Eddie's Million Dollar Cook Off (Part 1)

I still can not believe what has happened.

The past two mornings, I have woken up not believing what has happened to me. In fact I still can't believe it has happened, which is why I just had to get off my bed this morning to blog about what has happened while I still can.


For me, everything has seem so unrealistic. For me, this has been my life. For me, this has been real. But for you guys, this is only a mere story about some kid in the Police serving his National Service.


So I ask, that this just this once - empathise with me. Imagine everything as if you were in my shoes as I say what I have to say in the next few paragraphs. And maybe you might realise how everything to me during the past week has just seemed so unreal.

I would like to thank God for taking me out of the officer course for the Police Inspector rank. It has revealed to me what a blind bat I have been during my 'run' for it. I was too caught up in the thinking that I would be the best among them all for all the things I have done in the past and in my basic training. I was so blind to see that there was so much love and support around me, I took it for granted. So when God took me out of the officer course, it was a good smack in the head as I dropped all my eggs in that one basket, leaving just one little egg in the basket whole.

Pride became humility. Arrogance became repentance. And my will became God's will.

It was wonderful that I took that smack in the head because I now realise what a fool I was basking in my own 'greatness' and 'glory' I had forgotten to see what was happening around and in me. So I have to thank God will all my heart because I was getting too carried away. I hope I have changed for the good.

So this is the story. Let truth and humility be told in everything I say from here. I only ask that you empathise with me as I tell the story of my final week in the Police Academy as a trainee. Praise God!


2nd July, 2007 (Monday)
This was the first day of the week. The first day of intensive POP training. Mentally, the realisation that we would be drilled in the grilling sun for hours was there. And true enough, it was bad.
The morning alone started after flag raising which would usually end around 0710hrs but that was bad already. The sun was there and we started to sweat.

Second became minutes, and minutes became hours. Eventually, somewhere in the 9th hour, I got a call from my OC to have me pass my OCT 'resume' for the pen-picture he has to put up. Basically on the form, I typed up a list of significant achievements and contributions, and key and concurrent roles appointed in school.

I separated myself from the squad and informed the officer in charge that I needed to give my OC something. He allowed my departure but requested that I make it fast, so I made a run for it.

Running out of the Parade Square, I ran all the way back to my coy which was some 100m run. When I got there, the room where all the keys were held was locked as the person in charge had left his post. By right, he was not allowed to do this.

So just to make sure that no one was really inside, I knocked on the door and tried to open the door but true enough, it was locked. Having no other choice, I ran back to the parade square, hoping that our bunk IC had the key to our bunk.

Fortunately for me, when I ran back there, they were still having their break so I could casually just run in and run out.

I got to my squad and asked if our bunk IC had the key but he didn't. It was in that room which was locked. My other squad mate immediately suggested that I use the clothes hanger on their window ledge to open the door. Not really having much time to contemplate the situation, I ran back to the coy.

I ran up to the bunk to see if I could retrieve the clothes hanger they asked me to use. To my gladness, I was able to find the hanger but I knew that the chances of me being able to pull down the door handle would be minute and time consuming. Nevertheless, I had to try cause I had no other choice.

As I was attempting to pull the handle down from the outside, I noticed that the room where the keys were kept was open.

Leaping off my thief-like position, I quickly replaced the clothes hanger and made a run for the room.



That night, after returning from a day of intensive POP drilling, I was exhausted to find tucked under my pillow a set of notes. I knew my OC would be giving me some materials to read about the Singapore Police Force Mission, so this was not much of a surprise. And neither was the duplicate copy of the pen-picture he had typed up for me. But after reading the pen-picture, I felt so 'decorated' because to see how my OC had raised me up so highly in that pen-picture was amazing. I have to admit that it felt good. Things that no one other than my close friends and family had said, but for someone who I have only known for only 3 months to say such things, it was great.

Also, on one side of one of the paper, I noticed that he had written,

Co-ordination office
Full-U @ 0900hrs

This was the interview he had told me about last week. The interview that get it all started. The interview where pride began to creep up.



To Be Continued ...