The Journey begins (18.10.08)

hmm…where should i get started…many of you reading this will sure feel strange that we are requested to do first aid duty at NSQ camp (年少情). it’s quiet a long story..but nevertheless, let me introduce the venue first. It is located in the small town of Rasa (heard of it?)..There is a Kem Latihan Khidmat Negara there, to be more specific is at Kuala Kubu Bharu. The 5 of us ( me, Min Wai, eng MAy, KAr ManG & leng lui Fang) gathered at Seremban train station and departed at around 10.30am. We have to travel from the 1st station (Seremban) to the 2nd last station (Rasa) and it took us 3.5 hours. My god…such a long journey…

At last we reached the campsite on 18.12.08. The weather there is sunny and hot hot hot..Just like in Hawaii with some wind breezing by..First, we were shown to our dorm (what dorm?it’s the medical bay)..haha..at first feel like VIP cuz the camp committees are so friendly and we feel a bit akward as we do not get this kind of treatment during our camps..as we are in the camp a day earlier, we just do nothing there..hahaha…but our main activity for that day is “Chor Dai Dee”..haha…and of course eat and sleep..and later in the afternoon almost all of the campers has arrived..they come from all over the country and the total number of campers is 460.wow…even our State camp is not even 200.Just imagine the preparation needed and how to take care of so many people..mind you the Organizing committee took 7 months for the planning. And best of all, for the camp participants they just have to enjoy and play during the camp. Accommodation, food, transportation is all done by the committees. Later in the afternoon, there were dance performances by the camp committee. We also took part and danced. This dance is not just performance by the committee. But it is also thought to all the participants. the scene is just like aerobic class..haha…When the night falls…and the air is cool….haha..not some ghost stories la..of course we have ice breaking course la..and that generally sums up our first day in Hawaii…oopss..it’s in camp..haha..

Rise and shine (19.12.08)

After a good night’s rest and some hearty breakfast, it’s time to start off our official duty..the first agenda was the opening ceremony…nothing much to do though…until our Mr. Choon can fall asleep..haha..after the opening, we proceed to take a “chun ka fook”..the camera man have to climb up high as the group is really large and it just can’t find into the frame.haha…imagine >500 people wanna take a group photo…and then, it’s game time…the first activity is something like commando training type of game..as we are in the NS camp, these activities were carried out at the site with obstacles training. To name a few…”Tarzan swing”, “monkey bar”, 12ft wall, commando crawl..All i can say is that it’s fun for the participants but hell for us..There were quiet a lot of “customers” buying our handyplast, dettol, yellow lotion, counter pain, gauze…haha…yet after patching them up, they just straight run back to their group and continue the activity as if nothing happened..now that’s the SPIRIT!!!!…at the end of the activity after 4.5 hours..don’t ask me whether i recognize your face who seek treatment just now..just let me see your wound and i will remember who you are and what is the history..haha..come night time (again)..haha…this time really can see ghost..and Santarina, Pharaoh, Red Indian…well…this night activity is really unique and it’s the 1st time i see this kind of activities..well..as starters, members were required to wear pajama for this activity. And the committees will dress up as Santa Claus, Pharaoh etc..There will also be game stations for the members to play..It’s just like everyone is in a Dreamland and playing in a Play land..and it’s the committees who entertain the members..not the other way round..Really is different from all the St John camp we have been to..And even that there are injuries..haiyo..wear shoes next time..no more slippers…best of all…me and Min Wai who dressed up as PONTIANAK and CLOWN respectively..haha..and imagine when we identified ourselves as First aider to the injured..haha…and 1 more thing to highlight..all the members are Camera Sensitive…whenever 2 person pose to take photo in less than 5 seconds you will be swarmed by many people to take photo…my oh my…such fast reaction and sensitivity..i must learn from them..haha…after this activity it’s lights out..but in medical bay…we are receiving “customers” all the time..during meal times…after bath is the most..as most of them seek for new dressings…there is 1 “loyal” customer though..a certain guy from Alor Star…alwiz look for Min Wai…kaka…after attending to all of them, finally we are able to rest and get ready for the next day…

Sunshine (20.12.08)

