unhappy abt life in tekong and future vocation
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Bismarck, you have to hang in there.
1.Do get medical attention for your back.That is your main priority.
2.When you are tensed and stressed, take deep breaths and let your self relax so that the tension will flow away.
3.Sometimes the little things help in the relationship that you have with your section mates.(You should focus on making at least a friend in your section, and perhaps you could talk to the coy clerk, storeman etc..if they are friendly.I don't see why the whole lot should be one nasty storm)
4.Talk to your friends who are already in service and maybe they know what's the best way to deal with some problems that you might face?
Cheers and do tell us if theres any problem. -
tok to ur PC during PC interviews. if tat doesn't help u, call the SAF hotline. (although the hotline is useless)
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does leadership batch means going in to OCS or SISPEC?
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one thing you have to get used to: being screamed at ......
an unavoidable facet of army life .... you really have to get used to it ... learn to take it in your stride ... one ear in one ear out ..... if you're going to get worked up over every little ffing you got ..... then NS life will be hell for you .......
hang in there ...... -
Let's just say this:
In NS, a positive mindset is one of the best assets you can ever have. Much better than having the ability to do 30 chin-ups and run 2.4km in 7 minutes... though I don't mind having those either.
With a positive mindset, you can pretty much cope with anything that NS wants to throw at you. I went into NS wondering about whether I could survive all those sergeants screaming in my face (it's not just you who gets screamed at in the face, by the way), surviving all those tekan sessions and extreme PT (by my benchmark) and so on and so forth.
I went in with a negative mindset, and I suffered as a result. My appetite suffered, and I got frequent chest pains. I would have difficulty falling asleep, and when I finally did, I would have terrible nightmares about things like getting charged by my superiors and wake up in cold sweat in the middle of the night.
In the end, I realised that I was only hurting myself by thinking so negatively all the time. Most of the bad things which I thought were going to happen didn't actually happen. It took a while, but I made the effort to see the bright side of things. And things did actually seem better after a while.
The bottom line is, you're in there for two years. Live with that fact, and make the most out of it. Look at your ORD date and tell yourself that no matter what, the SAF can't keep you in there any longer than that date. Two years may seem long right now, but believe me, the day will come when you'll look back and wonder how those two years passed so quickly.
Good luck. -
cheer up ah bismarck...
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I second that, if u don't wish to report sick in tekong, do it after book-out.Originally posted by LazerLordz:Bismarck, you have to hang in there.
1.Do get medical attention for your back.That is your main priority.
2.When you are tensed and stressed, take deep breaths and let your self relax so that the tension will flow away.
3.Sometimes the little things help in the relationship that you have with your section mates.(You should focus on making at least a friend in your section, and perhaps you could talk to the coy clerk, storeman etc..if they are friendly.I don't see why the whole lot should be one nasty storm)
4.Talk to your friends who are already in service and maybe they know what's the best way to deal with some problems that you might face?
Cheers and do tell us if theres any problem.
Best to see ur family doctor that u have been seeing. If u follow the rule, to report to polyclinic or the local hospital, do bring along someone elder, like ur parent or uncle/aunites. Make sure when the doctor sees u they are beside u.
Not sissy or anything, this is a preventive measure for the doctors. The doctors have a tendacy to bring out their "MO" face when they know that u are a recruit or soldier. Somehow, once their "MO" face is out, they lose their professionalism and the mentality comes about. Wif a parent around, atleast they dun ""luan-luan lai" -
Bissy
For backpains, go to a chiropractor or a chinese sin seh. More effective than western medicine IMO. -
that seems to make a lot of sense to me... polyclinic doctors are especially laolan in that sense.Originally posted by octega:I second that, if u don't wish to report sick in tekong, do it after book-out.
Best to see ur family doctor that u have been seeing. If u follow the rule, to report to polyclinic or the local hospital, do bring along someone elder, like ur parent or uncle/aunites. Make sure when the doctor sees u they are beside u.
