Destiny - People blame circumstances for what they are. To be successful, look for the circumstances you want. If you cannot find them - Make them.
I spent about 12 to 13 years in St John organization. That - is a very long time. Therefore, this page is the longest among all the WebPages I had. It holds a lot of my thoughts, experience, feelings and memories.
So, here's some shortcuts:My Cadet Life
In the Beginning
Corps under My Command
Those with no tomorrow fought like there is no tomorrow
The Revival
Competition and Me
A warrior rises from his fall, and continues to soldier on and fight his battle
Change your stars
I know because I must
The Code
It is good to build castles in the sky but start working on the foundation - Now!
Beginner's Luck?
Again?
Three-In-A-Row
Girl-Power!
Last Battle
Confession of a ComFreak
My Parting Words
Learn how to teach
Everything that has a beginning - has an end
My dad was from St John was he was in his younger days. My mum was from Red Cross. I become a St John member myself in BMSS since 1991 when I was Sec1.
I was the only cadet to join in my first year. Not until much later in the year - around June then my classmate LumCheeMeng joined the organization. As any guys in St John, I was subjected to pretty much of taunting of being sissy and not man enough and so on and so forth. I stayed put on my choice. I remember joining the senior squad in their training because I don't have any other fellow recruits! Luckily the Malay that I learned in Malaysia helped me to keep up with the seniors. Soon, I was the Timer of the LowerSec due to my voice.My first mentors were SGT Richard and SGT WeiYing. "Quality - not quantity." That's what they always told me. The division maybe small, but we were no push-overs - that was the mentality that they implanted in my mind.
I had been to a camp - in MeiChin, I made a senior YueLiang cried due to my insensitivity. It was then I learned to be more sensitive to people's feelings. The following year (1992), my "two little sisters" LiQing and YuFeng joined. It was kind of weird feeling when you need to guide your juniors - but it was something I cherished.
Probably due to the fact I was the only one to join in my year, my seniors took great care to groom me. I was assigned Assistant Public Duty since Sec2. By the time my seniors graduated, I was made the Overall Divisional In-Charge - i.e. the head of the ECA. It may sound glamorous, but take it from me - it was only headache. You see - when the senior ORD, we were left with six of us! We were practically staring on closing down the ECA. I prayed otherwise and really work hard with my fellow comrades and juniors. I had to be strong as they all look up to me and I had to know what to do. How can I possibly do anything? The admin is in a mess, the juniors had not hold much appointment at all... If we do not recruit any new members, closing down is a certainty. We planned for many days and nights.
We requested the school to give us a helping hand. Thank God that our principle - Mr Joseph Ng was willing to trust us. He approved our proposal to upgrade our room and allow us to make a recruitment talk at the Orientation. For the first time, I felt the responsibility of a leader under crisis - more so than just a NCO. I gave the speech in three languages - I give all the best. The Orientation programs were super-packed. That year, we recruited the most cadets in a single year - about 20+ of them. It was unbelievable as it just run against odds, but it was true. I learned through the experience that if you really put your real efforts in, no matter how difficult the circumstances, you will definitely pull though.
A lot of people think that I was blessed because my cadets were superior. No - they were ordinary cadets - extraordinary only in their will. Some may even say I only need to concentrate on competition and did not have to worry about the Corps. All that - was just myth. How can an army fight without supplies and logistics? How can a fish swim without water? I did run my Corps.
For the records - the Corps I run were gold and bronze medalists in the Corps Achievements Award. We consistently emerged tops in the number of Public Duties and man-hours of Public Duties rendered and the first to submit our regular reports. Our AA ComTeam (1998) was the Zone Commissioner Award recipient. My cadets were even commended by Civil Defense and appeared on TV program "Code-Red" as they rendered emergency first aid in a real bus crash accident in 1996. And I had not even mentioned our finishings at the competition yet!
You would need to be in my position to apprehend the dilemma I faced. I had not only had to keep the Corps functioning well, but also give them something they can feel good about. The fact is that it is not easy. Have no doubt, I considered all other options. The only way to do it - is the way I had chosen - at least that's what I think. I am an optimistic about a lot of things but I am not blind to the dangers. I am pragmatic. All steps were taken with care.
You had to understand why we had to compete. Yes, I craved for competition. Hey - look at the situation I was trapped in - I run small Corps with only about 20 odds members (That's the total strength with everybody in!). Many of them had special gifts in different areas. Such a small Corps would never really allow them to explore all their capabilities. It also creates inevitable power-struggle at the top level of NCO management - like it or not (Doesn't matter whether size of Corps actually, but for smaller Corps, it gets personal). This is the truth and I took no shame of admitting it frankly. Competition solved that problem because their attention is diverted and they were fighting externally, not internally (at least, minimum) while helping to deter potential bullies (from other CCA, kids' stuff actually). Moreover, given their extensive training, they can be a fast-response emergency team and can also in turn keep the general standards of the Corps high. Last but not least, having a ComTeam is like having a hope and direction. The negative feelings of being small are transformed into sense of pride because even small Corps can produce Champions. The good feeling of winning can last for a long time, the members were happy and work better. These were issues people failed to understand and appreciate...
We went through each year as if it was the last (our school was downsizing for rebuilding of premises - beyond our control). As long as the warriors (ComTeam) were winning, the peasants (Members) and School will be happy and satisfied. They would be a proud to be part of it because everyone played an important part in making it work. With the consistent flow of trophies and awards, you can easily imagine the pressure and stress associated with it. I had to keep up the standard with the limited resources - with expectations getting higher while closing of Corps is starring at us due to our low strength!
