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Orchid Park Secondary School National Police Cadet Corps Bi-Annual Newsletter Volume 1, January 2009

Visit us at : http://orchidparknpcc.blogspot.com

Contents

Message from OC---------------------- 1

by A/ASP Toh Wee Teck

NPCC: My New Pride &

Passion -- 2by CDT Ho Wei Er

Photo Diary of Our MalaysiaEducational Visit----------------------- 3

by LCP Siti Fateha Bte Affandi &LCP Siti Amirah Bte Osman

Sec 2 Adventure TrainingCamp ---- 5

by LCP Muhammad Khairul FahmiBin Juraimi

Surviving Survival Camp-------------- 9

by SGT Josephine Yeo Siew Ling

Survivors: NPCC Style--------------- 13

by SGT Jolyn Tey Jie-Lin

Nurturing Youths @World.Singapore----------------------- 17

by SGT Gavin Ng Jun Han

My OBS Experience------------------ 24

by SGT Tang Mei Yin

The 18th Person in MyGroup ------- 26by SGT Jolyn Tey Jie-Lin

Past Events of 2008 (July ~

Message from OC

Dear all,

2008 had been a fruitful and meaningful year for our unit! In the

Inter-Unit Biennial Campcraft Competition, both our boys and girls

teams performed well and managed to obtain 22nd and 9th positions

respectively. This was the first time that one of our teams actually made it

into the top 10! And, in the Inter-Unit Annual .22 Revolver ShootingCompetition, our boys and girls teams also did well. They came in 18 th

and 11th positions respectively. Our area (Area 2) also clinched the 2 nd

position in theInter-Area Biennial Project-Based Competition. This was

the best result that our area had ever since this competition started!

8 of our graduating cadets were also awarded the SPF-NPCC

badge in 2008, for their outstanding leadership and contribution towards

NPCC. The SPF-NPCC badge is the most prestigious award that a cadet

can receive. This pinnacle award is only awarded to the top 2% of the

graduating cohort in NPCC each year. This is the first time that we have

so many cadets receiving the SPF-NPCC badge!

I would also like to congratulate LCP Ho Wei Er, CPL Siti

Amirah Bte Osman andSSG Ong Kong Mingon being awarded the Best

Squad Cadets for 2008 in their respective squads. They were exemplary in

most aspects.

On behalf of our unit, I would also like to bid farewell and thank

our units 7th batch NPCC cadets for their dedication and commitment

towards our unit. They have contributed tremendously to help bring our

unit to where we are now.

At the same time, I would also like to welcome 2 new CIs,P/CI

Matthias Goh Boon Yongand P/CI Clifford Tan Junming, and a new

teacher officer,INSP Prasana D/O Sankarapillai, to our big family.

Lastly, though the result for Unit Overall Proficiency Award

(UOPA) 2008 is not out yet, I believe our unit should be able to maintain

our excellent result in 2007 (GOLD award). We may be a young unit (10

years old) but we are definitely capable of achieving our GOAL! So, let

us continue to work together to bring glory to our unit and our school!

A/ASP Toh Wee Teck
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NPCC: My New Pride & Passion

On 9 January afternoon, the Sec 1s had our CCA Orientation, where all the Sec 1 students would get a chance to

know more about all the CCAs that are offered in OPSS. It is a day where all the CCAs will have the opportunity to

recruit more members into their CCAs.

The event started off with a talk by Mr Sim, HOD PE/CCA, in the hall on the secondary school LEAPS system

and the CCAs offered in OPSS. After that, we were ushered to the corridors on the 2 nd storey, surrounding the parade

square, where we watched the performances prepared by various Uniformed Groups, Performing Arts and Sports. We

were quite impressed with the performances. One that especially caught my attention was the fancy drill performance by

the National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC).

When I saw NPCC cadets running out of the NPCC room, each carrying a rifle, for the performance, my first

thought was, Huh? Not because I have never seen a NPCC cadet before, but it is just that I have never seen people

doing rifle drill with music. It was a refreshing and impressive performance. I have always thought that uniform groups

are very serious and strict. But after watching the performances by them, I realised that I was terribly WRONG!

We then visited the booths set up by the various CCAs to find out more about them. After visiting the booths, a

feeling told me to join one of the two uniform groups: NPCC and NCC (Sea).

After considering for a long time, I finally decided to join NPCC. There seemed to be some unknown force

that pulled me to NPCC. When I handed up my CCA option form, somehow I knew that I will not quit or regret.The first few weeks of training were much better than I expected! In fact, it was actually quite FUN! I have

always thought that uniform group was tiring, strict, no nonsense and the student leaders are very fierce, but I was totally

WRONG!

It is absolutely wonderful! The NCOs are great and friendly, and the lessons are fun. I also learnt a lot from

NPCC. After these few months in NPCC, I realised that I am more responsible than before and I look forward to the

training every week. Most of all, I am surprised that everyone in NPCC treats each other like family!

I really do not regret choosing NPCC as my CCA. It is indeed my PRIDE & PASSION! ^_^

CDT Ho Wei Er
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Photo Diary of Our Malaysia Educational Visit


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LCP Siti Fateha Bte Affandi & LCP Siti Amirah Bte Osman


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Sec 2 Adventure Training Camp

On 19th of June, I was very nervous and excited at the

same time as this day marks the beginning of my 3-days-2-nights

Sec 2 Adventure Training Camp at Pulau Ubin. We met at school

in the late morning and took a bus down to Changi Jetty, where we

would take bum-boats across to Pulau Ubin. The ferry ride was

choppy but nevertheless it was a fun experience for all of us.

When we arrived at Pulau Ubin, we trekked our way to

the NPCC Campsite, Camp Resilience, with our heavy bags. The

whole journey took us half an hour. Along the way, we sang,

motivated each other and helped each other with the bags. The

scenery was also refreshing for us. Though it was tiring for us but

we persevere till the end. When we finally reached the gate ofCamp Resilience, we were all relieved, happy and proud of

ourselves. However, we were told that there are actually two

campsites, Bahru Campsite and Noordin Campsite, at Camp

Resilience. Noordin Campsite, which is nearer to the gates, is for

the Sec 3s and the Bahru Campsite, which is further in, is for us.

By the time, we reached our campsite, we were all exhausted. We

rested and regained our energy as we waited for the other units to

arrive.

When everyone arrived, we were split into various

groups. After that, we were asked to pitch our tents. I was

surprised that some of my tent-mates actually did not know how to

pitch a tent. Luckily, my NCOs taught us well before this camp.

