The Auditorium, the Hospital Julian Cha

Drops of sweat trickled down my tanned face as I stared at the C-shaped moon outside the auditorium. Sitting on the fence, we rested and cooled down before continuing with the work inside. I glanced at my G-shock: 01:00 military time. We had worked throughout the night to prepare the sound and light equipment for tomorrow’s concert for the Chinese Association. We did this because we liked it, and we didn’t get paid. I stared once again at the lighting fixtures that we had just reorganized and the sound equipment that we had set up. I smiled. I like helping friends, especially with things that I love to do.

It all started back when I was in primary school in Malaysia. I always dreamed of being in the control room inside the library that broadcasted music during recess. I knew friends who were doing it, so I inquired about the opportunity to join the school’s radio team. It was an exciting experience, stepping into that prestigious and luxurious carpeted room for the first time. Having all the levers of the mixer as well as the CD and cassette players under my control, I felt like a Pharaoh.

When I moved on to secondary school, I was elated to be accepted into the sound and light team. This job is very competitive, but my...