Here’s my first batch of fireworks and firecrackers which I got for Chinese New Year. I ordered them from KL last year – it’s cheaper to get them when it’s here instead of waiting till CNY itself.
There are a lot of places selling it though – I bought some assorted interesting fireworks and was undecided between two huge fireworks aerial salute cake that I saw. There’s one with very nice packaging (the pink one) on the right, and there’s an industrial grade one on the left.
The latter has a larger mortar size though (which usually means higher and better starbursts) so I ended up with that one. It’s RM 300 vs RM 250 for the nicely printed box. It’s quite large – it’s just a single 100 shot fireworks cake and it’s sitting on my lap in the photo above.
Just open and light it up! There’s a secondary fuse as well which is a cable tie/fuse contraption for use in daisy chaining several cakes up to go off simultaneously or in sequence, depending on how you link ’em up.
My friends dropped by with some fireworks as well – 12 inch (1 foot) fountains, which I’ve seen around retailing for RM 35. They got an entire box and passed me some of the 1 foot monsters which are popular and new this year. Last year the largest one was the Volcano fountain at 9 inches.
Here’s my bill from last night for the novelty and smaller fireworks purchases if you can read Chinese. I can’t. Heh. I know I got slaughtered on the Shun Lee Hung firecrackers though – can’t be helped, I didn’t buy enough for the traditional days where I do let ’em off.
I’m off to buy a couple of large fireworks cakes (making a grand trio of large fireworks cakes as my flagship this year) in a bit.
This is where I currently stand – better photos with everything when during the annual roundup but I’ll let some off first!
Oh, I also got an ang pow from Yee Ling!
The angpow is handmade – very thoughtful and kind of her to send it over. Yes, it does contain money inside, making it my first ang pow of the year. Cheers Yee Ling! 😀
P/S – Just got another batch in. There’s daytime fireworks cakes in there too (bottom of the photo – blue colored cake). It’s going to be awesome! It’s meant for daylight use, will show you the principle soon! 🙂
Wah.. Wish I live near you, should be quite a sight to behold when you light the big ones off O.o
You don’t have to live near me. It’s all good in Sibu! 🙂
My left side neighbor lets off more fireworks and firecrackers than me each year. It’s quite festive over here during CNY which is why I love it here.
The daylight fireworks is something I look forward to. It’s a burst of colored powder – meant to be let off in the morning for visibility instead of at night.
Clear blue skies is the best weather! 😀
true oso lah lol! it’s actually quite spectacular over here also! =P
oh ya, im in sibu oso!! but i dunno anything about d daylight ones tho, owes tot fireworks supposed to be lighted off night for maximum visual effects hmmmmm
Nice! Which area do you live in?
I’m at the Pedada / Au Yong / Jalan Ipoh area. My house is near Kim Tak. That’s the usual point of reference I give people. 🙂
Yeah, but there is a new (somewhat – professionals have used it for years) type of fireworks that only works in the morning (you can let it off at night, but you can’t see the effects).
Instead of burning pyrotechnics and metals to color the starburst, the aerial starburst is done using colored powder. You *have* to let it off in daylight to see it.
It’s quite a pretty pastel effect. 😀
haha, aku dekat sibu superbowl sana =D oh, kim tak i know! but already forgot how to get there =.=
wahhh, seriously?? must be quite new in sibu rite, this is the first time i heard of it, unless if im rly outdated =.=””””’
Okay! I know where you live, to come here, you just go opposite the way I drive – hook right at the major intersection beside SMB Sacred Heart, drive straight till you see Pedada on your left then take any road in.
No, you’re not outdated, it’s being sold in the markets (as far as I know) just this year for consumers. It’s the first time I’ve seen it sold in Sibu either.
Daytime fireworks woot! 😀
Very small denomination**malunya***
U r most welcome. Have to thank Arthur for helping me to pass it to you.
I can see this big kiddo is very excited and can’t wait to launch the large fireworks cake..LOL!!
Must be careful also….Cheers!!
No la! It’s all good! 🙂
I’m very touched to be one of the rare recipients of your handmade ang pows! Thanks for that Yee Ling! 😀
Yeah, Arthur brought over some pineapple cakes too! I wanted to get some of the firecrackers he wanted but the place I went to didn’t sell it – will go to another place further from town to get it. I’m not sure if they sell it either. I have one opened packet so malu to give to him.
