My first guard duty. My US cook food.

One proud and patriotic RSAF Senior Tech at work.

The best bed isn’t the obvious…

It have been slightly more than a month since I arrived in US and started working at RSAF Peace Prairie Detachment and just yesterday, I was assigned on base guard duties. My duty room was awfully cold in the night even when I am wearing my working attires (long sleeve coverall and pants). Could really term it cold and lonely night. However it was not due to the weather cause its quite a hot early summer right now but more due to the screwed up central air conditioning. Damn….I could not find the switch to turn up the temperature and I was literally sleeping under the ventilation vent, streaming freezing cold air… Manage to grab some sleep before waking up at 3am to do my prowling and take a leak (cold weather make human more likely to go toilet). Found out that the interior of our helicopter is pretty warm and eventually I decided to sleep on the cabin troop seats. Pretty narrow and rugged but sure beats the ice cold sofa in the room. Glad to say, I have a great sleep till the morning.

Simple meal for a clueless cook.

Instant noodle: US$1.00

Can food: US$0.80

My lunch: "Priceless"

I really got to learn how to cook a proper meal else I will be ending up eating instant noodles and can food for the next few months. Currently figuring out how to make pork chop and my favourite "Luncheon meat+Potatoes+Onion+ Tomato/Chili" dish. Will update you guys with the pics of my success or disaster. I pretty much enjoy cooking just as I love chemistry laboratory work back in secondary school times... mixing and matching sauces, sugar, salt like acid and alkaline.

We are not SIA flight stewardess/steward.

In few days time, our Detachment will be going on 2 weeks exercise and the base will be pretty lifeless. Sadly, I was not included in the exercise and thus could not enjoy the R&R program they got at the destination (classified). Anyway, I am already running low on Vitamin “M” thus not going could actually help me save up a bit before my allowance is credited to the bank account.

Our welfare ICs have collected US$15 from all the personnel going for the exercise to set up a mini tea bar for the 2 weeks period our guys will be there. It’s a Great idea to boost moral of the guys who is now even further away from home. Praise for the welfare IC. However, yesterday we got the shock of our life. We were told that US$3 from each contribution will be used to buy “In-Flight” meal for the pilots. Not just ordinary food but takeaways from restaurants…. Chinese, Western…blar blar blar. I find it bloody ridiculous for 2 reasons. First thing, we are going for military exercise and not some joy ride and we got military pilot and not commercialize one, shouldn’t they give up a bit of life comfort and settle for Military Ration (MREs) and not Ala Carte? Secondly, this US$15 dollars are our maintenance guys own money, how could they just suka suka take US$3 each from us? So cheapskate one. I don’t know what our immediate superior was thinking to allow such low class decision to go through… we should really stand up and protest! Treat us as ground crew, technician, grease monkeys but don’t take us as SIA flight stewardess/stewards. We don’t provide in-flight entertainment and don’t teach you how to use the life-vest during flight and we don’t walk around the aircraft serving coffee.

I hope such plans will not go through cause it really cheapens the image of our professional pilots. Whoever came out with this shit ought to be hang unless he withdraw the plan. Come to think of it, I wonder if this “guy” is actually trying to carry balls because I am sure our pilot who are commissioned officers will not come out with and use such underhand method to get their meal.