The Running Robot

I went to an army mate's wedding last night. Being the only guy from my anti tank platoon in what is essentially a scout platoon wedding, I didn't expect myself to fit in their conversation. However, it turn out to be quite an experience. It has been a long while since I last saw this guys. Though we were from from different platoons, we have lived together for 2.5 years during NSF and served 10 years NS together. There were a boisterous and fun lot and now even at almost middle age, they still are. The dinner began as other wedding dinner goes. Trading of talks about work and marital status. Not to mention the flashing of children's photos on our smart phones. Guys in shirts, long pants and dinner jackets. Stuffy things. Then the talk on old missions and overseas exercises started. The shared experiences starting flowing. From the sands of Thailand, the rolling hills of Taiwan, the brutal jungles of Brunei to the wastelands of Lim Chu Kang. The stories kept ...

Above: Almost the same weapon being used.   The old M16, haven't touched it since 2004.   With the close of the movie "Skyfall", I completed my mandatory duty or rather training with the army. The final words of my unit CO (Commanding Officer) rang in my ears. The unit will be on active alert for the entire year. On my 34 years old shoulders, an elderly age for an infantryman, laid the burden of standing sentinel over my homeland for an entire year. I read the post by asingaporeanson titled "Singapore is good" and my fists clenched when he mentioned about the silliness of our homeland defence. I cannot blame him for his misinformation, he was never involved in active combat duty. He was a service side soldier during his national service and never served reservist duties. In his bid to sensationalize the badness of Singapore, he tends to dismiss what is working in Singapore and amplify all its faults. He definitely did not attended the latest intel...

Here I am, rumbling on a bus towards the last function of this year in camp training. With this gathering, it marks the close of the mandatory duty for this year. Over the weekend, I communicated with the platoon mates of my former unit. They have all completed their mandatory services and have left the army. Many of which were very close friends. Man, do I miss this guys. As I am in a new unit, I see alot of new faces. Though there are many familiar faces as well. They belong to other platoons. In the bunk that I stayed in, it was all new faces. It wasn't easy adjusting to the new camaraderie. You see them as new faces, they look at you as the odd man out. It was hard to fit in. Nevertheless, I managed to engage in small talk with them and broke the ice. But it is hard not to think of the phrase "if only the old boys were here " I missed the antics of the old platoon joker, the helpfulness of my buddies and the firm and close knit command of my commanders. Wi...

It is that time of the year again when I need to return to the army to serve my mandatory duties. For the past decade, it has been the same routine. Dig out the ancient military artefacts in my home, give it a wash, pack it in my black civilian pack which I liken to the C130 Hercules aircraft. It is old, cavernous and effective. Perform bag drag no.1.  Haul the C130 and the army field pack into the small boot of my Nissan March, and get dressed in green fatigues and my combat boots Drive to the infantry camp, pick out the most convenient parking lot (judging from the popularity of the carpark, if nobody parks there, then you better not.), park the car and perform bag drag no.2 to the processing station. Bag drag no.2 will usually be the toughest as it will involved the hauling of the C130 and the rest of the equipment up to a barrack that is usually multiple storeys high, lifts are mostly non-existent. Settle in, unpack and try to get used to the rudimentary bedding and ...

After the busyness of the bereavement of my beloved mother in law. I sat alone in bed to take a break from the grieving process. Having been exposed to more Christian teachings during this period, I began to take a review of my relationship with God. I must confessed that in the busyness of life. My faith has taken a back seat. As I went through the belongings of mother in law, I realize how devoted a Christian she is. I felt guilty for allowing my faith to flounder. I watch through YouTube an documentary on the Six Day War. It was a lightning fast war in the Sinai Desert between the strong and numerous Egyptian army and the ferocious Israeli Defence Force in 1967. In all the first hand accounts from the tank commanders who took part in the war. One of the account struck me deeply. It was a scenario that was granted entirely to the grace of God and the grace of man. It was the account from Lt Col Jacob "Jacky" Even, an Israeli 506th Armored Brigade Commander. It ...

Sledge, the gentle boy. Sledge, the war veteran. I had recently watched the the mini HBO series "The Pacific" over a serial marathon in the past weekend. Compared to my favorite series "Band of Brothers", "The Pacific" was messy and hard to grasp. However, I guess it reflects well the nature of the Pacific War. It was messy, dirty, cruel and unrelenting. Being once a trooper in the tropical jungle before, I can understanding the heat and oppressiveness of the jungle. This coupled with the cruelty and unsurrendering nature of the Japanese troops. It must be hell for the Marines. The nature of Eugene Sledge aka Sledge Hammer struck a chord in my heart. Sledge started off the series seeing his friends go off to war, while he had to stay behind in America because of a heart murmur. He was frail, gentle and protected by his wealthy parents who care so much about him. He was frustrated and wanted so much to do his bit for the country but couldn...

