🙄 The day started with IPPT trail tests in the morning where my John & great moronness more or less gone for some rugby training. Leaving very much me in the bunk left to do DI duty for the day, so it seems… Lunch was on the early side around after drawing arms around 11am then its coordinate & get ready at the vehicle shed for more 40 AGL training for the day. Then Chen, our PC appeared & started commenting on the troopers discipline, slackness & putting up random FAD checks. On his 1st check, he caught 1 trooper, Chye without FAD with such luck (of 1 in 20), he could have won the lottery. Because of this, to PC, it seems to him that everyone’s not bringing FADs along, but it wasn’t the case. He was on a bike course the last few months so he didn’t really get to see or experienced anything from us. Like a complete stranger, not to I learn what many people think of him…

Training ended with PC takaning the troopers with a small pumping session at wingline. Followed by a demand for a standby area 1 hr thereafter. The troopers, demoralised were devastated when they learnt they have to clean toilets not assigned to them too. When they are all up starting on the job, LT Ken our AI PC approached me volunteering to help on the situation. I was rather pleased & surprised about the offer, he immediately sent one fo the new AI spec to gather a whole AI section consisting of troopers shaun tay & gang from section 2 to help aid the scouts in the scouts area cleaning (& neglecting theirs), thus speeding up the process greatly. A plan thought by LT Ken to meet the early bookout timing as planned.

😎 PS, LT Ken & me were there to supervise the cleaning. Standing back & looking at the rather exciting (as the troopers were) & the degree of cleaning activity followed thereafter, it seems like this offer indeed brought about the scouts & AI closer together, working in harmony without hesitation. We even have lookouts (observation posts) as feared of discovery by LT Chen from Ken himself on the “helping out”, adding to the covertness & eventual excitement of the “operation”. It turned out to be a rather good cohesion event & I can’t stop thanking them thereafter. Inspection is on thereafter on average each bunk given about 20 jumping jacks for punishments based on “never thought about, dusty spots” ended with the toilet inspection & he left thereafter. I can sense the degree of insecurity & in-confidence in his inspection, constantly asking me wheres next to check & so, very uncertain of his job. Reliefed were everybody after the inspection as they all completely everything in record time & on schedule too for dinner & book out.

😉 Looking back, does it seems that we are “betraying” our new PC chen in this process. Its an alliance between the scout PS, specs, troopers, AI PC & troopers doing “things” behind him, ironically, for him. I got to learn from chonggen later that most officers in the wing do not like Chen as well, anyway it was the AI PCs who took the scout platoon in the months of Chen’s absence too. This too is disliking is fast growing in disrespect among the troopers & its undeniable given such punishments in this case, its showing.

On a last note, farewell to our platoon spec Janan, who would be leaving for Australia Feb 12th this year for studies in physiology.

😎 Its a nice sunny sunday, a perfect time to spend some time in front of the computer typing my blog… & bitchin’ about stuffs & such… oh yea let me touch on some happenings for the past week…

Last week saw the first time myself condcting a saw lesson (got it?). Yes I saw myself conducting a Section Automatic Weapon (SAW) training package. Kinda weird for specialist to do such a job, considering this being an officer’s job, we were are short of such carbon-based walking entities in our unit anyway… I guess us specialists are just the more experienced bunch compared to our officers presently. Overall conducting was relatively easy & cool headed, I don’t see myself having a problem talking in front & organising my minons to teach 30+ odd people how to use, load/unload, strip/assemble an object built to kill & dismember people beyond recognition, but hey its the army anyway… Talking about developing lecturing skills: this is something which I never see myself able to do few years back- I was just a stage fright freak. But not now…

😥 Received a letter from SPH yesterday congratulating me on my 3rd place winning on the graffiti artwork competition, big deal. I was aiming for at least 2nd place, with a nokia 7260 for tops, not to mention a 40GB apple ipod photo for 1st place. All I get is a dinky $150 77th street shopping voucher. Third best in Singapore? I SUX! The worst thing is that I gotta collect it personally with identification, fingerprint/voice/iris scans, (just kidding) before 4th Feb during office hours on weekdays. HOW the HECK am I gonna do that when I am in CAMP?

And yea, my name & NRIC displayed in all its humiliating glory, check out the front page of yesterday’s Straits Time classified (22th Jan 05) argh!

On a light note, my calculated my BMI today, a healthy 21 they say?

