National Service Lifestyle

   And so it's been 3 weeks in ever since I've enlisted into SCDF. Life haven't been easy and that the training can get quite tough sometimes. There's so many things that had happen in there so where do I start? I don't know. But I'd really want to share my experience down there.


   The people there were okay (well, at least my bunkmates). Of course there were some people who just can't take the heat and would always "sabo" others (in other words - sabotage). The instructors, however, were painful at times, mean at others and weirdly nice on occasions. Although there were a few instructors that were okay like LCP Zul and LTA Ashraf, the rest was... nevermind. So, as for the training, it's hell and all at first (not to mention how tiring it is), but you'll get used to it and have fun in the end. However, "tekan" session is a no-no. Just try not to get punished for something stupid (a word of advise..). The routine's somehow always the same - Morning exercise, area cleaning, PT, route march, foot drills, PT again, water parades etc.. This makes you really feel like "this is so NS".


   For something new, there are the stories we shared so far. The fightings, joining the Foot Drill Com. for the thrill of it (and also the incentives! ;) ), encouragements and the times spent in the bunk mimicking instructor's voices and blasting music and talking. Yes, I'll miss all these times when I POP in September but as for now, I'd just feel dreaded having to leave home every weekdays. Somehow NS became an eye opener for me as I began to see myself in a different perspective. I learned a lot about how much I've changed from the times in the N' levels until now. Now I saw with my own eyes how I've changed to the worse in there. It made me realise how arrogant I am even though it's so obvious that I'm so frail and stupid in adapting to the environment here. Somewhat NS has provided me a route to changed myself again - to the better ; I'm finding my identity again back in that place.


   So 10 weeks left to POP and there's so many things left to be done in there like IPPT and Foot Drill Com.. So all I can just hope now is that I'll survive the "hell" there and pass out remembering the good times (and bad times) I've had there. As for now, I'm just trying to survive there (Oh, did I tell you how similar it felt like being in The Hunger Games as in NS?!). <3

The Fighter

   This is my first post since my enlisting on 14 June 2012. It's my first book-in and already I can feel the heat and pressure wringing out of me from NS life. However, that was not only the thing that's got me worried in my mind. It is about what happened on 12 June earlier.


   Just like what happened on 20 May, it happened again. This time, I got caught shoplifting my NS stuffs again elsewhere. Like I said, I'm in a huge trouble when it comes to cash and that my family's in a dire situation right now. It's just the thought that ran into my mind, that it was my last break and that I would never do such a thing when I'm in NS. But a mistake's still a mistake, and I was caught doing it again this time. The same experience was felt by me and that I even had to lead the police to the CCTV that shows the footage of me doing my follies. And this time, they might be charging me and putting me behind bars for all that I've done. I admit that this is all my fault and that it was not only about the crime, it's more about the way I've changed into a "devil" unrecognisable by myself. Even though ever since the first time I was caught, I followed every advise given by the officer to search for alternatives such as approaching the CDC (Community Development Council), finding my dad and even help my mom go look for a job, those are just long-term solutions and it did not help my current plight. And this is what happens. Thus, when I was bailed out by Uncle Peter again, I went into a nervous breakdown. Fortunately and thank God, my mom and sis were safe and taken care of by Auntie Jeba and Uncle Steven. However, there weren't much time left and I was supposed to enlist on that day. So I've enlisted only 2 days later..


   The first week of BRT was ok. I'm still trying to get accustomed with the routines, ranks of officers, marches etc. Thank God again that I've survived the first week without much physical training or PT and just some minor marches. But what intrigues me is my mentality in there. It was more of the worries that I'm having that is affecting me and my interactions with my bunkmates. My bunkmates and buddies are okay, with a majority of Malays, some Chinese and a blend of Indians (including PRC's lol).  But maybe I'm just not used to being away too long with my family, facing troubles both in camp and outside and facing more problems all over again. However, I was thankful that my attitude's changing ever since I've entered NS. It was back to praying on time again and trying to be more nicer to other's, especially my family. Now, all I just wished is that all my problems would just go away, just like the wind passing by.


