So it has been another week of school, and me, the same usual tired boy lacking sleep though its january is here posting again. This week has been a little busier, but nevertheless fun, spending time and having lessons with friends in class. There will be a few tests next week, like maths and physics, so might be a little more stressful...but for now I shall try to recap what happened at obs...(I know its quite long ago, lols)
Day 1The first day, we all arrived at obs with more or less happy faces, after taking the ferry from punggol to obs camp 1 (I heard that we were the lucky bunch whose main camp was at camp 1, where the facilities are much newer and cleaner than at camp 2) My first impression of obs: wow, it was more modern than what i had expected, so it should be okay. Reached the hall and split into our watches. Lincoln and our instructor Haizu ROX! Okay, that wasnt what I had been thinking there and then, its what im feeling now. We then got a fairly long briefing and a talk by our new deputy headmaster, before going to introduce ourselves, writing out our objectives for coming, what we can contribute to the team, and what are our fears and hopes. I felt that it was really good to have that part, because it is what we remind ourselves constantly of during the course of the camp. I remember some words that we wrote: Have fun, Contribute: Love(lol), care, sadness (with a killer added behind afterwards), help, happiness, encouragement. I wrote laughter, lol. We also drew faces on pieces of paper with our names on it to show our feelings then. After that, we played some teamwork games, like helium hoop, where we all had to move a hoop from the top to bottom while holding it with one of everyone's fingers straight and moving down at the same time, the rule was that all of our fingers must be touching the hoop at all times or we will have to restart. I remember a scene where we all were shouting ' Down, Down, Down...!!', but...the hoop kept going up, haha it was really hillarious. We also played some other games like the one where we have to bring the hoop one round back to the same person while holding each other's hands, with one hand having to go between your legs. Then, we chose our ICs for the camp, like first aid ICs (Sheng Wei, Ben Chin and Java), Food ICs (Meng Chan and Hiok Yang), logistics ICs (Teng Chuan and Ervin, i think), and Day ICs (Alvin and me). Then we went to our storage area (which was actually a bunk, but we were not allowed to use it) and stored our bags there. I also had to go with the food ICs to collect the food for ALL five days and check if there was sufficient. It wasnt an easy job, considering the sheer amount of food we got for the 15 people in the group for all 5days. Rice, noodles, all kinds of bread and buns, butter and jam, cans of mushrooms, tunas, sardines, and curry chicken, 30 apples and 30 oranges, digestive biscuits, coffee biscuits, peanut better biscuits, vegetable biscuits, isotonic drink powder, coffe, milo and ovaltine powder, and much much more... Had a hard time counting all of them, but by working together, we eventually finished it. (altough we were slightly late) When I got back to the storage, the others were busy checking the items in it and im sure they didnt enjoy it much too. So that's the end of the boring 'housekeeping matters' (as many teachers like to call it) and soon we were ready for some real things. We didnt get it. We had a practice session on belaying, where we had to say some things like 'am i on belay' and stuff, slowly we all got it and it became sort of like acting a skit, haha. But it was helpful, as there was once i forgot to screw in the screw on the harness, but because of these 'belay calls' i did screw it in the end. When it ended, he told us that it was disappointing that he didnt hear anyone thank his belayer for supporting him, I suddenly realised and felt sorry that I didnt even thank the person 'safegaurding my life', so that was something for us to reflect upon. I think after that, we had to divide ourselves into two groups, one to set up the tents and one to cook. Because one day IC had to be in a group, I went to the cooking group and alvin went to the other. I finally understood the cooking is actually fairly difficult, especially when you are out in the wild and there isnt any stove, or fresh water for you to use. We had to carry the fresh water in huge jerry cans to the campsite and use the limited water we had wisely. Rocks also had to be placed together to form 'stoves' and solid fuels were placed in between to keep the fire going. I think that we ate baked beans, small cocktail hotdogs and braised beans with rice on the first day. Rice was difficult to cook, as we had to wash it over and over again, and make sure the water level was right, and that it was the first to be cooked. Planning had to be done, as some food cooked faster than others, the hotdogs were fast and the rice was extremely slow... And I cut myself while opening a can of beans...on the first day. I told myself: Jack, wow you are really great, getting cut on the first day. The was blood flowing and flowing...not a lot, but non-stop. I thought that it would stop soon, but it didnt, so there was blood on the ground and everything, but I noticed blood on some of the food later (lol) and quickly asked the first aid IC to plaster that part. I thought the pain was over, but more of this much later. After dinner, we were all tired, but were 'woken up' by some fun games again. This time we were in one of the learning rooms. It was heaven- or should i say air-conditioned, haha. I think we went to have supper after that, and had a short briefing about tomorrow, like what we need to wear and what we need to prepare for the land expedition. Then we went to sleep- after being told that we needed to meet Haizu at 5.55am the next day for PT. That wasnt the worst, cos some people couldnt even sleep that night. Like my tentmate Ervin, he was up almost the whole night, and whenever I woke up in the middle of my sleep, I would see him sitting there, stoning or watching the sky. So I decided to stay up with him at 4.30am when I thought that I had slept enough, and had a chat with him while watching the one and only star we could see and listening to the waves that hit the shore. Please note that we could only HEAR the waves but not feel any signs of the breezes because we were further into the forest and there were trees and other tents blocking the wind. We eventually woke (Bryan and Sheng Wei)up at 5am and packed our tents. Funnily, none of us knew how to, cos we were all coincidentally cooking just now. Wait, this should have belonged to...
