AFS Pride Awards

Received a call from a Captain Koh last week, informing me that I've won some award for my USMS suggestions, and asking me if I could come by today to collect my prize as well. It's been a while since I went back to camp so I decided to took a day off work and see what award they have decided to present me with for my contributions last year.

I was filled in with details from attire to reporting time. Over the phone, Cpt Koh said that shirt and pants will not be needed, and I can come dress in anything that I want now that I'm a civilian. For a moment, the idea of going back in my PT attire came into my mind. But then I decided it when the unglam sight of me collecting the prize in a singlet with a buldging tummy came into my mind. So i turned up in polo and jeans.

Like all military events, the reporting time has been brought forward as it travels down the chain of command so I turned up some half an hour earlier. Some things never change. And I'm not referring to the physical state of the buildings since I left some 6 months earlier. There were a few familiar faces but it took them quite a while to recall who I was. It's amazing how some people can forget you, or suffer from amnesia in such a short period of time, when 1 year ago, they would spend mornings trying to know you and seek favours from you for their upcoming or IPPT tests. It makes one wonder if these warrant officers were actually seeking a new friendship, or simply looking for a person in a white singlet to immortalise to seek immunity.

Anyway, I spent the morning in the auditorium listening to the school commander's speech, and two other established speakers with their speeches about innovation and creativity. This was all to commemorate this PRIDE event that was held to acknowledge the effort of those who had help and put in innovative ideas to improve the camp's working condition, be it cost savings or safety conditions. It concluded with a prize presentation where I had this award for coming in second for the most number of USMS (Suggestions, feed back given for what was mentioned earlier). There was no sight of the voucher that was mentioned over the call earlier. Boo!

I had lunch at the cookhouse and visited the pool office to slack the rest of the afternoon. Decided to hit the gym and was about to go for a swim when Cat 1 came. Went over to c3 tower and played chess with this other guy who was about to ORD, catching up on what had happened over the past 6 months. It's hard for the outside world to believe how much time can be wasted when one is in the army. You completed your day's work in 15mins and you have to spend the rest of the day in camp, or you will be charged with awol.

Oh I just realised that the ORD pics I've taken last Nov have yet to be posted.

Myself with the AETI guys, in working attire.

Foreground -- Pool Supervisor, 3 PTIs, 2 Lifeguards.
Background -- Pool where most of my afternoons are spent.

Understudy, Alvin, and myself.
3 more months to go. Hang in there!

In total, I submitted a total of 13 USMSes for the last work year. You do realise that, even 100 USMSes to improve the working condition and environment won't really improve the efficiency the way the organisation is being run do you? I've been one of the luckier ones who managed to escape a combat experience in my second year, so I can't really complain about my experience in the army. But there are others who's happiness, time, health, talent have been sacrificed and nothing can be exchanged for that. Be it awards, or momentary incentives. There is so much more to the 2 years of youth that you've taken away.