When I reached home after I booked out from OCS, my father told me I got a letter from NTU. To me, I dun feel anything. Just a letter. Maybe I was too tired to know what the letter is. Too tired after the Ex. Spade. Anyway without opening the letter, I knew the result already. On the envelope, it printed : 'the new undergraduate exprience' and the next line: 'your passport to a complete education' plus a stamp: '05 - 06 YOUR PASSPORT TO A COMPLETE EDUCATION'
When I opened the envelope, Yes expected, I got a chance to study Computer Science which is my first choice. Here it goes:
Dear Mr Pek
Congratulations! The University Admission Selection Committee has approved your application for admission to Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to study a course in:
COMPUTER SCIENCE :)
Due to the large number of applications this year, we have been very selective. You are one of those whom we believe from the unique NTU education aimed at nurturing leaders and advancing knowledge, for Singapore and beyond. So honoured but what's that unique NTU education??
We are confident that our rigorious academic programme will equip you with real world skills that will give an edge in whatever you choose to do upon graduation. Our vibrant campus living with diverse sporting and cultural activities will provide you with an enriching experience. Yeah vibrant campus with chio bus?? Be a slacker party member..
As you are expected to complete your full-time national service by July 2006, we will reserve a place for you for the academic year 2006-07. Should you be released from full-time national service earlier than the expected date and wish to enrolled earlier, please contact us. How long more to serve the 'jail term'?
I look forward to enrolment into NTU and towards working with you to achieve your aspirations for the future. Welcome on board! Well said, you making money from me by working with me
At last, it's over! Temporary over from digging trenches and shellscapes for 4 days 3 nights. Over from doing sentry duties every one or two hours. What I got from this field camp:
- Loss Of Sleep - Blisters / Cuts - Abrasion - Heat Rashes - Painful Red & Smelly Feet - A Muddy & Stinky Uniform Which I Didn't Bother To Change During The Exercise.
Everyone is walking like zombie because of Abrasion, Abrasion & Abrasion! The weather is against us during the field camp. It rained for the past few days. Everytime, we had to bail out the water from the trenches and shellscapes. Some trenches had water up to knee level. No choice. Used the helmets to bail out the water. Anyway, it's over. Time to enjoy my long weekend!
After 5 and a half of months in the army. There are things that I learnt there can be improved and help SPA training, expedition.
These are the things that i thought for now.
Imagine the dirty mess tin, indian pots that you have to wash after the camps and expedition, you have to scrub the black soot off the indian pot like hell. Well you can get 'Brillo' from the beach road shop which can make utensil shiny. It's very effective
When there's training camp like AX, AAX, Land Ex blar blar. There also be a pasar malam by the instructors and you have to lay the very shit list on the equipment list for the instructor to check. And after the 'checking', you have to waterproof your equipments and clothing, whether you can waterproof properly in a short give amount of time is a question. One way to solve this, is to make Standard Packs example: Ziplock pack 1 consists of 2 sets of shorts and white t-shirt, Ziplock pack 2 consists of towel, underwears, socks, Ziplock pack 3 consists of toilet paper, soap, toothbrush. Whatever inside the pack is visible for the instructors to check and it saved time and hastle to repack again.
Global Positioning System (GPS), it's good to have a GPS during mountain trekking or for recce, try to ask the SAA to buy for the club.
After 6 lessons of full combat load in our Skeleton Battle Order (SBO) which includes: - 2 Full Water Bottles - Gortex Jacket - Toggle Rope - 4 Arc of Fire Sticks - 2 Insect Repellent - 2 Camouflage Cream - 4 Dummy Magazine weighs about a kilo each - 2 Dummy Grenades weighs about 200g - 2 H2O Cans Filled With Sand - Comm Cords - Torchlight - Whistle / Ear Plug - Jackknife - Helmet - Rifle - Bayonet
We took out all the unnecessary stuffs from the SBO for the actual test. The test load in our SBO includes: - 1 Full Water Bottle, 1 Empty Water Bottle - Toggle Bar - Helmet - Rifle - Bayonet
OCS Passing Time - 9:30 min Wing Passing Time - 8:30 min set by Wing Commander
Timing for the full combat load (last 3 lessons) - 9:19 min - 9:13 min - 9:16 min
Timing for the test full (for the actual test) - 8:01 min (Improved from SISPEC timing of 8:38 min)
After the run, I was breathing very hard and fighting for air. At the same time, my legs are aching after the run. Physically drained out. But at least i already achieved my personal best result for the SOC. For that, those who had achieve 8:30 min and below were given night off. Yeah!! Book out for a night. Sweet. Close of SOC chapter, upcoming chapter Safti Endurance Obstacle Course (SEOC) which is more siong.
