My First Day At PLMGS Series - Epilogue

ACS SJAB LTC'85

I can't believe I kept this inside me for 23 years. I supposed it's ok to talk about it now that it no longer mattered to me anymore.

I was deeply disappointed with the appointment given to me despite ranking 6th overall in the Leadership Training Course. With Top Dog post of Student Coordinator and 4 Platoon Sergeants, surely I would be first in line for a Assistant Platoon Sergeant spot? Instead, all I got was the appointments of a Squad Leader in the Corp and a Section Leader of the clarinet section of the band.

While not trying to come across as unappreciative and with all due respect to the squad leaders past, present and future, I was gunning for more back then.

Of course with the benefit of hindsight that we wonder why take this so seriously. But at the age of 14 and not more hindsight nor maturity, it was all the world to me.

The ACS SJAB was a world within the world for me.

Strangely, while it was demoralisingly humbling, it actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. A lesser appointment meant that I had more time to pursue other interests. So came that one day when my officer approached me to ask about my interest in helping with the setup of the PLMGS division. I said "Yes" without without a second thought.

I agreed to it partly because this was a very interesting project. A new challenge. A new experience and an opportunity that probably won't come by again.

And also partly the want to "redeem" myself and prove my officers wrong for "seeing me no up" and give me such a "low" appointment despite my high ranking in the LTC.

There was one minor thing though. Whatever I do at PLMGS SJAB, would not count towards my performance in ACS SJAB and will not be recognised for ECA Distinction Award consideration. This was made known to me right at the start that the PLMGS project was a voluntary project i.e. outside interest of personal nature.

I signed up nevertheless. I was not doing it to score "promotion points" within my own Corp. I just wanted them to see a better picture of me and what I am capable of.

At the end of the day, I think I did ok at ACS SJAB. I signed off my ACS SJAB "career" with the rank of Senior Warrant Officer and the unofficial appointment of the Concert Master of the band.

Could've climbed further if I had carried on when I entered NTU, but alas travelling to and from the university was just too far and timing clashed as a result of my lectures on Saturdays.

Still, it didn't matter as much as my stint in PLMGS.

I remembered fondly of one of my first job interviews when I just graduated from NTU by a prospective employer. I was asked about my greatest achievement in life so far?

"I helped set up the St John Ambulance Division in Paya Lebar Methodist Girls School." I replied proudly.

I'll never forget that.

- Voxeros

1. THB left...

Friday, 1 August 2008 9:45 am :: http://the-hb-diaries.blogspot.com

Impt thing is... Did you get the job? Haha. =p

2. Gary left...

Friday, 1 August 2008 12:23 pm

i think i can recognize you in the pic. somewhere along 2nd row.

3. darkelfin left...

Friday, 1 August 2008 1:41 pm

why so seriousss......

4. JayWalk left...

Friday, 1 August 2008 9:29 pm :: 

THB: I did get to second round but by then, I accepted another job elsewhere already.

Gary: I'm not telling, you'll just have to guess like everybody else.

darkelfin: Good question that I know not myself. I was merely letting the "proverbial pen" take it course with the entry.

5. Linny. left...

Friday, 1 August 2008 10:40 pm

Clappity clap clap! Very cool, I wish I was more devoted to Choir.
I get complacent all the time, cause the girls around me in choir are like, really tone deaf.

6. JayWalk left...

Saturday, 2 August 2008 10:14 am :: 

Linny: This type of thing takes more than just interest and passion to fulfill the commitment. It was a calling for me to step forward to serve.

My First Day At PLMGS Series - Part 3 of 3

...Continuing from Part 2 of 3. (The concluding part of this series takes on a slightly more sombre mood.)

I would be lying if I said we didn't enjoyed basking in all the attention. However, I am proud to report that we stuck steadfastly to our no-fraternising rule. We stayed on our side of the line for the calling of setting up a worthy project such as this, was just too important to be fooling around. It would be unthinkable if any one of us were to be sent back in shame for desecrating the instructor-cadet bond. Not only would that undermine the integrity of the instructors but also tarnishes the good name of our own school.

We did have our individual favourite but only in the sense that she was my "goto girl" if I need anything done during midweek prior to the subsequent Saturday's parade but that was as far as I went. Nothing more.

To take a leaf from the Leadership Training Course (LTC) manual, we adopted the "4 Fs" as our mantra.