A new day..a new beginning..the weather is ver very nice..clear blue skies…can even see the moon..and it’s also windy..Just like the nice breeze at the seaside..makes me feel like in Hawaii..haha…1st up is the activities la…it’s like station games..this time is at a field behind the girl’s dorm..one thing i don’t understand…where do they get all the energy to play all the activities????it as though they are not tired..even after yesterday’s night jumping, running, dancing, camera spotting…fuh…and of course once out “station” is opened, naturally customers is coming like bee looking for honey..haha..may it’s the fact that in the Medical group only have 2 guys and the rest of them are girls..haha..but nothing serious though…just cuts, grazes…still can handle…after lunch time they have a workshop..and guess who did they invite? i don’t know his name..but he is the host for the Chinese version of “Deal or No Deal’ from NTV 7..he really gave us a nice talk and shared his personal stories..learned some useful tips too…and since today is the final night, there will be a campfire..and it’s again totally different…there is 988 DJ…and performance by the committees to entertain the members…the theme is somewhat like red carpet…some of the committees will impersonate famous Chinese singers. There are SHE, Jackie Wu, Andy Lau, Jay Chou (the most similar with his slang speech and head looking down)..too bad Rain is not there..haha…even the setup is so pro in a way that there is a walkway for the artist to walk in and lighted like it’s really in a award ceremony….some of the committee performed the Indian Dance and it is SUPERB…really really awesome…it’ like they are the real indian dancers…Besides that, there were also performance (dance) from NSQ Melaka and NSQ Muar..They are just like dance instructors..very nice dance routine and songs used. NSQ Muar even put up a hip-hop dance and this really got the crowd wild…after performance is over…it’s clubbing time..all of the memebers and committees continued on with dance and the atmosphere is like i a club..not like camping at all..wonder if we can have this kind of camp in St. John..haha..i must be dreaming…

Sayonara (21.12.08)

Final day of the camp..again the morning weather is just like yesterday’s..nice and sunny..and they are having activities again..oh no…more customers ordi…haha…and this activity is also like station games..only each station is named after the cities in Malaysia..quiet innovative…another point learned..kaka…this time really have big case…2 casualty, sprained ankle and another is cramp at the thigh.age between 16-21 yrs old. No.4 call for the ambulance…haha…pity them to get injured on the final day. The one with the sprained ankle is a bit serious la..difficult to walk without assistance..after the activities were over, it’s makan time…and after that is the closing ceremony..after the closing, all the committees spoke out their feelings and of course there were lots of tears…such pressure to organize the camp and such a relieve it is over and successfully done…and i forgot to mention..there is a notice board where every1 can put their message to say their gratitude or words of encouragement on it..very nice…after 3 days 2 nights, it’s tome to say goodbye..every1 took the opportunity to exchange contacts and take group photos..we also did not miss out the chance to take our group photos..haha…and so with a tired body but a happy spirit we depart from the campsite and head on home to Seremban..this is a camp that we will definitely not forget and hopefully we are able to join it again next year…

Venue: Templer’s Park National Service Camp, Rawang, Selangor.

Date: 10th - 16th December 2008Finally…..the camp was over a couple of days ago. Members came back with scratches all over their body,wet clothes(for boys) and tired looking face but it was worth it because of the unforgetable experience and joy that came along. Foreign participating countries were Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Zambia. More than a thousand of campers inhibited the campsite for one week accompanied by downpour everyday!!!! It rains everyday….morning, noon, evening and even in the mid-night….not continuous but seems like taking turns. Pity those male campers because they were sleeping in the tents while girls get to sleep in comfortable dormitories.

Whenever it rains, the tents will surely be wet even if the tents are closed properly. So, some of the boys have to sleep under the canopy built not far from their tents. Actually the canopy is for opening and closing ceremony meant for officers to sit.

DAY 1:

I only get to know that this camp was at national service camp when i arrived at the front gate of the campsite. At first, i thought it was in a recreation park somehow like Ulu Bendul. We left HQ aroung 8.10am and arrived at the campsite around 10am. Every buses from every state will stop on the parade square. Members then will line up while their accompanying officers do the registration at the counter. The weather seems juzt nice…sunny and warm. I pray in my heart that for the following days in camp, there wont be any rain. So unfortunate, It started to rain soon after all campers setteled themselves down in their tents, and dormitories!!!The first downpour was very heavy though. It was suppose to be grouping and flag making session but it has to be posponed due to the rain. Can you imagine around 1 thousand campers went under 3 or 4 big canopy. So congested and hot. I was kinna in da middle of the canopy and few of my members had to use fan all the way til the rain stops.Fuhh…..i cant tell the feeling of reliveness once i get out from the canopy after the rain. then, the grouping and flagmaking only lasted for 1 hour due to time constrain. There were 5 villages of different colours (Orange, Red, Green, Purple and Yellow). Each village were further divided into 5 more groups. That meand , we have a total of 25 groups.

