Hey, I'm back for a lil break cuz I have to go for my dental appointment tomorrow~ OK, so here's my insight and experience on PLKN - I brought a book over to write down my feelings and day's activities and everything I wrote is true there and then. :)
I wrote it in the sense that I would in my diary, so it'll be a lil more personal than what I normally write in here. (Its been such a looong time since I last listened to music.)
(p.s. Some photos may have a finger on the edge cuz I'm using my cousin's phone that has a very low camera hole. ._.)
Long, long post ahead! XD
(There will be a small glossary below each diary entry for viewers that does not speak Bahasa Malaysia, or any other languages I use. Note: wira = male enlistees, wirawati = female enlistees.)
05.04, Sat (Day 1)
Just reached Kem & currently has no friends. Some ppl are looking at me. I think its weird that I'm writing now. ._. Saw a school friend but she don't dare to look at me. So few Chinese. I look forward to making friends.
This is a beautiful camp. =)
The first thing that captured my awe was the beautiful white flowers fluttering down from the trees; it was as if I'm a kid starting her first term in school during sakura season or something. LOL I went to kem with sis, mom and my mom's cousin (who drove us there). Initially I was placed in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan (Kem Karisma) but for the sake of convenience, I applied for a Selangor camp. Currently, I am placed in Kem Setia Ikhlas, Semenyih.
I will post more photos of the camp later on as I am following the chronological order of photos in my phone.
Wash basin
Left - boys, Right - girls
Oh yeah, we have Sabahans and Sarawakians in our camp! Only Selangor camps have them!
We have to do a blood test to test our haemoglobin level, to see if you have anaemia. You will be sent home if you do. They pricked my finger and it hurts and itches so badly later... But don't be afraid; for most its only about 10 mins.
Because BL
My index number. Company Alpha, and the 5th girl in Dorm 2.
Later we went to take our bag and boots in one of the faraway classes. Have to be quick. I have no idea why I'm wearing size 4 boots. ._. The straps of the bag is pretty tight on the shoulders, but the bag itself is surprisingly spacious.
One of my first friends - Kelly. And Mei Zhin on the left; she's 20 (just finished Form 6), but she's so short and cute! >.<
07.04, Mon (Day 3)
On my bed now, its raining heavily. Just bathed and ran through the pouring rain. Made a lot of friends! Finally I got hold of the switch!! Omg.
I sleep next to Cindy; she's a really nice girl with red hair ends. She's so sociable. I am starting to open up too - much more than in school.
Our dorm; it looks much better now cuz the beds are neater and we are beginning to put up decorations.
My bed just beside the door which unfortunately has a lot of insects for the first few days. It is a VERY convenient spot, but nonstrategic because there's a lot of activity going on.
Finally got hold of the switch... ;_;
Dorm 1 (left) & 2 (right)
10.04, Thurs (Day 6)
Just finished dinner - our company came down super early today. LOL We are going to KLIA 2 this Saturday~ And also to a military exhibition some day (because I volunteered). Can't wait! >.<
Let me show you around the camp for the time being~
This is where the flying fox, abseiling, etc takes place - I was actually surprised that they have this in camp, I thought we have to go out for everything but it seems like this camp is well-equipped. Btw we will be doing the Flying Fox this coming Monday! We have already done the obstacle course as of now; I will talk about it in the respective post. :)
The mini mart, aka, Tesco. This is where you buy phone cards, food, personal items; anything.
Our pondok, for the wirawatis (female enlistees) only. Its facing the lake and its quite breezy at times.
The lake in the morning! I love the reflection on the water. Those faraway buildings are the BJ; the sick room. You go there when you have a fever, or needs quarantine. I've never stayed there but I've been there when I delivered Voon's clothes to her. Its a quaint little place with cats. Speaking of cats, there's always a huge black cat roaming the compounds of the camp.
So tropical.
The road of fluttering flowers, just outside the Dewan Makan (canteen).
Look at that freaking smoke!! Unfortunately the camp is placed just 1km from a garbage recycling factory, so...
