Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Some birthday

Okay first things first, today is my birthday, and also an interesting day worth documenting.

The day started moodily because I received a call from camp regarding trouble with pointless stupid things in camp and I was involved in it for NOT being in camp. So for the better part of the morning I was in a tussle on the phone over with people back in camp.

At 7.50am, I went to a polyclinic to see a doc, I wasn't feeling well, and I needed the MC just for formalities. This is really stupid. Up to now I am really irritated, I am on MC, still with over 10 days of Offs not cleared, and officially on Leave as well, and yet they said everything is cancelled and you still have to go back to camp for a stupid issue? I ORD next week for heaven's sake! Never mind about that, moreover today is my birthday as well! I've had 3 of my birthdays being spoilt by the stupid SAF. After getting my mc and some medication for my chest pains and feigned headache, I went back home and soon headed to camp. At least the 11B still pays for a polyclinic fee. I got some famotidine for my gastric chest pains, antibiotics and some paracetemol.

Yet you still want me to sign on and serve? Yeah yeah, one of my superiors once mentioned that I am very suited to sign on in uniform, however being in uniform stifles your brain and creativity! Every day is some form of cover-up or fire-fighting, every day the unit gives me this kind of stupid shit. Not to mention that, for this stressful job where you are responsible for anything that goes awry, the pay is pittance! It's crap! I don't want to work so hard with daily anxiety for a paltry monthly salary!

My mood was spoilt early in the morning, there was an issue in camp about a duty handover that I got someone to cover for me two days ago because I had a medical appointment. So because of the tight schedule, 3 other fellow lieutenants help me cover for several hours. But because of this, the DAG (Divisional Air Defence Group) commanding S3 wants to see us all 4! Now I have to return to camp to see DAG group S3, a Lt-Colonel.

I've had my fair share of managing superior commanders, speaking and shaking hands with several BGs before, chatting with full Colonels and myriads of Majors, but never a case where there was trouble brewing and we had to explain ourselves. It's just a bloody duty that I swapped with someone else and they make such a fucking big fuss. It only shows the upper brass really have nothing to do but to meddle in junior officers affairs.

I was pissed off, I am in my final week of clearance, a mere week away from ORD, I shouldn't even be in camp! I am ord-ing next week and here they give me trouble, I am on leave, MC and at least ten outstanding offs that have not been consumed and I have to be called back today just because some Lt-Col wants an explanation?!

I think I have to go back to camp to fight a fire again, apparently the person I asked to help me cover that duty screwed it up, and now I gotta go back, apparently I am going to get implicated because I didn't officially do a "handover" and inform the upper chain of command. Even not doing anything also gets me into trouble! Just the thing needed to spoil your day man. Now 4 of us, all lieutenants have to go back to camp to see the DAG S3 commander regarding the stupid duty. It's just a DAMN simple duty and they make such a big fuss that it's a serious implication or whatsoever.

The people up there really have nothing better to do. So never mind, I already knew what I had to say when I got there and will definitely retaliate in objection or refutes if a punishment were to be meted out. For nothing in the first place, there was no wrong committed in the first place.

So today on my birthday, with me on leave, on mc, and probably on off too, all has been ignored and a return demanded by someone outranking me three times that I have to go back to camp. So I went.

JUST as I was about to reach camp, a mere 10 minutes away, half way, I was told that I don't need to go back because the meeting cancelled. Just like that, group S3 happily cancelled the meeting as and when he wants without regard or consideration for the tight schedules of other officers. Do you know it takes me almost one-and-a-half-hours to go to camp from home via public transport?!

5 days to ORD. Today is my birthday after all, and yet I have to go back to camp! In my 2 years plus of NS, I've had 3 birthdays disturbed because of the SAF.

When I received the call. I didn't know how to react. I just sat on the train for the remainder of the journey back home. I went around the whole of Singapore today for nothing. At least a good 2-3 hours wasted for nothing. I was very irritated.

I was irritated at the way things were handled, at the way things were blatantly cast aside and ignored, at the way rank was abused, at the way people cover their asses in their own selfish way, at the way people who genuinely help get into trouble for nothing, at the way NOTHING became a BIG THING. Nothing was done wrong, yet trouble ensued out of nothing. And of course, at the way instructions were passed down last minute. I was told to go back this morning, and told it was cancelled as I was on the way to camp.

Do they even know I am a week away from ord? I shouldn't even be thinking about the damn camp.

That's the way the SAF works, they overwork you to death whilst others slack and reap the fruits of your labor, whilst other men chao-keng, take mc, take off and leave, and feign all sorts of problems to give officers a big headache. Then once you have outlived your usefulness, you are cast aside like mere trash.

Thank You very much! You are no longer needed, you may make yourself scarce...

Okay, so that sums up the morning and afternoon.

Because of the sudden abrupt change in plans, all other plans that I had or had friends plan for me all had to be scrapped. The dinner was scrapped, the meet up was scrapped, some kind of shitty birthday it is.

My 20th, 21st was spoilt, and now the 22nd is spoilt too.

To make matters worse, I have fallen sick from this stupid shit and I feel lousy now.

I am just going to rest.

Posted by MK at 10:38 PM