Will do! Thanks again and happy CNY to you and your family! 😀
gosh…that’s a lot of firecrackers and fireworks going there. I admit I am a noob on this matter…so what is the difference between firecrackers and fireworks?
I love them! 😀
Chinese New Year is about reunion and firecrackers and fireworks (tradition) to me.
Firecrackers = sound only, no display (there are exceptions though). I consider salutes to be in this category as well
Fireworks = broad range of (usually) light based pyrotechnics that can range from fountains to Roman candles to multiple aerial barrage cakes like the big ones above. Most of my fireworks are airborne and bursts in a pattern in the sky (like you see during New Year’s celebrations).
Hope that helps! I do a round-up every year with videos. Happy CNY Eve! 🙂
Wow….that’s a lot of fireworks. That’s the true spirit of CNY!
Happy CNY to you and your family!
Yeah, that’s one of the things I love most about CNY – we have a long tradition of an extended family reunion and then waiting till midnight to let of fireworks and firecrackers.
It was a lot of fun when I was a kid.
It’s still a lot of fun now. 😀
Now that only my grandma is here, everyone does their own mini-reunion but we still eat at our grandmas with a couple of uncles and aunties and cousins. 🙂
Happy CNY to you and your family Andrew!
HB, you still a kid at heart when it come fireworks. Do you make your own time bomb? My brother use to and let it sit somewhere for a few mins. I don’t why he does it maybe to get a bang out of it. Guys oh boy. I rather watch instead.
Haha! Yup, I’m always a kid at heart when it comes to fireworks. 😀
However, since there is no regulation here, a lot of kids play with industrial aerial shells (3″ and 5″). Technically, those are supposed to be let off only by people with licences but it’s sold on the open market here and blacksmiths do the metal mortars.
It can be quite dangerous and accidents happen every year due to badly made mortars, use of metal (heats up fast and can ignite the next shell instantly – exploding it on the ground, if you don’t let it cool down), and general bad practice.
That said, a lot of Sibu people have been playing with industrial fireworks since they were kids so due to trial and error (everyone has had accidents, including me), they get it right.
Time bomb? There’s only two reasons to do that:
1. Someone who doesn’t dare to light the fuse.
Nothing wrong with this, but the use of a delayed fuse with a sparkler or mosquito coil or cigarette is very dangerous IMHO. You don’t know when it’s supposed to go off due to the unpredictable burn rate of the rigged delay fuse. I don’t recommend this – either light the fuse or let someone else do it.
2. Pranks
We get this a lot in high school. People rig a mosquito coil to a large salute (huge firecracker) and duct tapes it to the toilet cistern. This is to avoid being detected (you’re not there when it goes off) but it *will* burst the cistern and may cause serious injury. Imagine a guy taking a shit when it goes off (this happened before in my high school – I won’t say who set it, we were waiting for it and *bang* *crash* (secondary report of the cistern breaking) then I saw this guy running out traumatized with his pants still down).
It can be a dangerous prank – fun when in high school, but after high school, juvenile. It was a lot of fun though, I must admit. Haha!
I love lighting them up! I guess I’m just not made to be a spectator! 😀
Hey bro is it 公教对面got sell ? haha
Okay, I just ran that through Google Translate. 🙂
Yup, they’re open until 4 pm and then opens again at 7:30 pm. This year they’re priced reasonably and I like the tau keh nio – good service and you can get a discount if you buy in bulk.
Happy CNY bro!
Thx bro haha Happy Chinese New Year too 😀
No worries! 🙂
They’re not the only ones selling this year – pasar malam got a lot also, as does 法利 – not sure if I got this right, I’m using Google Translate English – Chinese. Haha!
The latter and the one you mentioned are the two biggest that I’ve heard but all around my old high school (SMB Methodist) you’ll see shops around and also the Sibu Gateway area.
Cheers! 😀
oic. btw other than 公教对面, where else got sell @@ i need buy some more~
Okay, today is CNY eve so you gotta be quick.
Farley is the other big one. Other than that pasar malam and shops around SMB Methodist also sells.
