[T]eachings
"A fierce lion is never nice enough to be tamed, a spring wil absorb all and return all in a single shot."
"The greatest enemy is oneself. The highest order of class of sword and way of handling is being selfless."
"To keep forgiving oneself, finding excuses for oneself is the most undesirable sin to yourself."
"Blade is just an instrument, the spirit of the blade lies in your skills and principles."
"Intense anger and sadness are double-edged swords, however it's up to the individual on how one weild it."
Writer : Xiaofeixia
Age : Since 1988
Aspire : Aeroengineer/Researcher
[T]rAiLs LeFt By..
[W]arriors..
Jake Yi Herrick Shan Sheng Yang Cheng Han Elizabeth Prawn Vonn Jocelyn Slayerz Angelina
[S]hrines
Tears Anger Coded Google mail Movies Frenster Blogger Quotes Photos Search Dog Chinese Downloads Singtel SMS Chinese English Dictionary Altavista Translation
[A]rchives
December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010 May 2010
[G]oodies
Technicalalities, Physics, Science, Designing, Architecture, Computer, Sendimental songs, Stoning, Chionging work, Repairing, Pooling
[E]nemies
Irresponisble people, Lip service, Assholes, Humanities, Slackers, Dominators, Heartbreaking, Idiots, ASBS+ACBC people
[S]crolls
"Hope is the worst of evils for it prolongs the torment of man."
-Nietzsche
"He who has enough why can bear almost any how."
-Frederich N.
"Life must be lived as play, playing certain games, singing and dancing"
-Plato
"Some are born great while some has greatness trust upon them"
-President Roosevelt
"Kind words can be short but their echoes are endless"
-Mother Teresa
"The fool wonders, the wise asks"
-Benjamin Disraeli
"Many times we find ourselves lost, but how many times do we actually find ourselves avoiding the obvious solution?"
"Everyone's destiny is not revealed to him or her till the very last minute, why not we craft our own destiny?"
"Prophecy is just a prediction of what you may have in future, but it is more of a guideline anyway."
"You fight, and you say you make sacrifices for others. However, do you really understand the true meaning of sacrifice?"
"Unless it is a high chance of success, if not don't even try doing it. You may be suffering for it in the worst way."
"The legacy is not how many you have killed, but the legacy lies in how much have you accomplished benefitting others around you."
"You may be harmed by others, but do take pity on those who inflict harm on you. It is because they are lonely and ignorant."
"You ask for trouble, and when trouble did come to you, or results not to your liking, just accept it. Because you ask for it, it's yours."
"Somethings are better to be said than done. However, how many times have we acted on our own accord without considering those around us?"
"Things are not the way they seem. You must look beyond and interprete the meaning behind the thing that you see, not by mere appearance"
"If you are called to clear up the shit left behind by others, do not curse and swear. Be positive. At least you learn how to clear up mess, while the others do not know"
"Masking yourself is a thing to do when you are confused, but not when you are trying to hide something"
"What's yours is yours, do not deny its existence."
"You persevere, you stayed without other's knowledge and you labour for them. How many actually came and repay you?"
"We always have a choice, we're made of the choices we chose and we can always choose to make the right choice"
-Spiderman 3
"Life is full of choices. Either you get to choose or you get chosen"
"Compliments boosts people, criticsms pushes people off edges. Why not encourage and give compliments?"
Friday, July 29, 2005
'Camp @ Raffles Marina; Natural Leader vs Trained Leader'
Heyo guys.. Me back again.. Aft a long dissapearing act 4 1 wk.. Miss my entry?[ppl shake head?] Juz came back frm adventure training camp.. Wa.. Adventure sia? But guys.. Let me tell u tt it's nth lorz.. But it's nt lame nor fun.. But pretty ok 4 a standard adventure training camp but more tilted 2wards da fun holiday camp.. But it is oso lik a leadership camp, but nt dos kind I attended de.. But den again, dis camp at least gd la.. Making me 2 tak a COMPULSORY break frm my studies.. Hee.. Here I go 4 da listing 4 da camp..
Day 1 (25/7):
I arrived in sch wif lots of things n bags.. In fact only 1 large bag, 1 medium bag, 1 slp-ing bag n shoe bag.. Haha.. In total gt 4 bags! So I brought many bags! [lame!] Den we assembled at da bball court 4 som briefing.. Den aft tt, we sit dere til abt 9 wen i actually reported @ 0700 as it requested 0715.. Den off we go 2 Raffles Marina.. Wen we reach dere, we wer lik pretty harpy.. Den we wer very enthu abt dis n tt.. We den went 2 pitch our tents.. It's kind of assembling kind.. No challenge lorz.. Som more it's so damn hot n stuffy.. Our group of boys were given 2 tents.. Both r 6-men tent.. So I was in charge of da 5 men grp including me la.. Den we quickly assembled our tents 4 a place 2 slp in n put our things.. Aft tt, we went 2 haf our lunch.. Aft lunch we went to do archery.. Here I did sth pretty wrong.. Here it goes..
Before we go 4 archery, we wer briefed on how to do archery.. N all da safety rules 2 follow.. Den we wer told tt each bow's glass fibre cost 200 bucks.. Den it's damn costly if we break dos glass fibre.. Yea.. 200 bucks.. No small amt hor.. Den we proceed 2 do our archery.. I as usual make myself as da last archer.. We wer given 3 chances to shoot our arrows.. Den first time, I went up n shot all 3, all wer out of range, nt even any where near da target board.. Den dey say it was a practice round, den second round is up..
