Oh btw, I'm in Company C (C for Cougar). My 4D number (yes, NS gives you some lucky number to buy 4D with) is 3208, meaning Platoon 3, Section 2 (i.e. 2nd bunk), Bed 08. My buddy's called Justin, some guy who went to Xiamen to study and just recently came back to SG.
Too bad I'm not supposed to blog about NS (the officers warned us about it, they said its smth about military secrets etc). So I'll just briefly cover lor.. Wasted sia.. I wrote diary everyday leh.. zzz
Okay, here goes...
10 interesting things I've noticed so far:
1) Though vulgarities are not supposed to be used, they ARE always used. According to my seargent, he said "CH** B**" is an organ, and "F**K" is an action. They're not swear words. Here you go. They're not swearing, they're just using nouns and verbs =\
2) The SAR21 (Singapore Assault Rifle) is actually very easy to aim, no prerequisite skill, like air rifle experience, needed. Unlike M16, SAR21 has a very good 1.5x optical scope. Marksmanship is no longer that hard to get now, comparatively.
3) You'll only get to throw a live grenade once in your entire life. Unless you sign on NS that is. Haha
4) Almost all the females (besides guest speakers or lecturers) in Tekong look like males. But yet, people still whistle and clap and make a racket when one walks by. What the heck?
5) Upon enlistment, you will get a heck lot of things. All for FREE.
6) Officers and seargents with nothing to do stay inside this nice room called the "Platoon _ Room" (Insert platoon number) or the "Coy Room" (Company Room), with radio, air-conditioner etc.
7) Lights off is at 2230 and reveille at 0530 almost everyday.
8) You'll find yourself spending hours doing exercises (warm-up, cooling-down, 5BX, etc).
[Btw, 5BX = 5 Basic Exercises. Smth you'll do every morning before breakfast]
9) Heard of the N Coy (Ninja Company)? Heard of its crazy reputation? Well thats for BMTC School 2. For BMTC School 1, its Cougar apparently. My company. Good for me =/
10) Commanders (officers and seargents) get to decide their day-offs and leaves, and are compensated for their "confinements" during weekends by day-offs. Meanwhile, trainees/men like ourselves currently, do not get to decide when to use our leaves and do not get day-offs for being confined. The trainees/men early leaves are decided by the commanders (btw, men refers to soldiers who are under command of commanders =/).
10 Tips to make your BMT life easier:
1) ALWAYS go for every single toilet break you can get or are given. You never know when's the next one, and you get to take a break from whatever shit you're currently doing. SO GO FOR IT.
2) Right after RO (Routine Order) every night, choing to the bathroom to bath first before doing anything else. Because the queue will form in around 10minutes, and its 50 people sharing 7~8 cubicles.
3) During mealtimes, don't bother asking for "less" just because you don't think you're hungry. Just take the given portion (if not ask for more, if you think it'll taste good). Leftovers just throw away. The food is free anyway.
4) While eating, refrain from talking and always start off with the good parts first (unlike normally where you eat the crappier-tasting parts of your meal, saving the best for the last). This is because you're only given 20minutes per mealtime, including queuing up for food.
5) Go bath daily. Seriously. It takes only 5~10minutes (and DON'T look and comment at other people's private parts -.-"). If not you'll stink and get sick or whatever. And your bunkmates might hate you (like this RJ dude in my bunk.. He bathed only 5 times out of the 2wks)
6) Whenever possible, plan your trips to the toilet (and best if you can plan for everything) once you're given the RO for the next day. This will help you save trips to the toilet, which is usually crowded during peak hours like after RO or in the morning.
Personally for me, after RO,
- 1st trip: bath and brush teeth (brush first if there's already a queue)
- 2nd trip: shit, then wash clothes
- 3rd trip: refill bottles/waterbags etc (if there's road march or smth the next day)
7) Don't overpack your bag when you're enlisting. Just bring exactly what they say, excluding those "You may bring..." just pack those "Bring along...". Like I said, upon enlistment, they'll give you a heck load of items.
Just bring along:
- Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and washing powder, they'll give you 2 toilet rolls)
- 3 sets of undergarments (unless you don't intend to wash daily, then bring more)
- hangers and pegs
That's all if I remember correctly. Everything else is provided.
8) When hanging your laundry, you can hang at 2 areas - Outside the bunk windows, or at the bamboo poles at the staircases. It's better to hang outside the bunks (but you'll need pegs or your stuff will get blown off by wind). You get sunlight and wind, and the poles always fall down due to wind, causing ur laundry to drop to the floor, which is almost always dirty.
9) In NS, forms that you fill in are very important documents. If you screw up, you'll be screwed.
Some things to take note:
- Always write in CAPITAL LETTERS
- Dates are in this 6-digit format DDMMYY (without - or / etc)
- Do not write/sign across any line. Or make any extra markings on the paper
- Avoid creasing the paper/document
10) Avoid drinking too much water. Because there's god damn water parades where you force yourself to gulp down 500ml worth of water in seconds. Just drink during water parades and mealtimes, and maybe a little after RO, will suffice for your daily water requirements.
Tip: How to gulp down so much water? Don't take small sips, just keep gulping before your brain sends a signal saying "Oi, stop drinking, i'm bloated!"
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