Model aircraft flying today; we sampled a few of the different parts of the NCC model flying syllabus, except the really easy or really hard stuff. The first stage that we did was the line control aircraft, where either a petrol or electrically powered model, flies around you in circles and with control it with using 2 wires. The next stage was RC modeling which is controlled remotely using radio signals. That was good fun, though unfortunately a tree crashed into it when I had my go. Bah.
After our go with those we saw a RC helicopter do its stuff. It was spinning around the sky, flipping and swerving, going upside down and flying backwards. We need to get our cadets doing this, it looks amazing.
In the afternoon we went down to Little India and walked half way to Chinatown before we realized that the directions we were given were probably designed for a different city. Never mind, we got there in the end.
Tomorrow's going to be a relaxing day, with the whole thing free and easy. I'm planning a trip to Sentosa, but we can do pretty much anything.
Matt
Friday, June 6, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Playing With Rifles
Hooray! At last we've got to handle the M16s! Sadly we didn't fire them due to the range being unavaliable, but we learnt how to strip the rifle, immediate action drills, loading the magazines, and basic marksmanship technicques. Some of it was quite similar to what you would do with the L98, but you could easily tell the difference between their attitude to the weapons and drills and ours. Our drills are extremely safety orientated, with lots of safety catch checking and only ever pointing the rifle in a safe direction; here the drills are more oriented towards practicality, not worrying so much about the direction of the weapon in lessons, less safety catch work etc.
The M16 itself was easier to strip than the L98, that's for sure. There wasn't any spring to hit you in the face for one, but we did strip it down further than the L98 (and an American cadet managed to strip it in 40 seconds and reassembled it in 21, on her first attempt.). The way they test marksmanship without firing is interesting though, balancing a coin on the barrel and seeing if you can fire off the action while in the aim without it falling off.
In the afternoon after lunch we had a paintball rematch, and completely thrashed the officers three times! They started complaining about their weapons not firing, or using up all their ammunition too early and other excuses, but we all know that the cadets are better.
After that we went to a military market and then off to bed. Aeromodeling tomorrow which should be a laugh.
Matt
The M16 itself was easier to strip than the L98, that's for sure. There wasn't any spring to hit you in the face for one, but we did strip it down further than the L98 (and an American cadet managed to strip it in 40 seconds and reassembled it in 21, on her first attempt.). The way they test marksmanship without firing is interesting though, balancing a coin on the barrel and seeing if you can fire off the action while in the aim without it falling off.
In the afternoon after lunch we had a paintball rematch, and completely thrashed the officers three times! They started complaining about their weapons not firing, or using up all their ammunition too early and other excuses, but we all know that the cadets are better.
After that we went to a military market and then off to bed. Aeromodeling tomorrow which should be a laugh.
Matt
We Rode an Elephant!
First thing in the morning the Indian cadets left, and after an exchange of gifts and farewells we waved them off as we left for the zoo. We visited Singapore Zoo and Singapore Botanical Gardens
The zoo was pretty cool, they had white tigers, alligators, lions, giraffes, komodo dragons, snakes, flamingos and loads more. Oh, also, I RODE AN ELEPHANT! The zoo was different to every zoo I’ve been to in the past, all the paths were lined with trees and it seemed slightly like walking through a jungle. Not really much to write about to day really, but we’ve got weapons training (no live firing unfortunately) and paintball again tomorrow, which I’m looking forward to.
