16km route march turned out to be 16km tactical night movement. It means that the whole battalion have to walk in file formation with minimum noise because got to practise noise discipline. Our route was mostly in deserted grounds for army training purposes where there were steep slopes and rocky paths. Kind of similar to the condition in Tekong. Only once we walked on the main road and that was along Lim Chu Kang area for about 2.5 km. Yup , both muslim and chinese cemetery areas we marched past. Our destination was the top of a hill called elephant hill where we were treated to a magnificant view of western Singapore. It was beautiful. I didn't manage to see sunrise though , because I was too tired. I think most of us also were too tired to keep awake because we walked from 11+pm all the way till 6+am when we finally trudged up the top of the elephant hill. In my opinion , the most xiong obstacle is to fight against the Z monster. We didn't sleep at all throughout the night and many atimes we could see each other walking zig-zac. That indicated that we were sleep-walking. It was very boring , walking in silent in full battle order and couldn't sing and cheer because is not a route march. The most ludicrous thing was that they required us to sling our rifles in neck sling position instead of the normal combat sling. This posed as a nuisance , because it was an additional burden and caused strains on our necks especially when we had to walk long hours. By dawn , we completed 16km as a battalion. The sense of achievement is definitely there. It is not easy , but is not impossible. Tough times don't last , but tough men do.
Last weekend I managed to catch X-Men : The Last Stand. It was nice , just like the previous series. I think Ellen Page , the girl who played Kitty Pryde is rather sweet-looking. And I finally ate at Azabu Sabo ---- the Japanese restaurant at Marina Square ! Felicia and I wanted to eat there even way before my enlistment into army but didn't have a chance to due to the long queue on our previous trip there. So at last I got the chance to and am glad to say that it didn't disappoint me. I am not exactly a fan of Japanese cuisine because I don't like to eat those sushi and ramen stuffs. However , I have a penchant for teriyaki chicken and Japanese desserts and this restaurant satisfies my palate. Price is affordable and ambience wise..is quite alright. The main attraction of the restaurant (actually is more like an eatery) is their exciting array of dessert treats. Will be back to try out other types of ice creams in future.
Teriyaki Chicken Bento
Sukiyaki Bento
Shira Kurizen. Is already melting because I took some time to get the best angle to snap the photo.
Ice cream with golden flour and red bean paste
An unearthly hour to blog. Usually by this time I should be asleep. But well..
Anyway I got posted to School of Supply & Transport. I will be lying if I say I am not disappointed not to be posted to SISPEC. Quite a number of my platoon mates went to SISPEC. I think I must have really cocked up in some areas. Now cannot become Sergeant Tan. Nevertheless , my new unit does not require us to chiong sua and go for field camp. However , we still got route march and live range. In fact , next week will be going for a 16km route march throughout wee hours till morning. Sounds rather slack but there is a price to pay : low rank and low pay. I can only rise up to a lousy corporal rank at most since is a logistic unit and is under service side.
My vocation is about in charging of sea supplies and we work closely with the navy personnel. We are kind of like the humanitarian personnel. That means that if got any disasters locally or abroad and our government decides to chip in help , my unit is one of the very first to be mobilise. Disasters like tsunami , etc. Always wanting to be the very nice neighbour Singapore is , chances are high that we will be sent abroad to help. Oh well. Sounds slack my unit is but they still emphasize on physical fitness. Just last thursday the juniors (that's us) ran 6km while the seniors ran more at East Coast Park to train for the upcoming Army Half Marathon. It's a norm to run every week from what I heard. Hence in future if happen to see me running along ECP and you are there barbequeing or having a picnic , feel free to pass me some sausages or fishballs to keep the engine going.