If anybody says that kind of life or decision is easy, I would like to see that person try to run my kind of Corps. Trust me, young officers or NCOs who are skeptical, you will not last four years while the Corps maybe long gone or decayed beyond repaired before you do. I am not saying there isn't another way, but this is the easiest, fastest and most rewarding way to do it. Unless you been there, done that, or else I won't be convinced. If you disagreed with me, proved to me that I am wrong - with results, not words or theory. In theory, most of the things you learned in leadership course - be it NCO or Officer - nothing can be applied on the ground. Because, theoretically, BM St John was supposed to close down at least four to five times since the year (1994) my seniors left. The world is not an ideal place - and I thank God for that. In this way, I can see the miracles of His Hands.
With me moving to the Zone level, Stephen was the one to take over the baton. With him going NS, Simon will take over. I wished them well in managing the Corps. It was not easy steering this ship; nevertheless, I believed they will make fine Captains. I also hoped they will get to understand why I made some decisions in a certain way when they were not Officers yet.
My advice to you guys - Look not how you can surpass or step out of the shadow that I had cast, but erased the shadow in your heart altogether. Good luck, my comrades!
I was assigned as the appointment of OIC of Teck Whye Corps (in 2001) after getting my promotion to Corps Superintendent. I was still the OIC of Bukit Merah Corps.
TW was without an officer for quite some time. When I went there for the first time, the NCOs and members were delighted to welcome me. I was not pleased with all that I saw and heard. A lot of members were not turning up, the room is in shams and the quality of their training was not up to mark. My St John room was shared with Girl-Guides and rats (no offense - just happen to be that way). The bed was broken and collapsed. We had to do with benches beneath. You see - I inherited not a Corps people were dying to take over. Rebuilding was inevitable and must in order for the Corps to progress.
I started by asking all members to be present in the next meeting. I wanted to set right the tone and direction of the vision of the Corps together with them. All members were asked to list down what they wanted to see in the Corps - be it changes, improvements or achievements. I summarized it and refined it. I also issued an ultimatum to those who constantly absent themselves without any valid excuses - either to stick with us or leave us - if they so chose to leave, they were never to return once the Corps turn the corners. Some chose to leave, some stayed - that was all I needed. People that were no longer had faith were useless to the rebuilding process, in fact, they were liabilities. I required people with an interest to make a difference. Yes, the common notion is that a leader need to change that, I didn't bother - that will take too long and affects the general mood. I need to make an instant impact within a year or I may not be able to complete the revival before my next posting or appointment. We need to do a major overhaul. Or else, the Corps may be forced to close down - the way MeiChin did. I remembered the last days before they did, I saw the lost and sadness in their members' eyes. I promised myself that I will not see that kind of disappointment in my members' eyes again - be it BM or TW.
As years of without an officer shown: training, discipline and administration were not in order. I wanted the Corps to be on its own feet fast. So, I invited Elisha and Stephen over to give them a harsh training. TW members were shocked and upset. They wanted to do it with their own people - precisely what I wanted them to want. So, I checked with their most senior NCO SGT Azzurah who and who the last ComTeam were. You see - I knew TW had a Zone Champion Nursing Adult ComTeam in 1998. I believed they were good and tough as all champion are. Most importantly, they represented the lost pride and the rich tradition they had. I contacted YongEng and YuZhen, and invited them back to service. LiTing was pulled backed by them, I was fine with that.
The members wanted some respect from the school and other Corps. The way I see it - respected is earned. So, I wanted them to win some awards and competitions. By recalling the three ex-ComTeam members, I would have some assistance on rebuilding and training the Corps back into health. I also choose the new batch of ComTeam members -- Fitri, Az, Neny, Siti and MeiRu. They were going to Nursing Adults competition. Firstly, they were champion in that category many years ago; I wanted the new batch to try to recapture the title again. Secondly, once the ComTeam started training, the drive and passion would help the Corps to strive and to work harder as a unit. Thirdly, by avoiding the Nursing Cadet which BM was going to compete in, I would be able to merge my resources without any clash of interests. Lastly, if we do win, the pride and respect will follow - as always. The members would be in a better mood and with a better working attitude.
All was set according to my plan. The quitters - quit, the stayers - stayed. The ComTeam was undergoing training. The rest of the Corps was learning a new management style or system - under the command of an Officer. They were to learn to support and run the administration and retrained themselves. The momentum was building and the general mood got better.
In that year 2001, Fitri was among the top 10 candidates in the Basic NCO course. The members and Corps were gaining their confidence and dignity back. They were hungry for more. Though, the Instructors were begging for less (hahaha, less of my persistent telephone conversations of 3 hours and my crazy ideas - ask them about the killer blow to those who fall asleep… hahaha).
With time on my hand, I decided to push the Corps to the next phase - the breaking of new grounds. Again, I would need the support of the Instructors and build a stronger momentum through activities together. Thus, I coined the idea of a Combined-Corps Presentation Day. It served a few purposes. First, it would make the two Corps I was in-charged of to bind more closely through working together. Secondly, it gave the members to see the rich traditions and achievements of both Corps in the past and present. Thirdly, it was also a chance for the parents to know the Corps better. It was also a ceremony to launch our websites. Last but not least, it was a mock-up rehearsal for our forth-coming orientation recruitment drive. LiTing (TW), Jasline (BM) and Jeanie (BM) were put in-charged. The event was a success.
Amidst the preparation, I took a chance to fire up TW Instructors. They were dissatisfied that I spend most of my time helping BM in the preparation while ignoring TW's preparation in the next classroom. It was my plan - I wanted them to feel that TW was the second priority. I took the opportunity to explain to them that day after they confronted me about this issue - "No one is going to do anything for your Corps if you do not take an interest in it. After all, it's your Corps, not mine. Until you come to realize that and do something about it, your Corps will never grow." - Summary of a 3 hours session.
Soon, TW SJAB marched into year 2002. A year that was, by far, one of the most glorious in their history.
