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​On our last day of OBBD in week 4, Miss Susie announced that she had cancelled our Monday morning training, which we were so grateful for as we knew we would come home drained of energy. Hence, Monday morning, we got to have a few extra hours of sleep to have our bodies up and ready for a new week. However, that same day, we were informed that we will start daily swimming sessions, mainly to help Alya, one of the scholars. Despite knowing how much more packed our days would be, we were quite excited for this as we knew from experience how soothing the water can be on our sore muscles. Before anything, we presented our reflection presentations for week 4 at SHHBIDSS.

We proceed with a visit to Directorate of Defence Policy (DDP), where we were presented a talk by the Acting Director of Defence Policy, Tuan Jolkipli, along with Puan Marina and Puan Siti Salmiah. The directorate struck us from the very start as Tuan Jolkipli started off the presentation by relating to how us scholars are contributing to defence diplomacy. We also got to brush up on our world issues knowledge, such as cyber security, ASEAN and defence diplomacy, topics which we have studied in preparation for our Final Interview Board during the selection. The team then brought us around their office, whose employees were so welcoming.

In the afternoon, we headed off to Maktab Duli for another roadshow. It felt so good to be back doing roadshows and interacting with many students who actually look up to us. Maktab Duli also happens to be where Syasya studied for her A-levels, so she brought us around for a bit before the roadshow. This time, we switched roles; Raziq and Syasya on flyers, Alya on banner, Richmon and I on IT.

We went to Jollibee, Airport right after and ate our hearts out as we have been craving it since OBBD. We had to sing the 'Jollibee anthem' to be brought there. The reason we chose Jollibee was because we kept remembering about their fried chicken during our activities in Temburong. Yay!

On Tuesday, we started our day off with a 5km endurance run, led by one of our Physical Training Instructors, Staff Rahman. We did not think we would complete it at first as we have just ran 7km two days before. We persisted nevertheless and did better than we thought. Syasya and I ran the whole distance together and before we realized, we were on our last lap. Going together made it so much more bearable.

Once we cleaned and freshened up, we proceeded to the Directorate of Development and Work Services (DDWS), which was introduced to us by Puan Iffah who we have already met before during our Time Management and Personal Effectiveness course. We learnt that the DDWS consists of individuals from different professions, such as architects, quantity surveyors and engineers. They manage and implement the National Development Plan through the development of high quality infrastructure and optimal maintenance of MinDef estates. During the tour, we got to meet Tuan Pg Jeffrey, who was one of the only two architects there. He showed us some of his work and talked about the beauty of architecture, including how every architect has a signature or trademark in their designs. Moreover, one previous MinDef scholar, Puan Siang Wen, was called into the meeting room to explain about how mouldy buildings would affect our health. She emphasizes on the importance of a safe and healthy work or living environment, especially since we would be in-charge of our own accommodation in the future.

Right after, we went to the Centre of Science, Technology, Research and Development (CSTRAD), which was formed 10 years ago, according to Tuan Kelvin. They leverage on science and technology to modernize the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and aim to become smart buyers and users of technology. For all the visits, we were introduced to scholars presently working in the directorate. CSTRAD had the most scholars, there were more than ten of them, instantly occupying the whole conference table. We exchanged Freshman Induction Programme experiences and they offered travel advice. They gave useful tips such as encouraging us to save up money for travelling and knowing how to balance time during university life.

My personal highlight of this day was the roadshow we later on conducted at Maktab Sains. For 4/5 of us scholars, Maktab Sains was where we spent the last 6 years of our lives, it played a big role on nurturing us into the individuals we are now. The students, who were our juniors, were extremely enthusiastic for the scholarship, it was clear that they had set aspirations for their futures. At the end of the roadshow, Ms Susie was nice enough to let Raziq and I meet up with our former teachers. We went up to their staffrooms where they welcomed us with open arms. They even got quite emotional realizing how much we have grown up since the very first day we entered their classes. We even got souvenir pens!!

Day 3 kicked off with a speed interval training conducted by Staff Faddhullah. It consisted of 200m sprints followed by a walk of the same distance back to the starting line. This was tough but felt very cathartic to release the built up tension from the week as we ran through the atmosphere.

We went to the Directorate of Intelligence to meet Lt. Kol. Hj Fadzli, Maj (U) Hj Ilhamdi and Maj (U) Pg Izzul. They were very informative and gave us interesting knowledge on their roles and responsibilities, which we were initially so curious about as normally, when we hear the word 'intelligence' we would think James Bond. They specified that their main purpose is to collect valuable data, as well as strategic threat assessments. What most fascinated me was the Jungle Warfare Symposium, which is essentially an engagement between countries centralized on jungle warfare. All the officers were very kind, attending to our curiosity and movie scene references.

Next we visited the Directorate of Personnel (PERS). Puan Nurulain and Puan Adriana were very welcoming and helpful with life advices, especially with tips for managing the military lifestyle. We talked about family and career and she told us an inspiring story of her journey to where she currently is in life, how she started from the very bottom and worked her way up. We felt extremely lucky to have earned a spot in the military through the scholarship, and are motivated to work our best to ensure we deserve the given spot.

