Spent the whole day at home watching TV, surfing the web and playing Beats. It's fun. =] Booking in at 2230, So I'll be leaving the house at 8 or so. Kinda sian but I'm taking comfort from the fact that this is my last week! Just 2 more days afterwards to leave Nee Soon! =]
Exactly one year ago today...we were celebrating Teachers' Day...
Exactly one year ago tomorrow...I went to buy a memory stick, and mugged with Val at Changi's Delifrance.
Reading it actually brings back the momories, the sights and sounds...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
[UPDATE]
Just came back from watching WALL.E, which was a a very nice show. =] Another masterpiece from Pixar. I strongly recommend it. Its just so good, I wouldn't mind watching it again. In fact, my friend just did today. Lol. Anyway, I've completed the Sims 2 for my PSP, and got a new game called Beats, which is pretty cool.
Basically Beats takes the songs you load into it and transforms them into "Challenges" as a rhythm based game you play, and it's so darn fun to actually "play" your own music. However, the way you do so is quite different from the other typical rhythm games out there, so I'm still getting used to the controls. But it's fun!
[/UPDATE]
BOOM.
The sound of the explosion was a massive bass beat that throbbed into existence, before-
BOOM. BOOM.
it was joined by two other similar explosions. But the explosion that mattered the most to K was his. His own little monster. It was as though some primeval beast from the bowels of the earth had been awakened, spewing forth a gout of flames, sparks, and thick smoke, belching from the core of the earth and thundering through the stillness of the morning.
Blowing shit up WAS indeed fun.
This week was alright. Plenty of lectures. Live firings (Two!). Rained quite a bit also. Had a nice 4k run which was refreshing after such a hiatus. Because of the firing, the range was all wet and muddy and treacherous, but I still had fun even though I got dirty. This week seems to have passed by faster. =]
Last night, went over to YM's house. With Shawn, who later left. Sixu was there two. accompanied them to see their friend off. It was there that I realised how long had it been since I went to the airport, and how much I missed the place. It holds a lot of fond memories for me.
To many, the airport may seem like a place of transit, of impermanence, where people never stay long. But it was a permanent fixture in my life not too long ago. I remember my Taiwan trip with my friends, but what I remember most are the long periods of time I spent there. That time we sent val off. Our errant visits to Changi's T3 (many times). Camwhoring in the toilet. Getting chased out by the security guard. Ben and I's lame comparisons of T3 to Windows Vista. The countless times I went there to study. My 19.5hrs mug marathon, and the coincidental encounter with The Click Five (In person!).
I never realised how much the airport meant to me, and how many memories it held until today.Had quite a time wistfully reminiscing about the past. The good old days. Literally. Similarly, another of my bunk mates misses JC a lot. That time said, just one year ago, the prelims would have ended. This made me think: Exactly one year ago what was I doing? It would be fun to read that and relive the memories.
So, Exactly One Year Ago:
-I went on a school trip to SMU
-Went to Shawn house to mug, but didn't get much done.
Hmm. Not really interesting? Lol.
A plume of thick black smoke rose into the air. Then, a second later,
THOOM.
I felt the earth shake. Exclamations of approval and wonder arose from the gathered soldiers.
Pitter. Patter.
The sound of rain. But it was the scattering of gravel and soil that had suddenly gained the power to fly, and just as suddenly lost it. Stones rained down everywhere.
Phiwwwwwwww-thup.
Phiwwwww-thup.
Some debris flew our way, impacting on the ground. You saw them coming through the air and thudding into the ground, sending up sprays of dirt.
Phiiiiiwwwwwwwwwwschickt-THUP.
"WHATTHEFUCK!?"
A slightly larger-than-fist sized rock had flown our way, literally flying so fast I heard it WHISTLING through the air before it impacted in the ground right in front of my friend, just about one meter away. And we were about 100m away, and some others had earlier expressed dismissal at the seemingly over cautious distance we were placed.
Just came back from watching WALL.E, which was a a very nice show. =] Another masterpiece from Pixar. I strongly recommend it. Its just so good, I wouldn't mind watching it again. In fact, my friend just did today. Lol. Anyway, I've completed the Sims 2 for my PSP, and got a new game called Beats, which is pretty cool.
Basically Beats takes the songs you load into it and transforms them into "Challenges" as a rhythm based game you play, and it's so darn fun to actually "play" your own music. However, the way you do so is quite different from the other typical rhythm games out there, so I'm still getting used to the controls. But it's fun!
[/UPDATE]
BOOM.
The sound of the explosion was a massive bass beat that throbbed into existence, before-
BOOM. BOOM.
it was joined by two other similar explosions. But the explosion that mattered the most to K was his. His own little monster. It was as though some primeval beast from the bowels of the earth had been awakened, spewing forth a gout of flames, sparks, and thick smoke, belching from the core of the earth and thundering through the stillness of the morning.
Blowing shit up WAS indeed fun.
