Hello... haha you must be wondering what the hell am I doing outside of camp... I just got 3 days leave!
After we reported, we were told that were a week early to the start of course, and there is a previous batch of people that still occupies our bunks so we couldn't stay in... so they OC decided to give us a 3 day leave clearance. Haha I was so fucking happy when I heard that, a 3 day break is like something too good to be true, and it happened immediately on the first day at ETI. Looks like the engineers really takes care of its men. LOL.
We used the day to settle our admin stuff, left our huge and heavy duffel bags in a lecture room so that we didn't need to carry it back home. The place where our block is, is just simply fantastic. Right at the first storey is an e-mart. This is the first time an e-mart is so close to our living quarters... and we can visit it anytime when time permits. Another very good thing is that we, as future specialists are allowed to visit the specialists' mess, FOC!!! I hope there is a pool table in there, haha...
After everything is settled, we booked out after dinner. I almost forgot to mention the food, the food in mainland is much nicer than in Tekong. It has to be because of the caterer, Singapore Food Industries (Mainland) compared to Food Fare Industries (Damned Island). Hmm... looks like I'm really going to enjoy unit life...
End of Line
Tuesday, November 29
Saturday, November 26
Chevron Slap
Hello... just came out of the island. For the last time. Yes, I think I will never step onto Tekong again.
Last night, the whole BSLC batch marched 28km, which was the graduation march and a very special event of the course. We started marching at 2200, after the CO talked a little cock about what we have accomplished so far, what lies ahead blah blah blah...
The march was actually quite gruelling, but the load of the FBO only bothered me for the front part of the march. After awhile, my shoulders seemed to become numb to the weight load. The more jialat parts were actually the balls of my feet, and the fear of falling asleep. Yes, you can fall asleep while walking. There was one part where I was like a zombie, just walking with my eyes almost fully closed. I was lucky to be able to wake myself up when I notice the distance of my front man getting further.
When all of us neared the end point of the 28km, we were in super high spirits. Everyone was singing their lungs out, clapping their hands in sync. Our roars were like what you would hear in an EPL match... We reached back to camp at around 0600.
The next thing that followed was the graduation parade. In FBO. I think it was quite a stupid idea, to be making us stand in parade for so fucking long, in FBO. And somemore, it was after our 28km march. The pain in my shoulders were almost unbearable. I was always fidgeting around, trying to get the crushing pain away. My shoulders almost cramped at one point. People around me were fidgeting around too, I can totally understand why we still dare to move while in parade. There were a few people that looked as if they were about to fall flat on the ground, their face were pale... And my friend beside me fell asleep... what the fuck...
Finally my PC came up to me and slapped on the chevron rank (Corporal) onto my arms, there was a handshake and then he still had another 30 or more people to my left to go... During this period, my mind was so disturbed by the pain I was feeling in my shoulders that I felt as if my brain forced me to fall out from the parade. I keep thinking of bending down so that the field pack would rest flat on my back, not on my shoulders. But I kept telling myself all this will soon be over, just endure a little bit more... Then after what seems like forever, we started marching back to company line.
Back at coy line, we washed up and did our final packing, cleaned our rifle for the last time. After I finished cleaning my rifle, I laid down on my bed and dozed off...
Suddenly I was awoken by my friend, who told me we are to receive our posting orders. The moment of truth has come.
I quickly put on a shirt and went downstairs together with the whole company. Our OC then read to us our postings. The very first batch was the people that has to stay back at charlie company for ASLC. The suspense for this part was like nothing before, because I die die also don't want to go back to charlie for ASLC. I'm sick of the SISPEC life, because to me it just sucks. So name by name was read, and the majority were malays... it seems that it was a trend. After my name was skipped, I breathed a sigh a relief. I quietly told myself: YES!!!
After a while, my name was called out, and I am posted to ETI, which is the combat engineers training institute. I heard that unit life as a combat engineer is quite good, so I'm very glad. I managed to escape ASLC, and armored infantry (because its madness trying to run behind a tank, and 5 months of training to get 3SG rank). I got the same posting as my buddy and a few of my platoon mates, so I will be seeing them in ETI. Its good to have some people you know in a new place. I wonder how true is it that life as a combat engineer will be good, its for me to find out now, I guess.
Actually last week I forgot to tell you that I was actually called up to go for a selection board by the 36 SCE, which is the EOD (Explosives Ordnance Disposal). I thought that it was a good vocation to be in, it comes with pride and extra 200 dollars pay for the risk factor. I tried my best in the IQ tests, and the physical test.