Dis time is 4 compeition wif another grp.. Den I was lik stoning dere la.. Den all other grp members tried their best, but only 1 managed 2 get it near bull's eye.. Den it was Jake's n my turn to b archers.. Den we both shoot our arrows, den we all hit same place la.. Out of da target board.. Den second arrow was asked to b fired.. Others fired liao.. All went smoothly.. Den I was stil pulling da bow.. I also dunno where da hell did I find tt much strength, da bow juz SNAP at my ear.. I was stunned.. Da arrow din fly out but I was damn scared.. Cos I actually broke a bow.. God! Den I passed back da bow to da trainers.. In fact wen I broke da bow, da ppl dere all 'ahh' at da sam time.. Dey juz cldn't believe tt sb actually broke a bow.. But anw, I was too distracted 2 shoot well, so I picked up another bow n shoot.. I gt it nearer to da target board, Jake gt it on da blue 1..
Wen came 2 da third arrow, I juz aim n pulled da bow.. Shoot it n I gt it on da blue 1.. Den Jake I oso dunno wad happen, his arrow went hey-wire.. Din hit da target board, but we stil lose 2 the other grp la.. But nvm, we stil gt da third round of shooting ballons down.. But lots of ballons wer destroyed n burst due 2 carelessness.. So we wer left wif 4 balloons 2 shoot la.. D other grp is wif 5 balloons 2 shoot la..
Den we nid 2 tak up 10 arrows wif only 10 archers wif only 1 chance to shoot.. Den again, I was da last archer n trust me tt feeling is nv nice.. So my team went up 1 by 1.. Den shoot down 3 other ballons, den only left me da last archer 2 shoot down da last ballon.. Whoosh.. Tt feeling is so pressurised.. Cos it's da last, it's damn crucial.. All team's hope r pinned on u.. But nonetheless, I tried my best 2 concentrate n aimed.. Den off da arrow go, den 'pop'.. Ballon is shot, den screams frm my team mates went all da way up.. Gosh I feel so glorified.. But den in da end we stil lost cos we alr lose 2 da team by 1 ballon cos we wer 1 short.. But nvm la.. We stil gain quite a bit of experience.. Haha..
Den we went rafting.. It was a rather stupid thing 2 do I feel la.. But anw, by team work, we manage to finish.. Den dis is da place where da ugly side of me show up.. I actually command ppl 2 do dis n tt.. den I had oso failed to coax my men in2 doin things wif enthusiasim.. I mean I actually hollered at ppl to follow da instructions.. I was so guilty tt I actually wished to say sry 2 dem for hollering at dem.. But I juz dun dare 2 say..Den follow by night activity which is da Animal Call..
In dis game, we were all blindfolded.. My grp was assigned to b donkey.. So yea.. Went "hee-haw.. hee-haw" all da way 2 find our grp members as we were all scattered all over.. Feeling damn stupid.. But anw, it was ok la.. Cos the objective of the game is to make us realise the importance of communication among a team.. Be it leaders among leaders or leader to his/ her men or even communication among the team members itself.. Den dis make me realise tt comunication is so impt among a team.. In fact dis importance is further stressed on day 4..
Den aft dis game, we went to wash up.. They actually gave 1 hr 2 bath.. Muahaha.. So much time to bath.. Den gt 1 guy took damn long to bath la.. Tink took abt 30 min.. Nv noe y he tak so long.. Den we went 2 haf our reflection timing.. We juz expressed wad had actually happened to our trainer.. Our trainer din say much, but encouraged us 2 push on as dis is only da first day.. Den we had our supper, den we went 2 slp..
Day 2 (26/7):
It started 2 drizzle at 3 in da morning.. I noe cos I was slp-ing outside.. Cos more cooler.. Den I went back 2 tent n inform others tt it was raining.. Den we started to battle da leakage we wer facing.. We fought 4 1 hr den aft we abandon da tent cos it started 2 flood.. We went 2 slp in da carpark.. Den other guys den streamed in2 da car park 1 by 1.. I den went back 2 check on our tent.. Gosh, tents wer all moving ard, som wer even flying.. Dun b-lif rite? But it rrly flies.. Our tent had collapsed but din fly cos we put our things in da middle of da tent.. I den went bac 2 ask Jake 2 help me in rescuing our bag n placing tent bac to upright position..
We tried to upright da tent but was unsucessful aft a few attempts, so I decide to open up da tent n rescue all da bags n put them in da Command Post. Our bags wer all drenched, but we water-proofed all our belongings, so da contents inside wer safe.. But everybody wer at low spirits.. Da boys wer more badly hit cos all da boys left their belongings in da tents, but da gals all shifted to da Command Post b4 gg 2 other places n slp.. But wen morning is up,we went on rotting wif da wet weather programs.. Den wen it stopped raining, we had our outdoor cooking..
B4 we haf our outdoor cooking we follow a wet weather program designed by the organisation.. We prepare our campfire nite show.. Den da guys were all sian half den juz play along as a follower, n din rrly participate it.. Den we played Cha-red or sth lik tt.. Den tt's da tim wen we c so many funny actions frm our grp.. All sorts funny actions were displayed.. Haha.. Both grp had expressed gr8 sense of enthusiasim in tryin to decipher wada hell r we tryin to tok abt thru our actions.. Haha.. Den our trainer went M.I.A., den our grp a bit unhappy.. Wen she appear, we dunno if it's happy or nt.. But we juz follow her lorz..
We went to Commad Post n tak da things 4 outdoor cooking.. We were provided eggs, seasonings, potatoes, rice.. No instant noodles.. Den we went 2 do outdoor cooking.. Den we were further bein provided wif slices of chicken, den my grp barbequed it.. I now teach ya how 2 barbeque it.. Wrap the chicken in oil smeared aluminium foil.. Den let it burn over da fire.. heat it approximately 4 abt 5-7 mins.. Den tak it out.. Wrap it wif another layer of oil-smeared aluminium foil, n heat it again 4 another 5-7 mins.. Den hey hey, u gt ur BBQ chicken.. Try it, it's damn nice.. Den aft tt, we went back to the base camp again.
