Adventure Training camp (ATC), is a 3D2N camp at Pulau Ubin that Year 2 NPCC Cadets have to experience in order to attain their Adventure Training badge. From 19 May to 21 May, Muffles, batch ‘25, went for the first overnight ATC organized after 3 years. Most of us were not too excited about spending the precious weekend at Pulau Ubin, especially after hearing stories from our seniors and Teacher Officers. The idea of having to go through this experience along with cadets outside of our unit, and whom we have never met before, was not helpful either. With this prospect in mind, we took off for Pulau Ubin on 19 May, our bags as heavy as lead. The camp did not start off the best, with rain and thunder causing a two hour delay. However, Muffles made the most of it, playing some games and enjoying the company of each other, our Ma’ams and Mr Chua. After that was a test of our endurance, having to lug our heavy bags as we hiked 3 km to Camp Resilience. Day 1 ended quickly, after being split up into our 9 groups for the rest of camp, and learning the NPCC cheers and songs for the next night’s campfire. As we settled down that night into the tents we had pitched, we realised it was going to be a long night. Having had to cram in the tiny and hot space with many insect friends as company, many of us didn't have a proper rest that night. On Day 2, we all woke up early, and had our very beloved Physical Training, before our day officially began. As we finished cleaning up our breakfast, we headed off for our various activities with our groups. Some went for the Land expedition where we put our orienteering skills to good use and trekked around Pulau Ubin. Meanwhile, the rest of us had the Basic Survival Skills course (BSS) where we learnt how to start a fire with just matchsticks and leaves, learnt how to tell whether food found in the wild was suitable for consumption, and learnt how to obtain water when stuck in the wild. Some of us also took part in the low ropes course where we tried our best to balance on ropes, dangled in mid air. Despite the huge number of mosquitoes in the area, we definitely enjoyed ourselves to the fullest. After we finished our activities, we gathered again for lunch and then headed out for other activities. However as wet weather was activated half way through our activities, some of us were unable to go for low ropes, and instead were able to apply our Campcraft knowledge in the pioneering segment, where we had to design a seesaw model using the logistics we earned by doing different exercises and challenges. We ended off the day with the highlight of ATC, the closing Campfire, where we showcased our performances we had prepared for with the time we were given during the two days, we also sung many NPCC cheers and camp songs that night. Finally, the day ended and we all headed off to our tents to rest for the last night. On the final day, Day 3, we started off the morning with Recreational Training where we played a game organized by our Sir and Ma’am. We then had our last meal together and began the camp area clean-up, before taking our unit, group, and area pictures. Finally, we said goodbye to our group mates and friends we had made that camp, and headed back down to the ferry terminal. Although we didn't have high expectations for this camp, we left wanting to relive that experience all over again. We had bonded through the different struggles and challenges we encountered, making many memories we will never forget along the way. We didn't only take back memories, but various lessons and values too. For example, we learnt the importance of resilience, teamwork, which was very crucial during the camp, being open-minded, responsibility, and many more. ATC will definitely stay a core memory in our NPCC experience and we would like to thank all the CIs, HOs, TOs who put in their blood, sweat and tears to make ATC the best experience for us! We would also like to thank Mr Chua for sacrificing his weekend to spend his time in camp with us, and our friends, group mates and GIs who made the experience as wholesome as it is today. We cannot wait to hear the squeals of the next batch, Wuffles, after they come back from their ATC too! Muffles
Batch of 2025
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On 11th February 2023, RGS' very own CCC (Campcraft Competition) team participated in the Area 13 Campcraft Competition 2023—the final campcraft competition taking place in NPCC. Although CCC had been cancelled permanently due to the pandemic, the Area 13 CCC coordinators had put in much effort to revive the biannual campcraft competition, and we're proud to say that we've achieved 2nd place. Read on to find out more about our experience! CCC team posing with their pitch. Armed with no prior experience of inter-unit competitions, the CCC team embarked on the Area 13 Campcraft Competition. The pressure to do well was high, especially since it was the last campcraft competition in RGNP history. In the months leading up to the competition, we trained relentlessly and discussed areas for improvement after every pitch. Although the trainings seemed endless, the cheers and laughter throughout the process pushed us through. CCC team falling in before the start of the competition. On the day of the competition, we felt a mix of excitement and anxiety. As the competition began, we were nervous at first, but after shouting our cheer for the very last time and carrying out the procedure we knew at the back of our hands, our confidence was restored. Through the mess and mud, we persevered and gave it our all. CCC team during the competition. The competition was intense, and the other teams were all strong contenders. As we held hands in fear and anxiety, awaiting the results of the competition, it was as though time had stopped momentarily. All our efforts had led up to that point. The team erupted into cheers as we were awarded 2nd place. We can proudly say that our sacrificed clean shoes, white unit tees and Mondays did not go to waste. CCC team doing their “RA-RA-RA-RAFFLES” cheer. This would not have been possible without the endless support of our Cadet Inspectors, Xin Lian Ma’am and Lujia Ma’am, who played a crucial role in our CCC preparation process, and our teachers-in-charge and unit mates.
