Half-Day Off

For the third time this year, I've taken 1/2 day off. It's pathetic. My totally number of off days that I've taken added together is 2.5. I think I have at least 5 full days of off but it'll be quite some time till it's approved as well. It's terribly difficult to get them, even though it is hard enough to earn them in the first place. Did I mention that I'll be getting 1 day off for doing guard duty this coming Christmas?

Frankly, I'm repulsed at having duty on Christmas. Okay, so I'm not a Christian, but for 19 years I've been celebrating it in my perspective. It means something to me. And I've been robbed of all Christmas mood ever since. In fact, I'm going to avoid the fact that there's even Christmas this year. I'll pretend that it doesn't exist. Tuh.

It's been a crappy week in camp, despite it only being a 4 day week. There was a nights off where I went to Causeway Point to shop myself, then there was almost nights off yesterday, but the unit was on alert because of a ship. I was in Force 2 and thought that I'd be activated. Oh man, that's the 200 dollars risk allowance for you. There was CO evening yesterday and it went rather well. I lent my sunglasses to Jeevaraj who suggested that Chia Keat should wear them on stage while playing the drums. And clapped like hell when Charles and Bryan let the guitar rip. I love a good performance and they got it. And it's fantastic to see our platoon so enthused over the fact that there were talented people on the stage representing us.

Hmmm, a great thing that happened this week would probably be YC telling me about his travels. He's probably not the most serious guy in the platoon (as for me I guess I need to lighten up a bit because I'm not the most humorous-cum-talk-cock guy) but he shared with me his overseas experiences. From that I learned a lot from him. It isn't easy to go on such trips. There's planning involved. Being on the constant lookout for opporunities for flights to neighbouring countries and saving up money for the trip. And then there's also the way your mind analyses the situations you go through to make the experience worthwhile. YC impressed me with his knowledge and wealth of experience and also his perspective of life. From talking about Backpackers' Lodge to the look of appreciation in the children's eyes when he handed out food during his Thailand OCIP trip made me think back on my own experience. I felt happy that he'd share something like this with me, and grateful to learn more as we compared our different experiences of interacting with people, helping others, exploring the world and living out of our comfort zones.

I like talking to people about stuff that are life-changing, which makes me tough to talk to normally because I just seem like an uptight, un-humorous, serious, distant fucker.

Oops.

Anyway, I was feeling quite down the LAST time I took half day off and he told me something that I'd recall whenever the going gets rough.

Just do what you think is right.

When making decisions, or carrying out actions, it is impossible to please everybody. At the end of the day it's most critical to look at the situation and feel that you've done what you thought was right at that point of time. It might turn out wrong, or you might regret it, but up to that point of time, the most important thing is to live up to your own principles and don't be hesitant, to do what you think is right.