Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Booked out for public holiday tomorrow, hehe.
I did my (hopefully) last guard duty that I am gonna do for the entire NSF life on Monday night. Before you guys start cursing at me, the downside is that I will be doing one COS duty every week. There are only 6 specs to share the HQ COS slot so every 6 days I will have to do one duty. This is considered quite a lot, given that an ordinary company will have 20 specs altogether to share the load.
Yup, so I am off for duty on this weekend, damn.
Somehow, after everyone has been posted to their respective companies, I feel more distant from them as compared to the UIP period. At least, back then we did everything together, eat sleep slack play tio gan together. Now there is no cross-link between what I do and what some of my friends in the rifle company do. It is like two different realms trying to find a common ground. I must agree to my friends that is is less chiong sua and more sitting in the aircon office. It is a different form of fatigue - one being physical and the other being mental. It is slack now because there is no one in the bn except the specs and the regulars. Wait till the men come in - that will be the part where we are all gonna get headache.
Sometimes, I believe in suffering together to really bond together.
Don't you think so?
I did my (hopefully) last guard duty that I am gonna do for the entire NSF life on Monday night. Before you guys start cursing at me, the downside is that I will be doing one COS duty every week. There are only 6 specs to share the HQ COS slot so every 6 days I will have to do one duty. This is considered quite a lot, given that an ordinary company will have 20 specs altogether to share the load.
Yup, so I am off for duty on this weekend, damn.
Somehow, after everyone has been posted to their respective companies, I feel more distant from them as compared to the UIP period. At least, back then we did everything together, eat sleep slack play tio gan together. Now there is no cross-link between what I do and what some of my friends in the rifle company do. It is like two different realms trying to find a common ground. I must agree to my friends that is is less chiong sua and more sitting in the aircon office. It is a different form of fatigue - one being physical and the other being mental. It is slack now because there is no one in the bn except the specs and the regulars. Wait till the men come in - that will be the part where we are all gonna get headache.
Sometimes, I believe in suffering together to really bond together.
Don't you think so?
sharkfin fullstopped here
Sunday, September 28, 2008
It has been 1 month in my new unit. Everything has been going rather smoothly - getting to know people, working with superiors, training up ourselves before the recruits come in. Last week concluded the 4-week long unit induction program (UIP) in Tekong. It is the most xiong part of the whole program (duh, outfield mah).
Tekong trip was actually, fruitful. I met Gordon and Fengqun at SFT. They were booking out (on a freaking monday) while I was going in to tekong. Really jealous to see them in CV while I was in FBO. HAha, sharp contrast between them and I. It is nice to see them again, making me all nostalgic about my ASLC days with my fantastic section mates around. Haha, gordon just can't stopbitching commenting about how inefficient the company is, marcus just can't stop sharing his choir knowledge with the whole section, frederick just can't stop SMSing on his handphone. Okay I should stop digressing further. Heh, but yeah, miss them loads.
Outsmart, Outlast, Outperform - That is our section motto.
It is just too bad that I cannot take a photo of our bunk. I bet it is the most decorated bunks in the whole platoon or even the whole company.
Okay, back the to the tekong trip. basically I felt that we were treated more like commanders instead of trainee (which I wasn't expecting). We took tonner everywhere, only stayed out on the first night doing shellscrapes. The rest of the nights we could bathe, sleep on safari bed, eating fresh rations all the way, and a BBQ on the last night in tekong. It was shiok, hehe, but the training is tough, and the standard they demand is high, higher than the standard that we were demanded back in training school. I had a first hand insight of how a RSM did his fire and movement and I was totally stunned - or rather, the whole lot of us were most impressed by his drills. That really inspired many of us to do a better job that what we have been doing in SISPEC. There are also other training like casuality evac and navigation in FBO section EQ. Haha, total pwnage.
I still remembered that my SISPEC instructors told me that unit life would be very different from trainig school. Now I sort of understand what he meant back then. Unlike school, unit is very flexible when it comes to doing drills. They do not reprimand you for doing the drills different, but rather they question you for your reason for doing the drills in that manner. It is motivating than everyone following the same set of drills that obviously don't apply in all context. Another difference that I feel is that in unit I feel closer to my superiors than back in school. Probably because everyone in the operational unit has to do everything together, no more instructional style where I tell you you do. There are just so many things that I have learnt in the past 1 month that I can't spell all out in details (which I am not supposed to anyway, hehe). I think I would be able to gain a lot of experience, not just army stuffs but life skills as a whole in my new unit. I am looking forward to what brings me to the next step of unit life - as a S3 Spec.
Tekong trip was actually, fruitful. I met Gordon and Fengqun at SFT. They were booking out (on a freaking monday) while I was going in to tekong. Really jealous to see them in CV while I was in FBO. HAha, sharp contrast between them and I. It is nice to see them again, making me all nostalgic about my ASLC days with my fantastic section mates around. Haha, gordon just can't stop
Outsmart, Outlast, Outperform - That is our section motto.
It is just too bad that I cannot take a photo of our bunk. I bet it is the most decorated bunks in the whole platoon or even the whole company.