That year, the Corps won the Corps Achievement (Silver). TW NA ComTeam regained the Zone Champion title back and went on to win the Nationals' Overall 2nd with strings of top5 finished in individual category (the first time they had won anything from the Nationals). That team also represented St John in the Inter-Uniformed Group First Aid organized by Red Cross and won the Challenge-Cup for the first
time for SJAB. The TW NA team won the Zone Commissioner Award that year. Our Sec1 recruits also participated in TWSS's Inter-Uniformed Footdrill competition and won best costume/outfit award (We worn our uniform and cummerbund only! - is that an insult? Or compliment? You judged). After the school moved into the new premises - we had our own room complete with nursing equipment and a brand new nursing bed.
I enjoyed my stay at TW SJAB's OIC appointment. It was a daunting task at first, but in the end, it was all worth the hustles. Whenever challenges come, it is your chance to prove how much you were worth. TW SJAB had turned the corner. They did it with their own hands. I was there just giving them a reason to do that... It will have a new chapter with YuZhen commissioned as Corps Nursing Officer and YongEng passing out from the Officer course in 2003. I hope the new members would appreciate what the seniors and instructors/ Officers had done for them to make their life in TW SJAB better than what the seniors had been through. Cherished it - it didn't come free.
A warrior rises from his fall, and continues to soldier on and fight his battle
When I was a Sec1 recruit, my Officer asked me to become a Steward for MeiChin Division's Ambulance Adult Team. That was my first brush with First Aid and Home Nursing competition. For those who don't know - Ambulance (guys) do Long-Case & Short-Case first-aid, Footdrill and Transportation of casualty; Nursing cadets (girls) do first aid, home-nursing and Footdrill.
I still remember the scene that strike me the most when I was just watching the competition. It rained heavily the morning before, so the floor was flooded and wet. The team I was attached to was doing the Footdrill. The commander halt the squad with the last man - a pretty fat CPL banging on a big hole filled with water. He slipped as his leg landed on the edge of the hole, but he managed to recovered his balance and complete the drill. He hurt his ankle. The spirit of completion and not letting the team down left a deep impression on me. It was then I promised myself that I want to become a ComTeam member.
My chance never came. We did not have enough people to form a team. By the time I graduated, I was never trained for competition, let alone competed as a ComTeam member.
Change your stars
Apparently, that was not the end of the road for me. In 1995, God send me 4 guys to fulfill my ambition. Elisha, Stephen, Simon and Eric - they joined St John. I had no Reserve - it was do-or-die mission. I remembered what I told them when I first saw them - "In a few years time, you will be the first competition team that ever to represent BM. And you will become champions that I had no chance of becoming." They being new blur recruits looked like "sotong" and didn't seem to really understand what I meant. They will soon find out what I meant when I started to trained them. My goal - National Champion - from the day I started till this very day.
I know
because I must
Since no one taught me anything about training a team, how could I possibly train a team? - You may ask. I had to know in order to teach because I must know. When you have the will, there is a way. Well, I spend lots of time observing teams competing since I saw the first competition. I learned the sequences that a team that ha
ve to go through, their strengths and weaknesses, their game plan and most importantly, how did the champions become champions. Few people really gave me tips on training a team. GuoLiang from Fajar when we were attending Advanced NCO course together, a National ComTeam member that represented Singapore in Singapore-Australia competition and PeeSuet who is a ComTeam member herself from Chestnut Drive Secondary School. I also draw inspirations from other areas such as manager Alex Fergusen from Manchester United, coach Phil Jackson from NBA, Micheal Jordan, Chicago Bulls and Ferrari. From all these people and teams that always equate themselves with success and winning, I learned the key elements that will determine what my team should possess - the unconquerable determination and unbeatable mental strength.
The Code
Honour, Glory, Respect and Discipline. That's what my team are based on. Honour - to represent the Corps and school. Glory - for school and Corps, not for oneself. Respect - for trainer, commander, teammates, comrades, supporters and all those who make the chance to compete possible. Discipline - at all times. For all these are just simple principles, it will take a lot to uplift these mottos all the time. So, I further inter-linked the motto with the most feared training of all - the training of the mental strength. I believed what made all the winners winner are their unconquerable spirit, their unwillingness to give up amidst trials and their never-say-die attitude. That is precisely what I want my team to be - warriors to the very end.
It is good to build castles in the sky but start working on the foundation - Now!
My first team was composed of misfits - Elisha had health problem, Stephen short-concentration span, Simon overweight and Eric too small-built. No one in the right frame of mind will predict they will be the one who will change the history of our humble Corps. Our training sessions easily stretched from 730am till about 4pm every Saturday. They were trained to be fearless, curious and alert at all times.
ComTeams are built to compete as a team. I wanted to have a all-star team rather than a team that is based on a star-player. I wanted a multiple scoring team in all aspect. Therefore, I trained all of them differently. All of them had the same basic training, after which I tailored made a special vocation role for them in the team. The roles were designed to capitalized on their natural strengths and minimize their weaknesses. So, when they work together as a team I would have a strong team with strong individual flair and powerful team dynamics. I believe it's something like soccer- you do not need 10 strikers or 10 goal-keepers, you need striker, mid-fielder, defender and goal-keeper (well, some even go down to winger, stopper, etc, but that's not the point). I need a balanced team with each played to their strength, overall result will be superb. Everyone will have their own chance to shine.
First-aid is what first-aider should know. Therefore, it is my top priority. not to mentioned the scores here are exceptionally high. They were trained to be very fast and professional in the treatment of casualties. I required them to be on alert and do treatment non-stop. They were also being instructed to treat in different orderly formations such as the "Golden-Triangle" and work in a Tag-Team fashion of working method. For those cases that I was not satisfied with, they would be running and evacuating casualties from one area to another to re-do the case. A simple unprofessional smile or giggle will cost them a fresh restart - in another far off area within a minute. Their treatment time was cut from the standard 10 minutes per case all the way down to 1.5 minutes for a simple case, 3 minutes for a slightly difficult case and 5 minutes for a complex case. We even treat the case blind-folded before.