At base camp, we ppl complained tt we r hungry cos juz now din eat much cos we din get much time n chance 2 cook cos we wasted a long time in starting da fire.. Nt many grps r able 2 cook due to lack of fire.. Count my grp 2 b lucky 2 b able to cook n barbeque a chicken slice.. At da base camp, we re-construct da fallen tents.. Den we mak our tents 2 b ready, den we put our things inside.. Den wen night came, sth unpleasant hapened. We were all being re-organised in our tents.. Den we gt seperated.. Damn unhappy abt it.. Wad makes me even more unhappy, is da thing tt da instructor say 2 da guys.. Cos we were damn tired due 2 lack of slp, we wer moving quite slowly..
He said "I was being called a maggot by my encik, my seargent. I'm very sure I'm beta den anyone of u combined here.. I dunno wad happen 2 all of u if u all go in2 army lik tt.. U all will nv freak out until u hear tt 2 letters.. N S.."
Den he stared at us.. Manz.. NS only wad.. Wad's dere 2 b freaked abt? If u r being called a maggot, n wad wld us b called. Let me tell ya, we wil b at least a hse-fly.. A beta evolution den urs.. Den any way we went bac 2 slp, so as to get ready 4 da nex day..
Day 3 (27/7):
Da first activity was belayin n rock climbing.. I was climbing da rock wall while Mart belay me.. Actually I had requested tt Johnny hu's abt my sam weight to belay me, da trainer said 'NO'.. N it proves 2 b a disastrous mistake.. I lose my grip, n I went falling.. N mart flew up abt da sam level where I can almost see eye 2 eye.. But luckily other ppl were holding on 2 him, if nt he will rrly go flying.. feel damn embarrassed lorz.. Piangz.. Den we went 2 haf our lunch.. Aft lunch, we went to rock climbing again..
Dis time, I belayed 2 ppl.. Both r pretty heavy weights.. Den wen it's my turn 2 climb, I no strength.. Aft a few attempts, I rrly cun tak it, den I asked 2 b lowered down.. Den retard guy Alan tried 2 climb again.. He failed of cos.. Wen he tried 2 fall, I ask him nt 2.. Nt cos I wanna him 2 climb on n encourage him, but juz let him hang in dere.. Making a fool of himself.. But in da end, juz let him down la.. While up dere, I directed him here n dere.. Den a trainer was standing dere n den commented 'a gd leader is here'. I rrly dunno wad 2 say.. An act only ma.. Haiz.. Dunno if it's right of me 2 do tt lorz..
However, in dis rock climbing lots of things haf surfaced. Leadership qualities among our grp is all shown, n true colors of our team spirit is shown. It's sort of preety gd.. So lots of things r gained frm dis event.. Den same thing happen again lorz.. Went 2 slp.. But b4 gg 2 slp, we planned 4 our land expedition.. everything seemed 2 b perfectly fine.. Den we went 2 slp.. Cos we gt a sea n land expedition combined 2gether.. Gonna b tiring, so we slept early..
Day 4 (28/7):
This is da day of 2 expedition of land n sea.. We went 2 sea expedition first den go for land expedition. So let's tok abt da sea expedition first..
Sea Expedition:
We went kayaking.. Den we went to carry all da equipments we nid 4 kayaking.. We went for bouyancy test first.. We wore da bouyancy vests b4 entering da water.. Den aft we wade in2 abt knee-deep water.. Den we asked to sit down.. Den eveybody passed da test, den we proceed wif kayaking.. We practise kayaking 4 a while den we started our expedition.. We kayaked til lik 2 da second link, den we stopped.. Den we com back.. We had a little race, den it was lik a tie la.. B4 gg bac, we wer asked 2 do a few things.. Da guys wer asked 2 stand at da rough choppy sea inside our kayak.. Den count 2 20 den sit down 1 by 1.. Den follow by da gals singing ABC song, den oso sit down 1 by 1..
Toking abt standing on da kayak, it relates 2 tt retard guy again.. He was damn afraid.. While standing up, his legs kip shaking, n den oso closing his eyes.. Dotz.. He had always boasted how unafraid he is.. But c wad happens? A bit of contradictory rite? In fact wad I feel is a direct 100% contradictory.. In fact hor, wad's dere to b afraid abt? Juz stand, n hold tight.. Nth 2 b afraid wad.. Gt vest wad.. Rrly dunno lorz.. Den we rowed back la.. Haha..
Land Expedition:
Our destination was Jurong Point. Our starting off is at Raffles Marina itself.. Den everything went smoothly til da return journey.. Cos we made a serious mistake.. Let me toked abt it..
When we reached Jurong Point, we examined da map again.. I examined da map with another leader cos our grp gt 2 expedition leaders.. Den we found out a rd which is Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim or sth lik tt.. We walked along den we calculated tt, da tim we nid is juz rite.. But den we din expected tt we cannot cross a roundabout.. So we bo bian had 2 go thru da Industrial Gul Circle.. den we had extended da amt or length of road we tak.. While gg thru, lots of us had 2 overcome our fatigue n cont 2 walk on..
On da way back, our morale was low.. Everybody all feel lik giving up.. As a leader behind,I tried n encouraged dem on.. Cheer dem on, n push dem on.. Everybody were on da verge of collapsing, esp da gals wer very tired.. I held on their hands n support dem.. Cos it's a way of me showing encouragement 2 them.. No hanky panky business here.. Ppl wer beginin to fall, however I pushed them on.. I feel a bit guilty..
