Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Went for CO's parade this morning at aeti and had to leave my house damn early because rsm wanted us to be there by 7.20am. I must say it's an impossible time for me and most of my friends because we either stay in the west, north or central areas. Nowhere near the east. Rsm would be the last guy in Changi to be an accomodating person to understand your plight and situation. Perhaps you can try to be in his shoes and see the parade from his point of view. It's something important cause it's a squadron thingy. For regulars like him, I guess it's probably stuff like these that determine their rice bowls. Read from his appointment, "Regimental Sergeant Major" and he's a military police as well. There's a reason why every unit has a rsm, to ensure there's discipline within the unit but too much pressure can be harmful as well. Like we have a choice.
Can tell that he wasn't having a good mood today from the way he was shouting and shooing everyone around just because we merely man, specialists and officers who are of lower rank than him. We seemed to be like objects to him, to be played around with. We are there because the parade needs people to be around, thats all. All I ask for is a little bit more of respect. I forgotten that when dressing to the right, I needed to stamped on my left foot. I made a fool of myself and stamped on the right, leading rsm to call me an idiot. It stunned me for a while but well, having been in army for close to 1 year, what kind of names haven't I been called before? I always treat people whom I can't afford to play around with as people who are singing. Literally.
My shift also went to the Airport Emergency Service (AES) at East for a tour of their compound and see how they operate as a team of firefighters who are ready to respond to a threat or emergency 24 hours a day and they practice turnouts. Now that's something in common that we can relate to. My shift people were given a chance to put out fires using different fire extinguishers. We learnt different kinds of fires need different kinds of extinguishers first hand. Well, it was a good trip after all despite the boring lectures which was turning into a chemistry lecture. I wanted so much to doze off towards the end but decided not to out of respect for the warrant officer who seems such a nice guy.
After finished watching the American idol audition which really lighten up my mood because some of the people are really funny. You gotta give them credit for having the courage to sing in front of the cameras despite not having the talent. Most really wanted to have a shot at stardom but others are just out to have fun. One of the contestants really impressed me. She's a social worker at an old folks' home and she sings and talk to them to keep them company. She's taking part to see whether she has a chance. She's got a decent voice but apparently the 3 judges didn't think so. She was cool about it and vowed to train up her voice and maybe take part in the auditions again next time.
I wanted to carry on watching "Just For Laughs" at 9pm but I was a bit turned off by the first gag that played on kindess of the American people. This fat guy was asked to act as a disabled person who's sitting on a wheelchair and needed help in getting up a flight of stairs. People were of course stunned, shocked and surprised to see that he got up himself later. I won't blame them if they were angry because I was a bit pissed off myself. I think the producers of the show had not taken into account how the disabled will feel if they saw that part. Thumbs down for the show tonight.
The O levels results are coming out this Friday and I'm sure many secondary 4 students out there are feeling real nervous about their results. It's not the end of the world if they didn't do well because in Singapore, as long as you want to study, there's bound to be a place for you. It's whether you are able to accept the truth and learn to face reality. I'm speaking from experience because I didn't do well enough to get into the jc of my choice and my pride was gone when people learnt the fact that I was from acs(I). I always tell my friends its the jcs that choose me, not the other way round. I've learnt to come to terms with my results and the jc that I've chosen reluctantly towards the end of the jc1. It's not fair to acjc if I say that I might not have gotten a place in ntu/nie if I had gone there but the fact is that jjc has given me a chance to study without not much of distraction. The chance to play squash and also being given a chance to prove what I had in rugby.
I read the Straits Times today regarding the debate on the jc vs poly route and I must say the debate will never end but with honest opinions from myself on the debate, I might have chosen the poly route but Singapore is a country where everything is based on one's results that many have chosen the jc route instead. Looking at the wide choices that students have right now, the diploma in tourism management seems kinda attractive? I had wanted to pursue a degree in tourism in Perth if I can't get into a local university. Getting into a jc and doing your A levels doesn't mean that you will confirm get into university. Straits Times interviewed this girl who's currently studying multimedia in Singapore Poly because she didn't do well enough for her A levels. What shocked me was that she's from one of the top 5 jcs in Singapore - Victoria Junior College. Girls have the time to carry on their studies at some other places but we guys don't have the luxury because of national service.
I don't know anyone who's collecting their results personally but I still wanna wish them all the best. Embrace your results whether it's good or bad. It may be an important examination tha determines part of your path in life but I stress the fact that it's only part. Not totally.
Well, I still recommend the jc route because it still represents your best chance of going to university and it's a great place to make friends.
