He said he thought it had to do with being strong while preparing for tests and examinations, but now he knows better:

'Now, I know one can be resilient in many different ways.'

He has just completed a gruelling project - producing a minute-long clay animation video clip which explores the theme 'resilience', within three weeks.

The inter-school animation competition, called N.E.mation! (II), is a highlight of this year's Total Defence campaign organised by the Defence Ministry unit Nexus and local animation company Animagine.

The competition, in its second year, is an opportunity for students to showcase their creative talents by expressing their ideas on Total Defence through animation.

Colonel Tan Wee Ngee, director of Nexus, said: 'The universal appeal of animation has allowed us to engage the public in new and exciting ways.'

About 380 students from across secondary schools and junior colleges came up with 219 concepts, from which 10 finalists were selected.

The JJC team made the cut.

They, along with other teams, sacrificed their December school holidays last year to put in nine-hour days over three weeks at the Nanyang Technological University's School of Art, Design and Media, where they picked up techniques, like Digital 2D and Stop-Motion.

The JJC team slaved to create their minute-long clip using 1,440 still frames.

Of getting into the finals, Sunny said: 'It was very tough and tiring but at the end, it was all worth it.'

The winning team, to be announced on March 2 at the Toa Payoh HDB Hub, will land a trip to the Pixar Animation Studios in California.

The Total Defence campaign aims to impress upon Singaporeans the need for cohesion and involvement to ensure the continued security and success of the nation.

The campaign will also feature an interactive exhibition, beginning on Feb 12, which will travel from the Singapore Discovery Centre to Tampines Central and the Toa Payoh HDB Hub.

tansle@sph.com.sg