30-Hour Famine: Part III – The First Night & The Morning After.

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…

30 Hour Famine: Part II - Day One.

The big day is here and all I can think of is what to eat before I began the famine. Something to last 30 hours. Given the choices between “Bak Kut Teh” (pork stewed in herbal soup) which Klang is famous for, or “Bak Kut Rice” (Chinese pork chop) which has a famous stall opposite the Klang bus station, I chose the later.

At 9.30 a.m. we ordered pork chops, curry mutton in clay pot, fried meat balls and stir fried vegetable. I polished these off with two bowls of rice and drowned them with thick homemade soy milk. One of us remarked that we should not have ordered soy milk as we will be given some for the famine little did we know that the rules had been changed this year and water will be our only subsistence for the 30 hours.

When we reached Stadium Putra in Bukit Jalil, we knew this will be a well organized event when we saw volunteers welcoming and pointing out direction to participants approaching from the car parks and LRT (light rail transit) station. There were four in our group and we were joined by another friend who took a long bus journey from Kota Tinggi, Johore to Bukit Tinggi, Klang the night before.

After registration at the entrance, we entered to see some volunteers hurriedly eating their box lunches at a corner. I threw a nod their direction as respect for their dedication and sacrifice - no Bak Kut Rice. We were asked whether we would like to join the English or Mandarin speaking group. There were no hesitation among my companions and not wanting to be separated, I joined them with my barely passable Mandarin.

17 participants were grouped together under a volunteer leader who had been trained to take charge. Our leader is a pleasant face girl with a sweet smile. In addition to the 5 of us, there were a group of 4 upper six students, 2 colleagues who brought along 2 young relative, a determined young girl is her third famine who brought along 2 younger charges and one lone ranger from Penang. A significant number in our group had done this before. It is interesting and encouraging to note the big number of repeats and participants bringing along their younger charge after experiencing the famine. This alone convinced me that this experience is meaningful enough for past campers to want to share it with those close to them.

Ours were the oldest in the group. And I was by far the oldest of any of them. It took us more than half an hour of looking around before we saw someone older. The median age is very young, way below 20. I was impressed. And I could not help thinking – this is encouraging for the future of our society when the young have such positive response to social responsibility. Later, we learned that the oldest participant is 72 (and a repeat) and the youngest is only 2! So while the age group is overwhelmingly concentrated in the late teens to early twenties, the range is as big as you can get. Maybe something I can use to convince my hesitant friends (yes, you who are reading too!:-)) that this famine is for all.

We changed to our bright orange T-shirt. The volunteers wore lemon yellow. On the way back to the hall, I bumped into a group of Miss Astro finalists with their ‘poise’ and almost burst into song “I’m too sexy for my clothes, too sexy for my clothes”. We settled down in our assigned seating and waited for the program to start at 12.00 noon.

At exactly the stroke of twelve, emcees William Lee and Yap Cam Yew burst upon stage with their rapid exchanges of dual languages and individual brand of humor. They were effective in getting the campers to loosen up. Much of the success of this camp can be attributed to this dynamic duo who if nothing else kept the audience from falling asleep.

To engage the campers, a series of games and events followed. The first game started with aping those on stage performing the antics of Superman, the Incredible Hulk and Ultraman. Soon, giggling and laughter echoed through the stadium. Gigantic balloons were rolled down from the upper floors threatening to crush those below. But they were enthusiastically flicked away for the group left holding them when the music stopped, had to do the funny banana dance to accompaniment of “…peel banana, peel banana, shake banana, shake banana…” The ice-breaker melted away any inhibitions and restraints.

1.00 p.m. - Time to slow down the tempo slightly. Each camper was given a piece of white paper to draw himself. After this was done we were to match the drawn picture with the actual person. That was not an easy task given our ‘talent’ at drawing. It was fun and we came to the unsurprising conclusion – there was no artist among our group of 18 for we were all equally good. To get blood flowing again, waves after waves of Mexican waves rippled through the stadium from one end to the other and back again.

1.30 p.m. – Now came the time to show campers what to expect of the 30 hours famine. Stages and highlights of the last camp were shown. Campers were advised on how to handle and brace themselves for the duration. As no events can be successfully held without rules of conduct, this was explained in detail to campers on what are expected of them.