I juz rang out "C'mon guys! U guys had alr covered at least 40+km.. Be proud of it! U had achieved it! see it as an achievement nt a false step taken! Walk on wif pride! C'mon! Rest is juz a few steps away! C'mon ppl! C'mon!" I gues it was damn harsh on dem.. Haiz.. I mean my men r tired, none other ways r available but motivating dem by rewards is da only way.. Den we gt back 2 haf our dinner..
Den wen I gt da free time, I begin reflect on da way Ziliang led da grp.. He's hiding things frm da grp.. Wich dis I greatly oppose 2 it.. Den da way he led an expedition is lik total wrong lorz.. He led w/o a compass, wich is damn risky of gg in2 being lost.. N dis was wad rrly happen.. But haiz.. Since it's over liao, den shan't think abt it anymore.. We shld be proud tt we actually covered 30+km.. C'mon b proud of it.. Yea!
As recorded in my diary in da camp, I wrote:
Land expedition is nt so gd but nt as bad as 1 I had b4. But at least I cld c how ppl perservere on and how 2 b a gd leader. Gd leader are oso required 2 calculate risks and b confident of one's ability since you r leading.. But how 2 b confident when u r nt sure at all, n all ur men r low moralised? Haf 2 think sia..
sea expedition was fun. First time kayaking, but luckily din capsize, if nt sure lots of problems..
Legs r damn tired n aching frm yesterday's belaying n 2day's expedition. But juz enjoy it lo! Haha.."
We den had our campfire.. Actually hor.. Dis is da part I dun lik it at all lorz.. But ppl say campfire is da 1 tt ppl had always wanted to attend.. If nt, u might as well dun attend dis camp.. But den I feel tt I dun rrly lik noisy places aft all.. But enjoyed myself oso.. Haha.. I rrly dunno wad 2 say lorz.. But den da trainers made da campfire enjoyable la.. haha.. Den aft tt, we had a debrief, den went to slp..
Day 5 (29/7):
I slept til 7 in da morning.. Den pretty ok la.. We did area cleaning up.. Den did a human wording of Yishun Junior College.. Den we did it la.. Aft tt, we had som photo takin sessions.. Aft it, we went back 2 YJ.. B4 boarding da bus, we learnt a cheer in Navojo language.. A lang used by an American tribe.. Den we board da bus, b4 boarding I shook my trainer's hand n say thx 2 her. Den she said "You r a gd leader." I smiled back, n boarded da bus. On bus, we were jking n everything, n came up wif lots of crappy things such as claps for Ms tan, Mr Chung, Mr Wong.. Haha..
Den I went toking wif others in YJ til abt 1+.. Den went 2 haf lunch wif Jake at BK.. At dere we discuss sth, or in fact mostly abt da camp.. How we did it? How do u assess dis camp? Blah blah.. Den we went hm.. Here am I blogging abt da past 5 days.. Den sth juz struck me.. What is a gd leader? How do we define a gd leader? How does a gd leader lead his or her men?
Den I gt hm.. Washed up and do my usual unpacking.. Den all my clothes all gave da chlorine-lik smell.. Damn choking manz.. Cun tak it anw.. Dump all my clothes inside da washing machine den put pretty much detergent den wash it.. Den I went 2 check n reply all da mails.. Den I juz lik check myself.. Hey! I've b-com darker le! Yea! I'm more tanned.. Cos I was out in da sun almost everyday n oso my skin all kena 'burn'.. Haha..
I rrly dunno wad 2 say.. I mean I led 2 times, all critized by Jake.. Den I found out my leadership policies are direct contradictions to his.. I've checked wif my dad, den I finally noe sth.. My leadership is actually a rojak of everything.. I created a style of leadership of my own.. Perhaps tt's y my leadership policies clashes with lots of ppl.. Cos I've attended lots of leadership camps, learning different style of leaderships.. Den my main type focuses on military style cos of NCC.. Den wif som side track wif the other leadership camps such as dos I picked up in JC leadership camp n oso the ones I picked up frm sec 3 BURST Leadership camp.. Perhaps tt's y I become pretty military orientated wen com in2 leading ppl.. Cos I had always a mis conception tt my men r da cadets.. Perhaps I wil try 2 change.. But wad's a gd leader?
My dad says a gd leader muz haf a pretty good relationship. A leader muz be able to understand his or her subordinates, which in turn will be able to earn respect frm dem. A leader shld b considerate n able to read the body language of his or her men. A leader muz oso be able to pass clear instructions so as to prevent any conflicts due to unclear instructions diseminated. He or she muz oso set a gd example thru the good personality. Good personality includes honesty within the leader, fairness in leading men, n able to distinguish the right from the wrong. The leader muz oso b able to motivate his or men so as to encourage them to challenge their limit w/o dem realising it.. A leader muz nt be too emotional, emotional as in nt cryin if one of the men fell n injured, or panic wen anything happens out of a sudden.. This was wad I gt frm my dad.. Den I dunno how many had I met or rather how much had I offended.. Mayb Jake can tell? So am I still considered a gd leader?
I now wld lik 2 touch sth rather sensitive. Natural leader versus a trained leader, hu's stronger? I attended one course, they say tt dere is no such thing such as hu's a stronger leader with regards to if he or she is natural or trained. But frm my experience n exposure to the leaders' world, I think I can get som signs as 2 reply bac, n how 2 distinguish a trained 1 n a natural leader.. A trained leader tend to lack in confidence in leading his or her own men, n only com up to lead wen asked to,n oso rather techincal in leading, so if u ask me is dis gd or bad, I cldn't say anything but juz say it depends how the leader leads his or her grp.. A natural leader is very easy 2 distinguish frm the trained leaders..A natural leader wil always tend to lead or guide ppl how to lead, n take the directions wen da grp goes in2 a panicky situation or any unfavorable situation n oso wil always try n learn frm others aft each leading cos most of the tim, they lead according 2 their basic instincts..