Looking back, we realise that the competition experience was more than just a chance to win or lose. It was an opportunity to grow and learn, to discover our strengths and weaknesses, and to connect with other like-minded individuals. Our hard work paid off, and we were rewarded with a sense of pride and accomplishment. It's an experience that we’ll never forget, and we are beyond grateful for the memories and lessons that it gave us. CCC Team 2023 Muffles, Scruffles, Truffles (batches '25, '24, '23) We are watch Rabbit and this our planning process and our reflections of our cooking competition where we made soba and managed to win.
When we started the planning process we were not sure what to cook as we were not cooks. We finally decided to just make something simple as we only had one hour to cook our meal. One of us then went to NTUC to check out the ingredient prices. While at NTUC, she found a soba recipe that was relatively easy to make and was within our timeframe of one hour. We wanted to have an online meet but we were not free that day so we just made a google document which we all vetted. After agreeing to make soba, we discussed our strengths and weaknesses in cooking. We then proceeded to allocate our jobs and the time we have. She then bought the ingredients to test the recipe. We originally omitted lots of ingredients to make the soba more nutritious but we found out in doing so, the soba tasted quite bland. So we decide to add soy sauce and some salt. After adding those ingredients, we realised the taste had improved. Soba was then plated and she sent us a picture of the soba in our WhatsApp chat group. After a while, we finally agreed on the final look of the dish. We were quite confident in our dish. On the competition day itself, however, we started a little bit late as we lagged at the start. After getting our bearings and getting our equipment ready, we went to wash the vegetables. After washing the vegetables, two of us started cutting the vegetables while the other two were tasked with boiling the soba. After a while, we realised we were running low on time and we did not have enough time to fry the eggs so we decided to just soft boil it. All of us were just panicking because the ICs said that we only had about five minutes left and our eggs were just put in the water which was not hot yet. After a brief moment of a group panic, we decide to just plate our food. Unfortunately, our egg which was sent to be judged was not cooked enough. Thankfully the presentation looked good enough. During the Unit Hike at MacRitchie Reservoir, we did many interesting activities. We were split into groups and allowed to roam freely while answering quizzes and picking up trash along the way. On the hike, we saw many interesting things. I was especially surprised when I saw the historical sites because at first, I thought that MacRitchie was merely a natural sanctuary. Personally, I enjoyed roaming around and answering the quiz questions as they helped me learn more about the SG and MacRitchie’s history. However, that does not mean that I did not enjoy collecting the trash; it was fun too! We all found the hike challenging, if not entertaining. Some of the trash that we attempted to pick up were either out of reach or in a precarious position. One time, I had to jump on a tree trunk in order to reach the trash in the bush. Apparently, my group mates found it extremely entertaining, to the point that one of them asked me if I had ever learnt Gymnastics. Really, the tongs would have been much more helpful if they were a metre long. Though we earned points based on the amount of trash that we collected, me and my group mates did not pay much attention to the competition and instead focussed on collecting it. Along the way at each venue, my group had to answer questions to earn points. The answers were all in the booklet given to us beforehand. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to refer to it; I definitely felt guilty for not reading through it thoroughly. It took a lot of teamwork to get from one point to another as we were carrying the awkwardly large trash bag. Fortunately, our kind CL was there to help. I also appreciated my group mates’ cooperation and understanding. I was very excited throughout the entire event to see the different organisms and historical sites. While we were all exhausted after the hike, I felt content. From this experience, I was reminded again of the importance of teamwork. Thank you, CLs, ICs and teachers, for making this Unit Hike a memorable one!