They were pushed and trained beyond normal standards of requirement - for transportation of casualty, the usual competition - "crawling" is only about 3m at most. We trained the entire length of a football field - with me as their casualty on the stretcher. After which, they would have to carry the stretcher (with me on top, who else?) and run the length of the field, before adopting a brisk walk at the normal position. The three "S"s - speedy, steady and safety, I emphasize all with additional "S"s - strength, stamina and superiority. I want them to on-par even if they were up against fitter and stronger teams. They were trained beyond requirement, so in any case the obstacles were becoming more trying and maddeningly physical, they would have the mental edge over the rest. Even more so if the obstacles were simple. We trained in extreme conditions, - weather (rain), under the burning-sun (push-ups in the car-park), endure physical trainings. Mind you - I did all of those things with them, in fact, doing more than them - I lead by example.
As for the Footdrill, I don't really think much of it. They were grilled enough in other areas. This is one of the areas that I cut them some slack and allowed them to train mostly on their own. This area - I reckoned - would help them to built their bond and fostered closer teamwork.
When the big test (competition) came for my guys, I was worried. I started to question myself - had I taught them all that I've knew, were all the tactics and formation be correct and whether they will be really be ready? I had many sleepless nights. I looked at them, they were with me training so hard for three years plus - sacrificing their whole Saturday and Sundays training with me (For those who think why? I was serving my NS then, the only time and days that I could train them - I trained them, I never even leave any personal time for myself either...), exemplifying the spirit of lending a helping hand during the bus-crash near our school (They were commended by Civil Defense and appeared both on TV and newspapers) and performing exceptionally well at NCO course. I reckoned, they were ready - they had seen many things. It was the time for them to claim what was ours - the Zone Champion. I struggled on what category to put them in - since they were Sec4 that year, they could still compete in Ambulance Cadet... but they would not be able to defend their title the subsequent year if they win. Therefore, I decided for them to compete in Ambulance Adult, which is the perceived as the more difficult category due to the age-group of the competitors.
Inspired by the All-Black's Haka War Dance, I started a special routine for my ComTeam. Besides the usual revision of Footdrill, TOC and first-aid, we would actually do work-ups and TKD before the competition!
My pre-competition routine is long. I would start them to tell them why they were here competing, what their duties were and what my expectation was. I would also quote to them those inspirations of triumphant victories of great teams (Chicago Bulls, Manchester united and Ferrari), great players (Micheal Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen and Toni Kukoc) and great warriors (French Foreign Legionnaire and Gurkhas).
I then end off with the presentation of their Adult Crest (for Adult ComTeam only) and prayed a blessing prayer - "Oh father in Heaven, we come together before you as a team, not as any individual. Thank You for guiding me to teach my team for I had no teacher. Thank you for keeping the team in good health and in good spirit. And Thank You most importantly for letting having a chance to prove to people we do indeed belong here. Please allow us to fight and compete like a true warrior till the very end. Let us remember - never give up for we had journeyed so long. We shall not rest until we had reached our destination. At the end, Thank You for allowing our team the honour and privilege to train and compete with the support of the school and Corps. At the end of day, whether we win or not, let us all walked out victoriously as winners, winners that could claimed that we truly compete with our best efforts. We prayed in Your most Holy Name. Amen!"
My last order for the ComTeam - "Even when no one believes you guys, I believed. I will be with you all the way - you will not be abandoned - I will not leave you. Compete like you had only one chance. Compete like your life depends on it. Compete till you used up your last drop of sweat, last drop of tears and last of blood. Until then, you had not competed. No ifs, no buts, no because of whatever reasons, you will not blamed anything, for it is in your hands now - No regrets! Let us remember today for today is the day we will write history, today is the day we will become winners! The true strength of the ComTeam lies in the undying spirit. Show me that - or else you don't deserve the trophy even if you had won it. Go forth and be victorious! Good luck, Gentlemen."
As all competitions, it was a closely contended. All was within expectations. When they were announcing the results, I was nervous - we were still trailing after three categories were announced. My closed my eyes and prayed hard... really hard. At last, I heard the judge announced. "It was down to the last wire. Ambulance Adult Champion (for Zone 6 - 1998) - Bukit Merah!" The burden on my heart suddenly disappeared and was replaced with joyous celebration. Our team has won! Our efforts over the years were not wasted, our personal sacrifices were worth it and finally, we were no longer misfits. The team, LiQing and I cried together - for nobody really believed we could pull it off - but we did... only we knew how much hardship we had been through. I knocked the team down (ask them to be in their push-up positions) with these words, "Remember how you get here - not by luck, not by chance, but by your own efforts and training. Remember not the victory; remember the process of getting here!"
We celebrated with Champaign (non-alcohol, more of fruit-juice actually...) that I had prepared before hand. I believed my team and I wanted to be that day to be a memorable day of celebration for them. Even if they didn't win, it was a good cause to celebrate as our Corps was finally able to send our first ComTeam out to compete decently. That was a glorious day. I ended the day with the ComTeam praying a Thank You prayer for it was a miracle came true. That was my first win as a ComTeam Trainer and it was to be the hallmark of all my subsequent teams - Teams that win at the last possible moment with the will of warriors.
My first AA Team did not stop there. As Zone Champions, we were to compete in the Nationals (Inter Zones). The night before the Nationals, my team suddenly developed cold feet. No one for the past five years or so won anything from the Nationals. They were fearful that they might lose and suffered the humiliation of finishing last as all the other ComTeams were all Zone Champions. You could imagine my annoyance and stress at that moment. I talked and counseled the whole team into competing till 3am! And we were supposed to meet up at 730am and compete from 12 noon till 5pm!
In the National competition, we were the under-dogs. We were the new rookie and our style was different. To quote what Stephen said, "We are just peasants and up against the imperial army." To which I replied, "LiuBei started his kingdom with few generals - GuanYu, ZhangFei and ZhaoYun. I had four warriors - we can, and we will start our dynasty."
