Ups and Downs

We sang to the biggest crowd ever and no one could hear us. Mics took a strike.

Good afternoon Sorraco!

Although it took me quite a while to realise, Sorraco is one of the best things that happened to me.

I'd like to share with all of you what I have learnt over the past 3 years as a Buddhist, Musician and most importantly, as a performer.

To me, performing in front of an audience is about sharing with them what's important to me. In order to share, we need to communicate our thoughts across. Communication thought the arts can occur in many mediums.......singing, playing instruments, acting, stunts, speaking, dancing.....and the list goes on. A good performer is a specialist in communicating his art to the audience such that he is able to make the audience feel exactly the way he intends to. A simple example will be an Orator(speaker). In a speaking contest, it's not the person with the best pronunciation or the sweetest voice that will win. It'll be the person that is able to capture the attention and 'move' the audience that is going to take the first prize.

So we see that essentially it all boils down to having an effective channel and method of communication. This differentiates a master performer from a beginner.

So how do we develop this skill of being a good communicator? Well I believe it's all in the Buddhist teachings. Amongst many facets, the ones paramount to me are two things...........Awareness and Low Aversion(dislike).

Awareness is knowing how the audience and others react to your performance. If we don't know what the others think, then how are we to know that we have moved them or merely tickled them? The greatest obstacle to developing Awareness is having Aversion to anything, esp to people in the same field.

Lynzabel's feedback to us are a gem in helping some of us become aware of certain realities relating to what went on backstage during the rehearsals. if we are able to take it positively without any aversion, then we will be in superb condition for growth towards being a master performer. The moment aversion steps in, we will be blinded even by the greatest of all comments.

Interestingly, this 'Aversion and Awareness' issue goes both ways. As I have said above, the best potential master will learn from receiving feedback unconditionally, without any aversion. Likewise, the best way to be aware of the truth is not to have any aversion pertaining to the subject. So the best person to give feedback is someone who does not have any aversion or dislike for what he sees. If a critique can see things as they are without being averse towards it, then he is able to be unbiased and therefore more accurate in seeing the truth.

So whenever I hear someone comment about my playing, I try to accept it without any aversion. The moment I get annoyed with him or his comments, I am doomed to never being able to develop a high degree of Awareness.

Before I give feedback to anyone, I will also ask myself whether I am being objective. I will simply ask myself whether I am unhappy with the person or with the situation. The moment I detect any Aversion in me, I then know for sure that my comment or criticism is likely to be clouded by my Aversion and is therefore not accurately reflective of the truth. I will then refrain from passing any comments until I can work on lowering my Aversion to whatever person or situation.

I hope I have communicated my thoughts to you in an effective manner. If I haven't, then perhaps I better stop writing and go play my bass for you! Perhaps the way I pluck them low strings will move you to agree with me that to be a master performer, the surest way is to nip our aversion and anger in the butt so that it will never be an obstacle to developing a heightened sense of Awareness, the greatest asset any performer can have!

Cheers and have a great day of 100% Awareness and zero Aversion/Anger!!! :)

Malcolm

VESAK CELEBRATION IN PRISON 20 MAY (SAT)

Hearty notes from our Prison experience
Thanks May for your generous lunch dana and making all the necessary tedious arrangements – pre and during the prison visits. We ask your forgiveness for stressing you out at times.

Thank you August for spending your special birthday with us. Also thanks Mal for your extra equipment, cabling & mikes to make sure we had a better sound system and bass then last Sunday.

And finally, thanks to everyone for contributing your effort, time, singing voices and impromptu acting abilities (especially newly discovered talent Bee Yee and Tracy) over the last 2 weekends to provide some cheer for the inmates.

So we hope to continue our get-togethers – the next one being THIS SUNDAY, at 1.30pm. We have to go through the songs for both of Ajahn Brahm’s talks on May 30 & 31, 7pm. Pls let me know if you can’t make it for the talks or rehearsal.