   The next weeks gonna be hell week with lots of PT and marches and "Tekans" (ie. punishments). Hence, I'll have to fight my way through next week with a survivalist mentality. With my bail time also looming and family issues that are yet to be settled, I'm really stressed out right now. The next 3 months are gonna be the toughest moments of my life and I couldn't stop crying thinking about it. But I must be strong, at least for my family and Allah S.W.T. I'm just wishing to leave it all to Him and let him decide my fate and future. And so I will, insyallah.. <3

Army Daze

   So if you haven't already know. I'm going to enlist for National service on this Tuesday, 12 June at 0800 hours (Chey!!). I'll be heading into Civil Defence and frankly speaking, I don't have much idea of what I'm about to get myself into. But I'm kinda excited to find out what it's like and to gain new experiences (and be more "manlier' after this process lol.), especially what to bring and how to survive in there. So a friend of mine actually made a list of To-Do's before and while in camp. Hope that this would be useful for anyone else serving NS in Singapore (a.k.a Every Singaporean's Son lor!). <3


P.S :- Some of the tips may only apply to people serving the army but do take note of most of the stuffs written in there.

BMT SURVIVAL GUIDE (By Anurag Srivastava)

CONTENTS

THERE IS NO NEED TO GIVE 100%, JUST GO WITH THE FLOW, FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS AND STAY SAFE. 

SAF doesn’t reward those who do more than what’s required, they only punish those that do less than what’s required.

SAF doesn’t reward those who do more than what’s required, they only punish those that do less than what’s required.

ARMY SHOPPING

Here’s a list of stuff that I’ll recommend you to equip yourself with before going into NS as a chao recruit:

Remember to bring along everything your enlistment letter says you must.

Enough underwear for 2 weeks. Otherwise it’s gonna be “survivor: tekong”…

Slippers. Useful for toilet visits.

4  rolls (or more) of black tape. You’ll need it for many different things like your webbing, helmet etc… it’s the SAF’s miracle tape lah in short.

Prickly heat powder. 2 large bottles would be good. Essential for keeping yourself comfortable and needed to prevent foot rot, especially when you’ve got sweaty socks. I recommend getting “Lavender” flavour, the original one just makes you smell like a grandmother. Plus you realise you will get rashes and itch and weird areas suddenly.

Clothes hangers and pegs. Good for hanging your laundry and clothing in your bunk. I would recommend about 10 hangers and 20 pegs, though it won’t hurt if you really wanna bring more.

A pouch of coins. That’s for buying drinks from the vending machine at your company line. Trust me, it’ll be something that would really perk your morale level when you’re freaking shack. Plus you can trade coins for notes when they are in low supply, black market style, ($5 for 4 dollars worth of coins, something like that)

Dry rations. By this I mean stuff like biscuits, chocolates etc. Food is really a great morale booster especially since you’ll get hungry easily somehow… dun bring in pork products tho. “Things” are said to have happened cos of this, if you get what I mean.

Black marker. Good for labelling your stuff with. You will be given one though,

A black pen, a pencil & an eraser. Sounds retarded but you’ll need it to fill in forms and shade in oms forms. I was given a stationery set, with all these inside but you might not be so lucky.

Medication that you need, and also some you dun. Bring along panadol, flu medication, cough syrup, medicated oil, plasters and stuff like this. You don’t want to fall sick on IPPT day because they’ll count it as though you fail it if you miss it and that means staying back on weekends like i did.

Vitamin C. Recommended to help offer resistance against falling sick, especially against “tekong cough”. TAKE TWICE A DAY, the tekong cough will invade even the strongest of bodies it is unavoidable.

Watch – good to tell the time with…

Zip lock bags. There are different sizes on sale in the army market at beach road. You
should aim to get a variety of sizes. Bring plenty cos you dun want to run out. 7 giant and 5 medium Ziploc bags is a good start. On top of these, which will be used for various things like field camp, bring along normal plastic bags to keep your dirty clothing in when you book in. Ziplocs will be issued to you, but you could run out of them, get the army ones from the Pasir Ris interchange they are the real size and thick enough so they don’t tear when you put your muddy shit inside.