It has been quite a while since I wrote any entry in this blog. Life has not been going well lately and I find it hard to pen down any entries that I would like to remember. It has been a disaster in my family and the whole episode though not over yet is something I would never want anyone else to go through. The running robot has also been very busy and working extra jobs to make ends meet. Hence, I have been working most of this weekend too. Something worth remembering came by this week and I felt I should really penned it down. On Thursday, I went for my second interview for a job. It was a job with the Army. Though I do not know if I will get it yet, there is a third round of interview. Some words that were spoken during the interview strikes a chord with my heart. It was one of the more pleasant interview that I experienced since my health gave out on me in 2004. An army major together with a human resource lady staffer interviewed me. The army major was a warm infantry...

The weight of the world, Cuban Missile Crisis. John F Kennedy In the earlier post by asingaporeson, he celebrated negativity as his natural trait. He delights in it as the rest of the world remain baffled by his irrational actions. He becomes a father today. He had received the greatest gift that a man can ever asked for... A beautiful daughter. I offered him a succinct sentence today. "From today onwards, your daughter comes first. You, come last." I am probably the total opposite of him. While he thrives on negativity. I on the other hand has suffered the severe stings of negativity many times before. There is no joy in those stings... I can assure you. While I am not the absolute sunshine boy as my wife can attest, I definitely do not enjoy negativity. While I was young, unlike asingaporeanson. I do not play the dark figures. When I played the role playing game Dungeon and Dragons, I always choose to play the upright and fair Paladin knight. The lawful good. The knight i...

Source: http://timmessick.wordpress.com/2010/04/09/desert-night-sky/ It has been a day of grief for me. Life dealt me a terrible hand today and I am forced to continue playing a losing game. It is mediocre compared to the life and death experiences daily that I once was used to. To be frank, perhaps I rather deal with those now than the petty politics I have to deal with now. Probably I felt more alive back then and life was much more meaningful. As I gaze upon the inky black starless sky out of my bedroom window. My thoughts went back to those starry nights... January 1998 I trudged across the soft sandy soil of the savanna grassland. I took a deep breath. The pungent smell of the strange savanna thorny flower permeated my lungs. I breathed out, vapour condensing in the cold night air. My ride, a Mercedes GD290 jeep stood in the distance. The mounted Milan missile launcher stood sentinel against the back drop of the night sky. Feeling the usual ache on my neck fr...

GD, Uncle Wong and me met for dinner last night at Toa Payoh Lorong 5. It has been quite a while since we went to that particular Hawker Centre (for the benefit of non-Singaporean readers, it is a place which consist of many open air food stalls, that has cheap and delicious food.) See below: I remember asingaporeanson, Jen, GD and me doing our “Top Gear” style challenge there a few years back. We took out SGD$10 and with that we are suppose to feed 4 of us with food from the stalls. Scrimping and saving, we managed to have a decent dinner with the paltry budget. It is probably not a possible feat elsewhere in Singapore. Of course last night gathering of the Secondary classmates, we have a missing member, which is asingaporean son. We ate our satay and grilled chicken wings in tribute to him. Cheers! How much things have changed, different jobs, different status, and now being in different countries. It amazing how far things have come since the heady days of 1991 when we first ...

Lately, I being reading up book from written by a Irish infantry captain who served in Afghanistan. With this, my interest in the conflict grew, I began searching for ways to connect with those troops who were deployed on the ground in Afghanistan. I found well written blogs maintained by both the British Army and by a British RAF airman. They can be found here at: rafairman.wordpress.com/ britisharmy.wordpress.com/afghanistan/ Why am I so supportive of the army? Most Singaporean boys see National Service as a chore and probably want to hear no more of it once it is done. Unlike many of my contempories who have served the army, I do not bear any grudge towards the forces. Do remember that I was one of those who had a hard time adjusting to military life during basic military training (BMT). I should have ended up as an army hater since I suffer greatly during the beginning. There were times during boot camp that I wish I could break a bone or sometime so that I could be dis...

I gave up running after I left the track and field team during my final year of my Junior College years. Running was rare and almost nil unless there was a need to participate in a physical fitness test. As every Singaporean boy would have to be conscripted for 2 years (2.5 years in my case) service when they reach 18 years of age, I was drafted into the army in 1997. Initially, I found it hard to adjust to the regimental life. My boot camp (Basic Military Training) at Nee Soon Camp passed by miserably as I failed almost every test that they threw at me. I couldn’t run, shoot, conduct drills or even a do a jumping jack. I know I was having a hard time adjusting and there were several crises in my family and life at that time. It was tough and I really didn’t know how I managed to get through it. In fact, I ended my boot camp with an injured ankle and watched the Passing Out (Graduation) Parade by the sidelines. Life does work in very strange ways. After one week of leave after gradu...

I found this well written blog by the British Army in Afghanistan. I have been reading up on the operations in Helmand, Afghnistan and knew how difficult things were over there. Have a look and see how they find humor in a land where life and limb hangs in a constant threat. http://britisharmy.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/isaf-slaves-and-naughty-locals/