I adopted the same routines, with work-ups, revisions, our TKD War-Cries, inspiration talk, prayers and orders. I choose to follow the same routine, I wanted them to feel the "Been there, done that" kind of feeling. I added my order by starting with, "The nationals are our bonus stage, if we win anything, it will be extra. If we don't we are still Zone Champions. What do we have? We do not have big room, or lots of members, or lots of fund. If we had nothing to lose, we had everything to win! I wanted to see the underdog fighting spirit that I had seen at the Zone, or else, you would be ashamed to be called a champion ad behaved like a bunch of losers. You want respect, earned it, no one is going to give it to you free!"
Just when my ComTeam was about to enter to report, we heard another competitor remarked sarcastically that we were just a bunch of brand-less school (implied that we were not a threat). My team was really fired up by that comment. They took it personally and really compete with fire to prove that was wrong. They did very badly in their first two event (failed) - Footdrill and TOC - probably their lack of sleep affected their performance at these physical events. They kept encouraging one another and did exceptionally well at the last two events. They even scored a astonishing 90% for their First Aid Short Case and emerged champion for that category. When the overall result was announced, we were stunned. "National Overall 2nd-Runner-Up - Zone 6!" That was us! Elisha and gang were stunned and froze at the announcement - thinking it maybe a mistake. But it wasn't, we were indeed ranked overall 3rd in the Nationals in our first attempt!
As what we did at the Zone, amidst weird stares, we did our push-ups, our thank you prayer and drank our Champaign to celebrate.
The nationals were exciting. The tensions were much higher with the supporters turning up in full force. For those who do not experience this feeling before, the feeling is like multiply what you feel when you win at Zone by ten-times and you may still not understand the thrill. It surpassed the feeling due to the atmosphere, the pressure, the stress and the level of competition. Everyone at the nationals were Zone Champions - it is like being crowned King among princes.
The BM AA team was subsequently bestowed with the Zone Commissioner's Award - the first ever for a Ambulance Team.
That was my first ComTeam. Although I trained many teams later, this team remained my favorite memory because we did it blind - with they trusting me, I trusting them and we trusting God. In the process, I discovered many things - that you should not depend on other people's help, you had to do something yourself to change things. Miracles do happen - If you believe and do something about it. Last but not least - pray.
Soon after our first historic win at the nationals, we heard people murmuring that we were lucky or our opponents were too weak sort of talks. We took part in 1999 again with a point to prove - we were no flute. However, the exploit in the year before probably created a bit pressure for any team to face us in Zone. We walked-over and competed against ourselves. Our score still stand ahead of the rest of the Ambulance Cadet Teams.
My team was depleted due to the departure of Eric. KwongSoon, was pulled in to substitute Eric in his position. In a way, the team had got to adjust to the new partner. I was less harsh on the team this year round as I believed they had matured.
It was then Nationals again. It was nail-biting moments for me again. in the end, we retained our First Aid Short Case champion and Elisha was the 2nd best Commander. Throughout the competition (Zone and Nationals), I kept the "rituals and traditions" that I had started - work-ups, revisions, our TKD War-Cries, inspiration talk, blessing prayer, orders, push-ups, thank you prayer and drank Champaign to celebrate.
The critics were silent. We did have what it takes to compete at the top flight with the big guys - We belong here.
After winning the titles of Ambulance Adult Zone Champions in 1998 and 1999, people were wondering whether our dominance was due to a "strong and extra-ordinary" batch. The title-defense also passed through my mind many times over. Elisha, Simon and Stephen were ruled out due to a regulation that prohibits champion teams from fielding the same member consecutively more than two years.
I did not have a team until January 2000. The Zone competition was just barely two months away. Any ComTeam trainer will tell you it is mission impossible to train a brand new team within two-months and expect them to win! Let alone, two of them just joined us. This team is known as my 3rd team, or the so-called - "The China Army". I managed to retain KwongSoon as my new Commander to lead the team with XuTao (China), XiuXing (China), ChoMan (HongKong) and Farok (Indian Muslim). With a mixed-up team, I had a headache. The guys could not communicate in English properly! I had to readjust our strategy. While the first two teams were focused on First Aid events, this team had to aim at all the areas. We tried to score evenly in every category. This team was less technical medically but stronger physically. Due to the short time, I had to rely on their pride more rather than the warrior spirit.
My original team do not agreed with my style. They claimed that I had softened down and they were fearful of us losing. In the end, they were bought over by the team's progress and my new approach. They supported and blessed the team. For me it was especially hard as the day of Zone competition was just a day before my examination in university. For the records, I flunked the paper. It maybe or may not be something that deals with the competition - but the fact remains - I had no regrets. We won and retained the three-in-a-row feat. We kept all our rituals and traditions.
Probably due to the fact we done the near impossible feat of retaining the title thrice, the team and I were relaxed. We lost our momentum heading to the Nationals. For the first time, we finished empty-handed in the Nationals. The feeling was weird. The guys were got too cocky and lost the killers' instinct. I accept that this is part of the Trainer's fault - it was my fault. I accepted the defeat as I accepted my victories. We did the rituals and traditions as always. I ended with a prayer in the presence of my team and my future Nursing Cadet ComTeam members, "Lord, helped us remember this day, for this will be a day we learned what it feels to be defeated. And I prayed that this will not be the last time we will compete in the Nationals. When we are back again at the Nationals, remind us of the defeat, and lead us unto victory. Amen."
That being said, I had promised that this team will be my last Ambulance Adult Team that I will ever train - in honour of the three-in-the-row Zone Championship and in remembrance of the defeat.
This is the first time I finished empty handed in the Nationals. I had lost my guard for a brief moment and that was it. This ComTeam taught me about my capabilities of training a new team from scratch. I had learned to cut short the learning curve significantly from three years to two months to win at the Zone level. However, the sober truth remains - the Nationals are a totally another level, two months were definitely too short - a fact that I will remember dearly for my next conquest.
