Season 3, Episode 5: Can or cannot- 30 hours?

" When tomorrow comes, we must have hope,
We must reach out to every single child.
When tomorrow comes, we spread our love,
And make it a better day." - Tomorrow, official 2009 30 Hour Famine theme song.

This event was first heard when my sister told me about her friend being involved in the 30 Hour Famine this year. I was thrilled by the fact of it's noble intentions and it initiated a desire within me to participate in this event. Having said that though, i thought i would never have the chance, even more as it would be during my lecture weeks, and so i did not put high hopes on it. Then the opportunity came one day, when i saw a paper written 'Famine Hour Facilitator Recruitment' on my notice board. This implies that there will be the event in my uni, and i would want to be a camper! Thankfully, i have friends who participated as well, and from that moment, i registered.


As a camper, we needed to collect a minimum donation of RM 80.00. I sincerely thank those who have donated to support me and altogether, support this event. As i go on in this post, you will notice that there will be numerous times that i will repeat this phrase- the power is in you. Yes, it is. Even the slightest RM 1.00 can and will make a difference, and so you have the power to make a change.

Some friends in the camp- the look of a hungry people?

The official famine weekend was on the 22nd August 2009, and coincidentally, it was also the first day my Muslim friends began to 'puasa' (fast). For us, we had to fast from 12 noon on the 22nd August until 6.00pm the 23rd August- that makes up 30 hours. Of course, one of the magnetic factor of this event was the countdown at Stadium Putra Bukit Jalil for the final six hours where campers around Malaysia would gather to break fast together. Before i dwell onto that, allow me to express my excitement beginning the 22nd August afternoon.

I joined other campers at the Chancellor Hall at nearly 12 noon, after the brief opening ceremony and the reading of the rules of the camp. Later, we were divided into 7 smaller groups- mine was Mexico, and we had to be Mexican whenever the activities were played. Ice breaking session at first, and we played the first Challenge after that- protecting your fruits. It was alright, but i wished we could use harder materials to 'flock' away those 'birds'. This game actually tells us that life is always a challenge and you need to protect yourself in order to survive. Without food, you may die of starvation.

Accompanied me throughout the camp.

The second game was more significant. Imagine those underprivileged people who needs to walk for miles carrying heavy buckets of water over their shoulders, not wanting to spill even a single drop along their treacherous journey home because water is so precious. We tried to 'play' their life, and we felt how tiring it was. The game required us to carry a box of water using a blanket over a 'risky' trail. If we hit the 'rocks' along the way, we had to restart our journey- and we did over and over again. The third game was suffering-ly significant. Study materials in certain countries are limited, or rare, and so they have to use whatever within their resources, including short pencils. Again, we 'played' their life, and it was challenging to write with pencils shorter than your pinkie! In the end, we were 'punished' for making mistakes.

I didn't know this picture was taken.

Later, we had to make stars out of papers. We made for nearly two hours, sitting on the ground, folding and folding. As we folded, we complaint about how boring it was without realizing that this game also carries a significant message. In the end, i realized that people in certain countries have to work non-stop doing the same work to earn a living. All we did was folding stars in an air-con hall and complaint, and imagine those who needs to work under the blazing heat. Do they complain?

A presentation of an ideal basic village of my group with limited resources.

Spontaneous photography session. This is one where we were supposed to be drowning. I don't know how it turned out to be Titanic instead.

Before we call it a night, the final challenge was the 'Refugee Camp'. It was an interesting game that lasts nearly three hours. We 'played' the life of a refugee in a camp- like after an earthquake or flood. I was a family member of a Spanish family. Call me Fernando Gonzalez. The objective of this game is to survive in the camp. This means that we needed food, drink, shelter, and vaccination. Of course, these need money. We had to earn money, legally or illegally. Legally was troublesome and little, and so we opted for illegal works such as 'drug trafficking', 'gangsters', or 'sex workers' which offers more in return but risky. To live in these pressing situation, we sometimes cannot choose.

My Spanish family.

It's a camp!

Night time, it was freezing cold and i had only a blanket to cover me! Early morning, when i woke up, it felt like an iceberg and we were like penguins. I thought this meant hard life even to sleep, but it was not in the module. A group shot was taken before we left for the countdown at KL.

I'm at the second row from top, most left.

A line-up of star-studded artistes, both locally and internationally. Singers like Daniel Lee, Suki, Jaclyn, Yise, and familiar faces such as Belinda and Gary, and recognizable voices of Roshan and Nicholas entertained us for the remaining 6 hours. Michael Wong made an appearance too! An interactive game was played to fill in the time. The game was creative. The official theme song, Tomorrow was sung by Francessca Peter and Yise.

The approximately 7000 people crowd! Wow...

Entertaining ourselves.

Me, KD and YH outside the stadium, looking at the mini exhibitions.

The ideal village.

Accompanied me in the stadium.

But it was A-Mei that grabbed the spotlight. Save the best for last. The crowd cheered thunderously when A-Mei was called onto stage and every campers' low energy level suddenly sky-rocketed. She was amazing- though i don't understand what she sang or who she really was. The energy in the stadium was a force to be reckoned with (including the other performances)! And after singing a few songs, it was time. The time to count down. The crowd prepared for the count. The artistes and hosts too. My friends and i prepared ourselves.

The countdown! We made it! 30 hours!

The joy was unexplainable after completing 30 hours. Even though it was only me, a person; a person can make a difference. If every one thinks they are not important, then everyone will not come, and no one will support this event. So, i took my step and made a difference, and i am proud of myself.

In front of stadium!

Should i try the new prawn fritters in KFC?

After dinner!

After the countdown, we had another group shot in front of the stadium and left to have our dinner at KFC. Frankly, i was not extremely hungry when eating and i was at normal paced on my dinner. Another 3 hours of noisy ride back to uni before i could finally sleep and do some light revision. 3 tests were coming up!

wc09 encourages you to take part in this event next year. The power is in you, and you yourself is the force. You can make a difference! I did, and i'm happy i did.