10th Weekday PDT - Everyone

12 days of excitement, reinvigoration and cheering at the inaugural Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (SYOG) had come to an end. But the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship, Respect would prevail in each and every one of us.

Everyone began our PDT session on 26 August 2010 with some warm-up exercises. For now, our contingent had already become a familiar sight to the other users of the area around Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre.

Siti got help from her friend, Natasha, to teach some of us how to do our vocals right.

She led us through some breathing exercises, before guiding us through our intonation and vocals.

The tip is to look at a single point ahead of you and imagine you are conversing with it.

Natasha left us with a puzzling quote of the day: "Patrick, something about you disturbs my soul..." I thought it made a perfect pick-up line.

Halfway through our cultural practice, we paused in awe of the Fireworks display from the Closing Ceremony of the SYOG. While everyone unites at the World's largest floating platform here in Singapore for the closing ceremony, everyone from Japan and ASEAN would be represented in SSEAYP on board Fuji Maru!

After our cultural practice, Ethel showed the ladies on the colour of the scarf for our Attire.

And here's a meaningful song for Everyone:

Everyone
(Official Theme Song for Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games)

Walls are down

Hopes arise

Rings of the world unite

Every child

Has a wish

To glow like the stars above

Lift our voices as victories blaze

This is the day to win with grace

Chorus:

Raise your hand for our generation

Fly the flags of every nation

Reaching out for that moment in our lives

Raise your hand for our generation

Living out your aspiration

Time to fly way beyond the skies

A world that shines for everyone

Be the best

Go all the way

Friends beyond the race

Cheer the joy

Share the tears

The journey remains our pride

Lift our voices as victories blaze

This is the day the world will shine on for everyone

9th Weekday PDT - Water Parade

A team activity at the start of each PDT does wonders. Besides helping to shake off the weariness from work, SPY10s also get to recharge and synergise ourselves before we begin the session. It is 24 August 2010 and September awaits. Time is against us but we are ready for the Big Day.

Brothers (and Sisters) in arms

The first activity really requires some focus. Led by Fizah, everyone sang "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" and when we sing any words which begin with the letter "B", we have to do a half squat.

How apt a song for SSEAYP! Very soon, our Bonnie would really be lying over the ocean, atop Fuji Maru! And as we sang and did the squats, we could feel the waves move through our body...

YL Zatan initated a Water Parade to ensure that fellow SPY10s were fully hydrated. Given the hot weather, the water parade came in time to ensure that we do not fall sick.

Water Parade is a term used during our National Service where recruit soldiers drink up their water bottles before strenuous activities to prevent dehydration.

If not for our PDT and the scarcity of water resource in Singapore, I think we would have enjoyed a mini Water Festival (as celebrated in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand).

We went into our groups to continue with our cultural practice.

"There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle." -- Deepak Chopra

And as our contingent splits up to work on our individual performance segment, deep in our minds we know that everyone contributes to the success of OUR show. We work hard to make sure that we don't let anyone of us down.

Most SPY10s come to PDTs after a long day of work. But when PDT kicks in, everyone is on SSEAYP-mode. Adrenaline surges and it seems we have a second life in SSEAYP.

At times, 2-3 hours of cultural practice during PDT sessions are not enough. And SPY10s have to do their own practice at home every other day.

However tough the training gets, we still find simple pleasures.

Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own,

and let it grow, be like water.

Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water.

Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup;

You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle;

You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot.

Now water can flow or it can crash...

Be water, my friend.

-- Bruce Lee

Loading our Stores

One day after our 2nd Residential Training, 23 August 2010, some of us met up to settle some Logistics matters. Early in the morning, Wei Siang and Ika were already at Keat Hong Camp waiting to receive some items.

The rest of us, including NL Desmond, OC Hafidz, Weiwen, Jeane, Jiale and myself, gathered at Bukit Panjang Community Club where we would be temporarily storing our stuff.

Operation Load Store began, with our Commander Wei Siang (Head of Logistics Committee) to lead us!

We went through box by box to ensure that our stores are neatly arranged in a manner where it'll be easy to retrieve later on.

Occasionally, some boxes gave way...

We also formed a human chain to speed up the operation.

And this is the result of our hard work!

To celebrate the fruits of our labour, we have our NL to do the honour of tearing open the carton of drinks.

A toast to our effort! Yam~~~~ Seng!

Back at Jeane's office, we also had a photo taken with her superior, who happens to also be an ex-PY!