Den I oso learn a new song frm the camp "You are my sunshine" There r 2 versions of You r my sunshine, both r listed below..
You r my sunshine,
my only sunshine.
You make me happy
when the skies are grey
you nv noe dear how much I luv u..
Pls dun tak my sunshine away.. [original]
You r my sun-sun-sun-sunshine,
my only sun-sun-sun-sunshine.
You make me ha-ha-ha-happy
when the skies are grey-grey-grey-grey-grey..
You nv noe dear how much I luv u..
Pls dun tak my sunshine away..[Remix]
There is oso another song called the Banana Song, it goes:
Peeping thru the window
wad will ppl say?
If u wan to jiak4 king2 jio3,
do da proper way..
Mit me tonite by the moonlight
Mit me tonite all alone
I haf sth 2 show u
sth tt is yelow n long
1 banana 2 banana 3 banana 4 banana
hey!
5 banana 6 banana and
many many more
I've learnt quite a lot frm dis camp.. Dis camp 2 me was a bit sian 4 me.. But there r new things tt I've learnt frm dis camp.. Things of leadership tt I nv noe, n oso letting me noe tt dere r new scenarios concerning leading your men.. Lik wad expedition had taught me well.. I wil now try n improve da things abt leadership n how to do well abt it.. Dis camp had been a pretty gd break 4 me.. A break away frm my studies.. Now is gonna mak me refreshed, n start my study expedition.. A much longer n mental taxation one.. Nex mon gt chem block test.. Argh.. How da hell am I gonna do it.. Damn stressed..
How haf U been in Ur camp? U had always been on my mind.. I heard wen it rained, som of da campers dere slpet in at least 6-inch deep of water.. I'm so worried abt Ur health.. U had always been on my mind.. But juz dunno how 2 say it 2 ya, wen I c U.. Hope tt U r fine, n had enjoyed Ur camp nt taking in consideration of the raining incident..
"Reflect on what you have done is the best way to improve oneself"
Day 1 (25/7):
I arrived in sch wif lots of things n bags.. In fact only 1 large bag, 1 medium bag, 1 slp-ing bag n shoe bag.. Haha.. In total gt 4 bags! So I brought many bags! [lame!] Den we assembled at da bball court 4 som briefing.. Den aft tt, we sit dere til abt 9 wen i actually reported @ 0700 as it requested 0715.. Den off we go 2 Raffles Marina.. Wen we reach dere, we wer lik pretty harpy.. Den we wer very enthu abt dis n tt.. We den went 2 pitch our tents.. It's kind of assembling kind.. No challenge lorz.. Som more it's so damn hot n stuffy.. Our group of boys were given 2 tents.. Both r 6-men tent.. So I was in charge of da 5 men grp including me la.. Den we quickly assembled our tents 4 a place 2 slp in n put our things.. Aft tt, we went 2 haf our lunch.. Aft lunch we went to do archery.. Here I did sth pretty wrong.. Here it goes..
Before we go 4 archery, we wer briefed on how to do archery.. N all da safety rules 2 follow.. Den we wer told tt each bow's glass fibre cost 200 bucks.. Den it's damn costly if we break dos glass fibre.. Yea.. 200 bucks.. No small amt hor.. Den we proceed 2 do our archery.. I as usual make myself as da last archer.. We wer given 3 chances to shoot our arrows.. Den first time, I went up n shot all 3, all wer out of range, nt even any where near da target board.. Den dey say it was a practice round, den second round is up..
Dis time is 4 compeition wif another grp.. Den I was lik stoning dere la.. Den all other grp members tried their best, but only 1 managed 2 get it near bull's eye.. Den it was Jake's n my turn to b archers.. Den we both shoot our arrows, den we all hit same place la.. Out of da target board.. Den second arrow was asked to b fired.. Others fired liao.. All went smoothly.. Den I was stil pulling da bow.. I also dunno where da hell did I find tt much strength, da bow juz SNAP at my ear.. I was stunned.. Da arrow din fly out but I was damn scared.. Cos I actually broke a bow.. God! Den I passed back da bow to da trainers.. In fact wen I broke da bow, da ppl dere all 'ahh' at da sam time.. Dey juz cldn't believe tt sb actually broke a bow.. But anw, I was too distracted 2 shoot well, so I picked up another bow n shoot.. I gt it nearer to da target board, Jake gt it on da blue 1..
Wen came 2 da third arrow, I juz aim n pulled da bow.. Shoot it n I gt it on da blue 1.. Den Jake I oso dunno wad happen, his arrow went hey-wire.. Din hit da target board, but we stil lose 2 the other grp la.. But nvm, we stil gt da third round of shooting ballons down.. But lots of ballons wer destroyed n burst due 2 carelessness.. So we wer left wif 4 balloons 2 shoot la.. D other grp is wif 5 balloons 2 shoot la..
Den we nid 2 tak up 10 arrows wif only 10 archers wif only 1 chance to shoot.. Den again, I was da last archer n trust me tt feeling is nv nice.. So my team went up 1 by 1.. Den shoot down 3 other ballons, den only left me da last archer 2 shoot down da last ballon.. Whoosh.. Tt feeling is so pressurised.. Cos it's da last, it's damn crucial.. All team's hope r pinned on u.. But nonetheless, I tried my best 2 concentrate n aimed.. Den off da arrow go, den 'pop'.. Ballon is shot, den screams frm my team mates went all da way up.. Gosh I feel so glorified.. But den in da end we stil lost cos we alr lose 2 da team by 1 ballon cos we wer 1 short.. But nvm la.. We stil gain quite a bit of experience.. Haha..
