3rd KL's 55th Anniversary

On news year's day, 1st January 2013, the 3rd Kuala Lumpur Company hosted a dinner to celebrate it's 55th Anniversary. Though we kinda got the wrong year by a day, we still called it our 55th birthday. The company held it this time at the HGH Convention Centre, which is essentially a very high class Chinese Primary School hall.

It was a much "simpler" line up of events for 3rd KL's standards, which is more accustomed to theatrics and an expensive show. Due to the nature of the event as a fundraiser, the cost had to be kept down. Still, there were many performances lined up for the night.

Altogether, 70 tables were up for grabs, which profits are the funds raised. My table was a little depressing. It was just four of us - Paul Tan, Terence Ng and Yun Hau. So you can guess the amount of food we have.. and the "personal donation" made by an "anonymous" someone. Special thanks to the three who came and to How Ran who couldn't make it but still donated.

It was great seeing old friends and 3rd KL Boys from my era. My seniors. My juniors. Even my recruits when I was an officer. Occasions like this provide a glimpse into how some of us are doing after BB. It is great that most are doing well.

3rd KL Year End Camp at Tapah

Ah, what a relaxing trip this has been as we journey to the SUFES Campsite in Tapah, Perak for 3rd KL's annual year end camp. I had to miss the first day as I was helping out at my mom's kindergarten concert the night before. But I was glad to make it for the second day. I left KL with Sim around 9am, reaching the site slightly two hours later after grabbing a couple of free McDonald's and stopping at the Rawang rest stop for breakfast.

When we arrived, the Boys were preparing lunch - self-cooked (and apparently it was the only self-cooked meal of the entire camp.. how pampered.. that'll change if I were in charge!). From what I could tell, the campsite used to be a durian, cempedak/nanka estate with its numerous trees around all loaded with durians just waiting to fall for our pickings! We had so many while there, some pretty darn good (1 totally sucked though). After resting up after lunch, we prepared ourselves for river trotting.

SUFES Campsite.. is really a durian plantation..

I one and only time I came to Tapah was in 1998 (or 1999, can't remember) with 3rd KL also. We went river trotting as well, but had to bail halfway through due to the rain, which has a risk of causing strong torrents. This time it was clear skies and a heck load of fun. The stream was pristine clear and was quite clean. It was fun looking at Boys just roughing it out, getting their clothes and shoes get, some even damaged going through the stream. Some were even bitten by leeches, which is really part of the fun. At the end of it, we made it to a beautiful waterfall, where we all took nice dips in the rushing water. Classic fun! I feel sorry for some of them who rather stay dry(er) and missed out.

Ruth and I at one of the streams near SUFES Campsite, Tapah

The "Younger Officers Club" taking a picture at the Tapah, Waterfall. Breathtaking place. 

The rest of my stay was relatively straightforward, just catching up with the other younger officers and just having fellowship. There was a dinner BBQ and a botched campfire (which didn't light up no matter what we tried. Even Sim and I failed to get it going.. so frustrating).

On the last day I had to rush off more than an hour earlier than the rest to make an appointment. But I glad I came for camp and high praise to the committee members for a relatively smooth one. Outdoor camps like this are getting lesser due to simple inconveniences and the effects of a pampered lifestyle. BB needs to attempt to reignite the sense of adventure in its members, otherwise risk being an organisation known for producing soft wussies.

Stedfast Association KL Retreat at Marina Island

I joined the Stedfast Association of Kuala Lumpur for their annual retreat cum family camp this year which was held at Marina Island Best Western Hotel. Very nice modern looking place. Being my first retreat with them, I'd say it was very relaxing.. just 3 hours worth of an intensive meeting, the rest of it was free time.

It was good spending time with some of the SAKL members and getting to know them better. Despite being  a life member, there is still much have I have to learn an understand about this alumni. I believe in their role for our past BB members and hope that we can work together more to promote the BB Object.

