OBS!

It's been like a dream. Really. I cannot believe that I have already lived those miraculous, marvelous, magical and undoubtedly memorable five days of my life. During OBS, every day seemed like a few days but now the five days of OBS are merely just five days. I'm kind of overwhelmed by that feeling but OBS days are definitely unforgettable.

***

on the first day, i was kind of in doubt about myself and the stuff i was going to do with this class, whom i wasn't feeling exactly attached to. we were at the jetty waiting for the boat to come when i had this feeling. i suddenly did not want to go for obs. but now i'm feeling relieved that i went anyway. =)

upon reaching the obs place we gathered at the parade square thingum that they have there. we waited for some time to have our watches sorted and i was in MARSHALL. marshall itself sounded rather cool and never had i figured the people in marshall were way beyond just cool. marshall had suchin, serene, serena, hiu tung, nikhita, suvitha, jiayue, zijun, arina, shihui, andrea, wenda, chunque, triyono, weifen and ME. =) and we have the most interesting, most fun, most caring, most fantastic, most wonderful etc. ... -takes breath after long rant- INSTRUCTOR - BOON WEE AKA DUDE alias UNCLE DUDE.

so we had the introduction yada yada and bunked in. we left our bags there and proceeded to do some really fun stuff like trust activities and belaying. honestly i was damn nervous when it was my turn for the trust fall thingy. i was like OMGAWDDDD. i just took a deep breath and fell on the sheet. it was so fast and so....DARN COOL. HEH. the belaying was quite funny lah. we started nicknaming each other at that time. xD HAHA. wenda actually wanted to call me cheryl but decided to follow the convention and call me by my more preferred name, gabrielle. =) andrea called me gabby and she is currently calling me gabby. it's a new one but i'm getting used to it. HAHA. =)

dinner was okay and i ate a whole lot. xD HAHAHA. i am the exact opposite of andrea, who eats so little. i was like eating twice as much as she was eating. >< no wonder i am a bit fatter now. rawrrr. we had this weird but nice code during meals. we MUST have everyone at the table before we can dig in. XD HAHA. we were like ONE TWO THREE... *MUNCHHHH*. HAHAHA. =) we had to wash all our stuff and dry them before putting them in the marshall utensils locker. hehehe.

the second day was much more fun than the first day. we woke up very early in the morning for physical training - 5 am in the morning. it consisted only of the 5 BX and some warm up activites - and i thought it meant we had to run like 10 rounds around the obs campus. =.-''' it lasted for approximately 1 hour max. it was rather fun. xD HAHA. and i kind of realised i can DO PUMPS! wheeeee. =) i got arm muscles!! xD hahaha.

breakfast was delicious man. =) ooo i am missing obs MILO. =) HAHAHAHA. we had beehoon and hot dogs. yayy. but we could do with more hot dogs. xD HAHA. hmph! they are so stingy with the food. they should have more food for each of the obs people, because we need the carbs and energy for the day's activities. xD

anyway, we went KAYAKING! oh my GAWD. since we were like land ex, i didn't expect we get to kayak at all. xD hahaha. i paired with andrea at first but we were split up and i ended up pairing with weifen, who is a robotician (okay, i invented this term. lol. sounds quite fancy. xD) like me. but we still have loads of fun despite the jumping silverfish, nearly-dead-but-not-quite-able-to-accept-the-fact fish, mangrove-tree-that-has-hermit-crabs accident and mudskippers. =) and i think kayaking rocks like siao. OMGGGGG!! i think i am falling in love with it. xD no correction. I HAVE ALREADY FALLEN IN LOVE WITH KAYAKING! XD

all of us were soaking wet after the kayaking out at sea and returned to our bunk to rinse off the seawater before going for lunch. lunch was kind of okay lah. but after lunch, WE GOT TO CLIMB THE ULTRA COOL INVERSE TOWER. we set like $430 as our target and started climbing. i climbed with nikhita but when she finished i was still like halfway through. >< but i managed to get the $50. xD HAHA. then i belayed jiayue, who also got to the top and earned marshall $50. =) ohman SUVITHA ROCKED. =) she climbed for one whole hour and she did not give up. i am ultra proud of her. xD me and andrea were cheering like siao for her. we came up with super funny things like "HUG YOUR MOTHER!!! THE LOG IS YOUR MOTHER! NONO. HUG YOUR BOLSTER!!". HAHA. and dude was laughing at our weird beyond words comparisons. xD but still. SUVITHA DID IT!! YAYYY. and there's triyono and her proficient swearing. she can climb and swear at the same time. talk about an expert swearer. xD she was like "SHIT MAN. HOW AM I GOING TO CLIMB UP MAN? THIS IS STUPID SHIT MAN." and "SHUT UP LA. HOW TO GET THE SHIT OVER?" BUT, after all the coaxing and the cheering, she DID IT! OMG! we had like SEVEN $50. ohyeah, and i wanna tell everyone who comes to read my blog: MARSHALL ROCKS. you know what? WE EXCEEDED OUR TARGET AND GOT $660 instead of $430! DO WE ROCK? YEAH WE DO AND DUHHH, WE ROCK EVERYBODY'S SOCKS! xD HAHA.

