Chapter 35-- An eventful 2nd ICT

The past 2 weeks have had been another memorable experience for me as I report for my 2nd but only the 1st high key in camp training(ICT) at the forever ulu Sungei Gedong Camp; Home of armour; Once armour, forever armour. Fetch yong ann to the camp on the first day like what we did previously but this time round, my kakis of wksp platoon guys decided to meet at the gates before proceeding for in-pro together. After dragging and pulling our super heavy duffle bags and puffing our way to the ATI stadium, we started to in-pro while the RSM as usual stand guard just outside the in-pro counters checking our hair. Feel that it is not as chaotic as last time though as I hardly see any people kena caught and send for hair cut although Joey was caught and send for hair cut before he defer on that day. Met my former BWO(Battlion workshop officer) Bryan where he was in charge of the declaration of camera handphones and SSG David(who is supposed to be our wksp 2IC) who brief us about the allocation of our bunks. After which, we began our 1st tactical movements as Dong Yang and me leave our duffle bags for others to carry while we proceed to level 4 to book 2 bunks for ourselves. After a short rest, we headed to the parade square for the CO parade and then to the vehicle sheds where we took over 3 recovery vehicles and 4 BV206 vehicles for our subsequent live firing and outfield exercise. Was personally in charge of taking over my recovery(which is to support Bronco company) and its BII stores just like what I normally do in my active days with Alvin and Zhi Hao while the rest took over the BV.
The next couple of days were mainly spend preparing the vehicles for exercises especially live firing which were to took place on that same Saturday. On the second day, we went for our orientation drive where me, Bandley and Zhi Hao share 1 recovery. Zhi Hao as usual never failed to entertain me as he forgot to shift the gear back to neutral before starting the engine. It was so funny watching him frantically pressing the start button with the vehicle not showing any response.
Saturday was the day of live firing with me, han xiang, zhi hao, yong jian and Daniel being tasked to cover the 40/50 and OWS live firing while dong yang, bandley cover SM1 and Kok pin and some other people cover the mortar live firing. It was quite an awesome experience for me as it was really the first time I got so up close with the firing vehicles as we were just about 10m behind the firing vehicles. Even during my active days have I never got so close with the firing vehicles. Had to however curse myself for forgetting to bring along ear plugs when the OWS starts to fire because it was so so LOUD. Luckily, my ear either soon get used to the noise or maybe it was already damage as I gradually gotten immune of the firing sound. Night firing was really nice to watch as it was like watching star wars movies with streams of red light shooting out of the vehicles. Feel so envious of the firers which are mainly troopers and VCs as they get to fire weapons that not many of us has the opportunity to do so and they were also firing rounds from MG like the rounds are free. It was always at this type of moment that I wish I am a combatant signz. However, I may soon be going for GPMG technical handling course soon(keep my fingers cross) so I may just have the chance to fire for the next live firing exercise that we have in future ICT.
The next Monday was a company cohesion 6km route march(minus the field pack thanks god) where we march around the camp perimeter. Only yong jian, han xiang and kok pin from my kakis of wksp together with some other juniors like Shida and Yong jie were marching togther with the signal platoon and S branches specialists for the HQ company. It was again another refreshing experience for me as the last route march I had was when we were marching the 24km route march before my POP in Tekong.
