Whew...i'm now going to complete the most arduous task of blogging 3weeks of my life at one go...so sorry to those who've gone online, went to my blog, then went somewhere else cos there weren't any updates; i've wasted ur few precious minutes (awww..) To be honest, i haven't felt in the mood to write lately...like i'd go back home with little time to spare so i'd just pack my bag, play a bit of dota (err yeah so dota can be quite important), watch bleach, then soon it's time to book back in. When there's no mood, writing the blog becomes more of a chore that does not have to be done on time; it gets added onto your workload somehow and gives stress instead of taking it away. This time i was feeling in the writing mood, 'cos i was in camp writing a draft while my fellow platoon-mates were resting/sleeping. Was quited tempted to do the same, actually. 6hrs a day isn't enough.
I'll write about my NS experiences this time, because it seems the length of my civilian life is getting less and less each week...:\ So i kinda need some material to do any writing at all. (although looking back on it, deciding to write about NS life has given me TOO MUCH to write. damndamndamndamndamn)
Well anyway i had field camp from the 4th to 10th of Feb. All i can say is that it was a HORRIBLE experience with all the sergeants out to get us all the time; and they'd console us by saying that their previous batches had it much worse. Errr..right. The weather was also out to get us; it rained almost everyday throughout field camp.
The 2nd night was the worst; went to sleep in my basha (something like low-low-low class tent) at 10.30pm, and at 11om it started to rain. The water was hitting my face and boots which were like sticking out at both ends of the basha. An hour later, i woke up and woah i was like sleeping on a damn waterbed...at no extra cost i must mention. Turns out water had flowed into the drain dug out directly below me by a previous batch of campers..our own drainage (to direct crappy water out of the campsite) was sorely missing due to a lack of time to dig. Then at around 2am i woke up again, and this time my whole uniform and bags were drenched in like watery mud...turns out that the water had seeped through the groundsheet, and it kinda felt like sleeping in a river. Nice. Just couldn't sleep anymore..i was soaked right down to my underwear lah. Spent the rest of the night/morning eating biscuits with section-mates {silas kelvin baorui wenhao} under the pouring rain. Er..i don't have a picture to show you guys though...might've been able to put the scene into a music video or something, come to think of it.
I think it'll be really long (like duh...just describing one scene took so long liao!) and boring if i write down the details of the entire field camp, so if you (yes, you) REALLY, for some weird and perverted reason, want to hear it ALL, you COULD try calling me at 98786035, then MAYBE you can really hear me bitch. =| Er but no stalkers please. (yes i do get worried about them sometimes..) Anyway, a week after field camp, our commanders "asked" us to write our "Reflections on Field Camp" so i'll just put mine here (all done in a 15min rush i might add..so if there're any grammatical errors..)
Reflections on Field Camp 2006
By Ang Wei Ming Gregory, N3404
My first impression of field camp is that it was certainly very tough. Many of my commanders told us repeatedly that what they had gone through was much worse, but to be honest, Field Camp was probably one of the toughest and longest weeks I had ever had. Even tougher than A levels, I'd say. Or the Scout Group Training Camp I had gone through in Pulau Ubin, where we had a 5day 4 night hike. I had imagined it to be more difficult, with pumping and punishments going on all day long and with the campsite filled with mosquitoes. Thankfully, that was not the case, but still, imagining it and experiencing it first-hand turned out to be more different than I had thought.
Field Camp started off with a bang, somewhat; an 8km route march which I had missed as I was down with a flu and infected throat. When I had finally arrived at the campsite, recruits were already being punished for unsatisfactory bashas. Although I didn't do any push-ups for the first 3 days, I still felt the extreme mental stress that Field Camp dealt onto us; there was a constant struggle to accomplish tasks within a set time.
And time was certainly a big factor during Field Camp. 15 minutes to set up the bashas. 3 minutes to grab some stuff, bundle up field packs and fall in. 3 minutes to strip down to underwear. 5 minutes to powder-bath. 1 and a half hours to dig a shell script. Half and hour to prepare for the next day and go to sleep. There was a constant mental stress felt by everyone and many tasks often resulted in us going into push-up positions for failing to meet the timings given. Even with the many time extensions given, there was often an obstacle or 2 that would end up slowing all of us down in the end, like someone forgetting to bring an item or being unable to find it.
Teamwork was also a big factor during Field Camp, and acquiring it as fast as possible was the thing that would ensure our survival at the end of the camp. In order to pitch bashas that were well-aligned within the time given, we had to combine our efforts and do each basha 2 or 3 at a time, instead of people just working on their own. When we had to bundle up our items and fall in, those who were faster had to help the slower ones, instead of simply falling in and waiting for their fellow recruits. No man could be left behind. Slowly, it became more of a habit, instead of simply a method to avoid more punishment. The "tekan-ing" also slowly got less as the days went by.
The most memorable part of the Field Camp, however, would probably have to be the living conditions as a whole. Sleeping in a basha at night and camping outside was something I had experienced before, but had not gotten used to yet. Field Camp was really an eye-opener. At night, we had to maintain sound and light discipline, which resulted in night activities being really long as we had trouble searching for stuff in our field packs. There were no toilets, and we had to dig holes in order to do our "big business". Breakfast, lunch and dinner came in the form of rations, which tasted different from our regular food and was eaten with dirty and muddy hands. There was no bathing; on almost all the days we powder-bathed to wipe off the feeling of mud all over us.
Before the Field Camp, our Company 2 IC told us that our Field Camp could either be memorable or meaningful; to me it was both. All in all, I'd say the feeling of having gone through Field Camp is something like the feeling of having gone to a war-torn country or doing a big project; I am glad I went through it and I feel I've really learnt something new and developed myself, but it is still something I wish I wouldn't have to do again anytime soon. To be a real soldier, however, being outfield is something we really have no choice but to get used to.Full of shit right?? Haha erps well anyway it's getting really late..i'll try doing the other three quarters (yes there's a lot more to go) by tomorrow. And i've not forgotten the New York Guide yet...i've got like a quarter of it left. Hope to see all u folks soon! :):):)
ps: hey jamie! hey sis! er actuali i've been posting quite a bit on the chatbox but IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE WORKING...dunno why...any experts around here who knows?
(experts meaning more pro at flooble/blogs than me. which in Singapore is pretty common..) if you people have problems posting you could sms me about it. i'll go check my flooble account in any case. hopefully i won't have to write an email to complain..