2.00 p.m. – The official ceremony started with the arrival of the guests of honor - the Minister of Transport, the MD of World Vision International, the chief editor of Sing Chew Jit Poh (SCJP) newspaper and the chairman of Help University. SCJP had been supporting the famine since its inception 10 years ago and Help U for the last 7 years. These 2 bodies were instrumental in its success. In unison, all campers stood up, raised their right hands to make the Famine Pledge.

We pledge to willingly and passionately participate in this 30-Hour Famine to help children living in poverty.

We are fasting to ensure that no child has to grow up losing the basic rights that he or she is entitled to.

We are fasting because nothing will change if we do not take action together.

I understand that I am pledging to drink only water during the 30 hours and will also try my best to refrain from negative thoughts and speech.

Instead, I will do my utmost to help each member to complete and experience this camp to its fullness.

This official opening began with these 4 dignitaries pounding on Chinese drums to the roar of approval from the campers. As the dignitaries left, the Hands Percussion Team took over with an amazing display of exploding sounds that reverberate through the stadium moving hearts to its beats. Lighting movements produced galloping sounds to thunderous boom. The sound dropped down to cascading water, metallic taps before rising in volume and urgency of an approaching tsunami. We loved their performance.

4.00 p.m. – We went outside to the corridors to do two activities. We were each given a wet string which we stringed through our T-shirt over the shoulder and out the other end. The cold wet string gave an unpleasant sensation as it ran under our neck. We sat in a circle and tied the end of the string to that of our neighbor.

To make it more fun, we challenged our neighboring group to see who can do it faster at the shout of “Go!” It was explained how water shortage is so critical in some country that they will drink water infected with Guinea worms. These grew in their bodies and later bit its way out through the swollen leg in excruciating pain. We tied the strings to our wrist for the duration of the camp to remind ourselves of the suffering of some of the world’s children.

The next exercise consisted of trying to make a house with whatever materials at hand – bottles, strings, masking tapes and newspaper. No only are we not artists, we were hopeless architects and constructors too. While we were having healthy laughs at our own incompetency, at the back of our mind we must also be thinking how ill-equipped we are if we were to face the world without our trappings.

5.00 p.m. – We went back to the hall to watch a documentary on the suffering of the forgotten people of Ethiopia. It was a brutal movie not of war but of the slow punishing ordeal of starvation that drew gasps and mourns from the audience. Next, Dr. Wang Chao of World Vision China shared his unique experience with us. Through his eyes, we see the many projects carried out in China. The challenges they faced and their fortitudes in overcoming them. This segment concluded with our deep respects and love even, for these noble volunteers who are willing to sacrifice everything for strangers. I am quite sure it inspired a number of the audience to be volunteers themselves.

6.00 p.m. – We adjourned to the upper level 3 to allow the level below to be prepared for the concert that night. We had some time to do whatever we desired. We went round to visit some of the booths set up and we chatted. Till now, I was holding up admirably well and hunger had not visited me yet but I have only

completed 20% of my journey. As I sat on the upper floor surveying the activities below, I had mixed feelings. I had enjoyed myself. So much so that a little guilt had crept in. In the face of all the suffering all over the world, I felt a little underserved to be living the good life. If I had felt a bit hungrier, maybe that will assuage this feeling somewhat.

But then, I remembered there is a role for everyone in this world. Not all can be volunteers but ALL can play a part. I will work in the office, I will earn my money and I will contribute a portion of it to help those more in need than me. I will not be nobler than the selfless volunteers but I can still be a noble person. As these thoughts flitted across my mind, I remembered the wise words of Mother Teresa –

“If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”

To be continued...

30 Hour Famine: Part I – The Preparation.

As mentioned in the earlier post, I was worried about how I’ll cope with hunger as I’ve never been hungry in my entire adult life. Receiving comments such as “hey, this is for young people, sure you can ah?” and “don’t faint ah!” did not help. The world is full of nice people who just love to deter you. And they are succeeding in shaking my fragile confidence.

Photo from World Vision

Luckily, I am seriously afflicted with an incurable condition called “kiasu” (scared to lose). Where am I going to put my paper thin face if I were to back out now? This called for drastic measure. Like the warrior preparing for battle, I had to condition myself. So two weeks before the big event, I started by skipping lunch. There was now this empty hole that used to be my stomach. It started to take over the rest of my body so my head feels just as empty. The whole office got to know and people start making speculations on how long I will hold out.

