Saturday, July 26, 2008

Introducing 23SA storemen! (part 1)

Ahem~

I did mention I was going to do a little introduction/summary of my fellow bunkmates and co-workers, right? Yep, and this is the very topic itself!

*For privacy's sake, all names will be referred to all only their initials or nicknames

Beginning from the very ones living in the same bunk:
==========

> "Kai" or Fat
The biggest-sized among all of us. He is in charged of the General store, or what I think it's called. You know, the stuff like bedsheets, camp items etc.
Can often be spot slurping down instant noodles, or snacking accompanied with hot instant-drinks during free time. Generally a nice dude, but can sometimes resort to annoying people out of fun (verbal only). As he almost never hassle me though, I do not think ill of him.

Other random traits: Most prominent snoring and causing bed-creaking noises due to his immense weight. May possibly be genuinely afraid of being alone in the dark.
==========

>"I-sa"
Youngest member at the age of 18, but also the most hyperactive, playful and childish one. He can be quite capable at work, but whatever good effort he put in is often misplaced when he eventually resort to fooling around with his bad taste of mischief. And that happens all the time.
Perhaps the biggest prankster, that even the commanders themselves find difficult to control.

Other random traits: Prone to make loud noises, irritate people with random mockery and often does things that can make even a 10 year old look intelligent. Said to own his own tattooing machine at home.
==========

>"H.P" or China-man
A PR (Permanent Resident) that can only converse in Mandarin. Lately, I have been speaking in my mother tongue a lot because of him. That is not necessary a bad thing though. =P
He is most possibly the laziest in the group, and will "snake" (escape work) whenever possible. Will try to shift the work to others and bargain with the commanders for less workload and more leave/off. A well-known pervert too, who spends a lot of time chatting with call-gals on the phone.

Other random traits: Unintentionally funny, as his ethics and common sense is at a laughable level. I quite enjoy his presence, just because he plain idiotic-funny, to say the least.
At regular loggerhead with Isa.
==========

>"J.H"
The one and only person taking care of the Optical store. That said, he has his work cut out for him. Can come across as the typical 'ah-beng' type of person, but that is only from my point of view. His way of speech is quite crude and sometimes harsh. Is unafraid of speaking his mind out. I am just not very comfortable with his kind.

Other random traits: Stay-out personnel. Meaning he can book out at the end of working hours. Not sure why though.
==========

>"Kit"
Another hooligan lookalike, and hangs out with J.H a lot too. He is friendlier though, and not the type to actively create trouble. Haven't get to know more about him, but I don't have much problem with him.

Other random traits: Might be a devout Buddhist, in theory. He isn't a vegetarian though.
==========

>"R.H" or Koh / Snoopy / Zombie / Loud-mouthed / Ji-Zha-Gong, & many more
Perhaps the most least-liked by bunkmates and commanders alike, he has earn a lot of nicknames during his stay. He is always wearing an expression that look like everyone owns him a million dollars, or what I would commonly refer to as "snubbull" face.
He is the kind of person who will quickly fight against any unfair treatment against him, even if it mean pitting himself against a superior. Don't expect him to help others too, as he is quite self-centered. Is often badmouthing others and gets easily pissed.

Other random traits: Very protective of his own belongings, and is known to own several padlocks and multiple keys. The only Chinese who officially indent his meals under Muslim. Was my course-mate back in Polytechnic.
==========

>"G.S"
Oldest of the lot, being aged 24. Nearing his ORD too, and thus he is regularly heard counting down aloud. As well as plotting ideas to get the Mdm to give him free leaves. (LoL)
He is quite "niang", or sissy in English; evident in both his speech pattern and actions. He is one of the two who take cares of indenting the entire unit's daily Ration. A nice and warm person overall.

Other random traits: Another stay-out. He is suffering from some sort of depression/anxiety problem. Most probably "keng" one, but that doesn't concern me.
==========

>"Ray"
Yet another who is reaching his ORD. Haven't seen him a lot as he stays out too, and regularly takes MA (medical appointment). Got nothing much to say about him. Might be a lost cause, since the commanders don't expect much work to be done from him.

Other random traits: I am actually using his bed and cabinet. Well, more like his EX-bed, since it is mine now.
==========

>"Abdul"
A signal storeman, like me. The quietest of the lot. He is usually seen sitting aside reading Manga. That's right, he is an Anime + game fan! I have been talking with him a lot as we share similar hobbies. He is slightly crippled on one of his legs, and can only walk at a slow pace. Not the smartest individual, but definitely diligent with his tasks. I brought my PS2 to camp, mainly to let him enjoy it too.

Other random traits: Have no qualms in spending huge amount of cash in exchange for manga. An avid Yu-Gi-Oh card player, who is still actually buying cards even till today. Possess strong body odor, that can stink up the entire bunk.
==========

Yep, there we have it. Nine men mentioned, and with me, that makes ten people in a single bunk.
Next up I shall have the neighboring bunk residents introduced~

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Sunday, July 20, 2008

1 Week in Khatib

Zzz, the one week in my unit seemed like eternity. And I am expected to stay there for another 22 months. =(
How am I going to survive through this?