The final major exercise for this ICT was the company mission exercise(CME) involving a 2 day 1 night outfield exercise with Attila and Bronco teaming up to attack Cheetah company. The whole affair was really shag with the preparatory process being even more tiring than the actual outfield itself. We have to mount the test sets for our vehicles, weapons and SBOs like what it is normally done in ATEC(since I have never go through ATEC before, it was a learning experience for me) and then load the required set of BII into our vehicles while also ensuring that our vehicle is ready to go outfield by checking oil levels etc. It was especially tiring for people coming from the previous 46 SAR unit as we are mainly the ones doing all these preparatory works while those others from other units who had never go outfield before simply throw smoke bomb and disappear claiming that they did not know what to do. In fact, the most frustrating of this ICT is that those coming from 46 SAR and having ample outfield experiences were always the one chosen for live firing and outfield exercise. Cannot really blamed though since our BWO is our previous BWO and he knows what we the previous “garang” technicians were capable of and he will certainly be more assured putting us in charge instead of the rest that have never went outfield before in their active days.
The CME was itself actually quite relax since luckily for me who is supporting Bronco company, no vehicles broke down unlike Cheetah and Attila which have Vehicles breaking down. However, the only shit thing is that we are the only company who has to put up that bloody camo net when we laager at night and I believe that anyone who have set up camo net before will certainly not want to always relinquish the whole experience again. Luckily again, we only set up camo net for our BV since the recovery vehicle was activated to tow a medical platoon BV back to camp. By the time we linked back with our company line, most of them were already asleep and so we just left our recovery in its “bare” state. To my surprise, there were not many mosquitoes like what we have expected and so it was also quite a pleasing night for us to sleep. We moved out at about 7am next morning and by 7pm, we were still trying to achieve our objective. Was rather frustrated at Bronco OC and 2IC command skills as they seems unsure of what to do and hence the delay in achieving our objective(we were supposed to cut the exercise by 6.30pm) By the time we line up our vehicles and convey back to camp, it was already close to midnight. The way back to camp was sooo long( we were moving from area A back to area D) that I actually fall asleep while driving. Have a few close call with the vehicle moving to the edge of the cliff before I wake up in time to steer it back to safety. It really was the first time that I felt afraid that I may not return to the camp in one piece. Even in Wallaby and India whereby the night were so much darker had I not have this type of feeling. Upon reaching camp, those that never went outfield immediately unload all our stuffs and remove the test sets before we proceed to wash our vehicles and send our arms. It was the first time that I feel that I was like a combatant since we usually leave all the unloading and washing of vehicles till the next day in our active days.
With the conclusion of the last major exercise, the whole ICT has almost come to an end and we were basically more relax for the next 2 days before we out-pro. Return all the BII stores and hand over the vehicle the day after the CME and then simply lobo all the way till out-pro. Visit e-mart and our previous 46 SAR unit and while the rest of the time were spend in bunk. The last day of the ICT include a cohesion lunch at 46 SAR cook house before proceeding to the MPSH to view performance put up by the SAF Music and Drama company. Headed to the ATI stadium again where we waited for like more than 3 hours before we can finally out-pro. A mini drama occurred however during this time whereby Cheetah AI trainer called all BV drivers and VCs to gather and explain why so many things pertaining to the test sets like bolts and nuts and adam keys were missing ONLY after the person checking the test sets have left the previous day. They accused us of losing the items although we check everything before we return the stores to them. Say that there is no black and white documents to support our claims when they themselves NEVER gave us any taking over forms. I mean, come on lah, if the person checking the equipments and test sets items found that something were missing(and it involves lots of bolts and nuts and adam keys and not just 1 or 2 bolts and nuts), shouldn’t he immediately notify the relevant people and not wait till they have return to base then come and accused us of not returning the items? In the end, some of us have to write statements(aka 1206) although we do not have to pay for the items lah.
Finally out-pro at about 5 plus after Scorpion, Cheetah and Bronco have long out-pro(Attila is another suay company which didn’t pass its area cleaning and have to out-pro after us; god bless them). Han xiang fetched me, dong yang and Daniel to Marsiling mrt station where we shared cab home and this conclude my 2nd more eventful ICT.

