From Freshmen to Junior cadets.

Yeaterday, at 0530, marks the end of the common leadership module. At 0400, I was jolted awake by the turnout call. The initial instruction for us was to fall in in long four, but after which, the instruction changed to PT kit. There's no time to even brush teeth! When we gathered, some of our seniors were already there. They were in LBV, full camo and were menacing looking. Yea, I guess so, we were all prepared to knock it down. Accounting strength in a small chaos was challenging. After which, we were instructed to collect our LBV with necessary items needed. And next, route march. It was almost 0500 then. And during the conducting brief for a '5KM route march', I was wondering if we could make it on time for the initiation ceremony. My little hunch was correct. We had no time.

The turn out was a small test of our operational readiness. I know I'm crazy, but I think it's necessary and personally I like it. With SBO, it's managable. But with full FBO, it's gonna get tricky, and much more interesting.

We attended the initiation ceremony and, we're junior cadets now!

It's my first day at AFTC today. We are free to choose our own activities. So now, I'm at the computer lab typing this post.

Till next time!

For You by Keith Urban. From the movie Act of Valor.

All I saw was smoke and fire; I didn't feel a thing,
but suddenly I was rising higher.
And I felt like I'd just made the biggest mistake
when I though about my unborn child;

when I thought about my wife.
And the answer rang out clear
from somewhere up above:
No greater gift has man, but to lay down his life for love.

And I wonder, would I give my life?
Could I make that sacrifice?
If it came down to it, could I take the bullet, I would.
Yes I would for you.

Maybe you don't understand
I don't understand it all myself.
But there's a brother on my left and another on my right.
And in his pocket just like mine, he's got a photograph.
And they're waiting for him back home.

And it's weighing on my mind.
I'm not trying to be a hero;
I don't wanna die.
But right now in this moment, you don't think twice.

I wonder, would I give my life?
Could I make that sacrifice?
If it came down to it, could I take the bullet, I would.
Yes I would.

You don't think about right; you don't think about wrong.
You just do what you gotta do to defend your own.
And I'd do the same for you -
Yes I would.

I would give my life.
I would make that sacrifice.
'Cause if it came down to it, could I take the bullet, I would.
Yes I would do it for you.
I'd do it for you.

POP lo!

Today's a Friday. The final weekday of our one week block leave. Two more days to rest and relax before the commencement of a new week. For the females, we will be attending an etiquette course on Monday, before our official course at OCS starts.

I'm living the moment at the present and I'm happy with the pace now. Two months of BMT. It seems really long. You know, there can be plenty of activities packed in for a recruit from 0530 to 2230 everyday.

The conducting officer for the 24Km was kind enough to tell me the time and exact area in East Coast that we'll be in at the 11.5Km mark so that my family could come support me. I appreciate that very much. Though I couldn't really have a direct conversation with them cause I was armed and etc, seeing them really gave me an extra boost to carry on. 24Km route march was interesting. Not tiring. And it got exciting towards the end. Maybe, everybody knew that it's the last lap already and we're too high to think of any fatigue.

We had a tent to ourselves to change and sleep in. I changed and slept near the entrance on the right side of the tent. I love to be at the corners. Just like the position of my bed in bunk. I munched on the ham sandwich and drank some Milo to recharge myself. Looking out of the tent, I had the most pretty sight of the Singapore flyer on my right. There, I tried to stay awake awhile to allow the fact that we're almost there to slowly sink in. And also, to send out messages to my family and friends. After it's done, I closed my eyes to take a nap. A very sweet nap indeed.

GP parade was fun. Seeing families and friends slowly streaming in kept spirits of many up. Stamping on the grass didn't really allow us to showcase our 'One Big Bird' effect that we've being trying to achieve. But again, doing the parade at this new ground was really refreshing.

I guess some of us had our emotional moments before the re-entry, when the song 'Every Singaporean Son' was played. I had my own, and I saw some of my company mates shedding manly tears too. We know graduation is drawing near. It's bittersweet. Picking ourselves up again, We 'Cepat Lari' back into the parade area. We took our pledge, sang our national anthem, performed the BMTC roar and... threw our Jockey caps. POP lo!

I love the photos that were taken after the parade with my closests. ;D Simply love them.

And finally, I'm humbled by the experience that requires absolute teamwork. I've learned a lot. And there are certain things that I would have to reflect on. Coming for a CCA that results are mostly dependent on an individual effort, I've a different perception of leadership. There are no right and wrong styles of leadership, just a suitable one. But I'll definitely take note of what's the most suitable in that situation next time. It's a learning point I've took from BMT. As Ma'am Judy always like to say, 'suit your audience'. =D

For the Commanders, SMEs and all who had treated me with amazing kindness, I want to thank them all. In times of uncertainty, word of encouragements from these people really help me answer some questions I've had for myself. And when I do have questions again, I let their voices resonate in my mind again. It keeps me going on. I'm grateful to these handful of people I genuinely give my respect for. These few.