mass drill display 1963

this photograph which was reproduced on the raffles65 group webpage reminds me of poor sense of coordination during my secondary school days. in 1963, i was in secondary two then and that year our cohort was selected to put up a mass drill for national day and subsequently, malaysia day which was held at the padang.

i remember how awkward i was, occasionally making the wrong move and not in sync with the rest. in a mass display, this kind of glaring error is not forgivable because it spoils the whole picture. i think my position was changed to one where i was not so conspicuous. because of my height - or rather lack of it - they still had to place me in front but at the edge.

we had many practices on the school field and at the site itself. though we missed a lot of lessons it did not bother most of us very much. at that age and time, you just did what you were told to do. you don't question, you don't argue.

eventually i was placed in the second row so that i could take the cue from the person in front of me. anyway, on the actual day, we all rose to the occasion and put up a flawless performance.

my hand-eye coordination may have improved over the years but it has not reached the stage where i can excel in sports and games.