third day was d-day. we had to trek through rubble, mud and rock to get to our desinations, with hefty heavy backpacks on our backs. we left quite early in the morning and oh man was it difficult. i was panting when we were only like 10 minutes into the trek. >< rarrr. but we had fun walking along at the back. xD hahaha. and we got to the alpine rescue thingy and we were like arhhhh how to get the casualty over?? lol. anyway, we would have done it better if we had more planning. but still. GOOD JOB EVERYONE. =)

then we had lunch. somehow i was pissed off with something that i do not want to reveal here, and i started venting my anger using one of the camping sticks, causing arina to call me annie the anteater. i was like whaddahell and BLOODYHELL. that just made me more sick of myself and a whole lot angrier. i swear i could have just broken that stick with my bare hands. ><><><

anyway, i must say ANDREA and SUVITHA were GREAT land expedition leaders. =) they led us through the entire thing and we did not even get lost, unlike munshi, who took a wrong turn. xD HAHA. our leaders are SMART man! =) we reached our destination earlier than munshi! YAY. then we went somewhere near the sea to pitch our basha's and cook dinner. =) but first we had to go get water from the jetty. nikhita, me, wenda, suvitha, jiayue, suchin and few others from marshall went to get water. xD we sat around slacking and talking while waiting for the water to arrive. we realised that some people have trademark phrases. for example, suvitha likes to say, "uhhh. i think we kind of realised that" and "apparently"; wenda's favourite phrase is "ohmygaawwwd." while mine is "DUMBASS." xD AHHA. =)

the water finally arrived and we staggered like drunkards while carrying the jerry cans. xD somehow chiu ling got us lost in the tropical rainforest. =.-''' and some of us freaked out. donovan (sorry, i just couldn't resist: NIKHITA) was like a bit scared. i was somewhat freaked too by the weird sounds of the forest. rarrr. >< but luckily we got out. PHEWWW.

dinner was instant noodles with baby sausages. YAY. so nice. andrea's a great cook. OMGG. HAHAHA. ohyeah i almost forgot. i was so bloody blur i got food from munshi's pot instead of marshall's pot. ><>< haha and turns out triyono had actually placed her shoes there to "chop" the sleeping place and when she came, like you know, she's our proficient swearer, she had a barrage of vulgarities at hand and oh, she said them so frigging fast. things like shit man, you idiots, get lost lah, what the f*** man came out of her mouth at record speed. XD AHAHAHAHA. it was RA (really amusing). xD HAHAHA.

when we woke up the next morning, we awoke to a swarming army of ants in a feeding frenzy. from the moment i awoke it was ants and more ants. it was a real miracle my bag wasn't infested when donovan's bag was so close to mine and was super infested by the ants. i helped her to clear out her bag and many others to exterminate the ants. we bustled around for hours straight to get rid of the ants. me and a few others went to fetch the instructors and initially they did not want to come down to our campsite. i was rather pissed wtih chiu ling then because she said they did not have to come, when we were like practically dying just fighting off the stupid ants. i went a second time and boon wee calmly told me to get the non-infested bags out of the way. i went back to the campsite and informed the people about the plan and they got ready. but somehow i wasn't sure if i would lead them the right way and quickly ran back to boon wee to make sure. he showed me where to bring the bags to and i got the people to put their bags there. that's why i trust boon wee more. he's the DUDE man. =) then we got the entire area cleaned up. arina had to like take a soiled pad out of the bushes. OMGOSH. that's ultra disgusting. ><>< but anyway, we learnt that we should work together to overcome obstacles that come at us. together we stand, divided we fall. one for all and all for one. YEAH MARSHALL and MUNSHI!

we trooped back to the alpine rescue but on the way, we had loads of fun talking about arina's invisible owls, britney, pulau, ubin and many other inside jokes. xD HAHAHA. that was like a bonding session going on at the back. so fun!! haha. and i found out that boon wee is a younger bro. HAHA. =) he looks like one anyway. xD HAHA. =) he's got that look. on the way we stopped by the quarry and we set about building a functional raft but sadly, we did not complete it. =( again i believe marshall could have fared better if we put more planning and action into it. bahh. anyway, lesson learnt again. we have to work together. but we got to go for a dip in the crystal clear quarry. omg i LOVE the water! it was so cleansing. i felt uber clean after the little water dip. we sang my bonny in the water. so funny! hahaha.