PS: Was still trying to adapt back to civilian lives while writing this and hope to get back in tune with my daily life ASAP. Did miss a bit of my camp mates though but hey we see each other again next year December when we have our 3rd ICT(low key) that will involve range. Will finally get the chance to fire SAR21 by then :)


PS: When we went back to 46, I could sense that things were really not the same as my time there. Most of the things were really getting dirty or run down and the atmosphere at the workshop just do not feel the same as when I am in my active days. Only Winston and Tung from my era remain while the rest of the regulars were either posted to somewhere or have already terminated their contracts. Although the lay out of the office remains the same, I was surprised to find that each FMT now has a LCD computer screen to its own..Well, I believe that it really affirm my belief that it is people and not things that can make or account for an amazing experience. I am just glad that I ORD before wksp becomes centralized since being centralized means that one does not really belongs to 46 anymore. I wonder if 46 would still be worth visiting when I return for ICT again next year… Such a pity when I have so much memories at this place…

Regards,
Yongster

Still many more good years ahead....

Chapter 34-- Sex and the city

Went to watch the movie sex and the city with Jiayi on Wednesday and man I must say that it is easily one of my top 3 movies of the year. Have not been able to relate so much to a movie since the Harry potter series and watching the movie feel kinda like re-visiting 4 long lost friends. I have only one word to describe the movie. Awesome.
I can still vividly remember my first encounter with the tv series when I was still in OETI in 2003 when I requested my army pals to help me purchase season 2 and 3. Things never look back since as I got totally hook by the riveting plots and the hilarious characters. Some people find sex and the city an enjoyment to watch because of the “(s)exciting” scenes while others used the show as a fashion guide. For me, the (s)exciting scenes especially those by Samantha were definitely one of the main draw(tat’s why its called SEX and the city my friend) but I believe what makes it show such a success also lies in its ability to make people ponder sometimes what life is exactly about. As I watch Carrie typed out questions after questions about problems face in life for her column, I could not help but wonder at the same time what I would do if the same situation befall on me or my surrounding people someday. How would I exactly react then? The script writers were really brilliant to thought of using 4 ladies to portray some of our daily lives more intricate and intrinsic but yet could be at the same time subtle problems( although they gotten some of their inspiration from the original novel). Although each character was colourful in her own right( it is in fact mentioned before that almost all ladies on earth could identify themselves as either 1 of the character in the show), I must say that my( and in fact most people) favourite character must belong to Samantha. Though she may be indecisive at times(like all ladies do) and behaves like a slut and sex guru, I really admire her courage to stand up for her friends when situations became imperative. In the movie, she feel no hesitation to shut the fuck up of one guy who was making Carrie and Mr Big uncomfortable during a dinner meal with his insensitive comment. In the sitcoms, she was willing to help Mirada baby-sit even though she absolutely detests babies just so that Mirada can get a break before she suffers a nervous break down(though she eventually used a vibrator to coax the baby to sleep). To me, she is the type of friend that may appear unconcerned about her friends but is definitely one who can be selfless in helping her friends and which her friends can rely on when they have problems(especially those related to sex).
In addition, the shows have also demonstrated what true friendship are all about and this touch me deeply as well. Being there when friends encounter problems and needs a listening ear and not being there when friends just want a quiet moment to themselves. The 4 gals certainly share and exhibit great chemistry among them and never fails to rally around one when one is feeling dejected and down. When Samantha was diagnosed with breast cancer in season 6, the rest of the gals supported her throughout her chemotherapy sessions. When Carrie was “dumped” by Mr Big in the movie, Samantha stays behind to try to rectify the situation while Mirada and Charlotte usher Carrie into her car. When Carrie met Mr Big on her way back, Charlotte was screaming at Big to get lost. Just in case people might be wondering why Charlotte had such strong reactions, it is because Charlotte is the one who always believe in having a perfect and wonderful wedding and having kids around to form a complete family so that they can live happily ever after. In addition, it is also Charlotte who tried to get Carrie and Big back together in season 6 and she might have feel that she had let her friend down(So now you got it Jiayi?).
Even though critics have commented that season 1-3 is more superficial with the story line mainly evolving around pure sex while season 4-6 were more intimate, I beg to differ slightly because I feel that season 4 actually has the most sex scenes(mostly courteously of Samantha) in the entire series and that’s why it is also my most favourite season hehe. However, I have to agree that season 5 and 6 were indeed less (s)exciting with problems surfacing for all 4 gals. Miranda was coping with the problem of having an extra baby in her home while Charlotte was fussing over the problem of not being able to have a baby. Samantha had to fight with breast cancer while Carrie found herself drifting into the arms of her “perfect” Russian lover Alexandra Petrosky and eventually moving to Paris although she was still very in love with New York while not to mention that her on-off relationship with BIG is still ongoing.
To a lot of people, sex and the city is a show that portrays 4 single women bitching about life. To me, sex and the city had taught me about the value of friendships, courage and determination.

