*tears*
So many things to say, so little space to write...
haha...
I dreamed of becoming an officer, of being respected and getting acknowledged for the effort I put in... but that never happened.
Instead, I was given the craziest, happiest, most stressful life ever...
Nothing, nothing I would ever trade for...
I was given a place to change, a place to call my own... Running CSTH was no mean feat, given the condition it was handed over... But bit by bit, every effort made the mark, and people's hearts changed...
I'm so, so going to miss the times I spent over there.. Even in the last few weeks, I could not bring myself to leave the office for my half-day leaves... (which I incidentally took so I could 1) use the gym, 2) finish the documents for my under study)
There will always be the people in my heart who will remain, the five generations of AVA:
1st Gen (The Legends)
- Ryan
- Suzuki
- Ben Lim
- Elden
- Yao Qing
- Hock Lai
- Andy Koh
2nd Gen
- Leighton
- Raymond
- Zhong Da
- Me!
3rd Gen
- Pritampal
- Andy Tan
- Javier (Exam IC)
- Eric (currently in EP)
- Bryner
- Kesavan
4th Gen
- Joshua
- Teck Sing
- Jia Tong
- Kavin
- Ben
5th Gen
- Peter
- Ian Russell
- Wan Tong
Haha... I doubt most of them would read my blog, but I still would like to thank each and everyone of them for giving me back my life in the army.
No. Unlike what most people who are released from the SAF think,
I do not think that I wasted my time in the army.
I made friends with the most craziest, unimaginably, boisterous, rowdy, street-smart, bunch of people ever.
They opened my eyes to what another side of life is like.
Friends?
Haha... I don't think so. They're pretty much almost like brudders to me already. =)
Finally, I shall summarize my entire army life into a complete time line:
15/09/07
Enlisted for BMT, Hawk Coy, Section 2, Platoon 4
Thank You!
- Eugene Chieng (My bed buddy)
- Ronald (Super funny and encouraging guy)
- Nicholas Lim (The optimist)
- Bernard (The hardworking giant)
- Kelvin (Sunshine boy!)
- Chris (Super talketive, little guy)
14/12/07
PoP-ed, Tekong Medical Centre created a huge uproar over my glycosuria. Was down pes-ed to pes D (temporary).
Command school was denied.
20/12/07
Was told to report at SAFAC training school. Didn't even know what was SAFAC. Little did I know, it was going to be one of the most eye-opening times of my life.
01/12/08
My life at SAFAC training school begins. Super memorable times, with much joy, laughter, teasing and friendship.
Thank You!
- Daryl Lee
- Daryl Yeo
- KC
- Wilfred
- Julian
- Xavier
- Favian
01/04/08
On job training at a highly classified base begins... My eyes are opened to really crazy stuff. It's really an unbelievable world out there. Met many people, some people who just didn't like me for who I was. Nonetheless, I did my best, learnt as much as I could.... for a short while.
28/04/08
MMI delivered a report saying that I was combat unfit. I couldn't believe my eyes when I was subsequently to be posted out to a signal unit. Everybody said Stagmont Camp = Slack-mont Camp. I couldn't imagine how much better life could be, being in a military institute.
01/05/08
I thought I died and went to heaven.
... haha.. seriously. Life was good enough to make me think that maybe there are some softer sides to the army after all.
I had independent will to chart, organize and manage my own rooms, my own computers, my own books. I truly put in my heart and soul to something I thought I could finally call my own achievement if I put in my best.
Stagmont camp was to hold some of the best memories of my army experience ever.
01/08/08
Reversal of roles. Suddenly, the old made way for the new, and more then three-quarters of my seniors ORDed. I was caught really unprepared. I had to take on the role of the IC for my institute as the first IC decided to give up his place for a smoother path.
Life became quite hellish for a few months.
But complain as I might, I never ever lost my gratitude to God for giving me such a great place to work in.
14/08/09
ORD.
I damm hell left a lot of precious memories behind in the Army. And no. I left army with a full experience that no where, work, study or play could ever give me.
The good times, where I could doze off in an air conditioned room, without the fear of work incomplete. Where I could laugh my balls off at the lame jokes that some dicks put on the army intranet...
.. where when I almost fell down with my full field pack because I was so tired, if not for my buddy who pulled me up..
.. where my bunk mates all ran to carry my legs just to "cheat" that one more pull up so that I could win another platoon mate in the number of pull ups ..
.. where we sat and crapped and complained about the horrid sealed rations that we were provided, especially Chicken Dumplings and Ponteh Rice.
The bad times, where I was slammed with so much work I had to stay overnight 2 days in a row just to man and operate the system when everybody was on holiday. Where the office was silent and empty, everybody gone to do their orders.
... where I felt that I could not go on, and prayed till I cried in my bashar tent...
... where some of my colleagues found out my darkest secret and decided to announce it to the whole world...
... where I saw OCS fall just out of my grasp, when it was one of my biggest dreams.
haha... I can't believe I'm crying writing this.
The Army, as much as I would not like to say it, played a bigger role in changing me then many other places.
I love my army life.
And thus begins my life at Mediacorp. This time, it won't be just 2 years I reckon. The trials through fire in Army will seem like a breeze compared to this if rumors serve me well.
I may not be able to blog so much because of work anymore. But hopefully, the memory of this blog will keep me coming back to record my new phase...
With this, I close another chapter in my life.
