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'?