After pitching our tents, we played some ice-breaker games to get

to know our group-mates better. Then, we were given our ration

for the 3-days-2-nights. It consists of Maggie Mee, canned food,

biscuits and Milo. Throughout this camp, we were supposed to

cook our own food. Again, I felt fortunate that my NCOs taught

us how to light a solid fuel and we had experienced out-field

cooking before in our units Annual Camp. After our dinner, we

had a sing-along session to prepare for the campfire the next day.At night, we chatted in our tents as we could not get to

sleep. When we were tired and wanted to retire for the night, I did

not sleep well as one of my tent-mate was snoring. Eventually, I

fell asleep too due to the fatigue.

The next morning, we woke up very early. For some

reasons, most of us did not sleep well the night before. We started

out with mass physical training, followed by breakfast. Then, we

went for our team-building activities. We had activities like the

Gun-Aiming Challenge, the Low Rope Challenge, kayaking,

rock-climbing, the Maze, etc... We were all excited and thrilled

as most of us had never tried these activities before and we were

looking forward to them. We had a great time!


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At night, we went to Noordin Campsite to join the Sec 3s for a combined campfire. We sang and watched performances put up

the Sec 3s. It was really FUN! We could feel the bonding that we had forged over the past 2 days. We all had a memorable campfire. After

that, we headed back to our campsite to wash up.

On the last day, there was only area clearing. We had to un-pitch our tents, wash them and clean up our area. We were all excited

to be going home but we were sad too as this meant that the camp had come to an end and we had to go our separate ways. After the

camp-closing ceremony, we waited for the buses to bring us out to the jetty. We were glad that we did not have to walk out like the firstday. However, after a while, we were informed that the buses were all booked and we had to wait longer. We were given an option of

waiting for the buses or too walk out. We chose the latter because we all missed home and wanted to go home as soon as possible. Finally,

we reached the jetty and took the bum-boats back to mainland Singapore. Then, from Changi Jetty, we took a bus back to school.

We all had a great time at the camp, knowing new friends, learning new things and gaining new experiences!

LCP Muhammad Khairul Fahmi Bin Juraimi


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Surviving Survival Camp

In the past, all sec 3 NPCC cadets would attend the

Sec 3 Adventure Training Camp at Pulau Ubin. However, it is

different this year. We are the very first batch of cadets going

for Survival Camp. It sounds interesting and yet torturing as it

is known as a survival camp and not an adventure camp. I

was not sure if I could survive through the camp but I was

determined to give it a shot. I was also excited about the

camp as I could meet up with some of my old friends from

the other units in Area 2.

Day 1

We all gathered in school at 11am, together with our

Sec 2 juniors. They would be attending their first Adventure

Training Camp. It was during attendance taking that I realized

only 3 girls from my squad would be going for this camp. I

was a bit disappointed as the attendance was quite pathetic;

only 11 of our squad-mates would be attending this camp,

which was quite a drastic drop as compared to last year.

We boarded the bus and headed to the Changi Jetty.

Upon reaching, we were separated into our respective groups.

I was allocated to Alpha, together with Chin Tian. We then

- -

Our first activity for the camp, the Treasure Hunt,

started immediately when we arrived at Pulau Ubin. We were

supposed to find clues that would lead us from point to point

and finally ending at Camp Resilience. It was a long and

tiring journey but we enjoyed it.


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When we arrived at Noordin Campsite, we weresplit into our tent groups to pitch our tents. Fortunately, Mei

Yin was in the same tent group as me! We were both

delighted with the arrangement. After pitching our tents, we

were given time to prepare for our campfire performance,

dinner and bathe. Throughout the day, we constantly

reminded each other that we would be optimistic and tried to

enjoy ourselves throughout the camp.

Day2

We assembled at the foyer at 6am for flag-raising,

followed by physical training. The activities started right after

breakfast. ForAlpha, Bravo and Charlie, our first activity

was the Intermediate Rope Course (IRC). When the

instructors asked for 8 volunteers, Jolyn and I were one of

those who volunteered. We thought we would be helping with

the safety ladders. It was then that the instructors asked us to

climb up the stairs to attempt the IRC first. I was terrified at

that point. I saw one of the rope obstacles that I had done

before during my Pri 5 camp. I thought I was confident that I

could complete it quickly. However, that was also the

obstacle which I took the longest time to complete. I realized

that it was because the shoe that I wore during my Pri 5 camp

had a groove in the sole, which allowed me to slide across the

rope with ease. However, the shoe that I wore for this camp

was totally flat! I was super insecure throughout that obstacle

as I was afraid that I would fall anytime. But I felt a sense of

achievement upon completing it! :D


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After IRC was lunch and I was proud of myself as

every meal time I only used 1 matchstick to light up the solid

fuel. It was really a great improvement for me as I usually

used lots of matchsticks to light up the solid fuel. This was an

amazing feat for me!

The activities resumed immediately after our lunch.

My group went for the Tunnel. We were told that earlier a

boy was actually stuck in the tunnel as he could not climb up

the slide. It was super hilarious and the instructor kept talking

about how they had to pull him up with the ropes. After

seeing how fast the guys entered and climbed out of the super

dark tunnel, I was quite confident that I could do it too. In

fact, it was much easier than I expected.

Next, we had the Shelter Building. Through this

activity, we had a better idea whether we could survive in the

wilderness if we were stranded there. We were given some

dowel poles, manila hemp and our ponchos. We were

required to build a shelter using these materials within 15

minutes. Almost everyone built a shelter similar to our tents.

Then, our instructors demonstrated how we could construct a

shelter easily by tying 4 ponchos together and securing them

to a nearby tree. It was so simple but yet we did not think ofit.

Finally, it was time for our last activity, the Jetty

Jump! It was the best activity in the camp for me. It was a

first time experience for many of us and I was rather

frightened initially. One after another, we took turns to

perform the Jetty Jump. Seeing others jumped might be

easy, but it is definitely very challenging when we are

standing at the edge of the platform, looking down into the

sea. Finally, it was my turn. I was like, Oh my goodness! I

was super terrified. I turned back to ask the instructor whether

he could push me down instead. But I was told that we had to

overcome our fear and complete the jump on our own. I

hesitated for a moment and then I heard our CI Sheng Xiang

Sir shouting, Just close your eyes and take a step forward!

He continued, 1, 2, 3, JUMP! And, I jumped!

After I jumped, the feeling was indescribable. I was

relieved and satisfied. I even attempted the Jetty Jump

twice. It was a once in a life time experience as we would

never get to experience it again elsewhere!