Before our last stop at Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ), we went to the Directorate of Logistics (LOG) and was welcomed by Maj Fadhil who works under maintenance. He brought us around the different departments involved in logistics; logistics, maintenance, movement and transport, housing and procurement. At movement and transport, we got to deliver our gratitude to Lt. Kol Hj Ishak, who has been responsible and generous with providing us our transport van.

Finally, a visit to JFHQ at the tower block closes off our second day of visit. Tuan Adib attended us at their lecture hall, where he gave us an entrancing introduction to JFHQ. We found out that the unit conducts joint operations and training exercises, involving all three arms of services; Army, Navy, Airforce.

Additionally, we were privileged with a tour to their operations room, which happened to be underground and restricted to public access. Needless to say we had to leave our phones behind. The room looked exactly like the NASA Apollo Mission Control Centre and those spy operations rooms we see in movies. It would be an understatement to say that we were fascinated by the headquarter. Our eyes glimmered at the different pieces of technology they possessed, mostly in the form of telecommunication devices such as the Motorola, field telephones and there was even this one telephone that connects directly to the Air Traffic Control Centre. Consequently, we toured around the floor; the different component rooms all the way to the conference rooms where the conferences are attended by only the highest-ups. We felt very special to have been able to even step on the grounds of these offices.

Later on that night, we had a karate session with Shihan Sofian at the Shotokan Karate dojo. Unfortunately, I was struck with a fever so I stayed in for the night. For the session, they performed drills to further familiarise themselves with the different karate moves, such as repetitions of Gedan Barai and Soto Uke.

For day 4, we were supposed to have our Individual Fitness Assessments (IFA). We all got dressed and by 5:30am, were ready to go. However, when we reached the track where we assemble daily, we noticed that the Officer Cadet School (OCS) applicants were also about to have their IFA. Hence, the PTI's were a lot busier. Instead of completely terminating the session and returning to SHHBIDSS, we spent the time watching the selection, witnessing glorious speed, the expression of thrill on some individuals, and disappointment on some others. These men spent months preparing for this big day, all in hopes of earning the chance to have a career in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, the chance to have a stable and prosperous future.

We walked back to SHHBIDSS after to get back in our work attire and have breakfast. At exactly 8:20am, we made a move to the Directorate of Finance and Acquisition where we attended a presentation by Puan Nuurulhimah (Acting Assistant Director), Puan Suriyati (Head of Administration), Puan Hjh Jusnani and Puan Aisyah (Finance Officers). They were some of the sweetest ladies we have ever met, their smiles never left their faces through the whole presentation. They guided us through the different types of acquisition and even walked us through the stages of the government procurement process.

During the tour, we even had the chance to ask the highest amount spent on acquisition. We also met the person in charge of handling the acquisition of our Macbook Pro that was given during the signing and award ceremony.

Before heading off to the tower block for our visit to the Office of Strategic Management (OSM), we stopped by Coffee Bean to get our doses of Ice Blended drinks, once again sponsored by Miss Susie (big yay!). At the OSM, we once again recapped on the Defence White Paper and were introduced to another publishing, the Defence Strategic Plan which we did not initially know of, as it is a closed document. Tuan Khairul raised awareness on the significance of civilians and strategic management are in the accomplishment of Wawasan 2035, as most people have a presumption that only the military are involved when in reality, it is a collaboration.

Finally, we got to visit the Judge Advocate General's office (JAG). I was most looking forward to this as I will be working there in the future, once I obtain my law degree. We were attended by Col. Norsuriati, the head of JAG. She was tremendously warm and introduced us the officers working under JAG, name by name, complete with their backgrounds and positions. Puan Nurbazilah was one of them and she assisted Col. Norsuriati with the presentation. It was a brief talk but packed with helpful advice in the aspects of life and opportunities. We then proceeded with a tour around JAG, even into the courtroom holding cells. We aligned ourselves and took pictures along the judicial panel. None of us have been in a courtroom before so this was an exciting experience.

Last but not least, we paid a visit to Defence Information and Technology Unit (DITU). This was another interesting unit as they also had an operation room with restricted access as well. Unfortunately we did not get to enter this one but we did get to view it from the top deck. We also got to meet the programmers at the Control and Programming unit, the people who are responsible for the MinDef website and design. We were shown the IT network connectivity pathway, which goes through a Fibre Optic Route and connects all 13 RBAF camps. There was the helpdesk that would be open to calls for 24 hours. Tuan Pg Kamarul also adviced us that although we specialize in our respective courses, we should not be ignorant with trying to learn computering skills. He even encouraged us to intern there after this Freshmen Induction Programme. In one of the offices, we came across a typewriter which caught our attention. We had never used one before so Miss Susie taught us how to use it. After office hours, we went to Medical Reception Station (MRS) to receive few medications on rash allergy.