Regards,
Yongster

Still many more good years ahead...

Chapter 33-- Army pals(wksp) gathering

Had a wonderful buffet dinner with my army pals at suntec city yesterday. Was rather excited to meet and catch up with this group of friends who had endured about 2 years of bittersweet hardships with me in camp. Thanks to han xiang who was late in picking me up from my home and then having diffculities finding parking space in the mall car park, I was late for the gathering... Quite paiseh since I am the coordinator for the event and my hand phone was ringing non-stop from people who had already reached city hall mrt station( was supposed to meet them there before proceeding to suntec together but ended up with me asking ah kong to help me gather and made their own way to suntec since I am already running late). By the time me, han xiang and dong yang reached, the rest of the guys were already happily tucking into their food( aren't they supposed to wait for us? Talk about brotherly love! But then, we do not care about such things lor and that's why I feel so at ease with these guys compared to some of my more "well mannered" friends who like to play the "I wait for you before I start eating" game friends). Had really great conversations with them while eating and was glad to find that most of them are doing really well. Just pity that some of the guys can't make it due to work commitment or other personal reasons and share the fun that we had...Never mind, I see some of them around during the coming ICT in 2 weeks time. The only bother son thing during dinner is that we have to remain at constant vigilance to avoid ugly candid snap shots of us being posted on friendsters or facebook. Trust me, some of these guys have perfected the skills of a private detective on their quest to reveal the ugly side of us. After dinner at approximately 10 plus, there was more photo takings of group photos as everyone whipped out their mobile phones with like functions like 5 megapixels which is able to take crystal clear photos while I stare at my pathetic 1 megapixel Nokia phone brought 4 years ago. Never mind, I can always grab the photos I want from their facebook accounts :P
We then proceeded to star bucks to have more chit-chatting( although initially we wanted to sing Karaoke or watch movie but k box was charging crazy exorbitant prices while the cinema has only 2 pathetic films showing at late night). Order my favorite ice vanilla latte while we talked about Taiwan variety shows and gossip about some tv stars. Feel so happy that there is finally a group of friends that I can discussed about tv shows as friends around me nowadays seems to be sooo ignorant about tv shows though I could not really blame them due to their hectic work schedules which may makes them too tired to watch tv after work. Perhaps that is also why I bonded so well with these guys, we always seem to have a common topic to talk about even if we do not meet frequently. But alas, time always pass quickly when one is having fun and by midnight, me and dong yang shared a cab home while the rest of the guys living in the west and north west took their own way home.

Wonder when will be the next wksp gathering?

Regards,
Yongster

Still many more good years ahead...

Chapter 32-- NDP balloting result

Hurray! So happy that I was lucky enough to get pick again to attend the actual day parade on the 9th August. Got the phone call from the NDP2008 committee in the afternoon notifying me that I have gotten 4 tickets again this time. Will be bringing along another 3 lucky friends with me on that day hee. Finally have another chance to witness and experience the parade LIVE again and to soak in the atmosphere. Can't wait for national parade to come! Just another 65 days!

Regards,
Yongster

Many more good years ahead...

Chapter 31-- The TV, the Internet, my love

As close friends or people who have read my recent post know, I really have more time nowadays to surf the net and watch tv. Yet amazingly, I used to think that watching tv and surfing the net is a waste of one's time so it quite an irony that I now spend most of my time engaging in such "useless" activities. I guess that I really only get to apprecicate the beauty of tv shows and the internet when I am in NS where such activities were so rare to come by(although my bunk mates eventually managed to smuggler in a tv and even game console).

