stories not for the faint of heart
Friday, December 25, 2009

most of my course mates at work are males fresh out of NS just like myself. so i guess its natural for us to always gather and start sharing our NS stories and experiences. and inevitably, we will always touch on the topic of paranormal activity experienced during our 2 years stint in the military. most stories are mildly scary but some are just downright creepy at the thought of it. it is only during these sessions, that triggered the memory of some of the creey experiences i had. i myself do have a fair share of experiences during my 2 years in the military.. lets jot them down here before i forget them.

1. I vividly remembered. it was during the 5 days 4 night field camp in tekong when i was still a recruit. for that few days, the entire company had set up a defence perimeter in a jungle. each of us had to dig our own shellscrapes (aka shallow graves) to prone in to defend our position. it happened that my platoon and section, was assigned the area that faces the deepest part of the jungle. as many may know it, tekong is infamous for its paranormal occurences.

yeah. there i was, after a hard day of training... cold, wet, hungry and homesick. we had to take turns to prone in the stand-to position throughout the night sacrificing our sleep to defend the area. i remembered it was valentine's day and i was rostered to do the stand-to position from 2am - 4am. imagine facing the dark jungle for 2 hours lying down with your rifle pointing forward. ofcourse,.... i get startled every now and then by sounds of snapping twigs, shaking trees and occasional dark shadows darting around infront of me. it was pretty dauting task to really lay there motionless through all those commotion. thankfullly those things did not disturb me. however it was not the end.

then it was time to change shift and time to retire for the day and sleep. i fell asleep after awhile but only to get awoken every now and then by "something". i was being shaken a few times until i woke up... on a few occasions, i even heard people shouting at me to go to the prone position. of which i quickly complied and only to realise.. there was nobody around. but... i was just too tired to feel scared or what.. soon the night went by just like that..


2. I was an officer cadet/midshipman about to embark on a 6 weeks long sailing deployment. on one occasion, i went down to our sleeping quarters alone to retrieve some stuffs. to my shock, i saw a cupboard shaking by itself. and only that cupboard... the rest was normal. i wondered what went through my mind that time. i had the courage to even try to peek inside the cupboard. but i saw nothing... i quickly went up to rejoin the rest and thought nothing about it for the rest of trip.

yes. to my suspicion. later i found out from colleagues that the ship is indeed haunted after it participated in some deployments..


3. I was a senior officer cadet. within weeks of commisioning. however due to some mistakes i made, i was confined for 3 weeks. yes... and that 3 weeks of confinement added to my already outstanding balance of 2 weeks of confinement. i was locked within the confines of the camp during the weekend when everyone is out there enjoying. my buddy had OOC (out of course) some time earlier, leaving me alone in the 2-men bunk. thus i always had an empty bed in the room with its bedsheet tucked neatly always.

there was one particular weekend. when everyone had booked out. leaving me alone in the upper floors of the block. to save electricity, the lights were not on for the majority of the day and there was'nt much light in the corridor. it was pitch dark most of the time despite being in the day. i had to occupy myself with the computer inside the bunk most of the time. then suddenly, i heard some knocks on the door.. just like how you would expect people to knock on your door before you grant them entrance. so naturally i went away from the comp and went to the door to open the door. the weird thing is, i could'nt open the door even though the lock was open. there was a force preventing me from doing so.

at the moment, i thought nothing of it. i waited for a second or two before i tried again. this time, it opened. i looked outside... it was just pitch dark.. there was'nt anyone in sight. feeling quite creeped out but there was nothing i could do and no where i could go.... i just turned on the music louder on my computer and tried to occupy myself and thought nothing of it...


