SP.Primers - Its The Place To Be!: April 2009

RedEX is short form for Red Expedition. The unique name for this camp was derived in about 10mins of brain storming by the camp committee. The first name for this expedition was Primers Adventure Journey, subsequently changed to Little Red Dot Expedition and finally shorten to its current name. This expedition seeks to train the primers in events management and help each person realized their own potential by pushing their limits.

The expedition is spread over 4 days 3 nights, in which the participants have to plan from scratch their journey from Singapore Polytechnic to the 5 checkpoints (these checkpoints are as far as changi airport and kranji) using only a street directory, limited experience of trekking and no public transport but only their feet. This is compounded by the limitations that they can only have a budget of $7 per head per day, which will take care of all their basic needs, like food, water and medical supplies. Sounds like impossible? Well this is a test of the Primers’ spirit as we moved through what seemed like an insurmountable task!

In the end, the participants all arrived back for a welcome break from walking and partied ourselves at Moberly block with glorious BBQ food (all these with only $7 per head budget per day, 3 meals each day!). It had been a resounding success as the feeling of ecstasy in finishing this expedition overcame all the hardship that was endured previously!

Kenny Foo

I have included some excerpts from the diaries of the expedition members!

“I signed up for this adventure camp eagerly; little did I know the ‘adventure’ was to cover Singapore by foot. A budget of $7 per head per day was a test too. Furthermore, the weather was not helping.

The weather has been a pain in the neck for us, as there were bouts of heavy rain followed by scorching hot sunny weather. After careful planning, we set off towards our destinations carrying heavy backpacks and tents. Each journey between every destination was torturous – both physically and mentally. Lactic acids built up in every possible area – shoulders, back, thighs, calves, ankles etc. Thoughts of giving up happen very, very frequently. But we pushed on.

I was glad I had such motivating and encouraging and fun teammates for without them, this expedition was not possible. Though the journeys to each location were tough, they were worth it. Standing on the peak of Bukit Timah Hill was refreshing; seeing the beauty of Marina Barrage was a feast to the eyes; visiting Henderson Waves was a wish come true; being at Changi Airport was a proud moment of every Singaporean; Kranji War Cemetery was a lesson to all of us of the younger generations.

Each night, we set up tents. It was a first for me. Camping at Pasir Ris Park, away from the hustle and bustle of life, listening to the sounds of night insects and animals, feeling the sea breeze and getting bitten by mosquitoes was definitely out of the norm of our daily lives. Towards the end of the camp, when we reached our school all burned red, drenched with sweat, legs almost breaking from all the walks, the feeling was ecstatic. Again, without the support of my teammates, I wouldn’t have made it. Through this camp I have learnt many life lessons. Mind over matter. Teamwork. Endurance. Planning. Selflessness. And not taking things for granted. Those 4 days 3 nights had been an enriching one for me and I was glad I went for it.”

Owen Ter
Expedition member of RedEX Team A

“Before going for this expedition, I underestimated the requirements of this expedition and I am pretty sure I am not the only person. All of us thought that it would just be a simple 4 days 3 night camp with some adventure. However, we never imagined that it would be so tough that it pushes us to the limits of human endurance!

We were told that there were 5 checkpoints that we needed to visit in this expedition.
Which were Bukit Timah Hill, Henderson Wave, Marina Barrage, Singapore Expo and Kranji War Memorial. So our team took hours to plan for the a suitable route.
By judging on the map, everything look so small and we thought that it would not be that difficult to walk on the journey that we have planned.
But we were wrong.

For our team, we plan a route that start from Bukit Timah Hill, Henderson Wave, Kranji War Memorial, Singapore Expo and Marina Barrage.
Another challenge for our team is to work within a budget of $7 for our 3 meals per day and to travel through these places by foot.
It is really a huge challenge for all of us.

Before we set off, we had our lunch in SP. All of us ate the $2 chicken rice from Chicken Talk. As there were no more alternatives on food choices in the pre-determined budget. We sat right in front of the juice stall too and it was an agony for some of us as we would always buy fruit juice whenever we are in that food court.

After eating, we set off to Bukit Timah Hill. While walking, a sudden outpouring of rain began. So all of us ran to the nearest shelter which is some flower shop in that area. Next we put on our ponchos and it was the first time that I put on my poncho after 10 years. To me, wearing a poncho walking around is something that I will not do because it is simply too embarrassing.
All of us laugh at how stupid each other look like and continued the journey.

The rain would not stop. With the rain, lightning and thunder, we decided against embarking on the climb up the hill on the first day. So we changed our plans on the spot and headed to Henderson Waves. It is the first time that I've been to Henderson Wave. The bridge is really beautiful. It is exhilarating for me personally as there were some monkeys to greet us. I was just about 1 meter away from these cute primates!

After Henderson Wave, we got to get to Boys Brigade HQ which is our sleeping place for the first day. When everyone reached, the first thing that we did was to clean up ourselves because all of us were very dirty and smelly.
After showering we went for dinner and bought our breakfast for the next day.
We decide to combine our money to buy food in bulk as it was more affordable.

Sleeping on the first night was not comfortable with the sound of vehicles.
But I still managed to get a few hours of sleep. Woke up at 5am in the morning with the guys waking us up. The guys even prepared our breakfast for us.
Bread with Peanut butter jam! We ate our breakfast and kept our tents and we set off to our first checkpoint.
This time round, it's us, the girls who are suppose to lead the group.
We had some trouble looking at the map at first. But we got better after awhile.

The journey from Tiong Bahru to Bukit Timah Hill was really a torture. But we finally reached Bukit Timah Hill after a great 5 hours of walking.
The whole hill is 1.2km vertically and we needed to carry our bags all the way up too.
The biggest torture is those stairs to the summit. Every step taken is an agony to our legs.

My body was really so tired that the minute that I reach the summit..
My mind and soul was numb. I can't feel any happiness in me for reaching the top. I was feeling very down and out!

After conquering Bukit Timah Hill. Our next stop is Kranji War Memorial. Which was the longest route throughout our whole camp.
We started walking at around 1pm and we reached Kranji before 5pm.
I've never been to Kranji War Memorial before. Looking at those tombstones with those words under their names it set my mind thinking of how would I want others to remember me. It's the first time that I step in but its was such a beautiful experience for me personally.

With that, we have completed all of the checkpoints and started our journey back to SP. The moment that I stepped in to the sports hall beside Primers room.
I was practically jumping for joy that everything is over.

The first group who have already reached SP before us went to buy some food for that night BBQ. After so much torture we actually got rewarded with a BBQ.
At that monment I felt the whole "Family" feeling while all of us shared what happened in our journey.

After this expedition.
I learnt how I react under stress.
In everyday lives, we tends to give up too easily that we're not even close to pushing our limits. However, in the expedition, we have no choice but to keep moving on and pushing our limits.
And that is when all of our emotions starts to show up.
I'm really glad that our team did not start showing their temper out or even start quarrelling. I used to watch Amazing Race and how the team would quarrel over some stuffs.
Right now I'm able to somehow know how the contestants really feels and I am proud to say I have completed the RedEX!

Wong Jingyi. =)
Expedition member of RedEX Team B

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