Leading up to This..

I'm PlAYing!! I'm pLaYing...!!! *bounce* *bounce* *bounce*
Though it's not for the night concerts, I don't really care...~~ lAlaaLALa....

I remember my first time playing drums at my home church. Fact is, our church didn't even own a drum set then. Yea. 'Drumbeats' were supplied by using the organ. :P But there was a special event, and one of my dad's friend, the worship leader wanted to try out real drums. After somehow borrowing dunno-whos-drumset, he called me dad, and said:

' Eh, I heard your son taking drum lessons right? Can you ask him to play for me?'

I had only started lessons 1,2 months. And I think I was 13.

I remember the drums looked so huge back then. I was a nervous wreck. People at my church back then didn't like the drums. In fact, they hated it saying it was too loud. So there I was, a 13 year old nervous kid, sitting there, watching people giving me frowns the moment they spotted a drumset sitting on the stage. I mustered up my courage, took a deep breathe, and played my first beat..

The rest was history..

We bought a drumset ourselves soon after that..:)

I'm excited for playing for this. And when I say that, it is an understatement to how excited and how much I've looked forward to this all this while. I still remember last year I was the traffic warden. I remember there was a slight drizzle of rain. And I was stationed from the parking spots, till towards the evening, I had to stand outside the main road, holding a signboard, directing traffic. We stood there till it was dark. And as I stood there waving to the traffic, I could hear the loud booming noise coming from the stadium.

"Next year, it's gonna be me. I wanna be up there. I live for moments for this."

I remember stepping inside the stadium later, and enjoying Delirious performing. I remember too, the sound checks they did, and how I tried sneaking in to see how sound check was performed. I remember the shouts, the cheers and roars coming from the people. I remember seeing our own church drummers performing, and how restless I felt just watching them.

"Next year, I will work my way up there. "

I remember telling my band mates to set a target for themselves. And how I told them that my target was to play in this. I started out playing in a small little town of alor setar. Playing for our church choir performances. Yes. You heard me. You know those 'haaaa-llelujah' church choir stuff? yep. I had to play to the choir conductor waving both her hands like the classical music maestro.

And now I get to play in front of the whole nation. :)

I'm not boasting or anything. In fact, I'm HUMBLED in every way. In every area of my life, God has been teaching me the word Humility since I was young. So many examples. Even playing for my home church, I started out as the kid who had to shift the heavy drums week in week out as we share the same sanctuary as other services which don't use the drums. And even in actstream, where I went thru years of harsh training before I become what I am today. For cyber christmas or malam christmas, I started out as usher, then props team/back stage, before I eventually act on stage. As a young recruit in the uniform unit during my secondary school days, I got bullied around, and held on where all my friends left one by one, till I finished and earned my ranking...

Even till where I am now...with the bandmates I have...and with my work..even relationships...I believe God is still trying to nail in this value into my life..

And you know, when I look back, I come to realise that my achievements don't matter anymore. It's the process of achieving it that really matters most. It's so close to a principle and truth that I'm seeking God for the past few months now. I shall blog about that when I truly understood, and have applied it in my life. ;)

During practice yesterday, they played planet shaker's 'All Majesty' for us to listen. The moment I heard the screams, the roars, the music booming, the songs of praises coming out to God, I had goosebumps all over me. My fingers went cold. My heart beat faster.

I'm. so. excited.

Ja.