After the energy sapping of training three teams in-a-row, I rested the Corps. I had no more guys that were capable of competing - there wasn't any guy left. The question came: whether I was only good at training guys, but not girls?
I am confident of my training style and method. However, I am not under any illusion that I was invincible. Training girls do required knowledge that I am seriously lacked in - Home Nursing. Fortunately for me, Stephen (BM), YuZhen (TW) and Stella (Zone, ex-TW) were either nurses or nursing student. That helps to solve my problem by a great deal. I was no longer the lone Trainer, now we were a team of Trainers. Stella was a Trainer and ex-ComTeam member herself, she was more senior and experience in training girls' team than me. Together, four of us formed a Nursing Team training committee to train Nursing teams for BM and TW (both Corps were under my command as I was their Corps Superintendent). I was the Chief Trainer in-charge of Planning and Tactics. Stella was our Technical Consultant, Stephen the Trainer-In-Charge for BM NC team and YuZhen the Trainer-In-Charge for TW NA team.
It was difficult training girls as they tend to be more passive and shy. Nevertheless, girls were trained in the same department of mental strength - through physical training, TKD, Footdrill and first aid. It was particularly satisfying to see that my student - Stephen has become a Trainer himself - imparting what he had learned (more than what I had taught) to the next generation.
As the days of competition drew near, TW Nursing Adult team was not particularly ready with its all first-time competitors - one of them was even a Sec2! I had decided to add some experience and confidence to the team. Somehow, I managed to convince or rather bluff (as they claimed) YuZhen and YongEng to compete again for their Corps. You see, they were the last team that ever competed for TW. I wanted this competition to be more like a passing of baton - the seniors leading the way with the juniors (Fitri, Az, Neny, Siti) learning. In time, the juniors will stand on their feet and fight for themselves. Moreover, I wanted both of them to be more involved in rebuilding the Corps' reputation and standings. However, both of them were in their last semesters of the Polytechnics - that's why I leave the choice squarely on them to decide. They wanted to compete - out of their free will. It was especially hard from them - they were helping to train the TW NA Team, and suddenly they were trainees. Not to mentioned their age and size (Ops! Joking only hor). However, they overcame that - how they did it? That's their stories, not mine.
For BM, the girls were taking part in the Nursing Cadet - different from TW as I tried to avoid a clash of interest. They were groomed from young to compete. Along the way, a lot of the trainees dropped out, so in a way, the team chose itself. Fadzlin led the team with SinJing, LyePeng, Claris and Charmane. We adopted most of the traditions passed down. That prompted a lot of criticism that our team was "tom-boy" and too "manly" or "Garang". To these remarks, we took a deaf ear. That is our style - a style we started, a style that will rremained for the simple fact - it is uniquely ours.
The day of Zone competition was tense. For this was the first time I was training two teams in the same year and they were both supposedly not my forte - they were Nursing teams. I started the same rituals and continued the traditions for both the teams. To BM NC, I told them they would start a new chapter for BM ComTeam - they would be the first girl's team. To TW NA team, I reminded them they were there to win back their lost tradition and pride. And so, the competition began.
In the end, it was a photo-finished as well. TW NA was trailing until the last event. They won because of their Home-Nursing. TW NA team managed to reinstate themselves as the Zone Champions for Nursing Adult after a long drought. LiTing and the TW members were happy. However, they were restrained as I was. BM was trailing in scores. The same story again - BM NC won their Home Nursng convincingly and became Zone Champions in Nursing Cadet for the first time in our Corps history.
The celebration was memorable. Both the Corps were like a family. We fought alongside one another. We were unselfish in sharing our limited resources and unlimited passion. I was absolutely delighted at the win. No words to describe it. With the Champaign, I made a toast to the friendship of the two Corps and the Alliance.
BM NC team retained its original starters. As always, the nationals' atmosphere was electrifying. Our team finished empty-handed. However, our overall finishing was decent; the competition was just too tough that year. We were unhappy in a certain sense as there were rumors of cheating. Nevertheless, we kept our cool. We were winners in our own right - we were back again at the Nationals! Perhaps, we could master how to keep our pride in check more often, which of course must be without sacrificing the air of confidence that is required. Stephen and the ComTeam decided to keep to the rituals and traditions. So, we did.
When the Nationals came, I made some substitution for TW NA team. YuZhen and YongEng were replaced. YuZhen was reinstated as the Trainer-In-Charge assisting Stella. I wanted the juniors to learn to fight for themselves. I saw MeiRu who dropped out of the ComTeam training very remorseful. I decided to persuade the other Trainers to give her another chance to redeem herself. She became the most hardworking ComTeam member. The team was led by Fitri, with Neny, MeiRu and Az as members while Siti became the Reserve. The BM NC team also came down to Teck Whye to assist TW NA team prepared for the Nationals since theirs was over. The TW NA team was in the middle of NCO course camp while competing for the Nationals.
As a mark of respect to TW, I allowed YuZhen to carry on with their tradition of preparation. Stella, YuZhen and me took our turns to address the team. I remembered I told them, "Today we were going to make history!" Boy, did we make history. This team fought fire (real open flame), fend off annoying crowds, treat patients with care and do their Footdrill aggressively.
When the results were announced, the two zones were leading the scores with each of them dominating some events. However, when one of them was third. I knew - there was going to be an upset. Someone sneaked in with a kill - it was us! We were crowned overall National Second in the Nursing Adult category! The Trainers, instructors and members were all in tears. Even YongEng who was in the NCO Camp was in tears when she got the news on her mobile phone. They were in the state of disbelieve. It was their first win at the Nationals. I presumed that finally understood what was it to be like to win at the Nationals. They finally knew what it was like for me... The stories of winning at Nationals are real! They have done it, instead of hearing it from BM second-handed. We celebrated with toasts to those who help the team progressed. Even our out-going Zone Commissioner was overjoyed and congratulated us.
