The Aftermath

One day after the competition, and life seems to be empty for me. I woke up today and just walked around, as though in a trance. There seemed to be a hole in my life, knowing that from today onwards, the team will not train anymore. I will have to adapt to a brand new schedule, one that takes away all of the trainings. I will have so much time on my hands that I will not know what to do with them.

The time that we should have spent training for the National First Aid Competition has been freed up and given back to us. I have 2 songs to present today, but I feel that I have to mention one of them now. The song was in one of my earlier entries, but I think I should elaborate more on it.

The song is "If We Hold On Together" by Diana Ross. The song was the theme song for a cartoon-movie entitled "The Land Before Time" (1998).

An orphaned brontosaurus named Littlefoot sets off in search of the legendary Great Valley. A land of lush vegetation where the dinosaurs can thrive and live in peace. Along the way he meets four other young dinosaurs, each one a different species, and they encounter several obstacles as they learn to worktogether in order to survive. --http://imdb.com

Littlefoot had lost his parents due to a great catastrophe. It could be a drought, famine or meteorite. I do not know which, since I have not watched the movie. However, Littlefoot knew that the Great Valley would be a safe place for him, and embarked on the journey to reach there, meeting friends along the way, like a triceratops, ankylorsorous and others. The group met great hardship along the way, including a T-Rex and having to cross a ravine using a thin vine for a bridge. They had to travel across a narrow pathway on a canyon and many others. The bottomline of the story is that we have to put our differences aside and work together as a team. Only then can we make it through.

In the late 80s, there were many movies of this genre, including "An American Tail", "All Dogs go to Heaven" and of course, "A Land Before Time". Anyway, that was exactly what we did during competition day. We put all of our minor conflicts aside. We forgot about how we often chided Fate for not putting in enough effort. We forgot about how I was often scolded for playing computer games when we were supposed to be training. Instead, we remembered the good times we spent together as a team. Playing soccer in Clementi Avenue 2, playing soccer in the room, sneaking away to train in the St. John HQ the day before competition. We remembered these and worked as a team.

So without further ado, I once again dedicate this song to my team.

If We Hold On Together
by Diana Ross
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Don't lose your way
With each passing day
You've come so far
Don't throw it away (Let's not forget the time we've had, since we're always a team)
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story
Faith, hope and glory
Hold to the truth in your heart(The dream will never be over. Let's continue with the revolution)

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I

Souls in the wind
Must learn how to bend (Accept all failures in our way)
Seek out a star
Hold on to the end (Never give up. Have your goals in your mind and work towards it)
Valley, mountain,
There is a fountain,
Washes our tears all away (Wipe away our tears and carry on working hard for the corps)
Words are swaying
Someone is praying
Please let us come home to stay (We will get there!)

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I

When we are out there in the dark (Where we are now)
We'll dream about the sun (keep your goal in mind)
In the dark we'll feel the light
Warm our hearts everyone (Our goal will give us the motivation to carry on)

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I
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Enough said. No matter what happens, we are always a team. We shine like stars in the universe, sharpen one another, and soar on wings like eagles, always being the salt of the Earth. Let us never forget the times we had together, knowing always, that.....

THE BEST IS YET TO BE!!!

Results

Today was a very interesting day to say the least. It was the day of the First Aid Competition. We assembled early at 7 pm in the St. John Room for some last minute First Aid Lessons and touching-up to our uniforms. At 10.30 am we left school for SJAB HQ in a taxi, while the AC Team took another taxi.

Once we arrived there, we waited in the corridor until it was time for us to register. Whilst waiting, we saw some of our opponents in the AA Team Competition. For one, there were our old rivals from Swiss Cottage. We somehow, by the grace of God, won last year's competition by a mere eight points, and I knew that they would be out for revenge. Later on, we also saw our biggest rivals, the St. Andrews Team. We knew that the main competition would be between them and us, but there was no form of face-off whatsoever between the two teams. We registered ourselves, and we were AA3, or AA Team Number 3. There were five teams in total, but as mentioned earlier, it would be a David-Goliath fight for the title.

