I had set my alarm clock to ring at 4.45am, but I only woke up at 6.30am, and had to quickly grab my luggage and leave the house. Today we were going to perform in Johor Bahru by invitation from Johor Bahru's Hokkien Huay Kuan for their 78th anniversary celebration. For a few of the members, going to Malaysia to perform is no longer new, but to me, this is the first time I was to perform outside Singapore. However, I would be taking only a small non-speaking and non-face-showing role - the tail of a lion dance's lion.
I was supposed to meet the rest of the group at Konghuay first and depart together for the causeway at 7am, but since I was late, I headed straight to the checkpoint and wait for them there. It was rather crowded even at 7 due to many Malaysian workers returning home for the weekend. I had only one bag to carry, but all other actors and dancers had bigger and bulkier luggages as they need to bring their makeup kits, costumes and hair/ head accessories. It may seemed exxagerating to bring so much things for just a 2D1N stay in Johor Bahru, but we had no choice! Performing overseas is that tedious!
We cleared the immigration checkpoints on both sides smoothly and headed straight for the City Square where the tour bus from Hokkien Huay Kuan was already waiting for us there. We went to the building of Hokkien Huay Kuan to witness their opening ceremony first, which was actually in conjunction with the official opening of their newly built building. Many balloons wagonere released into the air and it was a great sight. They even had a long dragon made of balloons to be released, but we never saw it rose into the sky. It was a disappointment for us, as we thought it could have been stuck at the rooftop.
After the opening ceremony, we went into the hall to listen to some of their representatives giving speech. Their hall, actually an entrance hall, was decorated with scrolls of paintings and caligraphy presented by the various Hokkien communities in Malaysia. Some troupe members and I felt that this idea of presenting scrolls are much better and sincere as compared to presenting flowers and cloth banners, which are commonly practiced in Singapore! Something peculiar I noticed was that many people were reading newspapers even when someone was giving a speech on the stage! And there were even people giving out free newspapers. I don't think such a culture exist in Singapore!
After the entire opening ceremony, which came with a lunch function, came to an end, we were driven back to our hotel to check-in. The hotel we stayed was Eden Hotel, which is inside the Duty Free Zone and facing the Johor Straits. The sea view was not bad, but too bad the area opposite us is the Senoko power station, and that view was not nice! Anyway, Eden hotel looked posh, and was given a 5-star rating. The rooms are big and comfortable, but some basic neccesities were not up to standard. Like they do not provide slippers and hairdryer, and each room has got only 1 toothbrush and comb, although the rooms we stayed are supposed to be twins or with additional beds. But there's nothing much we can complain. The accomodation was arranged by Hokkien Huay Kuan, and it was already nice of them to let us stay in such a hotel!
We started our rehearsal at around 3.45pm, 45 minutes behind our original schedule. We would be performing in this big function room during the dinner function to hundreds of VIPs at night, alongside the choir group from Hokkien Huay Kuan. The rehearsal didn't go quite smoothly as there was too much echoes bouncing around the hall and both musicians and actors could not hear each other properly. It was a bit worrying, as this was the first time we're performing with live music overseas since 1990, and we had to make sure we performed to us best.
We took a break after the rehearsal to get prepared for the real show. I didn't have chance to rest, as I was told that Hokkien Huay Kuan did not prepare a cai qiu (ball decorated with colourful ribbons, used in lion dance performances) and I had to go source for a replacement. That was a tough job! Though there is a shopping centre just next to our hotel, but where on earth can you find something like that in shopping centres, especially so in Malaysia! After much searching, I decided to get some colourful and shiny scarfs to make my own cai qiu. I borrowed a towel from Teck Seng, rolled it into a ball and wrapped it with the scarfs. It looked a bit small and plain, but that was what I could only do!
The real show started at 7.30pm, and other than the whole night's programme was almost booked totally by our troupe. We had a small dance segment, an opera exerpt as well as nanyin singing. The response from the audience was great, and many clan associations actually were interested in inviting us to perform for them. Looked like we would be busy travelling in and out of Malaysia for next year! Anyway, we already had a confirmed order from Klang's Hokkien Huay Kuan. They originally wanted us to go over somewhere near the Christmas period, but they could not give us a weekend slot, so we planned it on 01 January instead. The show has already been planned too, the opera we would be presenting is "San Jia Fu" (The Teacher, The Thief), together with a few dance segments by our dance group (tentatively "Rubber Tapping Dance") and Klang's Hokkien Huay Kuan's own singing group. I'm looking forward to that show, as I would be more involved in acting than this one.
The whole dinner ended at around 10.30pm, and everyone of us was very tired. We had originally planned to go to the beach for a stroll after the show, but I guessed it was cancelled. Rest was more important! So that's it; the last show for the year (at the moment), and end of performing season for us!