Photo from World Vision

Surprisingly to me, it was not that bad. I survived. It was no where as difficult as I envisioned. I learned something about myself and that alone would have made this endeavor worthwhile. My confidence grew and when people asked me now, I answered “no sweat”. But of course at the back of my mind, there were still doubts. So far, I had only been fasting 8 to 10 hours. 30 hours may be a whole different ball game. My feet were already in the water, might as well get the whole body wet.

The night before the event, instead having an early rest; I went for the Jacky Cheung World Tour Concert 2007. I remembered a saying from my bravado school days “Mati Tak Apa, Gaya Mesti Ada” literally translated as “It is all right to die, but one must do it with style”. So we did it with style. Me and my extended family, all fifteen of us went to scream our lungs out at 歌神the God of Songs, my favorite by far of the Four Heavenly Kings. And he did not disappoint.

But even he could not reason with the Rain God. Not long after he burst onto stage, the rain clouds also burst showering those in the expensive seats in the center of the stadium. There was a loud roar as those sitting in cheaper but ironically covered seats laughed at the misfortune of the rich. Talk about “schadenfreude”. I was glad though I was not shivering in the rain. Jacky sighed that the last time he was in Malaysia for a concert, it rained as well. He made a heart felt appeal to Heaven and what do you know, the rain stopped for the rest of the concert. Guess he is not called a Heavenly King for nothing. Though I thought he tempted fate a little when in the middle of the concert he sang 天黑黑 (Sky Dark Dark – it is going to rain).

Jacky had been singing since he won the Hong Kong national singing competition in 1984 with the song “Fatherland”. He hit it big with the song 每天愛你多一些 (Loving You More Everyday) in 1991 which he also sang for this concert. He sang hits after hits after opening with 愛火花 (Love Sparks) including the all-time favorite 吻别 (Goodbye Kiss) which contain one of the most poignant lyric – “We kissed goodbye on the deserted street / As the unkind wind sneered / We kissed goodbye on a troubled night / As my heart prepared to welcome grief”.

Whether fast or slow, Mandarin or Cantonese, he handled them all with aplomb and slick dance move. Tempo slowed towards the second half as he sang ballads from his musical “Snow. Wolf. Lake.” And songs from my favorite movie of 2005 - “Perhaps Love”. And when he sang “If this is love…” My heart reached out and sang with him. That concluded his main act for the night. Considering that he is still recovering from his illness and having sang for almost three hours, it was an admirable feat. But the audience would not let him go and the unbroken applause led him back. I had expected him to sing a few more songs but was touched and impressed when he sang another eleven. It was also an emotional night for him with his voice broken and eyes glistened as he left under a tremendous send off from his 30,000 fans.

It was a great night. I had been infused with music. It was quite late when I got home. But I know that when the spirit is pleased, the body will rest well. And that is the best preparation I could have made for the 30 Hour Famine.

To be continued…

Going "Hungry For Hope"!

I am going hungry. I had not gone hungry for a whole day in my entire adult life. But this time I’m going hungry for 30 hours. But I am not doing it alone. I am doing it with others to celebrate Hunger – as a key to unlock more windows in our hearts.

Am I concerned? What do you think? Always find hunger pangs difficult to tolerate. That growling in the stomach, the growing emptiness, the sapping of energy from the limbs. I never wait for it to develop that far, I filled it with food or snacks as temporary measure. I love food too much to go hungry. When I tried to recruit more friends to join us, the typical responds are “You crazy? Paying to suffer?!” or for the more generous ones “Take my money but please don’t asked me to go”. Look like hunger drives fear into a lot of people. That is only natural, I guess.

From 12 noon of September 15 (this Saturday) to 6.00 p.m. of September 16, eight thousand kind souls will converge onto Stadium Putra in Bukit Jalil Kuala Lumpur. They are there to participate in World Vision’s 30-Hour Famine 2007. This is the 10th year “Famine” will be held in Malaysia and coincides with the 10th Anniversary of World Vision Malaysia. It will be a bilingual event held simultaneously in English and Mandarin.