This week was alright. Plenty of lectures. Live firings (Two!). Rained quite a bit also. Had a nice 4k run which was refreshing after such a hiatus. Because of the firing, the range was all wet and muddy and treacherous, but I still had fun even though I got dirty. This week seems to have passed by faster. =]
Last night, went over to YM's house. With Shawn, who later left. Sixu was there two. accompanied them to see their friend off. It was there that I realised how long had it been since I went to the airport, and how much I missed the place. It holds a lot of fond memories for me.
To many, the airport may seem like a place of transit, of impermanence, where people never stay long. But it was a permanent fixture in my life not too long ago. I remember my Taiwan trip with my friends, but what I remember most are the long periods of time I spent there. That time we sent val off. Our errant visits to Changi's T3 (many times). Camwhoring in the toilet. Getting chased out by the security guard. Ben and I's lame comparisons of T3 to Windows Vista. The countless times I went there to study. My 19.5hrs mug marathon, and the coincidental encounter with The Click Five (In person!).
I never realised how much the airport meant to me, and how many memories it held until today.Had quite a time wistfully reminiscing about the past. The good old days. Literally. Similarly, another of my bunk mates misses JC a lot. That time said, just one year ago, the prelims would have ended. This made me think: Exactly one year ago what was I doing? It would be fun to read that and relive the memories.
So, Exactly One Year Ago:
-I went on a school trip to SMU
-Went to Shawn house to mug, but didn't get much done.
Hmm. Not really interesting? Lol.
A plume of thick black smoke rose into the air. Then, a second later,
THOOM.
I felt the earth shake. Exclamations of approval and wonder arose from the gathered soldiers.
Pitter. Patter.
The sound of rain. But it was the scattering of gravel and soil that had suddenly gained the power to fly, and just as suddenly lost it. Stones rained down everywhere.
Phiwwwwwwww-thup.
Phiwwwww-thup.
Some debris flew our way, impacting on the ground. You saw them coming through the air and thudding into the ground, sending up sprays of dirt.
Phiiiiiwwwwwwwwwwschickt-THUP.
"WHATTHEFUCK!?"
A slightly larger-than-fist sized rock had flown our way, literally flying so fast I heard it WHISTLING through the air before it impacted in the ground right in front of my friend, just about one meter away. And we were about 100m away, and some others had earlier expressed dismissal at the seemingly over cautious distance we were placed.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
K:I don't know why inside, I get this...craving for chocolate and I can't help it.
Val: That's because chocolate makes you feel good.
Strangely before she mentioned that, I forgot about it. Eating chocolate releases feel-good chemicals in your brain. No wonder I keep wanting it inside. I must need it a lot...=[
It's that same old feeling again. The one a lot of others had when booking in during BMT. Damn sian, and you don't feel like going out. Yet during a recent conversation I had with my friends, booking to SISPEC didn't feel depressing. It felt...ok, like it wasn't too bad or anything, you're leaving and coming back soon.
But for this place...sigh. I feel moody and depressed like before. The long climb up and down 6 storeys, the small cramped bunks and tiny personal space. The dirt and the dust. When this place has been unused for months, just sweeping and wiping won't get rid of the dust. It needs a thorough wash, which we don't have the TIME or resources to do. Everywhere is still dirty, from the ages old lack of use. The lack of personal entertainment. Only my Rubik's cube to keep me company. And my phone. I almost want to draw a smiley face on it. The cube I mean. =[
I cannot wait for this week to end. Thank God it's only 2 weeks and 2 days more.
Val: That's because chocolate makes you feel good.
Strangely before she mentioned that, I forgot about it. Eating chocolate releases feel-good chemicals in your brain. No wonder I keep wanting it inside. I must need it a lot...=[
It's that same old feeling again. The one a lot of others had when booking in during BMT. Damn sian, and you don't feel like going out. Yet during a recent conversation I had with my friends, booking to SISPEC didn't feel depressing. It felt...ok, like it wasn't too bad or anything, you're leaving and coming back soon.
But for this place...sigh. I feel moody and depressed like before. The long climb up and down 6 storeys, the small cramped bunks and tiny personal space. The dirt and the dust. When this place has been unused for months, just sweeping and wiping won't get rid of the dust. It needs a thorough wash, which we don't have the TIME or resources to do. Everywhere is still dirty, from the ages old lack of use. The lack of personal entertainment. Only my Rubik's cube to keep me company. And my phone. I almost want to draw a smiley face on it. The cube I mean. =[
I cannot wait for this week to end. Thank God it's only 2 weeks and 2 days more.
Today was uneventful. woke up early, played my PSP a little. Can't bring it into camp. so I decided on a more primitive form of entertainment. The Rubik's Cube. I used to call it a primitive PSP. Lol. I know the fad has died down, but traces of it still linger, and I set out to find my own cube today.
Anyway, met ben at 1pm at, xw and weijin and val and tak joined us later on. Had lunch, walked around a bit, went to the arcade. Left at around 6pm or so. Went on a hunt for my cube, only finding 2x2 or or 4x4 or 5x5 sizes. =.= Then I went o look at the mall directory, and went up to the new Comics connection where I found what I wanted. Plus, there was a 10% discounts.
