Vacation Job, July 2008

(UPDATED July 3 2008 - Refer to below)
A new month calls for a new job!

And my next job takes me to SAF Armour Centre Sungei Gedong camp. I can't point out exactly where the camp is located, but it's somewhere near Lim Chu Kang. If you still don't know where that is, you're excused - well, because it's a very rural area and hardly anyone goes there. Working hours are from 8am to 5:30pm on weekdays and 8am to 12:30pm on Saturdays, the later of which irritates me. But I do have to arrive at Kranji MRT Station by 7:30am daily so that I am able to catch the free transport lest I want to take service 975 from Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange.

Working inside an army barrack has restrictions, and one of which is the banning of phototaking in its permises, so don't expect any photos for posts that concern this vacation job. Overall, it is a relatively nice work environment - although I am working in a GE (general item) store, the job is more about paperwork than moving stuffs (Anyway, the store is air-conditioned, so paperwork suits the job just fine. Really). The job is quite a relaxing one, actually, and moments where I would sit down and talk with the 2 other temporary employees for hours are typical. In fact, this job pays me more than my previous job and requires me to do less. Now, I like this! Time also seems to pass faster at this job (well, when you are talking, time passes really fast! Haha!).

Providing extra money for me to satisfy my bank account isn't the only thing going for me with regards to this job. As the job permits me with the rare opportunity to enter an (REAL) army camp (at least before NS), I am able to have an insight of how the training goes on in NS - the typical screaming bastards are to be expected. Hey, the first thing I heard when I entered the camp was: "I won't tolerate anymore nonsense!". There was also a NS man who came into the store to collect blankets for his recruits, but the problem is: He kept on staring at me fiercely, seemingly wanting to instigate a fight. What an asshole! Yeah, these are the kind of bitches I am going to be seeing in less than a year's time.

Finally, the canteen food, while only limited to 3 stalls, is absolutely great! My hopes of getting free food from the cookhouse vanished as the other temporary worker, who was there before me told me that we weren't permitted to get the free food; it's only reserved for the NS man there. Now, that sucks. Anyway, I am working there for 2 weeks with the option of extension if they still need me. But I hope they don't because I have always been one who likes changes in environments where work is concerned.

Well, it's only the first day of the job. I will provide more juicy details for you readers soon!

(UPDATED)

Alright, it's the 2nd day of my work and the novelty of 'getting paid more for doing less than my previous job' is gradually wearing off. In fact, I find this job quite dull. Out of the 9.5 hours that was spent on the job today, only 1 hour was spent doing real work. From 8am to 12nn, I was plugged into my MP3 player while making myself comfortable in the armchair. The next 1 hour was dedicated to lunch. After lunch at 1pm, I split my time between some paperwork and toying around with my DS (the other employees were playing games too, so it's not just me) till 2:40pm.

Now, here comes the interesting part. At 2:40pm, a guy from DSTA came and I somehow managed to get an invitation to hitch a ride in his car and travel to different areas of the SAF Armour Centre Sungei Gedong camp. I was brought to view the latest Leopard tanks (they are big) that Singapore recently purchased and even got a chance to touch their exterior. Of course, many other SAF vehicles were also seen. Additionally, I was given a view of the latest tank and combat simulators that were bought only a few months ago by SAF. The mini-tour ended at 4pm.

From 4pm to 5pm, I was moving some heavy stuffs around, but that's really nothing compared to the several hours that were quite relaxing. For the next 30 minutes before knocking off from work, I was again playing with my DS. And bam! One work day was gone! Now, while this job certainly has its advantages, I find it pretty dull because for most parts of today, there was nothing to do. Let's see what tomorrow has in store for me.