Starchild: Why Malaysian kids love planning their own birthday parties

Kathleen Cheong Wei Yen, 9

Birthdays are celebrated to commemorate the day we were born. Most people celebrate their birthdays by inviting friends and loved ones for food and fun.

Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, 9No birthday party is complete without a cake. What type of cake do you like for your birthday? Do you prefer an orange cake, chocolate cake or sponge cake? Or do you like to have figurines like Barbie, Superman or Minions on your cake?

If today is your birthday, you share this auspicious day with British author Roald Dahl (Matilda, James And The Giant Peach, and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory).

This week, we bring you the second batch of letters on the topic, My Birthday Party. Let’s check out what our readers had to say:

Heng Sze Hui, 9

“I would like to have my birthday party at McDonald’s. I will invite my friends and family too. I want cute themes like bunnies and fairies. I would like to order burgers and nuggets for my friends. My favourite decoration is a rainbow and at the bottom of the rainbow is a bunny. I want a party hat and a big macaroni cake with eight candles. I wish to have a party like this,” says Wong Jie Ern, eight.

Wong Jie Ern, 8

Older sibling Wong Cheng Yang, 10, writes: “If I could plan my birthday party, I would celebrate it in Genting Highlands, Pahang. We could play indoor games and take some rides at the First World Theme Park. I would also want a giant cupcake with marshmallows as my birthday cake. I think it would be the best party ever.”

Wong Cheng Yang, 10

“If I were to plan my birthday party, I would want a chocolate cake. I would want to have a chocolate fondue as a side dish. The last dish would be a pepperoni pizza. I would also wish to have an arcade and spacious places to play interesting games and hide-and-seek,” says Chuah Seng Koon, eight.

Chuah Seng Koon, 8

Nine-year-old Bethany Wang Qi Syuen wants to have a small gathering at home with her family and a few close friends.

“I will decorate the house with Sanrio characters and get a My Melody cake for the occasion. It will be a simple and meaningful celebration.”

“My birthday party theme will be Sanrio’s Cinnamoroll and it will be in my house. There will be a Cinnamoroll cake and everyone must come in colours like blue, pink and white. There will be cookies, cupcakes and ice cream for all,” writes Kathleen Cheong Wei Yen, nine.

Christabel Chew, 9

“I will ask my mother to be in charge of ordering a cake inspired by my birthday theme, Mermaid. She will also help to bake some cupcakes. I will ask my father to be in charge of printing the invitation cards. Then, I will give out the invitation cards to my friends. My cousins will do the decorations in the party hall. We are going to have fun during my birthday party,” says Christabel Chew, nine.

ITEM: Technically, any object that can produce sound can be considered as a musical instrument. There are different types of musical instruments such as drum, piano and harmonica. Do you love to play musical instruments? Tell us what your favourite musical instrument is. Send us three fun facts about your musical instrument. Don’t forget to send us a drawing too!

Email your contributions to [e-mail] by Sept 27. Please put “STARCHILD: My Favourite Instrument” in the subject line of your email.

Scanned drawings should be in jpeg format, with a resolution of 200dpi. Your contributions must carry your full name, age (open to children aged 12 and below only), gender, phone contact, and address. Instead of handwritten letters, please type out your letters.