)
Appreciate the support. Cheers!
e: Thanks buddy, I have been keeping the trolls at bay with my Click Delete kung fu. ;)
It's not trolls, it's a troll. Just a single person from a single IP address. I think I know who it is, but I couldn't be bothered. He comments, I delete. Poor thing, writing so much and it just takes a single click from me for it to be gone. ;)
cynthia: Thanks Cynthia! Yeah, it's good to be giving back to society and all that. I have been taking too much, and it's time to give back.
Being busy also keeps me occupied and that's a good thing.
You know what they say, idle mind is the devil's workshop. :)
melanie: Cheers Mel! :)
Yeah, it's fulfilling to be doing volunteer charity work.
I gotta do a bit of running though, else I won't even make it past the 10 km point. :)
Gotta train a little.
benjy8769: Thanks buddy! :)
Vickie: Cheers Vickie! Yeah, people always perceive me as arrogant (which I'm not, am quite a friendly person) and a player (which again, I deny) and a drug addict (which I don't deny, but that's the past and I'm not using anymore and have paid my dues in rehab).
Now is the time to zhng my reputation to be more in line with mainstream society. :)
Matt: Hey, that's great! It's good to hear you're helping out for a good cause too.
Giving is indeed better than taking.
Erica: Doing volunteer work is great, it makes you see the world in a different light, that it's not always about the rat race, chasing the paper trail and accumulating material possessions. There's more to life than that. :)
Wendy: Cheers Wendy! Yeah, volunteer work makes me see life in a different light, it's not about the competitive office environment anymore, that's not life. That's work. :)
It's good to hear you're doing your part too.
Jordan: Hey, that's a great idea. There's a lot of people with mental disorders and not many people care enough about them, since it's not visible unlike physical disabilities. I'm glad to hear that you're helping out with people with mental disorders. Cheers!
Andrew: That's great, my friend. Yeah, helping out the elderly is a great cause since they get sidelined by their families and are seeking for love and conversation. I'm sure you made them very happy. :)
Amy: It's good to hear that so many people are helping out. In today's world, everyone is preoccupied with their own careers and it seems that memberships in NGOs and other charities are dropping. I'm glad you're helping out with children with Down's Syndrome.
Josh: Yeah mate, it's good to hear that you're helping out with the homeless. We don't get many homeless people over here (for sociopolitical and cultural reasons), just a few here and there and most eating establishments furnish them with food. It's different in bigger cities and in the US though.
Gette: Yeah, it is. It came out on Eastern Times and the Chinese papers. You're with Borneo Post right? Which one did you mean? I know I came out in Borneo Post on the 26th with the Pendidikan Khas (Special Needs) school children caption report.
bongkersz: Yeah, salad (which is how I call it) is surprisingly good. I know it's called salak but I saw a sign saying salad and have stuck to that ever since.
I nearly got heatstroke during the event, my friend. I was wearing a double t-shirt to cover my arms.