4. I was an officer serving in my unit already. as my unit is working 24/7 and im working night shift... the entire building was empty already with all the lights turned off. the toilet was located quite far away thus i had to walk quite a long distance to the toilet through the deserted building. one stretch was an open concourse which i can see the corridors of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floor of the building from the 1st floor. as i was walking.. i distinctively saw a semi transparent figure float out of my sight on the second floor. i quickly turned and saw the remaining part of it vanish into the corner. i can't tell whether it was a male or female but all i know was... all my hair stood on ends. instead of going to the toilet, i had to make a detour and head back down to my workplace instead. i only went toilet a few hours later when it was daybreak.

then it occured to me why i had saw the thing... perhaps it was chingming festival. hmm

posted by george @ Friday, December 25, 2009 7:19:39 AM, , links to this post


work work
Tuesday, December 15, 2009

work work

posted by george @ Tuesday, December 15, 2009 8:54:52 AM, , links to this post


ORD
Saturday, November 07, 2009

ORD (Operational Ready Date) is a much heralded day for every male singaporean who has to fufill their mandatory ns obligations for a length of 2 years. well, now i can rightfully say i've "been there, done that" and has officially collected my pink IC yesterday and ORD loh!

Becoming a civilian again is something strangely familiar, something that i gave up 1 year 10 months ago upon the very moment i stepped into the wilderness of tekong island.

NS has been a thrill ride and hell of a journey for me. i would say i've achieved more than what i set out to achieve initially. NS has inevitably taught me how to become a better person in every aspect imaginable. this entry will pretty sum up everything and give a proper closure to this chapter in my life.

I still remembered, 09 Jan 2008 was the day i enlisted and the day i become an obedient soldier; a contrast from being an obedient schoolboy. among the many strange, new and blurcock faces, i've made many friends an buddies that lasted throughout and beyond my stint in the military. for once i was issued a rifle and the heavy responsibility to defend our island nation. it was an honourable task that the nation has gladly entrusted in my hands. in the days of my basic military training, i strived to outperform and excel in everything a soldier should do. being in a uniformed group in my secondary school days has put me one notch above the rest in adapting to the regimental lifestyle of the military. for me, there was only one aim, that was to be selected for Officer Cadet School. it was tough in the beginning, nonetheless i got the hang of it and was fortunate enough to be given leadership roles as a recruit. i still remembered vividly, i was given the role of the platoon ic for the final leg of the basic military phase, that was the week leading to the 24km route march. nevertheless, i did well and i completed basic military training on the 11 Mar 09. i was elated that i was posted to Officer Cadet School to be trained as a leader.

however, the route from there onwards was an uphill journey. being selected for OCS does'nt equates to being an officer. i have to be even better to be able to successfully commission to become an officer.

on 24 Mar 09, i entered the very premises of OCS itself. a very serene place with pastel coloured lodging blocks and a symbolic tower that symbolises the tri service nature of SAF and the attainment of officership. the outlook of the place was a huge contrast to kind of training i was about to receive. the place where all of the newly and uninitiated Officer Cadets gathered was called the Warriors Hall. yeah, we were all warriors-to-be in that sense. after 2 short weeks in OCS, we were all streamed to our respective service to be further trained to become effective leaders in our own service. i was one of the 8 out of 500+ to be selected to be trained as Naval Officer. the navy culture was an entirely new thing to me, very much different compared to the army and the airforce. being a Naval Officer was extremely challenging.

in Midshipman wing, all the naval officer cadets were called Midshipmen. we had to juggle with heavy academic curriculum and a rigorous physical regime to be able to rightfully commission as a Naval Officer of the Navy. i learnt, experience and was trained in things that not many male NSF went through such as conning a warship. this is just the tip of the iceberg. i've sailed to many places within the 9 months in OCS. the training was tough. my very own buddy went out of course, along with many others who were also the casualty to the tough training regime. i adapted and along the way, was spotted and given a cadet leadership appointment in the advanced term. fortunately, my values, determination and will paid off. i graduated with an A from the course and was among the top few NSF who graduated from the course : ) i commissioned on the 13 Dec 09 and received my sword, the epitome of officership.

commisioning as a Naval Officer was just half the journey conquered. with the officership and the responsibility to lead and being empowered to command, i got to be even better than before. throughout my tenure in the unit, i was fortunate enough to experience things that only a select few in the entire batch of enlistees (yes... all the males that enlisted with me...). my work was classified in nature and it was a challenging and satisfying appointment that i held even though it was extremely difficult at times. yet again, i was fortunate enough to survive the 11 month in that appointment before ending my NS stint.

