Of rubbish fire, birthday and raya

Yesterday I was on duty at Choa Chu Kang Fire Post. We had 2 calls. The first one was a case of children playing with sparklers which was pretty lame. The second one was my first fire involving contents of CRC (Community Rubbish Chute)... in other words, rubbish fire.

CRCs are those chutes behind the big shutters you can typically see on the ground floor of HDB flats. When we arrived at the scene, my firefighters did all of the work... since I dunno anything about these chutes. The shutter was raised by pressing the button outside. Behind the shutter revealed this huge contraption, a machinery with a huge hole filled with rubbish. In the middle of the hole was a drill like mechanism. When one of my firefighters fiddled with the buttons next to the chute, the machine whirred and the drill turned and vomited the putrid contents of the chute. Some of the contents were black, burnt. But there was no fire. I guess the fire extinguished by itself before we arrived and the smoke coming out from the chute alarmed someone to call 995...

Well, now I know how dull rubbish fires are like. But for once, I really felt like a section commander on the ground during yesterday's duty. I did everything right! ...well almost. Ah well, there's always room for improvement.

Thankfully although technically 8 hours of my duty is spent on my birthday, people at work didn't rag too much. I guess I was lucky not to be thrown into the legendary pump well...

And now part of malam raya coincides with my birthday... *shrug* I am not sure how to feel... Happy Raya everyone!

One year of National Service!

Time flies so quickly that I am at the one year mark of my National Service.

Wow. I still feel like I have not done any great service yet!

Ah well, who cares, cos the next phase would be ORD-oh!!

Sakura reply by RSP!

It has been more than a year since I posted the song 'Sakura' by Takano Kenichi on my blog (click to see post). And apparently, the Japanese R&B group RSP (you might recognise them as the group that sings 'Kansha', one of Bleach's ED theme songs) has made a sort of a reply song to the melancholic song!

The title of RSP's reply song is Sakura - Anata ni deaete yokatta; loosely translated means "I am thankful to be able to meet you". While the original Takano song is sang in the perspective of the grieving father, the new RSP song is sang in the perspective of Sakura herself!

Here's the vid


sakura sakura aitai yo iyada kimi ni ima sugu aitai yo
daijoubu mou nakanaide watashi wa kaze anata wo tsutsundeiru yo
sakura sakura aitai yo iyada kimi ni ima sugu aitai yo
arigatou zutto daisuki watashi wa hoshi anata wo mimamori tsuzukeru
anata ni deaete yokatta hontou ni hontou ni yokatta

koko ni mou irenakunachatta mou ikanakucha honto gomen ne
watashi wa mou hitori de tooi tokoro ni ikanakucha
doko e ? tte kikanaide nande ? tte kikanaide honto gomen ne
watashi wa mou anata no soba ni irarenakunatta no

itsumo no sampo michi sakura namiki wo nukete yuki
yoku asonda kawa mo no ue no sora no hikaru hou e to
mou aenakunaru kedo sabishii kedo heiki dayo
umarete yokatta honto yokatta anata ni deaette yokatta . . .

sakura sakura aitai yo iyada kimi ni ima sugu aitai yo
daijoubu mou nakanaide watashi wa kaze anata wo tsutsundeiru yo
sakura sakura aitai yo iyada kimi ni ima sugu aitai yo
arigatou zutto daisuki watashi wa hoshi anata wo mimamori tsuzukeru
anata ni deaete yokatta hontou ni hontou ni yokatta

anata no kaeri wo matsu gogo anata no ashioto na nigenai koto
watashi wa sou ichiban no yorokobi wo shirimashita
anata ga hanashite kureta koto ichinichi no koto iroiro na koto
watashi wa sou ichiban no kanashimi mo shirimashita

sore wa anata no egao anata no namida sono yasashisa
watashi no na wo yobu koe dakishimeru ude sono nukumori
mou furerarenai kedo wasurenai yo shiawase dayo
umarete yokatta hontou yokatta anata ni deatte yokatta

sakura sakura aitai yo iyada kimi ni ima sugu aitai yo
daijoubu dayo koko ni iru watashi wa haru anata wo idaku sora
sakura sakura aitai yo iyada kimi ni ima sugu aitai yo
arigatou zutto daisuki watashi wa tori anata ni utai tsuzukeru

sakura no mau sora no kanata me wo tojireba kokoro no naka

sakura sakura aitai yo iyada kimi ni ima sugu aitai yo
iindayo hohoende goran watashi wa hana anata no yubisaki no hana
sakura sakura aitai yo iyada kimi ni ima sugu aitai yo
arigatou zutto daisuki watashi wa ai anata no mune ni

sakura sakura aitai yo iyada kimi ni ima sugu aitai yo
daijoubu mou nakanaide watashi wa kaze anata wo tsutsundeiru yo
sakura sakura aitai yo iyada kimi ni ima sugu aitai yo
arigatou zutto daisuki watashi wa hoshi anata wo mimamori tsuzukeru

anata ni deaete yokatta hontou ni hontou ni yokatta ,
hontou ni hontou ni ... yokatta



If you would like me to provide a translation, please write something in the comment box!

Working hours

I work 24 hour-shifts followed by 48 hours off. In simpler terms, I work one day and off for two days.

At a glance, it seems like it's brilliant cos I only work 10 days a month.

But in actuality I work 60 hours a week.

Typical office workers are only allowed to 42 hours a week according to labour laws. Anymore than that is considered overtime.

Furthermore, my work doesn't end at the 24th hour of duty. I still need to hand over the appliances to the next Rota on duty. Sometimes there would be fire reports or other miscellaneous things to settle and it can devour the entire morning of my first day off.

