Below's a post contributed by some of our fellow citizens... ENJOY!
personally, we felt that it's a very well-thought out blog ;) nice pics too :)

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Both of us got the unique opportunity of joining the NDP as official photographers. We are very honoured as it allowed us to experience the parade from behind the lens, and also to make a small contribution to our nation’s birthday- by writing this article.

Of course, both of us did not know initially what the job will entail, but after attending the event, we are pleasantly surprised by what we experienced. We were allowed special access to the preparations for the parade near the Singapore Flyer and the Formula 1 pit stop, where we witnessed the amount of hard work and dedication put in by the performers. Three cheers for them!

Army soldiers receiving being briefed
Men and women preparing the 25-pounder ceremonial guns


Preparation at the F1 pit

Getting all hyped up at the F1 pit

Performers having their make-up

Performers receiving a pep-talk- The motivators being motivated!

Before, the show starts, Primary 5 students from all over Singapore converged on the Marina Floating platform. It would definitely be an experience of the lifetime- to be able to celebrate Singapore’s birthday with many other people.

Moving to the platform

On the floating platform. The students looked rather curious and awed at the same time… not surprising, considering the sheer size of the platform- the one and only in the world.

The floating platform, officially known as The Float at Marina Bay, is the largest stage in the world. The location, where the city skyline is clearly visible, will make an interesting experience for the audience.

Before the actual parade starts, there were numerous pre-show segments, meant to build up the atmosphere at the platform and to hype up the audience. The scene was ELECTRIFYING!

Of course, the emcees also played a big role, constantly engaging the audience and leading the Marina Wave (which is the Kallang Wave reborn at the floating platform).

The warmth and sincerity of the motivator- a caring Singapore.

Standing up for Singapore


Emcees



The most exciting part then begins, starting with the display by the Red Lions. The ability of the men to guide the parachute to an area as small as the floating platform shows the amount of practice the unit has put in.

Red Lions in action


The Home Team display is also a highlight of the show, which shows the emergency response capability of various agencies in Singapore. The audience is able to get a close look of Total Defence in action.



Then the show becomes serious- the actual parade and march-past, begins. It is a solemn ceremony and the audience becomes extremely quiet, as a mark of respect for the Guest-of-Honour, Mr Ng Eng Hen and Singapore.

The Colours of the respective units in the Singapore Armed Forces

The parade commander

The state flag fly-past. The Chinook heavy-lift helicopter is flanked by 3 AH-64 Apaches attack helicopters, one of the newest additions of the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

The national anthem, Majulah Singapura, is sung simultaneously. The patriotism of all the people on the platform can be clearly seen and felt.

Saluting the state flag

The 19 gun salute for the Guest-of-Honour

As the sky darkens, the atmosphere is transformed. This is when the toys in the goodie bags is put to full use.

The audience lights up their heart, turning the dark sky into a sea of hearts.

This is when the performance begins. They traced Singapore’s development from a small fishing village in 1819 to a modern city today, showing Singapore’s social, political, and economic progress through years, and how we overcame the various obstacles and prospered. The performances also highlighted Singapore’s ethnic diversity and rich cultural history. It included mass performances put up by various organizations in Singapore, intertwined with various pyrotechnics display, thrilling the audience. After watching the show, one can’t help but to admire the resilience of Singaporeans in face of adversity.

The Peranakans and Trishaw, unique icons of Singapore

Fireworks display

The finale

The show culminated in the pledge-taking ceremony. Written by S. Rajaratnam in 1966, it reaffirms Singapore’s unity as one nation. Even though the pledge is recited daily during assemblies in school, taking the pledge at the floating platform, with thousands of other Singaporeans from diverse backgrounds, religions and races, is a different experience. It is indeed touching to see Singaporeans united as one in our goals, which ties in appropriately to this year’s NDP theme “Come Together- Reaching Out, Reaching Up”, Singaporeans coming together and reaffirming our loyalty to the country and achieving greater heights.

Singaporeans reciting the pledge- one united Singapore



Overall, this NDP journey has been an exciting on for us. It has allowed us to experience the warmth and enthusiasm of all the audience and participants. The Singapore Spirit is also clearly shown in the course of the show, where people of different walks of life come together and make this event a resounding success. We are very fortunate to be able to experience the National Day Parade as official media personnel. We would like to thank the show organizers, performers, participants and CPT Ryan Koh for making this possible. Happy birthday Singapore!

Contributed by Jeremy Ang and Jonathan Lau from Hwa Chong Institution (College)

10 comments:

really detailed sharing by these people, kinda enjoyed reading it...

August 9, 2009 at 10:23 AM  

me too, haha =)

August 9, 2009 at 10:31 AM  

yuppie

August 9, 2009 at 10:37 AM  

actually wanted to write my own blog post... but too lazy le... will just post think link onto my blog, haha

August 9, 2009 at 11:45 AM  

How do I volunteer to be a photographer for NDP?

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August 20, 2010 at 10:10 AM  

Hello. And Bye. Thank you very much.

February 23, 2013 at 6:06 AM  

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