Matt
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
botanical gardens and Zoo - 4th June 2008
so after a nice half an hour lie in this morning we all popped on the coach to head to the famous Botanical gardens of Singapore. we walked around what seemed like some kind of jungle with pretty water falls and flowers. none of us are exactly keen horticulturalists but we all paid 5 dollars to go into the "orchid garden" and uh i don't think we actually found the orchids we paid 5 dollars to go and see but we made an effort and walked for an hour to find them.
after a traditional Singaporean pack lunch we were all taken to Singapore's Zoological park. we had the opportunity to take a better look at all the animals we saw on the night safari up close and personal. the white tigers were the most impressive but we got the chance to see the reptiles and monkeys as well.
at half 2 the park put on a splash show, an aquatic animal show in a big pool with the crowd stand surrounding it. there were pelicans, manatees and penguins. the star of the show was a sea lion called carlos. he did some fantastic tricks like clapping, smiling, lifting his body up on his flippers and kissing. 2 members of the audience were asked to throw a frisbee for Carlos to catch in his mouth. I put my hand up and had a go at throwing the frisbee, he missed every single time ha ha but at the end i got a photo of being kissed by him, i'll never forget it, or him, i wish i had got his number ;) !
we were dropped back at Amoy Que camp had dinner and after this we're heading out into the city to watch the new indiana jones movie. have a good night everybody!
Di
after a traditional Singaporean pack lunch we were all taken to Singapore's Zoological park. we had the opportunity to take a better look at all the animals we saw on the night safari up close and personal. the white tigers were the most impressive but we got the chance to see the reptiles and monkeys as well.
at half 2 the park put on a splash show, an aquatic animal show in a big pool with the crowd stand surrounding it. there were pelicans, manatees and penguins. the star of the show was a sea lion called carlos. he did some fantastic tricks like clapping, smiling, lifting his body up on his flippers and kissing. 2 members of the audience were asked to throw a frisbee for Carlos to catch in his mouth. I put my hand up and had a go at throwing the frisbee, he missed every single time ha ha but at the end i got a photo of being kissed by him, i'll never forget it, or him, i wish i had got his number ;) !
we were dropped back at Amoy Que camp had dinner and after this we're heading out into the city to watch the new indiana jones movie. have a good night everybody!
Di
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Sentosa!
Today has been the day we have all been looking forward to, the visit to Sentosa. Sentosa is an Island on the edge of Singapore that has been developed into a tourist island resort with rides and restaurants etc etc. in the morning we visited the Singapore Flyer. it is the largest moving viewing platform in the world, it is a larger version of the London Eye. the views were unfortunately mostly of construction sites but the experience was good. we then got on the coach and drove the the cable car connection to Sentosa. after a 20 or so minute swing down to the Island we arrived just in time for lunch in the sunshine before separating up into our smaller friend groups and exploring the resort.
my group decided to head straight to the pizza restaurant and ordered a huge cheese pizza to share! we then went on a ride called the Sky Tower, this was a 130m tall revolving viewing gallery that we took some amazing photos of Singapore from. we then had tickets to see a 4D movie with the funny little glasses you have to wear, it was something to do with pirates i think!! mainly for little kids but the chairs moved, we were sprayed with water and blown with air, the technology was beyond fantastic. we wanted to make the most of our chill out time so caught a bus to the amazing white sandy beaches with palms and umbrellas. as soon as we stretched out on our towels in our bikini's the heavens opened and we found ourselves sunbathing in a full blown monsoon without much shelter to hide under! it was such a funny experience! after deciding we were already wet we went swimming for the rest of the afternoon, the water was as warm as a bath, so lovely. meeting up with the rest of the cadets later we found that some had visited the aquarium and a couple had even swum with dolphins!
to round the day off we watched a "sounds of the sea" show. this was a beach open air theater with a huge mock wooden village built on stilts out in the sea. using massive jet of water and state of the art projection from the shore they created moving, talking, singing animations in the water as a story of a princess enchanted in the village needing to be saved was told. fire works, music and flashing lights created the most unusual show that i doubt i will ever witness again in my life!!
off to bed now, night everyone!
Di
Monday, June 2, 2008
Discovery and Goodbyes
Today was always going to be a strange one; what with the leaving dinner in the evening (what with us only half way through).
