when the clock strikes twelve, i have ORDed..
i promised myself to write an entry on the day i ORD to serve 2 aims- firstly becos it is one of the most significant events this year and it marks the day i got reunited with my pink ic after two looonnnng years; secondly i want to sum up what i have been through throughout these years in this organisation, my thoughts and feelings. this is gonna be a long entry, and i will probably add in stuff every time i remember something. Anyway i have tried to proofread this cos i can't reveal restricted info heh.*
The end. 26 oct 07. 1030 h.
I went back to nee soon camp for the very last time during my NSF liability period at around 1030am to complete my clearance form and obtain my ic and certificate of service. the hqmc building does look a bit different - they repainted it; there are construction sites around the compounds; there are new parking lots. Somehow not a lot of people are around bcos of some activities. Even the CBRD office looks different and smells different. (BTW i wasn't away for very long.. probably around one to two weeks since i last stepped in). There are more people in the office now as compared to when i first joined CBRD. it's nice to see familiar faces like justin and aaron, the only difference now is that i am in civilian wear! I did my last clear-up of my email (yup, i "deleted the mail without being read"). I did my last transport claims. I wrote a farewell email to my bosses, colleagues, friends and people i have worked with (and i realised that i missed out quite a lot of people... sorry dudes, it was quite a haste for me esp when greg was beside me and kept rushing me.. but anyway, YOU are part of the recipients so long as we worked together before and fostered friendship).
Finally managed to collect all the signatures, except the branch head (aka my direct boss) bcos he was in MINDEF. SMSO, the head of dept (aka my big big boss) was kind enuff to help me sign that box. That marks the end of my national service after receiving my certificate and plaque from my big big boss. I have surrendered all my passes too, which means that i can't come into camp as and when i like it already.
The finale was lunch! lunch with friends from HQMC (justin, don, andrew, cj, cs, tim, greg, cr, sy) at the duck rice stall along upp thomson rd that we frequent. it wasn't ideal though, cos i was thinking of having it at some grand place to commemorate the event heh.
*
The beginning. 27 Feb 06. 0800 h. Project branch office.
Project branch office is equivalent to CBRD branch office, just to mask the actual name bcos of its restricted content. anyway it all began after mocc when we (my buddy and i) were posted to the same branch - as if the 4mths in mocc weren't enuff haha...
Working in HQMC main building is like a double-edged sword, that's what we were told and that's what we learnt too. u meet the bosses so very often, be it in the lifts, in the cookhouse, along the corridor, in conference rooms, etc. there are politics - this is no surprise as it happens everywhere when there is people involvement. u either under-perform, perform just well or over-perform; and this is very subjective. I shan't dwell too much into it now that i am out of service. But some things are rather apparent. and u will be surprised to see walking dartboards (aka US!).
Of course, besides the bosses, u meet a lot of people too; they are the fellow colleagues, ranging from DXO, other regulars, other NSFs, to fellow staff officers. I am glad to have make friends along the way (from healthcare, prev med, GS, CBRD, paces and transformers! branches) and this really contributes a lot to the happiness working here. This is perhaps the top reason why i will not regret working here. this probably sounds weird; but sometimes i actually look forward to going to office!
Together with my buddy and i, there was a third staff officer loi in CBRD branch and we really learn quite a fair bit from him, who was in service for a year before us. we have a very good boss who had to juggle between three appointments. things were really smooth-sailing initially. i had the best cubicle in the office (the only cubicle with windows heh..). it has become my second home literally with my toiletries, cup, food in place.
*
The in-between.
In all organisations, there is no surprise regarding reshuffling of manpower. we have seen the change of appointment of the heads in almost all the departments! This includes the change of appointment of the biggest 4 in SAF medical corps! Quite eventful, isn't it? With new bosses come new responsibilities and new changes.
we cover major exercises and ops; we did our own share of work (mine was mainly dealing with R and D); we did calls; we talked about RP/bad lunches/people; we took care of the fish tank; we saw the death of the fish; we ran; we wormed; we complained; we lunched around. there were reorganisations and shift in manpower. there were more people in the department; we have new bosses; and i am glad that at the end of the day, i was left untouched in the office till the day i ORD.
My friend asked me what significant personal achievement i have made throughout my two years of service. Unfortunately, i have under-accomplished. Quite a lot of personal gain i must say- i bought a PDA, a car and a laptop. Education wise, i took my internal medicine part 1. Leisure wise, i went to malaysia, taiwan, new zealand and hong kong. I haven't learnt a musical instrument; i haven't really planned my finances; i haven't learnt cooking. I guess i will have to make them my new year goals already!
*
The conclusion. 27 oct 07. 0000 h.
I don't think i will forget what i have learnt through these two years; some skills eg: paper writing and dealing with admin stuff will probably come in handy in time to come. and of course, how to deal with politics (that adds to the life experiences, isn't it!). I would like to take this opportunity to thank all people whom i have worked with, and to apologise to those whom i may have offended inevitably in my course of work. Special gratitude to my bosses, namely smso, past and present hd cbrd, my cbrd/mrf colleagues-cum-friends. i will miss the times really.
everytime when we are leaving a place after working for a long while, there will be nostalgia no matter how tough or how bad it was in the beginning. there will also be mixed feelings; on one hand, i wanted to brave the world outside asap when i was in the service; on the other hand, i know i will miss these moments. sighzzz.
and yes, when the clock strikes twelve tonight, i will be operationally ready!
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