Mini Essay: Write about an occasion when you had to remain calm under pressure.

           The lights went on. A hall fully packed with guests, there's hardly room to move around freely. The staff, excited participants and technical crew were already on stand by. My heart skipped a beat. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. Then, the hosts declared enthusiastically, "Three, Two, One... Ladies and Gentlements, welcome to Fuhua Secondary School's Talent Quest competition 2011!" At the backstage, our student council vice president, Amy approached me with a big smile. She gave me a soft pet on the shoulders and whispered, "It's our first time organising such a big event, please make sure nothing goes wrong."


           First, the principal, vice principal and special guests were invited to be seated at the front rows. Next, the hosts asked the first contestant to go on stage to perform. Meanwhile, as the competition carried on as planned, I was chatting with Amy. Two minutes have passed and it was as silent as the grave. Wait, something is not right!  The contestant seems nervous and at a loss on stage. "Oh no!" I exclaimed. It was too late before i realised that this was a technical fault.


           I raced towards the public announcement room. On the way, i thought, everybody is counting on me to make this event work. As the overall in charge of the event, how could I have made such a mistake? I would have checked the video tapes and audio tracks a thousand times, suppose i knew this would happen. How should I to answer to the audiences back there? I could picture the disappointed and impatient looks on the contestants' faces. I had a strong headache. The fact that there are hundreds of people seated in the hall and all the negative thoughts just make me feel extremely pressurised.


           As i reached the public announcement room, i checked with the staff on duty immediately. Initially, I ignored their explanations. I headed straight to the laptop. I tried clicking the icons on the screen but nothing happened. I panicked even more. Then, I told myself to be calm, the situation is in a mess but i really need to calm down and think. I began listening to the staff patiently. After a good five minutes, we figured out how to play the music clip. "Phew..." I let out a long sigh of relief. I ran quickly back onto the stage and apologised to the guests for the long waiting time. The event continued without interruptions throughout, fortunately.


           That day was really a horrifying day. I never expected an technical fault to occur and it was really difficult to remain calm under such a pressurising situation. One lesson I've learnt through this experience is to always double check beforehand.