• Firm
• Fair
• Friendly
• but never Familiar

Ah yes, the LTC also affectionately known as the Leadership Torture Cource. Undoubtedly the highlight of every St John cadet's 4 (or 5) year-stint during secondary school. This was a 6-month course (back then), where we groomed 2nd-year cadets to take over key appointments from their seniors as the latter moved on after their GCE O-levels. In this particular period at PLMGS where the cadets were the pioneer batch, the instructors were the ones running the administration in the interim until they were able to take it over from us.

We started the LTC programme from the second year of PLMGS SJAB's existence in January 1987. By then, we had 3 years' worth of cadets (we recruited cadets from the Sec 1 and 2 cohort during our first year) and we kicked off our very first LTC with the 2nd and 3rd year cadets lumped together. The whole programme ended with a grueling week-long boot camp where the cadets were to undergo their final assessment through a series of tasks, assignments, projects, interviews as well as written examination.

After the course-concluding camp, there would be a 2-month period of deliberation and ranking and the results of the LTC would be announced during the Annual Inspection. Successful graduates will be promoted to NCO rank of Lance-Corporal and a post in the school division's administration.

The Annual Inspection also marks the "retirement day" of the seniors as they retreat to prepare for their coming GCE O-Level's examinations. Hence, the timing of announcing the various appointments as the graduates move into the junior appointment, left behind by the 3rd years who take up the senior appointments, vacated by the "retiring" seniors.

In running an organisation such as this, continuity is a very important issue. This is a place where people come, and ultimately people go. There is no way to stay in there forever. This is after all an Uniformed Youth Organisation of a school i.e. you have to leave when you graduate. Sure, you may return thereafter as instructors but ultimately, there still is that inevitable Last Day.

As such, the LTC as well as the subsequent Advance-LTC (for 3rd years) are all about continuity. Letting the new take over the incumbent as the latter departs.

Continuity also applies to the instructors as we handed over our reins to the next batch as we neared our own GCE O-Levels examinations.

I did return to PLMGS, after my GCE O-Level examinations when I moved on to ACJC but only briefly as I was tied up with the running of our own ACS SJAB division and ACS SJAB Band. My limited time resource was further stretched to help out schools like East Payoh Secondary and First Toa Payoh Secondary, whom their respective St John divisions were still in their infancy.

...Click Here To Proceed To The Epilogue.

- Voxeros

1. THB left...

Thursday, 31 July 2008 3:55 pm :: http://the-hb-diaries.blogspot.com

THIS ONE NOT PART 3 ALREADY MEH?? Why still to be continued???

2. JayWalk left...

Friday, 1 August 2008 9:31 pm :: 

THB: Read on to find out.

My First Day At PLMGS Series - Part 2 of 3

...Continuing from Part 1 of 3.

First item of the day was to take attendance and so we assembled the 30+ giggly girls (I think they first time see yan dao guys) and made the usual mutual introductions while at the same time, we were trying to get to know each other.

It's more of a day of paper work than anything as we had to verify all the particulars of each cadet as well as to collect passport photos, so that we can compile and submit the nominal roll back to St John HQ.

A tailor was also arranged to be on hand to take measurements of each girl for their uniforms.

As per tradition, we conducted our first lesson, which in my opinion is the driest, most boring but unfortunately compulsory module. The History of the St John movement otherwise known as the Knowledge Of The Order (KOTO).

Essentially, the activities of this Uniform Group were divided into 4 elements. First aid training, footdrill, games (which is usually of a team building theme) and proficiency courses e.g. campcraft, road & home safety, drill instruction, clerical ability, etc.

Over the weeks, we were starting to settle down properly and starting to get used to the idea that come every Saturday, the three of us will have eyes following us everywhere we go within the school's compound and I am not just referring to my St John girls. I could have sworn, there were more students back in school on a Saturday morning then before.

So anyway, being a relatively conservative all-girls school, there were rules in place even for us instructors. We had a strictly no-fraternising policy in place. Our home telephone numbers (a time where mobile phones, pagers, MSNs, facebooks didn't exist for students) were kept strictly confidential and only known to the teachers-in-charge and the various key office bearers i.e. Student Coordinator, Platoon Sergeants and the various Secretaries of Parade, Records, Treasury, etc.

Sounds like everything is in order, right?

Yeah right.

Our phones started to ring non-stop!