Metta, Ai Ling
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Hi May
It was most generous of you to give the lunch treat. We should all be inspired by your act of generosity. Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu and Thank you!
Angie
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Hmm. thought i sent out a message but no record in hotmail so here goes again, pardon me if it sounds repetitive to you.Thank you guys for giving me a chance to visit the prisons. what little i did on Saturday made me feel a little like an angel. Glad to have known you guys, the bigger angels.I'm quite sure we provided good entertainment and uplifted their spirits. Thanks for being great people. Thanks for the cheerfulness and fun-loving kindness. In different ways you guys have played angel to the little devil me.
till we meet again,The Evil Meow
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Hi May
Thanks for coordinating all the prison visits and even allowing us to spread cheer to the prisoners, especially handling the tough clearance portion with so much efficiency! Looking forward to performing for the folks there again! Cheers, Aug
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Thank you May! May this month of May be the Most Magnificent for May! :)
Malcolm
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Thanks May, you got us going
Su-May
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Morning All,
WELL DONE ONCE AGAIN EVERYONE. I think we are getting better and better. What a splendid performance in such a condition with no rehersal.
Thank you all once again for spending one whole day in two different prisons on a beautiful Saturday. Esp to our dear wonderful August, hope the rest of the evening was much more eventful and interesting......
Its a truly a great experience for me as this is also my first visit to Sembawang DRC and TMP. My regular stops are Cluster A and CWP. I was pretty shocked that there were so many of them in Sembawang DRC. And that place has got a nice stage too. I think we should go there, while its still there, for our CNY performance. I think KBC (Kaki Bukit Centre) will be another great place for us to go.
Just for everyone infor, all other prisons will be moved to Changi. By then, there will be Cluster A, Cluster B, Cluster C....... Like a big resort yah!
YES YES August, we should have more of these gatherings now that we get to know each other better since our 3 nights concert. You are right about one thing, if not for the rain, we would not have spent another 2 hours together in prison cafeteria.
I've got very good feedback from all the counsellors, even Ven Sumana said that we were full of energy and it was the inmates good karma to have us performing for them. He enjoyed the 4 Wives very much.
MAY ALL BE WELL, HAPPY AND HEALTHY and keep up the good work...
See you all real soon, May

Happy Birthday to August

August celebrates his 21st BIG day in the Prison
Dear Meow and everyone else
It was indeed a special day . . esp having the opportunity to celebrate August's birthday! What a way to grow up August, with mature folks like us . . . at least we are a wholesome lot (most of us anyway)! May be sometimes, we may come across like a Mum to you. August - you are right that we should also go out and do things together and not practice and "chabut" (Malay word for "cho" in Chinese)

I am also delighted that Malcolm is remaining as our Music Director. We have come to a happy agreement that he will not be able to make every Sunday practice (ahem, lime many others) . . but he will be with us at all the crucial moments . . like the BIG shows we put. (By the way, we need to fix dates now for our next year's musical . . looked at the calendar and next Vesak will be on 31 May, during school hols. Not sure if that's good or bad. So, what say all of you if our concert is to be held on (Sat & Sun) 9 & 10 June? Will have to book one year in advance for such dates

Well, before that . . any ideas what we are to do for year end Gala Dinner to be held on Fri 15 Dec?

Many are asking for our songs on CD, so we need to work on that. Lets get it done in time for 15 Dec show with 10 songs on the CD. We now have 5 . . so 5 more to go!
With Cheers and Metta, Angie
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You're welcome and you are quite right in saying that we should spend more time at play and not just at work! :) Glad you enjoyed your 'Freedom Day' behind bars! :) MM
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You are welcome August. Thanks to you for spending such a special day with us in prison. I don't think anyone of us would dream of doing this on our 21st. I ll make sure it does not happen next year...
Take care, lots of hugs, May
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Hi friends
Thanks so much for making yesterday such a special and memorable occasion: a double performance at the prison and a get-together lunch in-between!

I really enjoy this company a lot, we should do this more often! We have all started bonding closer especially after "Opening the Door of Your Heart" and all the prison visits that came after the show. Really, we should do more than just coming for practice then going off thereafter. The last week we had the blessing of the rain which trapped us inside the prison and got us all to sit down together at the canteen for snacks and coffee!

Thanks all once again for making this 21st birthday one that I will never forget!
Cheers
Aug

We're Going to Prison Again!

Hello Everyone,
You guys are having tons of fun emaling each other. Anyhow, just wanted to remind all who are going this coming Sat. at SEMBAWANG DRC, please be there by 8.45 AM. There is only a small carpark there, so lets all wait there. The counsellor, Zenon, will be there to bring us in. He has told me that the addicts average age is about 40. They speak and understand very simple English. But he has offered to translate if the need arises. I guess it may be good to do a couple of Chinese songs. Yilin and Vivy, pls help...Cheers, no late nites on Friday guys. See ya all this Sat.
May.