You can solve the cube without learning anything but it will be DAMN long and DAMN difficult, so I got my sis o teach me some basic formulas for solving the cube. She's been learning for a few weeks now. i'm still solving my first scrambled cube because it's my first time and I keep screwing up. =[ Think I'll leave it for tomorrow.
Went to YM's house to play the new songs on Rock Band. Had fun. =P Got nicer songs now.
Anyway, met ben at 1pm at, xw and weijin and val and tak joined us later on. Had lunch, walked around a bit, went to the arcade. Left at around 6pm or so. Went on a hunt for my cube, only finding 2x2 or or 4x4 or 5x5 sizes. =.= Then I went o look at the mall directory, and went up to the new Comics connection where I found what I wanted. Plus, there was a 10% discounts.
You can solve the cube without learning anything but it will be DAMN long and DAMN difficult, so I got my sis o teach me some basic formulas for solving the cube. She's been learning for a few weeks now. i'm still solving my first scrambled cube because it's my first time and I keep screwing up. =[ Think I'll leave it for tomorrow.
Went to YM's house to play the new songs on Rock Band. Had fun. =P Got nicer songs now.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
[During a practical test]
3SG ALPHA: Tell me, TNT flakes can eat one or not?
CPL BRAVO: No, sergeant!
3SG ALPHA: Why lah?
CPL BRAVO: Because nobody eats TNT flakes, sergeant!
3SG ALPHA: So you saying I stupid, is it?
CPL BRAVO: HAR??!! Sergeant you eat before ar?
3SG ALPHA: Yah...only a bit lah...bitter bitter one.
-Overheard during Demolition practical test.
---
I'm a Combat Engineer Specialist! Life here is been interesting, to say the least. VERY different. An odd thing is that the commanders here do not seem to like SISPEC much, despite the fact they came form there. =\ But I won't really touch on that. Maybe it's the standard of our drills when we first enter.
Life in the Engineers is a lot about regimentation and discipline, but you see the rationale when you realise what we are dealing with, which is insanely large amounts of high explosive, and dangerous tools. At first when we came in, we were f*cked left right center, and their standard is a lot higher than what we are used to. However, I managed to escape the Infantry vocation. (After 4 months of "run run, dig dig, shoot shoot", I have had ENOUGH, thank you very much.)
Enough of walking, carrying 3 days worth of clothes, marching in 4km circles up and down rocky treacherous slopes, f*cking the floor every 4 seconds (shoot, run 3 seconds, prone, shoot, rinse, repeat), sleeping on groundsheets that ABSORB MOISTURE, no shellscrapes! Less outfield! Our outfield consists of a field, well, okay, grass patch, behind our company. Hee hee.
At first it was pretty crappy. Bunks on the 6th floor that haven't been used in, I dunno, months? Dust everywhere, small, cramped, and dirty, we eventually cleaned the place up. After a while though, we've adapted to life here. Luckily it's only for 3 weeks. =] That's the good thing. I have 2 options now, which is to do well in the interview and go to CBRE, or to Bridging. I want CBRE. =]
Combat engineers is really fun, for the past week. I don't think I can go into details, apart from the fact that the first time I smelt burning safety fuse, it smelt like cooked chicken hotdogs to me(Maybe it is because it was near lunch). And we learnt how to make stuff go BOOM. Which is SO COOL. Because of the topic, and my interest (So cool!) I actually do pay attention in lectures and learn. I don't even study or mug because I like the topic itself so everything naturally goes in. I remember loads of stuff from my notes. Sadly, some people are clueless, which is a waste because demolition is SO FUN. Lol.
I did well for my first theory test (86%!), and think I did quite ok for my practical. I hope I get to blow stuff up in our live firing. =] I've already been selected to make stuff go KABOOM in our first firing. Yay! Now all I need is just the second one to make my day, or rather, course. Please please please let me fire!!!
Not too sure wht the second week has to offer but I hope more interesting stuff. As a side note, I didn't realise CE had such a high injury rate, esp in the past. Gasp.
---
"Pack your bags, we're leaving this place!!!"
-=[K]=- on 1st book out
Sunday, August 17, 2008
This weekend was okay. Friday was spent sleeping (Woo-hoo!) And it was the best sleep I had ever. I think. I felt SO good. You truly appreciate your bed when you spend the whole friggin' night walking 28k with just 4 hours of sleep the night before, which means 4 hours of sleep in 48 hours. I napped a bit while doing area cleaning LOL.
I went out to City Link with Shawn cos he wanted to get a gift for someone, then we met up with YM and went to his house to play Rock Band. Dunno why I couldn't sing lastnight. Hsha. Can't hit the right line to score points. This morning went to Dhoby to meet my "section". Only 4 people turned out. =.= Then had lunch and played pool. Oh shit! Forgot to pay them. =X I think I might be falling sick cos I felt really tired and out of breath.
Packed my stuff for tomorrow. Sigh. I hate moving around. Combat Engineers. This should be interesting. I hope it's not too tough. Rah.