Oh well, so I actually had been in that dreaded camp for 5 working days. Met all my fellow colleagues already, and surprisingly, they aren't half-bad. I think I can get along with them fairly well. Maybe I will write up a review next week on each and every individual.

In all honestly, I almost cried at the end of my first official day there (last monday) due to sudden depression. Everyone acted really cold, even the officers, and there was so much to learn/cope.

Thankfully, my prayers were answered soon, and my spirits were lifted when later that evening, people gradually opened up to me. Some talk about their history and experiences to me, others show me around the place.

But what came as best thing was this First Sergeant Derrick whom was posted into the unit along with me.
Darn dude was really all about "Care for Soldiers"; he would go out his way to assist us with the actual work, help us get early rest and other incentives that would otherwise been non-existent had he not be around. It brings me some hope in camp to have him with us. Now I just hope he don't lose hope over us, and get "corrupted" by our 2WO Mdm. =_=

Oh, I am enjoying Tales of Innocence. So much that I neglected my daily Japanese studies. Grah...
While I am at that, I also added Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008 into my DS roster. There's a bunkmate who is also a YGO card player, so he will probably appreciate this title along with me.

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Sunday, July 13, 2008

Goodbye, Tekong...

Darn.

Just when I was getting comfortable with the military island, I got kicked out (posted) from the place. And to somewhere worst off in mainland Singapore, at Khatib camp SA 23 unit. Blarrgghh.

The new camp is really old and half the buildings are so run down that they can easily be the ideal backdrop for horror films. I have only been there for one day yet, but even my soon-to-be fellow colleagues kind of rubbed me off the wrong way. Everyone seemed to be unmotivated with their job and masters of "snake-ing", aka super-slackers.

And worst still? I am expected to stay-in (bunk on 5th floor, argh) and remain there for as long as till the end of the year. Rather depressing thought there, especially when I was initially hoping that I would be posted back to my Tekong company as a general storeman, NOT some signal storeman in Khatib. And it is far from my home in Tampines. =_=;

Oh well, I will just have to suck my thumb and try to get used to the place. Maybe attempt to change the place from the inside to something more lively. I dunno, but I can't just sit around and waste my days away, right?!
The current unit is already filled with so many dull people whose only goal in life seem to be waiting around aimlessly till their ORD/ROD date. *sigh*

On other note, I am currently playing Tales of Innocence on the NDS. Just started the game today, and will probably serve as my main gaming focus while I am in camp.

Praise the heavens I am allowed to bring my portable console to camp. XD
Still, no internet whatsoever makes me sad.

Ah, never imagined that I would actually miss Tekong...

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Saturday, July 5, 2008

Life as an "OOT"

Here I am again!

Fellow pal and loyal blog supporter Jun Wen indirectly inspired me to revive this site. And what's better than to talk about my life as an National Service army recruit?

It has been a month of being a soldier; however not just any typical serviceman, but as a Out-of-Training (OOT) recruit! And that strictly means no exercise training for me, thanks to some underlying medical problems I have in me.

Of course, there is no way the army will let people like me be plain ol' free-loaders, so instead they got me to help out in certain other areas...

And here's my "proud" achievements as an OOT thus far:

[Daily]

  • Garbage Dumping
  • Water point set up (with countless jerry can filling and ice box top up)
  • Taping the borders for 200? lecture sheets for outfield trip (still in progress)
  • Taking care of Bunker Mess as a Steward (my favourite~)
[Weekly]
  • Cleaning of Toilet (Platoon, Neighbour Company, and Perm. Staff toilets)
  • Plucking grass with bare hands
  • Counting Company's total bedsheets
[Random]
  • Cleaning of smoking & boots washing point
  • Sweeping of entire Company line (and neighbour company too)
  • Washing pavement off bird shit stains
  • Tidying the Garbage dump itself (King of the Bin)
  • Misc. office "paper work"
  • Washing Company and platoons' flags
  • Packing food ration and labeling ration boxes
  • Unloading and counting outfield equipment (tiring)
  • Rearranging M16 rifles and racks + transfer malfunctioned rifles out
  • Manual labour and errands for Sergeants and Lance Corporals
======

Pretty rough list of what an OOT does in camp. Exciting lifestyle, isn't it?? =D
And I barely even touched on the Company Store duties. There is that high likelihood I will get posted as a Storeman in the near future, so here's hoping I can learn more about store-related tasks before I manage my own store.

I intend to closely track my OOT life on a daily basis for the coming weeks. And post the log here every weekend or so. Heck, what else can I blog about anyway?! NS is just so dull and no-life...

...erm, let's just ignore the last statement, shall we? *cough*cough*

NS rawks!!! XP

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