Bookout post:

Restored Post

Monday was another day of tests, so we just rotted in the stuffy and hot company auditorium. Quite a few of us got comfortable and went to sleep at the back.

I finally brought bak kwa into camp! Yeh.

World Cup season is here. Because we have no access to televisions, people are reduced to listening to the matches on the radio. Or crowding around the windows of the Mess and peering in. And soccer betting has started. It seems that many of my bunk mates are betting on football results and have been earning, from my buddy's measly $2 to Roy's $1000 (followed by $500 the next day). I do wonder if anyone loses money. It certainly doesn't seem so. Perhaps due to World Cup (and maybe betting) euphoria, we got to wake up half an hour later one morning and didn't have to do 5BX. Yeh.

The cookhouse always doesn't cook enough, and so they run out of dishes often. And when they -do- cook enough, the SFI people often refuse to give us more food, claiming that there are still people who haven't eaten. In the end, they often throw a lot away. We were quite upset at the measly (even for this place) portions on Monday, so we started helping ourselves to a fruit buffet from the fridge - Kiwi, Pineapple and Honeydew. To add to their list of evil deeds, they've locked the ice machine so we can't take ice anymore. Which is why I don't drink anything in the mornings nowadays.

He with the Killer 5BX (1 set consists of: Burpees - 10 counts of 10, 10 Go-up-halfway Situps, 10 pushups, 10 crunches, 10 spider pushups, 10 flutter kicks, 10 diamond pushups, 10 bicycle kicks ) finally joined us for our morning exercise. And after 1 set (we did 3 the first time and 3 and a bit more the second), he let us go for breakfast. Hehe.

One guy was bathing in front of the sinks in the toilet with the hose. And he had his shorts on. That's one step up from bathing in underwear!

1 of the Malay Sergeants told the Malays that if they ate from the Chinese food stall in the canteen, they'd sign extra guard duties. Ridiculous.

Those who had no leave left had leave deducted from next year's leave. Evil SAF!

New Town Secondary's Chinese name is "Guang1 Wei3". So it joins He2 Gu3 Zhong1 Xue2 in the league of schools whose names don't translate directly.

We had partner swapping on Wednesday - I poked and was poked by Yew Yew. And in the field in front of the lecture block too (which is actually cooler than the training shed). He is a joy to poke - his veins are very large and prominent! I finished my IV very quickly. On the other hand, he missed my vein. Looks like only my buddy is good enough to hit me :) And apparently said buddy's blood clots very quickly, so it's not just me. So both of us have complications that make it hard for people to hit us.

Zhang has an interview for the President's Scholarship! Woah.

Apparently Vitamin E can help get rid, or at least lighten, the stupid 16g scars. Hope is in sight! Current scar total: 4. At least 3 to go (during my course) and 13 during Reservist. Ugh.

I opened a Mobile E-Mart one night. And sold $7.50 worth of food! Though the bulk hasn't been paid to me. And it turns out I sold some items (like Almond Kit Kat) for a loss. Oh well.

The contagion of sore eyes (viral conjunctivitis in most of the cases methinks) has hit our camp. In one platoon, more than half were decimated by this scourge. Our dear CO has decreed that future cases of sore eyes will have to be referred to Maju Camp. And those infected do not get to rest at home, but are contained in quarantine in camp! Bah.

Zhang told some RI guy who went to RJ was told that I was from RJ. And on taking a closer look, he uttered thus, "Were you from RI?... Oh no, it's that Gabriel... How do you do IV now?". My infamy precedes me.

As we all know, SAF tests are impossible to fail. Except IPPT and SOC, that is. But I've recently been exposed to the next generation of SAF tests. They involve a group of people sitting around the tester and each being asked questions until he gets one correct.

Everything we have says "Property of SAF". I think if they could, they'd tattoo that on us too.

Someone liked Musharraf's face so much that he took the Economist out of my fieldpack when I was not in the company audit and ripped the front cover off. Grr.

I finally did prowling (with Zhang) during Guard Duty. I hate the half-sweating feeling. It's terribly sticky and neither here nor there. I got only 3 1/2 hrs sleep during my duty. And when I came back I promptly slept for 3 hours.

Just before booking out after guard duty, someone peed in the water bottle of someone whom most of the platoon dislikes. I feel quite bad, but I think I couldn't have done anything anyhow.


Quotes:

"Quietly, arrange your things and get lost from this training shed. Go to canteen and hide. (to the)"

"His son also auditioned for the President's Scholarship (was interviewed)"

"[On another section mate] Quarantine? Is that his Christian name?"

"[On the new permstaff] How often do you get to fuck a woman in Number 4? Tell me how often... In your lifetime. Zero right?" (...)

"[On some porn film called 'Pussy Cartel'] [Me: Isn't porn haram?] I know porn is haram but I like it. I like to indulge in sin."

"[On the Course Commander believing he's a great orator] I think we're the unlucky ones. He went for some public speaking class..."

"My SOC timing is 7 minutes, I think. Just to clear the low wall."