I went out to City Link with Shawn cos he wanted to get a gift for someone, then we met up with YM and went to his house to play Rock Band. Dunno why I couldn't sing lastnight. Hsha. Can't hit the right line to score points. This morning went to Dhoby to meet my "section". Only 4 people turned out. =.= Then had lunch and played pool. Oh shit! Forgot to pay them. =X I think I might be falling sick cos I felt really tired and out of breath.
Packed my stuff for tomorrow. Sigh. I hate moving around. Combat Engineers. This should be interesting. I hope it's not too tough. Rah.
Friday, August 15, 2008
I'm back again! Completed my 28k route march last night. It was quite tiring, both physically and mentally. Time seemed to pass by a LOT slower as we walked such long distances. Basically quite shitty, although I'm proud I managed to finish it.
Mentally at the end, it was very difficult. I felt like crying because all we had done was walk and walk and walk non-stop to no particular place and it just seemed to endless and pointless. I was totally wet and sweaty, and so were all my things. The soles of my feet hurt, I was getting an abrasion, and I kept falling back.
My glasses fogged up often which made it hard to see anything but dark shapes. The tiredness made me see things. I saw sergeants standing in the bushes, imaginary concrete blocks that rose from the ground to trip me. The people in front seemed to stop moving at all. We went around NTU which was like WTF because it was damn far and the route was definitely longer that 28k.
But I've done it and I've got the rank I earned. Also, I've been posted to CBRE, which is like chemical defence (gas masks again!) And I am feeling sleepy so I'll stop here for now. =]
Mentally at the end, it was very difficult. I felt like crying because all we had done was walk and walk and walk non-stop to no particular place and it just seemed to endless and pointless. I was totally wet and sweaty, and so were all my things. The soles of my feet hurt, I was getting an abrasion, and I kept falling back.
My glasses fogged up often which made it hard to see anything but dark shapes. The tiredness made me see things. I saw sergeants standing in the bushes, imaginary concrete blocks that rose from the ground to trip me. The people in front seemed to stop moving at all. We went around NTU which was like WTF because it was damn far and the route was definitely longer that 28k.
But I've done it and I've got the rank I earned. Also, I've been posted to CBRE, which is like chemical defence (gas masks again!) And I am feeling sleepy so I'll stop here for now. =]
Sunday, August 10, 2008
I volunteered to be photographer for Happy Hour, which turned out to be quite alright after all, and so i could do something I hadn't done in months. Take photos! Plus, I got to take photos of my section so the whole world can see who are the absolute slackers I've been living with for the past 7 weeks. =P
The famous Prem "Wayang Wildcat" Dhillon. Narrowly missed being voted the most wayang in the company. but did not, of course, win. Lol.
Kenneth, Kannu, Garang Ng JunYuan (that's what it says on his photo), Leon "Chao Keng" Chia (Nearly got voted most chao keng.)
Kuan Hua (who has a big secret i won't say here hahaha), Gabe, Kenneth, WeeLong, Kannu, Josh "Long Schloong" Tan (Yeah right), WengLun, Leon
Happy Hour is proudly sponsored by the Rocky Hill Mess, not to be confused with the Rocky Hill Camp in BMT.
Gabriel, WeeLong (The poor guy in the gas mask incident), Kannu, Kenneth
Kenneth looks drunk, Gabe looks high, and together they look...
It's Tiger time! Ah yes, did I mention? It was actually GABRIEL, that won the most chao keng award.
Ar! Sleep! Sleep some more!
Today, went to see NDP with tak and raye. Met them at Citylink Mall went to Marina square where we ended up settling on a spot at the corner of the marina food loft. We had to eat, so raye and I tried to locate Subway and I had to use my navigational skills through Lower Marina Square, and eventually located it at a very odd corner of the place, after trekking to the wrong place.
After locating Checkpoint Subway, we went back, but raye left to attend to some stuff in the end. the show was quite nice I guess. Been a while since i attended NDP, so at least I was in the area now. Been a while since I last saw fireworks live. Aerial display was nice, including one shooting the heat. Shoulda brought my home camera. =.= Darnit.
After that didn't really wanna go home since it was only 9 plus but there was nowhere else to go, and the place was a literal clusterfuck, if you'll pardon the language. Sent tak home then walked to YM's house since Shawn and Sixu were there. Played Rock Band which was pretty freakin' fun since you actually can drum/strum a guitar/sing to beat the song. i tried using the mic to sing the song and it was pretty fun.
Look at all that people!
The famous Prem "Wayang Wildcat" Dhillon. Narrowly missed being voted the most wayang in the company. but did not, of course, win. Lol.
Kenneth, Kannu, Garang Ng JunYuan (that's what it says on his photo), Leon "Chao Keng" Chia (Nearly got voted most chao keng.)
Kuan Hua (who has a big secret i won't say here hahaha), Gabe, Kenneth, WeeLong, Kannu, Josh "Long Schloong" Tan (Yeah right), WengLun, Leon
Happy Hour is proudly sponsored by the Rocky Hill Mess, not to be confused with the Rocky Hill Camp in BMT.
