Death is deliverance.

The past week marks my first full week of the Class 3/4 Driving Course. It gets sucky when you have instructors who are like demons inside the vehicles and fuck you around when you make the simplest of mistakes (not my Driving Instructor, he isn't too bad compared to others but it still sucks). Depends on how you look at things though, I get easily stressed. Failed the assessment for public road on the first try and got all emotional and cried for a bit, embarrassing myself for that. Then I got mad over it and recovered... Driving on the roads itself is way different from the circuit (although I've driven out there during my own private lessons, but I still make mistakes, and I worry. How easy it is for me to be involved in an accident...).

Apart from that, the humdrum of daily life...

Went out with dear aneru (thanks! really! xD) yesterday and spent the night walking and talking around the Esplanade/Marina Bay area. Then we discovered we had like, moles on similar places on our right arms, and to a lesser degree, the left (maybe the neck too, ne? :P). I don't have photos so too bad.

Next random topic for this weekend: Congratulations to Keely for making overall 2nd in the 2nd (am I right?) season of Campus SuperStar! What a loooong and arduous journey, no doubt. I wonder what Evonne (entrant in the first season, also from VJC) feels. Hehehehehe. Anyway this is good positive publicity for VJC once again. Yay! *evil grin*

And, one more: Saw part of "I Didn't Know That" on Discovery Channel today, about water. A short portion of how wellington boots (the waterproof ones?) are made, and an incredibly interesting segment on skipping stones on water. Yes, I know we can skip stones on water (the exact science covered in a strange formula shown in the programme which I don't understand :P) although I can't do it, and we've created bouncing bombs (so-called, utilised in WWII to attack dams protected by torpedo nets) through this theory. What I didn't know was that you can ski on water like, barefoot, or without the use of any board! Literally walking on water... you just need the correct techniques and the right velocity. Those people were really gliding through water barefooted, and even on their backsides (at 50+ km/h?). How cool is that?

I will read The Count of Monte Cristo when I have the time, maybe get the book...

That's all for now.

What's the title? I seem to have deleted it while editing. Now I forgot...

From last week:

Save from prank party

National Day Parade - ah, the pomp and festive spirit as we celebrate. Happy 42 Singapore!

Got my posting order to 3rd Singapore Division, 3rd Signals Battalion. I wished it had been the 2nd Batt instead of the 3rd, but this is the path I have to embark on. God bless.

This week:

Too lazy to blog much, just that 3rd Signals Battalion (henceforth referred to as 3 SIG) sucks balls, it's rather fierce there (almost like BMT - had to adjust after the slack we had gotten used to at Signals Institute). *sighs* Brief respite in the form of the Class 3/4 Driving Course which I have to go for, but Sembawang Camp isn't that good either, especially the food. I have low tolerance for spicy food and they only serve Muslim food everyday... it kind of gets boring too. Day after day passes, and we learn and learn, and slack off once again. Man... how's the rest of NS life going to be?

EDIT: Well, I guess being in Signals is still better than Infantry or Armour or whatever fiercer parts of the Army. Heh.
EDIT2: This was created on the 13th but posted on the 19th.

Three meetings.

Well, I'm just going to focus on three events over the course of Friday and Saturday. Not much to say for the rest of the days, they just pass by like that. So we had training for the Army Half Marathon on Friday, my platoon doing a 6 km (introductory?) training run at Pasir Ris Park. Since there was no timing to meet, I just jogged rrrreeeeallllyyyy slowly and watched the scenery pass by (not that there was much to see, but at least it's better than camp, plus bringing back memories of the past; I had been to Pasir Ris Park quite a few times when I was a kid, to cycle...). It's pretty nice to be alone with your thoughts, ignoring just about everything about you and putting one foot ahead of the other.

Fast forward to the end of the run, where my platoon was sitting in the shade resting and waiting for instructions. I was looking at the grass, not really doing much, when I heard my platoonmate Ivan next to me uttering, "Eh, Sir, Sir..." Wasn't really aware of what was happening until Colonel Tew See Mong, Commanding Officer, Signals Institute, sat down before us and talked for a few minutes. Oh dear... He had strode to us after his run, still in PT attire, and with an apple in hand. Then he sat down and started munching on the apple while talking to us, sharing a bit of his experiences back in his BMT days, where he and his buddies would head straight to the cinemas once they booked out of Pulau Tekong (tickets for Full-time National Servicemen were priced at $1.50 back in those days). He also sought some feedback for our training, and that we gave.

This may seem trivial to some, but it's like the first time I've experienced such a thing. A colonel having an informal chat with two privates... It's like a commoner meeting some lord or emperor at the marketplace (to speak in feudal terms). Mmm... Officers should never act high and mighty. :)

Booking out, I headed home, ate, and went to the clinic to get some medicine for my fever. And I met Dr. Ng Tsorng Chinn, the doctor whom I've always seen ever since I moved to Marine Parade, until I was 14. So that was how long ago he last saw me... 5 years. We had a little chat as I got my diagnosis and prescription. Always nice to see people you haven't seen for a long time.

Come Saturday, went to Muzzhafar's house for a 05S41 + Muzzie's friends barbeque. Since I was a little sick, I stayed away from like, 98% of the food in the interests of self-preservation. Less than half the class came, some unable to make it, while others already overseas pursuing further studies. Which came to the lowest point of that night, and perhaps the future as I brood about things. All of us chatted, and the main topics revolved around army life (among the guys, especially Samuel, who was drafted into the Commandos), or future plans (universities, where to stay, food, bla bla bla...), the latter which I was mostly unable to participate in. Some of my ex-classmates have changed (maybe they were always like that, but I failed to notice) in the past few months, having become more... refined? in the manner of speech, more... mature. While I'm probably still the same old me.

This would probably remained etched onto my mind for quite a while:
Michelle: So, Jiayu, what are your plans?
Me: Er, well... no plans... yet (nervous laugh).
Me: Private unis don't reserve places for you, so I only can apply after I ORD. Haven't really looked into overseas unis yet.
Michelle: But did you apply (implied - to the 'big 3' unis: NUS, NTU, SMU)?
Me: Yah. All fail.
Michelle: Did you appeal?
Me: Yah. All fail loh (nervous laugh).

I swore I blushed right there and then, even my ears were warm. Who do I have to blame? Myself. I feel pretty much inferior now...

PS: Driving manual cars suck. I simply lack the reaction time...