The Waiting Game

I was at this event.

The simple report here did not capture what went on behind the scenes. How much time and effort and money went into it just for 30 minutes of play. It did not mention how much work put into the preparation and the large number of people involved.

I was there .... and I was aghast at the amount of time spent waiting. I got restless. I got annoyed. And I swore I wasn't going to be involved in events like this ever! Fat chance, but venting made me feel a teeny bit better.

On Saturday afternoon - the day before the actual event, when I was there, preparation was underway, with lots of people decorating the grand stand. Rehearsals were also going on at the same time, with the committee members alert at every mistake made. Everything had to be perfect. So we partook in 3 rounds of rehearsal. And then we went home.

On Sunday - the day of the actual event, we were made to be there by 1.30 p.m. So we obliged and we arrived right on time. We rehearsed once and the organising committee seemed happy with the way things were going.

Then came the agonising moment of waiting. We waited for 2 hours and 15 minutes, before the dignitaries arrived. Was it necessary for us to be made waiting for so long?

Everyone was relieved when the event finally started. Everything went on as planned .... and we did our part as cued - only 20 seconds of it.

And by the time the match kicked off, it had started raining heavily. 30 minutes later, when the organisers cancelled the match, we were told to pack up. Everyone was happy and relieved! For it meant that we could all go off earlier than expected. If not, we would be holed up at the stadium for at least another 2 hours.

For our part in the programme, we spent near RM2800.00. We waited for 3 hours. Our bit in the programme was only 20 seconds long.

If you asked me? I'd say that it wasn't worth the time, effort and money. But obviously, no one was asking me. I was just doing my job. Albeit reluctantly.