How are you ?

I used to think it's a damn cliche question.
But I used it today and got a pleasant surprise. =)

Parental concerns.

Just came back home and just before I reached my estate, my mum and I met our neighbour who talked about how much I've grown etc. and about NS woes.

She was afraid her son might be too shy thus will not get enough cookhouse food (?!)
We assured her that food rationing was fair. You can ask for less but never more.
I lost track of what was said but we reached the part on vices in NS.
The least harmless being a colourful language user, lashing out multi-functional genital nouns. It's quite harmless being a tool for expressing oneself. As time goes by, all speak genitalish, it'd be considered humourous more than offensive.

Summary : The NS experience depends on the adaptability of the person.

As I entered the walkway towards NEL, I closed my eyes and traced my way to the train by feeling the embossed floor tiles.
The first few steps were easy. Like normal walking, I had confidence to walk properly at first, but after 5 or 6 steps, it wavered.
I wobbled quite a bit and tried to refocus my contact with the embossed tiles. Sometimes when I can't feel the tiles, I resumed visual consciousness only to discover myself very near the side wall and out of track.
After repeated tries, the rules of the game were quite clear : focus on the ground contact and focus on your feeling of your walking direction.

The only obstacles left were advancement, fear of collision.

As I moved more and more, my steps were taken smaller and smaller at a time.
There was this fearful feeling that I might bump into something hard, painful.
As I went past the escalator and moved in near the railings, I feared I might wobble and roll over the railings then drop to my death.
I only had the courage to walk on while focusing on the tiles.
Without it, it's very scary and tough.
So I walked on and on with the tiles' aid till I couldn't felt any.

I opened my eyes and there I was at the Control Station. Haha.

They say...

that hell gates opens on the 15th, but I look up at the sky only to spot the stark difference between an hideous, scary belief and a brilliant silver moonshine.

Whenever a full moon appears, it'll remind me of my first field camp.
We were told to observe the stringent rules of using torchlight tactically, but Nature helped us by giving us bright moonshine, pristine and silver white. That way, we saved the need for torches and enjoyed well-illuminated surroundings where we moved around to excrete and do tentage visiting.

I was amused today when I caught wind of a colleague commenting that meditation is no good, cos the devil will come looking for you. =\ ?

Coming from a mission school, ok, I believe I know how he conjured this hypothesis.

It goes along the lines of ' an idling mind is a devil's workshop '.

To the uninitiated of meditation, it's very different from idling.
All the time during meditation, one needs to observe one's mind, to see how it falters and gets distracted. Then trying to stabilise the focus of the mind which requires concentration. It's not idling.

Petting.

Reservist sai kang, again.

Basically the whole day till 5 p.m. was sai kang : Transporting sandbags, men, combat stuff, unloading etc.

And most of the smells I can remember for the day was simply sand-smell and sand-bag-smell.

My pi sai's colour is a simple guess for you all.


I asked one of the guys why their life so shitty compared to others.
A candid reply was given, " My OC want to promote to Major mah..... ", while slapping his own shoulder blade, the rightful place for a Major rank to rest on.

I was thinking, " Get a Major for what?! And more like getting a rank built on others' suffering. My tonner's tyres are like freakin' gonna burst everytime the sandbags load up ! ".

One of the NSmen joked, " Eh, you all active personnel got so xiong or not ? Haha. "
The most torturing thing I saw was the active p. digging while overly-clad.

Their OC looks so un-sweated compared to the rest of the men and officers.
Well-groomed, neat specs, kinda eurasian.

You know, like T.T. Durai ?

Another colleague upon hearing my rantings, agreed that yea, he gives the T.T. Durai feel.

Now, to get rid of the sand in my hair.

Bathroom chills.

