On top of having an uninterrupted full dress rehearsal, CR 2 saw lucky members of the official NDP'09 website and fans of NDPeeps@Facebook who were in the stands given a sneak preview of whats in store for NDP'09.

Check all of them out in this set! Click on the photo above!

For the filming potion, we have four guys - one stationary angle videographer, two variable angles videographers and a photographer. Thereafter, the photographs & footages taken will proceed for video-editing.
The photos are converted to slideshows while stationary and variable angle footages are cropped and streamlined. Then, suitable parts are combined before being matched with music or voice-overs and ta-da! It's done! All that is left to do is to upload the video to Youtube.

But, unfortunate coincidences do occur when a person just nice just happen to just appear to block ALL angles at the same time! (sigh sigh)
Personal thoughts: Video editing is a long and exhaustive process. So thank these people for those wonderful videos you're watching on NDPeeps!

Yesterday afternoon, a last-minute media event was called to address the media about the precautions taken to restrict the spread of the virus. COL (Dr) Tan Peng Hui, Chairman of NDP 09 Medical Committee, shows us the considerations taken with regards to both the participants and spectators.For participants with the possibility of infection of H1N1, they are advised not to attend the rehearsals. Within the participating organisations, they monitor their own members along the guidelines of MOH policies. So, multiple levels of screening are used to identify risk groups and to isolate them.

We were then brought on a tour to see the measures taken at the grounds of the Marina Platform and the F1 Pit Building. Most importantly, thermal scanners have been put in place at key areas to ensure participants and spectators are fever-free before entering the grounds.
Here, we see the thermal scanner placed in the holding area at F1 Pit Building. From next week onwards, spectators would be involved too. When entering, each person would be screened for fever. Any fever cases would be sent to one of the 5 Medical Posts located throughout the 2 buildings.Medical personnel will be in protective gear while attending to the patients.
Patients with fever or flu-like symptoms will be isolated and thereafter, sent home.

(Let's hope this space stays empty. =D)

This systematic procedure has been put in place in light of the H1N1 situation. Apart from these steps, some additional preventive measures are introduced too.

20 washing points have been set up at various locations in the F1 Pit Building for participants to maintain proper hygiene. Disinfectant/ hand sanitisers are available in holding areas and entrances for participants to use and public hygiene messages are displayed throughout to increase awareness among the participants.Meticulous planning has brought about these measures, in light of the current H1N1 situation. The Medical Committee wishes to assure the public that the preventive measures are put in place systematically to ensure the safety of the participants and spectators.

We are impressed by the measures taken and reassured of the safety of the people involved, including us too! Participants can continue to give their best for the parade. For the spectators, do enjoy the upcoming performances and take the time to appreciate the efforts of everyone involved in this year's NDP 09!

Afternoon Update @ 6pm

And so the training continues.. The participants brave the sweltering heat of the afternoon sun as they resume their rehearsals. Many seem to express gusto as they gesticulated and performed simple yet 'radiant' moves. Well, it puts a smile on our faces to know that the participants are doing all this with a smile on their faces too! =)
And hey, the participants do get some rewards for their hard work. Look, some exquisite blue Converse Shoes! They get to show their parents they've got new shoes despite not having asked for more allowance, haha!
These participants make up a number of pieces of the resplendent puzzle of NDP! There are still the military participants, the dancers, the musicians, the fireworks committee etc. But ever wondered how all the pieces fit together?

Well, there are actually many people behind coordinating the whole event. We covered the logistics department before. Now it's only fair we shed light upon the hard work done by the people at Control, those in charge of communications and coordination, i.e. Command and Control Groups 1 & 2( CCG 1&2).

CCG - 1 The "Fast and Furious Working Ants"

"Grid 9, please hold the flag properly...Don't let that happen again"
"Formation 5, please move faster!"
"Yes, the music will only come on after the..."

Just like how all musicals need a conductor, NDP rehearsals require a team to do the coordination.These industrious guys get to have a panoramic view of the platform! They work dilligently to ensure that the parade and show commands and sequences are executed with great efficacy. They have to stay focused on their work lest the rehearsals go awry. Cues are given with precision , lightings adjusted to enable the best of performances to be shown, sound quality maximised to suit the atmosphere etc..much work has to be done.

The jocund guys in charge of mixing the sounds together to give the audience the best!


CCG 2 - Our "Benevolent Father" who watches over usThese are the assiduous people behind the scenes who make sure all's going fine. From the traffic in the vicinity of the platform, pedestrian crowd movements, to the security of various important checkpoints, all are being meticulously monitored by this team of people. All this is done with the aid of numerous CCTVs and an ingenious software that allows one to view a large area of and around the floating platform at different angles.This is Captain Esmond Goh, the Overall-In-Charge of C4 Comms. He assures us that all will be taken care of and if any crisis or emergency crops up, his team will immediately convey the information to the relevant personnel.