In the morning however, we visited the S'pore (Singapore) Discovery Center. There was a huge array of differents games and videos on hand, designed to teach young Singaporean children about their country and to give the a sense of national pride. It was interesting to see how the Singaporean's maintain a high level of national awareness, and how they view their country's history. As a part of the visit we had a coach tour of the nearby Officer Training School, where all of the Singapore Armed Forces' officers learn to lead.
As we had the presentation in the evening we had to finish our presentation. After a few hours of tweaking and updating we had a slick powerpoint that was hopefully going to look good later on. We then got dressed into our smart-casual gear, and headed out to the country club.
The club was unlike any I've been to before; it was grand, but it also contained a childrens' play area, a bowling alley and an olympic size swimming pool, so slightly different to what we're used to. After meeting the Assistant Royal Navy Liason Officer (Lt Robert M Marston), who was here in place of our Defence Attache due to his busy schedule, we all sat down and read the menus with anticipation. It was certainly a menu that would be described as eccentric in England, but worked here (all of it's 9 courses!).
After an informative address by the guest of honour, the Chairman of the NCC Committee (Dr Beng), dinner commenced and the delegates from each country performed. As the sea cadets of the ISCEP are due to leave tomorrow, they were also taking part, so we saw a bigger mix of nationalities than we would have otherwise. The presentations were very varied, with ethnic dancing from the Indians, a Hakka from the Kiwis, and presentations about our various cadet corps from some of the others. It was definitely a mixed bag, and all were entertaining and on the main informative.
Once we had finished eating, the delegations were all given a token of appreciation from Lt Col Khoo Thiam Huat representing Dr Beng and the delegations each gave him a token of thanks for the great job the the NCC had done in hosting us for IACE 2008 (and ISCEP for the Sea Cadets present).
When the presentations had been finished everyone joined into a big circle to sing together, and as we sang Auld Lang Syne at the end, I managed to forget the words like a true Brit and started to hum.
It seemed odd having a goodbye ceremony in the middle of our stay, but as we said goodbye to the Sea Cadets that some of us had made friends with we had a taste of what was to come next Saturday.
Matt
In the morning however, we visited the S'pore (Singapore) Discovery Center. There was a huge array of differents games and videos on hand, designed to teach young Singaporean children about their country and to give the a sense of national pride. It was interesting to see how the Singaporean's maintain a high level of national awareness, and how they view their country's history. As a part of the visit we had a coach tour of the nearby Officer Training School, where all of the Singapore Armed Forces' officers learn to lead.
As we had the presentation in the evening we had to finish our presentation. After a few hours of tweaking and updating we had a slick powerpoint that was hopefully going to look good later on. We then got dressed into our smart-casual gear, and headed out to the country club.
The club was unlike any I've been to before; it was grand, but it also contained a childrens' play area, a bowling alley and an olympic size swimming pool, so slightly different to what we're used to. After meeting the Assistant Royal Navy Liason Officer (Lt Robert M Marston), who was here in place of our Defence Attache due to his busy schedule, we all sat down and read the menus with anticipation. It was certainly a menu that would be described as eccentric in England, but worked here (all of it's 9 courses!).
After an informative address by the guest of honour, the Chairman of the NCC Committee (Dr Beng), dinner commenced and the delegates from each country performed. As the sea cadets of the ISCEP are due to leave tomorrow, they were also taking part, so we saw a bigger mix of nationalities than we would have otherwise. The presentations were very varied, with ethnic dancing from the Indians, a Hakka from the Kiwis, and presentations about our various cadet corps from some of the others. It was definitely a mixed bag, and all were entertaining and on the main informative.
Once we had finished eating, the delegations were all given a token of appreciation from Lt Col Khoo Thiam Huat representing Dr Beng and the delegations each gave him a token of thanks for the great job the the NCC had done in hosting us for IACE 2008 (and ISCEP for the Sea Cadets present).
When the presentations had been finished everyone joined into a big circle to sing together, and as we sang Auld Lang Syne at the end, I managed to forget the words like a true Brit and started to hum.
