SMILES

Aug 22, 2019 | Peh Hao Lun

“Put on your greatest smile and welcome the spectators as if it is the actual day…”

“WELCOME TO NDP, THIS WAY PLEASE!”

Smiling is not easy, I know. Been there, done that.

Having been a Heartware NDP volunteer for a pretty long time does not mean that I can automatically put on the greatest smile on my face, towards the barrage of spectators running past me each and every time.

Combating physical and mental fatigue from having to ask spectators to tear their funpack ticket studs, asking them to move in to fill in the gaps, and maybe even just plain asking for directions… these are the many roles that we all need to fulfil in order to have a successful parade.

Sometimes frustrations do pop up once in a while, or maybe we just can’t multitask and smile at the very same time.

After five years of ushering spectators in the seating galleries, the tables have turned and I’m now the one capturing the faces of the volunteers themselves.

Sometimes I have lost count of the number of times I have tried to hype up individual volunteers to put on their best “Welcome to NDP” or the bye-bye party ever just to evoke their best smiles, either for the camera or otherwise.

Then again, throughout this Media stint I have come to realise how important a smile from an usher can be – not just for the critical golden shots, but the impact it can have on a passer-by, a spectator, a fellow volunteer.

It can really brighten up a spectator’s bad day even if he/she is trying to insist on an aisle seat. It can make spectators feel welcome in the hyped atmosphere. It can also be a morale booster for oneself and fellow volunteers, to last through the remainder of the day.

Without the vibrant smiles from Heartware ushers when I attended my first NDP back in 2013, I wouldn’t be here in Heartware NDP doing the same, year after year.

So keep smiling, fellow volunteers. Maybe you can change a person’s life somewhere, somehow.