We have kayaks here! Colourful, colourful kayaks~ But the jurulatih (trainer/coach) said that we can't do kayaking because of safety issues. ;_;
Can you spot the stairs? Its where we climb up every night to go back to our dorms, aka, Mount Kinabalu.
11.04, Fri (Day 7)
Its been a week. Time: 2233. There's so much blue black and red patches on my knees.
We're going to KLIA 2 tomorrow for its opening (going as simulation). We get to wake up at 6 because we have to gather by 7. =D I'm the 1st group so I'll be going by bus at 9. To KLIA 2!
p.s. I became OC for non-muslim today.
It was my first time giving commands in front of a group; it was nerve-wrecking at first, but I slowly got used to it. I had only commanded once though, just this day. But I hope to do it again! XD
Btw, we went to KLIA 2 not for its opening, but as a trial operation.
12.04, Sat (Day 8)
Shawaa を あびる ときに なくした。I miss my family so damn much. Not homesickness, I don't mind being here either (maybe just a lil bit); but I'm thinking of my かぞく everyday. Especially when I have nothing to do.
So I let it out to feel better. I hope I wouldn't cry when I see Mummy tomorrow - I almost, whenever I think of her. If I'm reborned again, I want her to still be my mother.
I held back my tears heaps today - its so suffocating. Its miserable. I'm miserable.
But I have no choice to leave; besides I get to take days-off (hopefully 3 days LOL) and family visits every week, so its quite OK. I sincerely hope that time will pass faster from now on. I miss drawing, I miss my friends & family, I miss Light, I miss everything - but I'm holding back my tears & continue this camp with good strife.
My left ear is beginning to feel painful since about 2 days ago, like its growing a giant pimple at the most unsuitable place ever. ._. I hope no insect went in & make babies.
Omg.
I'm also beginning to cough slightly - I hope it wouldn't worsen. Pray! >.<
I talked to God a lot since I came here - I feel so much better when I did. Makes me feel safe.
['Shawaa を あびる ときに なくした。' - 'I cried in the shower.']
[かぞく - family]
Alright, even if it is soppy, it was what I had felt. The first week was very hard for me as I've never been away from my family for so long before. The same goes for a majority of people.
13.04, Sun (Day 9)
かぞく came to visit today!! :D しあわせ〜 <3
Luckily I did not cry - in fact it was the opposite. I lost all feelings of sadness and depression and its like my whole week of stress just vanished. Family is the best after all.
This camp is tough, but crucially, it taught me to appreciate. I can't wait for next Sunday - I'm looking forward to it!
Sometimes my heartbeat feels irregular, especially when my nose is blocked.
Today we went to Nalanda, somewhere in Sri Serdang. It was beautifully furnished and so chilling~ I nearly tripped on the stairs. LOL
But it wasn't particularly fun for me cuz they use Mandarin (including some slideshows) & we have to play an ice-breaking game which I deemed awkward. We have to make friends with the boys - isn't my field of interest in any way... It was a painful experience for me. And I felt a pang of loneliness again.
When my family was about to go away, we waved goodbye & I wanted to cry. Just now I gave Mummy a call cuz I miss her.
Dion gave me a letter from LS too, and I held back my tears reading it. OTZ I can't wait for my dentist appointment so that I can get together with them. :)
The post is getting longer each day. XD
p.s. I'm the only banana in Buddhist class...
['かぞく came to visit today!! :D しあわせ〜 <3' - 'Family came to visit today!! :D Happy~ <3']
[banana - a name for someone that isn't well-versed in their mother tongue]
Nalanda
Letter to Lay Si
14.04, Mon (Day 10)
My back problem started again today - on my left side. I feel a tingling feeling on my left brain & some hot sensation. I don't think I can go to the Medic for this...
But I'm worried.
Let me show you our dorms and everything near it.
The back of our dorms and the clothes line for Company Bravo. Their dorms are on the right.
I realized my school friend was in the same camp as me except she's in the 1st batch! I was touring the room when I saw this organisation chart and thought that the drawing looked familiar. I searched for her name and there it was as the AJK Keceriaan (someone who does and plans out the decorations and looks for the dorm)! I am the current AJK Keceriaan.
Charlie dorms
Our slippers
The toilet and bathrooms and sinks
The place to wash our clothes and those rectangular structures are where we store water for emergency use, but we never use it anyway.
