At 7.30 pm we again gathered in the main hall. The younger campers were especially excited to see their favorite performing artistes which included Fish Leong, Nicholas Teo, Daniel Lee, Yang Wei Han, Francissca Peter, Juwita Suwito, and Sarimah Ibrahim. Before the concert started in earnest, some of these performers paired with selected campers to compete in a game quiz with questions relating to the Famine. The quiz also involved trying to decipher the meaning of 30 seconds silent cartoons by UNICEF that illustrate the rights of children.
The concert started immediately after that. Francissca Peter took the stage with her powerful voice and boundless energy. That got all those who wanted to dance down to the open area in front of stage where they grooved to the music. I smiled as I witnessed the scene. At this stage, I was beginning to feel a bit hungry. I was trying to conserve my energy to last the distance. That is the difference between the young and the old, I thought. The old having less energy left is better at conserving and pacing themselves.
She was followed by the other singers who gave a few songs each. After watching for about an hour, I decided to go back to our allotted place in level 3 to watch the event from above. I could have some quiet time by myself and yet be in a position to watch what is going on without missing anything. It was a different feeling sitting alone up there looking at the orange masses moving to loud music. It ended with all the artistes getting up on stage and once again, launched the huge balloons which the crowd smashed to one another till they all burst.
It was 11.00 pm by this time and the crowd drifted back to their respective places to prepare for the night. Most of the campers chose to sleep by the outer corridors that framed the stadium and the stadium floor. A group of experienced campers even pitched their own tent. Preferring privacy, I looked for a quiet corner at the highest level and made my bed on the concrete floor in-between seats. I brought along a sleeping bag and not liking the cold much (the whole stadium is air-conditioned), brought plenty of warm clothing. The lights were dimmed and the noise took a long time but gradually faded away. I remained awake for sometime reflecting on the events of the day. Though I have not slept on a concrete floor for as long as I have not gone hungry, I was happy to be there at that time and place. Slowly, I too drifted off to sleep.
I woke up just before just before the music came on to announce the new day. My first conscious thought was – we had traveled 2/3 of the way. The next thought was to check my stomach. I was hungry but not unduly so. At 7.00 am, there will religious activities for all the main religions – Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. We went to wash our face and have to contend with a very long queue. This called for patience.
There was a yoga class at 8.00 am. I was reluctant to join in, worried that I will work up an appetite. But my young friends wanted to see if I can still bend those old joints. So I ended up in the floor forcing my stubborn body and limps into submission. Did I hear something crack? As I feared, the longer the exercise stretched on, the hungrier I got. “Mind over matter”, my mind said. Only to be met with an angry growl. I was glad the exercise was finally over. Before we even get to our seat, the next activity was starting…
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