Den we went rafting.. It was a rather stupid thing 2 do I feel la.. But anw, by team work, we manage to finish.. Den dis is da place where da ugly side of me show up.. I actually command ppl 2 do dis n tt.. den I had oso failed to coax my men in2 doin things wif enthusiasim.. I mean I actually hollered at ppl to follow da instructions.. I was so guilty tt I actually wished to say sry 2 dem for hollering at dem.. But I juz dun dare 2 say..Den follow by night activity which is da Animal Call..
In dis game, we were all blindfolded.. My grp was assigned to b donkey.. So yea.. Went "hee-haw.. hee-haw" all da way 2 find our grp members as we were all scattered all over.. Feeling damn stupid.. But anw, it was ok la.. Cos the objective of the game is to make us realise the importance of communication among a team.. Be it leaders among leaders or leader to his/ her men or even communication among the team members itself.. Den dis make me realise tt comunication is so impt among a team.. In fact dis importance is further stressed on day 4..
Den aft dis game, we went to wash up.. They actually gave 1 hr 2 bath.. Muahaha.. So much time to bath.. Den gt 1 guy took damn long to bath la.. Tink took abt 30 min.. Nv noe y he tak so long.. Den we went 2 haf our reflection timing.. We juz expressed wad had actually happened to our trainer.. Our trainer din say much, but encouraged us 2 push on as dis is only da first day.. Den we had our supper, den we went 2 slp..
Day 2 (26/7):
It started 2 drizzle at 3 in da morning.. I noe cos I was slp-ing outside.. Cos more cooler.. Den I went back 2 tent n inform others tt it was raining.. Den we started to battle da leakage we wer facing.. We fought 4 1 hr den aft we abandon da tent cos it started 2 flood.. We went 2 slp in da carpark.. Den other guys den streamed in2 da car park 1 by 1.. I den went back 2 check on our tent.. Gosh, tents wer all moving ard, som wer even flying.. Dun b-lif rite? But it rrly flies.. Our tent had collapsed but din fly cos we put our things in da middle of da tent.. I den went bac 2 ask Jake 2 help me in rescuing our bag n placing tent bac to upright position..
We tried to upright da tent but was unsucessful aft a few attempts, so I decide to open up da tent n rescue all da bags n put them in da Command Post. Our bags wer all drenched, but we water-proofed all our belongings, so da contents inside wer safe.. But everybody wer at low spirits.. Da boys wer more badly hit cos all da boys left their belongings in da tents, but da gals all shifted to da Command Post b4 gg 2 other places n slp.. But wen morning is up,we went on rotting wif da wet weather programs.. Den wen it stopped raining, we had our outdoor cooking..
B4 we haf our outdoor cooking we follow a wet weather program designed by the organisation.. We prepare our campfire nite show.. Den da guys were all sian half den juz play along as a follower, n din rrly participate it.. Den we played Cha-red or sth lik tt.. Den tt's da tim wen we c so many funny actions frm our grp.. All sorts funny actions were displayed.. Haha.. Both grp had expressed gr8 sense of enthusiasim in tryin to decipher wada hell r we tryin to tok abt thru our actions.. Haha.. Den our trainer went M.I.A., den our grp a bit unhappy.. Wen she appear, we dunno if it's happy or nt.. But we juz follow her lorz..
We went to Commad Post n tak da things 4 outdoor cooking.. We were provided eggs, seasonings, potatoes, rice.. No instant noodles.. Den we went 2 do outdoor cooking.. Den we were further bein provided wif slices of chicken, den my grp barbequed it.. I now teach ya how 2 barbeque it.. Wrap the chicken in oil smeared aluminium foil.. Den let it burn over da fire.. heat it approximately 4 abt 5-7 mins.. Den tak it out.. Wrap it wif another layer of oil-smeared aluminium foil, n heat it again 4 another 5-7 mins.. Den hey hey, u gt ur BBQ chicken.. Try it, it's damn nice.. Den aft tt, we went back to the base camp again.
At base camp, we ppl complained tt we r hungry cos juz now din eat much cos we din get much time n chance 2 cook cos we wasted a long time in starting da fire.. Nt many grps r able 2 cook due to lack of fire.. Count my grp 2 b lucky 2 b able to cook n barbeque a chicken slice.. At da base camp, we re-construct da fallen tents.. Den we mak our tents 2 b ready, den we put our things inside.. Den wen night came, sth unpleasant hapened. We were all being re-organised in our tents.. Den we gt seperated.. Damn unhappy abt it.. Wad makes me even more unhappy, is da thing tt da instructor say 2 da guys.. Cos we were damn tired due 2 lack of slp, we wer moving quite slowly..
He said "I was being called a maggot by my encik, my seargent. I'm very sure I'm beta den anyone of u combined here.. I dunno wad happen 2 all of u if u all go in2 army lik tt.. U all will nv freak out until u hear tt 2 letters.. N S.."
Den he stared at us.. Manz.. NS only wad.. Wad's dere 2 b freaked abt? If u r being called a maggot, n wad wld us b called. Let me tell ya, we wil b at least a hse-fly.. A beta evolution den urs.. Den any way we went bac 2 slp, so as to get ready 4 da nex day..
Day 3 (27/7):
Da first activity was belayin n rock climbing.. I was climbing da rock wall while Mart belay me.. Actually I had requested tt Johnny hu's abt my sam weight to belay me, da trainer said 'NO'.. N it proves 2 b a disastrous mistake.. I lose my grip, n I went falling.. N mart flew up abt da sam level where I can almost see eye 2 eye.. But luckily other ppl were holding on 2 him, if nt he will rrly go flying.. feel damn embarrassed lorz.. Piangz.. Den we went 2 haf our lunch.. Aft lunch, we went to rock climbing again..