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Then, we had our dinner and to wash-up before we

proceeded to our campfire preparation. Soon after, our sec2s

junior came over to Noordin Campsite for the combined

campfire, the highlight of the camp. Everyone was trying to

build up the atmosphere, especially the song leaders. The

campfire was really enjoyable and memorable for me.

Day3

The girls managed to wake up on time. However, the

guys did not. It was almost 6am, but none of the guys had

woken up. I was worried that if they did not wake up on time,

we would be punished again. Hence, Mei Yin, Jolyn and I

approached a CI to ask him whether we could go over to the

guys tent area to wake them up. He suggested that we should

just throw stones at them. The 3 of us were stunned by his

reply and looked at him in disbelief. Then, he told us to go

somewhere near their tent area and shout at them. We went

and started shouting for them to get up. One of the guy

actually sat up, but went back to sleep again. I was so irritated

by him that I really threw a stone at his tent.

Fortunately, the guys managed to gather on time.

Then we had our physical training, which was the toughest

we ever had. After that, we had breakfast, followed by area

cleaning and camp closing ceremony. It is really a memorable

camp for me and I have learnt a lot of values and life skills

from it!

SGT Josephine Yeo Siew Ling


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Survivors: NPCC Style

Sec 3 Survival Camp is a 3-day-2-night camp at Pulau Ubin, Camp Resilience. On 19 June, we met in school to take a bus

to Changi Jetty, where we would take bum-boats over to Pulau Ubin for our camp. I was told that it would be a tough camp. My first

thought for this camp was, very little water, limited food supply, shortage of solid fuel and sleeping with mosquitoes out in the

forest. I was mentally prepared for the worst, especially after our experience at the Adventure Training Camp at Camp Resilience

last year.

When I reached school, I realized that quite a number of my female squad-mates would not be going for the camp due to

illnesses. However, I was glad to see that 2 of my unit CIs would be going for the camp with us. All of us got ready and boarded the

bus. Off we go for our very first Survival Camp!

Upon reaching Changi Jetty, we were separated from our squad-mates into our respective groups. We waited for quite a

while before the rest of the units from Area 2 arrived. This year, I was in the same group as one of my squad-mate, Kong Ming. We

left our familiar mainland Singapore to a small island called Pulau Ubin.

We walked to the basketball court, which was a gathering place for all the groups. While waiting for the other groups to

arrive, we had some ice-breaking games. We introduced ourselves to the unfamiliar faces in front of us. My group was known as

Bravo with CI Jonathon as our instructor.

Our first activity was the Treasure Hunt! We were given some small pieces of jigsaw puzzles. Upon fixing them together,

we realized that it was actually a map of Pulau Ubin. Our destinations are covered by small quizzes. We have to walk to our various

destinations with all our bags. It was quite a tiring walk. Finally, we managed to reach our last check point.

When we were about to walk happily to our campsite, the teacher officer with my group suddenly received a phone call. We

were told that one more cadet would be joining my group. As a result, we had to go back to the basketball court to meet up with our

new group member. At last, we arrived at Camp Resilience after a long and tiring walk, and with countless of motivations and

encouragements from each other.

We assembled at the area where other groups were. After which, we were allocated into our tent groups. Then, we collected

our logistics and started to pitch up our tents, which would last us for 3 days and 2 nights. This year, we were glad that most of the

campers were familiar with the tent-pitching procedures, unlike last year. With the help from every tent member from various units,

we managed to pitch up our tent.


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Then, we had our first meal in the camp! I had my first meal at Survival Camp with one of my group mates, Esther! After

eating, we had our shower! PERFECT! During our ATC last year, we did not get to bathe as there was a shortage of water. I was so

happy to be able to take our shower in this camp.

After our shower, we had our campfire preparation. The theme for this year campfire item was Survival in the 21 st

Century! After which, it was lights out and we went back to our tents to sleep.

Most of us could not get to sleep as we felt itchy from the numerous ant bites and mosquito bites. Finally, we could not take

it anymore and decided to sit up to chit-chat. We started sharing our stories on our NPCC lives. It was about 3am, when we took a


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nap. After 20 minutes, we woke up and started to chat again. Suddenly, there seemed to be something falling from the sky. It was

bright white in colour. I asked the person looking in the same direction as me and she said she saw it too! IT WAS A SHOOTING

STAR! This is the first time in my life that I see a shooting star! I was so excited that I started telling all the people around me. Then,

those people who were facing my previous direction saw another one. WOW! It was an unforgettable night for us!

When it was almost 5am, we decided to shift to the foyer. We sat down and before we knew it, we started to fall asleep one

by one. We woke up at round 5:30am and went to wake the rest up.

It was the second day of the camp! All of us were excited about the activities that we would be doing that day. We

assembled for our morning physical training. It was manageable and was quite fun. After that, we had our breakfast, followed by our

first round of activities for the day.

My first activity was the Intermediate Rope Challenge (IRC). It consisted of very challenging rope course a few stories

high from the ground. It requires a certain amount of courage and determination to lift our legs off the ground to a higher place where

we can only depend on the safety harness that we had around us, especially for those who have a phobia of heights.

Next was lunch. I had lunch with Josephine and Kai Sheng. It was a hilarious lunch! Kai Sheng told me that if we were to

eat too much baked beans, we would fart a lot! Then we started laughing at everything that we ate. It was an enjoyable lunch.

After lunch, we had our improvised shelter session. We had to build a shelter using manila hemp, dowel poles and whatever

natural surrounding we have around us. It was fun and interesting to see all the different kinds of shelters that we could come up

with.

Next, we had the most exciting activity in the camp, the Jetty Jump! I enjoyed it so much that I jumped a total of 4 times!

When I had my first jump, I felt anxious and frightened. It was a test of water and height confidence. After my jump, when I emerged

from the waters, my very first reaction was that the water was super salty!


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After the Jetty Jump, we were allowed to change into our dry clothes. Our last activity was the Tunnel! The tunnel was

pitched dark inside. We could not even see our fingers inside the tunnel! When I was inside the tunnel, I fell into a pool of soft and

rubbery unknown substance. When we finally reached the exit and the instructor opened the door for us, we turned our heads and

saw that the soft and rubbery unknown substance was actually balls!

Then, we had our dinner. This time, I had dinner with Mei Yin and Josephine. We realised that whenever Mei Yin opens the

can of pineapple with her can opener, there would always be a pool of pineapple juice around the can. She was so funny! After

dinner, we had our last campfire preparation, followed by the campfire! The campfire was fun and enjoyable!

