Thursday, April 22, 2010
Other than my fascination with fruitcakes, not many people know that I've got a long history with the hotdog buns from Bengawan Solo. You might have seen it when walking past any of their outlets - those 6 for S$2.40 (used to be S$2.20 back in 2005). It all started back in my bmt days where I first bought those buns at the White Sands basement outlet. Things have changed since then, including the layout of the shopping mall after renovations. Before boarding the bus to the ferry terminal, it is a usual routine for me to head to the ntuc fairprice supermarket to buy some groceries (e.g. biscuits, drinks and the all important strepsils). Since it's an 'offence' to buy fresh and cooked food into the island as we were still recruits, bread was the next best alternative since it could be easily hidden and could last for a few days.
While waiting outside the supermarket for my friends, I happened to chance upon these buns and since it was pretty cheap, I decided to buy it for supper and maybe breakfast the next morning. If you were wondering where was the favourite hiding place, I just went to the toilet and hid it among the fresh batch of no.4 uniforms - place it in the middle of the shirt and/or pants and start rolling it. While I was close to getting caught during the bag checks when we reached Tekong, I never did during those 3 months. There was only 1 incident where I was so close to getting my weekends burnt but luckily with the help of my platoon mates, they managed to help me keep the buns in their bags as theirs had already been searched.
Since I was never a big fan of combat rations, I always look forward to the days where we had fresh rations. Having survived field camp then, I was quite shocked to hear that the next situational test was another period where I had to say hi to the combat rations once again. Being the guy with all the weird days, I decided to smuggle in some hotdog buns for that camp. However, I can't do it in a direct way since they would be checking through every single piece of clothes and all. The loophole arrived in the form of the replacement bags that contained our new and fresh uniforms. I hid those hotdogs buns in those bags and had them for together with my dinner (2 days old though). While it was never fresh, it was the closest contact I had with civilization. Till now, certain food, actions and stuff reminds me of my bmt and army days, these hotdog funs certainly ranks as one of them.
On another note, I've picked up driving or rather it's about time I did so. While it's still a long way before I say hi to my driving licence, at least I've got started on it. Went for the 2 compulsory basic theory lessons, 1 practice test and on Wednesday - the evaluation test where I scored 70/70 for it. It's nothing to be proud of but at least it's a good start and a gauge of where I stand before the actual basic theory test on the 6th May 2010. Passing it will enable me to start my driving lessons and be one of the best birthday presents I can ever ask for. I realize it's been pretty useful sitting at the front of my father's car when he drove. A few of the questions where you're asked which vehicle has the right of way etc got me confused but I just thought back to some of the situations which I've been in and somehow it just worked out.
Who says this 4 months worth of holidays is going to be boring? With driving lessons and the Cambodia trip to look forward to, I can't wait for it. Finally, I've decided to give S$30 a miss and not conduct NAPFA at nygh on my birthday. It's not worth the money and sometimes you have to take a step back and realize that it's more important to spend the day with my family. After all, I've got lots of time to conduct NAPFA once I graduate.
