Learning Log 7

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand..."

Yes, the all famous proposal line from Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet. That was the line several of the boys in our class had the "pleasure" of saying to their "Juliets" last Thursday.

After a couple of moths of intensely hard work, complete with the occasional slight bickering and disagreements between the teams in our class, I am utterly proud to say that all in all, 2 Commitment's literature performances turned out to be even greater a success than we had originally planned it to be. Simply splendid in fact! All of which I believe could not have been achieved without a little old-fashioned teamwork, the binds to disconnected ideas and opinions, joined to form what I like too call simply an "awesome work of art"...Anyway, let me refresh you on my amazing acting experience among my teammates...

I was priviledged enough to be working with Phania on the performance, but apart form her, I was also able to become closer to my other classmates whom I rarely got the chance to speak to besides the usual "Hi's" and "Bye's". To be honest, I was absolutely nervous and my high expectations and ambitious nature soon got the better of me. I was wholeheartedly hoping for our team to become the best and was convinced with the efforts needed to fulfill that dream of mine. Before our very first "official" meeting, it was decided that Phania would be our director, while Anirwin and I would play "Romeo" and "Juliet". We also decided to put a spin on the classic by adding a Bollywood touch to the play. I was a little nervous a first, wondering if this risk we were about to take would eventually end well, but after much convincing from my teammates, I gave in.

At this point, I want to talk about how much of a leader Phania proved to be. She was strict, determined and a little ruthless at times (sorry, Phania!). But that was exactly why she proved to be such a good one too! She pestered us about our attendance and even punctuality, implementing "fines" if we failed to do follow. Personally, I think that this was why our attendance was nearly perfect during every meeting we had and I truly admire her for that! She was defintely resourceful, coming up with interesting and unique ideas to add a little more sparkle into the play. And might I add, really kept the group together at all times. If we have come out of this a little more bonded and having tightened our friendships, I think she is partly the reason. I can now say with conviction that if we were to pass each other at anytime, a little more than "Hi's" and "Bye's" would be exchanged.

Of course, I simply must talk about how wonderful the rest of my teammates were and how each one of them had a part to play in making this a huge success. Dewi, for her incredible help with the backdrop, tablecloth and in making the table. She and Fatimah also provided us with the scrumptious Hari Raya snacks for our buffet table which we were constantly gobbling. Also, Fatimah was a brilliant dance partner for me, helping through the steps I somethimes got muddled in and really easing the stress of the dance for me. Speaking of the dance, I think we owe Mui Siew for creating the beautiful and elegant steps for our fusion dance. She was so incredibly patient with our mistakes and brushed off her impatience with laughter and jokes, instantly lightening the mood. Justin, for one, struggled with the dance, finding it difficult to balance the complicated steps with grace and poise, but I feel that without him, our meetings would have been rather lacklustre as he usually served as comic relief. Anirwin was a great Romeo and though we struggled with mastering the kiss scenes, Clarence was always there to help out. To be honest, I think we owe it to him to have helped us finally "achieve the perfect kiss". Who knew that he was so experienced? He also proved to be an amazing Capulet and till today, I am still in awe of his surprisingly natural acting, never failing us during each meeting. Jing Ying, with her amazing artistic skills created the perfect "Indian-themed" backdrop for us, and was always lending a helping hand in anything she could manage. Not forgetting Kai Leong, of course, who surprised us with his mastering of the part of Benvolio. Despite the small role he acquired, I am unable to get over his remarkable "booming" voice, adding a little twist to his character as well.

After weeks and weeks of preparation, finally the day we had all been anticipating (and dreading) arrived. We had been confident  all the while, thinking that we were more that prepared to tackle the challenge that lay ahead, but on the day itself I could not help feeling a little queasy, worried that I would blow it for myself and for the team. My fears were put to rest my Phania's mom helping us with the makeup for the scene. I think I looked "incredibly" different from my usual self after my "makeover", though I am not sure if the makeup was to my advantage...Still, I thought that it was incredibly generous of her to take time off to help us all out.

It seemed to be over in a split second. I could scarcely believe that all the effort and time we had sacrificed for the play was all over. I felt as if I was in another world as we acted out the scenes, perfectly well. That was the only way I was able to stay in character; to get into Juliet's thoughts and "become her" for the several minutes of the act. The only time I slipped out of my focus was when my skirt got caught in one of the chairs and I accidentally kicked one of the members of the audience while I rushed to the other side if the stage. Apart from that, the performance ran smoothly without a hitch and afterwards, I found myself feeling incredibly proud, not only of myself, but also of all the other members of the team who had slaved day and night towards this accomplishment.

Now that this experience lies behind us, I am hit by pangs of sorrow ; saddened that I will never be able to recover the fun we experienced working as a team, maintaining good spirits till the very end. This experience has certainly been a fruitful one, certainly one that I will remember for a very long time,and if there is one thing that I have learned through it all, it is that with wonderful friends and belief, anything is possible.

Now, I no longer care if we were chosen as the best team. To me, we certainly were the best we could be, and I think that this is all that matters.

Yours truly,
Sanjna :)