Students celebrate Mid-Autumn festival to relax their mind

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IT IS certainly not all work and no play for Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) students despite having to face their semester examination.

In fact, a group of them took time off to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival as they saw it as an opportunity to relax their mind and enjoy good company.

Journalism student Ng Ee Theng, 23, said: “This may be our examination time but a celebration is a celebration.”

Careful now: Ong Jin Fu, 22 (left), and Chan Kar Wai, 21, adjusting a tree branch bearing eight beautiful paper lanterns.

Ng said her favourite moments were eating mooncake and drinking her favourite pu-erh tea with friends at her house in Taman Kampar Perdana.

Her coursemate Wendy Long Deng Wen, 24, said the festival signified family reunion, and celebrating it with friends had helped her overcome homesickness.

Tan Hui Kia, 22, who is also studying journalism, said students might not be able to afford a grand feast but a simple mooncake- tasting session with friends was enough to bring some Mid-Autumn joy.

Pure bliss: Long looking at her lantern and admiring its glow.

Marketing student Chai Siew Wan, 21, finally got his chance to realise the Mid-Autumn celebration he never had.

Growing up amid concrete skyscrapers just like any other urban folk in Kuala Lumpur, traditional paper lanterns did not figure much in his childhood.

Chai’s dream came true when he and nine friends lit up the candles inside the beautiful paper lanterns at a volleyball court near Taman Kampar Perdana.

Simple snack: Ng (right) cutting a mooncake while Tan enjoys her pu-erh tea.

Computer engineering student Bei Liaw Huat, 19, who is also a Taman Kampar Perdana resident, said he and his friends were not worried about encountering any arsonists during the celebration.

He was referring to the spate of fire attacks in the housing estate, which started more than a month ago.

“We will be the lantern patrol team for the night,” he said, adding that several patrol members stopped by to wish them a happy Mid-Autumn festival.