I am booking in in like 5 hrs time, and since I am essentially aimless now, I shall continue my blogging.
So its been 2 weeks in BMT, and life's still going on great.
I remembered the hair shaving event being rather uneventful? It was supposed to be symbolic in making all recruits of "equal standing" since everyone will look the same. It is also supposed to keep up with the regimental style of the army - at least it is what I view about hair shaving. However, when I sat there, paid $2 (very economical for the volume of hair shaved you know) and saw clumps of black strands dropping down, I just thought to myself: "Well this is it?" I think what struck me more is the glaring blankness and the sudden drop in pressure on my head rather than the symbolic meanings that should follow this "rite". But yea, for once you will appreciate hair alot - not of their aesthetic value but rather for their ability to shelter your head from the sun and heat? First time I see in the army ppl get sunburn on their head - you guess, they became red heads :P
Anyway the good thing about army is its tremendous ability to keep you occupied 24/7. No need to fear about being out of job, no need to think about grades, no need to worry about having the spend money, no need to ponder over the night's activities (after work), and hence no need to emo. Even if one had a girlfriend to worry about, there's the nightly routine of calling her after lights out, so it shouldn't be of paramount concern. Really, you just live your life day by day, book out, slack, book in, pumping, book out, slack, book in, training. It is a cycle, vicious or not you decide. Its like the Chinese saying: 得过且过
This is really akin to us being in school. Many at times we grumble mumble about the drudgery of school, but once school ended all of us are plunged from no time to too much time - we do not know what to do with our own time? Ok, by now most of normal us, if not all, would have found a job and hence our lives have shifted to a work-life routine - apart from those sick scholars who are now overseas and studying imba shit, but still at the bottom of our hearts we know this life won't be one we will want to take on eventually, and there again the planning has to start once more. Grah why won't our lives be laid out before us?
tata, my brain's exhausted. GG my mental capabilities are shutting down. Oh noes.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
army daze
So yep, booking in tomorrow at 1315hrs, after 3 days of "holiday" after 1 week of BMT in tekong.
It seems kind of surreal and dreamy. Sometimes I keep thinking to myself, am I in a dream - I am suddenly whisked away into this offshore island to go through this 8 weeks everyone else call BMT. I am experiencing what my seniors, great seniors, parents, elders have been talking about. That feeling that you are going to be stuck here for the next 8 weeks is no joke, it just feels that "Wow, I am already here?", just as you were still thinking you had nothing else to do after A levels other than going on temp jobs and waiting for results.
I think this same feeling will arise once we enter university / get scholarship / get married (yes). Its that feeling that you are entering your next stage in life, where you shed ur skin as a student and show ur next skin layer as a soldier / undergrad / spouse. When you have free time and the dust has settled, just sit back and think back. Ponder over the preparations you have made for this moment, you will just be astounded at how much (or little) you have prepared, and how fast (or slow) time has passed. That feeling is kinda indescribable.
Ok, discount all those deep thoughts, lets talk about the tangibles.
NS has been rather busier and PTer (physical training) than normal life. And guess what, you are no longer a "civilian", but rather a "soldier". They dont call ur normal clothes "casual clothes", but rather "civilian clothes". And you are subjected to military law, and only be caught by the military police. Kinda cool eh, you are a bit different from ur parents and ur non-enlisted friends! Oh and your "IC" is not called "IC" but rather its called "11-B".. lol?
and NS, is about bunk life. its about regimentation, where some things that are seemingly dumb/stupid/non-practical are still enforced, but at rather reasonable reasons once you look from another perspective. For instance, you have several sections in ur cupboard where you have to arrange ur display sets in a specific order, and this can be frustrating cuz you use up so much valuable space for just putting toothbrush, toothpaste, shaver and whatnot at 5 cm distance between each other. However, the logic is that in the dark you will know where is what and hence easier to take =)
Actually I can't really say much about NS yet, since I am still undergoing the "adjustment week", the euphemism for "confinement week" - which we were kindly told by our superiors not to use when telling others. Haha.