KL State Drill Camp

The KL State Council organised its first Drill Camp (since it's formation as a State Council.. it is unknown if the former KL Battalion ever had one before) which was held at the Wesley Methodist School Kuala Lumpur in Sentul. 31 participants from 1st KL, 3rd KL, 6th KL, 10th KL and 12th KL took part in a three day camp starting from November 2nd, 2012.

Mr Sim giving the first lectures of the day

Mr Sim on practical, second day of camp

I've never been to a drill camp before, let alone organise one.. so this was pretty unfamiliar territory for me. Good thing I had Sim and Steven who apparently do this in Kota Kinabalu quite often. This camp was spread-headed by Mr Nicholas Yeap, the captain of 12th KL, who was desperate for his Boys to receive drill training.

It was very straight forward, a couple of meetings, a few email correspondences and we had a drill camp. Sim, Steven and Ka Weng (10th KL) handled the drill matters of the camp while I focused solely on logistics.. my easiest and favourite responsibility (I just think its easy). Though there was one major hiccup that really pissed me off regarding the drill manuals, which I'm still not sure if its my fault or the idiot who called what was really a 2006-2007 version a "2005 version" when it was clearly not, where I mistakenly printed the outdated 2005 version.. 15 copies of it.. which basically wasted us some money.. and for me A LOT of time. You see, to reduce cost, I've only sent the the manuals for photocopy and did the binding myself. There were also coloured pages which I inserted, literally page by page. So getting this wrong really infuriated me. I did manage to rectify the problem before camp ended, but it require me spending more money, running to the office, printing, re-punching, re-binding and basically putting in another 4 hours of manual labour. Apart from logistics and administration, I was also prepared Saturdays morning devotion on and gave a message on "laying the correct foundations" based on the Parable of the Sower and the Seeds - in relation to the drill camp where the correct techniques must be learnt before one can thrive, which also can be applied to every aspect of their lives.. where if they want to do well, they need to be positioned correctly. A special thanks to Xin Wei for leading worship and Brendan Eu for playing guitar.

GOH pratical

Not quite punishment free, is it?

There's not much to say about the camp really as it went pretty smooth. Punishments were not emphasised during the camp, in contrast to what the participants feared, probably expecting endless amounts of push-ups which was almost non-existent (well, there still were.. but very little), as the committee decided that it was pointless to waste energy on physical workouts when it was really a knowledge intensive camp. Though the drill officers knew their stuff, knowledge impartation was rather slow as in certain areas, participants needed to wait their turn before being able to try out something new (eg. Colour Party - limited Colour Pole - just one piece OR measuring alignment - need to use pace stick to measure one by one). I thought of some ways we can make the teaching more efficient, but that's for another time.. that is if we do this again in the future.

For this camp, we allowed only the 14 year old's and above to join. This is due to the fact that we didn't want to waste time teaching even the basics which can be learnt (and should be already learnt) in their own companies. If there is another drill camp in the coming years, we would probably limit this to only NCOs and above who are aspiring to be drill officers one day. But we're still trying to work out how to do this...

On Sunday, we went over, just next door, to Grace Methodist Church for service and received a message presented by Reverend Victor (can't remember his surname) who spoke on the topic of "pain". The church also specially prepared refreshments for our participants, what a treat! Special thanks to 2nd KL's captain, Mr Jacob David for making the arrangements.. though at that point we were stuffed, being just 1.5 hours after breakfast and 2 hours before lunch.

Mr McIntosh and I

We also had a special guest visiting from the United Kingdom in the form of Mr Clive McIntosh from 20th Bristol who was deeply impressed with what he saw. Clive shares that there is lack of emphasis in drill in the UK, limited to just a 10-15 minute session as Boys there find drill extremely dull.. which could lead to resignations if overdone. At the moment, we are still doing alright in Malaysia, but there are signs that this is already happening in Malaysia as well.

Overall, a great camp. Special thanks to officers who helped - Sim Guan Jiann and Steven Voo from 3rd KL, Mr Chan Ka Weng and Miss Tai Xin Wei from 10th KL and Mr Nicholas Yeap who was the camp commandant.