Day 2I dont remember eveything, cos I (ULTRA) sadly lost the journal that I painstakingly wrote a lot in during camp, ask any of my watch mates, they know. Back- we went for PT at 5.55am punctually, and were joined by a few other watches. Played some fun games that could train us physically, and did stretches, some of which I remember clearly, like the old man stretch, where you bend forward, the pregnant lady stretch, where you bend backwards, and the elephant stretch, where you place your arm across your chest and use the other arm to push while putting a finger on your nose like an elephant with a long trunk. Then did push ups, leg raises, crunches, squats, and ran about 3 or 4 small rounds- uphill and downhill near our bunk area. People who went should have an idea of the steep slopes they have there, which we have to walk up to reach our bunks to keep our stuff after every long tiring day. That was pretty much PT, went to eat breakfast (some buns and coffe biscuits with coffee, i think). I was the day IC for today too, cos they said day 1 was too short. Then we went for the jetty jump, which i think was one of the more memorable experiences for many. But first, we had to soak ourselves in the seawater to get used to it. So we walk in holding hands so that we dont drift off and our instructor also made sure we were all drenched by making us shout,'GOOD MORNING, OCEAN!' and then plunging our heads into the salty water. Repeating it in Chinese , 早安，海洋' and Vietnamese, because we had a Vietnam scholar in our watch. Each time we plunged in, he was the one to make sure that all our hair also got wet-meaning to plunge in fully. So after we had our fun experience(many did scream, though),we were brought to the jetty where we were supposed to walk-the-plank. Yes, there was a plank for you to walk on, and then you have to jump into the water straight. It was really fun, because although I wasnt scared, I have never tried to jump from this height into seawater before, so dark and murky and green, not knowing whats underneath, unlike the clear water we used to have back on mainland Singapore. I think this was the meaning behind the jump. So I jumped, and climbed carefully up. It was really fun watching your friends jump and laugh at them (not the mocking or sneering kind, but the encouraging and truly fun kind of laugh). Seemed like that was yet another preparation, for the kayaking lesson. We learnt, or rather, revised for most of us, the basics of kayaking, like how to paddle, where to hold the paddle, where do you exert your strength, how do you steer, etc. It was boring, which was very unlike most of the other activities, but our instructor told us to bear with it, as sometimes the dry activies are important too, for our safety, or something like that. Oh yes, we also celebrated Viet's birthday earlier on, while sitting there. He was rewarded with an ice-cream conetto, which was a luxury at obs, specially brought for birthdays celebrated at obs. And so, back, we went on a practical kayaking lesson on how to steer and how to capsize and what to do if we capsize and such things. My kayak partner was Bryan, and we both hurt ourselves when we tried to get onto our kayak at a rocky area. I admit that it was my fault, cos I wasnt doing a good job balancing the kayak when Bryan was trying to get on. He cut himself quite badly and had to endure the pain of an open cut in salty water, while I only had some bruises. Really sorry for that! Also because of that, I was actually a little afraid of capsizing, but we still successfully finished the trial for the capsizing rescue part. Then, after a tired wet time in the sea water, we went to change and everything and had our lunch, with isotonic drinks to boost us up again. Dont quite remember what we ate though. And next was the tripod, where we had to put our belaying skills into practice and ensure the safety of our friends while they walked on the tight ropes. The were three 'stages' one after the other. The first was a cable with two at the sides for you to hold on while walking, that was the warm-up and none of us had any difficulty walking on it. The second was also a cable we had to walk on, but this time theres only a rope stuck to the starting point of the walk and as you progress, you had to slowly release the rope little by little, so that you can move forward, but also maintaining the tension to prevent yourself from falling. This also means that the further you walk from the starting point, the harder it gets. I found this the most difficult part, but most people thought that the last one was harder. The last stage was simply a log attached to chains at its ends and you had to walk from one end to another, with the log shaking as you move. It seemed the most difficult to me at first, but I found it really easy when I went up, just walk at a constant speed and be calm, and its easy! Haizu then told us that this exercise was to teach us to overcome our fears and for us to realise that we are capable of doing things that we never thought possible, like in this case, walking