We proceeded to the waiting room, and all too soon, it was time to take bearings for the competiton. In doing so, the Footdrill judge would mark us according to how neatly we dressed and overall impression. Our main rivals, were AA1, so they were marked first. Their commander shouted a loud, "Squad, sedia!!!" The team got into sedia position, and it was a perfect bang! Then, the team shouted, "Good...Morning sir!!!"

At that time, I was not surprised, since I already knew that we were up against a team that was strong in footdrill and Transportation of Casualty (TOC). For our team, our stamp was less than perfect. At the same time, when Icyfate gave the command for senang diri, the commander of AA4 shouted out at the same time, which led to me stamping late due to the mix. However, I was not worried, since our gameplan was to own the two First Aid Cases.

We went back to the waiting room, and had to stay still for around one hour, before we went to our first component, which was First Aid Short Case. The case was multiple gashes on the casualty's arms as well as bleeding on the cheek and an amputated thumb. The problem for that case was that the gloves were still in the bag in the First Aid Kit. Thus, we spent about 30 seconds putting them on, neglecting treatment. After that, I used two bandages to apply direct pressure on the casualty's arms. Then, I began looking around for the amputated thumb, and found it in the form of some plasticine on the ground. I indicated the position to Icyfate by nodding in the direction. However, since the thumb was the same colour as the floor, Icyfate ended up stepping on it. There was no choice, and Icyfate could only try to repair the damage by putting it in a plastic bag. Since both JL and I had our hands full, we were unable to secure the dressings. Therefore, Icyfate had to go around securing the bandages for us. When the case ended, we reported the case to the judge and Fate handed in the casualty report. The judge actually laughed at Fate for not filling in the last part of the report. In my opinion, that was a blatant act of narcissism by the judge. It was as though the judges were looking down on us, without considering our First Aid Knowledge. But anyway, the case was done, and we moved back to the waiting rooms.

The next component was footdrill. When we were told of the area we had, I was laughing inwardly: The place given was twice as big as what we had practised!!!! We usually practised marching within six parking lots, while we were given space from the centre of the car park to the garage area. Icyfate gave the command, "Sekuad Sedia!!!" And we stamped. Perfect bang!

"Dari kanan cepat jalan!"

"Sekuad, berhenti!" Perfect!

The subsequent commands were not exactly perfect, but we threw in everything we had. Icyfate shouted so loud that an echo could be heard from our surroundings. JL timed consistently and sharply, and even Fate stamped his hardest. When we finished our sequence, the judge said that Icyfate's voice was good, except that we could have used the space more effectively, as well as avoided taking steps to the right and left. Other than that, the judge told Icyfate that, "Your guys were good."

That was it. Having screwed up Short Case we wanted to make up for it in footdrill, and we did it! So it was back to the waiting room for us.

The next component was First Aid Long Case. That was the big one. Worth 50% of the total score. Probably the deciding factor. We entered the case knowing that we had to impress. And so we did, treating all the injuries as best as we could. When we had finished, the judge said, "Luckily they saved the best for the last," and "this must be some high ranking team." (Of course we're high-ranking. 3 SSGTs and 1 SGT)

We knew we had done it. We had impressed. Even the casualty told me, "Thank You" when we cut case. After completing the casualty report, I showed my team-mates the two thumbs up symbol. All that we had to do was keep up with other teams for TOC and we should win, and we went back to the waiting room with high spirits.

TOC came, and we treated the casualty for spinal injury. This casualty was quite heavy, so we substituted Fate, since he himself had a back injury. We completed the case reasonably fast, except for a few minor mistakes, and were confident of a win. I was quite sure that we would win because of our Long Case marks.

We went back to the waiting room for some time before the results were out. The AC Team results were out first. Top in TOC, AC4! That was the ACS (I) Team! Top in footdrill, another team. Top in long case, AC4! Top in short case, another team. Best leader, another team. Overall champions, AC4!!!! One was in the bag, it was time for another.

Next were the AA Team results. Top in TOC, AA1. Top in Footdrill, AA1. Top in long case, AA...............1????? The minute I saw that, I know it was all lost. I muttered, "Cannot already" under my breath.

