Chinese EGGS-travaganza!

Not too long after supporting one of our fellow youth group members at his school’s talent quest, a group of us from our youth group went to support another member of our youth group. This time Cleo was performing at her school’s Chinese Extravaganza, an Epsom Girls Grammar (EGGS) and Auckland Boys Grammar (AGS)-combined show with Chinese drama, song and dance.

First of all though, we had to pick Aonghas up from work before picking up two other guys Jireh and Phillip. We stopped off at Wendy’s for a bit of a feed before we headed off to EGGS.

We made it there with a bit of time to spare, so we just sat in the car and finished off our food before crossing the road to the school to watch some boys from AGS performing a lion dance in the carpark outside the school’s theatre.

I also caught up with two of my friends from uni who were both ex-EGGS students! Hannah who studies pharmacy and is also the leader of the city church’s English youth group was there to watch her brother who was one of the leaders of the show, while Anzie who I met at a KiwiAsian Club event years ago was there to support her younger sister, who was also one of the leaders of the show!

After the lion dance, everyone made their way into the theatre to take their seats. While we were waiting, some of us guys were just talking about how this was the perfect place to meet girls – at a girls’ school! Aonghas was sitting next to some girls and tried asking them if they go to EGGS, but the girl just turned away! We all just laughed.

The show got off to a start with some dances, such as a dragon dance, an umbrella dance, fan dance, people playing with diablos, singers (who sang this Wang Leehom song ‘Another Heaven’ with a solo guitarist in the middle!), and modern dance. Cleo was in modern dance! I was trying to take photos of her but realised halfway through that I was taking photos of the wrong girl! I did manage to take photos of Cleo though!

Throughout the performances we tried calling out to Cleo and cheering her on. We think she noticed!

During intermission we went outside the theatre to chill out and talk about the show before going back into the theatre. Just as I was about to go back in, I caught up with one of my uni friends Eliza and talked to her for a bit before Gabrielle our youth group leader came by and asked me to let Claire know that the rest of them were in the theatre if she was wondering. I thought that meant I had to wait for Claire, so I stayed outside for a little while before just going in. When I went to take my seat with the rest of the guys they were all going

“Awwwwwwwwww!”


At first I thought they were aww’ing because I had to wait outside for Claire when she was already inside the threatre. However, it turns out Jenny (another girl in our youth group who I was sitting next to and is in the same orchestra as Eliza) had told the others that Eliza already had a boyfriend! I wasn’t hitting on her!

Anyway they second half of the show got started with a band performing to great applause. There was a paper dance (I think that’s what it’s called?) before the show finished with a drama about the Monkey King, in which our very own Cleo was one of the main characters! We had a tip-off that she was going to die in the drama and so we were all going to cheer for her. When that moment came though I think we were all caught up in the drama and were aww’ing instead!

At the end of the show while all the performers had a mass group photo on stage, we waited at the back of the theatre so we could take a photo together with Cleo. Jireh, Phillip and I also took out the Rutherford scarf to hold out (just to stick that in Jenny’s face after she dissed Rutherford when we went there to support Phillip!). We finally got a group photo with Cleo outside the theatre after waiting for a little while.

We were then going to head home, but made a detour to McDonald’s where Phillip and Jireh bought a burger combo…maybe that’s a bit of an understatement as Jireh bought FOUR burgers! My brothers and I just bought a sundae each! We talked for a while and the guys played Tap Tap on their iPod Touch before we dropped them home.

What a night, and wow at the talent we have in Oddfellows!