Drill Camp 2012 participants

12th KL's Enrollment & Awards Day

On a early Sunday morning, Mr Tony Chow, Madam Yvonne and I headed to a remote factory area in Kepong to attend the 12th Kuala Lumpur Company Enrollment and Awards Day. It was quite a challenge looking for the place, as the road name indicated wasn't listed on Google Maps and the map provided by Wesley Methodist Church Kepong where the event was held, was pretty confusing. Fortunately, we managed to stumble upon some road signs pointing us to the church - and just in time. Mr Tony was the VIP for the event and we arrived with just 5 minutes to spare.

12th KL's Guard of Honour being inspected by the State Commissioner and Pastor Tan Chew Mae

The Guard of Honor was already assembled when we arrived. I helped teach them a simple one a week before as teaching them the whole thing would take a long time. I think they did alright in the end. 

Mr Nicholas Yeap was the liturgist of the day

12th KL had a change in captaincy at the beginning of this year, where Mr Nicholas Yeap, took up the mantle. Unfortunately, he was also the only officer in the company with a growing membership, exceeding 40 Boys this year. A former 2nd Kampar Boy under the captaincy of then National President, Mr Tham Leong, who also pretty much the only officer in the company, Mr Yeap knows it is not impossible to run a company with just NCOs acting as officers. Though the foundations for that are still being laid, the results and growth of 12th KL are quite promising.

With the new batch of NCOs being promoted during this event, the company has much to look forward to as it continues to develop its leaders. The school where 12th KL recruits from, the Wesley Methodist School  Kuala Lumpur is known for admitting Top-Class students, which for me meant they are easier to train and teach (as compared to somewhere not bright where you may need to repeat 10 times before they understand you).

The days proceeded very smoothly with Nicholas handling almost everything except the praise and worship. Mr Tony Chow as well as Madam Chia, the principal of WMSKL, was asked to give out awards and chevrons to the eager Boys. Prior to that, the LCEC leader of the church, who was a very successful businessman, presented his life testimony of his careers ad ambitions to serve as an inspiration to the Boys.



At one point tokens of appreciations were given out to helpers who have contributed to the company throughout the course of the year. I was a little surprised when my name was called out as well.. as I felt I didn't do very much. Thank you very much 12th KL! I appreciate the blessing =)



It is very exciting to see what this company will become in the coming years. Definitely one we should keep an eye on. Let our prayers be with them as they strive even further. Also pray that more adults will volunteer to assist in the weekly parades as to lessen the burden from Nicholas.

All smiles at the 12th KL Enrollment and Awards Day

Service and Sacrifice!

This year's Founders' Day celebrations was hosted by 3rd KL and is the first time I've been (sort of) involved in the planning, though I played a more distant role than I am originally accustomed to. The person in-charge was Mr. Wong Hoe Kit and a team of Staff Sergeants who formed the main committee. I'm glad to say that they did a fantastic job in organising the whole thing.

 The event was a relatively straight forward one with the day starting at 8.30am with the arrival of companies at the Methodist College Kuala Lumpur, the same venue used in the last Founders' Day two years ago. The Guard of Honour, which comprised of NCOs and representatives from all the KL companies present, was inspected by Mr. Francis Chiong, the Executive Secretary of BB Asia. Mr Cheong Sing Yuen, the Vice-President of th Stedfast Association of Kuala Lumpur gave the opening prayer followed by a speech from Mr. Tony Chow,the KL State Commissioner.

After a group photo session, the 350 of so participants proceeded into thee auditorium for the service proper. The event, afterall, is to celebrate the life of the Founder. This year's Founders' Day featured something new, where for the first time all companies brought their colours which were marched in and displayed for all to see. I thought it was really nice to see all the colours of the KL companies in one place.