Dis time, I belayed 2 ppl.. Both r pretty heavy weights.. Den wen it's my turn 2 climb, I no strength.. Aft a few attempts, I rrly cun tak it, den I asked 2 b lowered down.. Den retard guy Alan tried 2 climb again.. He failed of cos.. Wen he tried 2 fall, I ask him nt 2.. Nt cos I wanna him 2 climb on n encourage him, but juz let him hang in dere.. Making a fool of himself.. But in da end, juz let him down la.. While up dere, I directed him here n dere.. Den a trainer was standing dere n den commented 'a gd leader is here'. I rrly dunno wad 2 say.. An act only ma.. Haiz.. Dunno if it's right of me 2 do tt lorz..
However, in dis rock climbing lots of things haf surfaced. Leadership qualities among our grp is all shown, n true colors of our team spirit is shown. It's sort of preety gd.. So lots of things r gained frm dis event.. Den same thing happen again lorz.. Went 2 slp.. But b4 gg 2 slp, we planned 4 our land expedition.. everything seemed 2 b perfectly fine.. Den we went 2 slp.. Cos we gt a sea n land expedition combined 2gether.. Gonna b tiring, so we slept early..
Day 4 (28/7):
This is da day of 2 expedition of land n sea.. We went 2 sea expedition first den go for land expedition. So let's tok abt da sea expedition first..
Sea Expedition:
We went kayaking.. Den we went to carry all da equipments we nid 4 kayaking.. We went for bouyancy test first.. We wore da bouyancy vests b4 entering da water.. Den aft we wade in2 abt knee-deep water.. Den we asked to sit down.. Den eveybody passed da test, den we proceed wif kayaking.. We practise kayaking 4 a while den we started our expedition.. We kayaked til lik 2 da second link, den we stopped.. Den we com back.. We had a little race, den it was lik a tie la.. B4 gg bac, we wer asked 2 do a few things.. Da guys wer asked 2 stand at da rough choppy sea inside our kayak.. Den count 2 20 den sit down 1 by 1.. Den follow by da gals singing ABC song, den oso sit down 1 by 1..
Toking abt standing on da kayak, it relates 2 tt retard guy again.. He was damn afraid.. While standing up, his legs kip shaking, n den oso closing his eyes.. Dotz.. He had always boasted how unafraid he is.. But c wad happens? A bit of contradictory rite? In fact wad I feel is a direct 100% contradictory.. In fact hor, wad's dere to b afraid abt? Juz stand, n hold tight.. Nth 2 b afraid wad.. Gt vest wad.. Rrly dunno lorz.. Den we rowed back la.. Haha..
Land Expedition:
Our destination was Jurong Point. Our starting off is at Raffles Marina itself.. Den everything went smoothly til da return journey.. Cos we made a serious mistake.. Let me toked abt it..
When we reached Jurong Point, we examined da map again.. I examined da map with another leader cos our grp gt 2 expedition leaders.. Den we found out a rd which is Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim or sth lik tt.. We walked along den we calculated tt, da tim we nid is juz rite.. But den we din expected tt we cannot cross a roundabout.. So we bo bian had 2 go thru da Industrial Gul Circle.. den we had extended da amt or length of road we tak.. While gg thru, lots of us had 2 overcome our fatigue n cont 2 walk on..
On da way back, our morale was low.. Everybody all feel lik giving up.. As a leader behind,I tried n encouraged dem on.. Cheer dem on, n push dem on.. Everybody were on da verge of collapsing, esp da gals wer very tired.. I held on their hands n support dem.. Cos it's a way of me showing encouragement 2 them.. No hanky panky business here.. Ppl wer beginin to fall, however I pushed them on.. I feel a bit guilty..
I juz rang out "C'mon guys! U guys had alr covered at least 40+km.. Be proud of it! U had achieved it! see it as an achievement nt a false step taken! Walk on wif pride! C'mon! Rest is juz a few steps away! C'mon ppl! C'mon!" I gues it was damn harsh on dem.. Haiz.. I mean my men r tired, none other ways r available but motivating dem by rewards is da only way.. Den we gt back 2 haf our dinner..
Den wen I gt da free time, I begin reflect on da way Ziliang led da grp.. He's hiding things frm da grp.. Wich dis I greatly oppose 2 it.. Den da way he led an expedition is lik total wrong lorz.. He led w/o a compass, wich is damn risky of gg in2 being lost.. N dis was wad rrly happen.. But haiz.. Since it's over liao, den shan't think abt it anymore.. We shld be proud tt we actually covered 30+km.. C'mon b proud of it.. Yea!
As recorded in my diary in da camp, I wrote:
Land expedition is nt so gd but nt as bad as 1 I had b4. But at least I cld c how ppl perservere on and how 2 b a gd leader. Gd leader are oso required 2 calculate risks and b confident of one's ability since you r leading.. But how 2 b confident when u r nt sure at all, n all ur men r low moralised? Haf 2 think sia..
sea expedition was fun. First time kayaking, but luckily din capsize, if nt sure lots of problems..
Legs r damn tired n aching frm yesterday's belaying n 2day's expedition. But juz enjoy it lo! Haha.."
We den had our campfire.. Actually hor.. Dis is da part I dun lik it at all lorz.. But ppl say campfire is da 1 tt ppl had always wanted to attend.. If nt, u might as well dun attend dis camp.. But den I feel tt I dun rrly lik noisy places aft all.. But enjoyed myself oso.. Haha.. I rrly dunno wad 2 say lorz.. But den da trainers made da campfire enjoyable la.. haha.. Den aft tt, we had a debrief, den went to slp..