We saw the overall results. We had lost to AA1 in every component! We came in second place. We went up to receive our award, and walked back, dejected. I was still doing fine with the loss, but I heard JL sniffling a little. Hearing him sniffle made tears rush to my eyes. My actions not only affected myself, but my team as well. As the team gathered together to pray, JL and I broke down. It was over. We had lost. As far as I know, we have the most knowledge in First Aid, yet we lost. We were like an Ace Four of a Kind, only that we met a 5-6-7-8-9 Straight Flush.

Of course, one cannot possibly win everything in life. Life is unfair, even though we work hard for something, it does not mean that we will win. I talked to Edward later, and he told me that we scored lower in long case only because the other team had more teamwork. Every time one member asked for help, another would respond immediately. For us, we impressed with our First Aid knowledge and skills, but lacked teamwork. Oh well, at least the AC Team won, and we will win the Nationals through them. Even if we cannot participate in the Nationals, at least we can experience it throught the AC Team.

Anyway, to my team-mates, I cannot be more proud of any of you. Icyfate, who shouted his lungs out and got a 9.5 for leadership in drill. JL, who timed well and handled the other casualty as well as the casualty for short case. Fate, who gave a perfect ambulance call and stamped hard during footdrill. PKL, who substituted Fate for TOC. God, who was always our sixth member. We have done our best as a team.

We showed the ACSian spirit of never giving up even though the situation looked bleak, and held our ground even though we knew that it was going to be a David and Goliath encounter. We upped our footdrill from a usual 32/50 to a 43/50 for the competition, and displayed all the knightly values that form the shield of the ACS crest.

To all the cadets who came to support us for the competition, I would like to thank all of you for your support. I hope this clears up all misconceptions that you have about your NCOs. We are not some sadistic monsters who are out to pump you just because the wind is blowing. We are just like you. We feel pain like you do. We bleed like you do. Like you, we smile when we win, and cry when we lose. I hope that you are proud of your fellow cadets who brought back the title in the AC Category.

"If we hold on together,
I know our dreams will never die.
Dreams see us through to forever,
Where clouds roll by.
For you, and I."

We did not begin the revolution, since it was started by Ming Jie Sir, and Edward Sir. What we did was to continue the revolution, passing the torch on to our juniors who will carry on the revolution. Though we end our journey here for now, ACS(I) SJAB will carry on its endeavour to be an FAC powerhouse in Singapore just as in the late 80s and early 90s. Knowing always that........

THE BEST IS YET TO BE!!!!

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The hopes we had were much too high
Way out of reach but we have to try

No need to hide no need to run
'Cause all the answers come one by one

The game will never be over
Because we're keeping the dream alive
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-- Extract from Keeping the Dream Alive by Freiheit

Short entry

Gosh, how fast time flies when you want it to crawl slowly. On the other hand, a watched pot never boils, and time seems to fly when you don't want it to. I remember when I was writing the previous blog entry. That was about two, three days ago? Now, the competition is only two days away, and tomorrow will be our final training session before the competition. This is a far cry from what happened last time, when my team-mates were laughing when Icyfate and I were worried that we would only have nine training sessions left. How would we react after our last training session? I think we would be happy, yet contemplative. We would be thinking of all the trainings that we used to have, spending half of our trainings playing computer or playing soccer.

The joke of the day has to be when a member of the AC Team actually said, "What? You mean First Aid Comp is only two days away? Oh no!"

Oh well. What can I say? Fate has fallen sick. This situation is especially unfortunate for us, since most of our trainings have been carried out with Fate as our team member, and we may be forced to use our reserve. Of course, I have faith in all of the team members. Whether it be Fate or PKL, our reserve, taking part, I know that they will do a good job. I used to joke that we will win because Fate is on our side. Or should I say, we have triple fate: Fate, Icyfate and Fieryfate. However, none of us will want to joke about it right now, of course. Now, this is a short entry, because Icyfate is chasing me to sleep by 10 pm, so I will do so right now.