Vesak Celebration in Prison on 14 May (Sun)

A BIG THANK YOU TO AUGUST, MALCOLM, NICK, ALVIN, YILIN, WAI HONG, JASON, ANGIE, AI LING, SU-MAY, LYNZABEL, TRACY, BEE YEE, VIVY, CHRISTINA, LEAN YEAN ( NOT FORGETTNG AJAHN BRAMALI and PETER who ferried Ajahn to and fro) WHO SACRIFICED PRECIOUS TIME TO BE IN PRISON CELEBRATING VESAK WITH THE INMATES LAST SUNDAY.

Venerable Mun Cheng was very pleased to see the abundance of joy and fun in the "Four Wives" act, especially when the script was changed to mandarin speaking at the very last miniute. When I told her about our last minute standby actressess, Bee Yee and Tracy, she commented that this group of choir definitely have acting talents. Thanks to Nick and Angie with their superb acting. We all loved it when Angie had her lines spoken in mandarin. The inmates definitely had a fabulous time.

Thanks once again and my apologies for some hitches with the security guards when we were on our way out. Be happy everyone and have a good rest before we start rocking again this Saturday. Hey, the food in the prison cafeteria was not too bad. My first time there and I loved the coffee.

Take care, May.

----

Thanks May, Sorry we caused you headaches too. You are so organized! Hugs!

Su-May

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Well done Sorraco on another splendid performance! Wonderful! :)

MMMMM

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Sorraco Dharma Drama Performance 06...
Sorraco Prison Tour 06...
Sorraco KL Tour 06...

What's next?

Sorraco World Peace Tour?

..>!<

Opps, sorry. Just daydreaming...

Thanks May, for pulling us in. Otherwise, I could never have seen the insides of a prison and planned an escape route... opps! Er, I mean, tasted the soup of the prison cook.

Looks like our choir members are more than just pretty faces with pretty voices... They can churn out an impromptu act plus language translation at a wit's end notice...

Just got an email from Daphne saying she's happy for us, swamped with school work, getting less regular sleep wished she were here, and she sends her love to all.

Wai Hong

----

hey that's a nice symbol for a meditating face....

>!<

ya?

Mal

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Hi All,

Sorry, I just realised I made a mistake on the venue of our prison this coming Sat. This Sat AM session is at Sembawang Prison, not Selarang. I will find out more details and let you all know soonest possible. A thousand apologies, I am a blur sotong.

Cheers, May

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Hi May

OK to be blur la . . just LOOK SMART! Ha Ha!

Another memory to treasure in our old age . . when we gather with wrinkles hanging down our face, we shall remember the day in Changi Prison! It would be a comedy replay without the actors . . just in mind for a good laugh!

So, we do it again this Sat with even more imaginative acting . . this time with Ren Shang. Lets see if he can do the crying that Nick does splendidly every time. Hey, Nick - how do you turn the taps on? I know Ben (my son) does it with great ease as well, with BIG tears. . all it takes is a BIG yell!

Alvin - practise your acting when you see your lemon tree, ok Ha Ha. Good job! Also kudos to Tracy and Bee Yee for being so sporting . .

Singers and musicians . . you did great!

Thanks
Angie

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Sembawang? Near wakeboarding place? We can thereafter go for makan at Buckaroo, serving one of the best Caesar salads and buffalo wings.

Su-May

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Hi All,

Yes, its in Sembawang. The place is called SEMBAWANG DRUG REHABILITION CENTRE, 90 Admiralty Road West, Spore 759957. I did not even know there is one there.

Been told its just next to Sembawang Shipyard. There will be about 100 to 120 of them. FYI, majority of them are Chinese speaking. We can have lunch together after the AM session, which will end at 11.30. My treat. Su-May, you will have to lead the way to wherever that place is. After lunch, we will adjourn to Tanah Merah Prison for our PM session.

Those who need transport, call me so that I can make the arrangements. Thanks very much, seeya.

May

Four Wives, Chinese Edition

To all who went for the prison visit today...

Just want to say that I really really enjoyed today's Chinese edition of the Man and His Four Wives (despite my Mandarin being 'half-filled-pail-of-water' so that's saying a lot!!)

Kudos to Tracy and Bee Yee for the very well done last-minute script translation + enacting, to Angie and Lynzabel for the highly entertaining on-the-spot improvisation, to Nick for so professionally smoothing the whole performance for our audience.

Now we know we have enough resources to perform a full-Chinese show (also the songs) if we're doing something like this in the future. =DD

~vy

We Are Going To Prison

Hello Girls,
We will be continuing our PM Session at CWP after the Changi Prison AM session We will just have our lunch in the prison. Hee hee.
See you girls, are you all going to Malcolm's party on Vesak day?
Thanks, see you girls soon.
May

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WELL DONE EVERYONE!!!!