As usual these days, Poh and me would head up for the office toilet for a shower due to the fact that :
a) Our previous hotspot was in an isolated place marred with rumours of a ghost or ghosts, but it's next door in the female's, but that's a turn-off already.
b) Poh felt someone/something looking at him a few weeks ago close to midnight at that very toilet.
c) It's freaky, if you get imaginative. Like you don't focus on showering, that's it, your mind wanders and reels up hybrid scenes from The Ring, Wishing Stairs, maybe Ju-On.
d) The office toilet feels nicer cos there's more light and there are people next door, gives some sense of security.

I showered first then mid-way through it, I heard a female voice.
Not a clear distinct freaky female voice, but like the echoes of an young auntie singing in the 7th Month Ge Tai. I'd sum it up as 'wooooooooooooooooooooo'-ing.
So if I don't focus on showering, hybrid scenes come in and mirrors get really freaky.
The best thing to get was an occasionally flickering fluorescent tube above me. That feels darn Resident Evil to me.

I finished and reach for the door. At the instance the door opened, the sound disappeared.
I went into the office and said, " Eh, Poh! The toilet got female voice wooo-ing leh! Wah lao eh! HAHAHA. "
The sgt sitting there gave a 'eh-don't-make-me-scared' look while smiling, " Eh, now 7th Month, this type of thing don't anyhow say leh. Haha. "
Brave Poh went in.

Minutes later, he returned.
" Eh Poh ! Got hear it ?! "
" YAH ! Haha. Freaky man! I turned off the tap and listened, then I heard it! If you never tell me, I'd have never heard it ! "
The sgt was like, " Zhen De Ma ?? (Really ah ?) ".
" Yah lah. HAHAHA. "
" Then when you open the door, the sound disappeared right ? "
" Yea. Freaky man ! "

Reflecting back on it this morning, I guess it could be due to the lourves located near to the ceiling which allowed air flow. So when air comes in/out, there'll be sound.
When I opened the door, the pressure difference nullifies so no more air movement great enough to generate sound.

Hope it is. =)

Reservists.

" Wah lao eh, gin ah gin ! Later no more EPL liao! ", remarked an anxious-to-finish-shit-work reservist.

They are poor things man. Pardon me if I'm wrong, they actually used about 10,000 sandbags to carry out their exercise. So for the past week, they have been coolies, ferrying sandbags on their shoulders tonner to tonner, slope to slope.
As one reservist expressed through his humming of the Wu Suo Nan Yang song (Old SBC show featuring our forefathers as coolies), the whole thing was pretty much in that spirit except that it was significantly easier compared to rice sacks and the reservists don't do it close to a lifespan.

I'll be doing just that when my reservist term comes. Standing gate, carrying sandbags, shooting blanks imaginatively. Then I'll be counting down. 1st ICT, 9 more to go...... 10th ICT, ROD loh !
It's kinda sad that I won't be a driver for my reservice, unless it's a low-key one.

Scars.

Scars are nothing but physical memories.
The sportplanet auntie saw me and gave a surprised look.
" Eh, how's your scar ah ? Need stitching ? "
" Haha. Don't need, see! It's quite nice. "
" What did the doc say ? "
" The doc was an old man, he said, ' Eh.. don't don't don't need neeeeed to to sti stitch. '. Wah lao, he stutters man, I was so scared if he stitched. Haha. "
" And you know the guy who hit me right, he don't dare to talk to me for a week! Hahaha! "

She showed me her own scar on her chin.
" I also got scar, neh.. here *points to the area under her lips* last time I got it in a tournament leh... I can never forget that. "


And again, I went to restring for a 20lbs tension but for it's for nick. The uncle was shocked again. Haha.
Encik's wilson was too heavy for me, so I kinda hope I can feel 20lbs' magic in nick's lighter dunlop.

Backup.

For all digital storage tools you have, you'd definitely be thankful if you had done backup.
Likewise for one's HP but backing up this thing very leh chey, it's like doing those super boring data entry job. I reached the 'M' section of my phonebook and my eyes feel strained. I quit.

HJ gave a good idea for walls. ' do ZEN '.
I'd love to put this up on my wall.
Just imagine 禅 against an olive green background with a thick black circle around it.