It seemed odd having a goodbye ceremony in the middle of our stay, but as we said goodbye to the Sea Cadets that some of us had made friends with we had a taste of what was to come next Saturday.
Matt
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Home Stay (Day 2)
the first day being so amazing i wake up in my lovely lovely hosts house to a warm morning welcome and being told we're heading to MacDonald's for breakfast! My hosts were very brave because their daughters Louisa (my host) said her friends who were hosting the other girls lived the other side of Singapore so they so kindly had all 9 girls to stay in their 3 roomed flat in a tower block! it was the best time of my life i have never met such generous people i was truly humbled and fascinated by their Chinese culture and what they taught and explained to us. Louisa's dad was an expert in Fung shui and told me i was born in the year of the snake, all my personal qualities, predicted my future and read my palm, it was amazing how accurate he was.
at 10 o-clock we caught the metro to a water park in downtown east, Pasir Ris, and met up with all the other guys to go swimming. the park was so much fun with slides and waves machines, i took some great photo's with my under water camera.
At 1430 we had lunch and caught a long bus journey into Singapore city to watch the changing of the guard. the guards had full ceremonial dress and a band marched town the street as the squadrons marched in front of the palace gates. the rifle display showed such talent and strength and was a very individual Singaporian style. we then had an hour or so to walk around the shops until returning to HQ for supper.
Di
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Home Stay (Day 1)
A nice, late breakfast today, giving us all plenty of time to lie in, and get ready (in theory, cadets are cadets after all). Benjamin was my host, and after breakfast we went off to his appartment near Bedok, in the east of Singapore. When I got to his house I saw photos covering a vast expanse of his cadet life; photos from visits to England with him meeting Air Commodore Moulds, photos from a jungle survival course deep in Burma (HQAC, if you're reading this, we need to get on that course, it looks great!), and various other local cadet activities.
After getting to know each other we had a walk around the local area, I saw the sports and swimming center meant for the close by blocks (Huge compared to Carn Brea Leisure Center in Redruth to put it in perspective, a slightly wooley perspective, but still), and a local market and outside food court. I didn't see a single piece of graffiti or a group of youths lingering with malicious intent, which was a breath of fresh air. It was a great way to see how the Singaporean people live, and the services they have avaliable to them. It truely puts our built-up areas to shame.
When evening rolled around we joined up with a few other cadets and saw Singapore at night. It truely looks amazing with the building sparkling. After that, because we were completely shattered we had an early night to keep ourselves fresh for tomorrow.
Matt
After getting to know each other we had a walk around the local area, I saw the sports and swimming center meant for the close by blocks (Huge compared to Carn Brea Leisure Center in Redruth to put it in perspective, a slightly wooley perspective, but still), and a local market and outside food court. I didn't see a single piece of graffiti or a group of youths lingering with malicious intent, which was a breath of fresh air. It was a great way to see how the Singaporean people live, and the services they have avaliable to them. It truely puts our built-up areas to shame.
When evening rolled around we joined up with a few other cadets and saw Singapore at night. It truely looks amazing with the building sparkling. After that, because we were completely shattered we had an early night to keep ourselves fresh for tomorrow.
Matt
Technical Difficulties
Apologies for the downtime this week, there shouldn't be anymore problems from now on.
Happy reading!
Happy reading!
Friday, May 30, 2008
p.o.w camp
Today we set to to learn a little about Singapore as a country, its economy, history etc. we started off the day with a trip to the NEWater visitor center. this explained how the country of Singapore creates potable water from waste water using various distillation and UV ray processes. it was all very technical you can tell Singapore is very advanced there was plenty of interactive games and 3D presentations to watch and we had to share the tour with a huge bunch of kids so it was the big kids v the little kids to play on all the games!
next we jumped back on the bus and visited the Jahore Battery. this was basically the "big gun" used to protect the coast from possible invasions from Japan. the ammunition that went in the gun was in a shell that was almost as big as myself and was more than the weight of 2 of of VRT officers! ;)
next we visited the p.o.w camp Changi chapel and museum. this in my own personal opinion was one of the highlights of the whole trip, i learnt so much about the history of Singapore and the Chinese, the chapel was a replica as the original was taken by Australian p.o.w's after the liberation. we sat in a replica cell that the prisoners were kept and tortured in for months and years and a tape recording was played of a re-creation of a prisoners thoughts. the museum told story's of the escapees and the Japanese soldiers, the British input and the Australian p.o.w's as well and the notes left by family members pinned up on the wall of the chapel were extremely poignant.