We hopped by the Tickets Collection Point to see what's happening :)

And saw The Philip Family receiving four tickets to the actual National Day Parade! Grandma Rose, Mother Annette, Father Philip and their Daughter Ezra were all delighted! Congrats!Ezra, the precocious child, offered to spell her family's names in my notebook! Haha, pretty good handwriting for a 6 year old, right?
It would be Ezra's first NDP experience, so enjoy urself, Ezra! Her dad, Philip, shared with us his own NDP journey. He was actually part of the Fireworks committee back in his National Service but it has been a looooonnnnnnng time - 10 years - since he last attended any NDP. So enjoy yourself too, Philip!

In fact, everyone's who's reading this entry, do partake in this festive National Day Celebrations!

And here are their wishes for Singapore! Enjoy!


Morning Update@ 1pm

Drowsiness seems to linger in the air. However, everyone has to prepare for the rehearsals later and much needs to be done. Shortly after arriving, we were surprised to see barricades appearing to move on their own. o.O
After that, we saw the busy guys shifting rows of barricades along the road. At the count of '1,2 and 3!', the whole row is lifted and carried over a short distance. Repeating this laborious cycle over and over again is really tiring...

Here, we see the first group of participants take the stage for their segment rehearsal. They are from Bedok North Secondary School; Filled with enthusiasm, they are ready for the day!
Soldiers, in position!! At the F1 Pit, it pleases us to see someone coming early!! Haha, guess who?? The Old Chang Kee stall arrived early and was already setting up by 10am.
And we just realised that the vehicle with the stall is powered by biofuel. Cost effective and environmentally friendly too! Cool!
Do take a look at the photo album for CR2 in photos. Keep your eyes open for more peeps into the workings of NDP.


Time flies; In the blink of an eye, one week has passed. Today, June 27, 2009, is the day of our 2nd combined rehearsal held at the Floating Platform. Exciting? :)



Someone suggested last week that we cover the workings of NDP'09 - the coordination and cooperation b/w the numerous sements - Show, Parade, Total Defence Display, Fireworks, The Eye, Sounds and systems... An almost endless list of personnel!



After asking around, we realised this: The magnitude of cooperation is unbelievable.



And so, today, we're glad to bring you updates on NDP'09 behind-the-scenes, the people literally behind-the-scenes. So check back often for frequent news on today's rehearsals and tidbits on the NDP'09 technical workings =)



Read our entry on the very FIRST combined rehearsal here.

Morning Update @ 1pm
Afternoon Update @ 6pm
Evening Update @ 10 pm



The updates will come at around the following times. So visit the blog often today, ya'?

Now, we have the lucky opportunity to speak to Norsilah and Kannan about their roles in the logistics committee for the NDP this year.

Who are we? We Singaporeans can answer that. I'm sure we've kept Singapore in a special place in our hearts. There are a thousand and one ways to express what we've kept inside.

At the NDP ticket collection centre, those successful applicants wrote down some reflections and thoughts with regards to what it means to be a Singaporean. Singaporeans can be creative! There were a variety of ways in which they expressed their love for Singapore!

This amiable auntie wishes that Singapore grows in prosperity and progresses by leaps and bounds.

A family of 4 has "come together" to get their tickets. The children must be rather excited! They have their own avenue of expression. They've drawn pretty pictures of the Singapore flag in dandy surroundings. A short analysis just for fun..the girl has drawn flowers, fishes and birds, while the boy has done some random rectangular designs. Each gender has their own style, haha. It's interesting to see the family dressed in red and white as they come down to collect their prize. All hyped up! :-)

Now lets visit some of our comrades overseas.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I'm sure our fellow Singaporeans around the globe miss and love Singapore. Such emotions transcend the vast seas and oceans. (These photos were taken during Singapore Day in London. More pictures are availalbe at Flickr)

The familiar enthusiasm a Singaporean teen can exude is displayed here. We are still who we are regardless of location. It's in our blood.

The Singaporean accent's alive in London too! These people have not forgotten who they are and are more than happy to wish Singapore a Happy Birthday!

What about you? You Singaporean? Feel free to post your thoughts and reflections here or at the Reflections section of our NDPeeps microsite.

Just to give these people some credit..They are the people manning the ticket collection centre. They have worked tirelessly from morning till late at night until the debriefing's done. They have also done a great job in getting many more to join in the fun and become fans of NDPeeps@Facebook! Well, looking at how fervent Singaporeans are in wanting to be a part of the celebrations or to wish her a Happy Birthday, it's worth all the time and effort put in. :-)

Hey, everybody!

We came across this animation; It was done up for a media presentation and we thought it would be a shame if no else gets to see it. Hence, we asked for and received permission to unveil this video on our NDPeeps@Blogspot =)

Didn't see it posted elsewhere...so you can consider this an Exclusive release.
ENJOY!:

Just a little teaser...Watch out for the actual parade!

The Soldiers stormed the Media Brief Room!

We took a little time off to pose with the Tanks :)

If what we see today - a fast-paced, breath-taking coordination - is just a brief sneak-peek... Well, let's just say we can't imagine what the actual show would be like.