cHyOrK: >>

Saturday, August 19, 2006

It was a narrowly escaped thursday.

Narrow Escape #1

Before the morning colours (flag-raising parade) at 7-plus in a.m. , there was a uniform inspection. A Staff Sergeant (SSG) was checking our contingent..

SSG: Why you never cut your hair??
Me: ...............................
SSG: Never mind, give me your ic.
Me: ...............................
SSG: Report to me later at 1245pm.

Immediately after colours, i went to look for him, as i remembered there's an exam at 9am.

Me: Staff, can u return me my 11B, 'cos i have an exam later..?
SSG: Cut already? If not how to return you? Don't sit for exam la!
(3 seconds later, he took out my 11B and returned me, telling me the cliche things that he's being nice to give me my 11B and reminded me to cut my hair)

So i went back to the classroom. It was already some 25 minutes later. When i opened the door, i was met with another shock. My SI (senior instructor, a first warrant officer, who takes charge of us and is someone like a discipline master), was inside the room!!! I was thinking, its gone case liao, 'cos he may just cancel our future nights-out or stay-outs if he thinks we are not up to it..

SI: Why, kena caught ah?
Me: Yes sir...
SI: Never cut your hair?
Me: Yea...
SI to my course commander (our "form teacher"): Did they have nights-out yesterday? (reply: no)
SI: Let me see your sideburn.
(turned my head and showed him)
SI: Ok la, not very long actually. So how do you think? Its only thursday, you still have tomorrow's colours to go. You are still not safe yet. You may still be caught by other people again.
Me: Oh, I have guard duty tonight, will end tomorrow morning.
SI to the rest of the class: Ok, tonight guard duty.... If by any chance he needs to go colours, let him be the class orderly (open and prepare the classroom during colours) , so he need not attend colours.

(I was soo touched, really. I didnt expect him to even think of ways to safeguard me from being caught anymore this week, so that i can have my haircut outside camp.)

So i narrowly escaped any potential punishment.

-------------------------
Narrow Escape #2

As guard duty personnels, we have to bring down the flags at sunset. Unfortunately, the people in my shift for the guard duty were tasked to be the sunset party, to bring down the flag. Not confident about lowering the flag itself, I volunteered to be the piper, to "blow" the required sounds for the mini ceremony. (luckily Sunset has no contingents, only one warrant officer would be present).

At Sunset, I had to blow one particular command, which I rehearsed a few times prior to it.

A loud and sharp "peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep" sound turned out to be a very flawed and zao xia sound that no one could hear. At that point, i knew i would be in deep shit. Because of this, the flag-bearers across the parade square cannot hear the sound and so could not bring down the flag.

I piped another time, which would already screw up the ceremony, but i think this would be the next best thing to do.. But still, its was zao xia and soft. I knew i'll confirm die.

After everything ended, the officer(2WO) asked for me.

2WO: Is this the first time you are doing sunset?
(thinking about the best number to safeguard my ass, I told him "second time")
2WO: fine, do you know how to pipe in the first place? DO it for me now.
(miraculously, i did a good job now, which is a big helping factor)
2WO: how come you can do such a gd job now? I think you need more practice. Do you know how embarassing it will be if you did that onboard a ship in front of all the foreign navies? I don't want to scold you ok, i just want you to have more practices.
Me: Yes sir...

Again, I narrowly escaped yet another potential punishment.

人生是黑白的.
10:15 AM <3

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