After a lunch box meal we headed into Arab street for a spot of shopping and to hear the Muslim prayers from the mosque. i bought a very cool Chinese hat - picture on the page!
next we visited little India which was basically a busy little collection of Bazaars with Indian trinkets for sale as good souvenirs. our tour guide then took us to the most amazing Buddhist temple explaining about all the different statues and cultures/traditions.
for the evening we had tickets for a night safari. it was completely amazing like nothing i've ever seen before! on a little tram we drove through a jungle in the dark looking at lions, tigers, Indian elephant, buffalo, hyena, bears, wolves, hippo, deer, weird rat thing, lots! the safari park also put on a night time show going on late into the night including the animals. there was a snake hidden in the audience, wolves on cliff ridge in the moonlight howling, bear cats climbing vines over the audience and ferrets dancing and otters that could recycle bottles into the right boxes, mind blowing!
was a late night didn't get to bed until the early hours so night everyone
Di
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wet Wet Wet
Today we had a very active day, with paintballing and adventure training in the morning and watersports in the afternoon. After breakfast we met the sea cadets from ISCEP (the International Sea Cadet Exchange Programme), and got to know each other on some teambuilding activities, and then went on the main activities. Unfortuantely my team lost the paintball, but it was still great fun, and the flying fox (a zip wire) was awesome, if not slightly painful as the harness went tight.
In the afternoon we went to visit the sea cadets, for the kayaking and the dragonboating. It was all good fun but the water was filthy, with algea and rubbish floating around, not the kind of water you want to fall into. After a shower and dinner we left for the town, (in fresh clothes thank god) and walked around Bugis and some people went shopping.
A good day overall, and we've been told that tomorrow will be even more active. Sleep sounds like a good idea around now,
Matt
In the afternoon we went to visit the sea cadets, for the kayaking and the dragonboating. It was all good fun but the water was filthy, with algea and rubbish floating around, not the kind of water you want to fall into. After a shower and dinner we left for the town, (in fresh clothes thank god) and walked around Bugis and some people went shopping.
A good day overall, and we've been told that tomorrow will be even more active. Sleep sounds like a good idea around now,
Matt
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Chinook and Embassy
Flying at 200ft above Sentosa, the Chinook vibrating loudly around us, and the snores of 5
compatriates ringing in our ears; we were enjoying an air experience flight in one of the
RSAFs Chinooks. Unfortunatly the tailgate was up so the view was through small round
windows in the side, but it still rocked. How the others fell asleep I don't know, it really is
loud in there!
After the flight we were invited into a private room in the mess to have dinner with Base
Commander Peng of the Sembawang helicopter base. We were given good quality food with
good service, and the base commander was very friendly. At the end of the lunch we were
each given a goody bag and a warm goodbye from Cmdr Peng, which made us feel that the
base thought well of the IACE.
Next, we donned our best clothes, blazers and all to pay a visit to our High Commission to
see the Defence Attache, Gp Capt Tim Brewer. To our surprise we had a good, lengthy chat,
with him enquiring about our cadet careers and future prospects, and us finding out more about the UK's current interest in Singapore. We were there for one and a half hours, well outlasting the other delegations, we really appreciated the time he spent to meet us.
