Outward Bound

back from 5 days of OBS.
maybe i should write a story about it.
or not?

Day 0
arrived at HQ NCC and met joel, jenq horng and lexus.
and then we spent the night together in the MPH,
with creepy crawlies around us,
and also ants flying towards the light.
lexus had a fun time burning the ants,
and then we talked all sorts of shit to the morning.

Day 1
woke up in the morning,
and we had a super sumptuous breakfast.
fried rice vermicelli and fried chicken wings.
how better could life get after this?
but we do know that there is more than it meets the eye.
i would say that was the last proper meal i ate before OBS.

took a bus to the jetty,
and then a ferry to OBS in Pulau Ubin.
i quickly made new friends there-
nigel, ryan, and yuk chi who we address as 'Medic' as he was the watch's medic.
the first day was pretty simple.
we just had some time loading stuff,
and then introduced to the OBS camp.
creepy crawlies were everywhere;
and in the first day the whole course already had a man down.

the first night was kind of shit,
which we're suppose to sleep in this tent pitched in the jungle.
due to the hot weather,
the four of us stripped ourselves to the waist,
and had a cooling and sound night.

Day 2
we had this expedition thingy today,
which is supposed to last for 3 day 2 night.
it's not a simple expedition;
it's a f**king SEA EXPEDITION.
the plan was simple for the second day:
we are to kayak to Coney Island,
then to Pasir Ris Beach.

this day went passed fast with all the shit moments we spent in the sea.
by the time we reached mainland the sun was already setting.
so, a day just ended with much sea activities.

pasir ris beach, my house is just so near;
yet it seems so far.
Medic had his way of doing things.
he sneaked home, took a shower(which none of us had a chance to),
and then smuggled outside food in.
his parents and dog even came to visit him at that night. epic.

Day 3
the third day of the whole course and second day of expedition;
the instructors tortured us by making us wear one set of wet attire for the expedition.
so, we changed from our sleeping attire into our wet, salty long-sleeved shirt.
it was damn disgusting.
somemore we had a longer distance to kayak today.
yesterday was around 5km.
today is around 27km.
epic shit baby.

i believe that this was the day which Orchard Road flooded;
likewise, our fleet met an enormous storm,
and the expedition was half screwed.
all of us had to stand in the rain;
cold, hungry and tired.

nevertheless we manage to make it to our destination after the rain stopped.
and likewise, we pitched our tents there for the night.
that was when the four of us had our little swear-in ceremony;
we stripped naked in our tents.

Day 4
early in the morning we kayak back to Pulau Ubin;
and then, the activities which followed were kinda slack.
high elements; i did most of the belaying for the climbers.
and we had to pitched our tents in the forest again. haish.

Day 5
finally we get to go home.
tears and goodbyes filled us.
well, it just seem so fast that everything ended.

this 5 day course might sound easy as mentioned above;
but for those who never stepped into OBS before,
you wouldn't know the shit going on.
malnutrition food, unhygienic sleeping environment, one set of clothes for three days, no bathing for three days, kayaking for more than 30km and for hours...

i went into OBS a man,
and i came out a hero.
i must say, the shit out there horned me well.
suddenly you learn to appreciated the toilet you have at home;
while kayaking, we soiled and pee in our pants.

bread and canned food taught us how to appreciated whatever we ate at home.
i must say, conditions in OBS taught us to cherish whatever we have.

but most importantly,
the life lessons taught in OBS was so much different.
not just only leadership skills, but also other life skills that could come into use for life.
i must say it's so much better than the survival course.

sometimes, when we stepped out of the classroom,
we learn so much more than what we learn indoors.