OK, so initially, the calls were from those who had our numbers and it started off as calls on official matter but as one would have guessed what would happened if you give a telephone to a teenager. Yeah. 3-hour calls on "official matters". :P

I guess it was only a matter of time before our numbers got leaked out and we were fielding calls from the  other girls.

A typical call would go like this:

Mystery Girl 1: Hello, may I speak to JayWalk, please.

JayWalk: Yeah, this is he. Who's this?

Mystery Girl 1: Make a guess! *background giggles of 3 to 4 girls in the distance*

JayWalk: *Groan*

Then when I got the following call, I knew things spun out of hand:

Mystery Girl 2: Hello, may I speak to JayWalk, please.

JayWalk: Yeah, this is he. Who's this?

Mystery Girl 2: Josephine from PL (short for PLMGS)

JayWalk: Who?

Mystery Girl 2: You helped me pick up my books the other day. Yeah, I'm that girl from NPCC.


JayWalk: How the hell you get my number??!! *faint*

Did someone scribble our numbers on the toilet cubicle door?!!

"For a good time call JayWalk Tel: 4XXXXXX" 

...Click Here To Proceed To Part 3 of 3

 

- Voxeros 

My First Day At PLMGS Series - Part 1 of 3

Thinking of Faith's first day at PLMGS in a few months' time, reminded me of my own first day at PLMGS.

Despite the fact that she will be there as a student and I was there as an instructor, both are/were very much a whole new learning experience for the both of us respectively.

It was a Saturday morning somewhere in 1986 where I took the 165 > 153 > 321 bus route for the very first time from Ulu Pandan to Lorong Ah Soo. I woke up especially early as a result of not knowing how long the journey would take and also didn't want to make a tardy impression of being late on the very first day.

As one would have expected, I arrived a little too early. For a guy who spent the past 9 years in a All-Boys school, I was a nervous wreck inching towards the All-Girls school's main gate.

How do I look?

Is my fly down?

Got vege in my teeth or not?

WHY AM I WALKING WITH MY LEFT ARM SWINGING IN SYNC WITH MY LEFT LEG?!!

I could hear the bustle from the canteen. All the laughter, giggles and chatter all morphed into a dim of monotonous blare.

I crossed the gate's threshold with a lump in my throat and was telling myself to attract as little attention as possible.

FAIL.

My first foot into the school and the entire school suddenly turned from 100 decibels to 0 in 0.42 seconds.

Did I just stepped on the MUTE button?

Hundreds of pairs of eyes were on me like starving lionesses in the Gladiator's Colosseum. Had they each have a laser pointer, I would have gone ablaze into cinders on the spot.

I continued to walk towards the staff office and keeping as cool as I possibly could.

ARRGGHH!!! WHY AM I STILL WALKING WITH MY LEFT ARM SWINGING IN SYNC WITH MY LEFT LEG?!! 

I think I peed a little in my pants too.

It wasn't until half an hour later before everyone arrived and we started with our very first Parade.

...Click To Proceed To Part 2 of 3.

 

- Voxeros

1. Ruok left...

Tuesday, 29 July 2008 9:19 pm

u sure its pee or not?
*runs away

2. Linny. left...

Tuesday, 29 July 2008 10:20 pm :: http://linnny.blogspot.com

Waaaaah ... 1986 ........

3. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 29 July 2008 10:36 pm :: 

Ruok: WALAU!!!! ORDER!! ORDER!!! ORDER IN THE HOUSE!!!!

Linny: Yeah. A time where leg warmers, big plastic button ear clips and shoulder pad were all the rage amongst the ladies.

4. msvindicta left...

Wednesday, 30 July 2008 1:05 am

post up a picture of how you looked then!
see if the johnny depp genes had started developing then!

5. JayWalk left...

Wednesday, 30 July 2008 1:59 am :: 

msvindicta: I can show you my Sec.3 pic in private if you like. Not here though.

6. hitomi left...

Thursday, 31 July 2008 10:04 am

wah, sec 3 pic? i wanna c!

7. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 31 July 2008 10:13 am :: 

hitomi: Look who suddenly decides to show up at the mention of some secondary school boy picture?

8. JD left...

Thursday, 31 July 2008 2:47 pm :: http://acardia.sg

*giggle*
I am SJAB girl also.

9. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 31 July 2008 5:15 pm :: 

JD: Another thing in common. How cool is that!?

Who's From PLMGS?

