I always thought that having experienced the Malaysian Night last year would have at least prepared me in some ways to cope the customary ups and downs that usually trails the end of Malaysia Night every year.
I thought that I would not affected as much as I did last year when the curtains finally came down on the show, the last group photos with each other taken and the final congratulations, hugs and high fives exchanged.
At least, I thought that I would spared by the painful feelings of emptiness, loss and loneliness that accompanies the closure of the show and marks the end of a long arduous journey.
I thought that I have seen it all, experienced it all, heard it all that I could expect from the Malaysia Night phenomena.
But alas, I was sorely mistaken. This year's Malaysia Night - like the Malaysia Night from previous years - brought with it so many surprises which I am slowly beginning to understand and absorb.
Before the actual Malaysia Night, whenever someone asked me how this year's Malaysia Night would be like, my response would be that it would be different in many aspects compared to the previous ones.
But now that it is over, I realized that a better word to describe it would be that it is unique in a lot of aspects compared to the previous productions - ranging from the script, casts, dances, props, costumes, website, tickets etc.
The Malaysia Night is always unique in a sense that it is not a one-night thing; the show presented on the actual night itself is a culmination of months of toil, hard work and effort from a diverse group of people with varying degree of talents, commitments and attitude.
The Malaysia Night not only reels you in, it embraces and overwhelms you in all its wholeness, complexity and grandeur; it is not only a showcase of Malaysian culture to be appreciated by the audience but a physically and mentally stimulating/taxing ritual to be experienced by those who are involved in it.
But I believe that with this year's Malaysia Night, we had significantly pushed the creative boundaries.
The script and plot of the story itself was different since it delves into the seldom-talked-about topics of the our superstitions and beliefs, the nature of which makes it inevitably unpalatable to some members of the Malaysian audience.
But venture on we did.
The props were revolutionary since it involves not only the creation of the normal backdrop (which on its own was truly spectacular) but also demands the makings of 3D props which needs to be set up during the intermission - a logistical and creative challenge in itself.
But venture on we did.
The approach to costumes were different because we actually need to make some of the costumes required for the show apart from borrowing some of them from members of the society and Tourism Malaysia; not only does it involve managing the costumes we already have at our disposal but also effectively setting the overall look for the characters and the show.
But venture on we did.
The dances performed presented its own set of challenges; from choreographing the Bollywood dance (with its mellow tone), bringing to the fore the classical dances of Asyik and Gamelan (which is difficult to get it right and easy to get it wrong), coordinating the explosive dikir movements to choreographing the dance to the music of the historically famous Michael Jackson's Thriller song. And at the same time ensuring that it fits and flows with the story yet different enough to distinguish it from those performed by other universities.
But venture on we did.
All of these along with several other significant improvements - the smooth flow of the technical aspects of the show (sounds, mics, lighting, runners, ushers), the bold new design for the tickets and many more - inevitably gave this year's Malaysia Night an 'experimental' edge to it.
In short, it would be an immense triumph if we could pull it off but a big disaster if it failed.
And what a professional show we put on; I personally thought it was in a class of its own.
As for my own involvement, I am extremely proud of my Zapin dancers and Asyik/Gamelan girls - they really owned the stage that night and put their very best; I am really thankful to have them as my dancers and also eternally grateful to Nik for patiently guiding me with Malay dances.
For the costumes, I am lucky to have a truly amazing partner by my side always - Song; no words could describe the sheer amount of gratitude, admiration and respect I have for her. She have been my closest confidante and my fiercest critic, ensuring that the job gets done.
The juniors have been supportive as regards with costumes details and dressing such a motivated bunch have made all of our efforts really worthwhile.
My encounters with the rest of the MNite team had been an enlightening, insightful and satisfying experience for me; like all other endevours, we had some bad moments but most of them are good. There were moments of despair, hopelesness, tension but equally many moments of laughter, sharing secrets and elation.
I realized that however different each of the MNite team may be with their own quirks, attitudes and demands, every one are determined and set out to do the task and responsbilities that have been entrusted to us to the best of our abilities.
The challenges we faced requires us to improvise, make quick decisions and ultimately keep the show going.
It was the desire to keep the tradition of excellence of IC's Malaysia Night that kept us going and after last night, I think that was as close to perfection as we would ever get given the circumstances of the situation.
That said, I am certain that the writings will definitely be on the wall for many years to come.