Gabriel, WeeLong (The poor guy in the gas mask incident), Kannu, Kenneth
Kenneth looks drunk, Gabe looks high, and together they look...
It's Tiger time! Ah yes, did I mention? It was actually GABRIEL, that won the most chao keng award.
Ar! Sleep! Sleep some more!
Today, went to see NDP with tak and raye. Met them at Citylink Mall went to Marina square where we ended up settling on a spot at the corner of the marina food loft. We had to eat, so raye and I tried to locate Subway and I had to use my navigational skills through Lower Marina Square, and eventually located it at a very odd corner of the place, after trekking to the wrong place.
After locating Checkpoint Subway, we went back, but raye left to attend to some stuff in the end. the show was quite nice I guess. Been a while since i attended NDP, so at least I was in the area now. Been a while since I last saw fireworks live. Aerial display was nice, including one shooting the heat. Shoulda brought my home camera. =.= Darnit.
After that didn't really wanna go home since it was only 9 plus but there was nowhere else to go, and the place was a literal clusterfuck, if you'll pardon the language. Sent tak home then walked to YM's house since Shawn and Sixu were there. Played Rock Band which was pretty freakin' fun since you actually can drum/strum a guitar/sing to beat the song. i tried using the mic to sing the song and it was pretty fun.
Look at all that people!
Friday, August 08, 2008
"ARGH! AUGH! AUUUGH! AH! AGH! AH!"
-K's first experience with tear gas
Ah. The gas chamber. They call it smoke training facilities. Such an innocous name. Burning memories indeed. Think I didn't screw in my canister properly after changing it during the drill and some gas leaked in. I started tearing. Then I started screaming. To let off the pain. ARGH! AUGH! AUUUGH! AH! AGH! AH! Scremaing in short bursts made me feel better. And I was last to remove my mask to say my IC rank and name. =.= Went out and ocntinued screaming. Felt a lot better afterwards.
Saw the next detail of trainees. As I staggered past them I said: Good luck to you! Wahahahahaha! and walked off. I pretty much felt like the Joker then. Friday, spent 4 hours clearing my rifle. =.= I made the gas regulator shine. So proud of it, but it's dumb because I'm going to have to use my rifle soon again. =.= Had a medical lecture. Got full marks for the Heartsavers course. So now I've got a CPR license thingy that lasts for 2 years. And I can save people!
Anyway, happy hour was not too bad tonight, got quite a few pictures. Got a bit of a headache now. Probably need some rest.
-K's first experience with tear gas
Ah. The gas chamber. They call it smoke training facilities. Such an innocous name. Burning memories indeed. Think I didn't screw in my canister properly after changing it during the drill and some gas leaked in. I started tearing. Then I started screaming. To let off the pain. ARGH! AUGH! AUUUGH! AH! AGH! AH! Scremaing in short bursts made me feel better. And I was last to remove my mask to say my IC rank and name. =.= Went out and ocntinued screaming. Felt a lot better afterwards.
Saw the next detail of trainees. As I staggered past them I said: Good luck to you! Wahahahahaha! and walked off. I pretty much felt like the Joker then. Friday, spent 4 hours clearing my rifle. =.= I made the gas regulator shine. So proud of it, but it's dumb because I'm going to have to use my rifle soon again. =.= Had a medical lecture. Got full marks for the Heartsavers course. So now I've got a CPR license thingy that lasts for 2 years. And I can save people!
Anyway, happy hour was not too bad tonight, got quite a few pictures. Got a bit of a headache now. Probably need some rest.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Chemical training is interesting.
"Come now, don't be a pussy! Let me show you. You're going to have to do this on Thursday anyway."
K took the gas mask canister and screwed it onto his friend's gas mask.
"Now breathe hard."
Hissssss...
Hissssss...
[muffled scream from mask] "WHATTHEFUCKK??!!"
-Turns out we forgot to remove the stopper so he couldn't breathe properly. Lol!
---
"I'm not going to start the lesson until everyone settles down."
[tinny muffled scream from one mask]"Oei! hurry up leh!
[tinny muffled scream from another mask]"Eh faster faster!"
[tinny muffled scream from yet another mask]"OI don't take your time!"
[tinny muffled scream from faceless mask]"OIII!"
[tinny muffled scream from anonymous mask]"Eh once done sit down!"
---
Muahaha! I got hold of the com again! Surprisingly noone is using it now. This week has been all right. I'm LSC, i.e. section commander of my section and it's kinda fun. Except there's been 2 SOCs this week.
Finally cleared everything though my timing is a fail. =.= I dunno why I can't clear the low wall after coming to SISPEC. Screwed up. Then there was a run this morning which also screwed up my still-recovering-from-SOC legs. After that my shins and ankles hurt until I can't do drills properly but at least I didn't fall out.