on the tight rope. He also told us to think about who are the people who have belayed us in our lives, like our parents, teachers, friends, pricipal/headmaster (maybe?), and told us to think about what they have done for us, supporting us all these time, and whether we have actually thanked them and told them our appreciation, like to our belayers. Ok, so something to think about again. After our last belaying activity, was the...land expedition! (or so we thought...) We all went back to our bunk and started packing enthusiastically, actually, not so, but it is the word I would have loved to use, people were pushing things around, because they didnt want to put those in their bags which they were going to carry. I couldnt actually do much, because I was carrying the tent, which we had to sleep in. and because tent+ground sheet=so big, there wasnt much space to put anything else in, except my wet shoes for the kayaking, some cooking items like solid fuel, fork and spoon and toiletries. My clothes were placed in kind Sheng Wei's bag, who agreed to help me carry them throughout the days out of camp. Thank you so much! Okay, so im going to rush through all the parts where people were quarrelling as to who carries what and the part where I cleaned the room and toilets because both are unsightly. So, we set off. It was getting dark, and we thought that we wouldnt be travelling far to our destination. But we were slightly wrong, because the land expedition hasnt started. It was the journey to camp 2. I cannot describe how heavy my bag was, because it was so heavy that i could not estimate the weight and so heavy that the velcro that stuck the bag's compartments to the part where I carried on my shoulders would tear off if I tried to carry it up to my shoulders myself. Meaning, both sides had to be carried up together, with someone elses help, or the whole thing will just fall off. Okay, enough about it being heavy. We just travelled on some rocky, muddy and slippery up-and-down path to camp 2. The journey wasnt easy for me, same for everyone else, but I consider it as a 'sample' for tomorrow's real land expedition. After we reached and were gladly throwing down our bags, it was time for the same cooking/pitching time. We didnt know where the rice was, so we started off with the others, sardines, sambal fish, leftover hotdogs and beans and mushrooms. You know that its a disaster, when the rice isnt cooked first, cos it ate into all our eating time and so many people wee cmplaining, especially those who were pitching tents, but we were all happy when we could eat. The sheer variety made up for the late, much needed dinner. After cooking, I went to keep some of the things and tidy everything up while waiting for a someone to finish, since we didnt bring enough messtins for everyone. But when I got my turn to eat...there wasnt any kind of meat left, except a little of the sambal fish and sardine(i thought so, but it was sardine bone!) so I quickly grabbed what i could, plus some baked beans. I didnt like baked beans back at home, but I guess there wasnt much of a choice. Didnt eat a lot, but managed to get a quite a lot of the 'malt' and 'mocha' we cooked ourselves, using coffee, milo, ovaltine and cereal. Sort of happy they looked so gross, because the others didnt touch them because they looked...but because I had no choice, I took a few sips...and found out that it wasnt as bad as it looked! So continued to drink them to fill me, sharing with some others just like me, haha. Eventually felt okay, and while some people were still eating from their own messtins, I started on 'can processing', which we(I) have to do every day. 1. Clean the can/tins. 2. Use the miserable can openers to open all the lids. 3. Squash the cans. 4. Keep the cans for checking 5. Dispose of them. And, because we ate so much on that day, there was really a whole lot of cans/tins, I would say there were at least 10 cans... So I sat at a corner and opened the cans myself, until Viet appeared and offered to help me, of course I gladly said I needed help. He was really good at it, very fast and even let me do the fun part, which is of course to squash the can FLAT. When we finished, I thanked him, but he said that I do not have to thank him since this is a team effort, and only when we are back at school and he ehelps me with something, should I thank him. I said okay then, but was thinking that saying a simple thank you need not have to really mean thank you, but mean appreciation and acknowledgement that someone did something, which in my opinion, can be very important. Lets face it, everyone wants to be recognised for what they do and feel appreciated. Thats what i felt, but I respect his opinion and also thank him for being so kind, haha. So we finished dinner, and someone was needed to do the dishes (so-called, but there were no dishes, haha). And it was me again, with Viet, the ever-hardworking Teng Chuan and surprisingly Dominic. We scrubbed the pots, but used water and our hands to rinse the others. Miraculously, Haizu passed all except 2 messtins and