Before I leave, I would like to dedicate this song to my team. Guys, I know that all of you are familiar with this song, so just listen to it and sing along to the background music.


-------------------------
Disclaimer: I don't own this song!

DIANA ROSS LYRICS
IF WE HOLD ON TOGETHER LYRICS

Don't lose your way
With each passing day
You'vee come so far
Don't throw it away
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story
Faith, hope & glory
Hold to the truth in your heart

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and i

Souls in the wind
Must learn how to bend
Seek out a star
Hold on to the end
Valley, mountain
There is a fountain
Washes our tears all away
Words are swaying
Somebody is praying
Please let us come home to stay

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and i

When we are out there in the dark
We'll dream about the sun
In the dark we'll feel the light
Warm our hearts, everyone

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
As high as souls can fly
The clouds roll by
For you and i

Teamwork

Today, after Founder's Day, I sat down to play Taiti with other SJAB members. We were playing, until one player, who was not very familiar with the game, said, "Oh, I can put any five cards?"

The reply was, "Of course not! It has to be related in some way!"

Now, that had me thinking, since the sets of cards in the game are ranked according to their relations with each other, rather than the individual cards. Of course, the individual cards will come into play should there be a tie in the relations of the cards to each other. What do I mean by this? Instead of using Taiti, I shall use Poker, since it contains more sets, and is similar to Taiti.

The various suits of the cards represent the goals of each card, just as countries have their own flags. The numbers on the cards represent the abilities of the cards. In Poker, the highest card is an Ace. The set of highest value is the Royal Flush. In it, the cards are a 10, J, Q, K, A of the same suit. This is the optimal combination a team. The cards in the Royal Flush have the same suit, which means that they have similar goals, and they have the highest values of the suit, which means that they have great abilities as well. A team that has great abilities and teamwork. What could be better?

Ace/King:
In this set, there must be an ace and a king. Two members out of the five have great abilities, but the cards may not be of the same suit. This set is the lowest, since a team with ability is better than a team without.

One pair:
In this set, there has to be two cards that are similar. Notice that a pair of twos, the lowest cards, can overcome an ace and a king, the highest cards. This is because the two twos can suppport each other. If one falls, the other can pick him up. Just as the Bible says that if a single person can set flight a thousand birds, two can set flight ten thousand.

Two pair:
Wonderful! We actually have two pairs that are similar to each other! The only problem is that these two pairs are not working with each other, and are only loyal to their partners. This is of course better than a single pair though.

Three of a kind:
Three cards that are similar to each other. Now, we have three cards that are similar to each other. This shows that three people who have the same target would work better than two pairs of two who work for different goals. Thus, teamwork is more important than numbers; quality is better than quantity.

Straight:
These cards are all consecutive. They do have slight similarities with each other, but not total. Now, this shows that it would be better for five people to work for the approximate same goal than to have three high-abilitied people working together. After all, there is strength in numbers.

Flush:
Now we're talking! Five cards of the same suit. All five cards are working for the same goal! Notice that in this case, the values on the cards do not have to tally. They do not have to be very high either. This shows that it does not matter how far apart the abilities of the people are, as long as they work for the same goal.

Full House:
Three of the same number, with another two. This is similar to two pairs, except that the final card has decided to join with one of the two pairs to make three of a kind. What this shows is that one person who changes his mindset can make the team more powerful. From two pairs, we now get a full house.

Straight Flush:
The cards all have the same goal, since all of them have the same suit. They are not totally similar though, since their values are different. Actually, it would be good for them to be different, since a team where all the members are exactly the same would be like a team of robots, having no mind of its own.

Royal Flush:
It is a type of straight flush, except that the cards are the highest possible. As mentioned earlier, nothing beats teamwork and ability combined.

Now, what am I trying to say here? Of course, teamwork is important. A team of two people who are united in heart will perform far better than a single person of high ability. So, my fellow bloggers, if you are ever in a team, make sure that you have the same goals as your team, because only then can the team succeed.

Not to forget, a lot can be learned from a game of Taiti =P

Countdown to Competition: 3 Days (Excluding Today)