it definitely gets the top position as the most tiring camp that i've ever been to, which includes camping in the wild (partially) in pulau ubin as part of the OBS camp and in deserted desaru.

while there are lectures dotting the 4d3n schedule, there are plenty of physical activities. considering lights out at 12am and reveille at 4.30am, it's not difficult to see why there can be so many physical activities. the trainees ran around greenview sec for like 4 rounds (which totals up to 9.6km approximately), then to pasir ris park, and lastly the killer ROP. my right second toenail is going to drop off again as a result of wearing unsuitable running shoes (lazy to buy a new one) and not to mention the unforgettable Ultimate Challenge. the trainees hafta climb ropes, carry casualty over 2 stacked tables on stretcher, pullups, pushups, suicide running, jumping jacks and leopard crawl. and while waiting for their turn they are to be in pumping position (those unfit are to do buddha claps while sitting)

but the camp is meaningful. there are objectives behind the activities, and i believe the trainees do learn something in the cap. otherwise there wouldn't be so many people writing love notes and reading them aloud to william on the last day of camp. and the 10hours spent in hq on thursday printing out the booklets and journals paid off when the trainees gave feedback that admin is good! hehe



forming up.the hike.

over this camp, i find myself bonding with the committee members. like yunsi who looked so strict but can be really fun to hang out with. not to mention we have one common best friend. hoho. like my team mentor aiden who made sure i sleep on the third night by telling yunsi to watch over me and will issue me with 1 OR (observation report) if i don't sleep (for the record i didn't sleep on the first night, 2 hours on both second and third nights). like yuanzheng whom i talked over msn and phone over the past few weeks fixing up the details of the camp. and of course the fellow instructors!

though my group (november) ain't that fantastic to be with, but i reckon what i have said might make them realise something about functioning as the team, even though not all are keen to bond. anyway they wouldn't do anything much during theory phase so i guess i will just let it be, because after these few years i realise bonding is just an additional bonus, functioning as a team is more important.

then i found myself making new friends with the trainees in the camp, even though they are not in my group. like mavin who used to be in juliet back in 06 and i totally forgot about it until he told me so after break camp. :p

looking at my calendar, i realised my life is full of sj, like every weekend since mid-may till mid sept i will be having sj stuff. people asked me why am i so siao on, considering such involvement will deprive me of social life, and lesser time with my family. i have pondered on the question, and while hanging out with my close friends in sj is part of the reason, satisfaction from a good job done plus inspiring change in the juniors contributes to it too. but the latter only come along since 08, when i joined otc08 comm and learned quite alot from junyang, and some of the trainees.

like what william's pet phrase/key quote of otc09 says, what's your standard? is it stopping at 4.8km when you could have hit 9.6km? or stopping at suicide running when you could have done leopard crawl with your fellow teammates? or doing buddha claps when the rest of the course are in pumping position throughout the ultimate challenge? it's all in your mind. pushing yourself to stretch beyond the limits is the key, and you will be rewarded at the end of the day.

asjab camp and CHA camp next week!
8:36 PM