Thankfully, I have come to the end of the first day of my SSM(Service Skills Methodology). Suay suay we get on Monday, first day of week only tired already. Okay since there were so few guys, we bonded quite easily, not forgetting those guys we met at the tailor's. This morning was one hell of the start of a hectic week. Waking up at 5.30am is something I have not done since my secondary school days. Punctuality is strictly emphasized. And I was almost late. Thank goodness I was not. Met Darren at Pasir Ris Interchange, although he was slightly late, but he got on the bus nonetheless. While we were there taking our sweet time changing in the locker room, two lecturers stormed in and hollered at us. That was the start of a tension-filled nightmare for us as we knew from that moment on that they meant business.

For role-call, where they check our grooming standards, from top to toe. And when I say that, I mean it physically. From our hair, to uniform, right to our shoes. And they sure expected complete compliance. Those with even a few strands of hair sticking out were sent to the washrooms to tidy ourselves up. Those who were late, didn't bring socks, had long hair or had stubble(they were called goats hahahaha) were practically screamed at straight in the face.

After that, we started the tour of the premises, and a brief introduction of the equipment, utensils, cutlery and other miscellaneous items we would need in the course of our duty. There are tons of information to digest and memorize, which I doubt I will be able to, with my limited brain power. Up to this point, we had effectively stood for a grand total of 4+ hours. After our much-needed break, we proceeded to the "practical" session. First up, carrying bottles on a tray and weaving through tables, exchanging those bottles with those on the tables along the way. We started with 2 bottles, and slowly increased it to 20, which covered the whole tray. Second station: The sight of miracles and premonition of things to come in the future. You will see why I say that. We carried bricks, yes bricks, on those huge dim-sum trays. We slowly added bricks and an atmosphere of competitiveness surfaced, with the "want-to-win" attitude witnessed by us. Okay I admit I was kind of weak, carrying only 12, compared to some females who carried up to 18/20 bricks. But seriously, I was really afraid of getting injured, having fractured my wrist in Secondary 4. But still, those girls have my ultimate respect for rising up to the challenge and not backing down even upon knowledge that they are of the fairer sex.

Important things I learnt today:

• Must be early( Or bear the bone-chilling consequences)
• Mind over body( Although I don't really believe it. We do not know our potential until we give our all, but dignity and pride can blind us)
• Stay safe( It's not worth it to get injured just for 4 CUs)
• Girls may not necessarily be weaker than guys,as the day has proved.