3rd KL Goes Back to Nature!.. Sort of.

Marching on from the bus to the campsite

It's been a long time since 3rd KL BB went camping. Apparently, the last company camp was way back in 2006.. eight years ago! So it wasn't that hard a decision to make when we choose to make this year's annual year end camp out in the jungle. Off we went between the 12-15th December 2014 back into nature. 

We decided to go back to a campsite we last used exactly a decade ago, Sungai Congkak. Located just an hour away from Kuala Lumpur, Sungai Congkak is located in Hulu Langat, a town near the Titiwangsa Range. As the name hints, it is indeed by a sungai (river), which was clean and refreshing (or at least I think it is. Not that I want to think much about what was up stream). It was a well developed campsite which had very good facilities, including the ever so crucial toilets. Now its just, well, sufficient for our use. 

In my opinion, camps like these should be a mandatory annual (or at the least bi-annual) affair. The things guys can learn from such camps is immense. Not only are they forced in an environment where they need to work together, but also, they'll realise that their individual contributions matter a lot to the team. This forces them to change. At least for the duration of camp and slightly after. Ultimately, it gives them a taste of what it (kinda) means to take care of themselves. '

"Positive activities good for upbringing" aside. Camps like this is pure fun. When I say "fun", it depends on how you see it. Such as the part where you get bitten up by leeches, such as the above photo when my foot got bitten up by 3 leeches at the same time. 

 Some how, camp food always taste awesome. It's usually the unhealthiest crap around, but something we all look forward to three times a day. Sometimes more. How could we not? We spend almost the whole day preparing for food and water. Such is the struggle of city-folks starting a fire and keeping it going.  

Then of course its the fun and fellowship. Getting to know your company members much better and just hanging out. My observations post-camp is often that the mindset and attitude of Boys who go for camp, somehow, seem to be more mature and serious than they were before. 

Anyway, done with another project. On ward to the next event!

1st Kuala Lumpur Company's 60th Anniversary - Arise, Shine!

Our brothers and sisters from the 1st Kuala Lumpur Boys' and Girls' Brigade put up a great show entitled, "Arise, Shine!" on the 29th November 2014. 

The event started at 6.30pm with dinner, but not the usual 6-8 course dinner on a round table which we were accustomed to, but instead the orgnaisers got 60 different food types and converted the car park of Wesley Legacy Centre into one massive hawker centre. Very fresh and interesting idea!

At 8pm, the show began, with three young Despicable Me-like minions taking the stage, looking for the light - their source of strength. Performance from the 1st KL BB band, 1st KL's GB hand bell, Junior Choir, and street dancing were part of the nights show. A shocker for me was during the BB band performance where they placed a pair of cymbals under the seat of a random person in the audience to play part of the nights song piece. Yep, it was me. Thanks Mr. Terence Tap and Mr. Derek Chan for the "random" selection and the opportunity to be directly involved in the night's programs! 

The night ended at 9.00pm with a grand finale to an excellent performance by both the Boys' and Girls' Brigade. A team will be sent to the Philippines as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations for mission works in the coming weeks. Please pray for the safety and that lives will be changed!

Wedding Bells for Jarod and Ruth

It has been awhile since 3rd KL saw a wedding (for an active officer anyway, the last being Mr. Tan Chee Keong's wedding - way back in 2005), so when our two Junior Section Officers tied the knot it was quite a joyous occasion!

Jarod Kok and Ruth Boh both met while serving in the 3rd Kuala Lumpur Company. Jarod joined after Mr. Terence Tay, who were both church members in Life Methodist Church Puching, requested for help from Jarod having learned of his skills handling children. 

Ruth joined 3rd KL in 2009, after our then Staff Sergeant Justin Goh had a physical injury and was admitted to Assunta Hospital where Ruth was interning. Justin was wearing the 3rd KL t-shirt, where Ruth immediate recognised the BB emblem, as she previously served with the 2nd Melaka Company. 

From here on, a collision of fates was inevitable, as Jarod and Ruth soon fell in love with one another after serving for several years in 3rd KL. 

It was a beautiful ceremony, held at Trinity Methodist Church Petaling Jaya. Our Boys and officers were most honoured to be given the opportunity to perform a band item for the happy couple and a "Guard of Honour" as the newly weds walked out of church.

"Guard of Honour" led by Mr. Steven Voo

Trading swords for field service caps as the couple marched through underneath

All smiles from Mr and Mrs Kok

Officers Council Posing with the couple

The day was not done after the wedding service as the 3rd KL Boys joined the 1st Petaling Jaya Company for a round of fellowship.

Singspiration together with 1st PJ. The two GB girls posing were with me in my van during a recent Junior Camp.

1st PJ vs 3rd KL in capture the flag/footie ball. Many badges were lost. 

After the fellowship, the day was still not done as the gang proceeded to SS2 mall for a wedding dinner.

Wishing the couple much blessings from Above and their love to one another to be everlasting. 

Pesta 1996 Band Competition Videos

I've uploaded all the Pesta 1996 Band competition videos! Memories like this aren't meant to be locked away. 

Band Competition Results

Champion - 1st Johor Bahru Company

1st Runner-Up - 4th Kuala Lumpur Company

2nd Runner-Up - 1st Melaka Company

Drum Major

1st Place - 1st Johor Bahru Company

2nd Place - 4th Kuala Lumpur Company

3rd Place - 3rd Kuala Lumpur Company (Sgt. Chai Chee Kien) 

2nd TRAC BB-GB Junior Camp @ Ipoh

From the 13th to 15th September 2014, the BB and GB companies in Ipoh organised a Junior Camp for its primary school-aged members, opening up participation to other BB and GB companies elsewhere. It was first intended that this event be extended to all the Perak State Council companies, making it their event, but it was not well received, so they agreed to convert it to a TRAC event instead. Hoorah!

I followed the 1st Petaling Jaya BB and GB contingent, as I felt it was best for me to be there to support as the TRAC BB representative. My real role though was to function as one of the drivers. 

Opening Ceremony

We left PJ Trinity around 6 plus. I messed up that morning, having slept past my alarm (didn't hear it at all to be honest!), but fortunately I was not the last person to be late.. so it wasn't entirely my fault! Skipping a planned breakfast stop, our three vehicles departed for Wesley Methodist Church Ipoh, arriving just on time. 

All other participants were already there, mostly from Ipoh. The PJ Boys and girls, as well as a group from Sitiawan (4th Manjung Company) were the only ones from out of town. Interestingly, in general the officers played a minimal role, with NCOs and Young Leaders doing most of the work. The participants were divided into 10 groups, using the names of the 12 Disciples. I'm guessing Judas wasn't one of them, but I wonder who was the poor soul who didn't get picked. Hmm. 

Camp Commandant, Mr. Edwin Khoo

1st Ipoh BB's new captain, Mr. Edwin Khoo, was the camp commandant. Coming from the rank and file of 1st Ipoh, he was once the church's youth worker before working for SUFES. I have to say, the camp was well organised and prepared. The helpers all knew exactly what to do and there didn't seem to be any uncertainties with the task they were assigned. Well done!

Camp speaker, Mr. Koh Earn Soo from Scripture Union

The camp speaker was Mr. Koh Earn Soo, the Executive Director of Scripture Union Malaysia. He is a very down to earth and humble man. His messages were backed up with many relevant facts - quit a few from documentaries (many fun facts like the red skin from salmon is actually from them not eating till the skin dissolved, while making a point about endurance), which made it really interesting! Later on, I found out that he was the father of an OCFer friend of mine, Koh Chien Aun, and the brother of 5th KL GB's captain, Jane Koh. Small world indeed!!!

The camp was a mixture of a familiar Sunday School camp and a touch of Brigadism. It was a different culture for me as I was less accustomed to seeing participants take part in multiple sessions of sermons - 2 or 3 a day. I was more accustomed to just one short devotion in the day and another at night. The rest would be all fun and games - leadership and team building games. 

Game Sessions!

Not saying there were none, the station games proved to be quite a fun and enjoyable time. There were also handicraft sessions conducted by non-BB/GB volunteers. The extra spiritual components, although unaccustomed to me, was really good for the participants.

Madam Clareen Choo playing along being the "bad guy" for treasure hunt

Good on-site prepared meals for the participants

During the final night, many young people responded to God.. not just the participants, but the helpers as well. It was truly an eye opening event, as for many of us would be less-bold to do this in a BB camp. It was certainly a lesson of faith for me.

God moving on the final night

Well done to the officers and helpers from 1st Ipoh BB, 1st Ipoh GB, 2nd Ipoh GB, and 6th Ipoh BB for their hard works, particularly (and noticeably) Mr Edwin Khoo and Madam Clareen Choo.

1st PJ BB and GB contingent 

My last task of the event was to send a van full of girls from 1st Petaling Jaya GB home. That proved to be the most stressful part of my responsibilities. A noisy van was expected, but over 20 replays of Let It Go from Disney's Frozen and it's parodies proved quite a challenge. We stopped at Tapah for lunch before continuing on back to KL, when the most testing moment came. Mid-way,  I suddenly noticed that my van's engine temperature was above its maximum tolerance. Knowing that the engine could give up at any moment, I said a short prayer of protection and hoped for the best. It was raining heavily on the North-South Highway, a mixed blessing as it provided some small relief in cooling the engine, as well as drowning out the sounds of a sick engine. Then, the Rawang rest area came to view I pulled into it, deciding not to take the risk. As I was just meters away from the intended parking spot, the engine finally gave way, and I coasted to the lot with pure momentum. God's timing was good. The situation could have been far, far worse (ie.a stationary van in the middle of the North-South Highway full of young girls). I would like to thank Mr Andrew Tan, daughter of Audrey Tan for coming to the rest area and assisting in transfers as well as providing the much needed water and radiator coolant. Ultimately, thank God for his protection. We managed to bring all the girls back to PJ Trinity safely, though a little late. I was even able to drive my car back to my mechanic in Seri Kembangan after the jam subsided.

All in all, the past few days God's presence was with us and there was certainly no regrets coming along for this camp. Till the next one!

Visiting the Founder

I was in the United Kingdom for holidays during the British Summer of 2014. Travelling between Sheffield and Edinburgh with extra time to spare, I decided to take a trip to Glasgow to visit the final resting place of BB's Founder, Sir William Alexander Smith.

Glasgow, where it all begun

I got into Glasgow via the Queen Street Station, before taking another train to Gilshochill, just another three stops away. After that, it's just a short five minute walk to the Western Necropolis. All ticket prices between Edinburgh to Gilshochill cost only £14.90 which allows you to travel any time on a Sunday. It's actually okay to "not buy" a ticket between Glasgow to Gilshochill as you can purchase tickets on the train which will be 10 pence cheaper.. and if the conductors don't get to you in time, I guess it's free!

Glasgow's Western Necropolis

A rough map of Sir William Smith's grave can be found in this book. It turns out Sir William Smith was quite the star in this grave yard, with his name imprinted on the on-site map.

Zoom in of the site map, showing the location of Sir William Smith's grave 

Locating the actual grave-site was another matter. In my excitement, I rushed about searching for the grave and ended up overlooking. I had to comb the area 2-3 times before locating Sir William Smith's tombstone. That said, it only took 5 minutes to localise. The tombstone was relatively new, no doubt due to the generous efforts of the BB in the United Kingdom.

It was undoubtedly an emotional experience for me, finally meeting the man in person, the one who started the organisation which has deeply impacted my life, as well as the lives of countless others. I am truly grateful for his heart and passion for Boys and to save souls for Jesus, mine including. Not realising at the time, it has been 100 years since his death (though I missed the exact 100th year anniversary by several months -  he died 10th May 1914, also two months before the start of the First World War). It was a privileged I could personally come honour the Founder on the centenary of his death. 

I did feel a sense of regret for coming empty handed, though I do have an excuse for that. Sir William Alexander Smith would've been too man for flowers, I couldn't bring Scottish whisky as it might give our younger members visiting this blog the wrong idea, and it was too short a notice to make a wreath (manly-flowers). So paying my respects to the man was the best I could do. Perhaps one day, I shall return and be more prepared. 

I spent the next half an hour in silence (as well as working out how to take photos of myself with Sir William Smith in a respectful way) before leaving the Western Necropolis.

Apart from Sir Smith's grave, there is also a memorial write up about the war graves, one which mentions the 16th Highland Light Infantry which comprised of former members of The Boys' Brigade.  I'm sure Sir William Alexander Smith would've been proud of the brave men of the 16th HLI.

Write up of the Commonwealth war graves, which had a short mention of BB's service in the war

I am grateful for this opportunity to experience this pilgrimage and visiting the Founder and I thank God for his life. I cannot help but reflect on the reasons why he started The Boys' Brigade so many years ago and wonder how he feels about the way we are running the BB now, particularly about doing things properly, uncompromising, and steadfastly in accordance to what is right, rather than relenting for the sake of convenience. I feel even more determined to serve the Lord as how Sir William Smith did until his death, running the race and fighting the good fight till the very end.

Rest in Peace, Sir William Alexander Smith.


PS: Special thanks to Mr. Darryn Chiew of 2nd KL for advice and a map of the necropolis.

Parade on 6th September 2014

We tried something different for CE today. Instead of going straight into the Word, we played a game. I broke the Seniors into squads and gave them a 1/4 cup of hair gel. 1 comb, and a pair of scissors. The idea was to come up with the most creative hairstyle. Each squad had to send one keen volunteer, of which at the rest of the group's mercy, will do up his hair. It was a spontaneous activity, but I think one the Boys enjoyed. 

Getting to work with Private Chan Kai Hei's hair

Our brave models!

The lesson was based on the Book of Acts, with the focus on the Apostle Paul. The idea is that we all have choices in life. Some will lead to outstanding results, while others can be catastrophic. Paul, then Saul, was a grand prosecutor of the new Christian faith, but God gave him a choice. He could've disobeyed and continue wrecking havoc, or he could agreed to change, leading on to be the true founder of the church as an organisation. We too have a choice to mould ourselves and the people around us, or we could end up doing something we cannot undo. This is the illustration presented by the hair gel (to mould) and the scissors (something which cannot be undone - cut hair). The potential of this exercise to be used in other scenarios, like friendship or coaching is also possible. Fortunately, none of them dared to use the scissors! 

I was also happier today with attendance and the flow of programs was good. Hopefully things will continue to improve for the company. 

Parade on 23rd August 2014 - Special Visit by Mr. Kenny Lee

It was meant to be just a casual catch up session, but instead I got my old friend, Mr. Kenny Lee from Penang to speak to the Boys. Kenny does marketing for a family-owned business school called EDS which specialises in post-graduate business studies, like MBA programmes. 

Kenny and I knew each other since the days or ICQ (or was it later on, with MSN Messenger?). He started off in the 4th Butterworth Company, making to Sergeant. Unfortunately, the company went defunct, so we transferred to the 14th Penang Company, where he spent the last days in his Blues. Now, he is an officer with the 18th Penang Company. Mr. Lee is also active in politics, where his efforts have earned him a PJK (Pingat Jasa Kemangkuan) for services to the community. 

Kenny shared his life story and BB experience with our Boys, whom unfortunately did not register good attendance. In fact, it might have been the worst attendance 3rd KL has seen - ever. With just about a handful of Senior during closing, many of the Boys went missing after the morning inter-uniform group drill competition in conjunction with Hari Ko-kurikulum. I was disappointed with such displays in attitude, as practically all the afternoon session members from SMK Taman Desa choose not to attend parade despite the events not clashing with one another. This is worrying and something we will definitely need to fix. 

Anyway, congratulations to the SMK Taman Desa BB drill team for once again winning the competition! However, there is an urgent need to examine yourselves as a winner is only as good as his character. Honour and respect is earned, not given. 

Pesta 1994 Drill Competition - 1st Johor Bahru, 1st Melaka, 6th Penang, and 3rd Kajang Teams

Another batch of videos from Pesta 1994. Unfortunately, these are the last ones from drill I was able to salvage as the other tapes were missing. Will try to look for someone who might have a spare copy, but would still need someone to lend me their VCR player. 

Anyways, first up is the 1st Johor Bahru drill team led by Staff Sergeant Tan Khan. This is the champion drill team. 

Next is the 1st Melaka drill team. This team placed in the Top 3, but we're uncertain if it was 2nd or 3rd Place. 

6th Penang's drill team. I thought they were pretty good!

3rd Kajang drill team. 

The next videos will prove to be more interesting - those from Pesta 1996. So stay tuned!

Parade on 16th August 2014

Today's parade was a little (okay, quite) messy. Singspiration was cancelled due to a lack of musicians - something we will need to address soon, and the Form 3 and 5 Boys are on leave, leading to poor attendance. Effective, we are a company of Form 1 and 2 Boys, with just a couple of Form 4 NCOs. 

Still, there was much to look forward to. Problem solving is one of the challenges I like taking, and slowly putting the 3rd KL Senior Section back into shape. We are lacking in many resources, equipment.. even necessary skills and experience on part of some of the Boys and officers in order to do certain programs. In time, training will need to be given. The recovery process won't be straightforward, but slowly and surely, we'll be stronger than we were before. The most important element is passion and commitment, to the BB and to our fellow brethren. 

Shall we crack on then? 

2nd Kampar Pesta 1994 Drill Competition Video

Next up is the 2nd Kampar team. Very touching towards the end as the commander, who has a leg injury, was helped out of the drill grounds by his team-mates.

Parades on 9th August 2014

My second full parade since being back in action. This time it a full Saturday, as I have agreed to help 6th Kuala Lumpur, as their captain will be occupied half the time with MBA studies on Saturdays. Before that, I dropped by at 13th Kuala Lumpur to say hi to the SMK Seri Saujana Boys. I was quite touched that they waited for me to return before opening a hamper they've won for placing 3rd in the school's sports day march past. Congratulations to the team for their hard work! I am glad to see things running smoothly, so well done to the officers. 

Mr. Lee conducting Citizenship Basic classes with 13th KL

Due to the time I spent in 13th KL, I was short on time by the time I reached 6th KL, but was able to assist Mr. Jonathan Kong with Junior Drill, which he needed a hand in so that he can give some attention to the Seniors. Honestly, Junior Section has not proven to be my strong points. But I am always up for a challenge and did what I could. May need to adjust from time to time as there were several interesting characters in the team. 

Onward to 3rd KL. I've become their Senior Section OIC and have a mountain load of issues to sort out. But first, today's parade saw a slight change in program as we had guest from Japan visiting us. It was a group of teenagers who were on a language exchange program. We did a few games, led by the NCOs which did two games learned from Pesta (one was the hit-and-chase with a bottle game, where one person will be running around with a bottle trying to hit a person before he/she sat down in a line, if successful would trigger a person running from the other end of the same line). I think I guest enjoyed themselves. Singspiration was carried out by Mr. Ho Yew Hon and one of the Private (can't remember his name), which went well. 

Two of the older Japanese guest

The games in session

I gave extra time to the drill teams members from SMK Taman Desa to practice for their upcoming extra co-curricular day drill competition. While there were at it, I did Christian education based on an assigned topic, which message was that it was never too late to redeem ourselves. The material required me to talk about Manchester United during an ancient Champions League game, but I instead showed them a YouTube video of Manchester City and Queen's Park Rangers 2012 Premier League finals. The rest of parade was routine, as the program proceeded with drill handled by Mr. Steven Voo, followed by closing parade, then the band.

Although things went adequately, I have been exposed to many weaknesses in 3rd KL, which I hold to quickly sort out (technical and resource based issues), but some would simply take time (attitudes, motivation, interest, and leadership).

Still, it is great to be back in the saddle again. Also glad to be on "the other side", the non-full-time side which allows me to be more vocal and honest. Looking forward to take BB to a higher level!

3rd KL's Pesta 1994 Drill Team Video

I have a cache of BB videos I digitised during my time in BBM Headquarters. Instead of leaving it in my hard drive waiting to breakdown, I will be posting them up bit by bit for everyone's viewing pleasure.

First up  of course if one from my home company, 3rd Kuala Lumpur Company.

6 Tips for Pesta

Pesta can be an overwhelming experience for those going for the first time. Even those who have experienced it before find each Pesta to be different. As the biggest Boys' Brigade camp in Malaysia (and quite possibly the world), it should be treated as a once in a lifetime experience.

To allow for a more meaningful Pesta experience, here are some of my advice:


1) Do not stick to your own company
The main objective of the Pesta is to have fellowship. It is a shame when people are split into squads and
stay silent for the whole Pesta until they go back to their company dorms. Open up and make new friends! Who knows, the new friendships you find may be more meaningful than the current ones you have.

2) Don't go on social media. Go SOCIALISE! 
Somewhat related to tip #1, but one which requires emphasis in this time and age. I hope you didn't pay and travel all the way to Kampar just to be starring at your phones, posting status updates and taking selfies, rather than enjoy the atmosphere of Pesta. (Tip to organisers: Have a mandatory phone check-in (by company) where participants surrender their phones to their officers. This will prevent anti-social behaviour.)

3) Your company isn't the only one in the world
Scenario:
Person A:   Hi, I'm John. Please to meet you.
Person B:   Hello! My name is Derp from the 3rd Company!
Person A:   ....

Thinking your company is the (insert number)st/nd/rd/th in the world is quite ignorant and will probably be pretty embarrassing. Please be sure to mention the full company name instead of just the number. For those of you who will encounter such cases, just give them a nice smile with tiny frown on your lip and be nice.

4) Keep an open mind and be willing to accept differences.

Pesta has much diversity, with people from different backgrounds and company culture mixing together.
Some might wear their badges differently, drill differently, have different approaches to decorum (respect and protocol given to ranks) - some companies may not even practice this at all, and so on. Even singspiration (or praise and worship) styles are different, as BB is made of various denominations. The key is to not judge and respect, even appreciate the differences. Comparing and looking down on others will probably make your Pesta stay a distasteful one.

5) Mind the language barrier
There will lots of noticeable languages, from Hokkien (Penang State companies) to Foo Chow (Sarawak State and Manjung companies) to Hakka (Sabah State companies) to Cantonese (Ipoh and the Klang Valley companies) and  of course English which is actually the minority in the "dan lain-lain" (etcetera) category. If you can speak Mandarin, no worries! You're all set. But if you are a banana like me, speak slowly and use simple English with others. Be patient and understanding to your fellow camper, and they will be likewise. Do not make the mistake of arrogantly thinking that your language is the "better" one. Be humble and a good sport.

6) Go with an expectant heart
Be excited! Don't drag your feet on your way there, hoping for the 5-6 days to pass by quickly. Enjoy this event as much as you can. There is always something new to take home (not just talking about a physical thing, but a learning experience). Don't leave without a finding a memorable and significant experience.


Other tips: 

• There will be long queues for everything, such as food, toilets and so on. So be early! 
• There will be no late night fire drills like the ones in the NCOs' Training School (unless a real fire happens. Smell for smoke).
• Always be prepared. Be helpful to one another (regardless of company). Listen to the officers. 
• Drink lots of water. Many people fall sick in such camps due to a lack of fluids. Carry a bottle at all times. Bring some panadol too just in case the heat causes headaches.
• Carry some tissue or wet wipes and a fanning device when watching competitions. It will be hot and sweaty. 
• Be sporting in a group, especially for games.
• Bring a notepad and pen for all the phone numbers and Facebook IDs you need to copy down.

That's all the advice I can offer. 

HAVE A GREAT PESTA!