ACT ONE : CORP REHEARSAL - TAMPINESS
CHARACTER : DESMOND, NOTHING-TO-DO-BOY

My faithful first real day of helping out in our church combined production with the US crew. The production? Eternity. (forgve my lack of 'i's in the entire entry, if there is. The button on my keyboard is in a selective coma.) I got off school late that day, and Bro Selvam came to pick me up from sch to go Tampiness. When I reached that day, i went to the balcony and was minding my own business when this guy from the US team asked me to video him teaching the others how to do the lights. I did, only after stupidly exclaiming, "Huh? What? You want me to do it? What if i do it wrongly?"

Then we really did nothing for the whole time. The only thing i really did was like go and wait for Joel to find the right bus stop, which took 45 min and 17 min on my phone! Haha, yea.

(ACT ONE ENDS)

ACT TWO : SET UP/REHEARSAL AT CCK, FRI AND SAT)
CHARACTER : DESMOND, LABOURER -WHO-HAD-TONS-OF-FUN

Yep. On friday i was so sick in school i signed out before 2 and reached CCK around that time.I initially expected very few ppl to be there and that i could just sleep for awhile before rehearsal. But i saw a group of technical ppl, doing... technical stuff! I expected that i couldn't help much, but i did!! Jude taught me how to connect the wires and stuff, and I did them well, altho i took a much longer time than he expected. Then the cast came in after awhile, and we practised and practised. It was then when i realised that the guy who asked me to videotape him, was our director, Director Cody Williams.

Sat was equally fun. I left my house at bout 9.55, and cabbed down to CCK; it was raining like WOAH. Nonetheless i made it and we just practised from 10 till bout 10.30 at night. It wasn't as look as it seems. In fact time passed so quickly i didn't even realise that so many hours passed. Really fun, and like i think i said before, loved the family kinda feeling. Our cups with our names, walking around barefooted (OK! Only me....) And just like that, 12 hours passed.

Our first performance was the next day!

(ACT TWO ENDS)

ACT THREE : ACTUAL PERFORMANCE
CHARACTER : SPOTTER 2.

On sunday, we had practise for the chinese performance. It was totally hilarious. Then our first production. I think it went well. MANY MANY MANY got saved. And just like that, God brought back to me that desire to see the nations come to Him.

When i saw the many come to the front, something in me just leapt and i started smiling like mad. And just looking at their faces, seeing the joy of finding their Savior, just made me so glad. And i was thinking about how heaven was rejoicing... going wild and mad over the many who gave their lives to God. And i realised that i DO want to have this joy. That i DO wanna travel the globe just to be an instrument that brings the joy of heaven into the lives of the many ppl around the world. To know that God and the angels are going ka-bonkers over so many ppl being saved, from the fires of hell.

That night was such a tough night. But God was there. He found time for me, a saved kid. And i thank Him for His grace and mercy.

The following nights were good and i had a walkie thru-out. I went by the name SPOTTER 2, and Cody wld give instructions thru the walkie. Pretty cool huh? After sch each day, except wed. Reached about 5.30, then just hang around and go for slurpie or something. And every nite, even tho attendence didn't seem alot, the salvations were a rather big proportion of the audience. And just so wow-ed and amazed man.

I'll highlight the last night in particular. My spots were down, again, and i was so panicky. Thank God Matthew was there to help me. The first two scenes were sorta spoilt by me i guess. I mean, i thot when the handle dropped out on thurs, was bad enough. But who wld have realised the handle wld have spoilt on friday somemore!? I quickly reviewd what i did that was unpleasing to God that day itself, and thot maybe sa tan was using it to spoil the production... thru me. Anyways, it miraculously fixed itself. To think the whole walkie-world was just wondering what went wrong.

Ya, and i was pretty sad knowing that this was our last performance. Actually was habouring a secret thot that the whole crew, cast and technical and all could just follow Cody bringing the performance to thousands upon thousands to many ppl ard the world. Becos i love so much(ed) to bring glory to God, love so much to see such a crowd come to Christ and turn from their sins, and love so much that family feeling. So much so much. And ya, fun to do la.

(ACT THREE ENDS)

ACT FOUR : FOOD FUN TEARDOWN
CHARACTER : DESMOND, SPOTTER 2, REALLY-HAPPY-KID

Then they went for food. I went to, but went back down. Just sorta wanted to keep myself busy, maybe becos i was reluctant to let the production go.But just was tearing down abit, being busy. Took a peice of glow tape and pasted on my phone (ok sorry!!) And just taking down "heaven's" gold and white when Cody came down and the kids were following behind. That scene cannot be erased from my mind. That kind of scene like a dad playing with his kids.The whole family came down the stairs, after him and the kids. And it was just BEAUTIFUL. I could cry. So beautiful. ARGH!! God!! Anything to get it back. Yah, so i went toilet to wash hands, and just sat in the balcony with some adults as Cody was getting some crew and all cast on stage. Then they sent everyone who went to hell to heaven... I mean, was just so beautiful. Played a fool abit, like sent some back to hell, but everyoen went to heaven. Cheering ppl on to "go to heaven" and just going wild. I mean... Real Heaven must have been going as wild as us.

