Funny Incidents

I forgot to mention this incident that happened during OBS: Was looking at one of the stray dogs on the island while talking to Jen who said, "Isn't he beautiful? Do you keep pets at home?"

And I don't know whether my hearing is really degenerating, but I heard "pads" and with a look of concern replied, "No, but I have some in my bag."

Jen's look of surprise triggered so much laughter. I'd thought she had been talking about sanitary pads (sanitary napkins!)

Similarly during one of our kayaking expeditions to a new campsite, the message was passed down, "Don't row too near to the coast!" and I passed the message, "Don't row too slow!" The looks of puzzlement were priceless.

On the downside, though, I think I'm getting old.

Yesterday was spent relieving OBS memories in the comfort of the open-air eating place in Chinatown, while consuming a huge dinner (as usual). We had oyster omelette, satay, porridge (congee to the non-Singaporean), Indian rojak, popiah and tu-tu-cake. I can't remember what else we ate but I remember coming away extremely stuffed.

We made plans for that day, to sing karaoke for a few hours, then play basketball for a few hours, then eat and chat. But in the end the scheme degenerated into singing karaoke for a few hours, looking halfheartedly for a basketball court and not succeeding, and sitting down to eat for a few hours, not that I have any complaints about that.

We made plans for the next week, to play basketball and have dinner on alternate days, and to go kayaking at East Coast Beach on saturday. We promised to teach our scholarship officer the capsize drill on saturday. What she doesn't know, however, (ha ha) is that she will have to willlingly capsize her own kayak first.

Now that I'm on the OBS train of thought (I'm not, really, but I'm the blogger and I can do as I jolly well please) I should write this priceless incident down which happened at OBS. We had to work on this teamwork project which involved squeezing our whole group of sweaty and smelly people, some of whom had not changed their clothes for days, onto a square raft made of a few wooden planks, and somehow transport that raft, with ourselves, for a distance of 4 metres. It was awful. Of course, we mucked around for a bit, clinging on to each other, before we finally figured out a planb of taking the raft apart while we balanced on the remaining planks and hung on to each other.

The worst thing about this project, something that you would never think of, was the smell. 10 smelly people in close proximity clinging onto wet t-shirts and having to endure the smell of each other for an hour and 45 minutes was an experience entirely new to me. But you tried not to think about it, hung on to whoever you could, and envied the taller people.

So my watchmate was in front of me, and I was clinging desperately on to something of hers which I didn't recognise, and concentrating more on trying to stabalise myself than on what I was clinging on to. I was so occupied with balancing myself that I didn't hear her urgent cries of "Ruth. Ruth! Move your hand higher up!" and while the "raft" rocked precariously clung on still harder until her firm hand moved mine insistently further up. Only then did I realise what I had been doing! Luckily both of us were more amused than anything else and our stifled giggles rocked the raft!

Next entry will be more civilised, I promise! : )