Some people really go unnoticed in life, not till you become less obsessed with your life.

The SFI aunties boarded our chartered book-out bus when we waited for some guy who forgot his trainee pass. Of course, like bernard i was rather peeved cos we had to wait but when i saw this SFI auntie clamber on board, my heart kind of went out to her. at her age, she really shouldnt be serving food to a whole bunch of ungrateful NSFs, standing all day long washing dishes and clearing all the tonnes of uneaten leftovers and swill that accumulate jus becos NSFs nowadays are too pampered. and the supervisors who mus be breathing down their necks to stick to prescribed portion sizes or not working fast enough or not cooking enough food. and all of us jus work through each meal, 3 times a day dismissing them as the aunties who ought to serve cos they are paid (a pitance though, i think) by SFI, whose absence would not be missed. come to think of it, she's serving NS too, just that for her, there's no ORD or ROD. i feel really really sorry for them. people treat them like robots who would most routinely scoop food onto our platters every meal. and think of the number of people they have to serve. It's really not easy being an SFI aunty. we go outfield once in a while, they prepare for battle 3 times a day, not taking into consideration night snacks. if our training is tedious, theirs has no end. SAF should give them an honourary 3SG rank at the very least.

Then there are the caregivers to the elderly. My family hired a maid specially to look after my ailing grandma. Since she is warded in hospital now, i went to visit her earlier in the day. It was rather depressing to see a WHOLE ward of old people being put together, staring into space. i think ah mah would not have liked the environment very much. ah mah today is a far cry from my memories of her when i was young. i used to live with her and our daily routine of marketing, cooking, studying, playing and story-telling is still etched in my mind. She was an omniscient presence compared to my parents back then, who were always working. Now, she lies in the hospital bed, too weak to walk. and her mouth moves incessantly, like chewing on something that can never be broken down. worst of all, she cant even recognise me or remember her own name now. So Rosaly's main job was to take care of her and so along she goes to CGH when ahmah was admitted. It was amazing listening to Rosaly giving my father a report of what ahmah did before we arrived and what she helped her do. and looking ard the ward, at almost every other bed, there was a foreign domestic helper looking after the sick. even most of the nurses were not locals. It's amazing how these women can put down everything back home, come to a foreign land and dedicate their lives to total strangers. something most locals would shun totally due to the long hours. is it merely a case of "money makes the world go round", or the prospect of providing a better life for loved ones back home?
While the latter may be a great driving force, I still must salute these women, for making such huge sacrifices, to care, cook and clean for their charge, 24/7. It is definitely more tiring than a 28km route march with an end pt in sight. The black sheep aside, how can there still be cases of maid-abuse coming out every now and then? are Singaporeans an ungrateful lot? or is it due to the superannuated mindset of paying for one's slave, which they are not in the first place? Whatever the case, i think most of us would appreciate a good maid when we see one.

When specific names get mentioned for contributing to nation-building and cohesion, for being "ordinary people who do extraordinary stuff", think of all these people and more, without whom, many things in our little bubble would not be possible. The people who get mentioned may be deserving, but those who remain in the shadows are the ones who we should really give our thanks to. Somebody announce SEVEN public holidays in their honour!

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It was enlistment day for mono-intake armour yesterday. Saw many recruits who looked totally blank and sad, as I mus have had on my first day. Heads shaven and not shaven. Civvies and admin. Doing chin ups before meals. Annoyances that still bug me now. On my way to being an SAF commander, i really dont know what i will become. i cannot imagine brandon or wenhao spewing expletives over every little thing. or kp for that matter. anw, to all new enlistees, welcome to the army. jus as how knowledge is never returning to a point of not knowing, being conscripted is a pt of no return - you are ensnared by the SAF for the next 12 years of your life. :)