This is a reminder to all those who have signed up for the above visits. Just a recap, those involved are: August, Malcolm, Nick, Wai Hong, Kevin, Alvin, Jason, Ren Sheng, Siew Kit, Yilin, Pei Chong, Angie, Ailing, Su-May, Vivy, Christina, Tracy, Bee Yee, Siao Yean, Lynzabel, Stella, Vivien.

14 May (Sun) AM Session 9.30 to 11.30 AM at Cluster A1, Changi Prison.
(Same unit we went to for the Chinese New Year celebration)
Suggest we meet at 8.45 AM at Changi Prison as alot of time required during check-in.
Please remember to bring yr I/C.
Dress code: Soracco T-Shirt and long pants for all.

20 May (Sat) AM Session 9.30 to 11.30 AM at Selarang Drug Rehab Camp.
20 May (Sat) PM Session 2 to 4 PM at Tanah Merah Prison
We will discuss the details after this 14 May visit.

For those with transport problem, suggest we arrange a meeting place (like MRT). Those with cars perhaps can help to pick them up. Call me at this no 96364738 so that I can make the arrangements.

Thanks once again for all your efforts and time.
Cheers, May

Open The Door Of Your Heart - 3-night concert 7-9 May 2006

All the expressions and thank yoooous...

Dear everyone

I LOVE a(nother) party . . last night was ONE BIG PARTY.
Alright, lets get together on Vesak Day . . and we don't even have to go to work the next day!

Thank you once again everyone! Like to also specially acknowledge Bro Fook, Dudley and Ong for handling the lightings and curtains, Bro Pei Chong for managing the backstage, AND Stella Chew for helping with the light programming that help to create the right moods on stage.

What a great event . . compliments been pouring in from all directions!!
Our former President, Low Teck Suan, was full of praise, amaze that we managed to bring SO many talents together and putting up such a great show! He could feel the passion that everyone had . . . Thank you!! Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu!

With Metta
Angie
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Hello everyone
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the contributions that each one of you has made.
The unseen heroes inthe backstage and reception also play very important roles though not seen by most. Also, recognition goes to the office staff and volunteers for the invaluable support pre-and post concert. My special thanks!

With Metta
Angie
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Dear Bro Fook
Thank you for offering your Experience in Managing the stage lights. & Bro Dudley & Bro Eddie Ang - For your hard work on the spot lights. Sadhu!!!
Ong Eng Hin
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Happy happy! Good show! Great that the audience like it!
Was gonna censor myself until XL came up with that email....Might gate crash the girl's party tonight. On other hand, might be safer to settle for an "ii divo" singalong sess with my 3 tenors partners in case SM's prancin around in her great *^$&ing G in the universe......
Echo thanks to Xue Ling, plus the rest who chip in with what they knew and can do to make something bigger and more wonderful than what each of us can do by ourselves! And to all those who put up with my inanity, erm.
Thank you all! I had a great time just watching all of you. (Not necessary in the dressing room...)
Wai Hong
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Yes, great job everyone! Thanks for all your hard work and dedication.

Spoke to Bante Gunaratana during intermission and he said it was a very entertaining show and a very skillful means to put the Dhamma across. He thought we were all PROFESSIONAL actors/actresses and singers, and what we did on stage were our full-time jobs. Wow! What a compliment.

Our ex-NMP Kanwaljit Soin also complimented us on our performance, saying she and her family enjoyed the show very much. She said they could see that we were all enjoying ourselves in our various roles – whether acting or singing – and these came across to everyone watching. Like Mal said the audience can pick up the enthusiasm and energy that we create on stage. So do keep enjoying ourselves in our next two performances.

Channel NewsAsia gave a very short TV coverage on it last night as well as early this morning. Those who missed it can also read on Teletext’s Singapore news segment or on our website, which I have amended the report slightly – as the initial coverage said our musical was made up of only 2 plays.

My editor last night used the picture of Nick & Lynzabel, so that’s the picture you see on the website. See link below: (If you can’t click on it, cut and paste it on the Address bar.

channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews
Cheers! AiLing
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Su-May!! now we will have the gal's changing room overflowing with guys pre-performance...
haha.. well done ppl! keep it up! the audience feedback was good!

luv, Xueling
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The energy was amazing! and everyone gave their best.

Alvin
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I would like to take this opportunity to thank Xue Ling for her initiatives
to fine-tune our singing, even at the last minutes...

Thank you, Xue Ling.

Certainly, tonight's and tomorrow's performances will be better. My bowling skills get worse after the first two games. Just cannot maintain
the standard. Better count me out...

