2009

in 2009, i want to make productions that not just scratch surface emotions
but touches people's inner heart and spur them to want to do something about it!


this is not a boast but a reminder to myself.

come and see.

Dance Practices

I was looking through my emails and read this story again. Thought it would help all working people to change the perspective of their work life??

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If you have ever gone through a toll booth, you know that your relationship to the person in the booth is not the most intimate you'll ever have. It is one of life's frequent non- encounters: You hand over some money; you might get change; you drive off. I have been through every one of the 17 toll booths on the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge on thousands of occasions, and never had an exchange worth remembering with anybody.

Late one morning in 1984, headed for lunch in San Francisco, I drove toward one of the booths, I heard loud music. It sounded like a party, or a Michael Jackson concert. I looked around. No other cars with their windows open. No sound trucks. I looked at the toll booth. Inside it, the man was dancing.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "I'm having a party," he said. "What about the rest of these people?" I looked over at other booths; nothing moving there. "They're not invited."

I had a dozen other questions for him, but somebody in a big hurry to get somewhere started punching his horn behind me and I drove off. But I made a note to myself: Find this guy again. There's something in his eye that says there's magic in his toll booth.

Months later I did find him again, still with the loud music, still having a party. Again I asked, "What are you doing?" He said, "I remember you from the last time. I'm still dancing. I'm having the same party." I said, "Look. What about the rest of the people ...." He said. "Stop. What do those look like to you?" He pointed down the row of toll booths. "They look like ... toll booths." "Nooooo imagination!" I said, "Okay, I give up. What do they look like to you?" He said, "Vertical coffins." "What are you talking about?" "I can prove it. At 8:30 every morning, live people get in. Then they die for eight hours. At 4:30, like Lazarus from the dead, they reemerge and go home. For eight hours, brain is on hold, dead on the job. Going through the motions."

I was amazed. This guy had developed a philosophy, a mythology about his job. I could not help asking the next question: "Why is it different for you? You're having a good time." He looked at me. "I knew you were going to ask that," he said. "I'm going to be a dancer someday." He pointed to the administration building. "My bosses are in there, and they're paying for my training."

Sixteen people dead on the job, and the seventeenth, in precisely the same situation, figures out a way to live. That man was having a party where you and I would probably not last three days. The boredom!

He and I did have lunch later, and he said, "I don't understand why anybody would think my job is boring. I have a corner office, glass on all sides. I can see the Golden Gate, San Francisco, the Berkeley hills; half the Western world vacations here ... and I just stroll in every day and practice dancing."

- Dr. Charles Garfield

i miss it....




Italic

1a.m. Dance Team's History:

You wont believe this, but 2009 will be 1a.m. 10th year anniversary! nailin, let's throw a bash! hahaha...

2008

Welcome to the Family
"Stand by Me"
October 25 & 26

Urban Groove Street Festival @ Taipan
"Stand by Me"
(Vitz won the popping battle!!)
October 5

Grace Assembly "To God Be The Glory" event
August 16


Project Dance Hong Kong - July 25-27

"Imagine Me" - Campus Weekend @ ECFD - May 4


"Imagine Me" - Easter
Mar 29-30 - ECF Penang
- Mar 22-23 - ECF Puchong

"Break Free" & "Who Am I"
Jan 13 at Pack the Floor 24


2007
"
"Who Am I" (Sharon's testimony)
Conversations with Cathryn - Dec


"Mask" together with the drama team at Dive In 07 Campus Camp Aug 31 - Sep 2.
This production had been real and really showed the people the reality of wearing a mask in t
heir lives...

"Break Free Production" Dive In 07 Campus Camp Aug 31 - Sep 2.

"Who Am I" ECF Easter Weekend 7-8

"The Anthem & Dive In" Sold Out Launch Apr 28-29 (ECF & KDU)

2006

"Jesus Is The Reason For The Season - Redo" ECF

CDFM, Genting, July 10-14:

by CDFM, "Who's In The House" & "Great Day"
by 1a.m., "More2Life+Always and Forever"

(above) "We're All In This Together" ECF WTTF Jun 24 & 25

"Miracles Happen" ECF Father's Days (kids) Jun 18
"Always and Forever" SEA Boys Brigade Concert Jun 6
"Miracles Happen" SK Seri Setia (kids) May 12
"More2Life+Always and Forever" Easter Wkd (3 services) April 15 & 16