alpine rescue was much much better than the seaside campsite we had for the previous night. xD AHHAA. we finished everything faster and within time limit, since we already have EXPERIENCE. xD HAHAHA. =) after dinner we went for night walk, which was uber fun. i was walking with andrea and she was like squeezing my hand. hahaha. there were loads of strange sounds everywhere but yeah, i'm proud of andrea and myself for not freaking out in the dark dark forest. we reached somewhere along the coast.

then came the shock. we had to do solo night walk. i felt my stomach turn into a bottomless pit and my heart and lungs fell way into it. i composed myself and decided to go first. i had to do it, i kind of told myself. i set off quickly into the dark forest. it seemed to swallow me whole and my heart started to pound so hard in my chest that i thought it would leave a tattoo there. i turned around to see if nikhita was behind me and oh my gawd, i was alone. with my trembling fingers, i switched on my torch. it flickered and came on, lighting up the path. i heard a weird noise to my left and some branches breaking and striking the ground. i whispered through my batted breath, "the Lord will watch over me" and continued on my way. when i was halfway through, i heard footsteps. i whipped around and saw nikhita. i was relieved. i waited for her to catch up and we went together. we reached the green light sooner than i expected. i think we were like 3/4 through the walk when we met.

i was sort of relieved we got there, but i had no sense of accomplishment, because i had waited and thus thrown away the challenge of a solo night walk. that was eating away at my confidence and it was burning a gaping hole in my beliefs. i was empty. my mind was blank. reaching there was not a moment of intense victory. it was merely just a small memory that i desperately want to chuck away into the back of my mind. now i am digging it up to show it to the world, just to let everybody know that no matter what solo challenges that come to you, do it on your own, otherwise you'll regret it like i am right now. i just hope that if i could like turn back time, i would just trudge on, soldier on on my own. and i am really sorry if nik felt doubtful of herself after that supposedly solo night walk. it's just me and nobody's fault. and nik, you are definitely brave and you are uber strong. i have always known that. =)

now, i just have to make myself know that in things that require oneself and only oneself to complete, i have to do it. all by myself. i shan't accept help unnecessarily when i know the only obstacle is my imagination. oh my gawd. now i am feeling like a total dumbass of a loser. RARRR. -takes deep breath- i will do it. i'm sure i can. i mean. I SHALL.

i went to bed that night, thinking about the night walk, dreaming the night walk and having a nightmare about the night walk. >< but i managed to sleep throughout the night. i awoke to suvitha's calls. she wanted to go to the toilet. haha. but anyway i had to wake up anyway. i shoved the night walk out of my mind and yeah, i went to brush my teeth and stuff. the digestive biscuits were kind of good and man, i felt okay. we had a really funny talk about our classic obs quotes and our cheer and our song. okay here are some of them.

wenda
"oh my gaaawd."

yingjie from 302
"if there's no peanut butter, the bread can go to hell and die for all i care."

arina
"invisible owl"
"enchanted forest"
"agony! agony!"
"oh my gawd britney"
"britney did it"

triyono
"shit man"
"what the f*** man"
"you better shut up or else i will kick your ass"
"how do i get the shit up there?"
"this sux man"
"gana sai la!"
etc. expletives xD

serena
"i'm very scared of the bear-bear!"

nikhita
"RA. really amusing."

suvitha
"ohyeah. i want to thank my scissors! i killed so many ants with it."
"uhh, i think we kind of realised that."

me
"DUMBASS. i'm smacking your butt so that your dumb ass cells can like turn into smart ass cells."

improvised cheer:
marshall rocks
marshall rocks
marshall marshall
ROCKS MY SOCKS!! XD <3

song sang in the tune my bonny:
my mummy lies over the boundary
my daddy lies over the sea
my family lies over at singapore
so bring back my family to me
bring back o bring back
o bring back my family to me!!

ohman, all these quotes bring back so many funny memories... I LOVE MARSHALL! but definitely, I LOVE THE PEOPLE MORE. so here are some dedications to every marshal.

andrea aka andy (can i call you that?? hahahaha)!
oh girl, you rock my socks. you are such a great land expedition leader! rock on man! and no no, you are not an insect, because i cannot have an insect for a wife. i need a human being. HAHHA. some more must be cool, fun, smart and chio. HAHAHAHA. high expections so must keep up okay? but anyway, you are already there. HAHAHAHA. i hope i am not inflating your ego. FWAHAHAHA. but still. <3 ya wifeee. and you better <3 me back. HAHA! xD

nikhita aka donovan!
yoyo donovan. i had fun laughing with you! you can be my laughing partner! i still remember our funny times..lol. the RA thingum and the laughing-at-triyono's swears times. xD you rock man. and rock on. oh and thank you for the insect repellant and the talcum powder and the haha times. =) <3 yaaa!