I was supposed to meet the rest of the group at Konghuay first and depart together for the causeway at 7am, but since I was late, I headed straight to the checkpoint and wait for them there. It was rather crowded even at 7 due to many Malaysian workers returning home for the weekend. I had only one bag to carry, but all other actors and dancers had bigger and bulkier luggages as they need to bring their makeup kits, costumes and hair/ head accessories. It may seemed exxagerating to bring so much things for just a 2D1N stay in Johor Bahru, but we had no choice! Performing overseas is that tedious!
We cleared the immigration checkpoints on both sides smoothly and headed straight for the City Square where the tour bus from Hokkien Huay Kuan was already waiting for us there. We went to the building of Hokkien Huay Kuan to witness their opening ceremony first, which was actually in conjunction with the official opening of their newly built building. Many balloons wagonere released into the air and it was a great sight. They even had a long dragon made of balloons to be released, but we never saw it rose into the sky. It was a disappointment for us, as we thought it could have been stuck at the rooftop.
After the opening ceremony, we went into the hall to listen to some of their representatives giving speech. Their hall, actually an entrance hall, was decorated with scrolls of paintings and caligraphy presented by the various Hokkien communities in Malaysia. Some troupe members and I felt that this idea of presenting scrolls are much better and sincere as compared to presenting flowers and cloth banners, which are commonly practiced in Singapore! Something peculiar I noticed was that many people were reading newspapers even when someone was giving a speech on the stage! And there were even people giving out free newspapers. I don't think such a culture exist in Singapore!
After the entire opening ceremony, which came with a lunch function, came to an end, we were driven back to our hotel to check-in. The hotel we stayed was Eden Hotel, which is inside the Duty Free Zone and facing the Johor Straits. The sea view was not bad, but too bad the area opposite us is the Senoko power station, and that view was not nice! Anyway, Eden hotel looked posh, and was given a 5-star rating. The rooms are big and comfortable, but some basic neccesities were not up to standard. Like they do not provide slippers and hairdryer, and each room has got only 1 toothbrush and comb, although the rooms we stayed are supposed to be twins or with additional beds. But there's nothing much we can complain. The accomodation was arranged by Hokkien Huay Kuan, and it was already nice of them to let us stay in such a hotel!
We started our rehearsal at around 3.45pm, 45 minutes behind our original schedule. We would be performing in this big function room during the dinner function to hundreds of VIPs at night, alongside the choir group from Hokkien Huay Kuan. The rehearsal didn't go quite smoothly as there was too much echoes bouncing around the hall and both musicians and actors could not hear each other properly. It was a bit worrying, as this was the first time we're performing with live music overseas since 1990, and we had to make sure we performed to us best.
We took a break after the rehearsal to get prepared for the real show. I didn't have chance to rest, as I was told that Hokkien Huay Kuan did not prepare a cai qiu (ball decorated with colourful ribbons, used in lion dance performances) and I had to go source for a replacement. That was a tough job! Though there is a shopping centre just next to our hotel, but where on earth can you find something like that in shopping centres, especially so in Malaysia! After much searching, I decided to get some colourful and shiny scarfs to make my own cai qiu. I borrowed a towel from Teck Seng, rolled it into a ball and wrapped it with the scarfs. It looked a bit small and plain, but that was what I could only do!
The real show started at 7.30pm, and other than the whole night's programme was almost booked totally by our troupe. We had a small dance segment, an opera exerpt as well as nanyin singing. The response from the audience was great, and many clan associations actually were interested in inviting us to perform for them. Looked like we would be busy travelling in and out of Malaysia for next year! Anyway, we already had a confirmed order from Klang's Hokkien Huay Kuan. They originally wanted us to go over somewhere near the Christmas period, but they could not give us a weekend slot, so we planned it on 01 January instead. The show has already been planned too, the opera we would be presenting is "San Jia Fu" (The Teacher, The Thief), together with a few dance segments by our dance group (tentatively "Rubber Tapping Dance") and Klang's Hokkien Huay Kuan's own singing group. I'm looking forward to that show, as I would be more involved in acting than this one.
The whole dinner ended at around 10.30pm, and everyone of us was very tired. We had originally planned to go to the beach for a stroll after the show, but I guessed it was cancelled. Rest was more important! So that's it; the last show for the year (at the moment), and end of performing season for us!
1 comment:
hahaha.... u really "reported" in great details. Heard we have 3 confirmed order now...Each time we go, xz get another opening... so wont be surprise if its going to be a mthly event fr now. See, july-oct we already had 4 shws and 3 more coming.... But kakak, scarly ead is kns...n we do sk...opps :(
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