The next morning, we had our morning physical training. Unlike the previous one, this mass PT was torturous. It requires a

lot of determination to complete all the exercises. It was really a test of our level of endurance. We did a total of more than 40 push-

ups (male version), 35 sets of jumping jacks and 35 crunches. Throughout the PT, we had to constantly encourage each other to

persevere on and to endure. Finally, the morning PT ended! We were all relieved and proud of ourselves.

Then, we had our breakfast. It was our last meal in the camp! After breakfast, we did our area cleaning. Then, we had our

last debrief with our instructors. We cracked a lot jokes. We also get to see the fun and playful side of our CIs.

BREAK CAMP! We were so happy! However, we had to walk all the way back to the jetty. It was a long journey. Finally,

we reached the jetty and we took a short rest before leaving Pulau Ubin. Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable camp for me. Without

each others help and encouragement, we would not be able to complete some of the activities. Lastly, I would like to say, Thank

you, all my group-mates!

SGT ol n Te ie-Lin


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Nurturing Youths @ World.Singapore[ like an email address: [email protected]]

The National Camp is a biennial event and is organised

alternately between the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National

Police Cadet Corps (NPCC). This year, it was NPCCs turn to

organise the National Camp. The National Camp is also an

exclusive activity undertaken by members of the uniformed groups

and youth clubs: NPCC, NCC, Singapore Scout Association, Girl

Guides, Girls Brigade (GB), Boys Brigade (BB), St John

Ambulance Brigade (SJAB), Red Cross Youth, National Civil

Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC) and Singapore Youth Flying Club,

to celebrate the National Day. Hence, it is traditionally held

immediately after the National Day, where participants will gather

together for a 4-day-3-night camp filled with fun and challenging

outdoor activities. The theme for National Camp 2008 is

Nurturing Youths @World.Singapore!

Day 1I woke up very early the day after National Day, which

happens to be a school holiday to attend the National Camp. We

met at Expo MRT Station. We got our boarding pass from the HOs

and quickly boarded the bus. Everyone on the bus was not very

friendly and the mood on the bus was very quiet as none of us

knew each other. I did not talk to anyone at all during the bus trip

to SAF Jetty until I was in the ferry. I had some brief chat with a

guy sitting beside me while the ferry were moving and realised

that he also went for the

Malaysia trip organised by NPCC last year.

We reached the jetty at Noordin Campsite. We were glad

that we did not have to walk into Camp Resilience like my

previous camps at Camp Resilience. We walked up to the field,

where there was a stage just for this camp. After we were seated,

our division commander got us to introduce ourselves. Everyone

was still quite reserved and shy. I looked around and noticed that

the other groups were playing games and having a great time. I

thought my group would be boring and my division members were

unenthusiastic. However, after I started to crack some jokes to

lighten the atmosphere, everyone started to open up. I began to

feel that maybe I was wrong.

We were separated to 4 sections within our Delta

Division. Then, it was the Opening Ceremony. We watched the

performances prepared by representatives of the various uniform

groups and youth clubs. The President of Singapore was the

Guest-of-Honour for the Opening Ceremony. We stood up to

welcome him and sang the National Anthem, followed by the

recitation of the National Camp.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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After the Opening Ceremony, we had our lunch. The food

was awesome as we were not required to cook our own food, like

in ATC and SC. Instead, we had packet food and there was even

juice too.

After lunch was our first activity. It was the Campfire

Organisation prepared by the scout instructors. We learnt about

the reason for a campfire and how it should be built and how to

plan one. We were even asked to plan one.

Our next activity cycle was the Intermediate Rope

Challenge, the Tunnel and Dangle Duo. The Intermediate

Rope Challenge and the Tunnel were not new to me as I had

tried them before during my Survival Camp. However, I had not

attempted the Dangle Duo before. I was looking forward to it.

At the Dangle Duo, the instructors told us that no team had

gotten to the top within the given time. The

Dangle Duo was like a ladder except that the gap between each

log increases as we got higher. As an encouragement, one

instructor challenged us to reach the 5th bar in 4 minutes and as

reward, we would get a can of Coke. In the end, my partner and I

completed the challenge and even reached the 6th bar in 5 minutes!

We got our reward as promised and we shared it with our division-

mates.


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Day 2

The second day started with a bang. All of us geared up

for an exciting day, full of activities and thrills. In the morning, we

gathered at 6:30am for morning physical training.

Then, we had our breakfast and moved on with the first

activity of the day soon after. It was the Flight Stimulation by

the Singapore Youth Flying Club. I managed to land the plane

after several attempts. It was fun and challenging. We also learnt

how to fold a paper plane. We even had a mini competition to see

whose plane can fly the furthest. My plane flew the 2 nd furthest

and I was awarded the 9V-BPA Plane collar pin. The instructor

told us that that collar pin cannot be bought anywhere. I was so

happy and proud of my performance!

Then, we had the Cardiopulmonary Rresuscitation

(CPR) &Automated External Defibrillator (AED) session by theSJAB. As most of us already knew how to do CPR, we learnt how

to operate an AED instead.

Our next activity cycle was the Team-building stations

organised by GB and BB. One of the instructors there happened to

be my friend, so we had fun talking and playing games at the same

time. We played Human Foosball. It was something like table

soccer, except that the figurines were real people. We were

supposed to have 3 other games, but due to the rain, we had to

stop. So, we went into the tentage for some cheers and we also had

our lunch there.


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After lunch, the rain stopped and we went over to the

Bahru Campsite for the Low Rope Challenge by NCDCC. This

was also not new for me as I had done it before last year, during

my Adventure Training Camp. We managed to complete all the

stations. There was one particular station, where a lot of teamwork

was required. We had to get everyone in my section to balance on

a rope. We almost succeed but time ran out. I believed if we had a

bit more time, we would have succeeded. Nevertheless, the

instructors still praised us and said that we were the best so far as

we had good teamwork and balancing skill. After the LRC we

really became more and more united and cheered from place to

place.

Then, we went for the Rock Climbing & Abseiling

by NPCC. I abseiled down smoothly but for the rock climbing, I

could not do as well as I had done during my Adventure Training

Camp last year. This time, I was not able to reach the top. After the

climb, I had some rest before we proceeded to the Maze. I haddone this activity before during my Adventure Training Camp.

Then, we headed back to Noordin Campsite.


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We had our dinner and bathed. Then, we came together

and our division commander informed us that we would need to

prepare a performance for the campfire. At first, it was quite

messy, but finally everyone settled down. A few of us discussed

about the performance we were going to put up. Then, we

practised ourselves and chose some people to join us in the

performance as we could not have too many people. Hence, we

taught the rest of them the song and dance that we would be

putting up during the campfire.

