Crescendo – Chapter 1

So there we were, heading towards Thailand for our final 3 weeks of training. We reached Changi Airport around 6pm and by 6.30pm, we started heading towards our boarding platform. Then we waited..

and waited….

and finally took the plane. Although we know of the impending doom heading our way for the next 3 weeks, everyone was hyper for some strange reason.

(looks down) Slightly botak heads galore!

The plane landed quite late at night and we then prepared ourselves for the 3-4 hours bus ride to our camp.

I really like those big coaches (the double decker) as we don’t really use them here in Singapore, save for the SMRT ones. Their rides are always smooth and pretty cosy as well. We arrived at our camp in the wee hours of the day and had to unload everything from the truck. We heard rumours that the bunk would be quite old but hey, it might not be that bad right? Wrong!

The cupboards and beds were probably those our fathers might have used. Some of the fans were not working as well. Our bunks back here is way better. Singaporeans are spoilt I guess. Oh well, we got used to the bunk in a day or 2 anyway. It’s quite comfortable actually except in the day where the temperature would soar to 40 degrees and being inside would be a chore. Thereafter, we head to the toilet.

CSM: When you all go and bathe, you better not swimm in the tub arh.

Us: ???

CSM: You’ll know when you go and bathe =D

Thus, we proceed to take our long awaited shower which we soon found out…

Guy A: *@)*&(!(#&

Guy B: CCB!

Guy C: SIALAH!

Guy D: AMMA!!

Over-dramatic but nonetheless, we still receive quite a shock although yet again, we got accustomed to it right at our first bathe. Well, where else can you finally attack other people with water during NS.

Best part of the camp is…THE CANTEEN!!

The food was cheap and excellent! The shops there sell things ranging from souveniers to clothes to whatnots. They even had a LAN shop there. Pretty cool stuff as the canteens back here are well, just normal canteens. Right, that’s it for this chapter. Till then~

With Pride We Lead

The above is a real photo of our parade. It has just undergone the ‘cartoonization’ process. Right, today marks the end of my ASLC (Advance Section Leader Course) chapter. With that, I’m now officially a 3rd Sergeant. I know I have not written anything about the Thailand trip but I thought it would be better with pictures, which sadly are still on hold. How was ASLC?

Well, to tell you the truth, it was not as bad as what people say. Sure, the training is tough but we still held on in the end. I have really learn a lot in this course plus there are certainly individuals who will create a lasting impression on me, especially those who were with me since BSLC.

What surprised me was that I received the silver bayonet award. It was already hinted when we were in Thailand but it is still a surprise. Reason was that I have never become the platoon leader (in layman’s term) or the sort and yet I was able to receive it.

Thanks I guess. Whenever I see it I will definitely reminisce about the time in ASLC. I will now close this chapter. With Pride We Lead, SISPEC!

I’m back from the land of elephants!

It’s good to be back! We arrived in Singapore at the 17th around 12.15am. As per usual, a lot of them head straight to the duty free shops before getting their luggage. With that, it marks the end of our 3 weeks or so training in Thailand. There’s a lot of stuff to be told but I guess I have to organise and sort them out properly before posting them. Well, that should take till the end of this week since I’m booking in tonight. Till then~

Still here smelling mangoes~

Yes, I’m still in Thailand for the 3 weeks or so training. Moving off to the 8 days outfield tomorrow so see you guys in a week’s time.

Thailand, here we come!

This is possibly my last post before going on a 3 week hiatus. I’m heading off to Thailand for, as you have guessed, 3 weeks. The past 9-10 weeks have passed by quickly much to everyone’s surprise. Perhaps it is due to the packed schedule we have.

Well, ASLC so far has been pretty much alright (can’t really say now as we have not done our overseas training yet) We finished our final outfield training in Singapore, which was our Grandslam 2, last week. The highlight for our Grandslam was definitely the:

Chinnook Ride

I was pretty much exhilarated when I hear we were going to ride it. It was a pretty unique experience and the ride was quite smooth albeit the the loud metal noise produced by the two propellers.

Trench Digging

This  is probably one of the main reasons why people refused to go to ASLC. Well, the trench digging was probably not as bad as I thought since they supplied us with chungkol and spades. The sheer thought of digging it with the E-tools (a miniature version of the chungkol) was daunting but we were glad that did not occur.

With that, I bid you guys farewell. See you people in 3 weeks time!

I passed!

I managed to pass my first SOC (standard obstacle course) test in ASLC! It might not be a big feat for some people but this is the first time I passed my SOC in my NS life. Thank god! Now I can go through the rest of the course without worrying about it.

A month and counting…

Alright! It has been a month since I started ASLC. Things have really start to roll here. I completed my 10km run in 50mins and managed to maintain a silver for my IPPT. I’ve also completed the hellish 32km route march. Why hellish you may ask? Reason is that during the route march, we have to cross a river at one point and yesh, it ain’t gonna be by boat. Swimming? Well, close enough. Continued the rest of the march drenched with river water (my boots were like fish tanks). Furthermore, I kept falling asleep agin during the march. For example, during the 24km to 28km checkpoint, I was like asleep 85% of the time. So far, ASLC isn’t that bad I guess (probably cause the field camps have yet to start) We’ll see how it goes.

ASLC

I’m back again! The good ol’ BSLC days are over. As expected, they posted me into ASLC which will take roughly 13 weeks (its more than that I heard). The first week has just passed and I can safely say that that was one hell of a messy week. Can’t post stuff here so ask me personally if you want to know.

New phase

The new phase of my army life has just begun about a week ago. I got into SISPEC and of all companies the SAF could have possibly put me into, they chuck me into the notoriously known ‘C’ company. Oh well, like in BMT, try to make the best out of it .

POP O!!

On the 9th December 2008, the soldiers marched into the parade square, eagerly anticipating the end of their BMT lives. After 2 whole months in there, it has finally ended! Well, somewhat since I have to serve guard duty on the 20th, which happens to be my dad’s birthday as well. Thanks a bunch to drawing lots…

We book in at around 5pm on the 8th, did the usual stuff plus some final words from our OC and commanders and lights off at around 8.30pm. Woke up at an unearthly hour, 3am to be exact, and prepare ourselves for the gruelling 24km route march. For some weird reason, my field pack was heavy (must be the tupperwares..has to be the tupperwares!!) The route march was hell. I even fell asleep while walking a few times (god knows how i manage to do that) Some parts of the march were literally meant to kill your feet! I might be exaggerating there but you get the drift. I mange to survive it one way or another.

The Passing-Out Parade, or the Graduation Parade as how it is addressed now, was kind of alright. This is especially so after we spend the whole of last week doing rehearsals after rehearsals every day for half a day. Words can’t really describe how we feel when we march into the parade square that day with around 2000 plus people watching us and cheering us on. Ah well, it was a great feeling nonetheless. For now, we have to wait patiently for our new posting to be announced