Sex And The 06S6City: One week in NS

Sex And The 06S6City

Thursday, December 20, 2007

One week in NS

Dear all,

I am back for the Hari Raya Haji holidays. Just wanna update you all about my experiences in NS. For my personal thoughts and feelings, go to my blog. In this entry, I will be sharing with more of the logisitcs part of NS, that is, to complement what Audrey has posted.

Generally, Audrey's post is accurate. But there are a bit of errors here and there, probably because different batches, different companies have different standards/requirements.

Corrections to Audrey's post:

1. They do provide you toilet rolls. But you only get 2 rolls. I finish one within my first week already. So u know what to do.

2. As Audrey has mentioned, you are only given 2 grey PT singlets, 2 black shorts and 2 "brown admin", which is the brown army t-shirt. these are certainly NOT ENOUGH. go buy more. i suggest you own at least 4 to 5 sets. And army market HAS GOT STOCKS of the brown t-shirt. each shirt/shorts costs around $5-$6

3. Cup noodles and snacks not really allowed, though people have managed to smuggle them in. But in any case, you have no hot water, and no time to eat snacks. Also, for the first two weeks, you are given night snacks like paos, curry puffs, swiss rolls... etc, so there is realy no need to smuggle in like Famous Amos cookies or Kong Guan biscuits.

4. the waking up time varies. most of the time, you don't wake up at 0530. rather, you FALL IN at 0530, so which means u wake up at 0500. For Yankee company, you FALL IN at 0600, but unfortunately you guys won't be going to Yankee Company.

5. Having said that, you guys won't be going to Mohawk company either. The PTP (Physical Training Phase) batch (which is my batch) will not join you guys when January comes. You guys will form your own Companies. Hence, since Mohawk is already formed, you guys will not be entering there.

But Ninja company is not formed yet... =)

6. You won't get a chance to go to the canteen. Hardly. Unless your performance is good. So don't keep thinking about that roti john.

7. Pay for us is now $400. No longer $350. You will get your pay at the 10th of every month.

8. Get ready for water parades. the amount of water u need to drink EACH TIME is half the volume of the green army water bottle. After you have finished drinking, you need to tilt the water bottle so that it is horizontal to indicate that u have drank half the contents.

Other important things to note:

1. There is only a specific time for you to report sick. Urgent cases like broken limbs, deep cuts, fever, eye infection..etc can be reported 24/7. Non-urgent cases like flu, cough, sore limbs, sprain... etc will only be entertained from 9 to 5.

2. Training is already quite busy for the PTP batch, so much less to say for you guys, the Direct BMT batch. It's like 13 weeks of syllabus being taught within 9 weeks for you guys. So be prepared for VERY LITTLE time to shower, call home and even eat.

3. Passing Out Parade (POP) for all of us is on 12th March 2008.

4. Do train up yourself now. Do weights, run 5 KM, do 10 pull-ups everyday, whatever. Training for you guys will NOT BE PROGRESSIVE, unlike ours. You guys are expected to be fit already when u enlist, so you guys better don't slack too much now.

5. Be friends with your section mates (those people whom u sleep with in a bunk) You really need them. =) I am very fortunate to have very fun and friendly section mates.

6. Do be prepared for the excessive and liberal use of vulgarities like "chee-bye", "fuck you", "fucking hell", "fucking retard", "fucking chee-bye", "you don't fucking be " from your platoon commanders, platoon sergeants and sergeants. you need not respect them for that, but just get used to it.

7. Food there only has got quantity but no quality. Occasionally you get better food (take note: i mean "better" and not "good") like pasta, fried chicken, and ice-cream and brownie for dessert.

8. There are some chio and hot girls in Orion Company.

9. You will have at least 4 water parades each day, especially before and after each physically-demanding activity like strength training, morning physical training, footdrills...etc.

10. Get used to your supreriors astrocious standards of English. Some don't know that a basin is called a basin. Or some confused "subsequent" with "consequent". Or you will hear things like "You is..." So much for thier 'O'-Levels English Pass grade.

11. Your company/platton/section mates will most likely be JC students. About 5% are Poly, ITE, Dropouts or students who returned from overses education.

12. Try to learn how to sew. You are given a black sling bag which is of mediocre quality. It will be used to store your fully-filled (like filled to the brim) water bottle which can be too much for your bag to carry. The strap of your sling bag will soon tear and you just have to sew it. This is especially important as you guys have a confinement period of TWO STRAIGHT WEEKS, unlike me as have time to bring my bag home for my mum to sew it.

13. Bring lots of underwear so that you need not do so much laundry.

14. Don't bring too many pairs of your OWN white socks. You are not allowed to wear any white socks except for the SAF-issued ones.

15. You must do your own laundry by hand. No washing machines available for recruits like you and I.

16. Since you guys will have a packed training shcedule, and a two-week confinement period, and you have to do your own laundry by hand, thus it is EXCEPTIONALLY IMPORTANT that you guys bring extra PT shirts, brown admin, black shorts and underwear to avoid the need of laundry.

17. You are never clean in army, so learn to make do with a quick 3 minute shower (or less than that) and wear the same, unwashed shirts/pants/socks for 2 or 3 days. Please don't wear the same underwear for more than one day. That's just disgusting.

18. If you want, go buy:

garters,
boot laces,
black mirror,
black tape,
large tin of prickly heat powder (the Snake brand one that Audrey mentioned), lighter,
key lock and
range card

ALL FROM ARMY MARKET now so that when you first book out you need not go and buy, but can stay at home to rest. These should cost around $20.

Just tell the aunties/uncles manning the shops there these English names, they know their stuff.

19. I think MP3 is allowed. So if you want you can bring it to listen during free time.

That's all for you guys. If there is anything else, I will be back on Christmas (if I don't get confined) to share with you guys more.

posted by Terence (Hasegawa Masahiro) @ 2:27 pm

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