I would recommend you go opposite Catholic for CNY eve shopping though – it’ll be a nightmare to drive down to Farley and then back up again at this hour!
Good luck bro!
Ya later 11am go take a look hahah XD the catholic high Chinese school there ~
All the best bro! They should be open at night too for a limited time. 🙂
haha bro u think this year firework and firecracker price is it cheaper than previous year ?
It’s reasonably priced but unlike last year’s heavy competition there’s some sort of agreement going on. 🙂
However, the one in town has a great price though, compared to the one far away. They’re consistently cheaper and there’s discounts if you talk to the tau keh nio too.
Last year was a special case though, eh?
I got most of mine via direct order so it’s cheaper for me anyway since I order last year and the guy here keeps and delivers it when I come back Sibu for CNY.
Happy CNY buddy! 😀
Talk about starting the New Year with a bang, eh? LOL!!!! Make sure you get everything on video and share it on youtube. 🙂
Yup! I’m quite eager to get the daylight fireworks cake going. 🙂
Same principle as regular aerial salute repeaters, they also use regular flashpowder to act as a propellant to launch the shell into the air.
However, the shell does not contain metal composites (which is what regular fireworks use for color) – it’s colored powder instead.
It also uses flashpowder to explode (disperse) the powder and it looks really cool. It’s the first time I’ve seen it in Sibu. 😀
OMG! You are such a loud and noisy blogger!! I am shocked at the amount you invested to BOOOM the skies! I think Arthur’s toilet will shake when he’s doing business inside! Muahahahaha! I sure miss the young days when I played lots of firecrackers which even set fire to the grounds of USM in Penang. I also burnt my own face when my stupid brother asked me to check why the fire crackers didn’t light up. BANG! It exploded on my face.
So we are in the same industry in KL. Which agency are you attached to?
Wishing you and family a HAPPY & PROSPEROUS CHINESE NEW YEAR! HUAT AAARRRRRR!
Haha! It’s really no big deal. 🙂
A lot of people who subscribe to me on YouTube are there for the videos and AdSense covers the fireworks so it’s all good. I spent slightly less than RM 2,000 on fireworks and firecrackers this year. It’s incremental, and I can afford to buy more and more each year thanks to some of my better performing videos (all fireworks and firecrackers).
That sounds like a lot of fun bro! 😀
Damn, yeah, I guess everyone would have situations like that. I had several growing up too – shattered all my ground windows when a 3″ shell burst in the mortar. That was a little intense.
I also broke my mom’s flower pot yesterday coz I threw in a firecracker and I thought it’ll just intensify the sound but nope, the edges broke and flew off in my direction.
I’m not in media anymore bro. I’ve left the industry several years ago and I haven’t been working with any media agencies since I left.
Which agency are you in? Long hours, eh? 🙂
LIkewise bro! Happy Chinese New Year to you and your family! HUAT AHHH! 😀
LOL. You are such a terror for breaking a flower pot before CNY. By 15 days I shudder to see the list of damages. Your mum might blast her fireworks at you soon.
After 2 decades of indoor media, I am now in outdoor advertising selling to property developers. Hours are short and relaxed for me now.
Yeah, but more of my fireworks are still not dry! The fuses takes a lot time to light!
OMG it’s raining so badly nowadays I don’t have sunlight to dry them out – last day today.
Hey, sounds good! All the best in the Year of the Snake buddy!
Happy CNY! 🙂
wow, what a stash! the inner child in me is envious! gosh, i think i haven’t lit any fireworks since maybe the early 1990s, when i was still in school! 😀
Yeah, but the problem is some of the cakes are really heavy – everything weighs about 200 kgs and it’s giving me heatstroke to lug them all out to dry out and lugging them back in. Haha!
Wow! That’s a long time! I’ve always been fond of fireworks – it reminds me of childhood when we were a huge extended family and my grandpa was still around and we’ll all stay there till 2 am (with mandatory naps in the afternoon) during CNY eve letting of fireworks!
Happy CNY Sean! 😀
I’m just curios, Firecrackers has been made legal ah bro? Because when i buy some firecrackers at Penang, the same box which state “Firecrackers” came printed on it.