"More2Life+Always and Forever" Campus Day April 8

2005
Christmas Medley on the Characteristics of God December 2005

"Shackles (Praise You) " 1a.m. Academy Nite, July 2005 & 1Day, Aug 6

"Reflector" March 2005

2004

"Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday" December 2004

"Wonder Why" November 2004 - at church and at Amcorp Mall

"All About You" Welcome to the Family 2004

"Who’s In The House " SNL Opening March 2004

2003
"I‘ve Got A Ticket (J-Train)" December 2003
"Jesus Is The Reason " December 2003

Stoopid Cupid: "Oops! I Did It Again!" February 2003


2002
"Joyful, Joyful" (Christmas Together) Christmas 2002

"Your Love Is Beautiful " Dream Malaysia, Nov 2002

"Great God " Open House July 2002 – Change Lives

"Joy To The World" – 2nd Time? Christmas 200?

The Rock:
"Winter Wonderland " December 2000
"Joy To The World " December 2000
"Joyful, Joyful " Christmas 2000
"See Ya" October 2000

"Oops! I Did It Again " September 2000

"Who’s In The House " July 2000

"Love Don’t Cost A Thing"
Glow in dark dance/Shrek??
"Let’s Get Loud"

Jam Nite: 13 Aug 1999

"Seven Ways To Praise The Lord"

"Friends In High Places"

APEC 08 is over...

it came and went so fast that i didnt have time to even think about it and now i'm back to my office.

humbly i say that i was not stressed about it.
in fact, i feel really alive about it.
it was tiring but i was alive.
i like being able to 'solve' the queries that came to my table.
it was like a challenge for myself and each time i'm able to come up with the answers, i feel like a great accomplishment. even if it was just a small thing. i felt useful.

yesterday, i watched 'devil wears prada' and as i was looking at anna hathaway, in the movie, able to understand the boss and able to do what the boss demanded, i felt like that was how i felt for the past 3 days. it was tiring but it was like i feel useful and not 'stupid.' i'm not bragging about myself but i know that it's god's grace that ENABLED me. i could still smile and take on more because i know that it's all god's business and god's people and god's conference and god's brought them all here... well, he must have a blueprint for all of it.

i just hope that i made Him proud.

honor's reward

when i felt i had a word from God and spurred the team to go to hong kong, i thought it was worth it since each of us were so blessed and we received so much and we had such a good time that i thought it was already more than enough as a reward.

last nite at leadership retreat, pastor set the night to honor the leaders and he started with the first person that he wants to honor and it would be a suprise to the person. then he called me out!

i was really surprised. i didnt know.
i didnt expected it because i thought the honor was to those who led in lg and progressed so i'm definitely not in it because i dont lead life group! hahhaa...

he started to share about how i was a good help in the office and managing everything and serving them. he then mentioned about how, in faith, i spurred the dance team to the next level in the productions and even bringing the team to hong kong and seeing the team coming to different levels.

later, pastor shawn took the mic and he also honored a few ppl from the ecfd team and the last person he honored was nailin. he shared about how nailin stretched herself so much this year and each obstacle, each streetching time, she took the challenged and did not give up or quit. this had been her most-stretched-year and she did not quit.

i was thinkin to myself this morning. there were only two dance leaders in the midst and both of us were honored partly because of how we brought the team to the next level and to hong kong. the honor's reward did not end in hong kong but to those who believe in God, trusted Him, obeyed Him, it is still remembered in God's mind. i was tremendously encouraged.

how is it possible that i ran for the past 9 months and not come to discouragements at times?
i was going through a season where i shared with PC, i felt everything that i did seem to be wrong. wrong thing to do. wrong timing to do it. wrong place to do it. i was so beating myself up and so wanted to do less so do less wrong thing.

last nite's honor was a big encouragements to me. i am spurred so i can spurred others on in this new year coming. the race has not ended. my time is not up yet.

on top of that, there was a conspiracy going on since the first mornin i arrived.
throughout the two and a half days, i kept receiving surprises and notes and encouragements - which i suspect is from my d-gals! hahah... from macdonald's breakfast (which i really like), to cards, notes, box of sweets, sour stick, kit kat, lunches and dinners brought to me... hahah..... i was treated by angels... thanks to each of you!

2009 PLAN:
THERE'S GONNA BE A GREATER MANIFESTATION OF GOD'S PRESENCE.
GREATER THINGS HAD YET TO BE DONE...