Of course, no day would be complete without a bout of shopping; after getting changed we went along to Orchard Road to have a look around the shops there.
compatriates ringing in our ears; we were enjoying an air experience flight in one of the
RSAFs Chinooks. Unfortunatly the tailgate was up so the view was through small round
windows in the side, but it still rocked. How the others fell asleep I don't know, it really is
loud in there!
After the flight we were invited into a private room in the mess to have dinner with Base
Commander Peng of the Sembawang helicopter base. We were given good quality food with
good service, and the base commander was very friendly. At the end of the lunch we were
each given a goody bag and a warm goodbye from Cmdr Peng, which made us feel that the
base thought well of the IACE.
Next, we donned our best clothes, blazers and all to pay a visit to our High Commission to
see the Defence Attache, Gp Capt Tim Brewer. To our surprise we had a good, lengthy chat,
with him enquiring about our cadet careers and future prospects, and us finding out more about the UK's current interest in Singapore. We were there for one and a half hours, well outlasting the other delegations, we really appreciated the time he spent to meet us.
Of course, no day would be complete without a bout of shopping; after getting changed we went along to Orchard Road to have a look around the shops there.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Simulators, the Air Museum and the Sights...
Wow. I don't think there's any other word to describe our initial reactions to Singapore; the friendly delegation of NCC cadets sent to meet us, the cleanliness of the airport and the heat. It has, so far, truly surpassed our expectations. Yesterday you read about our first day, with the exotic foods, and flights in the Fokker 50s. A good day by all accounts. Today was just as good.
The food seems to have become slightly more western today, no red hot chilli sauce in sight! Hot dogs for breakfast, spag bol for lunch. Yesterday I enjoyed trying the different Singaporean foods, but I'll have to admit the western grub slid down slightly easier.
Our first stop of the day was Singapore's simulator training center, where we were shown around the simulators and told about the workings of the machine and how they're used. Though the simulators didn't move with your 'plane', the horizontal 300 degree view and vertical 90 degree view made them valuable training aids. Every cadet squadron needs one!
Straight after the simulator center we had a look around the nearby RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force) Museum, and learnt a bit about the beginnings of the RSAF and how it's developed.
After a welcomed break, we took the MRT (Like the London Underground) to the marina area, and saw the Singapore skyline it all of it's glory. We had a walk around a mall and were given a mini tour of the area, and after sampling some Singaporean snacks (fried carrot cake, an alternative approach to ice cream and more), we headed back to the camp.
A good, full, day, now to get some sleep so I'm ready for our embassy visit and Chinook flight tomorrow.
Matt
The food seems to have become slightly more western today, no red hot chilli sauce in sight! Hot dogs for breakfast, spag bol for lunch. Yesterday I enjoyed trying the different Singaporean foods, but I'll have to admit the western grub slid down slightly easier.
Our first stop of the day was Singapore's simulator training center, where we were shown around the simulators and told about the workings of the machine and how they're used. Though the simulators didn't move with your 'plane', the horizontal 300 degree view and vertical 90 degree view made them valuable training aids. Every cadet squadron needs one!
Straight after the simulator center we had a look around the nearby RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force) Museum, and learnt a bit about the beginnings of the RSAF and how it's developed.
After a welcomed break, we took the MRT (Like the London Underground) to the marina area, and saw the Singapore skyline it all of it's glory. We had a walk around a mall and were given a mini tour of the area, and after sampling some Singaporean snacks (fried carrot cake, an alternative approach to ice cream and more), we headed back to the camp.
A good, full, day, now to get some sleep so I'm ready for our embassy visit and Chinook flight tomorrow.
Matt
Monday, May 26, 2008
First Day Whoop Whoop!
so.... After a 20 hour journey from the UK and Cyprus the Cadet representatives for the UK Air Training Cadet Corps have arrived in Singapore! Diana Pitts, Matt Medland and the escort Keith Gilchrist. arriving on the 25th at 1515hrs we travellled to Amoy Que camp and had a tour and ice-breakers with the Indian cadets that arrived at the same time.
