Finance OJT @ Selarang

This week's Monday - Wednesday was awesome. Why? Like my blog title says...I'm on course...finance course.

The course just taught us how to do auditing, raise & approve purchase requistions & how the finance system in MINDEF works. Now I see the how the system actually makes sure that our taxpayer's money is used properly.

The course is from 8am - 5.45pm...just like my office hours...but the good thing is...it's in SELARANG CAMP!! Direct bus for me!! No taking of ferries!! No stinkin' smell of ops room & its self-righteous people!!

& it doesn't really start at 8am...it starts around 9am. Haha!

There were only 3 of us...Myself, PTE Jian Ming & REC Victor. Jian Ming & myself already have hands-on experience on the EPS system so we already know half of the stuff they're gonna teach...while REC Victor has zero knowledge or experience so he took quite a while to cope with & digest all the information overload. Haha.

The good thing about Jian Ming is, he DRIVES! So I got a free ride to the bus stop the next 2 days! :D HAHA!

Anyway, I met my finance bosses from HQ 9DIV/Infantry, Mrs Joyce, Mr Neo, Ms Doreen & Mrs Ai Nah. Now I know the person behind the computer that has been replying my emails...Haha.

Mrs Joyce is really nice and candid person. Says how she feels and is a naggy kinda person. She's the classic example of a naggy mother who wants the best for her kids & her work. Haha.

Next we have the sarcarstic Mr. Neo who is very anal and rather perfectionistic. He'd drop tests and questions to gauge your understanding and when you fail his verbal tests, he'll rate you & become sarcastic & all...So for this kinda ppl, you must know your stuff before you talk to him if not he'll write you off. That's probably the reason why he's still single. HAHAHA! :P Jkjk :D

Next we have Ms Doreen a typical friendly, semi-ah-lian kinda girl. I called her girl! HAHA! Cos she looks young & talks to you in a friendly & suan-ing kinda way. So we jokingly suan-ed each other here & there throughout our convos. Haha. Like when I go to the mess to take a cup of coffee she'll just look at me and say "Aiyo, why never take for me??" kinda thing...haha

Finally, we have Mrs Ai Nah...a mother of two lovely girls whose pictures are pasted all over her work desk. Haha. She's very nice, meticulous and friendly person. She's the kind who'll help you when you're in trouble. She's the patient teacher who'll patiently teach concepts & explain things to you even though you may have asked her before.

These are my finance bosses. They also have finance clerks there to teach us...NSFs like us...3 of them also taught us the auditing process, what to look out for, how you allocate which IO to use for what purpose etc...They are CPL Kenneth Lui, CPL Eugene Phang and LCP Madan. They're also all very nice people who taught us, laughed with us during lessons, ate with us at the cookhouse and got scolded with me at the specialist mess...HAHA! Here's what happened:

The good thing about Selarang camp is their MESS. It has a hot drink dispenser which allows you to choose 5 kinds of drinks...Milo, 2 kinds of coffee, mocha & teh tarik. Whoo hoo! Free drinks!! HAHA! On the 1st day, kenneth & madan brought me to the specialist. I went in & took 2 cups of drinks. 1 for me, 1 for my guys...& the cups is the styrofoam cups...not the glass goblets or whatever...haha.

Upon walking out of the mess, a warrant officer (ME3 Savarajan) walked out from the mess and shouted at me. Scolded me for taking drinks outta the mess for others...he said "If you want to take a drink for them, invite them in and drink there! If you walk in and take drinks for them then the machine spoil how?!" I wanted to counter "Show me the standing order that says the drinks can't be taken outta the mess."

But I didn't la...Don't wanna land myself in a tussle of words & legalistic laws. So I just stood there, nodded and said "yes encik" to whatever ungrounded accusations he was making. He was probably just promoted to ME3 & wanted to wayang his rank or something man...haha. Who'd leave the comfort of the sofa & TV in the mess and walk out to scold a 3rd sergeant over taking drinks out of the mess? Rubbish. haha.

After that, Kenneth & Madan were kinda shaken up and pissed. haha. O well, like what Xiao Hua always says "Warrant officers are the most useless people in the army. They don't have proper education but are given the rank & respect." Haha.

On the 1st day, we ended early, 5pm. So I went to ask Ms Doreen to let us go. Wrong person to ask. Knowing her argumentative kinda personality, she said "you sure you all learn everything properly not?"
I was like "Yes! You wanna test us ar?"
Her expected reply "Ok lor...call the rest here I'll test you all"
"If we pass the test you let us go ok?"
"yalar..."

Haha. Should've known her verbal test to the 3 of us would've lasted for 30mins... -.-" So we ended up leaving @ 5.30pm...normal time -__-" I then took their 5.45pm permstaff bus to tampines. :D

2nd day, upon ending early, I didn't ask Ms Doreen liao...I asked Ms Joyce! HAHA! I walked into her cubicle and when she asked me "yes?" I replied in hokkien "Eh sai chao liao bueh?" She then asked Doreen out loud across the office "Doreen! Got anything more for them?"
"Nope."
She then said "Ok lor...you all can go :D"

WHOO HOO!! haha. We left at 5pm! Got a ride from Jian Ming to the bus stop & got home by 5.30pm :D I wish I was posted to Selarang camp as an admin spec man...haha.

3rd day was the best. They gave me a 2 hour lunch break. I met Xiao Hua for lunch @ the cookhouse & then went to the mess (again) to play pool. Surprisingly, I bumped into Allan @ the mess who was also playing pool with this friend! Haha. I then joined them and played 3 rounds...Haha. While playing I was also patronising their free drinks stall...HAHA!

After the 3 rounds of pool, 2 of which I won :D HAHA!...I drank 2 cups of milo, 1 cup of teh tarik & 1 cup of mocha! HAHA! My risk of becoming a diabetic exploded to an all time high of 100% that day man...haha!

I also met Benjamin Tan, my secondary school friend who was posted there as a medic. Haha. I do have many friends all over after all :D HAHA!

So that was my lil' break from the boredom of my ops room duties & responsibilities with people who don't feel like doing anything...haha.