Day 3

We would be having our wet activities. My division-

mates were all looking forward to it. Our first activity was a nature

walk. In this nature walk, we had to compete in some games along

the way.

In one of the games, we had to pass ping-pong balls from

one member to another in cones made from newspaper. If a ball

dropped, everyone had to restart. The mosquitoes added on to the

difficulty of the game.

We also had to find 6 items in a scavenger hunt. We

found all the items in less than a minute. In another game, we had

to be blindfolded and make an animal sounds to find each other.

There was also a game where we had to build a structure

using things from our surrounding and twines. After the

construction, the instructors would throw coconuts at it to see if it

was strong and durable enough. As the time given to construct was

rather short, I thought we did quite well because our structure was

able to withstand the first hit but collapse during the second attack.

Our second activity cycle was kayaking by NCC. Many

of us had done kayaking before but we did not find the activity

boring. I noticed that one of the CLTs conducting the activity was

actually from our school. We even raft-up (all the kayaks were

lined up side-by-side) and some of us were told to exchange

partners in that position. I volunteered to exchange when they ask

for volunteers. It was fun walking on the kayak while we were still

out at sea. It was an experience I never had before!

After lunch was the Water Confidence Jump by NPCC.

Although I had already jumped thrice in my Survival Camp earlier

this year, I still enjoyed the activity a lot!

The last activity cycle of the day was archery by BB. It

was really fun! I tried two kinds of bow, but I preferred the long

bow, which is the older type of bow. According to the


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instructors, it is harder to control than the other type of bow.

However, I had no problems handling it.

After our archery session, it was dinner and bath time. We

finished everything as fast as we could, so that those involved in

the campfire performance would have more time to rehearse.

I brought along a light stick to represent our division for

the campfire. We even used it in our cheers. We also had our

division flag. At the campfire, I realised that our group was themost enthusiastic. During the campfire, we would cheer non-stop

and our performance was simply awesome! Everyone enjoyed it

because it was entertaining. But after all the performance and

campfire songs, the campfire was coming to an end. Everyone

kept quiet and watched sadly as the campfire diminished.

After the campfire, our group went around cheering and

dancing till supper. After supper, everyone took photos. Our

division agreed not to sleep that night. All of us gathered outside

our tents. Some of us played games and others lay on the floor and

looked at the stars. But after midnight, we were asked to go back

to our tents. Although we were reluctant, we still had to follow the

rules. Once we were in our tents, we


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were slept soundly till the next morning as everyone was super

tired.

Day 4

It was the last day of the camp. Everyone went for our

breakfast with glum faces. We were all sad that the camp was

coming to an end and we were leaving each other. But my section

did not fail to bring up everyones spirit after breakfast. We started

cheering, singing and dancing. We even recited our division

pledge and anthem. I think we were the only division with our

own division pledge and anthem. Soon, other divisions that were

grumpy initially started cheering too. We also started bombing

other divisions.

After a while, we were asked to gather back to our own

UG. Our instructors talked to us for the last time and said they had

fun with our group. Everyone listened quietly, trying not to weep.

Then we took our last group photo, hugged each other, bade our

farewells, signed on each other T-shirt and exchanged our contact

numbers.

We thought we would see each other for the last time. But

when we went back to the mainland, we actually met up with each

other at McDonalds in Tampines Mall for our lunch. Our

instructors even wanted to treat us to lunch, but we did not want toburn a hole in their wallets, so we thanked and rejected their offer.

This camp was really awesome! It allowed me to know new

friends from various schools and uniform groups! I also learnt a

lot of useful lessons from it!

SGT Gavin Ng Jun Han


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My OBS Experience

Before the OBS camp in August, I went around

asking those who had previously attended OBS before what

their experience was like. From what I gathered, it seems

boring and tough. I tried to convince myself that it would not

be like what they described. I kept telling myself that it would

be a fun and challenging experience for me. At the same time,

I do not wish to disappoint my teacher officers for nominating

me for the OBS course.

1st Day

While we were waiting at the jetty for the

participants from the other schools to arrive, I had a quick

look around at all the instructors. They all seem quite elderly

to me. I wondered if they could click with us. Finally, when

the other schools participants arrived, we were separated into

various groups. My group was called Tenzing (a famous

mountaineer)! While waiting for the ferries, we had some ice-

breaker games.

My instructor told us that he is one of the fittest

instructors in OBS and therefore will have a higher

expectation from us. Everyone thought that he would betough and strict on us, especially when most of my group-

mates were from uniform groups. He also briefed us on the

safety precautions for certain activities that we would be

doing in this OBS.

We learnt how to pitch our tents. We also had our

lunch, which consisted of biscuits and apples. After that, we

had our belaying lesson. We were introduced to some of the

belaying skills and techniques, which I had learnt earlier

during our NPCC Survival Camp.

We then played a game of trust, where we had to

trust each other in our group. One person had to lie on a

ground sheet at a certain height while the rest of us would

hold the sheet tightly, preventing the person lying on the sheet

from falling to the ground. It was actually quite challenging

and interesting.

Next, we had our dinner and wash-up. We actually

had a long shower time as we always finished our tasks faster

than the other groups. We also had a fire drill before lights

2nd Day

In the morning, we had our physical training,

followed by breakfast. After that, we went for one of the high

rope elements, the Double Decker. It consists of 5~6 logs,

hanging horizontally in mid-air. Two people had to climb up

from one log to the other. Our instructor deliberately chose

this obstacle for us because he knew that a lot of us had never

tried this before. It was indeed a challenge for all of us! My

partner and I were great! We coordinated very well. He would

let me step on his knee as I climbed onto the next log. Then,

he would climb onto the next log on his own. We completed

the obstacle in the shortest time.

We also had triyaking! We learnt how to do the

capsized drill. It was super duper fun! We reached an

anonymous island after over 3 hours of kayaking. We went to

a lake on the island. The water was super clear. We were

soaking in the water while our instructor told us our activities

for the next day. It felt like we were having a spa in a remote

paradise!

As we were having our dinner, I was told that I

would be the IC for the next day. I was excited and worried at

the same time. After dinner, I discussed with the other ICs

about the route that we would be taking to the other campsite

the next day. The instructors told us that we need to set off by

7am and reach the other campsite by 1pm. After our

discussion, it was lights out at 9:30pm and I had my sentry

duty at 10:45pm. Later, we were told that someone actually

saw a wild boar. It was so cool!