Btw, if the amount of firecrackers you show been let of in my neighbourhood, someone is going to call the police 😛
I guess the best way to describe the situation in Sarawak is that it’s “tolerated”. 🙂
Nope, that’s the standard box for fireworks cakes, it’s the same in every country – designation, UN classification and (usually) standard instructions). It differs by size and designation only.
Haha! Well, not in Sarawak – not in Sibu at least. I was trying to sleep early last night and my neighbors on all sides were letting them off with abandon. I just went back to sleep.
It’s a cultural thing here in Sibu, I believe we put out the best (citizen) fireworks show each year. 😀
The shop opposite catholic high got sell which type???I only saw the 168 one in ur pics.wat is the one beside the 168???I’m interested to know their business time:)
They;re selling a mixture of new and old stock. That’s a fireworks cake I’ve seen for a long time – taller than other standard ones – same height as a 3″ mortar tube but the inner diameter is only 2″.
It’s a 49 shot cake, just with bigger mortars so it goes higher and it can carry a larger aerial shell which usually means a better (or bigger / more complex) starburst.
I don’t know about today since it’s CNY eve but they’re usually open till 4 pm and reopens at 7:30 pm. I know they open at night during CNY eve – after reunion dinner time (around 8 pm) but not for long!
Happy CNY bro! 🙂
Happy CNY to you too,mate!
Oh ya,any type u recommend from tat shop since I’m going there later…
I’ll go for the daylight firecracker cakes if they still have them – limited stock though. Enjoy! 🙂
Cheers!
avoid 2” 49 at all cost. it have 2 in a box rite? from opposite chs
play it if u wan to have a good chance to have yourself bombed
Faulty cake bro?
One blew up one me too, but luckily it was at the end. It happens, half the problem is Chinese QC (bad) and the other half is people not transporting it properly (e.g. if huge cakes like the 2″ 49 shot gets dropped, the internal fuse connecting the tubes might get dislodged or flash powder for lift might get on top of the mini-shell and that’s what causes cakes to blow up).
Hope everything is fine bro, wouldn’t like that to happen to me – similar thing blew up at waist length with me a meter away but that was my fault, didn’t see a latch blocking the mortar so the shell couldn’t go airborne. 😡
The Chinese names are hilarious!
Happy New Year to you and yours!
Haha! I wish I can read them. I only know certain ones – last one should be (literally) “3 thousand”, meaning the firecrackers.
Happy CNY to you and your family! 🙂
From the top:
Rome (or Roman)
Number 4
Little Bee
Beetle
Flute Music Tunnel (literally)
Spaceship
Sparkly Beauty
7255
Three Thousand Heads
😀
Thanks for the translations! 😀
That’s very awesome of you. What is Number 4? I’m a bit puzzled, have to collate the stock from that day with the list.
Three thousand heads is the Shun Lee Hung firecrackers. 🙂
Thanks again and happy Chinese New Year! 😀
WHOA that’s a LOT of fireworks and a lot of $$$ spent on the fireworks!!
Have fun, HB and don’t burn the house down LOL
Happy Chinese New Year in advance!
I love fireworks and firecrackers so it’s something I’ll spend my money on. 😀
I’ll try not to! It’s usually someone else’s fireworks that would burn my house down. My fireworks would try their best to burn someone else’s house down, so I gotta be careful about that.
Happy CNY to you too Jyannis! 🙂
Pls say hi to my dear bro AD Puah.. its been quite some time since we last met..Happy New Year.
pst: I was the guy whom gv u some scott tissues many years back..at Chonglin Park
Hey James!
Good to hear from you. Yeah, I still remember you bro. I’ll pass on the message!
Happy CNY! 🙂
Had alwiz followed ur post since ur `darker’ days ^^. No longer your neighbour (was in kelana Jaya are) nut jz moved to Brunei. DO drop me a note if you have any plans to visit Brunei) Take care
I’ll do that bro! 🙂
I passed your msg to Eddy too! He said hello! 😀
Happy Chinese New Year 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
Happy holidays to you too! Have a great weekend! 😀
Wow! So many fireworks! Must be a noisy CNY for you! Happy CNY! : )
Indeed! 🙂
I loved the daytime firecrackers – it’s beautiful but gotta do it when there’s no wind though so the colored smoke lingers.
Happy CNY to you too buddy!
Hey, May I know where do u get it if its not chinese new year season =)