Each of the participants will donate a minimum of RM150.00 (RM100.00 for students and senior citizens). The beneficiaries of this fund-raising are the World Vision Vietnam Ba Thuoc Area Development Project, World Vision Hope Fund, World Vision Malaysia Development Fund, Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled and Persatuan Kristian Shuangfu. Malaysia is not the only country organizing such event. It was first started by World Vision Canada as far back as 1971 and has spread to World Vision offices all over the world. Malaysia will held 2 such events this year with the East Malaysia event to be held in Miri on the 6 and 7 October. To learn more, please visit World Vision for more details. And to get some personal insights into behind the screen work done by volunteers, please check out http://30hourfaminemalaysia.wordpress.com/

During the 30-Hour Famine Camp, participants will be acquainted with the world-wide humanitarian work of World Vision. The program conducted will include mini-talks, video presentation, simulation games as well as concerts. All sounds interesting but the predominant thing in my mind is still – how will I cope with hunger?

Tune in next week to find out how this cowardly blogger cope with one of his greatest phobia.

p.s. If there are any readers going for the camp and would like to meet up, please send me an email with your name and phone number through my email listed at the top of my blog and we shall try to establish contact. See ya there!

(All photos are from World Vision )

Please check out "Ghostwise" for quotations on Hunger.

An Uninitiated’s Take on The Prague Sinfonia Orchestra.

Originally uploaded by The Smile Team.

(On the 8th of September 2007, the renowned Prague Sinfonia Orchestra conducted by Christian Benda performed a one-night only charity Gala Benefit Concert together with famed violin soloist Min-Lee, pianist Vaclav Macha and young Malaysian soprano Irma Lailatul at the Plenary Hall of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. The main beneficiary of this charity performance will be the MY Budding Artists Fund, an initiative of the Kiwanis Club of Petaling Jaya and The Smile Team. The Fund was set up to provide assist and support for children who are interested and talented in the arts but come from an economically disadvantaged background. )

I have a friend whom I just called “genius” simply because he is one. I knew this young man through my son and they are thick as thieves. This couple of thieves was involved in helping to organize the above function and that is how I found myself uncomfortably dressed up for the night escorted by three young people who were roped in to enjoy the show with me. I was carrying some emotional baggage to the performance and was a little under the weather.

But when I listened to Min Lee slicing the silence with her violin, I was transported to another realm and forgot my troubles. She picked up the knots in my heart and untangled them. And there and then I fell in love again. Not with her (though who would not love to). Not with her music (though it swirled round the edge of perfection). But with Life again (in times of trouble, we need reaffirmation - again and again). And music soothes, and makes us forget and reminds us how beautiful life is and can be. Her music has the power to do that.

For more info on Min Lee - http://www.min-lee.com/index.htm

When Vaclav Macha sat at the piano on centre stage, I could only see his body slightly hunched down to the keys but not his hands. At that angle, the effect is nothing short of amazing. How could a stationary figure produced such a rapid succession of notes that ran and skipped faster than a laughing brook? Yet with the rush, each note was clearly and distinctly defined.

Then our local talent, Irma Lailatul took to the stage with a melodious rendition in memory of Luciano Pavarotti. It was nice to know we have such a talented songbird in our land. Unfortunately, her performance was too short and I would have loved to hear more.

And when Christian Benda the conductor exploded on stage with his energy, my spirit soared on the wings of the notes of the Orchestra. Though my body remained firmly rooted to my seat and my eyes fixated on the stage, my spirit took flight and left Earth. The conductor used his whole being to extol the music to surge forth. And they did - with passion, exuberance and grace. What command he had. He stopped notes dead with a single flick, tempered them with slow floats of his wrist and got them to roar with the uplifts of both hands. He threw powerful thrust with his body to emphasize a note. The conductor led. The orchestra responded. And the audience was enthralled.

For more info on Christian Benda -http://www.christianbenda.com/bio.htm

The quieter music followed me all the long way home. And when I switched on my computer at 2.10 am in the morning, I found that a very nice lady, writer and fellow traveler named Susie (wakingdream) from Toronto, Canada had included me as one of her favorite travelers. This is the first time I received such a compliment since I started blogging about a month ago and it is a big encouragement for me. Thank you Susie. We had been having fun exchanging haiku the last few days. Check it out in "The Neverending Haiku" under Forum in TravelPod.

As the music followed me to bed, I knew it will be a satisfying sleep, I was not totally convinced all my troubles had ended (lived long enough to know that problems are not solved with the flourish of a wand). But whatever happened tomorrow, last night will have made it easier to bear and for that I can raise a smile. And Hope.

And when I woke up the next morning, my son gave me a souvenir program that was signed by both Christian Benda and Min-Lee.