WELCOME TO PALLET TOWN!!
Monday, June 12, 2006
Recently, I embarked on my first camp as a CLT instructor. I was a bit apprehensive about what is expected of myself and what others expect of me. Thankfully, it did not turn out too bad! I guess I was lucky that I got a fantastic and tame platoon. Day 0I was starving when I came into the West District office. Instinctively, I got my sights on Wenting's fries and it was after a long while before I garnered up enough guts to ask her to spare me the fries she was about to throw away. More than 17 years of dignity abandoned for a packet of fries... Why not?! :) To cut the bovine excretion short, we had our instructors' briefing and went to bed. Bedtime was hell because the other CLTs were wrecking havoc in the bunk and making such a huge din that it would make Melissa look like Ms Careless Whisper. :) I guess the Russell Crowe in some of the CLTs came out because it was not long before they whipped out murderous brooms and fought for their dear lives (with more noise of course) So it was with a string of expletives and whining before I had an audience with Mr Sandman.Day 1Woke up, bathed and brushed teeth and it is packing-up time before meeting the cadets at the lower parade square. Fast forward to boarding the bus and all the usual mumbo-jumbo of taking attendance and briefing the little kids on the rules and regulations. SUDDENLY, I froze. Bus travelling at 90kmph. Me. Forgotten to bring my bag up the bus. So I sunk into depression the entire day at the prospect of not being able to bathe. I was not prepared to wear other people's undies and use their towels. No way! That aside, the day was pretty monotonous apart from mealtimes when the movement of cadets had to done with great precision and speed. Day came. Day went and soon it was sleepy time. Sleeping with CLTs was really fun. Snoring, kicking, snorting and even sleeptalking! Shankra freaked me out when he propped himself up and started chantin yoda yoda yoda at 4.15am. It was later discovered that he was dreaming about a particular girl. (who has no direct relations to Star Wars whatsoever)Day2It is equally boring as the first day but I made new friends like Aaron and Guan Ren. This was essential because Aaron and I would later take cover when it was cleaning-up time. Should anything have happened, it would be better for 2 persons to be caught rather than one. :) Essence of teamwork. It was quite a short day and soon we were making arrangements for the cadets to go home while I was quietly fantasising about the joys of being able to bathe in HQ later in the night. On the way back to HQ, Aaron recorded Shankra's declaration of his love for his dreamgirl on his handphone and Guan Ren probably did more damage to his hair folices by banging his head on the bus shelves 3 times. Briefing time in HQ followed by bitch-O-mania over McDonalds! Sleepy time was better today because everyone was so shagged. Even Gladiators need their beauty sleep.Day3Evangeline is really weird! But she is really good in trainfire so I did not have to worry much about my Achilles heel. Today is the Army-NCC badge test day. I swear that I could have been bored to death if not for the jokes here and there. Anyway, let's fast forward to the Finale of the day- the bridging session between teachers and CLTs. It does not even smell like a bridging session, let alone look like one. It reeks of TNT. It was like Singapore fighting Malaysia and me being the causeway. Outcame all the cannons, missles and posssibly catapults but I think SCLT Eileen dealt the finishing blow by asking Malaysia to do 'voluntary labour'. Then out of nowhere, a projectile named 'its better late than never' came flying our way. We could only lay down our arms and prostrate ourselves before this argument of such unpredecented magnitude of crippleness it would put Prof X to shame. Malaysia had won the fight.Day4Malaysia woke up late today so Singapore had to do all the voluntary labour as usual. Singapore could have refused to sell Malaysia breakfast but Singaporeans are nice. POP already.... BAH.. I am just being lazy like a Malaysian.
6:41 PM;