Washing powder, especially since you’ll be confined so you definitely need to wash your clothes. No washing machines are provided in BMT so you do it the old-fashioned style… with a pail. Put it into an old water bottle so it looks like a handy container you can bring into the toilet.

Handphone. No camera handphones though, and no chargers allowed. Someone told me that it’s cos tekong runs on generators… you get the picture. Bring along additional phone batteries if you really wanna call your loved ones 24/7. There are portable chargers by energizer so you could get one of those, or borrow them from ex-recruits like me. You can smuggle chargers in actually, my friends and i got lucky with it, try to bring them on the very first day because they don’t do a bag check on the FIRST ENLISTMENT day.

3 sets of admin shirts and black shorts, plus 2 pt vests. The SAF would give you only 2 sets of each, but mostly it’ll be used for your stand-by bed. No need to get them before enlistment if you really want to save money, because there’s something called EMART credits where you can get them “for free”, but it really depends when they let you visit the emart. If you must, buying more admin shirts is better than buying pt vests since you can re-wear the singlets for the PT lessons over and over again if you don’t mind the moistness of your sweat.

2 padlocks, one small and one large one. You will be given one, but you might want another spare in case it fails or you don’t like twisting that damned knob.
Black duct tape. It’s used for tacticalisation, especially during your field camp. Basically it’s just taping all your shiny objects like your prickly heat powder bottles. Take note that it’s much broader and definitely different (duh!) from black tape. Not really really THAT important.

Garters. These are elastic bands used to tuck in your uniform longs. Get extra though, cos easy to lose… especially when putting your boots on at 5 am in the morning outfield.

Shoe brush. Needed for applying kiwi onto your boots. Will be given, though you might want to keep one in your field pack and one for use, aiyah just borrow from your buddy la.

Personal hygiene items – soap, shampoo, shaver, TOILET PAPER (cos some companies dun provide), toothbrush, toothpaste. The SAF does provide these items, but you will need one set for your outfield use. Trust me on this… more on this later. Dont be a cheapo and bring hotel bottles, you will be confined for the first 14 days AT LEAST, so if you want, even get the pumping bottles! You might bathe more than once a day somemore.

2 pairs of SAF white socks. Needed for moving about in your admin & PT kit. You will be given, but sometimes the laundry doesn’t dry in time or whatever, there are new designs on sale, shorter length with a brown square at the bottom, get those, they look cuter. Same applies with the extra PT vests and admin, they are available at the emart “for free” if you don’t wanna spend $$ on the army.

Bring along stuff like books, a radio, discman and other stuff like that to fight off boredom. Some companies are very strict about self-burnt CDs, MP3 players and stuff so dun bring them until you find out if you can. Musical instruments like guitars are also allowed. Cards are a no-no, but as long as you dun get caught… (but still a bad idea cos you will get caught). VERY VERY IMPORTANT, because after awhile you really do get bored of talking cock at the common table with a bunch of guys.

Orange cloth for your rifle cleaning, or blocking your personal cupboard compartment.

Fetherlite for your rifle cleaning. 2m would be more than enough for yourself. The company should provide but you could get some for yourself to avoid having to chase down the guy who holds it all and just clean your rifle in ppeace.

Rags for your area cleaning. Magic-clean also recommended, we brought in the magic clean stick somemore, so our bunk was super clean without having to use a wet mop to wipe it because doing so would really stink up the room and that would mean no walking around while the wet floor dries, SUPER troublesome.

Window cleaner for your area cleaning. (not that important)

Old newspapers for your area cleaning, especially windows. Newspapers will be given, so no problem there.

Nail clippers cos they can conduct fingernail checks on you.

Photos (many many many) of loved ones to paste on your cupboard interior. For 2 reasons, one obviously it helps to see your loved ones in camp. Secondly, when they do cupboard inspection, they’ll be too busy admiring your photos to check the mess your cupboard is in, trust me i pasted 10 photos and never got scolded at all for crap in my locker. IT REALLY WORKS.
  

SETTLING IN

The first few days are going to be a pain in the ass trust me. Dont expect too much admin time, where you are allowed to slack in bunk because alot of things have to be done. Let us start from the very begininnig.