When i was about to take the 1st biteat my chicken during dinner, my member told me that it was tasteless. I dun believe it at 1st coz its color looks so attractive and delicious….bt…..after i ate it….u noe…mmm…The night activity of the day is ice breaking. All groups were to present their group flag, cheer and slogan. This was done at the parade square. Bt it was difficult to focus because the visibility was poor due to lack of lighting in the area.

DAY 2:

I woke up at 5 sumtin….stil feel like im a camper. I saw all other officers were stil sleeping. Only one or two officers and members woke up. 2 cadet members from Hong Kong also still sleeping soundly. Haha…it has been long time since the last time i felt like this , i mean taking bath so early with cold water. The last time was 5 years ago when i was in the national service. Later on, i joined all campers in the morning exercise bt i was a bit late i guess as all of them were doing body stretching when i got there. After breakfast, we had an rehearsal for opening ceremony. Not long after the rehearsal, Selangor State Sergent Major ordered all of us to change into full uniform..Around 11am, all of us gathered in our full uniform and did the rehearsal then waited for VIPs. It was so hot!!!and we had to stand under the sun for around 45 minutes…There is where i begun to get sunburn. Finally, the activities were started. The activities were jungle tracking, high rope+flying fox, canoeing, obstacles course and wing chun( must watch Ip Man in cinema). That time was raining also, so the activities also got affected a little bit. Later in the night after dinner, we continued with ice breaking and followed by some games. It was done in the canteen due to some complaint of poor visibility in the parade square. There goes another day in camp. After  raining, our boy’s tents are wet and some ned to sleep on the chairs under the canopy. Cant help it coz the rain was too heavy.

DAY 3:

The same routine like the previous day……after breakfast, continue with the activities but each village will change stations to a different game. The same goes to after lunch……After dinner, every group has to do their peformance…such as dance, singing, etc..some of the groups reli attracted all our attention with some awsome and creative peformance…

DAY 4:

I will just skip to the night activity after dinner coz it was the same as previos 2 days in the morining and noon. This night, all state will present their cultural peformance because it is the Local Cultural Peformance night. NS presented the campers with tarian Endang and an Indian Dance. I was very satisfied with their pehormance.Good Job Done!!!Cheers!!!Ther whole night was filled with cheers and clapping……All campers were so High….dancing around and making noice…Wow.

DAY 5:

2day was an outing day…We are going to visit the National Review at Dataran Merdeka. It feels so VIP coz our 25 buses on the road were escorted by traffic police all the way from campsite to dataran merdeka. It might be an experience of a lifetime. I was wearing my ceremonial uniform and feels great. I met my friends from Wilayah, Jimmy. Havent seen him since the advance 1st aid course in 2007. When i arrive there, the platoons were already in Barisan waiting for VIP. Hwa Chuan and i just took a walk around the parade and managed to snap some photos. It was my first time to attend such event…a grand one.All officers were wearing their smart ceremonial uniform and some with so many medals on it…feels so heavy to look at it. After the whole parade was over, NS National Review contingent and officers went for a photo frenzy….all took photos like mad…My members cant recognize me from far…coz im so dark already after opening ceremony the previous day.OMG!!! The following activity was city tour. Originally, my group were to visit Time Square, KLCC, Istana Negara, KL Tower and National Monument. Bt in the end, we only managed to go KLCC, Times Square and KL Tower. Due to all the waiting and waiting for other campers from other groups…time were wasted. So, we have to go back to campsite and reached around 5 something in the evening. It was the campfire night………apart from dancing and lighting of campfire, the organizing team prepared a surprise for all campers…FIREWORKS. We were so excited when the fireworks was started. Continuous dancing and chatting til midnight….and soon…all went silent again

DAY 6:

Today, there was First Aid Competition among countries. Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka participated in this event. Some members just wander around the campsite while some exchange souvenirs with foreign members.The competition was based on long case. 2 casualties, one with open fracture on his right tibia and bleeding profusely from right hand’s artery while another boy was bleeding from his forehead. I was not paying attention to the competition because im wadering around..The winner for the competition was HongKong followed by Singapore and New Zealand. The challenge trophy was resented to hongkong by Comander in Chief, Dato’ Dr Low Bin Tick during closing ceremony. We wont miss a chance to take photos after the closing ceremony since everyone is are in their uniform. The final night was gathering night….can be considered as costume night.Again, all campers just enjoy themselves throughout the night….There was downpour around 11 something at night. Some campers just dont bother about the rain and continued dancing…there was no lights off on the night and campers can chat throughout the night…i cant stand it and went to sleep..zzzz……

DAY 7:

I slept til 7.30am because there was no need to wake up so early…then proceed to breakfast and pack all my things. Foreign campers starting to come into my dormitory and exahange souvenirs with officers. CAnt believe one week passed so fast, like in a blink of an eye….while i was on my way to the parade square with my largage, i saw members crying, with obvious reason.Our contingent left the campsite at 12.10pm heading back to Seremban….All members were so tired and slept in the bus….

I’ve waited for 8 years to go ICC. I missed this chance in 2000 when Malaysia hosted it at Kuala Woh, Perak. It was quite fun after all because i went jungle tracking and Flying Fox. Luckily all members were discipline and did not give any trouble to accompanying officers and organizers. Congratzzz to SJAM Selangor for successfully organized this camp…

well well..it’s been quiet some time since i have written something here..haha…so today i would like to report on the National Review 2008 which was held at Dataran Merdeka on the 14th Dec 2008. This was organized by National HQ in conjunction with SJAM 100th Years Anniversary and it’s the last programme after the Mass CPR, climbing of Mount Kinabalu and ICC 2008. As all these events required training and coordination in the march past, members from SPI, STAN and STAD have sacrificed their weekends for the whole of November to attend training and i must say a big thank you for all the dedications and hard work put up. Gua SALUTE sama lu…

After the trainings, we departed Seremban on 12th Dec 08 @ 8.00am to Pusat Latihan Polis (PULAPOL) in KL. We are to stay and train in PULAPOL from 12th-13th Dec for the National Review.1st day in PULAPOL and we are to start the rehearsal after lunch time. Luckily for us, the the weather wasn’t that hot and i must the rehearsal went on smoothly even though there were 15 contingents from all over Malaysia participating in it. During the night, we had our first briefing. There were pointers on the mistakes done and also what is the correct ways for the Review thought and discussed. And since PULAPOL is quiet near to KLCC, come night time we have a beautiful view of the tallest building in Malaysia. After all the briefing is done, it’s tome to go back to our dorms and get a good night sleep. Although some wanna go “yam cha” first before calling it a day. And we were supposed to wake up at 6.00am the next day for the rehearsal @ Dataran Merdeka…….

Rise and Shine on 13th Dec 2008…of course the 1st thing to do was to brush our teeth and some would prefer to bath as well…and then off we go for our breakfast and after that we are to depart from PULAPOL to Dataran Merdeka for the rehearsal… The weather is just nice without much sun and lots of clouds. And this is where we get a feel of the actual place for the Review to be carried out..and since our Contingent is at the most front row, the pressure is on to put up a good show and i am feeling the heat already although i did not show it out. All the while i was thinking what would happen if i gave the wrong command or my timing is not the same as all the other members as i have got the feedback that i marched too quick. furthermore, the top guns from National HQ was also present to see the rehearsal.. Even our Commander-in-Chief is there…Damn…but it all turn out to be good and all our training in Nov is not wasted. It is not the best but we did a good job and there is still some improvement to be made. After the rehearsal, the contingent commanders were told that the rehearsal was a success and there is no need of a further rehearsal in the afternoon. Man, i was happy about that and i thought we can go to KLCC as there is plenty of time….And so all of us were happy and excited that we were given the time off for the rest of the day…Only to be disappointed later during lunch time. National Sergeant Major came into the dining hall and announced that there will indeed ne a rehearsal @ 3pm and dataran Kawat. The moment i heard this i was thinking “Shit man…there goes my free time”…I look at KLCC and said to myself..So near, yet so far…And so it does we have to go for the rehearsal. Around 15mins into it, the heavens opened up and it started to rain like cats ang dogs. While we took shelter, all of the contingents were in joyous mood and there were laughter and cheers all along until the rains stops..Now that is St. John Spirit…After that, it’s dinner time and the last briefing for the night before the big day. I have also gather all the participants and motivate them a bit..haha…When we get back to our dorm, i noticed all the other contingents are still practicing foot drill..But i would choose to skip it and give all of them a rest. After all, NS style is they will perform the BESt when the actual event comes…haha…sounds so arrogant huh…haha..but it’s important not to tax them further and let them enjoy a bit. And it will not be complete without teh ais and burger bungkus which can be bought from the stalls downstairs…haha..