i'm glad that i've went through a very unique NS experience that no other male singaporean went though. i'm glad that it has all ended........................................................oh wait, there's still reservist, ICTs and all... but... all that can wait : ) till then.


posted by george @ Saturday, November 07, 2009 8:53:05 AM, , links to this post



Sunday, August 09, 2009

its been almost a year since i embarked onboard RSS Persistence for my 6 weeks Midshipmen Sea Training Deployment (MSTD). i kind of miss the feeling of sailing, sea "breeze" blasting against your face when the ship moves in excess of 20knots. the sleepless nights spent drawing charts and keeping all-round-the-clock watches on the bridge of the ship. retire to bed at 2am and then only to wake up at 4 am for astronavigation practices.. those days as a midshipman makes me feel nostalgic. today is Singapore's 44th birthday, glad that i'm not in the NDP this year due to operational reasons. i spent my national day last year confined within the boundaries of my wingline, watching NDP with other midshipmen who were literally "on the same boat" as me through the small little television that we had.

that was one year ago. speaking of which, my ORD date is nearing, so is my date of promotion. my understudy is learning well and will soon assume my position and take over my duties in about a month or so. that leaves me with about a month of leaves and offs to enjoy or so before i collect my pink ic. despite the brevity of national service in general, nevertheless, i've learnt alot.

leading was never an easy task in the first place, but the satisfaction of accomplishing the mission and receiving the acknowledgement of your subordinates and superiors makes it your efforts worthwhile. i've learnt to lead with my heart and not with absolute authority. making decisions is tough, especially when your decision affects the lives of people at hand. it can be painful at times, but i've learnt to be firm and unwavering despite adversities faced. i've learnt to fight alongside with my subordinates and not watch them from a distance. respect is not about the rank that you put on the shoulder. respect is something that you got to earn.

in essence, this short two years hiatus from studying has made me a whole lot better in a position to deal with the challenges that i will face in life. certainly, nobody likes giving up their freedom for their country. but we don't have a choice do we? why not make the best out of it?

national day affirms the fact that defence of the country is of utmost importance. without the country, there will be no you, your family and your assets. though very soon i'll be a civilian just like most of the people out there. However, i know my responsibilities that we all servicemen hold and the officer's creed that i've recited on the day of my commissioning, will not be forgotten.

I am an officer of the Singapore Armed Forces.

My duty is to lead, to excel and to overcome.

I lead my men by example.

I answer for their training morale and discipline.

I must excel in everything I do.

I serve with pride, honour and integrity.

I will overcome adversity with courage, fortitude and determination.

I dedicate my life to Singapore.

happy national day 2009!

posted by george @ Sunday, August 09, 2009 7:00:48 AM, , links to this post


solo
Sunday, March 01, 2009

the time is finally up, for my senior to leave and ORD while its time to me to assume the duties of my senior fully. wish me luck in defending the singapore seas. i'll give you all an assurance that i'll do a good job. no worries.

i've more or less got accustomed back to the civilian life i used to lead, sleeping on my own bed and returning to my own home everyday. gone are the days i'm stuck and confined in some remote corner of the camp or sailing in some rough seas to god knows where.

its kinda weird that everytime that when my senior and i settle down for a chat when situation is quiet at night, we'll always talk about our sailing days onboard MSTD. he was a merchant sailor himself. he sailed around the world for more than twice. his stories and adventures of sailings never fail to put me in awe. neverending stories of overcoming monstrous waves or his sexcapades in some red light district in one of the port he went always kept me awake and make me edge closer, wanting to listen more.

but what i meant was that, sailing really broadens one's perspective of the world and open your eyes to the things that are actually happening on ground. listening to him actually made me more knowledgeable and less mountain-tortoise on the things around the world. after all, he's a good orator and a good speaker. he's able to narrate lively and vivid stories out of his experiences that simply keeps the watch team enthralled and deep in thought/disgust/awe whichever you choose.