Not sissy or anything, this is a preventive measure for the doctors. The doctors have a tendacy to bring out their "MO" face when they know that u are a recruit or soldier. Somehow, once their "MO" face is out, they lose their professionalism and the mentality comes about. Wif a parent around, atleast they dun ""luan-luan lai"
ya i'd say that i second that. bring a parent along. not a friend, not a platoon mate, not your gf, but your parents or uncle/auntie. yah, the fierce one whom you didn't dare to offend as a kid.
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My take on my bmt life. It was a torture going thru. Learning all those things that seemed sooo irrelevant. Whole day only hear the words "knock it down." At first I thought I didn't get along with my platoon mates and section mates either. I reported sick quite often too...
Everybody thot i was some super kengster.. which i probably was. But heck, when u're sick, u're sick, don't hold back on reporting sick cos ppl would label u. Ur obligation as a soldier and as ur mother' son is to take care of urself. If u have chronic backpains, see ur Doc or MO. U may not be a combat fit soldier, but can still serve ur NS in non-combat roles.
As for OCS and sispec, if u think u have the ability to lead, then go for it. But somehow I do no think so, since u are quite isolated from the rest of ur platoon. A leader has to be a team player. If u don't get to OCS or sispec, no worries, it does not make u any less a person.
Really, get to know ur section mates well at least. I'm glad i did. Tho i was sick like half the time in BMT, i chipped in wherever i could to help my section mates. These are ur BROTHERS in BMT. People whom u should turn to for help. They may not give u the best advice all the time, but at least they know what u're thinking.
Til today, I still go out with my section mates. We hang out, eat dinner, n play games together. (Aka Section Movement Outings) I'm glad to have been known them. -
all these sensitive, overly thoughtful, new age masculinity is making me sick, you are serving your nation, lan lan you got to do it unless you renounce your citizenship, bite the bullet and soldier on
as far as the institution is concerned, you have no right to choose because it is your duty as a male citizen -
but i guess if there are enough of your kind to make up a critical mass that affects elections, then probably the institution will be more sensitive to what you have to say
back in my time (early 90s), we lan lan, just got to do it and tough it out -
You must be a farker...Originally posted by ditzy:farkers are everywhere, sometimes we don't realise the farkers turn out to be ourselves.
We see the world as full of farkers, the world sees us as farkers. -
let us welcome back the Alpha Male.Originally posted by Xprobe:all these sensitive, overly thoughtful, new age masculinity is making me sick, you are serving your nation, lan lan you got to do it unless you renounce your citizenship, bite the bullet and soldier on
as far as the institution is concerned, you have no right to choose because it is your duty as a male citizen -
that's not true. whilst a leader is a team player, there's always this 'herd' mentality in bmt. he could have well been chosen as a sacrificial lamb, maybe because he has a 2nd nose or a 3rd ear. oer perhaps he's simply been chosen as someone to pick on by another person with much more charisma.Originally posted by Shotgun:As for OCS and sispec, if u think u have the ability to lead, then go for it. But somehow I do no think so, since u are quite isolated from the rest of ur platoon. A leader has to be a team player. If u don't get to OCS or sispec, no worries, it does not make u any less a person.
like i said, it's unfortunate that he dosen't click with his platoon mates. but it should get better. and if it dosen't then he'd have to re-examine himself. not that it would hurt to do so right now; but it could be a skewed or distorted opinion seeing that there's little to no time to think in bmt.
i dun hang out with my bmt mates anymore; though in retrospect i should have kept their contacts.
Really, get to know ur section mates well at least. I'm glad i did. Tho i was sick like half the time in BMT, i chipped in wherever i could to help my section mates. These are ur BROTHERS in BMT. People whom u should turn to for help. They may not give u the best advice all the time, but at least they know what u're thinking.