Finally…the D-day…14th Dec 2008…All of us woke up @ 6am…took our breakfast…be in full uniform and depart to PULAPOL @ 7am..when we arrived there the atmosphere is fresh and nice as it has rained the other day. And it’s glad to meet Yun Jin, Hwa Chuan, Gary and Mdm. Teoh waiting for us at the venue. Without further delays, all the contingents fall in as the ceremony is about to start. I gave all of them my last word and told them to perform the best as today is the day we all have been waiting and trained for all this while… As we took our position on the field and waited for the arrival of all the VIP’s, the sun started to shine upon us….And i was also surprised that the ICC campers were escorted by police to the venue..It’s just like in a movie…hahaha…Once the ceremony kicked off, i was feeling a bit of pressure, and added the fact that Mdm. Wong sat right in front of our contingent..As or Commander-in-Chief gave his speech, i don’t know why but i felt that my tears were about to roll down and i have a hard time to try to contain my feelings…Luckily, i am successful..haha..Perhaps it was because i was touched by his speech and i am part of this grand event…The biggest challenge is coming up and it’s time for the march past. Although there were some minor mistiming at the start, the members have re tune and all of us marched our best. After “Keluar Baris” i was told that we marched nicely from Mdm. Wong and Hwa Chuan and this is really a relief for me..Thanks for the compliments and i must say a big Thank You to all our the members. Credit does not only goes to me but to all of you as we are a team and without teamwork we would not be able to put up a good show!!!!…. Negeri 九 (nine) is the BEST!!!! We even to meet up with the ICC members after the review..haha…talk about family reunion… After that, we couldn’t miss the chance to walk around KL since we are here already..Our next stop is Times Square for lunch and on the way we were able to get a close up of KLCC…and talk about fate…We were again united with the ICC campers as they are on a city tour and they happen to stop at Times Square too…I even managed to meet Mr.Alfred from Sabah who attended the OTC in Ipoh with me back in 2004…haha..After lunch, we departed back to Seremban at around 12.15pm and reached back to State HQ around 1.45pm…Well,all good things must come to an end and i can say that it is a memorable experience for all of us to be in the Review and we are indeed proud to be celebrating SJAM 100th Year anniversary during our lifetime and for this to be repeated, we will have to wait for another 100 years to come…Last but not least, i would like to say a a big thank you again to all the members who are part of the contingent and all the Area & State officers for all the support given.. I would not have made it without the support from all of you and i would not be able to lead all of our members without the encouragement and support from all of you! Arigato Gozaimas!!!!

Participants and organizing committee

Venue: SJAMNS headquaters

Date: 15th, 16th, 22nd & 23rd November 2008 

Time: 8am - 5pm

After sometime, home nursing course is back breed more nursing certificate holders with potentials. Under the roof of newly renovated state headquaters, the condition and environment for this kind of course was just perfect.

Organized by  Area Staff Officer (Training II), Miss Sia Pei Shan together with committee members from 10th Seremban Combined Division, and conducted by Sister Teo, Area Nursing Officer, this is just another successful course which managed to get participation from First Seremban Combined Cadet Division and First Seremban Nursing Cadet Division.

Washing Hair

 

 

Ok guys and gals..i am not good in art..so bear with me..this is the tentative design for the campers t-shirt for ICC 2008. it is red in color and have 2 stripes running down the left side of the shirt. At the chest level will be the word “N9″ which stands for Negeri Sembilan. As for the back it will have the coat of arms and “International cadet camp 2008″. There will also be 2 yellow stripes on both the sleeves. it will be at the center. I chose red, yellow and black as it is the color of our State flag. too bad can’t use the 100yrs celebration logo though. Anyways, do gove your comments. Thanks.