Unit Promoted

With rank, comes responsibilities.

8 months on

Jojo, I really miss you...

Idleness

I hate idleness. And I have been feeling it now and then throughout the multitude of courses I have been doing as part of my training for the past 3 months; more so towards the end. Maybe it's because of a lack of practical training? Maybe there has just been too many courses all along? Whatever the reason, it is depressing. And not to mention, degrading. There is nothing worse than to wander and be idle because it is from this that trouble brews. Randomness. Wandering thoughts. Meaninglessness. There is a phrase from a game I used to play which sums it all up: "Heresy grows from idleness."

I have my direction, motivation and passion. I know what to aim for, what to work for. But this idleness is in the way and eroding the very path which I am taking now. I pray Station life will be nowhere similar.

I hate idleness. Go away.

The ball is now rolling

It has been some time. I watched Inception last week and what a fully worth 2-and-a-half hours that was. A story with a simple plot but it's how the plot is done which is interesting. Smartly done and complex but not to the point which leaves you saying 'huh?' at the end of the movie. Dreams within dreams within dreams... Confused? Go watch it.

Besides that, I have finally got myself employed. My back-up plan did not fail! YEEHA. Initially, I was more relieved rather than happy but towards the day of signing the Letter of Appointment, it was definitely happiness instead. Finally, I can settle down and move on in life. I've been on the job for 3 days already and am enjoying it. It is physically very demanding and I foresee many challenges ahead, some which I must figure out how to overcome.

No longer can I stay up as late as before, especially with my kind of work now. I will also soon have to leave my enrichment centre - a place filled with colourful memories from last year up till now. I will miss the people (and some of the kids) and my past months there.

The ball has started rolling. It is time to look forward. Look forward, but also do not forget the road that I have taken this far in life.

Closure

2 weeks ago, after submitting my final medical report, I received news the following day regarding my job application status. Unsuccessful. I was utterly shocked and disappointed. Who wouldn't, after waiting patiently for over a year, paying for medical reports and tests which amounted to almost $200 and having high hopes all the while.

Last year around March, I applied to Singapore Airlines as a Cadet Pilot. I got through the 1st and 2nd round interviews and the medical after that. What came after was a long wait due to the age limit for entry into the course. Patiently, I waited for one whole year keeping myself busy with my enrichment centre job and a whole lot of other things to close the gap between me and my dream. But alas, it was not meant to be. I was rejected due to undisclosed reasons. I appealed throwing every credible piece of information to convince them to reconsider. Another 2 weeks later, I received a reply saying that my appeal had been unsuccessful. Sigh.

I will skip all the details within - it is hard for someone not in my shoes to fully understand the true disappointment and sadness I felt. I am past that stage and there is no point crying over spilt milk, if there was even any to begin with. This episode of my life so far has taught me much; maybe some lessons were learnt painfully. No one said life would be fair. Even Brazil can lose at the World Cup. My mum told me that when God leads the way, there are no obstacles. Maybe this job was not meant for me in the first place. Now that I have some closure, I can finally move on :D

On the bright side, I have reflected on the positive side of not getting the job. Many I have found, and I feel somewhat... convinced now, if that is the right word to use. Maybe it is all a blessing in disguise. Anyway, a whole world of opportunities now awaits!

To Shaun, pilot-to-be, all the way in Ground School and the rest of the course!

To Umar, keep the faith, your call up is coming soon man!

~ Carpe diem ~

NUS Lifesaving Invitationals 2010

Yesterday, was the NUS Lifesaving Invitationals. What an awesome day it was - sunny all day and with nice cold water from the previous night's showers. It was a day filled with sportsmanship, nervousness, mind-over-matter, encouragement, team spirit, adrenaline, Milo peng shiokness, DQ's, mistakes learnt, joy, fighting spirit, never-letting-go and towards the end, satisfaction and tiredness, among many other things.

I did not win any medals, but I won something more valuable instead: Defeat of my inner self and a wholesome experience. I shaved off a whopping 10 seconds from my 100m manikin carry w/ fins event and 8 seconds from my 100m manikin tow w/ fins events. YEEHA. The relay and rope throw events were good experience as well. I just soaked in the atmosphere yesterday: the tension before every event, the look on each person's face before their event, while on the starting blocks, and after the events, the shagness clearly evident from that 200m Super Lifesaver or Rescue Medley. A showcase of pure determination, all-the-way attitude and enduring-till-the-end mentality.

At the end of the day, prizes were given out and champions named amid jubilation. But most importantly, how we stood till the end as a team and how every one of us conquered that inner self of ours.

Da ULC Family. HOO-AH!!!

"Victory isn't defined by wins or losses. It is defined by effort. If you can truthfully say, 'I did the best I could, I gave everything I had,' then you're a winner."

- Wolfgang Schadler

The Calm Before The Storm