The physical was very interesting: we had to don the 27kg bomb suit and run up to 4th storey and crawl under a table, do a ring and wire thingy (remember Mr. Bean at the fun fair?) and a wooden puzzle, things like that. I was totally shagged out just from running up to 4th storey with the suit. It felt as if I had just finished SOC!!! But I remained calm and tried my best to complete a small wooden puzzle which I did not complete... I was bombarded with questions like what was my name, which poly I came from and things like that. You had to do the puzzle and answer them at the same time. There was a 10 min time limit for the whole physical. I almost sprained my ankle from running down the stairs... luckily I didn't.
I do not know whether I will still be selected for EOD, because of my posting to ETI. But there is only 10 that will make it into EOD from SISPEC (quite alot of people were chosen to do the selection), so most likely I will be strike off the list. Well, it has been a good experience for me with the bomb suit and all.
Ok I talked a bit too much haha, tell you more next time about my first week in ETI. Adios.
Last night, the whole BSLC batch marched 28km, which was the graduation march and a very special event of the course. We started marching at 2200, after the CO talked a little cock about what we have accomplished so far, what lies ahead blah blah blah...
The march was actually quite gruelling, but the load of the FBO only bothered me for the front part of the march. After awhile, my shoulders seemed to become numb to the weight load. The more jialat parts were actually the balls of my feet, and the fear of falling asleep. Yes, you can fall asleep while walking. There was one part where I was like a zombie, just walking with my eyes almost fully closed. I was lucky to be able to wake myself up when I notice the distance of my front man getting further.
When all of us neared the end point of the 28km, we were in super high spirits. Everyone was singing their lungs out, clapping their hands in sync. Our roars were like what you would hear in an EPL match... We reached back to camp at around 0600.
The next thing that followed was the graduation parade. In FBO. I think it was quite a stupid idea, to be making us stand in parade for so fucking long, in FBO. And somemore, it was after our 28km march. The pain in my shoulders were almost unbearable. I was always fidgeting around, trying to get the crushing pain away. My shoulders almost cramped at one point. People around me were fidgeting around too, I can totally understand why we still dare to move while in parade. There were a few people that looked as if they were about to fall flat on the ground, their face were pale... And my friend beside me fell asleep... what the fuck...
Finally my PC came up to me and slapped on the chevron rank (Corporal) onto my arms, there was a handshake and then he still had another 30 or more people to my left to go... During this period, my mind was so disturbed by the pain I was feeling in my shoulders that I felt as if my brain forced me to fall out from the parade. I keep thinking of bending down so that the field pack would rest flat on my back, not on my shoulders. But I kept telling myself all this will soon be over, just endure a little bit more... Then after what seems like forever, we started marching back to company line.
Back at coy line, we washed up and did our final packing, cleaned our rifle for the last time. After I finished cleaning my rifle, I laid down on my bed and dozed off...
Suddenly I was awoken by my friend, who told me we are to receive our posting orders. The moment of truth has come.
I quickly put on a shirt and went downstairs together with the whole company. Our OC then read to us our postings. The very first batch was the people that has to stay back at charlie company for ASLC. The suspense for this part was like nothing before, because I die die also don't want to go back to charlie for ASLC. I'm sick of the SISPEC life, because to me it just sucks. So name by name was read, and the majority were malays... it seems that it was a trend. After my name was skipped, I breathed a sigh a relief. I quietly told myself: YES!!!
After a while, my name was called out, and I am posted to ETI, which is the combat engineers training institute. I heard that unit life as a combat engineer is quite good, so I'm very glad. I managed to escape ASLC, and armored infantry (because its madness trying to run behind a tank, and 5 months of training to get 3SG rank). I got the same posting as my buddy and a few of my platoon mates, so I will be seeing them in ETI. Its good to have some people you know in a new place. I wonder how true is it that life as a combat engineer will be good, its for me to find out now, I guess.
Actually last week I forgot to tell you that I was actually called up to go for a selection board by the 36 SCE, which is the EOD (Explosives Ordnance Disposal). I thought that it was a good vocation to be in, it comes with pride and extra 200 dollars pay for the risk factor. I tried my best in the IQ tests, and the physical test.
