:::::
::the perfect getaway is not anywhere in this world.
it is of an alternate existence. as opposed to chaos and destruction, there is peace and serenity. a place that's truly exhilarating. paradise - without the worries of this world. ::=Life As A Recruit=
2 months. 2 months hath past... How quick... A blink of an eye...
Rewind to April 8th. All anxiety built up till today is going to be gone...for today is enlistment date. What will I face, where will I go, who will I meet. Questions questions and more questions...time holds all the answers. Ended up somewhere I didn't really expect. Thought I was fated for doom in the much feared 'P'egasus Company but lo' and behold...what luck..'O'rion.
For once, it's the only 'O' on a result paper I've looked forward to. Ended up being in a Company with lots of company... people like Eric, Ali, Kianteck, Marvin, Kiamin, Jianhong, Zhenjia, Gerald...etc. Hence begins my adaptation phase and army life, as Recruit Kan.
Browsing Ahead. The recruit life unfolds. Regimentation, regimentation and more regimentation. No freedom. Physical Activities Daily. Little Rest. To survive, one must follow the rules of the game. Made friends. Got settled in. Adapted. After a 'gruelling' 2 weeks, finally got to smell Singapore Air. Damn it's fresh. Tekong Cough contracted. Fell sick, Feverish. For days, nose was prone to bleeding. As soon as I start 'knocking it down', my nose bleeds. The company line is literally littered with my sweat and blood.
-Field Camp, the first major hurdle-
7 days. Outfield. Only one bath. Cold Rations. Poor Hygiene. 7 days, and counting. However, RAIN, RAIN and more RAIN. 5/7 days of Heavy Rain, leaving us wet and cold. Shoes and socks sogged. Uniforms drenched. Sweat, rainwater and soil stain our uniforms. Trudge on, we must. Out of the 2 dry days, one was a record 32 or 33 degrees. Talk about extreme temperature changes. Outfield was surviveable, however, it was plagued by heat rashes, mosquito bites, insect bites, blisters and foot rot. Not to mention bad cough that woke my basha buddy up. At least got a taste of gunpowder. Fired empty rounds with my Wife. Made us realise that the clean barracks are a heaven we constantly title 'hell'. 'A Heaven we call Hell'.
- Live Range & Grenade -
ADRENALINE RUSH. Real power. Real Danger. Taste of a killer. Loud Sounds. Shockwaves. Nothing but pure adrenaline. Also a taste of war...the effects of weapons...can really be so awe inspiring, it makes people stop in thier tracks and duck.
- SIT(uation) Test-
3 more days of Outfield. 3 days should be nothing. However, running around with SBO and stretcher isn't fun. Medic? Me? Ha... Missions...first day went awry, second day we rallied and did a great show. Reflected my concerns of being in leadership position. Finally, no more outfield...
-24km March, the Last Tough Wall before graduation-
24 km, seriously, isn't very far, however, with a load like that...even 12 km can be a torture. A test of mental strength and physical endurance. As always, Nightfall is when I gather my energy. Draw in the damp, cool night air. Tilt my head back and watch the BEAUTIFUL night sky. Something One can't find in Singapore. There were PLENTY OF STARS. So much more and so much brighter than in Singapore. Screw Light Pollution. SAng Songs. Sang my heart out. Walk on...just keep walking...thinking about Johnny Walker... Last 2 klicks we were on a HIGH. After being reprimanded for not showing enough spirit, we proved ourselves as we totally screamed our heads off and cheered on. The feeling was ... WOW. As the buildings that is the barracks drew closer, our voices rang louder. Newfound energy. I was living on adrenaline again. My knees forgotten the pain. My blisters were non-existent. The load on my shoulders felt so much lighter, I was flying... I swear RedBull could had made a good advertistment with the before/after effects. Marched into the parade square with pride, high-podding our weapons. It was a sight to behold. Euphoria.
-POP ( Passing Out Parade, not as in Faint ) -
Loads of rehearsals. But it was worth it all. Every single bit. Our Company Champion-tagged Drill squad entertained the crowds with our high-octane, neat drills modified with a bit of tangy salsa dance moves. Next, it was our show. Smart marching. Enduring long periods without being able to move. Finally, all that we sweated and bled for in these past 2 months, all the waiting and practising, we are passing out as privates ( though, private big f**k?) The single moment we threw our caps into the sky, time froze. Again, I was powered by nothing but pure adrenaline. The familiar electrifying feeling shooting into my body. Everyone went mad. Havoc, Chaos, Frenzy. But everyone was smiling. However, it also meant that all the friends, will once again, be separated. 2 months of eating the same shit together, 2 months, though short, was a truly bonding period.
Fast Forward to Now. As I sit here, typing , recalling and looking silly smiling at myself, my fate awaits. Soon, in fact in a matter of hours, my posting will be revealed. The same anxiety, the same anticipations. The unknown again. Will there be people I know? What will I encounter? The same questions. Time again...will be waiting for me with it's answers. As I now watch my army life unfold.
Army Life is tough, yes, but it had made me a person much more mature. Indeed the ritual of boys turning into men. Makes people realise that they can't take freedom for granted. And this very freedom we could be enjoying as civillians can only come with a price, a sacrifice of many men who safeguard our country. We learn not to take things for granted. Time, friends, loved ones. What little time we've got, we make full use of it. We finally realised how much others have done for us, parents especially. We go through what our fathers and forefathers did ( although now it ain't like before ). Gotten wiser, so much so that my wisdom teeth are out! (for Real!)