Bringing your parents, girlfriend, friends to tekong with you is a MUST. Girlfriend lends you extra street-cred but bring at least your parents along because if you have no parents they make you do shit even on the first day already, plus its just super depressing la.

After you say the pledge, have a final meal with your old folks and say goodbye they will whisk you away to collect your equipment, bags and all that shit. Be prepared to carry alot alot of shit. Make sure you do your equipment check properly, make sure you have everything inside that you are supposed to hav. Shouldnt be any big problems, everything should be inside unless you super suay. Put everything back where you found them or later you cant find them anymore, because next time when they ask you to find them you ask your friend where to find, then he say its in pocket X, but you act smart just now so its not there anymore, then prepare to DIE.

After dragging about 30 kilos of shit into your bunk, you will see your bed for the very first time! Just chuck everything one side, don’t be a hero unpack your items into the cupboard or take things out from your black duffel bag and put into your green field pack. Later when they ask you find them then you sure panic and die. 

The cupboard will look like this!

Top left: (PT KITS, ADMIN SHIRTS, SOCKS, UNDERSWEAR, SWIMMING TRUNKS)
Top right: (GREEN COLORED UNIFORM, SPARE TOWEL)
Bottom Left: Toiletries                                                                                                      
Lower Bottom Left: Drawer (usually they don’t check whatever’s inside so all your illegal shit like chargers hide inside here)
Even Lower Bottom Left: Stores (you’ll know what i mean, just dont put your own things insidehere)
Lowest Left: Personal compartment, they might ask you to cover it with an orange cloth, something like a curtain.
Bottom Right: Hangers, civilian bag,

When you get your shit, i recommend retaining your running shoes box and possibly one boot box, this is so you can put all the small small barang barang inside and they don’t get lost. You can fit the running shoe box into your personal compartment of the cupboard. The boot box you can hide inside your duffel bag which will be under your bed, and you can put random shit that you aren’t using inside so they don’t get lost. Or you could use it as your laundry box, putting all your dirty shit to wash inside for the moment, just make sure its hidden in your black duffel bag during inspections.

There will be alot of shit to do with your black tape and marker because you need to label your clothes (t shirts, shorts and singlets) as well as your water bottle, helmet and all that type of shit. They should provide you with the color tape to paste on your equipment and then you write your 4D number on it, you’ll understand when the time comes. So keep your marker and tape on standby.

Assembling your LBV and helmet will be a bitch, but go do it properly, its worth the trouble because later when one guy cocks up you’ll be laughing at how much time it takes for him to fix it. Helmet make sure its properly fitted, adjust all the straps, i mean ALL, it’ll serve you for 2 years so if it fits good then later it season onto your head shape, actually quite shiok lah.

There will be alot of shit to do, so ddont expect alot of time to use your handphone talk talk with your girlfriend/parents. Maybe after about 3 nights then suddenly there will be alot of time, and during confinement, there really is ALOT of time, so don’t get pissed off during the first few nights, manage your expectations, that’s something i didn’t do that well.

Make sure you reach a common understanding among your bunk mates as to what time to wake up, surely there will be one cockster likes to wake up super early to don’t know do what shit but in the end wake everyone up with his alarm but he himself don’t wake up. Make sure you give him one punch or throw his alarm clock away. Waking up before the stipulated time in the morning is not necessary if you have already prepared all your clothes and equipment you need the night before while talking to your girlfriend/parents on the handphone.

The first 5 nights will be really hard, just hang in there, don’t bother counting down the number of days, it doesn’t help anyone.

TRAINING

Major events in BMT:

Basic Trainfire Programme or BTP. Basically it’s your live range using your rifle.

IPPT evaluation. Somewhat like your NAPFA, but of different standards. Getting gold is hard cos you’ve gotta run below 9:45mins! Somehow you’ll get damn fit inside there, so don’t worry. Aim for silver, that’ll get you into command school for sure.

Field camp. 7 days out in the wilderness. Prepare to get dirty and putting camou cream on your face while moving about to practice your individual field craft.

