If the previous EXCO Meeting at the Turf Club in Kranji was one of those days spent pushing towards the NDP 2008 finish line, the afternoon of the 29th of February 2008 was little different. If one referred to the topics discussed then as the usual fare for an NDP meeting, then the 29th of February 2008 was little different too. Yet for all the familiarity that came to one’s mind upon seeing the regular members of the NDP 2008 EXCO stream into Bedok Camp II, the event had a distinct identity of its own. Perhaps one had to look no further than the date itself. This was a date that only comes once in four years, and four years is no short period of time to the average person. Short of saying that this was a gathering shaped by fate, it was something special to say the least.

Being the 3rd EXCO Meeting since the preparations for NDP 2008 began, the image of enthusiasm amidst familiarity was evident from the onset – familiarity in how well everyone knew one another by now, enthusiasm in the constant fire that drives all who participate in NDP 2008. This never-ebbing spirit ensured Parade preparations took off on a positive start; preparations that have been long underway, and where ideas have given way to actions. Today, it is still this spirit that sustains the effort to wish Singapore a very happy birthday. Neither does it stop there. Standing in the thick of NDP 2008 preparation, without doubt, it is the main force that drives everything forward.

One area in which the partnership between civilian and military participants of NDP showed itself for the meeting was the venue. Bedok Camp II taking the honours this time round, it was time once again for another round of discussions in a military setting. Amidst the numerous bunks of soldiers, the weaponry present all around, and a sense of order and discipline that manifests itself in military camps, the civilian members of the EXCO felt very much at home. The ability of NDP to bring people together was surely not in doubt that afternoon.

The looks on the faces of the EXCO members, eager to update on the progress of their portion, was no less inspiring. From the macro to the micro, various parts of the NDP 2008 preparation was presented and put under scrutiny, bearing testament to the process of improvement through constant questioning and criticism. Easy as it may be to discount such subtle discussions on the grand scale of things that is NDP 2008, it is perhaps useful to note how the Parade itself, in all its splendour, is very much the sum of these seemingly minute discussions and plans.

With all that was said and done that afternoon, the NDP 2008 train moves forward again, seeking its next stop on the road to the 9th of August 2008. As much as the timeline reminds us of a mere 6 months to the Parade itself, the calm present on the faces of all that afternoon provided food for thought. Maybe it was the Happy Hour that was to follow later that evening; maybe it was just that this relaxing mood had become a defining characteristic of the journey to NDP 2008; but then again, maybe it was simply the enthusiasm for the tasks at hand that produced this serenity.