Hallo ihr alle da draussen...So here i am sitting here about...1 month and 4 days from commissioning parade...thinking about all that's come to pass. Delta Wing. X-Ray Battery. BTACC. So much to say and so much to reflect on, so much to cherish and so much that we'll miss...I had a blast at Delta, the people were great...people like Yong Cong, Hongster, Chowster, Lik Man, and those who came over to arty with me...it's been a great run, boys...and now everyone will go our seperate ways in about 5 weeks' time.
Funny how 42 weeks seemed like an eternity when we first stepped into SAFTI/MI. All the turnouts, pumping, armskote sai kang, confinements, all came and passed. What's important were the lessons and what we've learnt...And all the friendships you may have forged. All the more better for me. OCS was when i really changed for the better, learned to think more maturely, learned how to treat people with respect. In hindsight, i think JC was like a Dark Age for me...but then again i had such a wonderful time there...Personal Dark Age. But it's also that time when youth really shows itself!
Not to say that you don't show your youth when you're in the army wearing green...It's all around in the army...IPPT. SOC. Drills. Outfield. They were insane, good fun where all we did was chiong and then have a few laughs after that. From Tekong to the jungles of LANCER and now the wide open plains of CRESCENDO...i had nothing but fun outfield. Maybe it's because the instructors won't touch you there. But it's also because i learned so much, saw so much more and applied everything in the classroom. Maybe JC should have been like this. I mean, who's going to appreciate polar equations unless you can see that it decided life and death in artillery?
So this is a memorial to the 55/04 OCC and the 43rd FAOCC/33rd BTACC. Pictures will be posted later...And at artillery...A totally different culture where we learnt never to judge a book by its cover. Jamester looked ultimately evil at the beginning, but now we know who is truly evil now don't we? It's been an honour to be in X-Ray. To serve alongside my Delta friends as well as getting to know so many more interesting personalities and people. Beginning with SOCJOT @ LANCER, of course...the last days of Infantry where we spent 4 days lost in the jungles of LANCER...then all those cram sessions where the instructors tried to cram survey, FDM, Foxtrot Golf into us...followed by those dreaded Gunnery examinations which were so A-Level...can you all just imagine sitting in a lecture room for 3 hours mashing away at your calculator? That was Gunnery 1. The FA boys had Gunnery 2 and 3. Lucky them...haha...
We also had MILO and SAFARI...two outfields at Gunnery where we did observation as well as gun deployment, respectively. SAFARI was fun...if not tiring...we were tired and that was also where Julius started to show his ugly side...bah. Yes, Major Julius, need me to action front in 20 minutes? Yessir, yessir, 3 bags full. But the tekan side also made us function even closer as a team and forced us to work efficiently on the guns. Not to mention getting to visit all the deployment grounds around Singapore, live-firing a 81mm mortar (previously the FN MAG GPMG at Delta was the heaviest weapon ahaha) and also all the phoney fire missions!
Then we moved on to BTACC. EAGLE. RECCE. FIREBALL. Action Front took on a whole new meaning when we had to dash madly across the deployment grounds carrying power cables, camouflage nets, iron pickets, monkey rams, shouting at each other, but in the end this really jialat thing known as deployment drill did nothing but bring us together that much closer. How we began to realise and live with each other's weaknesses and strengths, and all the sweat, pumpings and frustrations brought us ultimately closer. 24 SA will be our next home, boys...hope to see you all there and have great fun! Away from that hellhole called Gunnery Training Wing.
Finally BATTLE KING. 'Nuff said!
I'm having the longest weekend EVER...like i feel like it's been 3 days since i came back home from CRESCENDO when i only landed yesterday...last night i went out with the boys...got Careful What You Wish For by Texas...quite feel-good...like they always play good music to just chill to. But they've got some really nice and catchy ones like Inner Smile...you've simply got to listen to it...it's so...catchy and dancey...
Also went bowling twice. Johnny told me to train up a totally new release with the Ace...which hopefully will play it like he does...all the way out with a vicious snap! into the pocket...with that absolutely-cool colour band formed by the finger-holds and thumb grip. I'm still working on it. Can't get the thumb out to cup the ball. I think it's psychological, but i do intend to get that release down pat on my inventory. Seeing John play helps in that he teaches me at first...then is willing to spot me...he gave me my Step One...as in the most fundamental release first before learning how to get the thumb out to cup...i think everything moves too quickly, so i don't get the release down right...Just got to train, train, train! Ziemlich einfach...not!
Lastly...memories as this year finally draws to a close. So many people, so many things have happened. Sadly, i lost touch with so many friends, but then ended up gaining my brothers and that much more. Be you near or far, just know this:
You touch my inner smile.
That was short. But if i wrote on...it's be...about another 5000 words and i doubt you'd have the patience to read...nor do i have the patience to write, either. hahaha...
posted by quatscherei @ 18:23
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