6 or so hours sleep and a 8 hour time difference we are not exactly refreshed but the first day excitement allows us to run on adrenalin!
we woke up 6 o-clock to iron and prep our best uniforms for the 7 o-clock breakfast and then 8 o-clock brief. Opening up the doors of our billets at sunrise we walked into what feels like a wall of moisture and heat, thank goodness we packed deoderant. Cadets from Hong Kong, Australia, USA, India and Canada make up our group of 16 some of them arriving in the early hours of this morning, they are already appearing to be a cracking bunch!
finishing a breakfast of warm rice cakes, chicken and chilli sauce we attended the brief. it was long yet informal with a good booklet to accompany. When it was finished we were to catch a bus to Chengi Air base for a half an hour flight in a Fokker 50, little did we know we are catching the end of the monsoon season so the rain poured down for 10 or so minutes! watching a very amusing safety brief from the pilots we walked out in file to the aeroplane. First of all Matt was to sit in the cockpit after a couple of the Indian cadets has a go and then it was my turn. I was invited to sit the longest and sat in a seat beside the Captain for the landing, it was fantastic! I thanked them for their kindness with a collection a pin badges of RAF Aircraft a key ring and a squadron badge from my home squadron.
we had a lunch back at Amoy Que camp, noodles, chicken and spicey sauce and then we were asked if we would like to explore the local city. after a so called "15 minute" walk we arrived at the city an hour later (singaporean time we now call it, which will make us forever late!) . The city was very very busy, 95% of the population live in sky rise tower block apartments, we witnessed all of them on our Fokker flight there are hardly any free standing houses here.
this time of year is the singapore sales, good news for the shoppers of the group, i myself have not yet bought anything except flip flops as i had a blister from new shoes on our "15 minute walk" ;)
me and matt are sat here working on our presentation for the IACE presentation evening and soon will be going for a night snack of suprise buns and then an early night if we are not having a shin dig with the other cadets into the wee hours!!
message again tommorrow, night everyone!!
6 or so hours sleep and a 8 hour time difference we are not exactly refreshed but the first day excitement allows us to run on adrenalin!
we woke up 6 o-clock to iron and prep our best uniforms for the 7 o-clock breakfast and then 8 o-clock brief. Opening up the doors of our billets at sunrise we walked into what feels like a wall of moisture and heat, thank goodness we packed deoderant. Cadets from Hong Kong, Australia, USA, India and Canada make up our group of 16 some of them arriving in the early hours of this morning, they are already appearing to be a cracking bunch!
finishing a breakfast of warm rice cakes, chicken and chilli sauce we attended the brief. it was long yet informal with a good booklet to accompany. When it was finished we were to catch a bus to Chengi Air base for a half an hour flight in a Fokker 50, little did we know we are catching the end of the monsoon season so the rain poured down for 10 or so minutes! watching a very amusing safety brief from the pilots we walked out in file to the aeroplane. First of all Matt was to sit in the cockpit after a couple of the Indian cadets has a go and then it was my turn. I was invited to sit the longest and sat in a seat beside the Captain for the landing, it was fantastic! I thanked them for their kindness with a collection a pin badges of RAF Aircraft a key ring and a squadron badge from my home squadron.
we had a lunch back at Amoy Que camp, noodles, chicken and spicey sauce and then we were asked if we would like to explore the local city. after a so called "15 minute" walk we arrived at the city an hour later (singaporean time we now call it, which will make us forever late!) . The city was very very busy, 95% of the population live in sky rise tower block apartments, we witnessed all of them on our Fokker flight there are hardly any free standing houses here.
this time of year is the singapore sales, good news for the shoppers of the group, i myself have not yet bought anything except flip flops as i had a blister from new shoes on our "15 minute walk" ;)
me and matt are sat here working on our presentation for the IACE presentation evening and soon will be going for a night snack of suprise buns and then an early night if we are not having a shin dig with the other cadets into the wee hours!!
message again tommorrow, night everyone!!
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