SITest. The opportunity for you to experience combat missions and know what it is like to command.

SOC evaluation. Nothing like your normal playground cos it’s one shack run of 700m + 11 obstacles + 600m at one go.

For BMT, only the SOC is non-essential in determining your final posting after BMT.

Your posting is actually already decided before your enlist, when you do your IQ test. If you are JC/POLY, just get an ippt silver, don’t be a blur cock in bmt, you should breeze into sispec at the very least. Dont be a hero and chiong for OCS, it doesn’t pay off, unless you can get IPPT GOLD. Pass SOC, and have good educational results.

Other things include, hand grenade throwing, running, dumbbell drills, swimming and route marches. Just follow instructions, DONT give 100% because its not worth it hahaha.

RANDOM TRICKS

Toilet: You WANT AND NEED to get to the toilet first at times, therefore...
Keep your locker lock at the very last number, so all you need to do is tug and the lock is open!
Put your soap, shampoo facial wash at the edge so you can grab and go.
Don’t take your new clothes along with you, just come out with your towel covering your balls, changing naked in the bunk is better than bathing last.
Sometimes you might wanna bathe with your underwear on and therefore you can use your body soap and wash it while you’re bathing. This saves alot of time since you can save trips to the toilet doing laundry if you re-wear your other clothes. Remember changing underwear is super important.

Route march: its one hell of a pain
Make sure you get to the front of the marching column, the pace is slower there, so its easier to breathe.

EAR TRUNKS, TIGHTS, abrasions are a pain and you confirm will kena if you just wear normal underwear. Be prepared to walk like a crab if you do not listen to me.(or just buy anit-chafting cream, lotion, powder)

Field Camp
Don’t get your rifle stolen or lost, make sure its with you at all times or say goodbye to Saturday and Sunday. Even when you go fill up your bottle or piss, IT MUST BE WITH YOU!
Don’t become the IC, because you’re just going to pump 100 for breakfast, 200 for lunch and 300 for supper.
They are just going to rape you inside out upside down during these few days, just take it, they have to do it, look forward to the day they give you a letter from your parents. Some basterd commanders may burn it, but what they are burning is a fake one so CHILL.
Field camp is the time to pretend you are not feeling well, seriously they are damn scared when you complain dizzy or feeling faint. They will let you take off your vest, shirt and just hide under a tree. Your friends may not like you if its damn obvious you fake so act nicely please.
Insect repellent will save your life, it may sting and suck to put it on, but seriously you wont regret it, put it over your collar, helmet, sleeves and pants. The jungle is so full of shit.
Get wet wipes, helps you feel refreshed at the end of the day and helps get rid of the camo very easily.

Remember that every day is one day closer to your bookout, which they cannot push back because they must make it onto the ferry at the designated time, so don’t worry if they lie to you say they can push it back, DIE OR DIE they MUST make it onto the ferry on time so don’t panic.

Muscle aches, disappointments, punishments, dirty jokes, mental challenges etc. are all part and parcel of BMT life. Manage your expectations, this is the army after all. Its no holiday resort mate, but each passing day brings you closer to your POP where you can toss your cap into the air and F*** OFF from that place called pulau tekong.

And remember to pass this around to all your friends who are enlisting soon…

Good luck friends

Joel
September 2010

The Spark

   We'll been facing problems throughout our lives, no matter how far we run or how we face it. Some may choose to face it head on rashly, like taking a bull by it's horns, and most of the time ending up in undesirable results and consequences (though some may be lucky to solve the problem still). And then there are others who have a well crafted idea or a systematic plan of attack to solve the problem, or at least circumvent the issue at hand. But most of us (well, at least me) tend to run away and escape from the problem. Whether you take up sports like running or swimming, or you take up dangerous habits like smoking, drugs or alcohol, you're just basically trying to run away from the problems you're facing. At the end of the day, you can only run so far until the problem becomes bigger and eat you up to the point of no return. However, all is not necessarily lost sometimes. All it takes is a spark, a wake-up call, for you and the others to get back to their senses and solve the problem, whether they like it or not.