Cheers! YiLin
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We had a sing a long session in the girls’ room to warm everyone up and calm nerves down – naked faces and in our undies…if you believe the undies bit. Tonight doing the same thing again…if time permits.

Su-May
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I echo what Malcolm said below. Everyone (including Ajahn Brahm) who spoke to me later confirmed we have improved from last year . . . and it was a good show.
My heartfelt thanks to each one of you . . . for the sheer determination, patience and perseverance that we have managed to pull this one thru, once again!

It's certainly a team effort!

May you find loads of joy when reflecting what an amazing thing you have contributed to the happiness of sentient beings! The messages in each of the play and the songs sung will leave deep impressions and inspire them to being a better people! This is a great merit ;-)
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

With Metta,
Angie
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Congratulations on a fantastic opening night at VC yesterday. I thought everyone did very well! The response from the crowd was great and many of my friends told me that they were inspired by our energy, sincerity and passion! Great job everyone and esp those who were behind the scene and not on stage. Thank you all of you! Fantastic! :)

All the best for the next two nights!
Malcolm

Curtain Closing

Colleagues, Comrades, fellow actors in this stage of life... Friends. As we don our make-up and our masks, heed the calls for the final time, I bid all, first, my gratitude.

For each moment behind the stage,
Before the curtain rises,
Has been spoken for,
Enliven by your spark of life.

Through courage and tears,
Trepidation, the ferocity to preserve what remains of us,
Our voice, suddenly fallen.
Then, unexpectedly, with an ounce of care and love,
Applied as a balm to heal bruised egos, failed prides.

What once succumbed to lessor things,
Now stands fulfilled in the greater glory of bigger causes.
It matters no longer who catches us when we are crest fallen.
But a sprig of love, from the tree abundant,
Is more than welcomed, embraced,
Though the seats can be cold, hard and empty.
And the cast all too focused on dreams.

The lines you speak may be a fleeting utterance,
A flutter cast and then lost in the winds and currents of time,
But to those whom might have caught them,
With the web of the heart, softly assenting,
When the magic spell is lifted,
Perhaps then.

The light of a new day finds one new dew sparking joyously in the sun.
Maybe I do not hear your voice,
I do not recognise your face, your uniqueness,
But I heard what you say.
I hear what all of you said.
And with that, I know that you were there.
As was I.

So while the night tarries,
And the audience waits,
And those backstage breathes in anticipation,
I urge you, once, upon curtain open,
To look closely.

Look your adversary in the eye; to discover your lover.
They are out there, in the darken aisle and columns,
Seeking intently, trying to find you in your nakedness,
And the message you tell.

Even though the lights may blind you,
Even though you do not hear their voice,
You do not recognise their face, their uniqueness,
Hear them for what they have to say.

Fellow cast, and members,
I have this to say.
I, of a lessor role, the jester-in-kind.
Please be kind.
For today is the last day,

And tonight all dreams will come to an end.
We were not unite in the beginning,
And perhaps, we still aren't.

For this brevity, our paths have brought us together,
perhaps in truce, perhaps in trance,
Enthralled by the momentous asking
Seduced by the task.

All too soon, the curtain will open,
All too soon, the curtain will close,
While we depict the ones we are acting,
And in-between, while we are whom we are,
Know reality and it's line, are often as dreams do.

Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice,
For each moment we give birth,
We fill them with our energy,
The halls reverberate with our union,
Because suddenly there is no you nor I.
All in this blaze of glory,
and then subside.

As the embers of passion fades away,
With a sigh.

Dedicated to all, visible or invisible who made this dream real, and also to a person who sat and tarried a short while and asked about dinner.

~WaiHong~

time to party

Hi friends of the Dharma. First of all, allow me to congratulate all of us for a great performance at the Victoria Theatre. We have started the ball rolling with this new and entertaining way to spread the teachings of love, kindness and generosity. Big things are going to happen soon. Just you wait and see!

Tocelebrate our 'victory' at Victoria Theatre, I am throwing a Vesak Day jam party at my home, 56 Kasai Road, S 808303, this coming Friday 12th May. It is off Seletar road, which is off Yio Chu Kang Road, opposite Jalan Kayu. We party from 3pm to 12MN. There'll be music jamming, singing, dancing(yes Disco) and merry making. The theme is Sportswear cos we wanna gear up for an energetic year ahead to spread more love around the world so come in your sportswear but make sure it's sleek and funky! There'll be food and refreshments but you're most welcome to bring more! :)

See Ya!

Malcolm
96973642


Cheers! Let's ROCK!