Chemical defence event tomorrow. Gonna cry from tear gas. =[ Oh yeah, I scrawled "Dulce decorum est pro patria mori! LOL. =.=" on the wall. There's a small area where we're allowed to draw things and stuff. I've been very active with my stick figures. =P I also volunteered as photographer for Happy Hour this friday before Nat Day. Maybe I can get some photos out or something. -crosses fingers-
Also looking forward to/hoping I can go out with my friends this Sat. I've realised what NS does to me. It makes me crave the human relationships I have outside of camp a lot. While in the middle of doing things, I'll get random flashbacks of things I did before I enlisted, and moments I shared with others. I remember everything clearly with lots of details and I realise I miss those times so much. =[
2 more days to bookout day.
"Come now, don't be a pussy! Let me show you. You're going to have to do this on Thursday anyway."
K took the gas mask canister and screwed it onto his friend's gas mask.
"Now breathe hard."
Hissssss...
Hissssss...
[muffled scream from mask] "WHATTHEFUCKK??!!"
-Turns out we forgot to remove the stopper so he couldn't breathe properly. Lol!
---
"I'm not going to start the lesson until everyone settles down."
[tinny muffled scream from one mask]"Oei! hurry up leh!
[tinny muffled scream from another mask]"Eh faster faster!"
[tinny muffled scream from yet another mask]"OI don't take your time!"
[tinny muffled scream from faceless mask]"OIII!"
[tinny muffled scream from anonymous mask]"Eh once done sit down!"
---
Muahaha! I got hold of the com again! Surprisingly noone is using it now. This week has been all right. I'm LSC, i.e. section commander of my section and it's kinda fun. Except there's been 2 SOCs this week.
Finally cleared everything though my timing is a fail. =.= I dunno why I can't clear the low wall after coming to SISPEC. Screwed up. Then there was a run this morning which also screwed up my still-recovering-from-SOC legs. After that my shins and ankles hurt until I can't do drills properly but at least I didn't fall out.
Chemical defence event tomorrow. Gonna cry from tear gas. =[ Oh yeah, I scrawled "Dulce decorum est pro patria mori! LOL. =.=" on the wall. There's a small area where we're allowed to draw things and stuff. I've been very active with my stick figures. =P I also volunteered as photographer for Happy Hour this friday before Nat Day. Maybe I can get some photos out or something. -crosses fingers-
Also looking forward to/hoping I can go out with my friends this Sat. I've realised what NS does to me. It makes me crave the human relationships I have outside of camp a lot. While in the middle of doing things, I'll get random flashbacks of things I did before I enlisted, and moments I shared with others. I remember everything clearly with lots of details and I realise I miss those times so much. =[
2 more days to bookout day.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
I just spent pretty much the whole day sleeping. Haha. That comes out of not having anything planned during the weekend. Bleah. Well, at least I caught up on a few hours lost sleep at the expense of feeling a little disorientated. I seriously need to go out. =P
I just got Final Fantasy 1 for my PSP. It's quite fun actually. How long has it been since I played a good RPG? Seems like forever since I quit com gaming. =\ There's a nice retro happy feel to it. Got Worms and Sims 2 also. Ending my course in 2 more weeks. Going to be real fast. Seems like just yesterday when I stepped into SISPEC. -shakes head- Wonder where I'll go from here.
I just got Final Fantasy 1 for my PSP. It's quite fun actually. How long has it been since I played a good RPG? Seems like forever since I quit com gaming. =\ There's a nice retro happy feel to it. Got Worms and Sims 2 also. Ending my course in 2 more weeks. Going to be real fast. Seems like just yesterday when I stepped into SISPEC. -shakes head- Wonder where I'll go from here.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
He felt like dying. This seemed to be the worst training ever. He dropped the Matador on the ground, placed his rifle by his side, and for the first time in months, began to pray. (For it to be over soon.)
Back again, after one more week outfield. Exercise Grandslam was indeed interesting. We camped out in a fruit plantation, with durian, rambutan, jackfruit, and longan trees. Every time there was a crackle and a thump, "DURIAN!" Those soldiers would spring up from their positions and hit the ground running faster than you could say "Contacted!".
Those around me feasted on admirable quantities of durians, and even though it is a restricted site, some civilians would manage to sneak in to go fruit hunting, whereas we had our very own fruit fest. The civilians do not even bat an eyelid when stumbling into a large group of armed soldiers in battle gear, all deployed in a defensive formation.
While on duty at night, I heard all around me the crackle and thump of falling fruit. It was all very fun and a new experience. During training, a durian fell on one of the trainees' heads. Amusing, huh? Our SAF helmets aren't for bullets, but to protect our heads when training under durians. Hahaha.
Our first mission was apparently not up to the standards of our platoon commander, so we had to redo. We were also roundly screwed up the ass while doing it, having several "casualties", also the biggest guys in our section. It was like hell at one point. I felt like dying. I tried and failed to climb up a steep and slippery slope thrice because of the dumb bulky dummy Matador I was tasked to carry along for everything. Everything seemed to be at an all-time low.
But it wasn't all bad. There was one surreal moment in the middle of all the sweat and almost-tears, in which when our platoon commander left for a moment.
There were strange times when in the midst of all the torture and exertion, there were surreal moments for enjoyment. All tired from the first attack, K's section was resting on a slope off the road when his SISPEC section came along.