The path to go downstairs, starts at the side of Dorm 1.
The obstacle course (Kembara Halangan) is just along the road to and from the wirawati dorms.
More walking
The wira (male enlistees) dorms. You can actually see inside their toilets.
And that pink building is the Dewan Makan.
Trivia: Kem Setia Ikhlas is the only camp with hill top-located dorms. It will train your stamina, endurance and mental strength.
17.04, Thurs (Day 13)
2 more days till I see my family!! This week passed sufficiently quick enough so its not so unbearable. The first week was excruciating hell... Hoping that the coming weeks will pass quickly and with loads of fun!
Today, the medics fooled me. OTZ I went to give my passport photo & they talked about some people in previous kumpulans giving friends (most probably counterparts) their photos & wrote phone numbers behind. They asked me to write & I seriously went to dig for my pen until I heard people stifling in their laughter and I'm like /covers face & smash into wall/. ... But they were friendly (on another note, I heard friends saying that the medics scolded them - most to the point of crying - when they went for a second time).
There was a baby!! すごくかわいい！ <3 But I refrained from touching him - I cannot... T.T Too cute...
We had kawad today under the scorching sun. Yesterday was kinda windy and dim, so it was supremely comfortable. Today, we are in an oven. Burning hell. My wicks melted in my pocket. XD
Oh yeah, yesterday we went to DSA & I got back 2 chocolates. One normal, another a ration pack chocolate. The ration pack's became watery. The other melted in my pocket (because of kawad) & stained the insides & whatever I kept in there. ._.
I became a little tanned already but its not obvious as my friends'. Sunblock to the rescue... よろしくおねがいしませ。
DSA was kinda boring & interesting at the same time; the first thing I saw was a huge helicopter & chang chang CHANG! - handsome & cool American soldiers! There were 2 girls & OMG, were they cool. So manly... *.*
I walked with Cindy and Yuen Ting (we call her Dong Gu, aka, mushroom) & I was the communicator between us & the exhibitors because I was the one that understood what they were saying. It was so interesting! Mushroom said that I could go work in these exhibitions. /proud/ XD
Today was very, very tiring... まったく。 Yesternight, I slept like a log & I was dreaming (I remembered vividly) when Mushroom woke me up. My dreams are getting stranger... My situations are depicted in my dreams. But they were fun. =)
[kumpulan - batch]
[kawad - marching]
['すごくかわいい！' - 'Super cute!']
['よろしくおねがいしませ。' - 'I'll leave it in your hands.'/ 'Please take care of me.']
Saw some important people...
19.04, Sat (Day 15)
Did a pregnancy test just now (of course -, LOL) and let Dion call me for a bit. She's attending Hari Anugerah & Lay Si & Ashley were with her. They went off to the toilet & we all chatted. I miss them SO MUCH!
Tomorrow is family day! <3 I can't wait to see them again~ >.< But they have to go home early tomorrow cuz Dion has her Jap class. T.T My Japanese class... But they'll come again next week so its OK. :)
Everyday I count down to family day & to when I can come out (to check my braces & stuff). It gets me excited to think about coming home, just to be a little more in touch with things I'm familiar with.
I'm slowly adjusting to the lifestyle here. Yesterday we had a bleep test, that is to test your physical capability. We have to run to and from 2 lines that measures about 40m from each other. The speaker starts off at Level 1-1, then Level 1-2, up to Level 1-8 before going into Level 2-1, and so on. I got up to Level 4-1, so that adds up plus minus to 1km of running non-stop. What a feat for me. XD
A point I want to touch on is some people here - they are very, VERY weird. One moment they are really good to you, like you are lifelong friends, but the other, they will ignore you outright - I'm not even kidding. ._. It makes me go O.O wtf? Bipolar much? So, I tend to leave those people alone; there's no point sticking onto them if you don't want to inflict emotional pain upon yourself.
In here, I really got to discover myself - even though I didn't suddenly bloom into a social butterfly, I discovered who I really am & what I'm comfortable with. My quiet facade is indeed not a facade (as I'd always thought) but instead it is who I am. I only open up to people that I click with; its hard & rare for me to open up to new people - I'm friendly to them, but I'm just not fully myself.