This week was mainly alot of basic military lessons such as first aid, intro to the SAR21 gun (omgosh), PT (types of PT, including warmups .. which even have drills), drills and other military stuff. So yea, it was alot of time-wasting and waiting, till the point we got too bored of waiting and it was annoying rather than welcomed.
But other than that, my superiors are generally nice and talk alot of cock. Seriously, if I have time I would tell all the crap that spill out of their mouth. Its like the first time in my life no one would ever sleep during lecture because it was just darn funny. However, most of the crap are a bit obscene too la >.<, but well harmless fun I must say. For instance, when he was talking to us about not smoking in our uniform during our bookout day, he told us of some locations - like the bushes, because technically your uniform should be good enough to camouflage in the bushes and hence the military police cannot see you. Oh, and my PC said "The best time to train is when you don't feel like training" (on training for IPPT), chew on it.
Haha, that's only half of what I want to say. Gosh, if I have time I would blog more la.. grah! 3 days is just NOT enough man !!!
Yep, I have to sleep soon due to my naggy parents - I think they'll beat any sergeants in terms of naggyness =/ Well for the benefit of me they would say?
It seems kind of surreal and dreamy. Sometimes I keep thinking to myself, am I in a dream - I am suddenly whisked away into this offshore island to go through this 8 weeks everyone else call BMT. I am experiencing what my seniors, great seniors, parents, elders have been talking about. That feeling that you are going to be stuck here for the next 8 weeks is no joke, it just feels that "Wow, I am already here?", just as you were still thinking you had nothing else to do after A levels other than going on temp jobs and waiting for results.
I think this same feeling will arise once we enter university / get scholarship / get married (yes). Its that feeling that you are entering your next stage in life, where you shed ur skin as a student and show ur next skin layer as a soldier / undergrad / spouse. When you have free time and the dust has settled, just sit back and think back. Ponder over the preparations you have made for this moment, you will just be astounded at how much (or little) you have prepared, and how fast (or slow) time has passed. That feeling is kinda indescribable.
Ok, discount all those deep thoughts, lets talk about the tangibles.
NS has been rather busier and PTer (physical training) than normal life. And guess what, you are no longer a "civilian", but rather a "soldier". They dont call ur normal clothes "casual clothes", but rather "civilian clothes". And you are subjected to military law, and only be caught by the military police. Kinda cool eh, you are a bit different from ur parents and ur non-enlisted friends! Oh and your "IC" is not called "IC" but rather its called "11-B".. lol?
and NS, is about bunk life. its about regimentation, where some things that are seemingly dumb/stupid/non-practical are still enforced, but at rather reasonable reasons once you look from another perspective. For instance, you have several sections in ur cupboard where you have to arrange ur display sets in a specific order, and this can be frustrating cuz you use up so much valuable space for just putting toothbrush, toothpaste, shaver and whatnot at 5 cm distance between each other. However, the logic is that in the dark you will know where is what and hence easier to take =)
Actually I can't really say much about NS yet, since I am still undergoing the "adjustment week", the euphemism for "confinement week" - which we were kindly told by our superiors not to use when telling others. Haha.
This week was mainly alot of basic military lessons such as first aid, intro to the SAR21 gun (omgosh), PT (types of PT, including warmups .. which even have drills), drills and other military stuff. So yea, it was alot of time-wasting and waiting, till the point we got too bored of waiting and it was annoying rather than welcomed.
But other than that, my superiors are generally nice and talk alot of cock. Seriously, if I have time I would tell all the crap that spill out of their mouth. Its like the first time in my life no one would ever sleep during lecture because it was just darn funny. However, most of the crap are a bit obscene too la >.<, but well harmless fun I must say. For instance, when he was talking to us about not smoking in our uniform during our bookout day, he told us of some locations - like the bushes, because technically your uniform should be good enough to camouflage in the bushes and hence the military police cannot see you. Oh, and my PC said "The best time to train is when you don't feel like training" (on training for IPPT), chew on it.
Haha, that's only half of what I want to say. Gosh, if I have time I would blog more la.. grah! 3 days is just NOT enough man !!!
Yep, I have to sleep soon due to my naggy parents - I think they'll beat any sergeants in terms of naggyness =/ Well for the benefit of me they would say?
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