the pot, which we had to wash again, using detergent which was supposed to be used for all, lol. We then gathered to do some reflections on our cards(whic i lost) and played the 'jang, jang, jang' game, where you have to act like an alien which can connect which each other, eat watermelons and watch James bond movies. It is very hard to describe, but basically you have to point at someone after you finish doing your actions and that person will also have to do the same action, with the two people at his side also doing some actions. After you do yours, you can then point at another person and it goes on. If anyone misses an action or is slow, he will have to do a forfeit, which we didnt implement since we were all so tired. It was really vey fun, and the game was even brought back to class and played during CLE lesson. A very memorable game for us in Lincoln. So that was over, and we all went to have our shower. I thought that was the end of our problems for today, but another problem came. This time it was Mother Nature. As I stepped out of the shower, I saw that it was pouring outside and immediately gave a long sigh. why cant you at least let me have a 'good' rest? So I ran in the rain back to where we placed our bags and took out the heavy super waterproof poncho, and ran to the shelter where the others were. They were seeking shelter there and some were rescuing our flooded tents in the heavy rain. I was immediately called to help out with the rescue and gladly went, in order for all of us to have a better sleep. To get to the tents, we had to walk through the wet court-like place, with water being collected everywhere. Please also note that i was wearing my 'dry' shoe then. After the court was the mud waterfall aka. the stairs up to the field, it was a long, long staircase. Walking in the mud waterfall was a new experience and we had trouble knowing where to step and everything, but with my friends' support, we eventuslly reached and carried a big tent with its flysheet and pegs and stuff all the way back. When I went back, Hiok yang and I were hanging the flysheets up for drying in the shelter and helping to lay out everything. It wasnt over, we counted the numbers for everything and there were things missing. This time, the rain got a little heavier, because it was already so heavy that there isnt much rain that can be heavier than that and there were frequent thunder and lightning. So Haizu told us to send four people to go on a search for the missing things with him. We sent our 'special forces' as I would like to call it. Im not very sure who went, since most of our faces were covered by the poncho, to tell the truth, I didnt even know who I was talking to during the search. Teng Chuan was one of them, maybe Ervin or Hiok Yang. Really sorry to those whom I have not mentioned, haha. But it was really tough, searching for pegs or bags in the dark and heavy rain. I remembered that it was 11+pm then. In the end we managed to salvage a bag with pegs complete inside, but the zip was broken. I broke it, sorry. And another bag which was fine, but without its pegs. Quite fruitful, I would think, considering the conditions then. We then hurried back, and laid out all the things. We didnt manage to find the most important thing- the ground sheet which was supposed to be laid under the tent to prevent water from seeping through. But it was okay, for that night, because we all slept on the dusty corridors of camp 2, on the wet ponchos and a sandy blue tarp. We all squeezed on the limited numbers we have there and then, and slept through the night. I have to say that even though that was the worst night among the 4, it wasnt the least enjoyable. Yes, extrememely cold temperatures made us shiver through the night, seriously and I nearly had one of my leg cramps too. there was also very little space for all of us, and we were all sleeping straight (hands straight at the side, with legs straight). But many of us had to move around throughout the night due to the extremely cold temperature, as the rain lasted all the way until about 5+am in the morning before it subsided. I was between Jonathan Koh and Hiok Yang, who were both nice people and are able to sleep soundly or still, without any snores or wierd movements, haha, so i got lucky for that night.
Going to stop here for now, cos I dont think I can finish this in a short time, so I shall spread this over a few posts, it might be boring for you to read this, but I personally feel that it is of high importance that I finish this rather long, detailed account before I forget it. What a long post! But it will serve as a great memory next time!
On a side note, please support Singapore in becoming a property in the Monopoly world edition, by going onto www.monopoly.com and signing up, then vote for Singapore as one of your choices! I would love to see Singapore being on the monopoly board! Wont you?
And let me add a few pictures:
Me trying to force out an exaggerated smile at our bunks on the second morning
Lifejackets 'placed' out to dry
The overflowing rubbish at our bunk