The only damper was when they returned to the course, no one really bother to congratulate them. That being said, it didn't matter, Teck Whye has finally reached the peak. For the doubters that said Ambulance were easy to win, but not Nursing. I believed the reality spoke for itself. The truth is - it doesn't matter whether it is Ambulance or Nursing. With a warrior's heart and mental strength of steel, you will still have your fair chance of winning.
The TW NA team was subsequently bestowed with the Zone Commissioner's Award - the first ever for a Nursing Team. At the end of the year, I was tasked to send a team to represent St John in the Inter-Uniformed Group First Aid organized by Red Cross for the very first time. Looking at the performances of all the teams, I decided to recall TW NA team. I had also wanted YuZhen to sharpen her skills more as a Trainer. Therefore, she was again being attached to the team as Trainer with Stella and me guiding her. The team won the Challenge Cup and they were the first to lift the cup for St John.
It's a known fact that I wanted to retire from competition. It's too bloody and too tiring to train year-in-year-out. And I have my fair share of glory at National a few times and in Zone, the great Trainers I wanted to cross swords with had since left the arena. I wanted to "wash my hands in the Golden Bowl". However, I did make a promise to TW when I was their OIC - I will give them their first guys' Comteam before I retired from competition.
In 2002, TW had the good fortune to have about 10 guys. I knew from the start, not all can survive the gruesome demands of my ComTeam Training System. One of them even drop out of the system after barely a session. As time goes by, the numbers kept dropping - even the supposing good Commander has dropped out.
Stephen and YuZhen had gave me great assistance in grinding their basics. The TW NA team helped to boost the standards of the team by having some friendly match with them. YongEng and the Corps also support the team by arranging special "Confidence Building" activities such as doing the NDP Fancy Drill and Orientation Programs catered to boost their "confidence". I even forced them to do cases on Hall stage when other people or CCA was in the same hall to built confidence. I have incorporated new training methods and techniques such as motivational videos, songs, past footages, rapid environment survey training etc into the already comprehensive training system.
The team was killed and disbanded in 2003 due to SARS. We had trained hard. However, that year was cursed. A week before the Zone Competition, SARS has hit Singapore. Even amid the SARS, we were training online using msn to do our training! Alas, the competition was called off. Imagine our pain and heartache...
In 2004, I had decided to recall the team back into action. We resumed the pace of competition training again. As I was without a Commander, I need to chose a new one. KK was my choice. Well, a puzzling choice - in fact, a debatable one. When KK first started training, I still remember him telling me that he feeling numb and shaky doing footdrill and doing TOC leopard crawl! He is by no means a dominating Commander. However, he IS my choice. This new AC team reminds me too much of my original AA team. In a way, I wanted it to end as I started, using almost the same tactics. KK's superb memory and medical knowledge will be handy when he's reporting for First Aid. Alfred being the fun and dynamic one will fire up the team just like the way Stephen once was doing - however, he will be kept close to KK so that both of them can feed off one another. If Alfred was the Commander, he is too engrossed in the battle, the team lack a motivator. as for Danny - he's mirror image with SiewLeong - an expert in bandaging and give great all round support to the team. Sri, being a debater, I reckon he will make a good Defensive Player - so he will play Stephen's role in first aid.
Although I try to arrange for Friendly Matches, but no one wanted to accept. Probably because I am one of the older Trainers left. Anyway, it's ok because I have already all info I needed about all my opponents in the Zone through close studies. In fact, I was discussing their tactics with their Trainers... not teaching, but passing them some things I observed that are not right. I don't want my opponents to meet my team when they are not in their best shape. The fact that my experiences in training so many ComTeams over the young trainers also give me an "unfair" advantage - an advantage that I would not capitalized on.
Anyway, I was the Chairman for year 2004. Was kind of a befitting ending for me as a Trainer - my first brush with competition was a steward, then a casualty, then Marshal, then Chief marshal - now Chairman of Working Committee. Was kind of finale for me.
Like all my ComTeams before them, they do all the rituals exactly as all those before them. It was kind of emotional for me as I had to hold back my tears - I knew it was my last battle at Zone as a Trainer. The pressure is still there - no doubt because people expect us to win. I prayed and thanked God for leading me through so many years and so many victories and I blessed the ComTeam as always. "Remember those who walk before you, those who fought beside you and those who will follow after you - fight with Honour, Glory, Respect and Discipline and show us your ComTeam spirit!"
And the competition begins, and I am the Chairman - not the Trainer anymore. YongEng was assigned in the Stats Room. She was crying when she saw the team performing footdrill through the windows... and she actually cried. MeiHui thought I was bullying her.. muahahaha. She was only touched because finally, TW has a guys' team after all these years.
In the end, when the results were announced. TW AC team was crowned the Champion. According to my personal stats record, they ranked the best guys' team ever in terms of overall scoring in Zone and National level by a Zone 6's team.
With some of their weaknesses identified, we proceeded to train for the Nationals. Well, same story again, same ritual, same prayer, same speech. I knew deep down in my hear - this IS my last team - I sincerely hope they can finish as National Champion and complete my dream.
Alas, it was not to be. They score top 3 in 3 events, winning the 2nd best in TOC, 3rd in First Aid Long Case and 3rd in Footdrill. However, irony of ironies, they lost the First Aid Short Case - an event I specialized in training - we won in 1998 and 1999!
Well, the guys were crying and dejected as expected. Surprisingly, I was still rather numb. It was when I do my final prayer and final dismissal for the team that I felt emotionally drained. Scenes of the past - the days I admired other people who has chance to compete when I was a cadet, the days I sit and learn from other ComTeams when they train or compete, the days I spend planning, the days I spend training and sweating with my very own ComTeams, the days my ComTeams compete, the days of many victories and upsets... Yes, all these are the moments and scenes that crossed my mind again... "I have passed on my best of tactics, knowledge and most importantly my heart to compete to you guys. As I say before - I am glad and not sad - because my heart and ComTeam spirit shall live on in all of you. May you guys passed it on to the ComTeams after you. I believe, one day - just one day, maybe you or your junior may complete the dream of winning the National Champ... I wished you guys all the best!" With that, I gave the final toast to a ComTeam that show so much dedication, skill and commitment to excellence.
