Kaleidoscope of dreams- My time in Zhonghua NPCC Unit

The twisting and turning, and ever-bumpy road I treaded.

There have been just so many twists and turns in these 5 years. Sometimes along the way, if anyone had ever mentioned about me becoming a Cadet Inspector, it would be a total joke to me. In the duration of my NPCC life, were just so many ups and downs. The lost of interest, the bickering squad, and the sheer immaturity as reflected in my actions. And so many other incidents which I look back on today with embarrassment. But, the most important thing was growing from my mistakes, learning and changing to be a better person.


June in Secondary 1 signaled the beginning of a year-long dislike of my CCA. I guess, extremely ironic that today I chase and chide offenders who skip trainings without reasons. It comes from the experience of being one of them before. However, my absences were limited, and at least I had the brains to provide relevant documents to support my absences. Definitely a wee bit more intelligent than many idiots nowadays. Giving poor excuses such as having tuition. Or taking care of their grandparents. Oh, please. But the root cause of my dislike was possibly the fact that I never felt at home in the CCA. I never really had any friend whom I could go to during training, to talk to and laugh. Not too sure today, but I have this feeling that I could not remember their names, much less anything else about them.

The departure from the unit of the NCOs I respected alot also took its toll. Moreover, for half a year, the unit functioned without any CI-supervision. Training was run based on how the NCOs wanted it to be, and morale in the squad dropped lower with the passing of each training. There was even once when training was going so badly, that one of our Teacher Officers had to set in and take us for drill! All of us were promoted automatically to the rank of Lance Corporal, without any need for any test or assessment. That was the kind of mess the unit was in, and where we are today is a testament to the structure, which has been painstakingly put in place by so many instructors, both past and present. The unit today is the fruit of the labour of so many.


The arrival of 3 Cadet Inspectors at the end of the year caused the morale in the entire unit to drop to an all time low. With the kind of punishments they gave out, training almost became a torture, and everyone dreaded getting the infamous "shout in your face", or hairdryer treatment. Together with their presence in the unit was a renewed level of discipline. However, that in my opinion was the dawn of a new era for Zhonghua NPCC Unit. It was the beginning of a completely new unit. We were starting all over. And for me, I will always appreciate and cherish what the 3 ‘founding’ Cadet Inspectors did for the unit. They just single-handedly dragged the unit from its slow yet deadly decay into what it is today. Where the unit progresses, will depend on future batches of Instructors. But we will never forget who laid the foundation on which the unit is being built today. And for that, I am totally grateful and respect them.

For myself to be able to achieve what my Cadet Inspector achieved in his time would be such an honour. But alas, I guess I fell way short of the expectations I have for myself.

Moreover, members within my squad bickered and quarreled, but I was never affected. Simply because no one really bothered about me, and me about them. Training was such that, I would be the first one out of school once it ended. I was there, because I had to be there.


But if there was one thing I took pride in from this depressing period in my NPCC life, it would be that I never quit. That despite the circumstances being so dreadful, I always stuck and hung on. That is perseverance, I believe.