Of course, firefighters do not actually do strenuous work the entire 24 hours - a good fraction of our duty is being on standby. But still, I define work as being away from home and family, away from your comfort zone and being strictly governed by working rules and regulations (eg. we are expected to be in uniform for the whole 24 hours).

When the duty is finally over, the feeling of emancipation from work translates into mental fatigue and when I reach home, the only thing that will be on my mind would be having some quality sleep.

And I will be lost in slumberland until afternoon comes... which leaves me with only one and a half day of free time before my next duty comes.





Rota Commanders have it worse. They work on average 66 hours a week! Yikes!

And don't even get me started on Station Commanders... although they are expected to be in station at office hours, they are on standby 24/7!

ああ なんて苦しみなんだ

Despite having a nothing but a very eventful life, I have forsaken writing anything on this blog for a very long time.

Why? Poor readership and response are some of the factors, but the greatest reason of all is that a very eventful life comes with a hefty price.

The Force values its image and as a proud member of the Force, I am forced to remain discreet when it comes to how the Force operates. This results in how limited I can tell about how funny things actually are in this life-saving business.

Secondly, the fire station is manned not just by people like me, unfortunate souls who are doing work, but inevitably just waiting for time to pass and be emancipated by the burden that was entrusted to us rather unwillingly, but the fire station is also manned by people who chose this path to save lives and property as their rice pot to feed themselves and their hungry children at home. Such inevitably causes conflict of interest between people who takes their jobs light-heartedly (but not unnecessarily without seriousness) with people who takes their job with utmost seriousness, perhaps too seriously to the extent that it exasperates people in the surrounding. In other words, and I believe as with all other workplaces, it is a squalid world of politics.

Everyone ultimately selfishly desires to take care of only their own asses. Frequent cat-and-mouse games and put-the-blame-on-someone sickens me. People seem to have lost their integrity. Sadly, these ugly ways are creeping into me. It is hard to keep holding on to the values that you have uphold your entire life when everyone is piling on you, slowly pushing you inch by inch into the pit where horrible fate awaits the unlucky soul, especially when you are not exactly at fault but merely the victim of circumstance, or a victim resulting from the error of a different person that is unidentifiable.

Why can't just anyone stand up and admit their wrong-doings? It is cowardice. The fear of loss. There is so much to lose - promotion, allowance, money and rapport to name a few. What is there to gain if one admits their mistake? Such 'virtuous' act would gain nothing from this materialistic and apathetic society. Perhaps you'll get a pat on the back for your courage, or a little more respect from your peers. But can such things bring you more wealth and advancement in your career? Such is the view of the majority.

It is hard to name anyone at my workplace as my 'friend'. I can go as far as calling them brothers at work, but that is the limit. I stress on the 'at work' part of 'brothers'. On my off days, the 'brethren' seem to vanish and only reappear once every 3 days. My handphone becomes eerily silent for 48 hours. No sms, no calls only occasional chime of the alarm clock at various moments of the day filled mostly with the solemness of slumber.

People here tend to condescend rather than commend. I feel so unjustified when they mock my origins and the way I way I was brought up. Especially when I never say anything to put them down. It's just unfair. And all I can do is have patience. I know that all I have to do is concentrate on the people that appreciates me for who I am. But where are these people? They are not here, not in this place.

Somehow lonely travels here are more depressing. I could chronicle about my lonely travels in my old blog posts in a cheerful tone. But I find it hard to do so here. People give disdainful looks on the streets. They avert their eyes proudly when I look at them. There is rarely a smile, what more a casual 'Hello'. There is no opening for me to be friendly and greet them. Strangers are strangers. Even in such a comparatively safe society paranoia prevails. Pretty girls strut the streets and look at me appraisingly on the trains and turning away 2 seconds later with disapproving looks. Maybe it's just me, but this part of the world could do with a little more friendliness and warmth. It is perplexing to think that the scorching climate of this country has bred such cold
people. How do people make friends in this place? Or are all 'friendships' superficial in this place?? I shiver at that thought.

This is the country that I was born in. But I don't feel I belong here. I don't feel that I am welcome here. Even at my grandparents' place I don't feel welcome. It's terrible. It's depressing. I love my job, but I hate my life right now...

Rescue and Evacuation

In drills we would typically use dummies as casualties. These dummies can be very heavy - up to 120kg. But some of the firefighters in my station are strong enough to lift one of them on their backs and carry them down flights of stairs with their heavy Breathing Apparatus sets on. (I've never really tried doing that before)

Anyway, during yesterday's morning drill, my section was assigned to do R&E. After going in around 40m into the basement, we come across a casualty. But this time, the controllers of the drill decided to use a live casualty. And it's no small one.

Live casualties are soooooo much different from dummies! By just touching the casualty you can know that it's pretty much impossible to lift him by yourself. Furthermore, unlike dummies, which are hard, live casualties are soft and much more flexible. This makes them much more difficult to stabilise when lifting and carrying them. When you swing them around, you can actually sense their pain if you accidentally hit them or see their heads dangling in an awkward position or place them on sharp edges on your body. When evacuating a dummy, you usually don't give a damn even if you hit the dummy on to the wall or if any of its limb caught itself in any obstruction.

It all boils down to mental strength, communication and good decisions to successfully evac a particularly heavy casualty...

I just hope if I ever encounter a similar situation in a real operation, I wouldn't cause the person to die if I had initially found him to be alive in the smoke...

Station 44

My beautiful, beautiful station.

The sight of the falling yellow leaves from this tree while I await for the bus home calms the spirit after a long day of duty...