Notes of comparison:

Our neighbour's National Service is only 3 months long, and does not inculcate weapon training in its curiculumn. Ours is 24 to 30 months long, trains us in the use of dangerous weapons, and yet both meet their objective of creativng social cohesion among the races.

First, it's Nicoll Highway; Now, it's a construction site. Both sites caved in due to a weak infrastructure. Are contracters stingying on their materials?

Train operator SMRT decides no fare hike this year
A good thing too, since "SMRT earned S$89.5 million in the year ended March 31, up from S$72.1 million in the previous fiscal year."
Is the consumer's doller well spent on upgrading the infrastructure and facilities provided by SMRT?

Attended the PRIDE(Quoted from a certain ATC medic:"People rest, I do everything") day exhibition. What initially was a mundane celebrations soon became a meeting of sorts, as I met many of my former platoonmates, schoolmates and even my buddy.

Most of my former platoonmates, having been commissioned, are now at BMTC. A Secondaryschool mate is a clerk, another is a signal spec, my JCmate is going through Spec II, and I managed to catch a glimpse of my camp's future specs.

Well, on a lighter note, here's wishing you a Happy Labour Day!

Yesterday, I conducted my first ever lesson, courtesy of a friendly arrow. What was meant to be a small and brief lesson for thirteen new recruits soon became a monumental refresher course for nearly ten times as many recruits! Obviously, someone felt that the lesson whould not be 'wasted' on so few fellas. Well, I had no qualms about that, except the fact that what I was going to run through was exactly what a hundred-odd of them have already learnt hardly a month before! As a result, many of them found excuses to go to the washroom (and hid there for much of the lesson, I believe).

Workload has piled up since I last touched it three weeks ago. A slight mess was made out of the documentation, but thankfully it was short of a disaster. To set everything in order, I had to spend the entire of yesterday and much of today plowing through all the backlog.

SOC today. OTOT and at our own pace. Thank goodness for that.

SMS Quote of the Day:
" The fort has collapsed in on itself. There are some things that require your attention. But you will have many elves under your control."
I wonder how bad can the situation be...

Banner sighted:
"Whoever does not know love does not know God. God is Love"
Hence, God is a state of the mind.

McDonald's did not inform us of a price discrepancy if we order Milo. They are at fault, since the cashier asked me if I wanted "Coffee, Tea or Milo" to go with my Extra Value Meal.

NTUC Building's security is tighter than that of the Pentagon, or even any CIA/MI6 Building! You need access codes for every room in the building. I went over there to collect a gift, and someone was having an interview, so she chased us out of the reception (what an irony!) room to the lift lobby, and we were treated like deranged intruders and Outcasts. This is security overkill coupled with an extremely insensitive staff. Someone must be answerable to this.

Brunei Jungle Training

Remember to salvage the newspapers from the plane; They’d come in handy during area cleaning.

Be prepared to wash your own dishes ala SAF circa 1970.

Rest in bunk whenever possible. Do not expand your excess energy in camp. Save it up for Biang.

Do not touch any part of the chopper except the seat belts. A window was smashed during one certain heliborne operation.

The waiters at the cookhouse are friendly RODing personnel.

Anyone above the rank of a Major is entitled to personal dining services.

Western food is rather good, except the slightly stingy portions of French fries.

Pray for cloudy skies with no rain for the duration of your stay there.

Carry the standard items (Read: required items) and do not place your shoulders on too much of a strain, or your legs may give way under the immense pressure of your fieldpack.

Prata (somehow spelt ‘Phrata’) is the most value-for-money dish in the canteen. And I didn’t get to try it.

Two and a half years in Brunei as an NSF can get you enough money to purchase a small house there.

NOMAD is fun. Really. That is, if you know how to mix leisure with work. We ended up as one of the Top 3 groups and yet had the time to locate shrimp, have lunch by the stream and cross Indiana Jones-style logs well situated between two cliffs.

Be prepared to use guide sticks to help you scale several near-vertical knolls.

Dessert tastes great when soaked in the cool stream water for half an hour. Just keep an eye out for it though… The currents might get to it before you do.

Bring along a camera (if you are allowed so). The picturesque landscape makes great photography.

When you see deadfall or trees that have apparently been struck by lightning in the past, make haste and move out of the area, pronto!

Cover your fieldpacks with trash bags at night when you sleep. There was a night sighting of ‘thousands of ants’ so numerous, they were ‘covering the entire ground’. Don’t say you weren’t warned…

Keep your money and valuables with you at all times in camp whenever possible. Theft is a common and real occurrence.

The crossing at Batu Apoi is really not any more challenging than the one at Seletar.

Biang is only difficult towards the summit, which is rocky and hence slippery when it rains.

When it comes to knolls, rest only atop one. This is so as not to dampen your morale. It’s for your own good.

Cicadas are native to Brunei. Do not kill them out of irritation.

The canteen operators have some attitude problem. You have to bear with them.

Brunei R&R

Show consideration when having a buffet. This is not a eat-all-you-can. There are many souls as hungry as you are.

Use your right hand. Point with your thumb.

So not shout across the mall. (“OEI! HERE VERY CHEEEAP!!! COME, COME!”)

Humility is a gracious way of life all around the world. Respect your environment.

Brunei Prawn Crackers are world famous. Grab them if you can.

Miscellaneous

Photo development costs in a shopping center in Brunei:

3R $0.25
4R $0.30

They sell machinery you can only find at SEARS: Ice crushers, manual/automated sugarcane maker, Bread slicers, Mee Maker, Bean Grinders and Hot Dog Griddles.

Just returned from Brunei earlier in the day. The last time I went on a holiday, the RSS Courageous sunk. This time round, I missed out on the collapse of part of the Nicoll Highway. I'll piece together my trip over the next few days. In the meantime, I'll be hitting the box for fresh updates on the situation downtown.

Well, will be leaving for Brunei in just an hour's time. Fingers are crossed and we're all hoping for fine weather, clear skies and a smooth time there.

Elections, elections everywhere... I wonder if it'll be safe in Brunei...

So far so good; Our Northern Neighbours has achieved a certain degree of political stability, Our Southern ones look set to 'win big' and in the land of many islands, a Great Drama is unfolding.

Will be back in three weeks time to update my blog again...