wenda lewis aka WENDA THE WONDERWOMAN / WENDAWOMAN!
heyhey duck-walk woman! hahahhaa. sorry for smacking your butt so much. hahaha. and all that dumbass thingy. >< hahaha i was just kind of high. rarrr. sorry yeah? hahaha but i think you are a very fun person and uber cute. and i like your husky voice, which is really cool. hahaha. and your laugh is so unique!! =) hahaha <3 ya and rock on womann.

suvitha aka suvi!
yo fellow beatles junkie! never knew you liked beatles too! i shall educate you about beatles! they totally rock man! ohyeah, i think your elvis impersonation is totally cool! and even without the elvis impersonation, you are COOL! you really have determination and i must applaud you on completing the inverse tower! you rock mannn. <3 yaaa! and see ya on monday with more beatles stuff!

hiu tung aka xiao tong!
hey table partner! HAHAHHA thanks for the shampoo yeah? hahaha and the offers to spray insect repellant on me, despite the fact that my O+ blood is way too sweet for my buddy mozzies to resist. xD HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. you rock mann. and your funny antics will be missed, like duhh. hahaha see ya on monday tooo!!

jiayue!
yo BIG SISTA!! you have like everything. omg! you are the arm that pops out of nowhere to stop a fall. you are like doraemon with all the insect repellant, scissors, plasters, etc. for all of us. you are like a big SISTER caring for all of us. you are like a guardian angel watching over and watching out for us. oh man, in short, you seriously rock dudette! =)

arina!
thank you for entertaining all of us with your funny comments and complaints, like the britney thing and the invisible owl story. xD HAHAHA. and yeah, you rock too! =) (sorry for the short dedicaiton because i am like going out really soon. ><)

serene, serena and suchin the MODEL!
YO you three s's!! hahahaha you all have been really fun too! serena, a boar is a PIG, not a bear. hahahahaha. xD suchin, it's "stylo", not "stah-lo". HAHAHA. you three are like super funny. haha rock on dudettes! <3

shihui!
haha you are so super calm and quiet. and when you make a remark, it sometimes kind of funny too! hahaha. =) yeah rock on dudette!!!

chunyue!
omg all that neatness. all that carefulness! you make me feel like a disorganised little kid. >< hahahaha. but i'm glad to be able to learn from your NEATNESS. hahaha i am kind of more organised right now. rock on yeah? =))

zijun!
ohman sorry for confusing you with jiayue! hahahha! but still, you rock because you are in marshall, the watch that rocks the MOST! like duhhhhh. hahah and you are one nice person too!

triyono aka yono!
OMGAWD triyono! cut down on the vulgarities and the expletives. but i would like to hear them sometime when i am kind of like pissed or down. it really makes me laugh like siao. HAHAHAHAHA. just thinking of you saying all that stuff makes me break in guffaws. xD HAHHA. rock on yono!

weifen!
you are the most hardworking person on the team can? hahaha. you say you are sorry for not putting effort in but that makes me feel sorry for myself too because it's like i've ben slacking more than i've been like helping out. xD HAHAHAHA. compared to you of course. you rock. and duh, you're the woman! you rock!

and last but not least....

UNCLE DUDE!!
although he doesn't have my blog url or any internet access, i shall just say that he's the most wonderful instructor in the entire OBS campus! i shan't elaborate on how but yeahh, he is a fun person and yes, HE ROCKS MY SOCKS...LIKE TOTALLY!

***

now i am feeling fit, tanned and strong. i have gone the distance and i have achieved my goals. i have held on, held fast and held on. i have made it through all the obstacles with my watchmates. i have made a mega load of new friends. i have discovered myself in this obs course. and yeah, i have made changes to my life goals and myself.

i feel charged up and ready to go out there and meet, confront and conquer every obstacle and challenge that stands in my way to my goals. i am here; i am here at an all new beginning of life with a confidence that has been washed afresh. i am ready. come on man life. give me your best shot. i will take it. i will challenge it. i will overcome it. YEAH MAN. power to LIFE!

***

okay that's all for obs and i ahve finally completed my post-writing marathon! yayyyyy!! anyone who has managed to like read through everything, tell me! =) okay YOU ROCK DUDETTES! and cya people!

and here's a poem that mother teresa wrote. sorry if i plucked it off andrea's blog but i am kind of in a rush and lazy. hahahaha. so here it is.

LIFE IS....
by Mother Teresa

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.

adios

quote of the day
"life is life, FIGHT FOR IT."
mother teresa!
6:23 PM