We've gotten our new medics. Finally, I'm not the most 'xin jiao' of the lot. Interestingly enough, 3 of the 5 were from NJC, and one knows Tim, and another, though from ACJC is, like Andrew, surprisingly un-ACish, at least as far as their choice of language goes (but then Andrew does look a bit ACish, so.) Strangely enough, 2 of them know Yaodong - one from BMT and one from Secondary School, during which he apparently already displayed his tendencies. Maybe the voices have been there all his life. The new medics told me about the new SMM. Besides having gigantic toilets and snack dispensers (!), it has enough bunks so the clerks have to stay in. Oh well.
I've finally gotten to talk to Yisa. He was sitting in the CCO canteen one day and I smiled at him. It took him a while to puzzle out my identity, till he finally mouthed my name at me. Alas, he told me that, if not for my distinctive smile, he wouldn't have been able to recognise me. So much for me recognising him even with his shaven head (which he claims is a measure he resorted to to keep cool). The guy's a bloody PES C1L2 clerk at the Armour Training Centre (ATC), though he assures me (bah) that his life is not good. He told me that telling them thet you're gay gets you C1L2 only. Hmm. What a waste of hundreds of dollars. I hope he manages to con the SAF psychologist - who is very good at spotting fake-os like him - the next time. Intimidated by the testosterone and feeling sexually harassed my foot :) Learning of my tragic and cruel fate fo GP, he advised me to give up - he says he got a B4 and Aravind a C6.
We were in the gym during RT (and I was, among other things, trying out the 'Mystery Hike', 'Forest Walk' and 'Trail Blazer' on the treadmill since I'm excused running) and the preliminaries of the Women's Table Tennis matches between Singapore and Korea were on. For some reason, the women kept cursing/blessing the balls before serving them, and yelled unknown vulgarities/exclamations whenever they or their opponent scored. Must be an attempt to use magic charms.
On Thursday, during our CPR refresher lesson, I saw that the last nominee for the New Paper New Face Competition 2002 is a J1 in RJC. Somehow, I wasn't surprised when Geraldine told me she is in A03. Ahem. :) Of course, she has lot to say on her home to the most number of personality tests ever taken and displayed on a page. Oh sorry I got the link wrong. Here it is. Students are so precocious nowadays - there's at least one other 17 year old YJ student, and one 16 year old.
Our QM (storemen) branch now has a policy ost wonderous - don't report sick for a month and you get 2 days off. I want! Apparently too many of em had exhuasted their leave and off (Being in a battalion about to ORD when you've just been posted in is not a good thing - poor Kelvin had -1 days of leave before the new CSM came in, letting people with no leave left do fatigue work when the time came to clear off/leave).
Besides being kind to people with no off/leave left, the aforementioned new CSM (well, it's not confirmed yet, but I'd say the odds are higher than 1:1) - who many say looks like some Soccer player called 'Zidan' - has been most sparing in giving out confinements and extras - he even cancelled a few from the previous CSM. He also didn't give me and 3 others any punishment when our rifles were found to be dirty, and cancelled weekend RT for this week, and hopefully subsequent ones. However, he's very fierce, and strict about regimental stuff - he appears to be serious about making us wake up before 6:30 and to go for breakfast.
Going to clear mail (the Klez virus has been making my mailbox very full) after RT is good. The e-learning centre has free slots for a short period of time (I think I want to complain to the system administrator about people booking slots till they ORD) and after I get chased out I can go eat dinner and get more food since no one else will be coming to eat anymore. Win-win situations are fun. I just have to remember to bring my little piece of paper next time.
Recently some my bunk mates seem to have gone crazy. The most drastic change has occured in Yong Siang, hitherto extremely quiet, soft spoken and demure, has suddenly become less reserved and more boisterous, singing songs to himself and generally talking more. Yesterday night, while 'doing work', he, Yiliang and Boon Huat took part in an orgy and started laying into each other, sprawling on the floor, drawing the curtains round themselves while noises of pleasure emerged from behind the shrouds, giggling and stamping each other with ink stamps until the letters of one fell out and theyhad to scour the floor for them. Must be pre-bookout stress.
Americans seem obsessed by 'closure'. I wonder why.
Seen in the forum: "An NSman's race and religion... are not relevant to where he is deployed" - Colonel Bernard Toh, Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Defence, 04/10/02. Right. I suppose I better not say that as far as I and most people know, can tell and observe there are no Malays (well, maybe one or two token ones) in Armour, the Commandos, the Air Force and the Navy.
Quotes:
[On why he doesn't want to be the MO's Personal Assistant] Xiong leh. He keeps talking about Jesus Christ.