3rd Day

After breakfast, we set off at 7am for our sea

expedition to the next campsite, which was about 9~12km

away! I was to be the last kayak throughout the whole

expedition. No other kayak could be slower than mine. My

partner and I also helped a lot of people whose kayak got

stuck. We kayaked for about 3~4 hours before reaching our

destination. Our instructors did not expect us to be that

fast. (: Teamwork rocks! They told us that most of their

previous campers would take about 4~5 hours. Some even

took 9 hours! We were proud of ourselves. Well doneeveryone!


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Then, we had our shower and did a tunnel obstacle.

We were supposed to find two set of puzzle pieces in the

pitch dark tunnel. We even lost our way in there but

eventually we found the puzzle pieces and got out of the

tunnel.

4th Day

We had a really interesting physical training. It was

fun and more like a game session than a physical training. My

group competed with Raleigh in a Newspaper Race.

Each of us had a piece of newspaper on our chest and we

were to run as fast as we could so that the newspaper would

not fly off. We enjoyed ourselves and had a good work-out.

The highlight for the day was trekking around PulauUbin. We also had to carry our backpacks and stores along

with us for the 15~18 kilometres trek. It was seriously very

heavy. Our instructor was very thoughtful as he allowed us to

take turns to carry our backpacks and stores. He said that in

this way it would be less tiring for us and we could also learn

how to help each other. Through this activity, I have learnt

how to appreciate my group members more and the

importance of teamwork and supporting each other. We took

approximately 7~8 hours to complete our trek. It was really

tiring, especially under the hot weather! Although we were

not the first group to set off, we managed to be the first group

to reach back at the campsite! I was so proud of my group!

After that, we washed up, had our dinner and

showered. Then we had our debrief near the sea. Our

instructor is really cool! He is not like the other instructors

who seem boring. He brought us near the sea to allow us to

enjoy the cool breeze of the sea. During our debrief, one girl

actually cried, maybe she was sad that our OBS course was

coming to an end. I believed the others felt the same way too.

Before lights off, we had quite a lot of free time, so

we actually played some games with the other groups to help

us temporarily forget the fact that we would be going our

separate ways the next day.

5th Day

Our instructor brought us near the sea again to have

our last breakfast. He then told us to lie on each others

stomach as he told us the story of Tenzing Norgay, one of the

first people known to have reached the summit of Mount

Everest.

After that, we went to do some shopping at the shop.

As usual, our group was the fastest. As we waited for the

other groups, we signed on the back of our group photos. We

really could not bear to leave one another. I hugged the girls

and shook hands with the guys. I was really sad having to

leave them.

After attending this OBS course, I learnt a lot of life

lessons; some of it I have learnt before and some of it were

new to me. Though my group instructor did not talk much, he

was still able to motivate and pushed us in a certain way. He

always encouraged us to complete our tasks fast so that we

could have more rest time.

He told us, We do not need to cheer before we do

something. He suggested, Instead, why not we cheer only

after we have completed our task? What he said made me

think. Sometimes, we behave like kids; always wanting others

to cheer for us or motivate us before we set out to do our

tasks. Instead, we should be more independent and also learn

to celebrate our successes, no matter how small it seems.

I really love this instructor! He left a deep

impression on me and everything that he said was very

meaningful. I will always remember what he taught us in this

camp!

SGT Tang Mei Yin


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The 18th Person in My Group

On 11th August, the OBS campers from my school gathered in OPSS and took a bus to Punggol Jetty. We reached the jetty

filled with excitement. Not sure of what is going to happen during the camp, we waited with curiosity. After everyone arrived, we

were introduced to our instructors and group-mates. My groups instructor is the handsome Elton. My group consists of students from

Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School, Hong Kah Secondary School and OPSS. My group was called Nila Utama!

Day 1

We took the OBS boat to OBS Campsite II. When we arrived at the campsite, we had some ice-breaker games. Then, we

took a group photo and proceeded to check our stores. The first day was quite boring. After checking the stores, we packed our food

for the next four days into two backpacks provided to us. After a few attempts, we finally succeeded but our loaves of bread wasdistorted. They actually looked quite funny.

Our first activity was belaying. We learnt the basics of belaying. A belaying team consists of a climber, a belayer, a 2nd

belayer and an anchor-man. In this activity, we were entrusted the lives of our climbing group-mates, although the climbing height

was only 1 metre. We took turns trying out in all the different roles. It was really enjoyable.

We pitched our tents at a high ground in the campsite. This was because we thought the higher our tents are, the cooler it

would be. Our first dinner turned out not so nice as our rice was not fully cooked. Since we were all hungry, we took a loaf of bread

and gathered around the hot curry chicken instead. As we were still hungry, we ate the half-cooked rice along with some heated

canned food. We had fun stealing each others dishes, eating and sharing all the dishes that we had. Then, we washed up the pots and

cutlery and proceeded to the best event of the day: BATHE! Everyone was waiting for this moment.

After bathing, we packed the rest of our food into the backpacks again. This time, we were given three backpacks and we

did it! However, our bread was still distorted. Then, it was lights out and we slept in the tents that we pitched earlier. It was indeed

cooler on higher ground but there were also more mosquitoes! We spent the cool night with the lovely mosquitoes as our

companions.

Day 2

We woke up and un-pitched our tents and kept them into the tent bags. Then, we had our breakfast. This time, it was not so

bad but we actually lost a loaf of bread. Our instructor told us that he saw a dog taking our bread away and came back for a can of

tuna. Luckily, our instructor managed to chase the dog away before it could steal our tuna as well. Despite the unfortunate incident,


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we all burst into laughters. We thought that the dog was really clever as it knew that the bread would taste better with the tuna. A

comical image started to form in my head. Imagine a dog trying to open a can of tuna... ... with a can-opener!

After breakfast, we tried out the Flying Fox. The experience was a heart-pounding and refreshing one! After our Flying

Fox, we had our lunch. The lunch was great! Next, we had our wet activity. We went for a life vest test and had our Jetty Jump.

Before our Jetty Jump, we were asked to think of some of the qualities that we would like our 18 th imaginary group member to

possess. We were to shout out a quality before we jump. And after we emerged from the waters, we would have to strive to become

like that 18th person. The experience was unforgettable! As some of us have a phobia of water, we encouraged each other to give it a

shot. Eventually, all of us managed to jump at least once.

As we waited for another group to complete their capsize drill, we had an introduction to orienteering. Finally, it was our

turn and we got into our triyaks and tried the capsize drill. It was an exciting experience! Then, we saw dark clouds approaching us.

Our original plan was to triyak to our next campsite, Campsite Macho. However, because of the approaching storm, we were unable

to do it. So, we stayed at Campsite II and had our dinner there. When the storm passed, we trekked to Campsite Macho instead as the

weather seems unpredictable. The journey was long and the route was full of rocks and stones. It felt like we were having a free foot

massage.

