Just got home after a long long day. Was out in the field for training in Choa Chu Kang and stayed overnight. The thing about military training in Singapore is strange, you are always surrounding with civilian activities. We could hear the traffic from the highway and the engine run from a nearby airfield.
The field training was really easy on me. As the highest ranked non commissioned officer in the company (that included the Company Sergeant Major), noone actually asked me to do much. My OC and 2IC kept asking me to sleep and eat, probably because I am the only signaler and they could not afford me to fall sick. Of course, me being a perpetual workaholic, I am more than happy to move around to fix the cables and do testing, as long as they dun ask me to do some dumb drills. Life for me is really simple there and the folks are very helpful. Two to three guys always come forward to help me and we finished the work really quickly. Others are actually surprised that I am more willing to help than to sit around. Part of me still think it is necessary to lead an good example especially when I am a higher ranked and ex regular. Beside, sitting there to watch is plain stupid and learn nothing.
I lost count how many times they asked me why is a SSG doing signaler, I just smile at them and said I was a ex regular and the army do not know where I should go. To explain to them the whole reason is too complex. I also have to explain that not all SSG are "encik" (CSM) because it is actually a given appointment and not a rank. Anyway, I belonged to the company HQ and the guys are surprisingly on the ball. We are the first to fall in, move out and get things done, though some may show reluctance on their faces. Most of the guys really just wanted to finish the training in the quickest and painless manners so dragging the feet around won't shorten the training. So ya, reservists aren't as attitude as I thought.
I spent one day to learn what a signaler need to know within a three months course. I am not that clever as the equipment are actually quite dummy proof. As long as I dun have to tear it apart to fix a problem, I know I will be fine. Main responsibility for me is to install the signal sets and a signal network that won't look odd in World War Two. The equipment look so dated that I laughed really loud when my trainer demonstrated how to operate it. Welcome to the wired world, he said. For that, I have to move from point to point to fix cables. Almost like two paper cups and one tightened string. Despite of its look, the equipment kinda of fun to work with and laying the cables while talking to different people make the job less boring.
During a ICT, men from different backgrounds come together. It is literally a melting pot, unlike the recruits days where most of us were poly graduates. My driver is a vegetable deliveryman who works from 6 am to 6pm and earn peanuts. My bunkmate (a medic) is a banker who work 9 to 6 and earn $10k. The Operations Specialist sitting next to me in the hot 5 tonners is a good looking Indian primary school teacher while the guy work with him is a speak-only hokkien ex regular who runs his own electrical wiring company. In the real life, most of us will probably not in each other's social networks. The uniform made us all look alike (of course, some do look much better and smarter in uniform) I had a chat with my OC last night before sleeping. He told me that it is very stressful for him to lead the reservist unit while managing a company. The most worrying thing is that people can get injuried and go missing.
Only a couple of the guys are actually good looking, but I won't imagine anything with them since I am consistently seeing them in mud and more mud. Last night, while I was manning the WW2 equipment, one of the sergeant came to the HQ and reported three vehicles got stuck in the muddy ground, and in an effort to get them out, many of the guys were splashed with mud. However, since there are more Malay guys in the company, I realised Malays actually have very nice features and some looked quiite yummy. What impressed me most, Malays tend to complain less and cooperate with each other more. Chinese like to 'negotiate' to do less if possible. I am fortunate enough to share my bunk with three medics. They know this is my first ICT and helped me alot.
After not eating properly for two days, I actually lost 2 cm from my waist. It is a good way to end the CNY season to shed some weight. Will be out field again for three days and I look forward to see a lighter me.
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