he'll be sailing again in the commercial shipping companies around after he ORD and will be away for another 3 years or so. all the best to him man. during this 3 months or so i've definitely learn alot more than i ever knew about the sea.

posted by george @ Sunday, March 01, 2009 10:08:05 AM, , links to this post


sleeeeeep
Tuesday, February 24, 2009

wow. i just woke up from a whooping 12 hours sleep. contemplating on swimming while the sun is still up but the weather took the sun away from me. looks like i'll go and sleep more. goodnight.

posted by george @ Tuesday, February 24, 2009 3:53:50 AM, , links to this post


nostalgic.
Sunday, February 22, 2009

its pretty weird that on an ordinary rainy sunday morning, i woke up an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. i just realised how much i missed jc life.

particularly the final year in jc in which everyone was also bogged down my their ccas and whatever activities were there. i missed the countless of hockey trainings i had, now that the hockey stick is stashed at a not so glorified corner or my room. i missed crutching around the school with a cast on my leg for one month. i missed sitting through seemingly interminable lectures and trying my best to keep awake at times. i missed the days spent in class bickering with other guys over unsettled matters brought by petty dota matches. i missed the paranoia everyone had on each other when they mentioned they have "studied" for the test and you did'nt. i miss travelling to ntu and redhill every weekend to train hockey. i miss going home on a train with donning my smelly pe attire and that everyone is staring at me. i miss playing soccers with my guys.

damn. this list just keeps getting longer and longer if i were to carry on. in short, i miss schooling and being a schoolboy. i'm getting tired and sick of military protocols and regimentation. please return me my innocence.

posted by george @ Sunday, February 22, 2009 7:05:19 AM, , links to this post


: O
Saturday, February 21, 2009

finally its over! the past 2 weeks have been damn busy participating in a major scale exercise. probably the most junior officer in the entire exercise but nevertheless i still gave my best to help my unit in attaining operational ready status. they should really gave me an award man. i was working 14 hours a day even though i had fever and flu.

now i finally got some time to rest before the routine continues again on monday. damn. and i've lost a considerable amount of weight due to not eating as much as i was half a year ago and the extremely busy work schedule.

feel like going out to somewhere but i just don't know where. looks like its time to work out soon and get a new coat of tan. time to put on some weight again. or should i not?


posted by george @ Saturday, February 21, 2009 7:53:31 AM, , links to this post


catch a breather.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009

when the weight of the world falls on your shoulder.. just take a step back, take a chill pill and take it easy. looks like being an officer is not that easy after afterall. to really live up to the officer's creed that i used to recite every day - like a voice recorder on replay mode - is not that easy after all.

making decisions can be a tough thing to do. everything is dynamic in nature and to find an equilibrium out of it is equivalent to finding a needle in a haystack. one wrong decision can cause many to die.

even though my job is tough and the responsibilities given to me is way more than what i'm supposed to undertake, i still find it worthwhile to spend my remaining months there as i feel it'll definitely make me a much better person.

looks like its time to step up to the challenges that are ahead of me and take them down one by one.


posted by george @ Tuesday, February 17, 2009 3:05:23 PM, , links to this post


happy 2009 and cny!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009

wow. its been more than a month since my last entry! nevermind. i shall attribute it to my busy and unpredictable work schedule. man! i'm unable to attend alot of gatherings and outings because of such scheduling. sigh.

it just occurred to me that i have not made any formal new year resolutions like i do every year. too busy perhaps. hahah. here are some of the things i hope to achieve and embark on this year,in no order of priority, presenting to you...

• great health, prosperity and luck for everyone!
• driver's license
• pleasure craft driver license
• basic and advanced diving
• make 1290 x 960 new friends and remake old friends
• make time for loved ones
• train up for a biathlon next year
• able to find an interesting job after ORD
• pick up some skill(s)/sport(s)
• find my terrapins on facebook
• jam our way to stardom
• stop being paranoid
• an even better year than 2008.


ah. 2008 has been an extremely good year. 2009 will be better! woo!

posted by george @ Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:25:26 AM, , links to this post