Anyway, I have found that the quality of some tv shows nowadays are really getting better. Apart from being blessed with SCV whereby I can always switch to the usual highly educational and informative channels such as discovery, animal planet or National Geographical channel, a few shows that is currently aired on free channels such as channel U can also be quite captivating and enriching. Take for instance the show "Find me a Singaporean 2" hosted by Belinda Lee that saw her travelling around the globe looking for Singaporeans working and living in other countries. The special element about this show is that unlike other travel shows that just feature the usual food, culture or certain places of interest in a country, Belinda have to live with the Singaporean in that country for a few days and experience for herself the actual normal way of lives that these Singaporeans go through in their respective country. In addition, what makes this show so captivating is that it also effectively connect with you on the emotion level and makes you ponder about life after having being saved the hassle of having to introduce popular places to visit or food that must be eaten in a country. I really envy Belinda because not only is she able to travel to so many exciting and interesting places, but even more importantly is that she had the opportunity to meet some really inspiring and terrific Singaporeans that perform some amazing and truly extraordinary acts overseas. I was deeply touched and inspired by the Singaporean architect in China who spends his free time caring and constructing homes for the black bears that were being rescued from the torment of illegal hunters. Some of the bears were so traumatized by their previous experiences that they actually goes crazy.... That is also this other Singaporean guy in China who opened a restaurant in a town and employed workers from the rural areas and treat them just like his family members whereby he not only provides meals for his workers, but also care for their families back in the rural areas. He is selfless in wanting to teach these rural workers(usually adolescents) culinary skills so that they are able to provide for themselves and their families in the future.

Credits must however not be taken away from Belinda for she is an important soul to the programme. Not only is she able to empathize with the less fortunate, she is also not afraid to express her feeling be they happy or disappointment. Such true expression of feeling can really touch one watching the show. I do admire her courage for daring to show some of her true self on TV when some of us didn’t even dare to show it in front of our friends or family.

I really like this show because they are so much that I can learn from these highly remarkable and versatile Singaporeans overseas. Not only did I witness the determination for them to want to excel overseas in whichever they do but also the courage of them to do things that not many of us will be willing to do or dare to do such as starting anew in a country that is completely alien to some of them for either personal reasons or due to work commitment or to pursuit an interest that will enrich one’s life even if it does not generate monetary values. However, I believe that these people will be the ultimate winners in life in the end because they often gain a new perspective and meaning to life that not many us will be entitle to. They may have sacrificed many things such as the comfort of home, family and friends but they gain so much more…

Besides immersing myself in tv shows, surfing and browsing internet forums are another common activity that I do when I am bored and it is also through these platforms that I actually gained and acquired a lot of information and knowledge. Although people may argue that Internet forums are usually full of rubbish and fallacy, I beg to differ. Of course, one must always exercise cautions when browsing forums for there can really be tons of inaccurate and misleading information or framing posts floating around. However, there are also forums where the “forumers” are generally responsible netizens and are really sincere in wanting to answer our queries or worries. In fact, browsing through these forums enable me to gain many new perspectives and insights that I would not have thought of myself. The many ideas shared among the netizens in forums can surprising sometimes stimulate and stretch one's thinking and open one's mind. Among these many forums, Hardwarezone and STOMP is where I usually obtain some of my fitness tips and to get in tune with the changes in NS while sgforum is another forum that I frequent for its wide range of topics.
I believe that forum is an important place to gather and exchange opinions because under the anonymity of the internet, one is more daring to express his or her thoughts about a particular issue or topic. Of course, there will still be some idiots who comment without thinking and hurting other people’s feelings but generally most of the netizens in forums(at least those that I frequent) are responsible people who take responsibility for their comments. Ignore the flaming posts and internet forums are really a sea of valuable information and resources. Through forums, I know where to have the best makan, where to purchase certain things or where to get help for some lifestyle problems.

Hmm… I wonder what is channel x showing now?

Regards,
Yongster

Still many more good years ahead...