Okay, back the to the tekong trip. basically I felt that we were treated more like commanders instead of trainee (which I wasn't expecting). We took tonner everywhere, only stayed out on the first night doing shellscrapes. The rest of the nights we could bathe, sleep on safari bed, eating fresh rations all the way, and a BBQ on the last night in tekong. It was shiok, hehe, but the training is tough, and the standard they demand is high, higher than the standard that we were demanded back in training school. I had a first hand insight of how a RSM did his fire and movement and I was totally stunned - or rather, the whole lot of us were most impressed by his drills. That really inspired many of us to do a better job that what we have been doing in SISPEC. There are also other training like casuality evac and navigation in FBO section EQ. Haha, total pwnage.
I still remembered that my SISPEC instructors told me that unit life would be very different from trainig school. Now I sort of understand what he meant back then. Unlike school, unit is very flexible when it comes to doing drills. They do not reprimand you for doing the drills different, but rather they question you for your reason for doing the drills in that manner. It is motivating than everyone following the same set of drills that obviously don't apply in all context. Another difference that I feel is that in unit I feel closer to my superiors than back in school. Probably because everyone in the operational unit has to do everything together, no more instructional style where I tell you you do. There are just so many things that I have learnt in the past 1 month that I can't spell all out in details (which I am not supposed to anyway, hehe). I think I would be able to gain a lot of experience, not just army stuffs but life skills as a whole in my new unit. I am looking forward to what brings me to the next step of unit life - as a S3 Spec.
sharkfin fullstopped here
Sunday, September 14, 2008
You know, sometimes you want a longer book out time, you get less than 12hours of book out time in the end. I just booked out earlier this morning and had to go down to beach road to get some items. Ended up I can't go for my BMT platoon outing due to time constrain and my exhausted body due to guard duty the day before. As I am typing this my mind is probably already on the bed taking a nap already. lol
Did my first guard duty ever in my NSF career yesterday. (yes, I consider myself quite lucky not to kena any guard duty during my trainee life. Maybe they chose to avoid me because of my unique surname?) Hah, it was not really fun (duh) but it is not that boring. Maybe because it is the first time I am doing it. I get to talk crap a lot with the buddy that I do the duty with and the wide variety of people coming into the camp spices up the duty a little. From the very friendly to annoying to can't be bothered to pissed off drivers, I learn more about the quality of some of our regulars in the SAF. Really, some have very screwed up personality.
Booking back in later.. fieldcamp coming soon, then guard duty cos guard duty cos all the way until the men come in.. hoho
Did my first guard duty ever in my NSF career yesterday. (yes, I consider myself quite lucky not to kena any guard duty during my trainee life. Maybe they chose to avoid me because of my unique surname?) Hah, it was not really fun (duh) but it is not that boring. Maybe because it is the first time I am doing it. I get to talk crap a lot with the buddy that I do the duty with and the wide variety of people coming into the camp spices up the duty a little. From the very friendly to annoying to can't be bothered to pissed off drivers, I learn more about the quality of some of our regulars in the SAF. Really, some have very screwed up personality.
Booking back in later.. fieldcamp coming soon, then guard duty cos guard duty cos all the way until the men come in.. hoho
sharkfin fullstopped here
Saturday, September 06, 2008
It has been a long week. For some unknown reason, the time seems to pass very slowly at my new camp as compared to SISPEC. Lol, when it was wednesday I was telling my friend it should be book out time in SISPEC by then. Really a relieve to be back home after the long week.
I must say that my perception of unit life has changed quite a lot after thebrainwashing prep talk by numerous commanders from CO down to PSes. The next one year that I am gonna spend there is actually not that bad I guess. PTP to AIT, NDP to overseas. Then.. ORD LOH! LOL. Okay, easier said than done.. But it is gonna be really challenging. From the old specs and commanders, they are really gonna give us (the 68 new specs) a hell load of problems and excuses to keng, skip, slack. Haha. but since we have been through that phase.. should understand their mentality a little la hor?
Yesterday was the 13th mono ORD parade ceremony. Thanks to the rainy weather, the UIP people skipped the 5KM run, and the ORD people skipped their SOC, 1.6km run. Though some still did their defaulters. Just for making the life there memorable for them. I don't think we would have such a parade or ceremony for us since we are gonna ORD in the middle of the new batch's 2 years in there. Relaly jealous of those people ORD. I know my turn will come but it is just sian that you see others getting their lives back while I am still stuck. Gah.
Later going to school for MAF. Not really interested in the whole celebration but more of an occassion for the class to gather. Really miss them and hopefully I can get to see as many of them today as possible.
Okay, I am gonna go and prepare already.. blog another time!
Ho Ah!
I must say that my perception of unit life has changed quite a lot after the
Yesterday was the 13th mono ORD parade ceremony. Thanks to the rainy weather, the UIP people skipped the 5KM run, and the ORD people skipped their SOC, 1.6km run. Though some still did their defaulters. Just for making the life there memorable for them. I don't think we would have such a parade or ceremony for us since we are gonna ORD in the middle of the new batch's 2 years in there. Relaly jealous of those people ORD. I know my turn will come but it is just sian that you see others getting their lives back while I am still stuck. Gah.
Later going to school for MAF. Not really interested in the whole celebration but more of an occassion for the class to gather. Really miss them and hopefully I can get to see as many of them today as possible.
Okay, I am gonna go and prepare already.. blog another time!
Ho Ah!
sharkfin fullstopped here