Til today, I still go out with my section mates. We hang out, eat dinner, n play games together. (Aka Section Movement Outings) I'm glad to have been known them.
not everybody enjoys their bmt life, despite being touted as "the most fun part" of ns life. 'brothers in bmt' only applies if you haven't already been labelled as 'sister' to begin with. there was this guy in my platoon whom despite his herculean effort to try and click, simply couldn't. coz' he reported a loss of handphone one day and caused everyone to stand by bed. the night of book in on the last week, he was 'blanketed'. now, that was juvenile and i would have no part of it. i think it's silly, and sad @ the same time.
and no, i'm not trying to substitute myself with a 2nd person perspective.
i personally enjoyed sispec more then bmt, despite being told otherwise. largely because i was wiser and smarter when it came to human interaction by the end of bmt. everybody has a unique experience, so ya... -
truthfully i am not, thats my older brother (genetically there can only be one in a generation), but i am a realist - I live and fight another dayOriginally posted by Deportivo:let us welcome back the Alpha Male.
which i did - i turned off all my personal likes and dislikes and took a good look at what NS and the army is all about and played the system to my advantage whenever i could, since i cant beat it, i might as well learn it and get something out of it -
My experience in BMT was shit, my section mates were all fighting to get into OCS, hence people who wanted just to survive the 2.5 yr sentence (it was 2.5 yrs for me) were treated like trash.
I had a sergeant who made it his personal mission to tekan me, at the end of the
course, i POPed and never saw any of them again.
The rest of my army life was much better, even as privates you'll get heaps more respect if you know your responsibilities, and do your job well.
It doesn't matter what your vocation ,or what your position in the organisation is, as long as you perform your duty, the lao jiaos and regulars will respect you if you do what is expected, remember, it's only 2 yrs. -
Dudes...MAN UP!
This is not your dad's army. You are not here to be molly-coddled. You are not here to be fussed about. You are here to do a job. A pointless job, but you are still here to do it.
What i did during BMT and Army:
Keep below the radar!
Shut up and DO!
Conform!
The last point is esp important. As mentioned above, soldiers are an uncivilzed and unthinking mob. They WILL find someone to bully. Let that person not be you. -
Is that why the voting age has not been owered despite the fact that we are old enough to bear arms when we are 18? Are the MIW afraid that all the disgruntled conscripts will vote against them in the GE and result in the opposition capturing at least one GRC?Originally posted by Xprobe:but i guess if there are enough of your kind to make up a critical mass that affects elections, then probably the institution will be more sensitive to what you have to say
back in my time (early 90s), we lan lan, just got to do it and tough it out -
I oso dun hang out with my bmt mates anymore... initally still got but as times pass, bo eng liao.
Actually most impt is to learn as much as u can. Cos some employers wuill ask wat u had learnt in NS.
Mmm.. I oso tink BMT is the best. No worries. just chiong Only! -
I never kept in touch with most of my BMT mates, only those that I met in unit.Originally posted by Xprobe:truthfully i am not, thats my older brother (genetically there can only be one in a generation), but i am a realist - I live and fight another day
which i did - i turned off all my personal likes and dislikes and took a good look at what NS and the army is all about and played the system to my advantage whenever i could, since i cant beat it, i might as well learn it and get something out of it
Uncivilised..nah.Depends on the unit.When you have tablet PCs and warm coffee beside your terminal..no one around will be a sadistic mob.Save for the occasional bodyslam. -
eh i think bismarck is here asking how to survive ns lar, not asking to be molly-cuddled.Originally posted by lwflee:Dudes...MAN UP!
This is not your dad's army. You are not here to be molly-coddled. You are not here to be fussed about. You are here to do a job. A pointless job, but you are still here to do it.
What i did during BMT and Army:
Keep below the radar!
Shut up and DO!
Conform!
The last point is esp important. As mentioned above, soldiers are an uncivilzed and unthinking mob. They WILL find someone to bully. Let that person not be you. -
Just relax and take it as it come but still i think u need to get your back sorted out first.Originally posted by nomood:eh i think bismarck is here asking how to survive ns lar, not asking to be molly-cuddled. -
hmmm well it tough when your bmt mates don't get along with u i also don't know whether this advice of mine is good or not lah but since you have a back problem just keep reporting sick and ignore what everybody say lah don't care about what others say,u r sick means u r sick loh n if possible try to get a family doc to get u to see specialist outside,try to get a dowgrade loh then u can leave tekong as an ooc personel lah to unit directly although u still have to recourse but that time u lao jiao liao ,more experience liao will know what to do one loh.