Finally, we reached our destination. We put down our backpacks and started to pitch our tents. Then, our instructors

gathered us and appointed some of us as the navigators for our triyaking expedition the following day. We did not get to bathe for the

whole day and also did not get to use a proper toilet. Our small and big businesses had to be done in a made-shift toilet.

We took turns to perform sentry duty as the rest of us slept. When it was my tents shift, we were woken up by the previous

tent. We were told that there were wild dogs and weird music coming out from the forest. At first, we thought that the previous shift

was trying to scare us. But, it was real! We actually saw the dogs and heard the eerie music. It was really CREEPY!

Day 3

Everyone woke up early the next morning and trekked back to Campsite II for our triyaking expedition. We triyaked for 12

kilometres around Pulau Ubin to OBS Campsite I. We had our breakfast and lunch out in the sea. We even had to do our businesses

out in the sea as well. This was a totally new experience for all of us.

As we got nearer to our destination, we motivated ourselves by saying things like, No more self-cooked food! No more

natural toilet! and we thought of good and pleasant things like bathing, cold drinks and chicken wings. We paddled to our

destination as fast as we could and we arrived at Campsite I with amazing speed and timing. We were actually 2 hours ahead of time!

We bathed in the cleanest water, ate the most delicious and fragrant rice, together with the biggest and juiciest chicken wing,

and the freshest cabbage, along with the most aromatic soup and the coolest syrup drink.

After our sumptuous meal, we repacked our bags and prepared for our next days trekking expedition. Then, we saw a

rainbow as the sun slowly sets. Next, we gathered at the Indiana ship for a briefing and a story-telling session by our instructor. The

story was nice but lame. Then, we brushed our teeth and slept in our tents. That night was quite warm.

Day 4

We woke up early in the morning. My friend and I decided to go brush our teeth. So, we headed over to the area where we

placed our bags. Suddenly, we saw a dog coming our way. My immediate reaction was to jump up from my sitting position and

walked backwards till I reached the end. The dog kept approaching me and I decided to adopt the stupidest solution: RUN! It

worked! However, the dog turned and approached my friend instead and she came running after me. It was such a hilarious sight.

Finally, we managed to brush our teeth and went for our breakfast. Then we packed our bags for the last time and set off

back to Campsite II. We trekked a distance of 15 kilometres with our heavy backpacks on our shoulders. We motivated each other


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along the way as we headed to Ubin Village for our lunch. Initially, we thought that we were going there for seafood or chilli crab.

However when we arrived, our instructor told us, Take out the food from your backpacks to eat and have a short rest after eating.

All of us looked stunned. But after all, it was only our own imagination that we were going to have chilli crabs for lunch. We simply

laughed it off and proceeded to have our lunch.

After our lunch, we set off for the highest point on Pulau Ubin. The scenery up there was truly breath-taking! Our instructor

then told us each to think of a positive aspect of ourselves and shout it from there. We could even hear the echoes. We started to shout

one after another. After we were done, we left the place and headed back to Campsite II.

On our way back, we cracked jokes with each other. When we were about to reach the campsite, one of my group-mate,

Stanley, had a headache. Another group-mate, Jackie, ran towards him and volunteered to carry his backpack for him. We tried to trek

back as fast as possible. However, after walking for another few hundred metres, Stanley suddenly fainted. We then took out the

stretcher and put him on it. All the males in our group put down their backpacks and carried Stanley in the stretcher while the females

took the backpacks for them. Everyone was tired and worried at the same time. But we trekked on and helped and motivated each

other. As we almost reached the campsite, our instructor suddenly stopped us and asked us to quickly place Stanley down on the

ground. He told us, Stanleys situation seems quite bad because... I thought that our instructor was going to do CPR on him on the

spot. Everyone started to get tensed up and anxious. ... because Stanley is a BIG FAT LIAR! he said. It was then that we

understood what happened. It was all a scam! We were both relieved and angry. Our instructor had planned this act with Stanley. He

wanted to test how we would react to the situation and how much teamwork we had.

Then, we continued on our journey back to Campsite II and had our debrief. After our dinner, we bathed for the last time at

the campsite. We passed soap and shampoo to each other while bathing and laughed and joked. We had lots of fun. Then we pitched

up our tents at a different site and slept.

Day 5

On the last morning at OBS, we woke up early and un-pitched our tents. We packed everything and checked our stores

again. We had our final debrief at the jetty. This time, we conducted the debrief ourselves.

We came from different background to attend this OBS course. When we first met, we only knew each others names. As the

days passed and as we went through all the different activities; like kayaking, trekking, cooking meals together, we somehow bonded

together. Not only do we know each others names by the last day, we also knew each others personalities and characters too. We

were no longer seated together with our own schools-mates, but we were sctually sitting together as a group. We felt like a big

family! We were all brothers and sisters! We are NILA UTAMA!

We exchanged our contacts and hugged each other, regardless of gender and height. It was also then that we realized we had

acquired the traits of the 18 th person we wanted to have in our group. We no longer need the 18 th person in our group. Together, we

make up the 18th person!

We left the OBS Jetty and headed towards Punggol Jetty. Although we missed mainland Singapore, but we also miss our

wonderful times spent together at Pulau Ubin. We missed our technologies but we will also miss the times when we were freed from

all distractions. We will definitely miss everyone in NILA UTAMA, including the 18th person in our group. I will never forget this

OBS experience that I had and what I have learnt from it: the power of TEAMWORK!

SGT Jolyn Tey Jie-Lin


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Past Events of 2008 (July ~ December)

Event / Activity Date Participant

Police Heritage Centre Visit 01/07/08 Sec 2

Singapore Philatelic Museum Visit 04/07/08 Sec 3

Anti-Drug Knowledge Tree 08 ~ 11/07/08 All

Promotional Exercise 16/07/08 Sec 1 ~ 2

NPCC Service Day 18/07/08 AllInter-Unit Beep Test Challenge 2008 25/07/08 Sec 1 ~ 3

Handing-Over & Taking-Over Parade 30/07/08 All

Farewell Gathering 30/07/08 All

CCA Photo-Taking 31/07/08 All

Heartland Trail Pledge Card (CIP) 06 ~ 25/08/08 Sec 1 ~ 3

School National Day Parade 08/08/08 Sec 3

.22 Revolver Practice Shoot 26/08/08 Sec 2

Focus on the Family Flag Day (CIP) 13/09/08 Optional

Anti-Drug Abuse Course 29/10/08 Sec 2

Annual Camp 15 ~ 17/11/08 Sec 1 ~ 3

BBQ Gathering 16/11/08 Sec 4 & 5

Our Achievements for 2008 (July ~ December)