Mmmm

🙂 Haiz, the last 5 days are very much spent learning a new weapon, the Carl 84mm Recoilless rifle Medium Anti Tank weapon. Its like 16kg, not one of the heaviest, but one which weigh really pushes people around quite easily. It was like ow & eve when we saw a 42 coy doing a route march round the camp in Sbo, full equipment. With some carrying GPMGs & 84mms, including their OC, lol, pity ’em. Come to think about it, it had been sometime since the scout platoon did a route march in Sbo, its always a Fbo run… Otherwise, everything is kinda slack these days with the exception of 3km daily runs (9km on thurday) & a swim on wednesday. Cut down on calorie intakes & ate moderated 6 meals a day. I am feelin’ so much fitter now!

😎 The sun is up since wednesday, a good sign, though I used to dread those rainy days the past weeks. I am starting to miss the old cool weather & rain pattering on the roof. Its hot & fair everyday now, with the exception of clear stary skies of the night, just hope it don’t get to hot now, I just hate el nino. On a side note, its time to dig up those my banana boat tanning oil again.

Booked out round 6pm where 3 of us, Fat Ben & John had ice cream at the island creamery @ serene center- our follow tank spec’s Ian family business. The ice cream’s rather rich, but otherwise quite expensive too: $2.40 scoop & $4 scoops. They said its worth it, but I still prefer my hagendaz strawberries-berries, even those old uncle ice cream hawkers aren’t that bad either! Even with so much bitchin’ I am still spending $5+ on a plain cup of mocha frap at starbucks too. So contradicting…

Now about the relatively massing of hardware. My x50v arrived this morning when I am still in camp. Got a first hand at it the moment I came back today & hooked it up to a preliminary 8 hour charge. Can’t wait to toy with it tomorrow.

My ridiculously discounted orders for the Oakleys are more or less confirmed, totaling about $300USD (about $500SGD). Its a major January splurge of cash. With 3 sunglasses & cases. Heres the confirmed order:

• 1xD3 Black/Black watch.
• 1xBlack/Black Iridium M-Frame Hybrid-S with M-frame array case.
• 1xGrey/Persimmon/Clear Black Half Jackets with array case.
• 1xCarbon/Grey Half Wires XL with small ballistic case.

splurge splurge splurge!

😈 Managed to get out of camp this morning for a dental check-up & cleaning/polishing at Kranji camp. The place is really isolated. Made my way there from Yew Tee MRT station after orientating myself to the ground & heading towards the nearest patch of vegetation I see, from the station! Typical of an army camp. Now didn’t they tell me its in the direction of macdonalds from the MRT station… & it was!

Anyway, the dentist at-camp was relatively kind & friendly, first day on the job? maybe. Considering that we are in an army organisation (hey we are tough dudes), unlike those civilian/private dental clinics. I don’t visit the army dentist everyday but if service like that is the norm in the army, thats some major improvement, now we know the after effects of commercialisation… The dental dude even taught me how to brush my teeth properly, (lazy me) using some oversized toothbrush & a denture-look-alike-thingy, just like how they do it at schools for kids… argh! On a sidenote, during cleaning (felt like drilling) there was taste of BLOOD everywhere, & it stayed in my mouth till like lunch time or so… yuck! but eremm salty..

😎 & man hadn’t we seen the sun in weeks! This is actually the first DRY day since 2005. So what else could I do but head to the pool for some laps & tanning. Wheee I love the sun… Had mum’s special spaghetti for lunch back at home furthermore, she got a ring up from Dell Singapore about my PDA order today & the delivery would be in tomorrow. (2xWhee!) Mmm this is very much faster than I’ve expected lesser than 1-2weeks. Uniquely Dell, one thing bad about buying direct, despite the lower costs is not being able to inspect & try out your unit before purchasing. So it opens up to all kinds of hoax & shitty stuffs. I had not brought from dell before & I don’t think I wanna cast a bad impression on them either. Hope my unit would be ok & minus those hassles to send any possible “defective unit” back *touch wood*

Moreover, a surprise came early this week on a Oakley-joint-SAF deal for our company. In other words, we get to order original authentic, oakley products through this military, law enforcement & government agency scheme at FREAKIN’ LOW prices. Average price of one new pair of sunglasses are going for about $100SGD… customisation is allowed too, wheee! Thats like 80% off or so. So what else can the company do but do bonkers? Heres what I have on order:

• 1xpair of Black Hybrid-S M-frames with black iriduim lens,
• 1xpair of Black Half-Jackets with grey, clear & perimmon lenses together with a case.
• 1xD3 sports watch
• 5xD2 sports watches (for some super low yahoo auction)

whee! thats two items crossed out of my wishlist! the PDA & Oakley sunglasses!