But i find it quite funny leh when u say u want to apply what u study in NS,I tell u it not possible one loh ,maybe NCC LOL.
As for your peers not getting along with u,aiya human are like that,imagine u are on the other side of the grass,u are in the middle of some xiong training and one fellow backpain or whatever go rest never train,sure will aim the one that fall out early one lah jealous mah can rest early,they will not care how pain u are loh.i not trying to encourage u to keng lah but in the army to survive regardless of tekong lah ,units lah,u want to garang by all means garang all the way ,u want to downgrade,by all means downgrade all the way,once u downgraded no one can force u on anything loh.
what some friend say early on is very true,think about your parents,they raise u for18-20 yrs???u r a man now don't let them worry for you,think positive loh,last time tekong IPPT must pass lah etc etc now IPPT no need to pass somemore now five days week in most unit liao not bad liao leh n reduce to 2yrs instead of 2 and a half yr,think about good things lah try to occupy yourself in tekong so that times fly faster don't think about bad things loh.
Good luck Endure..... -
ok i do have a very short memory so cant really reply to all posts.
generally i did try to talk to 1 section mate by chance and he told me ppl are frustrated etc. but i didnt really take his answer for it because his answer focused only on specific problems and not the general situation.
then as for my back aches, chiropractors open on weekends ?
actually i am quite confused whether do i want to go ocs or not. then during this EI survey i gave a half yes answer to whether i want to go ocs and a yes answer if i wanted to go sispec instead of serving in a combat unit.
i spoke to my 2IC by chance when my OC wasnt in and later to my OC regarding the vocations thing and i felt quite demoralised and down because they said there's nothing i can do expect to note it down during the EI survey. it surprised me to an extent because duing an OC dialogue, he mentioned that we were free to talk to him abt vocations and the possibility of serving in a vocation of relevance to the dip.
i do know that getting along with platoon mates is important but it appears that some see me as trying to keng when i request to fall out due to problems with frequent sharp pains in my heart and joints. another thing is that i do admit i have problems learning the rifle drills and stuffs and i can tell they were quite frustrated to teach me. this frustration seems to overflow to daily activities and some of them simply love to tekan me.
i am not expecting them to be as patient as poly lecturers or anything but it's just tht they seem to be ' forced' to teach. (there isnt an issue here)
even my so called buddy(technically assigned by the system) thinks on day 1 i look cock up.(prior to doing anything) and even when talking to him he replies half heartedly but i dont really care. what ppl say abt the wide diversity of ppl in NS is really true, possibly wider than what i've seen and experienced before.
field camp's next week and i can feel my buddy is fearing...me.
to wuming: i am not frustrated over the fact i cant call soldiering skills and work skills. from the ' 1 min everything in, 1 min everything out", stuffing everything in a tiny field pack, i can probably pack things better than a seasoned traveller. haha
rather i am slightly disappointed by the fact i cant put my dip into use despite the fact that i've gone thru the 3 years unhappily. at least something is useful.
to deportivo, i am not isolating myself due to my thoughts on where i am going for vocation during quiet time on my own.
gordonator, actually i've tried to learn the rifle drills etc but why i still make mistakes is something i cant really explain. perhaps i have weak motor skills and i have only myself to blame. i did try to get help from a friendlier section mate and to 1 to 1 tutor me during free time and i do appreciate their help.
i feel only my OC and OO are ppl that i can at least talk to, esp OO. OC seems quite distant to me thought he's quite friendly to us. the rest, csm, section cmdr, PS, sgts etc. all seem either way too distant or just leaders u dont feel like sharing yr personal problems with.
perhaps waht others say abt life starting in unit is true but tht's still a some time away from now. seriously i do feel that once i pop, i may not have to see them again.
somehow i am confused whether to even see the a specialist or not. i mean, so waht if he gives me a letter to excuse me from xxxx things and tekong MOs certifies it and i get the excuse? i end up missing this and that activity and risk recourse. plus it doesnt help that my platoon will just think i am trying to keng again.
another thing my OO mentioned was true. cross the river and demolish the bridge. my platoon mates.
i have no idea how to survive field camp. mainly emotionally.