   It's so obvious that I'm having a huge problem when I'm the only one working and paying the bills at home, while mom's been "too busy" on Facebook all the time (probably she just had enough of working in the past, trying to solve her own problems, and was too tired to face it again), and Dad's been MIA for 2 months. So it all comes down to me to make my family survive, with my meagre pay or to lend, borrow or even steal. Moreover, the house was in a mess so it makes it more stressful being in there that I would rather go out. Sometimes it's just hard to understand desperation until you really face it yourself. So hinging on my pay, and my desperation to survive, I took the stealing idea practically and got away quite a number of times with a good cash in hand after the goods are sold. But everyone, including me knows that this would not last. Although this spree was in fact a defence mechanism rather than for pleasure, like I said, it would not last very long. But my mom could not see the idea behind this, that the fact that I'm trying to tide the family until she finds a proper job altogether. I'd really do not want to go on about how I wished for a better life, a life similar to the peers around me like Harith and Arif as I've already accepted my fate. All I just wanted is for her to realise that. And it takes a spark..
   
   On 20 May, at 8pm, I was caught stealing at Causeway Point at the nearby Courts after work (nope, I'm not wearing my uniform at that time..). It was not that I wanted to get caught (that's crazy!), but I'd already knew that this could happen. They were not happy and was not willing to give me a chance so they called the police. To cut a long story short, I was arrested, cuffed and spend a night in lock-up without my parents knowing about it. Throughout my time in lock down, the food there was, well, as expected. I shared the same cell with another Muslim Bangladeshi worker and a Chinese Along runner (nope, not my workplace version of runner..). Sleeping on the floor was still quite okay and the fact that the toilet's in the cell itself makes me relieved instead of choking on my food. However, many things are running through my mind. How will my mom find out about this? Who will be able to bail me? When will I get to see the IO (Investigating Officer)? What will happen after this? Breakdowns occurred. I couldn't stop crying, thinking, wishing for a better life. It was my idea to give my family a better life, but I'm just a 20 year old guy. I've failed to succeed in my studies, failed in playing the social game and even failed in relationships. How could someone like me succeed against all odds to bring a better life for my family and be better myself? It's just something I couldn't fathom, let alone reach. Most of my time spent in there was on prayers, still believing that somehow, somewhere, He has goodness planned for me and my family after all this have ended..


   21 May, 3 pm. I'm still in my lock-up waiting for the OI to speak to me before I'm able to post bail. I've already given up on getting my job back, especially after not being able to work as I'm still stuck here and the fact that I'm caught at the same mall that I worked in (not to mention the guards who actually recognised me..). I've already taken it that the news must have spread around at work and there's no point in defence. When the OI met me shortly later, I told him my side of the story and fortunately he was a very nice guy. He was willing to understand my predicaments and would try to appeal for a warning instead of jail time and a fine. Later, I called my auntie to post the bail and waited for my uncle to come instead. It took longer than expected, so I did my prayers while waiting for him. Suddenly, my cell mate wanted to join in congregated prayers. After the prayers, I saw him weeping. It made me realise how much prayers could affect someone's soul and even changes them. I can see in his eyes and feel the pain he's suffering. That's when I feel that this incident was meant to be, for me to realise my mistakes and how much I've changed to the worse until now. At 7.30 pm, after a brief dinner in the cell, my uncle posted bail and send me home. I called up the office to get the news that I'm fired, as expected. The following morning saw me giving back my uniform without a word uttered about my reasons to suddenly quit from the job. For all they knew, it could be from other reasons. Only Diviyanth, a friend of mine at work, knew what happened.


   Ever since that day, things changed in the house (well, kinda..). I took more effort to get down to CDC to ask for financial help and try to solve my mom's working issues and my house rent. I've made my family to do a spring cleaning of the house before I enlist and I've tried to find dad, fortunately enough to find him. With the effort that I've tried to set the ball in motion, hopefully that goal of making my family self-sufficient again would be reached. But somehow, there's still the worry inside of me that it would not work. Now I can only pray hard that mom would come to her senses quickly. Only time will tell and only He can decide. But the spark is what we need, and it is what we got. <3