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Day 1
The start of LTC. Set off for Malaysia bright and early in the morning. We sec 2s were going to the Mawai Eco Camp have our camp. So, for practically the whole journey, we just kept doing the school cheers and practising the campfire songs until our voices went hoarse.(think: Broken hi-fi set) Reached the camp in about 2hours. When we reached the camp, we had to set up our bunks that we were going to sleep on for the next few days. Wooden trunks and a canvas sheet spread over it --- our bed, much like a hammock. Well, we had lunch, then proceeded to the first activity of the day. In my group, we started with the water obstacles first. Some of the obstacles were really challenging, made harder with the challenge the camp instructors put forth to us. Each group had 3 eggs to take care off throughout the camp, the eggs can only be in our pockets, hands or t-shirts. So in every activity we had, we have to hold those eggs. Well, I won’t bother talking about the eggs… those vile things. Haha, the water obstacles were really fun, difficult at times. Best of all, you can laugh at the seniors when they fall in the water… muahahaha. After the whole activity, we were all drenched and then we played a game of volleyball --- in the muddy water! Call it WaterVolleyball? LOL. Yes, movements were restricted but we tried our best, we cheered in the water and just splash the water all around. I wanted to scream when a water spider crawled on me! I flicked it away with my hand but it was still floating on the water! After that, we went to wash up, the swamp river smell still lingered on my body after my bath though… >.<
Day 2
Well, like any other practical school camp, the second day usually starts with PT. What else but do the 5 BX and green bottles … then we had a run as well … Had breakfast and then our squad set off the swamp forest walk. When we with the instructor, he passed a plastic bag around and each of us took an oil palm seed from it. He told us to bite into it and taste it, I was a little reluctant at first, but did it anyways, the seed tasted buttery! Yup, then he told us that it was used to make butter and soap, etc. Then, we continued into the swamp area, stopping a few times to look at different species of plants and even eating grass like deer. While we were in the swamp, we learnt many things about the trees and the animals that live there. One animal to note was the panther claw marks on the trees that were really cool. The trees are where the panthers stake out before they pounce on their prey, before dragging them up the tree to devour them. Well, usually during the swamp walk, despite trying my best to avoid stepping in the wet, soggy mud WHILE wearing knee high socks, I got my right foot stuck in one area and when I tried to pull my foot out, my shoe came off and started filling with dirty water… Yuck to the muck. After the walk, all the squad had to do a presentation of how the water obstacles and swamp walk would relate to the lessons learnt as us being leaders, a student and a person. Wei Jie was very pro-active! =X Comments on his team very very detailed lehz! Hehe. Good job that your group won! For dinner, each group had to cook their own dishes, using the whole chicken provided. My group cooked fried chicken and chicken soup. Unfortunately, our group was the only one that did not win anything… =( Never mind, good job to squad four members for doing their best! We worked well together! ^^ In the night, our whole LTC squads were broke up into two different groups and we all sang songs before it was our turn to go for the fireflies cruise. Very fun during the singing, I liked it! How about you guys? Anyways, the fireflies cruise was nice and somewhat eerie. There was one part of the cruise where we passed by the so-called “haunted” bunkers… really creepy. Well, I forgot about it soon enough when I saw the fireflies flying at the water surface. Like little light bulbs, buzzing around. Nice. After that we had our student-teacher session yet again… then it was supper and then LIGHTS OUT!
Day 3
Hmm, what can I say about this day? We trainees collected our packed lunches, which was fried rice and egg and sausage. Left the campsite early, went to climb mountain. It was rather tiring at first, as we just trekked non-stop for 1 hr plus. Anyways, fast forward, I just say the highlights of the climb. The most challenging part of climbing Gunung Panti was the rock wall. It was VERY steep, like climbing a 80+ degree wall. The rocks were really slippery as there were algae growing on them, damp and a gross green colour. Well, we first reached the stop over for a rest then took some pictures. Wasn’t the mountain summit yet. So we trekked for about 1+ hr then reached the summit. Thanks to everyone who helped me past those freaking big tree trunks. The scorpion we encounter was really a scare. Had lunch there, took pics, sang the VS anthem then did some cheers. I had to get a plaster for my arm as it was horribly scratched, disfigured, by the thorns and sharp leaves during the trek. Alas, everyone else had the same problem too. After hanging around the top for awhile, we proceeded down the mountain. Me, being so careless, slipped and feel face down on the ground, I hurt my right leg after that. The worse was still Paul from my class, he and his pudgy body. Haha. Well, he too, took a harsh tumble when he rushed to catch up and others were nagging him to move faster. Lol. So, we reached the campsite in the evening. Altogether, we spent 5hr+ climbing and descending the mountain, our poor bodies… heh. Night time we had a wonderful campfire and it was really fun singing and watching groups perform their songs/skits. My group did the skit and we won third place. ^^ We had fun singing/ cheering with the seniors too. Bringing the campsite down, man! After supper, then it was LIGHTS OUT!~
Day 4
Started as usual with PT then we had breakfast, then we saw the Orang Asli trap demo. The Orang Aslis are the native people in that part of Malaysia. The traps are kinda cruel and devious in catching the animals, imaging a poor deer getting hung by it foot from the tree… =( Oh well, I think its ingenious of them to think of such innovative traps using only the tree trunks and bamboo. After that, we had lunch and we set off back to Singapore! It was fun during the bus trip as we had a lot of fun and games! Thanks to our seniors, who made it enjoyable and lively. Thanks for the titbits they gave us too! When we reached back school, we had a “ceremony” where our JUNIOR LEADER red tees were given out to all the trainees, a hush, yet solemn and rewarding feel. Yeah, I’m really glad I’m finally survived both camps and earned it through teamwork and determination!
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A big Thank you to all the instructors and seniors who helped us out a lot. Though we hated the regimentation and SHOUTING all the time. Kudos to the people in Squad 4! We ruled! To all the squads too, all friendly competition, don’t let it affect us alright? Hope to see all of you again, and wishing you guys all the best! YES, we survived ALL the green bottles! (About 100+ times) A feat to be proud of!
Hail Mary.