Category: Army / National Service

  • We own this language and it owns us back

    Aunty Lilly got all excited on Sunday and yelled up and down the terrace house, waking Uncle Albert and my cousins with: Ben’s face come out newspaper! Ben’s face come out newspaper! Ben’s face come out newspaper! My grumpy cousins grunted their replies, hoping she’d leave them alone so they could go back to sleep.…

  • What’s better than a Chan Brothers’ Holiday Package?

    Selarang Camp is overseas meh? A 21-day all expenses (well, almost) paid trip to Far North Queensland, is what! Yes, I’m trying to hype it up, perk it up, and do as much as I can to avoid being sian 1/2 about the whole deal. I mean, who gets two sets of SAF100s (call-up notifications)…

  • Stupidity Factor

    I’m happy to do National Service not because I’m a True Believer, partly because I’m never sure what I believe in. But National Service is such a way of life here that I’m better off not spending my time kicking against it while having to serve, because that’d make me a whole lot more miserable.…

  • Heap it on!

    As if the week isn’t heavy enough: I get an SAF 100 (reservist call-up notice) today. Nowsaday very high-tech. Got an SMS asking me to log-in to check call-up notice. Then click on call-up notice. Then see Javascript error. Then email administrator for details. Then wait. I think they’ll send paper notice. Sian 1/2! Surf…

  • Rules of engagement and other things reservists have to worry about

    iTunes’ party shuffle is playing a copy of: Guilty – Jimmy Barnes – Flesh and Wood, of which I have the original CD and therefore didn’t steal music. My Army unit is on Mobilisation Manning this week, right after 17 days of in-camp training! If they mobilise us this Saturday just to practice, we will…