Praise and worship was lead by Lance Corporal Au Kar Fei and the 1st KL team. Followed by a message by Reverend Chieng Yu Hoo, who was a former Boy and Officer from the 1st Sibu Company. It was also the first time (in a very long time anyway) where I was the MC, or kinda like the liturgist, though I didn't quite follow the full Methodist order of worship since it was a mixture of denominations anyway. Reverend Chieng preach on a timely message calling both present and former members of the BB to remember the contributions made by the Founder during his days, where Sir William Alexander Smith was responding to the needs during his time where the Boys under his care were a rowdy bunch in need of discipline. Today, there is still a need for the young people around, with so many Boys in need of the BB training but so few are stepping forward. In this ministry, in order to serve sacrifices need to be made. Reverend Chieng concludes by urging all those listening to step up and step forward in service to the BB ministry. I sure hope some people were moved by his message and KL State will get more officers.. God willing.

Rev. Cheing Yu Hoo (left) giving the days message, effectively translated by Mr Andrew Tan

The day progress on with refreshments as participants shed their ceremonial uniforms for a more casual sports attire for the telematch. With 15 or so station games and 10 groups with teammates mixed among the companies, the participants had much to work on to get as many points as they could to win the top prizes, which came in the form of hampers. The first placed team received USB thumbdrives courtesy of the Methodist College Kuala Lumpur.

We had a special guest all the way from the United Kingdom in the form of Mr Clive McIntosh, who is the captain of the 20th Bristol Company. I wanted to ask him out on stage half way during the service to say a few words, but realised that would totally be putting him on the spot, last minute. We did invite him to give away prizes, which he willingly fulfilled.

Mr Clive McIntosh from 20th Bristol
Company giving away prizes

After a long day, the event concluded with the closing prayer by Mr Yee Mun Theam, the Deputy State Commissioner and 1st Kuala Lumpur Company captain. I led in the vesper and it was officially goodbyes from there. Unofficially, I did ask them to stay back to clean up the mess before going and they did that pretty well.

I was zombiefied towards the end and caught a quick nap before going to Kepong to conduct my following duties.

I thank God for such a successful and smooth Founders' Day and all those involved in the organising as well as helping out here and there. Mr Wong Hoe Kit for as the main organiser, the 3rd KL Staff Sergeants which formed the working committee which played multiple roles (SSgt Kodie Low, SSgt, Arvind Gomez, SSgt Bryan Fernandez, SSgt Ng Charn Chuen & SSgt Vaenthan Chellandy), Mr Steven Voo and Mr Sim Guan Jiann for handling the Guard of Honour and the Marching in of Colours, NCOs and reps from all the KL companies for  Mr Terence Tay for allowing us into MCKL to do necessary preparations the night before as well as catering the food, Mr Andrew Tan for translating the message from Mandarin to English, Mr Jonathan Chan who borrowed offering bags from KL Wesley, Mr Derek Chan who helped with PA, the 1st KL Worship team led by LCpl Au Kar Fei for a wonderful time of worship,

Basically, this event showed the when all of us together we can truly excel as all companies helped in this event one way or another. If all of us put in a little more effort we can truly fly! I sincerely hope there will be increased collaboration among us as it will not only be fun, but also be a blessing to many young ones out there.

Group photo of (most of) the participants of the KL State Founders' Day 2012

I MCed during the service. I hope it
went alright.. 

For me, I was just glad I had such a great team.. couldn't ask for better. I didn't have to do much beyond the service and I'm glad I can just leave it to the team from 3rd KL to handle the necessary. Sure, there were a few spats here and there, but overall we understood each other and were still able to work together. One thing I learned to apply was TRUST (meaning to say some people didn't) which I think is necessary as we can't be everywhere. What choice do we have? The other element is faith - that God is in control.
After a few rounds basically doing things alone, I hope people are starting to realised that if it's just me concerned about State activities, we can only go "so far". I was greatly encouraged by the outcome of this event and will certainly push on for more! Praise the Lord for such a smooth day.

Cheap Skate Cost Saving Idea!

Was looking through the BNTS and ANTS registration forms and noticed that we always ask our campers to bring mess tins without ever using them. So, next time we have a camp or NCOs' Training I'm gonna make them use it.. cancel one meal which the campers need to prepare on their own, just buy the raw ingredients and save cost in the process Nice.. (evil laugh)