Rewind to April 8th. All anxiety built up till today is going to be gone...for today is enlistment date. What will I face, where will I go, who will I meet. Questions questions and more questions...time holds all the answers. Ended up somewhere I didn't really expect. Thought I was fated for doom in the much feared 'P'egasus Company but lo' and behold...what luck..'O'rion.
For once, it's the only 'O' on a result paper I've looked forward to. Ended up being in a Company with lots of company... people like Eric, Ali, Kianteck, Marvin, Kiamin, Jianhong, Zhenjia, Gerald...etc. Hence begins my adaptation phase and army life, as Recruit Kan.
Browsing Ahead. The recruit life unfolds. Regimentation, regimentation and more regimentation. No freedom. Physical Activities Daily. Little Rest. To survive, one must follow the rules of the game. Made friends. Got settled in. Adapted. After a 'gruelling' 2 weeks, finally got to smell Singapore Air. Damn it's fresh. Tekong Cough contracted. Fell sick, Feverish. For days, nose was prone to bleeding. As soon as I start 'knocking it down', my nose bleeds. The company line is literally littered with my sweat and blood.
-Field Camp, the first major hurdle-
7 days. Outfield. Only one bath. Cold Rations. Poor Hygiene. 7 days, and counting. However, RAIN, RAIN and more RAIN. 5/7 days of Heavy Rain, leaving us wet and cold. Shoes and socks sogged. Uniforms drenched. Sweat, rainwater and soil stain our uniforms. Trudge on, we must. Out of the 2 dry days, one was a record 32 or 33 degrees. Talk about extreme temperature changes. Outfield was surviveable, however, it was plagued by heat rashes, mosquito bites, insect bites, blisters and foot rot. Not to mention bad cough that woke my basha buddy up. At least got a taste of gunpowder. Fired empty rounds with my Wife. Made us realise that the clean barracks are a heaven we constantly title 'hell'. 'A Heaven we call Hell'.
- Live Range & Grenade -
ADRENALINE RUSH. Real power. Real Danger. Taste of a killer. Loud Sounds. Shockwaves. Nothing but pure adrenaline. Also a taste of war...the effects of weapons...can really be so awe inspiring, it makes people stop in thier tracks and duck.
- SIT(uation) Test-
3 more days of Outfield. 3 days should be nothing. However, running around with SBO and stretcher isn't fun. Medic? Me? Ha... Missions...first day went awry, second day we rallied and did a great show. Reflected my concerns of being in leadership position. Finally, no more outfield...
-24km March, the Last Tough Wall before graduation-
24 km, seriously, isn't very far, however, with a load like that...even 12 km can be a torture. A test of mental strength and physical endurance. As always, Nightfall is when I gather my energy. Draw in the damp, cool night air. Tilt my head back and watch the BEAUTIFUL night sky. Something One can't find in Singapore. There were PLENTY OF STARS. So much more and so much brighter than in Singapore. Screw Light Pollution. SAng Songs. Sang my heart out. Walk on...just keep walking...thinking about Johnny Walker... Last 2 klicks we were on a HIGH. After being reprimanded for not showing enough spirit, we proved ourselves as we totally screamed our heads off and cheered on. The feeling was ... WOW. As the buildings that is the barracks drew closer, our voices rang louder. Newfound energy. I was living on adrenaline again. My knees forgotten the pain. My blisters were non-existent. The load on my shoulders felt so much lighter, I was flying... I swear RedBull could had made a good advertistment with the before/after effects. Marched into the parade square with pride, high-podding our weapons. It was a sight to behold. Euphoria.
-POP ( Passing Out Parade, not as in Faint ) -
Loads of rehearsals. But it was worth it all. Every single bit. Our Company Champion-tagged Drill squad entertained the crowds with our high-octane, neat drills modified with a bit of tangy salsa dance moves. Next, it was our show. Smart marching. Enduring long periods without being able to move. Finally, all that we sweated and bled for in these past 2 months, all the waiting and practising, we are passing out as privates ( though, private big f**k?) The single moment we threw our caps into the sky, time froze. Again, I was powered by nothing but pure adrenaline. The familiar electrifying feeling shooting into my body. Everyone went mad. Havoc, Chaos, Frenzy. But everyone was smiling. However, it also meant that all the friends, will once again, be separated. 2 months of eating the same shit together, 2 months, though short, was a truly bonding period.
Fast Forward to Now. As I sit here, typing , recalling and looking silly smiling at myself, my fate awaits. Soon, in fact in a matter of hours, my posting will be revealed. The same anxiety, the same anticipations. The unknown again. Will there be people I know? What will I encounter? The same questions. Time again...will be waiting for me with it's answers. As I now watch my army life unfold.
Army Life is tough, yes, but it had made me a person much more mature. Indeed the ritual of boys turning into men. Makes people realise that they can't take freedom for granted. And this very freedom we could be enjoying as civillians can only come with a price, a sacrifice of many men who safeguard our country. We learn not to take things for granted. Time, friends, loved ones. What little time we've got, we make full use of it. We finally realised how much others have done for us, parents especially. We go through what our fathers and forefathers did ( although now it ain't like before ). Gotten wiser, so much so that my wisdom teeth are out! (for Real!)
posted by =Toylet= at 03:09
2 comments