The physical was very interesting: we had to don the 27kg bomb suit and run up to 4th storey and crawl under a table, do a ring and wire thingy (remember Mr. Bean at the fun fair?) and a wooden puzzle, things like that. I was totally shagged out just from running up to 4th storey with the suit. It felt as if I had just finished SOC!!! But I remained calm and tried my best to complete a small wooden puzzle which I did not complete... I was bombarded with questions like what was my name, which poly I came from and things like that. You had to do the puzzle and answer them at the same time. There was a 10 min time limit for the whole physical. I almost sprained my ankle from running down the stairs... luckily I didn't.
I do not know whether I will still be selected for EOD, because of my posting to ETI. But there is only 10 that will make it into EOD from SISPEC (quite alot of people were chosen to do the selection), so most likely I will be strike off the list. Well, it has been a good experience for me with the bomb suit and all.
Ok I talked a bit too much haha, tell you more next time about my first week in ETI. Adios.
Sunday, November 20
Mosquito Food
Hello everyone, I have just survived 2 gruelling weeks in Tekong. Many many things happened during these 2 weeks, I shall try to break it up into parts and share the juicy ones.
1] Ex. Nutcracker
This exercise is really the most shiong one of all the exercises in BSLC. It is actually to setup a defense site, to defend an objective so that the enemy cannot capture it. So what are we to do over at the defense site? First, we will have to dig a shellscrape, a personal one. Its like a grave, except its not so deep. Just enough for you to prone and engage the enemy, while still under ground level. Only your helmet and rifle barrel is supposed to be seen.
The second and most challenging one would be the fire trench. Its to be dug by your buddy and you, overnight. When you stand in the trench, the ground has to be at your chest level. I actually fell sick after digging my shellscrape, and had to take a rest... my head felt like exploding! But after the rest I felt much better, and continued digging the trench with my buddy. Everyone is so fucking shagged out... you can see people just sitting beside the trench stoning, you can see people holding their torches while illuminating the trench so that their buddy can continue digging in the dark, and still falling asleep. The best ones can be digging and half asleep. They look as if they are doing some ritual, like praying to something...
This is the most mentally and challenging thing I have gone through ever since I have enlisted.
2] Ex. Grandslam
So what is this? Its actually a platoon harbouring overnight, and then fighting or ambush patrols will be sent out in the day.
Sounds easy, but people will have to take turns to do sentry duty and things like that... some are 2 hours long. So we don't really get much sleep in the night, just enough only. When we get to the sleeping part, we need to make sure our weapon dosen't get stolen by our instructors. And those doing sentry duty better not be caught sleeping. Many people were caught, and they were in the weekend guard duty list. My friend got his rifle stolen while sleeping, and he got 2 days of weekend duty. Luckily he managed to get away with it before book out...
The patrols were nothing hard, we have been fighting too many times, its routine to us. This exercise is nothing compared to nutcracker, only the night part is hard.
So after all this, we were told that most of us has passed BSLC, and promoted to the rank of Corporal. So much shit we have been through, and finally we received our corporal rank. Of course the official donning of the rank will be next week, after the 28km route march. I'm so glad everything is over, I made lots of good buddies along the way too. Buddies that suffered together with me, laugh and enjoy when time permits.
So next week... would be a good week I guess. Tell you more after I pass out.
1] Ex. Nutcracker
This exercise is really the most shiong one of all the exercises in BSLC. It is actually to setup a defense site, to defend an objective so that the enemy cannot capture it. So what are we to do over at the defense site? First, we will have to dig a shellscrape, a personal one. Its like a grave, except its not so deep. Just enough for you to prone and engage the enemy, while still under ground level. Only your helmet and rifle barrel is supposed to be seen.
The second and most challenging one would be the fire trench. Its to be dug by your buddy and you, overnight. When you stand in the trench, the ground has to be at your chest level. I actually fell sick after digging my shellscrape, and had to take a rest... my head felt like exploding! But after the rest I felt much better, and continued digging the trench with my buddy. Everyone is so fucking shagged out... you can see people just sitting beside the trench stoning, you can see people holding their torches while illuminating the trench so that their buddy can continue digging in the dark, and still falling asleep. The best ones can be digging and half asleep. They look as if they are doing some ritual, like praying to something...
This is the most mentally and challenging thing I have gone through ever since I have enlisted.
2] Ex. Grandslam
So what is this? Its actually a platoon harbouring overnight, and then fighting or ambush patrols will be sent out in the day.
Sounds easy, but people will have to take turns to do sentry duty and things like that... some are 2 hours long. So we don't really get much sleep in the night, just enough only. When we get to the sleeping part, we need to make sure our weapon dosen't get stolen by our instructors. And those doing sentry duty better not be caught sleeping. Many people were caught, and they were in the weekend guard duty list. My friend got his rifle stolen while sleeping, and he got 2 days of weekend duty. Luckily he managed to get away with it before book out...
