The Festival of the Nine Emperors, Oct 2007

On the first nine days of the ninth month of the Chinese calendar, there is this orthodox Chinese festival called the "Kow Wong Yeh" or literally known as "Festival of the Nine Emperors", which is celebrated predominantly by the Hokkiens and Cantonese. So, to give offerings to the nine emperors, we went to this famous Nine Emperor temple in Ampang New Village. It's always crowded here during this time. This is my second visit to the nine emperor's temple. I was here last year to accompany my wife (then girlfriend) to pray for blessings and repay the nine emperor's "loan". Since everything had went smoothly the year before, we braved the smoke and went through the same ritual this year, praying for blessings of good health, wealth and happiness.

At the Festival of Nine Emperors, it is a culture to seek out a loan from the divine for some heavenly windfall. So, we went to the nine emperor's banker to ask for a loan. Queue was short. Service was fast. And we were given a loan on the spot. No prior approval or credit checking was required. But there is a catch, the interest rate is very high (as we could expect from any non-banking institutions), the interest is minimum 200% per annum! So, if you guys see me strike it rich next year, you knowlah where to get a loan to proposperity!