Xiangying
just went to read the ahscds blog, lots of comments by seniors as well as laoban and not forgetting the juniors themselves about xiangying. realised that i have not blogged on it, and i've decided to write something down coz not doing so would not be doing justice to the special place xy has in my heart and the very important role it played in my formative years in secondary school.
read stuff on the blog about attitude, about people who sacrificed time, money, sleep, etc. for the love of the theatre of for the pure compulsion to contribute to something so much more. At the same time, i am saddened that i wasn't able to help out, no thanks to NS. xy09 was nothing special, except for the fact that it was the last xy. it was by no means the highest quality production ever to come under the ahscds banner nor were there breakthrough performances. people went because, i felt, of the relationships. we people are sentimental creatures, and one does not find more sentimental creatures than those who populated cds, especially among the alumni. i don't believe anyone went to NAFA those two nights to be blown away by a high-quality school production, but rather to reminisce about the time when we ourselves were on that stage, the countless hours ploughed into our craft to hone it to a certain standard.
i do not know the cds today like i knew the cds of my time and the cds of my seniors' time. i will always remember it as a home away from home, as an organisation bred not of rules or systems but of people and relationships. it was fun while it lasted, and it gave me lifelong friends, a teacher i will always look up to and respect and a passion for a craft so time-honoured yet so underrated, and for that i am thankful that i decided to join this CCA at the end of sec 1.
BMT + POP
i can't believe i'm writing this down but i really do miss BMT. i miss the very nice sergeants: Phoon, Ng, Shahid, Joshua, even the other sergeants from other platoons: Johnathan, Chew, gosh even Zhang. When we went in these were unfamiliar names, strange faces, a whole new way of life and a different culture. When we left the island for the last time, they were our seniors we respected, and a way of life.
i really miss the friends i made in Platoon 4. in my heart, and in all our hearts, it was the best platoon of the best company, Bronco. our results spoke for themselves, we swept the Company awards: Company Best, Best PT, Best Shot. we produced the most marksmen, the most IPPT passes and silvers, etc. However, these results are immaterial, what really made us the best was the bond we built up together. How the different personalities from all walks of life came together in such an eclectic blend we don't know. i daresay few people really enjoyed their BMT platoon as much as i did. there was nary a moment without laughter, without some funnyman saying something that never failed to amuse. we had a magician, we had a father of two, a lawyer, a 16-year old, a vegetarian rugger, a boxer, and a whole lot of ordinary people with ordinary personalities. i think there wasn't an introvert in Platoon 4 and that made for a whole lot of fun and laughter.
i will never remember BMT as being tough for the simple and straightforward fact that it wasn't. our sergeants were very nice, more our seniors than our commanders, not in a bad way. there was a mutual respect. thanks to Sgt Ng for the many canteen breaks, Sgt Shahid for trying to instill a good attitude and the great cards he wrote for all of us, Sgt Joshua for just being around (lol). of course, a great big thank you to Sgt Phoon for the amusing conversations and the responsibility he displayed as our (sometimes unwilling) Platoon Sergeant. BMT was like a health club, a stayover with great friends who never really wanted to be there but really enjoyed the time spent together. even the tougher activities were made bearable by the antics of my platoon mates and the synergy with our commanders.
then of course there is our godfather, the one and really the only, Warrant Ee. He was never a conventional leader. one would expect great leaders to be affable, articulate and connected to their men. Warrant Ee was none of those, yet all of those. He is a mystery, really, and i'm so glad to have been a part of his platoon. from the very first day when he sat with his ginormous tattoos telling me he was happy to have RJ people to tekan, to the very last day of BMT at POP, when he grudgingly put on a smile for the camera, Warrant Ee has been a great commander, a leader whom we all look up to and respect. the things he put us through, i realised were all for our own good. i will always remember the time in field camp when he made us run through the jungle to teach us something about theory and practical knowledge, the time when he made put on our FBO to go to the beach for cooking and oysters, the weekly pep talks in the gym when he bombarded us with nuggets of wisdom (how hungry are you? if you put in something, you will get something, if you put in nothing, you will get nothing.), the twinkle in his eyes when he talked about strength training and the numerous sarcastic comments he concocted with unspeakable ease. Put these all together and you get Warrant Ee: spider-loving, gym rat, Warcraft Pro (level 80 and counting), vulgarity-spewing 2nd warrant.
I miss BMT really very much...
46 SAR
I never in my wildest dreams thought that i would get posted here. From the high of BMT to the sombre realisation of my fate, i went through a rollercoaster ride of emotions in the space of a week. I bear hope that i can get out of here, a drab and dreary place. Yet i want to put faith that God sent me here for a reason I cannot as yet comprehend but hope to in the future. I shall blog more about my adventure in armour next time...