"Hey, what are you guys eating?"
One of the guys upslope on the road brandished something small and red in his hands.
"AYE! We want that! Throw us some leh!"
The other guys upslope gathered round the fallen rambutan tree (That K's section did not notice) and began plucking and throwing rambutans. Small hairy red fruit filled the sky and rained down on the happy soldiers. They foraged around in the grass for the fruit, and greedily opened them up and ate the tasty fruit. This was the epitome of freshness.
"Eh, this one's split open..." K said to himself
"I think you better throw it away then." said one of the other guys.
"Ah, F*** it lah, I don't care when I'm outfield. I'm already so dirty, what more could I do?" With that, he nonchalantly split open the rambutan fully and popped the fruit into his mouth, savouring the juice.
The guys upslope threw down a few more rambutans before it was their turn to do the mission. Some other from K's section went over to harvest more fruit. One brought back an entire chest-high branch to their rest area. K half-crouched and snuck over to the tree to grab a few more rambutans, and hurried back to his spot.
That was indeed memorable. In the midst of all the pain, there was a funny moment for rest and rambutan feasting. Then on the third day, we redid the missions again without incident, and then we were assigned to do the stores. Maybe it was a punishment, to do saikang(shit work) straight after our missions, because of our performance the previous day. It was a blessing in disguise because we took so long, we ended up taking the store tonner back to camp. =]
Anyway, I only got home today because I attended the selection test for the CBRE thing. Seletar camp is darn near my house, compared to others. =\ Oh yeah, I was in platoon HQ for field camp, manning the comms and it ROCKED. Total funness. It's like I get to say all the cool-sounding radio stuff for real over the air, and I also got better and using radio lingo already. I love doing the comms. (Though not carrying the signal set.)
Postscript:
No matter how well I seem to be coping in NS, or how well I seem to be doing, there is one thing that tells me I should not be here. One thing that always runs underneath the surface but keeps showing up from time to time, reminding me of the fact that I am not meant to be here. It sickens me.
It is the fact that beneath the fancy technology and glory and the uniforms, our is not much of a society. It is held together by spit and prayers. It is a society more primitive than our own, than the one of the world outside. Founded on warfare and conflict, the most basal of human natures, it barely survives, held together by its own rigid laws. It is these laws that prevent collapse.
My impression of it is that it is the lowest form of civilisation, the simplest of societies, reduced to its bare minimum required to survive. Nothing can hide the fact that this is a society of men. Men trying to create their own world in which they rule. Which is just like a petrol bomb. We are hardwired to fight and be aggressive.
Put a lot of this together and you've got a bomb waiting to explode. Under stress, a lot of us just give way without thinking of the consequences. It is a lot easier to let out at someone that just hold back when it's just you, the other guy, and the jungle. Everyone just sorts of downgrades to become more primal. It's when I just shake my head at the collapse of society again, and it makes me want to get out of there at once.
Not just once, I've seen it a few times. Maybe there's no immediate superior around. Maybe everyone's all stressed out, the just lash out at once another. One I witnessed the collapse of all order and the descent into complete anarchy when we were asked to enter a room, and it turned out our lecture began an hour later. There was a lot of heckling and un-called for comments, which steadily declined into an eventual argument.
Stress plays a part. I'm sure other people face this too. Everyone's tired and irritable. They all want their rest/sleep/book out. People start shouting. Voices are raised, the tension edges up wards a few notches. The whole place becomes a powder keg. Call it the clash of the superegos. Literally superegos. Someone makes an irritated comment. The other party takes umbrage and fires off a shot. The first guy shoots back and some people leap onto the bandwagon and fire off. A war starts. Whoop-dee-doo. Mainly I watch. And I think how primal such behaviour is. People don't care, they just release.
In a strange way this soceity is interesting. For someone interested in psychology, I get to watch the interaction (and breakdown) of human dynamics. So complex and yet so deadly. And sometimes downright ridiculous. One anecdote is during a march when A farted. B got pissed off and cursed A's mother (or so I heard) They get right down to almost fighting before a sergeant stops them.
Like what the hell? 2 19-year old(?) guys fighting over a fart in the middle of a route march. Both with field packs on. I'm surprised they even have the energy. But that's society here. Someone fucks you, you want to fuck the guy over even more, and the cycle continues ad infinitum.
Back again, after one more week outfield. Exercise Grandslam was indeed interesting. We camped out in a fruit plantation, with durian, rambutan, jackfruit, and longan trees. Every time there was a crackle and a thump, "DURIAN!" Those soldiers would spring up from their positions and hit the ground running faster than you could say "Contacted!".
Those around me feasted on admirable quantities of durians, and even though it is a restricted site, some civilians would manage to sneak in to go fruit hunting, whereas we had our very own fruit fest. The civilians do not even bat an eyelid when stumbling into a large group of armed soldiers in battle gear, all deployed in a defensive formation.
While on duty at night, I heard all around me the crackle and thump of falling fruit. It was all very fun and a new experience. During training, a durian fell on one of the trainees' heads. Amusing, huh? Our SAF helmets aren't for bullets, but to protect our heads when training under durians. Hahaha.