It may be short of a dream finish with a National Champion. In my eyes, they did try their best, and think that's something I cannot fault and something that I can be really be proud of - a ComTeams that fight with all their heart and with all that they have inside them.
That's a dream finale - no question about that.
All the six ComTeams that I had a hand in training to become Zone Champions agreed - I am a "ComFreak" or the "Coach from Hell". I demanded excellence in their attitude, performance and dedication. Not only they must excel in their role in the team, they were expected to be role-models - with standards much higher than ordinary members; and they were to be consistent in their studies as well. Probably that's a lot to ask of, but that is the standards I set. They were to abide by it.
I am a very competitive person in nature. I am a perfectionist. When I set my mind in doing something, I will do it - through hell or fire. I presumed that it was this strong stubbornness that set me apart from other Trainers. My never say-die attitude and simply refusal to give up did get on top of a lot of people's nerves. YuZhen, YongEng and Stella coined it the "HHH virus". My burning desire to compete and to win was infectious. Probably the only reason the Lord did not allowed me to compete as a ComTeam member was meant for me to train or coach.
My ComTeams felt my rage the most because I wanted them to push beyond their own perceived limits of their capability - I stretched them to their maximum and beyond. In a lot of case, they had more than what they thought they had within them. Yes, I trained teams to compete; but what really matter for me is that they learned how to work really hard for what they wanted, to strive amidst adversities and to try without giving up. These, I believed, are values worth winning - more so than trophies.
It might seem easy that I had won so many competitions and had a perfect 100% record of training Zone Champions in all categories. The pressure and stress that I had to endure, time and energy I had to use were unbelievable. It wasn't easy - trust me. Try it and you will know.
As a coach or Trainer, I would never win any medal. The only thing I won is the respect of my ComTeams. Love me or hate me. They respect me. I respect them as well. This mutual respect is earned - not because of the rank I worn, or the Championship we won, but because we done it together.
That - is enough.
(For the record, I did receive a commendation from Bukit Merah for leading them into winning three consecutive zone championships. I was also awarded the Zone Commissioner Award - either due to my consistent exploits in the National or the leadership role I played in the BM and TW Revival - I do not know. What I do know - I enjoyed the process more - the awards are but a mere confirmation of the difficult and extraordinary path that we had overcome together.)
I had been to quite a lot of leadership course in SJAB - Basic NCO Course, Advanced NCO course and officer course - both as Trainee and Instructor.
I am skeptical about how much a person can learned leadership from these courses. You see - passing such courses doesn't make you a good leader, but rather it merely facilitates the trainees to have some knowledge of a system. I think that learning how to run a system and to solve problem maybe more relevant. Not that I had any idea on how to do it. I am simply saying to those who read too much into the grade of NCO / Officer Course - get real, a top candidate may not even know how to lead. He / she merely had some knowledge or skills. That's it - nothing more. Do not assume he/she will become good leaders. That - you will have to mold and guide and they must have the desire to do so.
The only thing I hope all Instructors remembered is that - Instructors were there to teach, not to scold or pamper the trainees. They were supposed to pass down some experiences, views and knowledge to the trainees in the course - not to enjoy or de-stress themselves. Those who went for no purposes will leave with no satisfaction - they would have just completed a task. Likewise - for the trainees.
I am glad some members still remember me - for the good (I hoped) and bad (Prayed not) reasons. Any case, like always, I had no regrets as I had given them my best lessons that I could taught - and I don't mean theory lesson.
I believe training or teaching members in anything - should come from within your heart. Teach what you feel what is best for them - do not just constrained it to the organization only. That will be much more rewarding and satisfying.
Ultimately, as much as an Instructor grades a trainee, there will be graded by his/her trainees as well. Be an Instructor with a purpose, rather an Instructor means nothing to the trainees. And I prayed - I did not fared badly and passed their tests.
I came back to St John - for the sake of fulfilling my dreams of being part of a ComTeam.
I stayed on - for the fact that I had a purpose of leading my Corps to achieve greater heights.
Both I had achieved many times over.
For competition, I always wanted to try to train a team capable of becoming National Champion. Alas, I was close for a few times. I started with a guys' team - the Ambulance Adult Team; maybe it is the most befitting that I end with another guys' team - the Ambulance Cadet Team. In years to come, I will have no regret, as I had did my best for the teams that I had trained - both for competition and for life. I had no more to offer - as I had offered my best. I had no more to teach - for I had taught them everything. My strength lies not in the skill nor knowledge I had - rather it lies in the heart and spirit of a fiercely competitive fire within me. That - I cannot passed on - they will have to start it within them. My greatest wish - is to see those trained by me to succeed my dream - to win the National Championship.
Since I am no longer in Corps, that won't be much involvement for me in the schools or Corps. It's a pity. However, it is necessary for the young ones to grow up and mature - to take over the torch.
Every year, I will ask myself this question - "Why am I still in St John?" All of the time, I had an answer. This time round, I had none. It is a sign for me to move on.
My young officers are ready to take over completely from me for I had prepare them for many years. I shall leave the organization with all the blessings and best wishes for them. I prayed that they will lead the Corps to surpass much much more than what the Corps had achieved under my command. May God bless them as He had blessed me and guided me through all the trials and tribulations. May they be strong in faith and never loses hope in the darkest moments. Amen.
And so - it ends. Or rather - it ended.
Howard - That's Me
Growing Up
Playtime
Nerdy Primary Schools
Havoc Secondary School (BMSS)!
Saints Family (SAJC)
Army Daze (NS)
Stressful University Days (NTU)
Memoirs of an Officer (SJAB)My Europe Trip
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