Cdt (NPCC) Caly Ong Scruffles On 18 March 2021, the Year 1 to 4 NPCC cadets went on a Unit Hike to MacRitchie Reservoir during Unit Camp 2021. As part of VIA, we picked up the trash we saw at the reservoir while enjoying our hike. During this activity, we were tasked to find various landmarks in MacRitchie and answer questions related to it. However, the challenge was that we could not refer to the booklet which contained all of the answers. This made the experience enjoyable as it deepened our understanding of the different landmarks, since it was easier to remember the hilarious mistakes we had made when guessing the answers. For example, one of the questions was to state what Lim Bo Seng’s alias was during WWII, and our answer was “Tan Lim Choon”, when the actual answer was “Tan Choon Lim”. These kinds of incidents made the experience at MacRitchie much more memorable. Furthermore, each group was also given a trash bag to collect trash at MacRitchie. Our group had the added advantage of a pair of tongs to aid us in this activity as we had won first place in another activity the previous day. The seniors also engaged us in the activity further by promising to give points to the group which had picked up the most amount of trash. Therefore, armed with our competitive spirit and a pair of tongs, we kept our eyes peeled for trash. At MacRitchie, we found it challenging to navigate our way around the reservoir as it was our first time there for many of us. Thankfully, there were enough signs around the reservoir leading us to the different landmarks, and we had a map to aid us as well. In addition, there were some pieces of trash that were hidden behind bushes, so it was with great difficulty that we managed to spot and pick up those pieces of trash. One of the highlights during the Unit Hike was discovering what MacRitchie had to offer, especially the Zig-Zag bridge. This was an interesting experience for me because it changed my perception of the place as I had previously thought that it was an isolated place. However, this hike has allowed me to see the many sights MacRitchie has to offer, other than monkeys and a body of water. Overall, although we felt tired after the hike, it was an enriching experience. The Unit Hike promoted teamwork and bonding as we had to discuss our answers with our unit mates to have a higher chance of getting the answers to the questions correct, and we grew closer to each other through the many opportunities we had to talk to one another during the hike.
LCpl (NPCC) Hazel Tan Truffles On 17 to 19 March 2021, the Year 3 batch of RGS NPCC Cadets, Buffles, co-facilitated and planned the RGS NPCC Unit Camp 2021. The tedious planning process for Unit Camp took us 4 months, from December 2020 to March 2021. Nevertheless, there were many enriching takeaways which led us to grow both individually and as a batch. During the planning process of Unit Camp 2021, we had to work closely with each other to plan events such as lesson plans, bonding games and general admin work, through which we learnt more about each other’s working styles. We were taught how to better coordinate and delegate the workload for future batch projects. Working together as a batch was crucial to us, and we grew together, learning to understand each other. We did not have a smooth start. The rocky dawn of our planning was due to the lack of teamwork and coordination between us. However, over the course of the next few months, we were able to understand each other better and improve on our teamwork and communication skills. Together, we resolved our problems and made light of our situation. We also learned that we could apply these communication and work delegation skills to other aspects of CCA leadership and activities. Although we did have some miscommunications due our working styles, we resolved our problems through batch discussions, and forged closer bonds with each other. Secondly, through the planning and execution process, we spent countless hours together, over calls and in person, and we bonded over the unique and fun experiences that we had during the Unit Camp. We took comfort in each other when we were feeling stressed due to the large academic workload atop of the process of planning for Unit Camp 2021, and tried to lessen each other’s burden by helping out whenever we could. After Unit Camp ended, we felt that we got to know each other much better, our sense of camaraderie more passionate than ever. During the camp, we enjoyed participating in the fun activities organised by the CLs, and we also enjoyed leading the junior cadets. We found that we were able to grow in our leadership, and learn more about the junior cadets; their areas of strengths and weaknesses, so that we could be better prepared to lead the unit in the future. We got to know the Year 1 cadets better, by talking to them during watch discussions, and finding out about how the RGNP experience has been for them so far, so that we can improve on training activities and our own leadership skills in future when we step up to become leaders of the CCA. Some challenges we faced were that many logistical and administrative plans were changed quite last minute due to Safe Management Measures, as well as restrictions placed by the school. This resulted in our Camp OIC and AICs having to scramble to make changes in a very short period of time. However, seeing our camp eventually being a success, seeing the cadets enjoy themselves during our camp — it made us feel that it was worth the effort that we put in. Many of us put in a lot of effort into both the planning and the execution process of the Unit Camp, and although we were tired from facilitating Unit Camp from dawn till dusk, we felt very fulfilled and happy to see our efforts come to fruition, as we felt that the Unit Camp was a success. Overall, we all really enjoyed Unit Camp 2021, both as participants and facilitators.