Just out of curiosity, any readers from PLMGS?

- Voxeros

1. jol left...

Monday, 11 August 2008 8:49 am

you've got one here! :)

2. JayWalk left...

Monday, 11 August 2008 12:20 pm :: 

Jol: Yay! Welcome to the blog. Which year were you from. I was there when the PL Lites did the move from the old premises to the present Lorong Ah Soo. Ahh.... memories....

3. jol left...

Wednesday, 13 August 2008 10:14 pm

haha i graduated not long ago only heh, 21 this year, did about 6 months of teaching there too i guess yours was awhile back :D great blog by the way

4. JayWalk left...

Thursday, 14 August 2008 11:38 am :: 

Jol: Thank you for the compliment and thank you again for following my literary crapping. :)

5. Jojo left...

Thursday, 14 August 2008 11:28 pm

I used to be from PL. Didn't have a good "experience" there as I felt I was under the rule of a Nazi dictator. To say my then principal is garang is THE understatement of the century. Graduated in 1991. I remember the principal was paranoid about having male teachers in the school. I remembered only having 1. She's afraid that male teachers will ' deflower ' us any chance they have. LOL. The only male teacher teaching there then, promptly marry my school mate upon her "graduation" from PL. >_<

6. JayWalk left...

Friday, 15 August 2008 9:58 am :: 

Jojo: Hi and welcome to the blog. If you graduated in 1991, that makes your 4 years younger than me which means that we both shared the same principal. Yes. I have to admit that the school is rather regimental but I can see the good in it. Kids needs discipline and structure in the early years and so I can understand that while we totally resented everything thing that the school imposes (throw in teenage rebellious stage too), you will eventually see the light when you look back years on.

Faith's Going PLMGS

We just registered Faith for Primary 1 and we were under Phase 2B as a result of our membership in Barker Road Methodist Church.

We checked the results last week and were relieved to know that Faith got without the need for balloting.

I am sure a lot of parents will be directing traffic, sweep floor, cut grass, library duty gunning for top primary schools like Nanyang or Raffles but I think PLMGS would be a good environment for Faith's education. Faith is a very very smart girl but given that we noticed that she can't sit still for even 10 minutes (when it comes to homework *facepalm*), we wonder if putting her on those academic supertrains would do her more detriment than good?

Academically-wise, Raffles, Henry Park, Nanyang etc. would rank far above PLMGS but that doesn't necessarily means they would be better for the child. We like the idea of a Missions school like myself from ACS and wife from CHIJ, where a more well-balance and wholesome package of education much more to our liking.

Perhaps if we can give Faith a more relaxed environment to grow up, she would learn more?

Bottomline is that we just want her to grow up happy.

PLMGS and myself have a little bit of history way back in the 80s. I was part of the team who set up their St John Nursing Brigade. So if you know of anyone who is born between 1972 and 1973 and was studying in PLMGS (Secondary), ask them if they know of 3 ACS boys who were in their school every Saturday morning?

How time flies and it's more than 20 years ago. Those PLMGS teachers whom I've gotten to know are probably retired by now. Otherwise, I would have loved to return to the school to see them again.
Even the girls whom I have taught are probably mothers themselves. Who knows if I may bump into them on Faith's first day at school next year? I have lost all contacts with the girls, all except one.

God bless facebook! :)

Image Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org

- Voxeros

1. Ruok left...

Monday, 28 July 2008 8:20 pm

My very first crush was a girl from PLMGS!

2. TSSD left...

Tuesday, 29 July 2008 1:03 am :: http://tehsisiudai.wordpress.com

My first rejection was from that school. NAH BEH! Walao u damn pro, u teach from young, future investment siboh.

3. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 29 July 2008 10:02 am :: 

ruok: Well, now that's a blog entry waiting to be written. No?

tssd: Not future investment lah. Back then, it was more like community service. Just wanted to do something to contribute.

4. Ruok left...

Tuesday, 29 July 2008 9:17 pm

No. :P

5. aloe left...

Tuesday, 29 July 2008 10:28 pm

sollie, not from there. I ish fr neighbourhood sch! *proud* but it recently merged le... *sad* good luck to ur gal! :)

6. JayWalk left...

Tuesday, 29 July 2008 10:34 pm :: 

ruok: Oh come on!!! Write! Write! Write! Write!

Aloe: Well, you turned out pretty good. Yes? Yes?