When I was first involved in National Day Parade (NDP) as a secondary two student in Monk’s Hill Secondary School in 1986, I was marching in the National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) contingent at the Kallang National Stadium. I remembered that I have gone through lots of tough time training under the hot sun and cold rains with lots of sweat just because of the birthday of the Singapore. During that time, I did not put much serious in it which I tends to make mistakes at the wrong counts of leg during the marching steps. Now, I as one of the volunteered performing participants, I have to be serious and focus on the dance steps to go along the correct timing with rhythm of the music and put my heart in it throughout the performance for Singapore; so that I will not easily make any mistake in front of more than 25,000 of audiences, where I will give my best performance with love and passion from the heart.
After that, I was involved in the NDP during my tertiary study at Singapore Technical Institute second year, which is 1990, when Singapore was celebrating her 25th birthday. That time was the Singapore Sliver Jubilee celebration and very memorable to me, because there were two parades held at both Padang field and Kallang National Stadium at two different evening respectively. I remembered that I was part of the sea waves of the big mass formation performance at Kallang National Stadium and that big formation requires lots of team works and coordination works from many various VITB institutes as well as the performers from People’s Association, which hence all have worked together as one and the performance came out to be very good. I also noticed that I was being captured on TV during that NDP actual day.
Through these years where I have grown in Singapore, regardless of up or down in my life, I persevere on my hopes and dreams, with a forward-looking heart to build my future, a better homeland and family, at least I have reached my present stage as a professional in Singapore work force where I am able to inspire, encourage and motivate the lives of younger Singaporean with my life experiences, imparting them with my technical skills and knowledge in photography, AV/PA sound systems, IT technology and engineering.
Since year 2007 where I have been actively involved in volunteerism with various sports and youth organization such as Young NTUC, PAYM, YMCA, Young PAP, Youth Bank and SG-Care, I have indirectly involved in NDP parades from then, year after year till presently. I have been volunteering as performers either at Padang field for Young NTUC Celebrates NDP or at the Marina Floating Platform for People’s Association or specially for Young NTUC.
I joined NDP mainly to showcase the best of our Singapore’s unique performances to others, the younger generation and the world to see that “we all in Singapore, this little Red Dot in the globe, regardless of races, regardless of ages, regardless of status, profession, ranking and wealth, can wrapped together as one through harmony, love, gracious sharing, kindness movements and compassion to build a nation for all generation as a home for all”. After joining various NDPs for the past years, I am able to handle things with bold and confidence despite any failure I have faced in the past and pick myself up to continue to look forward for a better opportunity to move on with the true Singaporean spirit.
With this Singapore Spirit, I always keep in my mind through these years of performances including this year’s coming one is that to create the same sense of love, passion and belonging that I felt all those years that I took part in the NDPs. Everything is not perfect in this world, but there is always hope for perfection in every Singaporeans’ mind. I as a Singaporean with the rest must just move on our daily lives with the heart of love and compassion to do the best that we can be, so that one day everyone can finally find and build a better home here as one Singapore.
Upon deep thought in my mind on the theme for this year’s NDP – “Many stories….One Singapore”, I believe all of us have individual stories that are shared daily and affect one another, just like rainbow flowing out and form a vibrant and colourful home for all. I hope for this year’s NDP the entire team of Young NTUC volunteered performers and I will able to put forward a marvelous and successful show because that is what we Singaporean are, a variety of people with different hopes and aspiration stories, come together as one regardless of whatever our differences are, to do our best and do it with love in our hearts, just like it is National Day every day and find a home here for all to live happily and harmony in Singapore with everyone’s hope and aspiration stories.
