Day 5, 12 February 2014

Well, I would have liked to start off this entry with a memorable wake up call event just like what my predecessors have done, but sadly, the first wake up call that I could recall in my barely conscious state was my watch alarm setting off at 05:30, nothing out of the ordinary. My tent mates and I have been conscientiously waking up by this hour for the past four days. Whoops, sorry tent mates, I might have just spilled the beans on whom have been providing inspiration for the introduction of the past two entries.

The daily morning game was my favorite thus far, Captain's Ball. The game play was fit for a cover story under the sports feature of a newspaper. We all love stories of underdogs overcoming hurdles to achieve victory over a champion team, don't we?

To spice things up, I shall attempt to narrate the game play just like a sports commentator (just my attempt, guys, literally guys, don't fault me if it's a disaster):
"Here we are having played half of the game time with the champion team with the star players determined to hold on to their lead of two versus nil to the underdogs. Wait up! Wait up! The underdogs are shooting! Will it end up in another humorously embarrassing moment having the goalie to run down the slopes chasing after the tennis ball (sorry guys, we are in the outward bound program, adaptability)? No! It's a point!"

I shall spare you with my over-dramatization and barely passable attempt. Basically, the underdogs caught up to two versus two. We were given overtime game play and the underdogs scored a consecutive third point which secured their win. Period. It was a good game, a friendly competition, a brilliant show of sportsmanship.

A stroke of luck, beginners' luck to be exact, enabled us to accomplish a first attempt undeniable victory of a problem solving team activity. We had wooden blocks with slits (which looked like Pac-Man to me by the way) lined up in a circular formation on the ground sheet. Our task was to form up the highest free standing structure using the wooden blocks and a closed hook attached to ropes which were individually operated by every single one of us. If you're visualizing a particular arcade game, that's right, it's the same concept. But hey, aren't we cool having to play the game with much more mechanical principles than the electrically operated arcade version, hmph, which most probably would have been tampered with. As beginners' luck would have it, not to undermine our team's improved cooperation as well, we completed the task in ten minutes. Kudos to the team.

We set off for our longest trek so far, 8 kilometers in fact. Nothing as spectacular as yesterday's camel gender debate or a friendly competition between two particular team mates to be deemed as 'the' most well prepared team member. However, not to disappoint, we had our very first siesta. Thanks instructors, for leaving a 'first' experience for me to write about by insisting that we set up a shelter from the scorching noon sun. Nah, just kidding, we understand that it's part of the cultural and technical skill set that the outward bound instructors would like to impart to us.

Oh wait... I've to include in this detail as we rarely get to see our demure and reserved OB Oman female instructor cracking up some jokes, meme, in this case (for the elders in the team, if you don't understand what a meme is, ask your younger team members or kids). We chanced upon a complete skeleton of a camel just meters before settled in for a siesta. After having an insightful dentistry lesson by our OB Singapore instructor on the anatomy of the teeth of the camel (in case you're wondering, yes, the decomposed camel carcass still has it's complete set of teeth fully intact), our Omani female instructor pointed to a dried piece of camel skin and remarked that "that's what happens if you don't use Vaseline". Any marketing executives out there reading this entry? Makes a good advertising proposition proposal for Vaseline isn't it?

A tennis ball sized, watermelon looking fruit (which looks like a pong-pong fruit to me (don't stare at me blindly, remember your PSLE Science?) intrigued us for the entire afternoon. While we were waiting to set up camp, our Omani female instructor explained to us that it's inedible, just like the pong-pong fruit. Now, you might be thinking why am I randomly talking about plants in the entry. Well, here comes to my main point. We have ascertained our camp location and were beginning to unload. Horror of horrors, guess what's the first item that we spotted on board the trunk of our four wheel drive logistics vehicle. Yes, the spiky, prickly branches of the acacia tree. It was pretty cool seeing my secondary geography textbook come to life. Yes, yes, the needle like leaves for water retention and the spiky branches as a defense mechanism against predators. Well, I wouldn't consider us to be the predator of a dead fallen branch of an acacia tree. Would you? A special note to our Omani male instructor, or rather, a frank opinion, we kind of dread having to unload and load the increasing number of acacia tree branches everyday.

I wish I could elaborate on what's being shared during the memorable evening circle that we had. I applaud the courage of the team mates who unreservedly shared their most difficult moment in their lives with the rest of us. What's being shared within the confidentially zone of the campfire circle stays within it.

It's close to 01:00 now and I'm shivering in my tent accompanied by the cacophony of snores reminding me that it's time for bed. Anyway, I don't function well in the cold. Brain freeze is setting in while I settle into the warmth of my sleeping bag.

- Joyce Lim