So beautiful.

We thanked all those involved and just went like WILD. MAD!!! It was SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!! OH GOD!!! A FAMILY TO CALL OUR OWN!!!

Then we prayed as one big family on the stage giving thanks, rejoicing about the salvations which i think reached over 1000 in all regions. Really so family and heartwarming. Then tear down began and all, and just carrying out the stuff to the basement, folding rolling the gold and white... Joel and I stayed till bout 1.

You know what?

ACT THREE DOESN'T END..

I want our region to be so united and bonded. I mean, i think no other region experienced what we went thru last night. The joy and rejoicing and madness and wildness. That's something to call our own. A shared joy. A shared love. For God. For the nations. For each other.

I LOVE YOU GUYS, the TECH CREW, the CAST, the MAKE-UP, the USHERS, the ALTAR WORKERS, the T SHIRT PPL, the WHOLE REGION. I love you guys. Ok, Cody's counted too, altho you'll prob never read this. Think we've adopted you as part of the region. It was so beautiful. I loved the atmostphere. The madness.

God You're the best. Really. Diifucult times, but God You never left. You're still beside me. Holding my hand. I love You. Give me grace to love You more.

ACT THREE DOESN"T END!!!! YAY!!!!

The Open Verse Entry.

One

Crafted and
carved
and conjointed
and combined
and compressed
into
one
block.

Yet
disjointed
apart
distant
far
from
what
it is
meant to be


time to kneel and hook hands and cry
and to pray and hold tightly and be all
,yet
One
Single
Entity
with Different Styles and Forms but always
,One
Single
Entity

Seven
Chords and
more make One
Strong and sturdy Rope
Seven Chords and Three make
An unbreakable Bond...

to kneel and hook hands and cry
and to pray and hold tightly and be all
,yet
One
Single
Entity
with Different Styles and Forms but always
,One
Single
Entity

desmond ng.

The real entry.

How real exactly are reality TV shows. Pretty certain you've thot of that. Reality TV is NOT real. Reality TV is in no way what you see on TV. Reality TV is what you see on God's TV screen.

I'd like to think He's beside a whole stack of videotapes of your life, piling so high up you can't see the top. "Gabriel, the 97, 476th hour of Desmond's life please. ( That's approx my 11th year on the earth btw) I think it's the 77th tape from the right on the 35th shelf in the 'D' section. Thank you, and bring more popcorn!! Elijah says he wants a diet coke too..."

Then an angel glides up past the screen and to amongst the clouds and disappears. In seconds he reappears excitedly flying back to God, with popcorn and coke and other tidbits, and he sits by God and they continue watching the tapes. Laughing in love, tearing at times I failed God, cheering on as I was battling a stronghold and jumping at a victory I won.

Reality for most of us is NOT in a jungle with no proper sewage system and no water supply and having to slaughter a chiken or cow for food. It may be for someone living there by default, but its not for us.

Our reality TV shoot is in Singapore, with exams, with work, with lousy teachers, with good teachers, with bad bosses and caring ones. Our reality TV program takes place in our families when we scream at them or serve them iced-water, when we clear the house or mess our rooms.

Our reality is simply where God places us in. My reality is where God has ordained for me to be.

Here I am on the other side of the radio
Wonderin' why I'm here and why anybody cares what I say
No I'm not a better man because I'm singing the songs on the radio
'Cause we're all the same
At the end of the day

Now I imagine you on the other side of the radio
Doing your homework or driving with your windows down on the freeway
I see you tapping the wheel
I see you bobbing your head to the radio
Oh and it makes my day
To see that smile on your face
And in some small way, I remember my place

'Cause its you and me singing the same song right now
Maybe this'll bring us together some how
Maybe there's a million people all singing along
Somebody started thinking about the third line
And maybe someone's saying a prayer for the first time
And that's enough reason to keep me singing my song
Singing my songs on the other side of the radio

Crank up the volume and sing at the top of your lungs with the radio
Tune it in to some good news and laughing along with the DJ
We're changing somebody's world from the other side of the radio
Oh and it makes my day
To see that smile on your face
And in some small way, I'll remember my place

-- Chris Rice, The Other side of the Radio

Sorta like a reality thing. Put up this song cos i was just listening to it as i blogged. Esther Foong and I were wondering what this song meant some time ago. Elvin said it was a song bout this guy hearing his own song on the radio. And he is wondering how many other people are singing it along with him and the radio. Like they all have different realities but they are bounded by one song. Esther and I just gave him the huh, no meaning look. But now i think i get Mr Rice. Maybe he realised we all have different realities. But we're bounded by one thing -- God's great love and commission.