Buffles In this Forensic Science programme by the Science Centre, we did many activities which were fingerprint, hair/fur and blood analysis. We also compared the alibis and motives of each suspect with the crime in question.
Every moment in this programme was engaging. At some point in the blood analysis activity, we were all worried about getting the "blood" on our clothes as we had to drip the “blood” right beside us to make the results more accurate as we had to drip the “blood” right beside us to make the results more accurate. However, one activity that I particularly enjoyed was the fingerprint analysis. It was fun to watch my fingerprints appear on the paper during the fingerprint analysis but hilariously messy at the same time. Another activity we enjoyed was seeing the instructor use the magnetic powder to find the fingerprints on the letter, it was an eye-opening experience! To be honest, it was not easy to figure out/compare the different blood patterns. It depended on how we dropped the "blood". I found it particularly annoying to have to adjust to the height of the suspects as I am not really tall. Luckily, the stool was available. One of the funny things in this programme was the sharing of the "predictions". Among all the stories, one which stuck in my mind was the one of Cady Zhang and Brandon Chen being in a relationship in which Brandon Chen helped her to murder Professor X because Cady Zhang’s daughter’s life was at risk. It was such an imaginative story that even the instructor laughed at it. One highlight of this experience was when the instructors used a magnetic brush and magnetic powder to reveal fingerprints. It was a lot less messy and less wasteful as the used powder could be collected back. Another highlight of this experience was when the instructor revealed to us who the culprit was. The use of the visuals were very creative as they used a black shadow and did not reveal who the culprit was until the very end, and my partner and I got a fright when they looked up and stared right at us. Creepy! Through this highly entertaining experience, we learnt how to analyse fingerprints, hair/fur and blood, we also felt a sense of achievement at the end of the exercise. Hopefully, we can do something similar to it again. Scruffles On 4 March 2021, the Y2 cadets, Truffles, attended a Forensic Science Enrichment course at the Chemistry Lab. We analysed a fictional crime scene during this activity using various techniques such as the blood patterns and the fingerprints found at the location. We learnt many techniques that the police use to find the murderer! To learn about the type of thumbprints, we dusted for our fingerprints using talcum powder. We felt extremely fascinated by the activity as we were able to have hands-on experience about things that police did at crime scenes which was not something we got to do regularly. Furthermore, we conducted a simulation of how each suspects’ blood would drip on the floor to determine whose blood was at the scene. We raised the pipette containing red liquid to where the suspects’ wounds would be on our own body. In doing so, we found that the higher the wound, the more satellites the blood has. We also posed as the suspects and investigators to conduct interviews and find out valuable information. We were given questions to ask and statements to answer those questions with, and it was interesting to see all the evidence adding up and pointing to one person of interest — Cady Zhang. In the midst of learning new things, we did not forget to have fun. Being an imaginative batch, we came up with many out-of-this-world theories and made bets on who the killer would be (no money included!). Ideas like two of the suspects having an affair and coming together to murder Professor X, the victim, were raised, and we all had a good laugh!
We also learnt a bit about DNA analysis. We were intrigued by the processes behind it. However, we had some difficulty understanding the terms used in the presentation. It was quite a lot to take in at first, but eventually, we researched the topics after the session. We were able to absorb the information and the content presented to us during the session better, which helped broaden our horizons and perspectives. From this experience, we got to learn about the different procedures to be carried out after a dead body is reported. It was through this experience that we also got to find out the difficulties of being a police officer/detective and how one must be cautious when dealing with evidence. We learnt to be perceptive as things are often not as they seem (for example, a murder may be mistaken for a suicide case). Overall, we feel that this experience has been enriching and it shows us how the work of a police officer/detective is not as simple as it may seem. Truffles Four cadets, Ranice Yong, R Rishmitha, Shayna Yeoh and Kong Yu-Ann, from the Y2 batch, Truffles, took part in a Tiktok competition organised by Toa Payoh NPC. During this activity, we had to make a Tiktok video creating awareness among youths of impersonation scams. When we were planning the video, we did not have the slightest idea of what we should include, such that the video would be relevant yet entertaining. One of our teammates had created a news-themed introduction with which we came up with lyrics to sing along, as we thought it would help us stand out more from the others. We also used the trendy Tiktok sound, “oh no”, to add a unique twist to the video. At first, we felt daunted by the task as we needed to develop an engaging and meaningful Tiktok video within the time limit of one minute. Nevertheless, we enjoyed creating the video as it was exciting to film the individual scenes for the video with our teammates and watch it all come together. It was also fun to work on the settings together as it helped us bond with each other and grow closer. Each of us had different skills and ideas, so by having individual roles, we could work to the best of our abilities and create a product we can all be proud of. Working in a team also allowed us to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses better. We also functioned more smoothly and efficiently when we had a leader’s guidance. We realised the importance of effective teamwork and that we would achieve better results if we keep an open mind and accept others’ ideas.
