i know it hasn't been as long as it has been for like the seniors. but wow. returning back to the camp itself, it is hard to register that it has been 3 years since i myself was a yl participant, being tekan, doing all the activities yet learning to trust one and other.
going back to ubin after a year, brings back many of the memories the island gave me. from the first time i was there being a trainee. having to go from check point to check point. walking on and on. (it was really quite tiring then). thankfully for d, who was already able to trek around ubin even in his dreams, we didn't have to waste much time and effort during our land ex. i remember singing a lot of 红蜻蜓 during our land ex.
i realised that i don't remember the recre activities as vividly as the activities, besides the cleaning one of course. haha. however, seriously, with regards to the cleaning recre, i don't have strong feelings towards it. that to me has always just been something like, since it has to be done, there is like this way only, we need to be done with it. let's just get this over and done with.
and having seen 4 campfires, i'm still most proud of titans' performance. :P
for the last 2, the best(&worst) excuse is, generation gap. hence, my inability to understand/enjoy the performance.
for the nth time, having gone for the camp was a step i took towards change. the amazing experiences i gained from there on. the countless acquaintances, friends and buddies i have made as a result, who would have known right? haha.
for any 37th that do come by here, you know when i thought about your batch while thinking that some of you were going to turn up yesterday evening (at ubin) and take the roles as instructors' instructors, i just felt really very happy for all of you that you guys had such a good term. found a group of friends that made memories that are special to only the 21 of you will know. this is sentimental and maybe even mushy. but seeing that you guys did your best to pass on your knowledge and guidance towards 38th, there was really the wow, 'you guys have grown so much' thought. i am really thankful for having juniors like you guys and continue to grow and experience life in your own ways! (:
i think every batch of instructors will have the tendency to think that the trainees they meet fare worse then themselves. but after having had such doubts in the trainees i met in my course, last year and this year. i realised that the camp is only such a limited duration of time instructors get to deliver certain important practices and values to the trainees. through pre-camps, the camp and post-yl party. the 'seedling' instructors have for the trainees is just planted. and for each individual that make it to the CCA, they will need their own time for the different aspects within that 'seedling' to be developed. a lot of time, guidance and trust is needed. some batch may have it lucky and together can work things out from an early stage into the cca. some may not and might take the rest of the year or even more.
but whatever the case, as instructors, we can only guide, trust and be there for our trainees. thereafter, hope that we have inspired them to achieve different milestones during their journey as a batch while they are still in school.
from trainees to instructors, we may tend to forget that we ourselves had went through lots of trials in order to be what we are during the next camp. hence, having the shortsightedness to realise that the trainees aren't actually that terrible or pathetic. time is necessary for moulding to take place...
there is sadness for the traditions lost, opportunities or experiences that the batches way before the 30s got to gain, yet due to changes in environment, education system and society's scrutiny we can no longer know what those are like. yet, to still be able to retain some, being part of this family. i am really blessed. (:
(more than half) titans and 20th senior!
from the tower within chek jawa.
this quarry on the route back from chek jawa to campsite.
sun setting. can you very faintly see different hues of colour on the left below the clouds?
these aren't edited and i didn't have polariser.
maybe the effect would have been stronger.
caught the first boat out at 6.30am with the 37ths that came. caught the sun rising.
some of the better shots. the boat was moving rapidly so... most of the shots are blur.
finally had a starry night after such a long time. despite it being chilly, the night sky made up for it all. many pretty stars, like what LH said, whichever direction you turn to, there will be stars. unlike the sky when we are in mainland. HAHA.
though when i tried getting to sleep, at one point in time i was bitten by some weird insect that brought lots of pain for sustained period. thank goodness i woke up fine. (:
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