Our first mission was apparently not up to the standards of our platoon commander, so we had to redo. We were also roundly screwed up the ass while doing it, having several "casualties", also the biggest guys in our section. It was like hell at one point. I felt like dying. I tried and failed to climb up a steep and slippery slope thrice because of the dumb bulky dummy Matador I was tasked to carry along for everything. Everything seemed to be at an all-time low.
But it wasn't all bad. There was one surreal moment in the middle of all the sweat and almost-tears, in which when our platoon commander left for a moment.
There were strange times when in the midst of all the torture and exertion, there were surreal moments for enjoyment. All tired from the first attack, K's section was resting on a slope off the road when his SISPEC section came along.
"Hey, what are you guys eating?"
One of the guys upslope on the road brandished something small and red in his hands.
"AYE! We want that! Throw us some leh!"
The other guys upslope gathered round the fallen rambutan tree (That K's section did not notice) and began plucking and throwing rambutans. Small hairy red fruit filled the sky and rained down on the happy soldiers. They foraged around in the grass for the fruit, and greedily opened them up and ate the tasty fruit. This was the epitome of freshness.
"Eh, this one's split open..." K said to himself
"I think you better throw it away then." said one of the other guys.
"Ah, F*** it lah, I don't care when I'm outfield. I'm already so dirty, what more could I do?" With that, he nonchalantly split open the rambutan fully and popped the fruit into his mouth, savouring the juice.
The guys upslope threw down a few more rambutans before it was their turn to do the mission. Some other from K's section went over to harvest more fruit. One brought back an entire chest-high branch to their rest area. K half-crouched and snuck over to the tree to grab a few more rambutans, and hurried back to his spot.
That was indeed memorable. In the midst of all the pain, there was a funny moment for rest and rambutan feasting. Then on the third day, we redid the missions again without incident, and then we were assigned to do the stores. Maybe it was a punishment, to do saikang(shit work) straight after our missions, because of our performance the previous day. It was a blessing in disguise because we took so long, we ended up taking the store tonner back to camp. =]
Anyway, I only got home today because I attended the selection test for the CBRE thing. Seletar camp is darn near my house, compared to others. =\ Oh yeah, I was in platoon HQ for field camp, manning the comms and it ROCKED. Total funness. It's like I get to say all the cool-sounding radio stuff for real over the air, and I also got better and using radio lingo already. I love doing the comms. (Though not carrying the signal set.)
Postscript:
No matter how well I seem to be coping in NS, or how well I seem to be doing, there is one thing that tells me I should not be here. One thing that always runs underneath the surface but keeps showing up from time to time, reminding me of the fact that I am not meant to be here. It sickens me.
It is the fact that beneath the fancy technology and glory and the uniforms, our is not much of a society. It is held together by spit and prayers. It is a society more primitive than our own, than the one of the world outside. Founded on warfare and conflict, the most basal of human natures, it barely survives, held together by its own rigid laws. It is these laws that prevent collapse.
My impression of it is that it is the lowest form of civilisation, the simplest of societies, reduced to its bare minimum required to survive. Nothing can hide the fact that this is a society of men. Men trying to create their own world in which they rule. Which is just like a petrol bomb. We are hardwired to fight and be aggressive.
Put a lot of this together and you've got a bomb waiting to explode. Under stress, a lot of us just give way without thinking of the consequences. It is a lot easier to let out at someone that just hold back when it's just you, the other guy, and the jungle. Everyone just sorts of downgrades to become more primal. It's when I just shake my head at the collapse of society again, and it makes me want to get out of there at once.
Not just once, I've seen it a few times. Maybe there's no immediate superior around. Maybe everyone's all stressed out, the just lash out at once another. One I witnessed the collapse of all order and the descent into complete anarchy when we were asked to enter a room, and it turned out our lecture began an hour later. There was a lot of heckling and un-called for comments, which steadily declined into an eventual argument.
Stress plays a part. I'm sure other people face this too. Everyone's tired and irritable. They all want their rest/sleep/book out. People start shouting. Voices are raised, the tension edges up wards a few notches. The whole place becomes a powder keg. Call it the clash of the superegos. Literally superegos. Someone makes an irritated comment. The other party takes umbrage and fires off a shot. The first guy shoots back and some people leap onto the bandwagon and fire off. A war starts. Whoop-dee-doo. Mainly I watch. And I think how primal such behaviour is. People don't care, they just release.
In a strange way this soceity is interesting. For someone interested in psychology, I get to watch the interaction (and breakdown) of human dynamics. So complex and yet so deadly. And sometimes downright ridiculous. One anecdote is during a march when A farted. B got pissed off and cursed A's mother (or so I heard) They get right down to almost fighting before a sergeant stops them.
Like what the hell? 2 19-year old(?) guys fighting over a fart in the middle of a route march. Both with field packs on. I'm surprised they even have the energy. But that's society here. Someone fucks you, you want to fuck the guy over even more, and the cycle continues ad infinitum.
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