something that took place in school

Hello, dear reader. As expected, this is the maiden entry, the first of the posts that will chronicle the events at various points of my life. Well, at least until the 28th of January. And, as the title so aptly states, this entry will be about...(drum roll) something that took place in school! (How very exciting.)

However, this particular event did not occur today. Neither was it during curricular time. Instead, I shall take you all the way back to the previous Saturday. (Not that long ago, was it?) So, what exactly were you doing in the wee hours of the morning? Having a cup of coffee, perhaps. (Too young for caffeine? Milo it is, then.) Or maybe immersing yourself in current events, reclining on your comfortable sofa, flipping through the newspaper? Or better yet, still in bed and sleeping like a log?

Well, certainly not me. I, for one, was in school for my co-curricular activity: Scouts.

SCOUTS

As per normal, we had the customary 'flag break', where the flag, originally bound, was unfurled, or "broken", for want of a better word. The flag, depicting an arrow, fluttered gracefully in the wind.

Then the routine PT (physical training) followed suit. We jogged from the school to the nearby lagoon, where we ran another 2.4 km. I managed to pull through by contemplating the scenery, which was breathtakingly beautiful. (Well, not exactly, but still mercifully eye-pleasing.) The trees were swaying in the breeze, the leaves brushing against each other. The waves lapped against the golden sand of the shore...

My peace was shattered when the finish line was in sight. Summoning the last of my strength, I burst forward, not stopping until I crossed the line. I came to a sudden halt, and stumbled forth, but regained my balance.

I was panting, my body strained from the sheer exhaustion of the sprint at the last stretch. We walked back to school, and immediately after that was a game conjured up by our seniors, Omniball. And, to be honest, it was a pathetic shot at originality. It was basically football and basketball combined, where we had to kick the ball into the goal for a point, and shoot it into the net for three points. For the next ten minutes, the patrols were slogging it out with each other, pushing and shoving for the ball. Naturally, my patrol lost. (Throughout the past year, I have seen the true nature of the Baden patrol. They were, and still are, a bunch of slackers.)


After that, we went for a short break, and a re-test followed, for those who failed. Since I passed, I chatted with a friend throughout the test. Little did we know what was in store for us. It was a tormenting foot drill session, which was basically, leaders giving out marching commands, screaming bloody murder at us for the slightest mistake, followed by intense push-ups. Today, however, it was particularly torturous. Through this session, we were instilled discipline (a whole load of it, I assure you), and learned the true meaning of the phrase, leaden arms. And, lo, perfect timing! It was a scorching day, and under the furious blaze of the sun, the heat from the pavement happened to be particularly searing. (Did I mention we were in full uniform, AND had a run merely an hour before?) It was akin to the flogging of animals to make them perform better, then only providing a sip of water barely enough to pull through. But, I must admit, we probably deserved it. Our discipline was lax and sloppy, falling short of expectations. And it was compulsory we set a good example to the new batch of students, but still. (Thank you for putting up with my whining. I had to get it off my chest.)


After that, it was bliss. (Well, it wasn't, but it was certainly better than the torture we had undergone.) Since we had already suffered enough, push ups were no longer demanded of us. We had a hasty "patrol corner", during which we reflected about the day's events, and then promptly dismissed.


In a nutshell, I think the day was hellish, but worthwhile nonetheless, since we were, after all, instilled discipline. I will never view Scouts in the same light again. (Last year, I was lured into Scouts by the facade of a lax CCA, when we weren't tormented as frequently, until it was too late to turn back.) I am now disillusioned.