Outward Bound Singapore: Episode IV

Day 2 Night
















Day 2: some bonding games..






















Day 2: Day 2: some bonding games..
















Day 2: Joe's legendary sea horse dance..

Outward Bound Singapore: Episode III

On day 1 night, we literally camped out on a very small island.. the island was only about the size of three 5-room hdb flats.. it was so small that the whole island was literally filled with our group..

we were then forced into our ancestral caveman life.. we made the fire ourselves to cook.. we then threw everything inside the boiling pot - rice, fish balls, sausages, et.. (luckily, there was no one among us who practiced cannibalism.. haha..) athough it was not a grand dinner at a 5-star hotel, it was one of the most delicious dinners i had ever had in my life..

after dinner, we went around and chatted with one another until about 2am in the morning.. some of us then tried to take a nap inside the boats.. but it was windy and very cold.. we tried to wrap ourselves with raincoats, just to use them as blankets.. but to no avail.. i couldn't sleep..

i must admit, though.. it was a very beautiful night.. you could see the stars in the sky.. the sea breeze was passing by.. there were some twinkling lights in the horizon.. you could hear the waves going in and out.. if you were on that island with your bf or gf, imagine how romantic it would be.. dreaming.. dreaming =)

it was about 3am and i was desperately trying to get some sleep when a loud-speaker sound came out of no where.. we were having an emergency drill.. we were told by our instructor that we had to pack everything back, push the boats back into the sea and leave the island within 5 min.. panic.. panic.. everywhere.. and to give tension to the situation, our instructor started counting down.. 4.59, 4.58, 4.57 haha..


Day 2

we then rowed back to another island - in the dark.. it took about 2 hours.. by the time we reached there, we were really exhausted from paddling, paddling and paddling.. we practically had no sleep yet.. it was already 5am in the morning.. but we were not allowed to rest.. we had to play some mind-blowing games.. (is that what they call physical and psychological training??)

when we finished playing the games, we were then told to make a raft ourselves, using some ropes and sealed pvc pipes.. i had never made a raft in my life before.. we were supposed to abandon our boats at the island and row the raft back to our starting point.

i felt like we were in Survivor, Amazing Race and Who Wants to be a Millionaire, all rolled into one, except that there was no one-million-dollar prize.. u can imagine how frustrated we were.. =)

for what happened next, please just see the photos below..





Day 2: half-way through, our raft couldn't stand the weight and started to fall apart.. half of the people were already in the water.. my body from the waist-down was practically a prime target for any sharks or sea snakes or squids or stingrays.. ohhhh, what's that tingling feeling in my pants?




Day 2: our raft was going to sink.. the sinking was not as grand as Titanic's, though.. any lady by the name of Rose on board?? u jump, i jump??




Day 2: there is always a silver lining in the cloud.. press on.. we can see the sun.. we can see the sunshine..




Day 2: in the end, we managed to row back to our destination.. it was a life changing experience for me.. the experience taught me that.. the road ahead will never be a rosy one.. but do what u have to do.. one paddle at a time.. there is nothing u can't achieve in life.. Impossible is Nothing!! =)

to be continued..

Outward Bound Singapore: Episode II

here are some of the photos.. 3 of the most memorable days in my life.. we made lots and lots of like-minded friends.. we were bonded so much so that some of us were even called "Brokeback Brothers"..



Day 1: OBS




Day 1: Preparing the boats..




Day 1: Setting out to the sea.. ready to take on any obstacles..




Day 1: rain or shine.. come what may.. we will continue rowing..




Day 1: full of energy.. 1.. 2.. row.. 1.. 2.. row..




Day 1: it seemed like a never-ending journey to the end of the universe.. starting to feel tired.. hungry.. thirsty.. can we go home and sleep?? pleaseeee..




Day 1: don't give up.. look.. the sun is shining.. how beautiful!!




Day 1: yeaaaaaaa.. we made it.. the tune of The Temptations was in the air: ain't no mountain high enough.. ain't no valley low enough.. ain't no river wide enough.. we must add another line to the lyrics.. ain't no sea rough enough.. =)

Outward Bound Singapore: Episode I

About a month ago, I applied for this Minor in Entrepreneurship programme, which is extremely popular in NTU. Due to the overwhelming applications, we had to make a “sales pitch” about ourselves why we should be selected for this programme.

As part of their rigorous selection process, not only an essay had to be handed in, but also a presentation to a panel of interviewers had to be made. As we were informed, only one out of three MiE aspirants will be short-listed to be the “chosen ones”. (Miko, borrow ur words.. haha..) The air was tense, and the anticipation was unbearable.

As I was checking my email last Monday, the moment of truth arrived in my inbox with a message, “You have new mail.” (that’s the reason I hate MS Outlook.. always arouse my anticipation and provoke my impatientness.. is there such a word called impatientness, btw?? haha..) By just looking at the subject line, I knew it was from Nanyang Technopreneurship Centre. My eyes scrolled down the screen to see the first line of email: Dear blah blah blah, we are pleased to inform you that.. that’s all I needed to read.. with immerse overjoy, I nearly fell out of my chair and hit the floor.

To make the long story short, I was selected. But my enjoyment was short-lived. As I continued reading the rest of the email, I came to realize that the selection process was not over yet!! Every short-listed candidate must go for a COMPULSORY three-day Outward Bound Singapore training camp.

My heart nearly stopped beating.. my head was on fire.. my brain was overclocked.. It’s not that I am against the training camp. I’m all for it. But the problem is that the final exams are only 4 weeks away. And I have been postponing all my studies to the last 4 weeks.. seriously, I never really study until the exam is about to knock on my head and kick my butt.. (talking about studying at the last minute..) the last 4 weeks are my solid weeks - nothing should interrupt me, and every single second counts..

And gosh.. 3 whole days will be taken away.. not to mention the x number of days that I might need to recover from training.. (according to my seniors, the training is a mini army camp.. sleep will be deprived.. skin will be burnt.. body will be hurt..)

But I have no choice. From tomorrow to next Mon, I will be sweating under the sun with my fellow MiE mates. Wish me luck..

OBS, here we come!!