Till next month when my course starts , is going to be staying out for me. It means that everyday I get to go home and basically it also means that everyday I report to camp from morning until evening is slack and eat. Is really damn slack. For instance , on last friday our routine from morning 7:45am to 5:20 pm is : area cleaning --> sleep --> lunch --> sleep --> canteen break --> sleep/talk cock with mates ---> last parade --> dinner -->home. From somebody who comes from Mohawk Coy , slacking is certainly something that I am not used to it. My present company is kinda small and my fellow company mates are quite nice and lively. Interesting individuals who come from different companies. We have PhDs --- Poly-Halfway-Dropouts , a guy who is a dancer (I find that kind of rare because I rarely heard guys who know how to dance well) and a certified metrosexual etc. This guy amazes me. He carries along with him a mirror , a mouth spraying thing , goes for spa , facial and he actually is a freelance makeup artiste. A 101% metrosexual. Oh and he loves shopping , fashion and kbox. Cool guy indeed. So this proves that I am not the most hiao guy around. I think the best of all is having my fellow good buddy from college being posted to the same unit and same vocation as me. Is such a coincidence. Same class in college and though BMT different companies but after that still see each other in unit. My platoon commander and platoon sergeant are nice people. The former is like a refined gentleman who doesn't seems to advocate tekan-ing while the latter looks as if one can talk cock with in hokkien. Maybe the tekans will start to come in when courses start I don't know.
I am enjoying every minute and every second of my block leave. Catching up with friends doing the usual favourite activities we do such as kbox and pool. Walked around shopping malls etc and forked out a day to play basketball with some of my platoon mates. I played terribly that day because I failed to live up to my primary task to score as many hoops as possible since I am a shooting guard. It is a disgrace to be so badly off-form and I don't think after months of not being on the court is a good excuse. Must really brush up my shooting accuracy. Besides enjoying time out on the streets , I also set aside some time for myself to relax at home. Basically just chill around , read the papers , work out a bit , sleep and watch Devil Beside You again for the second time.
If I have to mention 1 thing I really miss about tekong , it is the "sun-tanning" sessions. I was browsing my college year book the other day and I compared the picture of me inside and presently , the difference is rather palpable. As much as I miss my hair and lifestyle as a civilian before enlistment , I can't complain much about my new healthy tanned physique now --- despite the fact that I can't style my hair now. It marks a point of no return ---- this physique can only improve.
Posting will be out tomorrow. SISPEC , 1st Guards , Military Police , Recce Trooper and rifleman are some of the initial possible units I may land up to. However , I am already out of contention to go to MP (much to my disappointment) and Recce because I am not selected for interviews. I am praying that I don't kanna rifleman. Whatever the outcome is , there is no choice but to accept. I won't chao geng and go see specialists to downgrade even if I am being selected as rifleman. 1 year and 8 more months to ORD. Just accept it , serve , fuck off then proceed to university.
06/06/06 - POP lo !
It was a rainy day and we were drenched while waiting to march into the parade square. However , the show must go on.
The flag party contingent
Mohawk Company !