Differences between SOC and SEOC * SOC - 10 Obstacles - Total of 1.3 Km Run - Passing time of 9:30 min
* SEOC - 12 Obstacles - Total of 3.3 Km Run - Passing time of 30:00 min
The Day Before Sleep was definitely not enough for me since after the turnout the day before. We had a turnout at 3am plus with banging and knocking of our room doors by the instructors. We were kana like "activated". 2 min to fall in to the platoon common area. Check strength. Most of us are like still in zombie state, movement were naturally slow. With that, we were pumped by the instructors, had the most siong jumping jacks (I lost count how many we did). Switch to Full Battle Order with field pack, SBO, helmet on, draw arms from the armskote. Fall in the parade square to sit for weapon handling test. Damn sian. After which we went in platoon formation to do platoon drills. My section mate, Bernie, the heavier person among us was announced "injured" by the instructor. Artillery coming at about 5 min time to bombard us. Kao, bo pian, die die have to carry his load, carry him in the sketcher to siam the place. We took turns to carry him, marching around the SAFTI MI including the Discovery Centre and back to our Wing line. At the end, all of us are seriously shagged off. To me, this is not my firs time. I had the same experience in SPA also but that one not so siong.
Day 1 On the first day of the platoon field camp, we had to wake up earlier to perpare our stuffs and draw arms. The only time we can sleep is to take a short nap during the bus ride to the marsiling area. Upon reaching, camouflage-on and we started to move into platoon level (file formation). Along the way, we had a few danger areas and some enemy contact points. During the platoon battle course practise, I was quite loss. It seems different from the section drill. Our section commander was somehow unsure of the situation. I think we didn't have a tied down among us before the camp start. If only we had rehearsals or a set of standard operation procedure. I think it would be better than going for a "fight" without physically and mentally ready for the battle course. The terrain was hard to bash through and at one point of the time, the slope was steep for us to climb to do flanking on the enemy. Instructions were not pass down properly or can't be heard properly during the fire fight. Pingshen, the cadet platoon commander had the hard time to organise the platoon, giving cadets to the three section commanders.
After the lunch, I became the enemy for the actual platoon battle course. Two of the other "enemys" and myself were deployed on a higher ground. We waited for almost half a day for wach and every platoon to pass by. I felt very hot at that point of time, ants were almost seen everywhere on the ground. The area that we deployed to does not have enough cover and concealment. It is easier for the platoon to see us if they were to advance up near to our area. The main purpose was to contact the rear section of the platoon and get to do Immediate Attack against us. As an enemy, I learnt alot of things by looking at all the three platoon's mistakes, their way of attacking and overcoming the enemy. In the evening, we did platoon harbouring drill. Everyone was assigned a spot to guard the harbour in the all-round defence. At all times, one third of the platoon must be in alert mode.
Day 2 EXERCISE ZEBRA, the next day. The whole day was basically doing planning work. We also recce the enemy's defense site which is the Hotel Wing who was doing their EXERCISE SPADE. Wondering how Shah looks like digging shellscrap and fire trench. Would he be a mud man with uniform looking brown in colour? We also do platoon breaching drill and fire & movement to prepare for the actual exercise. The exercise will held in the dawn at around 2 am. We had to march from the starting point to our form up place. Before we start to march, the whole lot of us went to pee at the big longkang not knowing that we have to walk into the longkang. Like those scenes: Li Nanxing in "The Unbeatables". There was a few long halts during the movement. At one of the long hald, I proned down at the side of the vegetation, Lieutenant Lew didnt notice me that I was proning. He walked and stepped on my leg. I "ouch" softly. Lieutenant Lew noticed that and he asked me whether I was OK. He said that was a good concealment, he thought that a log or something. !@#$%. We were avoiding the vehicles, staying low, maintaining noice and light discipline through out the mission. We commerced the attack a few min later than the timing told during the operation order. The enemy gave the first shoot and all of us were contacted. Around the middle of the battle, almost half of the platoon were announced by the instructors "dead". Weijun, the cadet platoon commander had to top the assualting forces with the reserves ones. The whole thing, we took about half an hour to capture the objective. However hald of the platoon was wipe out. But at least we managed to overcome it.
What we achieved after the field camp? * Foot rot * Heat rash * Loss of sleep * Dirty and muddy equipments and clothings * Experience - priceless
