Be before you do.

The Self is changeable and is a choice.

Wake up from the slumber Leroy. Greater things await you.

Smile by Threading Moments is now a thing of the past.

It has been 5 months (6 for the planning team) of sheer hardwork. It was an inspiration that stemmed from my overly simplistic curiosity in finding a way to blend Playback Theatre and TO in a praxis that would be ethical and valid in the Singaporean and eventually - Asian context. So we started with Playback theatre.

The first night when the idea took shape was at McDonalds with Yi Kai who first met up with me to talk about being a part of the project. Then it was a hazy thought that had been a part of my ambitious brain that I felt compelled to share. We both met up and had the same idea and vision but differing approaches. It seemed like the approach may have well stopped the project in it's tracks.

Through the guidance of some lecturers and a very generous practitioner, we managed to determine a middle ground for the project. But due to work reasons, I could not rehearse as much as I wanted with the team. And the next thing I know, we had a show on the road. Boom!

A huge part of my thanks is directed to the team for being willing to put up with my comments, feedback and questioning of the process whenever I could sit in or do a session with them. You are the most wonderful bunch of people I have ever worked with within such a context and it is really great to see all the ideas bouncing off the walls of the rooms - despite all the fun we had.

A special mention to Yi Kai, Sebas and Amanda Chng for being the planning group with our dinner at Medz. All the mucking around and joking. The endless emails we got, always footnoted with an inside joke. You have all taught me a little bit more about the process and about myself through the discussions and opinions sessions. It was phenomenal.

It was brilliant that the show was well received, entertaining and did open up some questions that needed to be asked or stories that needed to be told. The night had its magic. That's all the matters at the end of the day. It means so much to me, just a dinner would not make up for how fulfilling it was to watch the audience and the cast smile and close the evening on Friday night. The possibilities this project has shown me and the moments that have truly touched my heart will always be remembered dearly.

So what next?

I pray in my head that Threading Moments may become more than a once off idea. I do hope for a comeback one day. But for now, there is work to be done. More research and learning to be completed. More practice to be put into effect. That is the next step, in NS - I don't believe dreams should die in the army. And now that we have seen possibilities, it is time to dream big.

I have my dreams and the experience has given me the drive to keep making them bigger. One step at a time. Go.

I'm on a train ride to my next destination...

I like times like these, as tiring as they are, it is time to ponder - reflect and think about the priorities of today's Leroy. I need to learn how to scribble on moving vehicles, my minor OCD nature causes me to not like doing it because my handwriting turns out shit after.

Tonight is opening night.

Smile by Threading Moments.

It is quite surreal really, the idea that something like this could come to pass and happen in 6 months from the conception of the idea. The crazy myriad of emotions building up to this, the fears, the trust, the lessons learnt about creation and work.

I am now experiencing a bubbly mix of excitement, anticipation, joy, disappointment, pride, anxiety and fear.

Excitement and anticipation for the most obvious reasons. Joy that my vision is slowly inching its way out of my idealistic brain. Disappointment is a dash because of the possible commitment I could have given to the group. Pride for the members who have put in laborious hours of honest work to create what will happen tonight. Anxiety to see the quality and how it meets standards. And fear, because anything that is worth a dime to my soul is matched with the dread of fear which is the good fight we all have to fight against.

It's been a while since I've felt this alive. Creating is one of the best feelings to experience because it is the inner gratification of expression being manifested in reality and when it is well-intended, it hardly can go wrong.

The next goal is discipline - for my mind and body. To create a personal culture of work that is effective, efficient and beneficial to people around me. Time to focus on sorting myself out. I've had an unbelievable amount of help from mentors, friends and fellow visionaries to make threading moments possible. Time to rise up to the occasion.

I acknowledge that I remain well blessed and life is good to me. (: