Being good to others

Life is meant to be enjoyable for you and others. Rules for games are often made so everyone is treated fairly and everyone has a chance to enjoy themselves. Try to think of playing by the ‘rules of life’.

Do this quiz every now and again to see how well you are going. Answer (T) True; (F) False; or (S) Sometimes.

I am quick to help a friend who needs help.
I offer help to someone who needs it, even if I’m not so keen on or I don’t know them.
I try to speak first to someone who is new to BB. I can think of 3 things
I did for someone this week without being asked. I am respectful to others.
I never speak unkindly about others.
I like to cheer someone up who is feeling sad.
I don’t get very upset when I don’t get my own way.
I can share my things happily with others.
I try to talk to people that don’t seem to fit in.

Think of others as you want them to think about you. Say only things about others that you want others to say about you. Don’t behave in ways that hurt or might hurt others. Be brave to be good. People will like you better that way.

Telling others about BB
You are one of the lucky ones—you are already in the B.B.— but what about your friends at school, Sunday School and other Boys who live near you? They would enjoy themselves too, if you brought them along to the next time your Section meets. This is how Brigade keeps on growing - friends telling friends about it.

[Borrowed from BBA web again]

My first BB Asia Academy

I attended the BB Asia Academy which was held in Cameron Highlands from the 10-14th November 2006. BB officers and members from all over Asia attended.. the Phillipines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia and or course - Malaysia, with members from 1st JB, 1st Sibu, 1st Bukit Mertajam, 6th KL, 12th KL and 3rd. This event was organized by Mr. Lawrence, who is also the BB Asia Executive Secretary, together with help from the staff from BBM HQ. I have to admit that initially the thought of attending this academy never crossed my mind and when they my other officers asked me to go I was a little relunctant at first. But, boy.. thank God for persuasive people.

Day 1

We gathered in BBHQ at about 12pm. We were having lunch at Mr. Peter Yap's place before that. We left HQ after some final adjustments, seeked the Lords protection and took off north towards Ipoh. Two vehicles were used, Mr. Terence drove his Myvi and HQ rented a van with Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Eric in it. We had a stop for gas at the Sungai Buloh rest stop, when a slight problem occured. It seemed like petrol was leaking from the rented van and all the situation begun to look really gream. Fortunately it was just an overflow and we were on our way again. I was pretty much the operator and hands free kit for Mr. Terence who had incoming calls throughout the journey. Of course we had a fun time talking about all sorts of things. Other than the stop in Sungai Buloh, we had only one additional stop for a toilet break, and it's all the way up to Chefoo.

Cameron Highlands wasn't really a nice place for sight seeing.. at least the town isn't. The countryside is still pretty good.. and the air and coolness is similar to that of Genting and Frasers.. being at a high altitude. Cameron's is at the turnoff from Tapah, which is about 2 hours from KL. It takes another hour to navigate the whindy roads to Cameron's. It was an uneventful drive and we reached Chefoo Methodist Center at around 4.30pm.

We begun unloading and setting up the moment we arrived. The other officers were busy making arrangements for the delegates through registration and other matters while I was busy setting up the PA in the hall where all the classes will be held.

Only a handful of people arrived before us from Bukit Mertajam and Singapore. 1st JB was the first to arrive after us. Once they've checked in their NCO's, who were on worship duty that night, begun assisting me with the PA and other technicalities. I have to say that they were highly efficient and dispelled whatever stereotypes and impressions I had of the company before this event.

As preparations were still being carried out into the night, more delegates started to arrive, particular the ones from overseas. One of the flights were delayed and as a result a whole batch of attendees were an behind time. Most of them arrived after dinner. Later on they revealed to us another reason why they were delayed.

Worship was led by the 1st JB members who sang a mixture of Indonesian and English songs. It was indeed a great joy to see so many people of different nationalities praising God. It was a good effort by the two 1st JB sergeants as well, both girls. You can tell that at least one of them was very nervous. Thank God everything went smoothly. We also prayed for those who were still on their way up to Camerons, it was raining heavily and the roads were more dangerous to drive on.

After worship, all of us were introduced to the organizers of this event. The principal of the BB Asia Academy was Mr. Lim K. Tham, the former Executive Secretary for BB Singapore. He briefed us of what to expect from the course and that maintaining a positive attitude is the key to making this event successful. Following Mr. K. Tham's briefing, he briefly introduced Mr. Lawrence, who is the BB Asia full-time-to-be executive secretary.

The session was concluded by Reverend Richrard Tok, who came straight from the bus without enough time even to check in, gave a message and vesper. He then revealed to the rest of us that the bus was delayed due to a series of landslides which occured on the way up to Camerons.

After vesper, supper was prepared for all.. and it was bed time for most of us. The HQ staff were still awake late into the night preparing for the Academy's launch the next day. I had my share of sleeplessness as well.. as I was up fixing up the PA.. which never seemed to work well due to the PA's setup in the hall. Once that was done, it was a nice hot shower and lights out for a satisfying first day. I haven't met any solid new friends yet, except Cpl. Chung Wee and Sgt. Christopher from 1st JB, but I'm sure I'll get a chance in the next 4 days.

Day 2

As usual, I had a slight problem waking up in the morning, but it was better than most occasions. I really thank Joseph Loy from BB Singapore for giving me a wake up call.. if not I would've late to open up the hall for the worship team to practice. Since I was by default responsible for the equipment in the hall. So after a quite teeth brushing I was off to the hall.

Breafast was a plain continental set.. one of my favourites. We had our day cut out for us, with opening cermony right after worship. I changed into my uniform early.. which my red jacket as the second layer. It was aircond cold up in Cameron's. To launch this year's BB Asia Academy, we have Dr. M. Kayvaes, a minister in the Prime Ministers department and a former BB member from 4th KL.

After a photo session, a short tea break, the academy begun. Mr. Robinson did a session on programme idea. Later on Mr. Lim K. Tham did another session on BB Philosophy, Culture and Traditions. He basically talked about BB Asia and what the goals of the BB ministries of the world have in common.. which is to commit to the BB Object, something which is also emphasised by Mr. Robinson earlier on. The goal of BB should be focused on 2 parts and for us as BB officers have two callings. The first is an evangelical calling, where we're called to bring forth the Good News through the BB movement to those whom do not know Him. The other is the basically the development of character.

Most of us were looking forward to the programme at night.. which was a visit to the Cameron's pasar malam down in town. Unfortunately, during dinner.. there was a moderate shower which spoiled the plan.. as we were supposed to walk down to town. So, instead of the night market Mr. Lawrence conducted a games session for us. After vesper and sharing it was the end of Day 2.

Day 3

The next day started pretty much the same way like the second.. except for breakfast. It was to be sunrise service out in the open... unfortunately for some reason we decided to have it indoors instead. Reverend Raymond Sim led the morning's sunrise service, spoke of Taming the Tongue and emphasised how all of us in the Brigade ministry should learn to work togther and not criticize each others differences.

Most of the days sessions are conducted by Mr. Timothy Tan, a former 2nd Penang Boy. He speicializes in training leaders in well known corporations and MNCs, where work sometimes takes him overseas for training. I remember him mentioning he did a session for MYOB.. that big Australian Accounting IT Software company... wow.

I guess the what made his sessions interesting was how relevant he was towards the current trends. He was not afraid to speak his mind.. sometimes using "semi-foul" words for effect.. but never failing to apologize when he realizes he's crossed the line.

Usually, I'll be quite reluctant to participate in an ice-breaker or a game.. However, his approace made it quite enjoyable.

There was this game, which was basically "one, two, juice".. but with an additional twist to it. Initially, everyone starts as an egg. Those who win the first round will move on to become a chicken while the loser remains an egg. Only characters with a similar character can challenge one another. So, in the next level.. after a chicken-chicken duel, the victor will move on to become a dinosour.. while the loser is demoted back to an egg. The same process then continues.. dino versus dino. The victor will become an Immortal, while the loser will be demoted back to a chicken. Ultimately, as it turns out, there can be only one egg, one chicken, one dino.. while everyone else would end up as immortals.

It was quite a scene seeing so many adults playing a game like this.. and right from the start i had a bad feeling where I would end up. I had a 10 time loosing streak.. and the furtherest i got to was a dino.. just a step away from being normal. As the game progress... more and more ppl were left standing in their immortal poses while I was stuck at the other various lower levelled positions. And guess what... I was the EGG! The lowest of the lot.... arghhh... how embarassing.. =.=". But the game was fun, and I got a big bar of kitkat for it which on one else had (other than the chicken and dino).

Remaining days:

Well, we basically had a wonderful time of fellowship. I'm glad I came and got to know many friends from all over, particularly Joseph Loy from 30th Singapore and members from 1st Johor Bahru (Chung Wee, Christopher, Siau Wen, Slyvia, Hellen, Peih Ling, Michelle and others who were friendly enough to approach a weirdo guy like me =P. I'm sure our friendship will last as long as we have the Anchor as part of our souls.

Interesting Article

Hi, I thought I'd share this - taken from BBA Website..

BB is Unique. For contemporary local church work with young people, the biggest challenge is not attracting young people, but helping those who identify as Christians to be committed long-term as fruitful followers of Christ beyond their young life. Long-term results are rarely achieved without long-term work. With that, Brigade is uniquely placed, as it is the only local church children's and youth Christian framework that offers consistent long-term intensive training that spans the entire school-age life of a young person. While recognising whatever age they are and the capabilities they have, BB constantly encourages and supports them to always keep developing further in all areas of their lives. This makes BB relevant and attractive to all (those inside and outside the church).

Our movement's biggest challenge today is communicating why we should continue to exist and what we actually offer to our world. With so many other groups adopting techniques pioneered in BB (small group structure, camping, leadership development programs, mentoring), many believe that only trivial surface details like what we wear, how we stand and walk, and what we call each other are the things that justify why we should exist. By not being clear about who we are and what we offer, many find it difficult to support our work (especially when there are so many other 'competing' programs that also need support).

So next time someone in the church asks what is BB - don't say a Christian version of scouts, or an uniformed youth group - tell them:"BB is about long-term training for long-term results - for young people to lead and impact their world (with God's kingdom)."Remember no other widespread Christian young people work is intentionally and actively working long-term like Brigade is.Keep up the great work in your continued efforts and desire to advance God's kingdom.

A Lesson in Cleanliness

It was during closing parade when an unusual sight, in an unusual place for fall-out occured. Imagine approximately 100 people cramming themselves in the tight spaces of the YMCA lounge.. so much so till some of them had to move along the pathway area to do their push-ups. Why the push-ups? Well.. some smart "behinds/donkeys" left their foods and drink packages in the hall. Sergeant Hooi Chin Gian finally decided to do something about it. It's very weird to have this culture going on with our members. It's just a matter of looking for a rubbish bin an throwing it in.

Anyway, the grandtotal was 40 push-ups. 10 for every rubbish recovered. As though doing push up's in that tight area wasn't bad enough.. the Sergeant gave a countdown - 10 seconds to get on the floor and kick off the push ups.

Well.. hopefully the BB will be able to instill civic culture in our Boys.. where else are they going to learn? In Malaysia... the adults too are doing it. Well... that's not gonna happen in 3rd KL. At least not with a few push-ups everytime that happens..

Drill Squad

photo:L-R: Sgt.Darryn, Pte. Yap JY, Pte. Dhanvi L, Pte. Wong WS, Pte. Lee YG, Pte. John Yuen, Pte. Sean, Pte. Law WK.

Many BB members dislike drill most , among all the weekly BB activities.

However, drill can actually be fun without compromising discipline. If someone in the drill team makes a mistake, we do not laugh at him. We laugh with him. When we encounter a complicated drill command, we learn to brainstorm our way through, covering up for each and everyone of our team members too! Remember the purposes of learning drill.

In fact, it was DRILL that gave the founder inspiration to found BB. Sir Smith was thinking how he could use DRILL to control grown up men but couldn't do anything to control the boys in sunday school. Therefore, he got the idea to found BB. So, remember, DRILL is an important part in every BB boy's life.

To all the new privates, hope you all can learn to find fun during drill. Not the "free and easy" kind of fun, but the "fun of working in a team" . Sweat together, Enjoy together.

P.S. This post is dedicated to Pte. Yap Joon Yew, Pte. Dhanvi Lakshman, Pte. Wong Weng Soon, Pte. Lee Yan Gen, Pte. Yuen Kah Jun, Pte. Sean Au, Pte. Law Wei Ken , Pte. Viknesh K. and last but not least, Pte. Chow Chun Yang.

The History of B-3

What does history mean? History means incidents that happened a long time ago. Every single thing that happens today had its own history and it happened to the B-3 too. So let's seek the history of the B-3.

Actually, the B-3 started in 1987 and it was called "The Sextant" before it changed to B-3.

The first issue was very simple and it was done by Mr. Lawrence Tay Hoon Sian. After that, he began to seek the boys to help him.

The purpose of starting the B-3 is to give current news to the boys. It also tells the boys about the incidents that has occured and plans for the future.

Later, the B-3 was distributed to the other companies so that they will also know what had happened in 3rd KL Company and the company's future aims.

(Extract from B-3 , Generation3 Issue3 Aug-Nov1995)

The B-3 was missing in action until recently revived by W/O Voon. Complete with new look and new logo, the B-3 is set to reach out again!

By the way, in the olden days, the B-3 motto was : "There for the Story, Victory and History"

3rd KL Pesta Drill Video

A video of the drill team during Pesta. Special thanks to Tan Chin Wei who recorded this.

of Boots & Kiwi

of Boots & Kiwi =P

All rite all rite here's something about Pesta...... 6.am in the morning on the 4th of June, I was awoken by the alarm clock......I also woke my roomate up because he promised to help me polish my belt while I was away on drill practice. Washed my face and brushed my teeth then I went down...*I had one eye swollen T_T* The time was 6.15 or so when I reached down thats the time Voon wanted us to be awaked in the basketball court in our drill boots BUT VOON didnt show up *what an example =P advanced sleeping techniques eh?* in the end Han Sheng came down and falled us in... and waited for VOON!!!! we all ended up lying down on the basketball court half-asleep until it started raining *Voon still hasnt showed up x__x* Finaly someone called Voon and he told us to get some breakfast then go back to our rooms and change into our uniform. We were falled in and some of our officers inspect our uniform before the actual inspection. Some of the boys that werent in the drill team were running around with kiwi, Brasso, water and polishing cloths. Inspection was a fast and brief one, they didnt inspect the whole drill team just certain people *namely ME =P* then suddenly Sir Ng came after the inspection and said "Congratulations you are going to the finals. The first 5 teams bye bye already". If I'm not mistaken 8th Penang went out before us *right beside us whom Voon said was a threat*. We we're the 8th team to perform. Then came the time to march into the drill ground... somehow I wasnt nervous but I could sense most of the team was nervous. Maybe its because they didnt had any competition experience. Anyways their nervousness caused the whole team to march real fast and I had to keep up even during hentak kaki I didnt even had enough time to get my knees up to 90 degrees because the rest of the team was stamping so fast. Penang state boo-ed and jeered at us as we entered *i can clearly remember* and so it began...... Our "yang tinggi kekanan, rendah kekiri, dalam satu barisan paras!!" was screwed up because one of our member took 2 steps less then the rest of the team *there goes 1 major mistake* and "disebelah kiri jadikan skuad" was ALMOST screwed up because our commander ended the command on the wrong leg... lucky the team was smart enough to take 1 extra step before executing the command. The rest of the sequence was smooth... our commander reported again and we marched out =).


Then came the time for the results to be announced *AFTER SEVERAL HOURS OF WAITING??? HOW INCONSIDERATE!!!* as they were announcing the 10 teams that would enter the Finals we we're standing together with the 1st KL drill team in one semi-circle. I was so afraid that we didnt make it but at No.7 "3rd Kuala Lumpur Company" we were jumping like mad monkeys and screaming hahaha. We had 15 minute rest before the Finals began.... so I went to see my guardians and my friends went to see their parents and some were even celebrating in the toilet *.......* after 15 minutes we were falled in just for awhile, our commander said "just rest now but when team no.5 goes out remember to come back here and fall-in" we were team no.7 to perform *lucky number ^^* 1st JB was team no.8 *o.o*. As team no.5 was performing we had to listen to Voon "crap" "we got into the finals by procedure. We cant afford any major mistakes this round" the whole KL state was on us and supporting us *we were the only KL company to make it through the 1st round* Voon also said "if we managed to boot 8th Penang out of the 1st round then 1st JB wouldnt be a problem" <<< that boosted the teams morale *thanks Voon =P*. I was praying really hard that we could get top 3 and make Sir Tan proud..... and so we entered the drill ground... the sequence was fine UNTIL one of the members and my best-friend James almost fainted.. his perlahan jalan was way out of timing and I was scared that his leg would be wrong on the next command *ke kanan pusing* indeed he was on the wrong foot but he stamped with the other leg anyways *bless him* the rest of it ended just fine.


After we marched out I had doubts about my dream of getting top-3 after the last team had performed I was waiting for the results then someone announced that the results would be announced later after the singing competition *......* what a bummer -______- and the end of the day we got 2nd placing woohoo a position that 3rd KL has nvr managed to get until now *we break history yeah* I remember standing beside Voon during the drill results announcements. He looked calm. I taught that we were getting 3rd placing..... but that position went to another team, then 2nd placing "3rd Kuala Lumpur Company" the whole company jumped and scream like mad people even Voon went wild *lol <__<* the team all ran up to the stage and claimed our prize then took some photo's and returned back to our company to see who will be champion. I taught it was gonna be 1st JB but it went to 16th Penang haha and that just made us more victorious because we beat 1st JB hahahaha after back slapping Voon and dropping gold dust on him we all went home with our history breaking trophy and had a good rest =)


Private Low Kent

Testimonial form Private Low Kent

wazzup fellow 3rd KL member *or not <__<* Pvt. Low Kent here -___-" its been 9 years now since the day I joined into 3rdKL's Family. I've joined BB since 1997 *earlier then darryn by a few weeks* during that time the jr section was just re-formed *according to sir edward it was closed down before that due to some reason* during my jr days the BB meetings were more tough then my current senior section days and yea sir edward was my officer back then and primer jason khoo hahaha I remember on my 1st day primer jason gave the new recruits some work in one of the classrooms. I passed up the work last because i did it kinda slow. After the session with primer jason it was drill time with sir edward.I remember him asking me "Do you know what drill is?" and I looked around and saw everywhere people marching up and down so I said "erm... marching?" and he said "something like that lah" hahaha. My 2nd year in BB and I was promoted to jr.leading boy *happy happy* . My 3rd year in BB won best-commander award for the KL battalion foot drill competition *oh the backslapping PAIN!!*. Our officer sir edward split us in to 3 squads namely Team A, Team B and Team C. The way he splits us into this squads to some maybe unfair...We are sperated into different squads based on our drill *I was always in team A ^^* Alot of boys that I know since I joined BB *jr and senior section* have already resigned. People like Benedict Ng or Kalidas or Henry Lum or Darryl Ang, James Tan and many more all resigned. I didnt get my gold award T.T!!! OKOK to my senior section days 1st year in senior section already PESTA!!! and suddenly out of the blue our ex-primer wong zhi yie *now known as sir joe* came back and trained the band for pesta. You know.. standing on the field blowing your songs is exhilirating and *though you lose* FUN!!... Now almost all boys in any company will at some point feel tired of BB and feel like quiting but they dont want to, I've had such a problem last year I wanted to quit but i couldnt because everytime I taught of resigning I remember those past 8 years I spent in BB those happy moments *and sad* I showed up whenever I wished, and this sort of got our captain to start asking me about my loyalty in BB. I dont know maybe it was PMR or something... after captain tan spoke with me I realize that I have only 2 choices 1.Resign 2.Be present for every meeting . You can guess which I chose. During 2005 awards and enrolement day I was present but not as a BB boy but as a guest and sir tan said to me "Low Kent, I hope that you will be in uniform next year". And so came 2006 I am now very active during company meetings and alot of people say that I have changed alot, though I dont feel it but other people can see it *hurray for me^^* Though our company has very few boys left from the "old days" and badge standards drop drastically 3rdKL is still my family.



Low Kent


p.s. I always led the whole jr.section to pull voon's "bulu kaki" during camps =) and COLGATE!!!!

Testimony from Sergeant Chiew Kin Yan

I remember, my first day in the 3rd Kuala Lumpur BB.. in std.4... that time, the green building was so unfamiliar, and the tar was rough on my canvas shoes. Thanks to my friend,former Jr. Leow Wee Chong who persuaded me to join, and another friend, former Jr. Alwin Rajasuria who provided transport for a certain period of time.Yes, without both of them, I wouldn't have known and joined this organization.

On my first day in BB, I already took part in Opening Parade. Actually, it was because ALVIN was late and he rushed in to report and pulled me along accidently. I didn't really know the moves and just followed around... I remember seeing the other recruits standing in the shade talking to Lt.Terence Tay while I, another recruit, was doing this thing called "drill" on my first day. The Parade NCO was Sgt. Yeoh Chee Keong, who had a deep and powerful voice.... and LOUD boots.. It was kinda scary at first, and I was just following blindly what the person next to me was doing. Stamping his feet ... ?!?!?!

OK, the uniform was really cool... and we had those colourful little button-like badges ... we had a great officer, W/O Edward Lim who was funny yet serious when needed. We also had Primer Jason Khoo, a presidents man who is now the Junior Section Head Officer. He was helpful especially during our badgework classes.

In fact, I am really thankful for such great officers such as Mr. Edward, Mr. Jason, Ms. May Chiam, and Mr. Daryl Leong. They are the ones who made my junior section experience so memorable. In fact, till today my batch who were under Mr. Edward still holds highly the Gold Award. To many of us, the Gold Award is cherished even more than the Presidents Award. Yes, it is true.

Back to the story, I don't remember our awards day that year, but I remember going for 10th Kuala Lumpur's FIRST awards day later that year. They were really a strong and happening company during that time. I also remember, as I was waiting for our company members to arrive at 10thKL's homeground, I was approached by a 10th KL parent , who took one glance at my nametag and said in a kind voice "Darryn, why aren't you falling in?" .... that shows how un-famous BB was during those days. I think the parent thought that there is only one BB Company in each state, and "10th" is given because they are the 10th state to have BB in it... (correct me if i'm wrong, thats what the parent REALLY thought... )

and of course, I remember founders day at 1st Kuala Lumpur BB. I remember seeing the letters M.B.S , and W/O Edward said do not make fun by saying Monkey Boys School or anything like that. Immediately I had the impression that those letters DID stand for Monkey Boys School. At that time, little did I have the idea that I was actually going to STUDY IN THAT PLACE where I now call my second home. I remember watching the sunset and the LRT passing at Plaza Rakyat station. That scene is still there in M.B.S and who wants to come to see it with me is welcome... hehehe!!

1999 - At the early part of 1999, the captain , Mr. Tan Chee Keong, whom I didn't really know well, was approaching just his 2nd Term as captain. He asked me to choose which band instrument I wanted to play. Naturally, the instrument which seemed easiest, most interesting and loudest was the DRUMS ... but there was no empty slot , so I was asked to choose again.

Looking around, I spotted some shiny pipes being blown. There was a long silver one with 3 valves, and a similar long gold one with no valves. There were also copper coloured ones and a gold one with 1 solitary valve. This section was amusing!! .... I immediately joined them. My leader was Cpl Sim Rick Kee and Sgt Ng Yee Khai. (I guess you all have heard of them at least once) . I started out with the BUGLE , (sadly, all are now missing except ONE) ..... I wasn't that fast a learner, and during band camp, Cpl Sim would always point me out ... " JUNIOR, why are you out of timing" .... "JUNIOR, you are not the only one marching here" .... of course, that time I was the only junior, and he was not familiar with my name.

That was 7 years ago. Now, I can play nearly the complete range of Brass and a wide selection of songs, as well as being the longest serving Brass section member alongside Sgt. Lum King Hui, who was a recruit when I was in std.5 .... BB certainly did change me a lot.

2000 - I was losing interest in BB. Due to my UPSR leave, I was drifting further apart, and on the 30th of December 2000, the phone rang.... mum said "Darryn, it's your call" .... I rarely get calls..... who might this be???

...... that was Captain Tan Chee Keong on the phone. He asked me to come for BB the following saturday, the first week of January. I gave lots of excuses, but..... all those who know Capt. Tan, you can guess what happened. For those who don't, he managed to persuade me to come back.


In my first year in Senior Section, I was put into Squad A-2 . My Squad Leader was Cpl Frederick Wong, and his assistant was L/cpl Voon Zhen Yi. Voon was on SPM leave and I never saw him or met him before!!! Then he was temporarily replaced by L/cpl Lim Hock King for the duties of Asst Sq Leader. The first year was a great one, with me getting everything i could get. I got 10 badges that year alone, where my friends only got 4.

In form 2 and 3, secondary schoolwork was beginning to put the pressure on me. Although I was much more enthusiastic in Senior Section than I was in Juniors, I was beginning to lose that enthusiasm too.... until at a camp in Tanjung Sepat, W/O David Ngo told me that I should never fall even when disappointments pushed me down.... I followed his advice until today.

The move from Junior to Senior Section had also brought up a change in one boy, Hooi Chin Gian. He was one of the noisiest and not a very well disciplined junior, but in senior section he dropped all those negative attitudes and really strived to change. He was fast and active in everything, and was never dependent on anyone. He is a good example of a true BB Boy.

Here I am now, in the middle of my 6th year in Senior Section. During these years in BB, many changes have been made by BBM, YMCA(our homeground) and other people. Officers and Instructors came, some stayed, some left.... the band is now no longer a Flute and Bugle Corps (pronounced as "Corr", not "Corps") but it's a Wind Band with complete range.... and I see boys come and go, many new friends, and memories of the friends who have left BB..... memories from the two pesta's I attended (2001 and 2003) ..... the Green building was changed to Blue, and it's now Yellow, and completely changed......



In retrospect, all these has made me a better person. How? Well, if you all know me since I was in junior section, you will know that I was a very quiet person and not serious at all. In fact, I was also quite lazy. I'm not saying here that these bad habits have left me entirely, but now I am more confident and able to address a crowd of people easier than before.

I also have many many more BB friends from all around the country, people I know just because they are linked to me through this organization. In fact, I do not see this feature in other uniformed bodies. They do not make friends from around the country within their organization as easily as BB members do.

Another thing I realised after all these years is that I'm now at the top, soon to finish my "career" as a Senior Section boy. I'm no longer a person who comes to BB to enjoy the activities planned by the seniors, but I myself are part of the seniors who plan for the company. At times, I regret for not taking the proper cause of action when I should have done, but then again God is always there blessing me with people who tell me and guide me when I go wrong.

In fact, God HAS really blessed the grand old company (3rd KL) . How the company has survived through the ups and downs is itself an amazing testimony of God's love. There has never (as far as I can remember) been a shortage of leaders to take charge and become the driving force of the company. God also has provided us with the resources we need. God is the true shephard of 3rd KL.

As a leader now, I have to spend more time focusing on training the members who will one day be in my shoes. Train them how to avoid the mistakes I have made. Train them to be more efficient than their predecessor. Train them to be leaders who learn to place their trust in God. When us leaders have successfully done that, it is a satisfaction for us to know that we have played our part in shaping a person's future.

In fact, that is truly what my officers have done. Even though we may have had (and will have) many conflicts in ideas and thinking, but every interaction in itself is a life long lesson. It teaches us to be a person who can stand up for what we believe in, a person who knows when he should submit to others, a person who leads by serving and a person who serves to lead.

Look, i'm sure you'll agree with me that many people have benefitted from this organization. For example, our own Private Low Kent. When he first joined senior section, he was still in his "junior section" mode... remember all those camps with colgate, camps where you couldn't sleep at night in fear of him, camps where you still couldn't sleep because he would be talking all night? ... BB meetings which he will be running around and talking the whole time .. Yes, if you know him then, you'd surely remember. However now he has changed alot. He knows when he should be heard and when he should not. I would say that at least part of it comes from BB training. So much for the noisy people. =P .

Anyway, to all the officers reading this, I appreciate you! Thanks for everything and thank you BB. Without all of you, I wouldn't be who I am today.

-Sergeant Chiew

Ideas?

3rd Kuala Lumpur Company has been around since 1957 and yet there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Submit your recommendations of what the company (or you) can do to make things better.

(This is a recruits assignment. However, Seniors and officers are welcome to contribute.

Our Story of Paul Tan

With many people and organizations writing about Paul.. I've decided that BB too should say something about him. I will talk about him from a personal view point without making it sound like a funeral service testimony.

Paul Tan Yik Mun is just like any one of us, with similar dreams and ambitions. His struggle was to keep up with the rest of us as he suffered from numerous health problems. Back then, he was unable to do heavy physical excercises or follow us for jogs in fears of an asthma attack.. should one occur could see him ending up on medical supervision for a week. He also could not be allowed to have his body wet overtime as if he catches cold it would lead to severe shivering, fever, and eventually shock.

Paul is a year younger than me. We both studied in the same school from primary at SK Taman Desa , to secondary at SMK Taman Desa 2 which was later renamed as SMK Desa Perdana. Paul joined the BB in the Junior Section at Standard 6 (which no doubt proved to be a wise choice.. as it comes with an extra badge into Seniors). My first impression of him was, a 'small midget sized average human being'. After I got to know him better.. he was really just like any of us. He was very verbal and never passes up any program thrown at him from the BB, although some maybe against his parents will.

BB Club Photo during Rowley's (a tebby bear from Australia) visit in 1998 SMK Taman Desa 2.

Paul's on the bottom row, second from right.

Due to his health conditions he has often 'highlighted himself' in order to gain attention and respect from his peers. Many people called him a show off, but I felt that he was just trying to be normal (ok.. maybe at times he overdoes it to attract the girls).

In the BB, just like any private working towards promotion, Paul would often volunteer himself in any situation. In many occasions he has also taken lead in several practices (KL Battalion Drill competition and Pesta 2000), speaking of which he was most punctual and regular despite his conditions. Although many didn't know or appreciate it, he has never used his health conditions as an excuse to sit out "tough and tiring" BB programs and has pushed himself to not-slow-down-progress of the team - true espirit-de-corp.

KL Battalion Drill Competition cum Founders Day 1999. 3rd KL Co. Drill team.

Paul's the second from the right.

Paul was with us until Sept 2000, a month after the Enrolments & Awards Day. Having won the Pesta a month or two back, all eyes were set on promotions for the hard efforts put in by deserving members who have made the success of the Pesta possible true their initiative and passion for the company.

It was however a sad day for us.. the beginning of a major crisis for 3rd KL as that year, many Privates who deserved a promotion, such as Paul, did not receive it. Instead, a lame lazy suck up which I'll only name as Kit got the promotion. He was the only new NCO.

Although the officers gave the excuse that "if you are loyal to the company and really deserve to be an NCO.. you will not quit!".. I doubt in reality things really work out that way. Paul and a few others (namely Poh Yueng Zhi and several other Desa Perdanaians) did exactly what the other members did not want to do. You see, the 3rd Kuala Lumpur almost didn't make it for the Pesta.. all thanks to passive-conservative-low-life-lazy-NCOs-from-SMK "ehem" which simply voted not to go. When the Captain eventually forced us to, no doubt the "ehem" NCOs were not bothered about the Pesta. So guess who fuelled the fire? People like Paul, Yueng Zhi, Kenrick, Rick, Jonathan Scully and myself (Terence Ng wanted to pull out too. Loser. Pengkhianat.) Imagine after you have given so much.. sacrificed your time and energy.. doing something the others won't do.. and even being a private acting the role of an NCO.. and your efforts go unnoticed and punished to a certain extent... what would you do?

To me, Paul's resignation (and the others) lie as a bitter reminder to me, now as an officer, of how we need to know our members well.. not to be ignorant. It also teaches us to be careful with promotions as it definitely means alot to teenagers. Officers should never assume a members maturity and capability.. they should know it.

Paul was definately loyal and faithful to the BB. But I guess, it needs to be a two way thing to work out, ha?

3rd Kuala Lumpur Band Pesta 2000. Paul's the second on the left.

I remember bits of pieces from the speech Paul gave at the Enrolment & Awards Day.. he roughly said that "it was the BB.. and the people in BB which made my life possible.. the people in BB encouraged me to strive and push harder.. which allowed me to overcome my health limits.. and has made me become the more confident and normal person I am today.."

At this very moment, Paul would be spending his 3rd week in a coma in HUKM. He is still steadfastly holding on to his live.. and at the moment is touching and inspiring the lifes of his peers and people around him. He is Sure and Stedfast.




________

Note: I would like to ask all members, Christian and non-Christian to pray for his recovery. The hospital is proving to be a real flop. He has had one or two life threatening situations due to the hospitals inefficiency and ignorance. Please ask for the Lords protection on Paul. After he wakes up, we'll invite him to give us his testimony.

For daily updates on Paul please visit:
http://ycblogspot.blogspot.com/

To have a wider perspective of Paul, visit his blog at:
http://www.xanga.com/hmaker

Ex-3rd KL member in a coma

Please visit this site. It's about an ex-3rd KL member who's been admitted to the hospital under intensive care. His name is Paul Tan Yik Mun and he has been in a coma since last week.

http://bb2sjpioneers.blogspot.com/2006/03/ex-boy-in-tragedy-to-lance-corporal-we.html

We're Bloggin at Boots N Brasso 3rd KL!

FINALLY! 3rd Kulaa Lumpur Co. has its own blog!

Some of you may be wondering.. why should 3rd KL have a blog? Well, first of all a blog is not a waste of time. It's pretty much a means of recording historic documents informally which would otherwise be handled solely by the company's official website.

One of the main super-advantages of the blog is that it allows boys to contribute ideas in real-time without necessarily going through the 3rd KL website. Articles and postings, formal and informal are welcomed as there is no real restriction using this blog.

Above all, this is a means for YOU, members of 3rd KL to participate more actively in our events. If you're too shy, angry, sad, happy, overjoyed, high, or having any thoughts.. this is the place for it be heard.

I sincerely hope that all members of the company will participate in this scheme which will ultimately lead to a more progressive and cool 3rd KL Co.