Some challenges we faced when completing this task included the time limit and identifying which parts of the video to delete. We had planned for the video to have rich content with comedic lines, but there was not enough time to include all those parts, which were relatively less significant than the other parts. We had to continuously refine our product until we thought it was satisfactory. Another challenge was finding a common time to discuss the content and film the video. It was hard to toggle between the Tiktok challenge and our regular CSSP project, along with other commitments we took on separately. We had to find time amongst our busy schedules to film the video and refine it. After putting together the first draft, we realised that it was not satisfactory and irrelevant, and we had to refilm it. Fortunately, our efforts had not gone to waste! One important lesson we had learnt through this activity was that we have to be flexible in order to achieve optimal results. We had to make do with what we had and adhere to the Safe Management Measures when filming the video. When the timings overshot, we had to cut lines but keep the crucial and the important messages we wanted to convey through the video. It was essential for us to adapt well when under restrictions and circumstances, and this has also taught us a significant skill: Adaptability. After all, it is a skill we should encompass to be able to rise to the occasion. CSSP Cyberwellness Team On 13 November 2019, the Year 1 batch of NPCC cadets, Buffles, participated in an enrichment activity located at Pulau Ubin. During this activity, we hiked from the dock area to mamam campsite, where we began our outdoor cooking activity. During the long hike, we became quite tired, and some of us resorted to singing songs to keep our spirits up. We sang songs such as “Let it go” from frozen, trying (and failing) to encourage each other to let our tiredness go in very out of tune voices. Once we had (with much difficulty) reached the mamam campsite, we layed out picnic mats and mini butane stoves and began to cook our planned dishes. My group prepared a fruit salad and tomato and cheese sandwiches, while the other groups prepared dishes such as tortillas and burger patties. A picture of our very appetising looking fruit salad Buffles hard at work on cooking the tortilla Our food was so good that one of the judges of our outdoor cooking competition even said that the corn from our fruit salad had made him begin to like corn even though he had hated it all his life, he said “This corn is really a life changing corn!”
However, the process of cooking our extremely high class dishes was far from as simple as you may think. Along the way, we faced many difficulties such as having sand from the surrounding area get in our food, having our team mates argue with each other about the best way to cook the food, and some of us occasionally snuck a bite from the ingredients, much to the annoyance of the rest of our team mates. (In our defense, there were a lot of extra ingredients left.) Despite the complications of cooking, we managed to complete making some (relatively) yummy dishes that even our competitors enjoyed eating! All in all, from this experience, I learnt many new skills, such as how to cook food on a butane stove. I also learnt how to plate food nicely. In terms of soft skills, I communicated with my team members a lot throughout the process of cooking the food. This allowed me to learn more communication skills and also how to sort out our differences, as our opinions about how to prepare the food did differ multiple times over the course of the food preparation activity. Putting aside our differences allowed my team to complete cooking all our dishes within the allocated time and we even managed to impress the judges so much that we emerged as the champions of the cooking competition! When we finished preparing our dishes, I felt very accomplished and satisfied and my team mates felt happy too. Even though the other teams didn’t win, all the members of Buffles enjoyed themselves as we got an opportunity to eat all the delicious dishes prepared by the different teams, as well as grow closer to each other by bonding over our tiredness from walking all the way from the entrance of Pulau Ubin to the Mamam campsite and back, which was a total of over 3 kilometres! LCpl (NPCC) Lara Wong Ren Ling Buffles |
BY DATE
June 2023
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