The next day's training was understandably cancelled as the PTI's were still occupied. Hence, at 8am we were driven to SHHBIDSS for our weekly reflection. As usual, at the end of our presentations, we were inquired about the activities we have mentioned and then given feedback on our presentations. For the boys, they then had to get their haircuts at the in-house Kowira salon, in preparation for the Military Orientation (MO). Us girls picked them up right after. They all entered the van with a clean cut and shave.

In the afternoon after Friday prayers, we collectively worked on our reports and articles in the living area of the apartment whilst Miss Susie and her team did their work in the next door apartment. We limited our time to finish at 4:30pm so that we could go shopping for MO after, as we were already given our items checklist. Unfortunately we exceeded the time limit as we had quite the workload to complete, so Miss Susie extended it to 7pm. We departed our apartments in the evening to firstly go to the nearby supermarket, where we bought buckets and other necessities. The shopping trip continued throughout the night until we were able to gather everything we needed. We finished it off with a trip to McDonalds, where we indulged in some tasty fast food as we knew we would not be able to have it again anytime soon.

Day 6 of this week involved another life skills training session with Miss Susie at Agribiz Shared Kitchen, Pusat Belia. We learnt to make Cheesekut, Donuts, Apam Balik, Crispy Potatoes, Spaghetti Bolognaise and Pizzas of different delicious toppings. We started off with Cheesekut, which is a luscious dessert involving soft cream cheese mixture between layers of biscuit. We were each provided individual containers and got to choose our choice of biscuit; Jacobs crackers, Marie biscuits or some oatmeal biscuits. The kitchen was filled with fun and laughter, we all had loads of fun. Just like the Cheesekut, we got to personalise the other food toppings as well. We proceeded with the other recipes whilst waiting for the Cheesekut to chill in the refrigerator. What I did was primarily place cheese in everything I could place cheese on. I made triple cheese pizza, cheese Apam Balik and super cheesy spaghetti bolognaise. I cannot express in words how delicious these were. I can definitely see myself remaking these at home and abroad.

Afterwards, we went to a very unexpected location: Raziq's house! Raziq went to get a parang for MO. His family was very kind to provide us with meals and a good hospitality. His father even told us a few of his experience from being in the Military. He warned us to get ready to carry a backpack that weigh a minimum of 20 kilograms.

Sadly, that same day, a press conference was released announcing community cases of Covid-19. Without a doubt, MO was cancelled. We were frustrated as we have prepared all the items and were beyond excited for a new challenge. Miss Susie understood this so she gave us a rest day where we just stayed in and relaxed for the day.

Thankfully, we had scrumptious food to accompany our feelings. In fact, the food Miss Susie taught us to make were so good that we went out that night to purchase an air fryer so we could reheat them to eat the next coming days, as long as they lasted. Then we returned back to our apartment where everyone gathered to give our new toy a go and exchange jokes and giggles. These are one of my favourite moments, laughing with friends and realizing halfway how much you enjoy their company. One day we will be reminded of how close we were and that at one point, family referred to 2021 MinDef scholars.

Key takeaways from week 5

Week 5 was much less action-packed compared to the other weeks, multiple training sessions were cancelled and we did a lot of visits and tours within the ministry. What we did not realize was that a slower, more calming week was exactly what we needed, after spending days in the wilderness.

The visits to DDP and OSM made us realize how important keeping updated with current world news is, especially considering that we will be military personnel in the future. It is crucial for us to be knowledgeable on our country's defence statuses to ensure we are able to contribute.

Meeting my old teachers at Maktab Sains during our final roadshow allowed me to thank them for all the time and effort they have spent on me. Moreover meeting officers who were responsible for our transportation and accommodation, for instance Tuan Ishak at Directorate of Logistics or Puan Nuurulhimah at Directorate of Finance and Acquisition and given the opportunity to convey our thanks to them gave us a sense of appreciation and reminded us that no matter what we do or where we go, to never forget of the people who have brought us there. Later in the future, we will most definitely remember the officers and staff who have warmly welcomed us to their offices the past few days, including Miss Susie and her team over at the Scholarship Section.

Furthermore witnessing the OCS selection gave us a sense of appreciation for our privileges as scholars in the military track. Knowing that we are guaranteed spots in the military and there are hundreds of people competing for said spots simply shows how prestigious the scholarship is.

Last but most importantly, this week has been about independence, cheese and pizza. Kidding, it has been about independence. The absence of our PTI's put us responsible of our own fitness as we will be when we are abroad. It is our responsibility to graduate university with exceptional fitness levels to enter Officer Cadet School. Not only that, independence also includes money management. As we now receive monthly allowances, Miss Susie restricted us from calling our families to send food, clothing or equipment over to our apartment so we were instructed to use our own money to pay for our own shopping. This made us highly conscious of our spending as we found ourselves for the first time ever looking at price tags and thinking twice before we purchase something. It is beneficial that we have this lesson early rather than overspending later on in university where we are all alone with unlimited access to shopping malls.

Dk Fathiyah Amanina @ Dk Hanan Syafiqah binti Pg Roslan
SCRBAF 2021 Recipient

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