NDP cheerleading, an event which was forced upon the Student Council to participate in when the school was unable to find enough participants. But i instead chose to volunteer for it instead of going for practices with bitter hearts. Since young, national day songs have never failed to make me feel patriotic and truly proud of my country. The National Day Parade would always be a must watch programme every year as i was eager to see how the cultures would continue to be influxed with each other and how our arts scene would develop. It was certainly the particular time in the year where we could look how far our country has come.

Being involved in NDP for the first time made me realise how much effort and time the performers actually put into making the actual performance. The pressure of expecting perfection, the high standards which made me realise the importance of aiming high, the importance of every single performer in a formation. It gave me many new insights about what performing is actually like behind the scences.

Being in a sports CCA, i knew little about how my fellow schoolmates from the performing arts actually prepare for their performance. The stress, nervousness, all which would turn a good performance into a bad one within seconds. Whereas in a sport we are able to cope with it physically, in a performing art the stress is really all mental. Our community needs to see the energy of the youths in our country and the vibrance we are able to add to our society.

The cheers, the feeling of facing the audience, the encouragement given by other participants. All these in our Singapore spirit, something i would want to sense again. A truly unforgettable experience, i am extremely glad that i had volunteered to be part of it.

I do want to take part in NDP in the future if given the opportunity.
Melvin Tan