Activity / Competition Date / Period Participant Achievement / Award Organizer

Anti-Drug Knowledge Tree

Competition 200808 ~ 11/07/08 OPSS NPCC Unit Outstanding Award Central Narcotics Bureau

NPCC Tie, Bid & Cook

Challenge 200812/07/08

SGT Daniel Lee (Captain)

SGT Ong Kong Ming

SGT Tang Mei Yin

3rd PositionNorthland Secondary

School NPCC Unit

Fun on Foot Heritage

Marathon 200819/07/08

SGT Gavin Ng

SGT Jolyn Tey

SGT Shahril

SGT Dhivya

Certificate of

ParticipationNational Heritage Board

Inter-Unit Beep Test


SGT Ko Kai Sheng

SGT Nurfahtia

Certificate of

Participation

Orchid Park Secondary

School NPCC Unit

Inter-Area Project-BasedCompetition 2008

(Preliminaries)

01/08/08 SGT Jolyn TeySGT Wilson Lee

Top 5 NPCC HQ

National Day Parade 2008 09/08/08 SGT Edwin Tan NA NPCC HQ

National Camp 2008 11 ~ 14/08/08SGT Lim Xing Xia

SGT Gavin NgNA NPCC HQ

Outward Bound Singapore

(Outdoor Discovery)11 ~ 15/08/08

SGT Tang Mei Yin

SGT Jolyn Tey

SGT Josephine Yeo

SGT Sin Yee Suan

SGT Tan Shi Qi

NAOrchid Park Secondary

School

SMRT Challenge 2008 31/08/08

SGT Gavin Ng

SGT Edwin Tan

SGT Tan Shi QiSGT Ko Kai Sheng

Certificate of

Participation

Singapore Mass Rapid

Transit


30/31



Our Achievements for 2008 (July ~ December)

Activity / Competition Date / Period Participant Achievement / Award Organizer

Inter-Unit Counter Strike

Competition 200805/09/08

CPL Benny Chia (Captain)

SGT Edwin Tan

SGT Lim Chin Tian

SGT Yim Shao Wei

1st Position

Anglo-Chinese School

(Independent) NPCC

Unit

Inter-Unit Rope


SGT Tan Shi Qi

SGT Sin Yee Suan

Certificate of

Participation

Ahmad IbrahimSecondary School

NPCC Unit

Inter-Area Project-Based

Competition 2008

(Finals)

17/10/08SGT Jolyn Tey

SGT Wilson Lee2nd Position NPCC HQ

Inter-Unit Photo Hunt

Competition 200824/10/08

CPL Johnson Oh

CPL Lim Yexing

CPL Jonathan Lim

2nd PositionNaval Base Secondary

School NPCC Unit

Fun Olympics 2008 25/10/08

SGT Gavin Ng

SGT Edwin Tan

SGT Tang Mei Yin

SGT Lim Chin Tian

SGT Ko Kai Sheng

Certificate of

Participation

Nan Hua High School

NPCC Unit

Inter-Unit Blog

Competition 200825/10/08 OPSS NPCC Unit 2nd Position

St Josephs Institute

NPCC Unit

Inter-Unit Online History

Quiz Challenge 200812/11/08

SGT Gavin Ng

SGT Jolyn Tey

SGT Tang Mei Yin

SGT Daniel Lee

SGT Ko Kai Sheng

Certificate of

Participation

Beatty Secondary

School NPCC Unit

Overseas Educational

Visit 2008

(Hong Kong & Macau)

17 ~ 23/11/08 SGT Tang Mei Yin NA NPCC HQ

Outward Bound

Singapore

(Leaders Journey)

24 ~ 28/11/08 SGT Gavin Ng NA NPCC HQ

Cadet Inspector Basic

Training Course 200801 ~ 20/12/08

SSG Matthias Goh

SSG Clifford TanNA NPCC HQ


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The Tortoise & The Hare (Complete Version)

Once upon a time, a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was faster. They decided to settle the

argument with a race. They agreed on a route and started off the race. The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for

some time. Then, seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he would sit under a tree for a while and

relax before continuing the race. He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep. The tortoise plodding on, overtook

him and soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champion. The hare woke up and realized that he had

lost the race.

The moral of the story is that slow and steady wins the race.

This is the version of the story that we have all grown up with. But, the story does not end here. There are a

few more interesting twists to it. It continues as follows...

The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some reflection. He realized that he had lost the

race only because he had been overconfident, careless and lax. If he had not taken things for granted, there is no

way the tortoise could have beaten him. So, he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed. This

time, the hare went all out and ran without stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles.

The moral of the story is that fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady.

If we have two people in an organization: one slow, methodical and reliable, and the other fast and still

reliable at what he does, the fast and reliable chap will consistently climb the organizational ladder faster than the

slow, methodical chap. It is good to be slow and steady; but it is definitely better to be fast and reliable.

The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realized that there is no way it can beat the hare in a race

using the original route. It thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a slightly

different route. The hare confidently agreed. They started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be

consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a

couple of kilometres on the other side of the river. The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime, the

tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race.

The moral of the story is that we have to first identify our core competency and then change the playing

field to suit our core competency.

In an organization, if you are a good speaker, make sure you create opportunities to give presentations that

enable the senior management to notice you. If your strength is analysis, make sure you do some sort of research,

make a report and send it to your senior management. Working to your strengths will not only get you noticed, but will

also create opportunities for growth and advancement.

But, that is not the end of the story yet. It continues as follows...

The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking

together. Both realized that the last race could have been run much better. So, they decided to do the last race

again, but to run as a team this time. They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank.

There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back. On the opposite bank, the hare again

carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a greater sense of satisfaction than

they had felt in all their previous races as they were able to complete the race in record time. They were both

winners of the situation.

The moral of the story is that it is good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies;

but unless you are able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you will always perform

below par because there will always be situations at which you will do poorly and someone else does well.

Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for asituation to take the leadership.

Also, note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after their failures. The hare decided to work harder

and put in more effort after his failure. The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he

could. In life, when faced with failure, do not give up, keep trying and adopt a different strategy if necessary.

Sometimes it is appropriate to work harder and put in more effort. Sometimes it is appropriate to change strategy and

try something different. And, sometimes it is appropriate to do both.

The hare and the tortoise also learnt another vital lesson: When we stop competing against a rival and

instead start competing against the situation we can and will perform far better!

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