Lil Bro's NS journey: Enlistment into BMTC

Having watched Ah Boys to Men a few months ago (which was extremely entertaining & my fave was Lobang!), I've decided to compile a series of posts to document the lil bro's NS journey on this lil space. National Service (NS) is the rite of passage for every Singaporean son as soon as he hits 18 years old. NS was first introduced in 1967, aimed to provide defence for our homeland & also, to foster cohesiveness amongst the male Singaporeans. From the day of enlistment to BMTC, to his 2 overseas deployment, till his commissioniong parade, we've accompanied lil bro on his journey - lending him support and encouragement.

 

I was thankful that lil bro's enlistment date was after our Bali post-wedding honeymoon, so we could send him off to camp. Lil bro stayed with us the night before his enlistment, so it would be easier for us to send him to Tekong. Leecher even got up earlier to prepare an amazing breakfast spread for him *thumbs up for Leecher* Mummy dearest prepared her 爱心汤 for us & we heated it up in the morning. 

 

Leecher did a fantastic job, though the egg yolk looked slightly damaged, but still yummy! 

Reached Pasir Ris MRT station, where we joined the long queue of recruits + family members to board the bus.

Lil bro already went to shave his head (together with 8 other friends) before enlistment. I even chided him saying that he wasted money, should have went in and get to cut for free.

 

On board the coach that will take us to the ferry terminal. I was busy snapping pictures & lil bro said that I machiam come out on a school excursion.

 

Waiting to board the ferry ~ check out lil bro's sad expression, lol! He's getting nearer and nearer to his enlistment fate.  

 

Reading materials given to the family. I still had my bridal nails on (yes, the pics were taken almost 18 months ago!) 

 

Boarding Penguin Tekong that will bring us to Tekong, obviously. I was joking to Leecher that actually the whole journey felt as though we were heading to Batam.

 

Got sun & sea ~ not bad right? Just treat it as a 2wk trip to "Batam"

Across the coast we went to the other side! It was just a short 15 min journey, but I guess the recruits must have wanted it to last as long as possible.
 

I cheekily called these the "chalet", only to be greeted with glares from both lil bro & Leecher. 

Pulau Tekong is the 2nd largest of Singapore's outlying islands, and it is still expanding due to land reclamation. This island is used exclusively as a training base for various army units & home to BMTC. 

 

We got separated as soon as we arrived at BMTC ~ the family members were invited to tour the compound, while the recruits had to head somewhere for their briefing. Lil bro got enlisted with a couple of his Poly friends, so at least they have got company throughout. 

 

While on the bus, we saw troops of army boys marching, overcoming the obstacle course etc - to give the family members an overview of what the boys will experience during their days in BMTC. 

 

Lil bro was assigned to School 4. 

At the auditorium, where we witnessed the oath taking ceremony. I can't remember what was the oath about, but I do remember vividly the last 3 words "With my Life!" A punchy end to a solemn oath.
 

Lunch with lil bro, a "sumptuous" meal of eggs, chicken, vegetables & fruits. In fact, it was quite tasty, lol! Only available during recruitment day, haha! 

 

Then, the recruits got called off to assemble. Time to say bye bye to lil bro ... I was slightly teary when I took this picture. Gonna miss him for sure! 

 
Off they went up the trucks, for their 2 weeks of training course. 

As for us 
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  We headed to town for some shopping :)

Hatched!

Been checking out cafes with Leecher recently and also to spend some quality time together. This time round, we ventured to Hatched @ Evans Road. When it first started, every single food blog that I frequent talked about this cafe, but knowing me, I will normally wait till the hype is over before visiting as I don't enjoy the feeling of squeezing with people (^^) Finally, we managed to visit this place on a lazy weekday afternoon. Relied on my iphone trusty google map to bring us to this place.
*Note: We went to Hatched @ Evans Road before they underwent renovations. Just did a google check and they have since re-opened this branch. 

We drove to Hatched & found that the place was pretty secluded. Most of the people arrived in cabs or cars. If you're driving, there is a lil parking space next to the building but with limited slots.

I did a quick check on google and found that this place is also pretty accessible by public transport. You can take a bus or MRT (alight at Botanic Gardens on the Circle Line) + walking for 10 mins to reach the place. Nothing to deter all food lovers to venture across the country in search for food.

 

I nearly tripped on this long root from a nearby tree that penetrated onto the roads. Be careful when you're walking from the carpark to Hatched.  

As the name suggests, Hatched specialized in eggs and this got me egg-cited. The place was partial filled when we arrived. 

Another branch @ Holland Village :)

 

 Say hi to Chicky! 

    
The whole place was furnished in wood, a striking resemblance to a chicken coop (^^) I adore the idea of tying a bow to each lightbulb, really brighten up the place.
 
Let's order! They specialized in eggs, be it boiled, baked, fried, poached or scrambled.
 
Salt & Pepper shakers in the form of eggs, soooo cute >.<
 
The hubby, looking distracted - must be bio-ing pretty girls, lol! 
 
OK, attention back on me!  

The gigantic drawing board, filled with hand-drawn cartoon characters & not forgetting information on their opening hours + last orders. 

Never too early to drink, with a minosa :) That's what brunch is all about, haha! 

  Cheers!
 
 Boring drink *yawns*

Smoked Royale ($19) for Leecher, which consisted of half an English muffin, topped with smoked salmon, poached egg and Hollandaise sauce, served with homemade mash.You can choose to do just one or two at different prices ($13 for 1, $19 for 2), which works ideal for small eaters for sometimes 2 eggs benedicts at one seating can be abit jalerk.

 

Oozing out, haha! It's always difficult to capture the perfect moment - I'll have to position the camera while Leecher gives the cue and yet, sometimes, it's always a tad too late :( 

I went for Papillote ($16) which was smoked salmon folded over scrambled eggs on toast, topped with sour cream and served with sauteed potatoes. I realised that I tend to order the same items for brunch - smoked salmon is a must for me! 

  More interested in drinking than a shot, no chemistry :(
 
OK, a proper one this time round (^^)
 
Totally random pic of my bag charm, lol!  
 

We wandered around the compound & was surprised to find some other establishments within the area, such as Wine Company & Mr Prata. It seemed a good place to hang out with friends away from the crowd. 

 #ootd :) 

 Hatched @ Evans Lodge

26 Evans Road

Singapore 259367

Tel: 67350012

Opening Hours: 8am to 4pm 

Closed on Tues & Weds