Life is a bitch. Just when you thought that the good days have come, life always finds a way to shake up that comfortable reality and tear it apart.
The National Day Parade is an annual event that chokes people up with fervent patroitism. Unfortunately, when it comes to becoming part of that parade, no one is anywhere near that keen. People don't really love Singapore that much when it isn't 9 august. The fact that participation in the parade means no weekends off for 3 months and endless afternoons frying under the sun on cow manure doesn't help either.
Unfortunately, the marching robots have to come from somewhere. In this case, my company was only too honoured to accept. When my company accepts shit, the shit hits the fan, and next thing you know my platoon is always somewhere in that mess. As part of the company, I admit that we should contribute. There's only one major problem. Only one unlucky guy is needed.
Can you imagine the situation? Its like a game of poison ball. Nobody wants the poison, and once they get it they just throw it across the room and into the arms of their best friend. Claws start coming out, and next thing you know everyone is only too happy to do their bunkmates in. And they say that the army forges lifelong friendships. All you need is something like this and immediately all friendships are negated, as long as you aren't THE ONE.
My platoon spent two hours in a room drawing lots, bickering over the results, and in the end getting a guy with a knee problem to be THE ONE. I'm pretty sure this is not the end of the situation, because they will quickly realise that he's unsuitable. A few more such episodes and I'm pretty sure that we'll have trouble sleeping in the same room.
Here's the second episode. At 12 midnight, when everyone was getting ready to sleep, we suddenly received news of a turnout. Its ok for me because I sleep late anyway, but only too bad for those guys with guard duty the next day. 7 hours of sleep? Stupid hypocritical organisation. But that wasn't the main beef. The main beef came after the turnout, when my platoon and another platoon were drawn aside, and informed that someone lost something really valuable.
In no uncertain terms, we were told that if someone really took it, he should quietly "have a conscience", turn the item over and the matter would be closed. Indirectly, I inferred that he was referring to us. When there are two platoons in one company and they aren't on good terms, any misfortune one has is immediately attributed to the other. But to be honest, any guy who is careless enough to leave something valuable unguarded for the time span of a WHOLE DAY can only blame himself for his loss. If someone was willing to risk stealing it, why would he return it? Sadly, it seems that with a potential thief in our midst, life can only get worse till we catch that little rat.
It sure ain't easy being green. Its great to be out.