The patrols were nothing hard, we have been fighting too many times, its routine to us. This exercise is nothing compared to nutcracker, only the night part is hard.
So after all this, we were told that most of us has passed BSLC, and promoted to the rank of Corporal. So much shit we have been through, and finally we received our corporal rank. Of course the official donning of the rank will be next week, after the 28km route march. I'm so glad everything is over, I made lots of good buddies along the way too. Buddies that suffered together with me, laugh and enjoy when time permits.
So next week... would be a good week I guess. Tell you more after I pass out.
Sunday, November 6
Back into the Jungle
Hello... it felt almost so unreal... just after 2 days in Tekong and we can book out again. I think if someone asks me what my favourite hobby is, I will say its booking out.
Anyway this quick peek out of Tekong will be verrryyy precious once again (although all book outs are), because the next 2 weeks will be spent in Tekong in one shot again. I'm wondering why the other companies don't have to be confined 2 times during the course, and yet they are finishing their syllabus faster than us. Is is the higher command's planning at fault? Or is it that Charlie company just simply shiong?
Anyway, I'm beginning to feel numb to being in and out of the jungle all the time. To me, when I'm in the outfield, time seems to fly. The next 2 weeks will be THE 2 weeks of the course. I will be tested both physically and mentally. We will be like soldiers in war time, rotting in the jungles, sleeping with wild boars. Actually I look forward to it all, and hope that time flies like it usually do, for me in the jungle.
And, I will be serving an extra guard duty after the 2 gruelling weeks, which is dated on the 19th. It was probably because of the time I was caught with dirty boots during first parade... By the way, this will be my first time doing guard duty since I enlisted haha... Actually if I was not caught with the dirty boots I will have managed to evade doing guard duty for the whole of BMT and SISPEC throughout, as I am an armskote assistant in SISPEC. Over here, armskote men do not have to serve regimental guard duty. Oh well too bad...
Catch me again on the 20th, if I come out of Tekong in one piece... there will be lots of exciting stuff happening.
Anyway this quick peek out of Tekong will be verrryyy precious once again (although all book outs are), because the next 2 weeks will be spent in Tekong in one shot again. I'm wondering why the other companies don't have to be confined 2 times during the course, and yet they are finishing their syllabus faster than us. Is is the higher command's planning at fault? Or is it that Charlie company just simply shiong?
Anyway, I'm beginning to feel numb to being in and out of the jungle all the time. To me, when I'm in the outfield, time seems to fly. The next 2 weeks will be THE 2 weeks of the course. I will be tested both physically and mentally. We will be like soldiers in war time, rotting in the jungles, sleeping with wild boars. Actually I look forward to it all, and hope that time flies like it usually do, for me in the jungle.
And, I will be serving an extra guard duty after the 2 gruelling weeks, which is dated on the 19th. It was probably because of the time I was caught with dirty boots during first parade... By the way, this will be my first time doing guard duty since I enlisted haha... Actually if I was not caught with the dirty boots I will have managed to evade doing guard duty for the whole of BMT and SISPEC throughout, as I am an armskote assistant in SISPEC. Over here, armskote men do not have to serve regimental guard duty. Oh well too bad...
Catch me again on the 20th, if I come out of Tekong in one piece... there will be lots of exciting stuff happening.
Wednesday, November 2
Civillisation feels so damn good
Woohoo... just a few days off of the island and I just feel so much refreshed. No instructors to shout at you, no M-16s to clean, no reville at 0515hrs... Damn, I just love the non-military life. The best part of it is that I get to see pretty babes in Orchard road.
This afternoon I went to watch "The Great Raid" with Anthony, Kok Wee and Barry. The movie was quite nice, watching how the rangers came up with a plan and it was executed to almost perfection. Nowadays when I watch war movies, I kindof understand better how things work, after I had enlisted. There were some moving scenes with the POWs to go along with the action, it was a good movie all in all. I give a 3.5 out of 5.
This afternoon I went to watch "The Great Raid" with Anthony, Kok Wee and Barry. The movie was quite nice, watching how the rangers came up with a plan and it was executed to almost perfection. Nowadays when I watch war movies, I kindof understand better how things work, after I had enlisted. There were some moving scenes with the POWs to go along with the action, it was a good movie all in all. I give a 3.5 out of 5.
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