I also came to appreciate my existence of being borne a quiet (not unsociable & emo LOL) person, but on the inside, I can be very bright - it just needs some discovery. My friends were very shocked when they see my FB pics, cuz I looked seriously nerd in here & in school. ._. I only like to look beautiful when I go out cuz I don't like having too much attention in places like these. Plus, I am comfortable being my nerdy self. :) In another words, I can be 2 different person, but both of them are true to me & none a facade.
[Hari Anugerah - Awards Day]
Baju PT (like your PJ shirt)
I wear specs normally, but I like to take pics without it cuz it looks so much better.
PT shoes; I kinda like it.
Baju kurung that I borrowed from Shikin, our OC (aka, the leader). It was so embarrassing to go down with this attire. >.< Everyone was staring... But they said it was cute, so its OK. XD
With Mushroom (left) and Cindy (right)~
Baju kelas, aka the factory worker attire! XD
With Renee; she left early for studies. ;_; I liked her so much.
Class shoes. Can use for cosplay!
Inner celoreng; we can keep this.
Full celoreng (or 'loreng' as a shortcut). My friends said I look cool in it, especially when I run or jump. >.< Looks like a policewoman, they said...
With the cap; we were supposed to get a beret but they were stock issues so we're sticking with the cap for the time being.
I am 160.1cm (NS-measured) and even though I am the tall majority, I still have to get everything in the smallest size. Except for my PT pants which I got in M. I seriously don't know why their sizes are so big. Normally, I wear shoes sized 5 or 6 depending on the manufacturer, but I have to take
Spike boots - size 4
PT shoes - size 5
Class shoes - size 6
respectively. But please try on before making an assumption that the sizes will be as listed. >.<
OK, I will introduce the food now~
Breakfast (7:30am ~ 8am)
We also get Nasi Lemak and noodles - there are varieties so no worries~ I can stuff a lot during breakfast and still not feel full... For drinks, we either get tea or milo.
Morning/Evening Tea Break (10:30am~11am & 4:30pm~5pm)
For morning break, we usually get milo or Kopi O. For evening break, we normally just get tea. There's usually fried food, so you can choose not to eat. But I eat whenever I can. Don't be afraid to eat too because I have been eating frequently and not get fat. There's fruits too, so the nutrition intake is quite balanced; their menus are set by the Health Ministry so you don't have to worry. The taste of the food depends on each camp though.
Lunch/Dinner (12:30pm~1pm & 6:30pm~7pm)
And for supper, its usually tea and biscuits. I usually doesn't eat at night, unless I am really hungry, which is like often.
I have read about camps that have great food at the beginning and slowly deteriorates in quality and taste, but honestly, I think the food improves in here. I love the food here too~ When we went to KLIA 2, there were people from other camps too. We compared our lifestyle, regulations and stuff and some of them said that their food sucks. :/ So I guess it depends on the kitchen staffs.
I also think that Kemsis (short for Kem Setia Ikhlas, Semenyih) is generally quite clean, so I felt comfortable residing there. But, but, Kemsis is very strict, undoubtedly, because it is the 2nd best camp and is known for their discipline. I'm not complaining though. >.< They have a very good lifestyle so it alright!
You may not like it but each camp have their own restrictions and rules - some camps give back phones every night, some only on weekends. Ours are on Friday night, but if we have to attend something (like DSA and KLIA 2), we won't be getting our phones. We're not even allowed to bring our bags along. All we did was stared at the other camps' enlistees taking selfies, snapping photos and lunging their bags around.
And one more must, we must tie our hair up in a bun and wear a net. I didn't see other camps doing this, so I guess its just a rule for Kemsis.
I guess I have enough of talking, typing, for now? XD Wait for me a month later to update about my 3rd and 4th week~ I don't know if anyone is interested, but I'm doing this for the sake of reading it again when I grow up! And also to provide a detailed explanation to whoever is interested. :)
Thank you everybody~! *bows*
p.s. Since I wrote such a detailed entry, I think I can be the official promoter/ambassador of Kemsis.