Day 5 (29/7):
I slept til 7 in da morning.. Den pretty ok la.. We did area cleaning up.. Den did a human wording of Yishun Junior College.. Den we did it la.. Aft tt, we had som photo takin sessions.. Aft it, we went back 2 YJ.. B4 boarding da bus, we learnt a cheer in Navojo language.. A lang used by an American tribe.. Den we board da bus, b4 boarding I shook my trainer's hand n say thx 2 her. Den she said "You r a gd leader." I smiled back, n boarded da bus. On bus, we were jking n everything, n came up wif lots of crappy things such as claps for Ms tan, Mr Chung, Mr Wong.. Haha..
Den I went toking wif others in YJ til abt 1+.. Den went 2 haf lunch wif Jake at BK.. At dere we discuss sth, or in fact mostly abt da camp.. How we did it? How do u assess dis camp? Blah blah.. Den we went hm.. Here am I blogging abt da past 5 days.. Den sth juz struck me.. What is a gd leader? How do we define a gd leader? How does a gd leader lead his or her men?
Den I gt hm.. Washed up and do my usual unpacking.. Den all my clothes all gave da chlorine-lik smell.. Damn choking manz.. Cun tak it anw.. Dump all my clothes inside da washing machine den put pretty much detergent den wash it.. Den I went 2 check n reply all da mails.. Den I juz lik check myself.. Hey! I've b-com darker le! Yea! I'm more tanned.. Cos I was out in da sun almost everyday n oso my skin all kena 'burn'.. Haha..
I rrly dunno wad 2 say.. I mean I led 2 times, all critized by Jake.. Den I found out my leadership policies are direct contradictions to his.. I've checked wif my dad, den I finally noe sth.. My leadership is actually a rojak of everything.. I created a style of leadership of my own.. Perhaps tt's y my leadership policies clashes with lots of ppl.. Cos I've attended lots of leadership camps, learning different style of leaderships.. Den my main type focuses on military style cos of NCC.. Den wif som side track wif the other leadership camps such as dos I picked up in JC leadership camp n oso the ones I picked up frm sec 3 BURST Leadership camp.. Perhaps tt's y I become pretty military orientated wen com in2 leading ppl.. Cos I had always a mis conception tt my men r da cadets.. Perhaps I wil try 2 change.. But wad's a gd leader?
My dad says a gd leader muz haf a pretty good relationship. A leader muz be able to understand his or her subordinates, which in turn will be able to earn respect frm dem. A leader shld b considerate n able to read the body language of his or her men. A leader muz oso be able to pass clear instructions so as to prevent any conflicts due to unclear instructions diseminated. He or she muz oso set a gd example thru the good personality. Good personality includes honesty within the leader, fairness in leading men, n able to distinguish the right from the wrong. The leader muz oso b able to motivate his or men so as to encourage them to challenge their limit w/o dem realising it.. A leader muz nt be too emotional, emotional as in nt cryin if one of the men fell n injured, or panic wen anything happens out of a sudden.. This was wad I gt frm my dad.. Den I dunno how many had I met or rather how much had I offended.. Mayb Jake can tell? So am I still considered a gd leader?
I now wld lik 2 touch sth rather sensitive. Natural leader versus a trained leader, hu's stronger? I attended one course, they say tt dere is no such thing such as hu's a stronger leader with regards to if he or she is natural or trained. But frm my experience n exposure to the leaders' world, I think I can get som signs as 2 reply bac, n how 2 distinguish a trained 1 n a natural leader.. A trained leader tend to lack in confidence in leading his or her own men, n only com up to lead wen asked to,n oso rather techincal in leading, so if u ask me is dis gd or bad, I cldn't say anything but juz say it depends how the leader leads his or her grp.. A natural leader is very easy 2 distinguish frm the trained leaders..A natural leader wil always tend to lead or guide ppl how to lead, n take the directions wen da grp goes in2 a panicky situation or any unfavorable situation n oso wil always try n learn frm others aft each leading cos most of the tim, they lead according 2 their basic instincts..
Den I oso learn a new song frm the camp "You are my sunshine" There r 2 versions of You r my sunshine, both r listed below..
You r my sunshine,
my only sunshine.
You make me happy
when the skies are grey
you nv noe dear how much I luv u..
Pls dun tak my sunshine away.. [original]
You r my sun-sun-sun-sunshine,
my only sun-sun-sun-sunshine.
You make me ha-ha-ha-happy
when the skies are grey-grey-grey-grey-grey..
You nv noe dear how much I luv u..
Pls dun tak my sunshine away..[Remix]
There is oso another song called the Banana Song, it goes:
Peeping thru the window
wad will ppl say?
If u wan to jiak4 king2 jio3,
do da proper way..
Mit me tonite by the moonlight
Mit me tonite all alone
I haf sth 2 show u
sth tt is yelow n long
1 banana 2 banana 3 banana 4 banana
hey!
5 banana 6 banana and
many many more
I've learnt quite a lot frm dis camp.. Dis camp 2 me was a bit sian 4 me.. But there r new things tt I've learnt frm dis camp.. Things of leadership tt I nv noe, n oso letting me noe tt dere r new scenarios concerning leading your men.. Lik wad expedition had taught me well.. I wil now try n improve da things abt leadership n how to do well abt it.. Dis camp had been a pretty gd break 4 me.. A break away frm my studies.. Now is gonna mak me refreshed, n start my study expedition.. A much longer n mental taxation one.. Nex mon gt chem block test.. Argh.. How da hell am I gonna do it.. Damn stressed..
How haf U been in Ur camp? U had always been on my mind.. I heard wen it rained, som of da campers dere slpet in at least 6-inch deep of water.. I'm so worried abt Ur health.. U had always been on my mind.. But juz dunno how 2 say it 2 ya, wen I c U.. Hope tt U r fine, n had enjoyed Ur camp nt taking in consideration of the raining incident..
"Reflect on what you have done is the best way to improve oneself"
Samurai xiaofeixia is once again honored @ 11:55 pm