Inspection by the Guest of Honour
Preparing to march past the V.I.P stand
Marching gallantly as one and only Mohawk Company
My dad putting on my jockey cap for me
Me and my dad
Me and my mom
The infantry roar by BMTC School 2 graduates
recruit days have finally ended
9 weeks of BMT in Pulau Tekong
** The rest of the pictures of me taken with my platoon mates and commanders can be found in my friendster**
Summary of BMT9 weeks of BMT has finally ended. POP is the day every recruit looks forward to as it marks the end of Basic Military Training. I remembered before I enlisted , I was either working or going out with friends. Hardly fork out time to exercise since I attained Gold for NAPFA in college. Hence , when the physical demands started to pour in , it was strenous initially. As time goes by , I got used to it. In the army , it's always "rush to wait , wait to rush". This sentiment is visible especially during live range and live grenade throw when you got to wait for the whole company to finish then you are being transported back to company line. Is always dirty and sweaty in recruit days especially when go outfield chiong sua. For example , the Basic Assault course (BAC) when you get to apply all the fighting stunts learnt from Basic Close Combat Training (BCCT) , leopard crawl and back crawl under barb wires. Grenade Assault Course (GAC) when you also leopard crawl the mud and learnt the various positions of possible grenade throwing positions but when it comes to the actual live grenade throw only the standing position is applied. Live range was fun. Can still fondly remembered the uncle who runs a mobile van selling snacks. He always received loud cheers from us whenever he passed by. Field Camp was the worst experience because it was an eye-opener to alot of things. You don't get to bathe for 7 days , don't get to brush teeth for 7 days , eat combat rations for 7 days , camo-cream on the face for 24hrs/7days. Digging trenches and shell-scraps were damn strenous. In layman's term is basically digging holes large and deep enough for us to sleep in the night and next morning get into prone position inside. It brought me to the limit and I nearly gave up because it was very taxing both physically and mentally. In the end , I was really glad I didnt thanks to my platoon commander who talked to me. He inspired me with the phrase "tough times don't last , tough men do" and told me that I should not try but to do my best. Of course not forgetting the countless sandflies' and mosquitoes' bites. The experiences of having powder baths , shitting inside the make-shift holes then covering up once done and seeing so many flies around the latrine areas...indeed these are really quite memorable experiences. Sit-test requires us to go outfield when you get to work with other people from other platoons in missions. Lots of wayang people who were so eager to impress in my detailing group. The fast marches of 2km and 4km were fucking xiong seriously. Is all in the mind to conquer over the body when the body is screaming for one to stop and give up. However , nobody in my platoon gave up because nobody wanted to re-do the whole test again.
Standard Obstacle Courses (SOC) is termed as the soldiers' playground. It requires us to run for about 700m then clear all the obstacles before running for another 400m to the end. It is xiong , but I find it quite fun. The sense of achievement is comparable to the end of BIC when we leopard crawl and back crawl under barb wires with live machine guns firing above our heads. Of course not forgetting the 24km route march. The last major event and also the most xiong 1. It tests one's endurance both physically and mentally. It was taxing , but luckily I like to shop and can walk all day when I was in the civilian world so both of my legs didn't really turn into jelly. The more painful effect can be felt on the shoulders because we were in full battle order carrying the field pack and with webbing and rifle. My company , Mohawk Coy had the honour of leading the whole of BMTC 2 of 8 companies in the 24km route march. We cheered , we sang , throughout the 24km march. The last 4 km was the most emotional because we were so eager to march back to the parade square where we started despite our tiredness. The whole event took about 8 hrs to complete. All of us felt a sense of achievement and joyfulness when we reached the parade square because we endured , perservered to the last as a platoon and most importantly , as a company. At the end of the event , almost all of us were limping due to blisters , abrasions attained because the routes were at times rocky and steep. However , it was all worthwhile.
At the end of the day , end of my BMT , I truly felt proud to graduate from Mohawk Company (rated as the second most xiong company in BMTC School 2) and to clear all the requirements in BMT. Won't forget the camaraderie , the friendships and bonds forged between me and my section , platoon and company mates. Damn , the days of chionging and slacking together. Though I am not happy that my company doesn't give us any canteen breaks at all throughout the 9 weeks , nevertheless , the memories in tekong will always be remembered.
Benefits from the 9 weeks BMT stint in Pulau Tekong :
1) mind over body , endure !
2) more disciplined
3) more responsible because one's actions can affect other people as well
4) working together and accomodate with the rest of people from various backgrounds with good/bad habits. Eg , even when ur buddy snores in his sleep , just tolerate it.
5) free sun-tanning. They said Tekong is the best place to get free-tan , free lodging and accomodation and best of all , get to stay fit and healthy. Yeah , all these at the expense of freedom and getting paid $350/mth which means $0.50/hr.
6) to do what one is afraid to do
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BMT is over. Now must enjoy block leave and plenty to catch up with in the civilian world before getting my posting.
