Pow-Wow Flashback...(Part 2) By: The Boss No comments

Woww…seems like Day 1 lasted for ages! Hehe…no worries, I’m finally back for my second edition of ‘Down Memory Lane – Pow Wow Day 2’…yes yes, I know it’s a bit overdue, but hey…its always nice to sit back, relax and rekindle all those beautiful and heart-warming moments...Enjoy, folks!

Day 2 started of superbly…the air was as fresh as ever, the sound of the jungle was mesmerizing…the mist that hovered across the campsite was itself quite mystical. However, the silence of the night didn’t last too long though! Most of the leaders got into bed at around 2.30am after having a pig of a feast (or rather feasting like pigs!). With our bellies full, the cold cozy bed, the cool ‘winter-like’ atmosphere, sleep was the best thing that could ever happen to us. Being normal human beings, one was expected to wake up ONLY at around 6.00am ++….but after the camp, we the leaders are pretty sure that some of our rangers, if not most of them, are creatures from another planet! Can you believe this? It was reported that at around 4am, there were sounds of footsteps and voices all over the campsite…little creatures running around in their RR UNIFORM!!?? Man…I’m telling you…some rangers just don’t sleep eh? I got up at around 6.30am, decided to take a walk to the ranger’s campsite to wake them up…but to my surprise and horror, everyone was already up, in their uniform, and making lots of strange and funny noise! Guess they’re just hungry and having a countdown till breakfast time…Hats off to their enthusiasm!

After refueling and stuffing ourselves over breakfast, everyone headed down to the parade ground for morning parade. Eating seems to be the order for the day, eh? Didn’t I just mentioned something about eating not too long ago?? Nvm…back to the story. Parade was classy…everyone was suited up in their RR uniform, looking all prim, proper and full of gaya…times like these are a showcase of the achievements and merits of a ranger, and everyone took full opportunity of it! After the opening ceremony, every team dished out their favourite pow-wow yell and song. There was no holding back! Its like ‘No holds barred’…everyone yelled and screamed their lungs and liver out! Some leaders even looked like they were going to pop an artery, with their faces all red and pouty!

Morning parade in all its glory. Everyone looking spanking good in their uniforms! :D

Even though Brazil lost their crown, they still managed to convince us that they’re still up there with the best, as stated in their song and yell. “Champs of the world!” they shouted.

Holland were going all crazy and orange with their “When I say Holland, you say Champions” thingie…etc etc.

Italy were doing the boogey boogey, spinnaroody, hips twisting “Italyyyyyyyyy Spaghettiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii….” Looked pretty cute with their morning hip exercise and all!


And lastly, the Three Lions aka England Hooligans were going all rowdy and out of control with their drinking and chanting. “We Love You England, We Do!” was their chant of the day…all in all, it was awesome! Everyone did superbly great…more to come!


Due to the highlights being cancelled the previous day, we decided to have 2 sessions of Pow-Wow highlights. From the moment the event started, every ranger dashed to the stations of their choice and had a blast of a time! It was fun seeing the Discovery rangers go thru the obstacle course…looked easy, but once you get to the size of an adult, it’s a whole new challenge squeezing thru some of the obstacles! Flying fox was its usual heart-pumping, adrenaline-rushing…oh, they even had to cross over a freaky suspension bridge before they got to the launch area. Everyone had a nice time screaming their lungs away while taking the flight. This is one of the main reason why most girls ended sounding like men (ask Amy)…and why most guys talked like Darth Vader! “Luke, I am your father!” :)

Rock-climbing was simply awesome! All our die-hard girls and macho-man guys decided to give it a try. I’m telling you…boasting rights was at stake! And just for the record, the rangers of Selangor #6, guys, girls and leaders, climbed higher and in greater numbers than any other outpost present in the camp! Cmdr. Laura reached the highest point for the girls, and some of our guys made it all the way up to top and over it. The Freakos came close…so near yet so far! Haha…And yes, also for the record, all the E-ranger commanders made it all the way to the top….:) And that’s why we’re your commanders! Can I hear an Amen? Man…I’m telling you…after having hundreds of rangers go thru the rock climbing, the safety harnest and helmet had a funny smell to it…thank God its lunch time!

Cmdr. Laura setting the barrier for the girls!

That's our Amy Tan...always looking good hanging from trees and walls!

Cmdr. Laura assisting Cmdr. Kyleen in removing her harness (TEAMWORK, yo!)

Grace Ng showing off her 'monyet' skills ;)

Cheryl enjoying her free-fall in style (wait till you see Cmdr. Kenny's pose)

Loo Sin giving all her muscles some good workout :D

Cmdr. Reuben : And this is why I am YOUR cmdr!

Haha! Cmdr Kenny free-falling in 'Superman' style!

After lunch, the highlights continued for the rest of the afternoon. This time I decided to give it a try at the rakit building station. The weather threatened to pour again. It was a rush against time. From the moment we got there, the race was on. 4 teams, 8 members each. Each with a mission to build their own floating raft. Suddenly, the ‘Master & Commando’ instincts kicked in. It was awesome seeing our Sel#6 rangers leading every group…teaching their team members how to tie the bamboo together, lashing, teamwork….you guys and gals are awesome! Hats off to Cmdr Suresh, Loo Sin, Amy, Huei Lin, Phaik Joo, Kyleen, Sheila, Laura, Alison, Cheryl, Benjamin and the rest for setting the ships assail. My apologies if I left your name out…memory fading…:) Once we got the ships (rafts) into the water, it was pretty much a scene from Titanic. There was chaos, panic, unrest, screaming…water got in, ppl were going down, but in the end, we got things right. The only prob was that we were just too heavy! Told you girls not to eat too much during lunch! Everyone had a fun, wet time paddling and swimming in the rain…oh did I tell you about the rain? It only made things more fun! Haha…

The rakit building participants listening to a short briefing by the guide.

Cmdr. Suresh showing the girls how to tie their bamboos together

Cmdr. Laura : And this is how you lash them together! Neat and clean leh... ;)

The rangers having a great time trying to keep afloat in the water!

Half of the Freakos? I only recognise Grace, Cheryl, Loo Sin and Evon! :D

These kids didn't want to get out of the water!! Shows how much funnn it was, despite the rain!

At the end of the day, the rain stopped. The sun came out to play…and even the rainbow decided to drop by. Everyone was soaked, wet, freezing…but glad. After a quick shower in the freezzzzzing mountain water, everyone was glad to be eating again. Then it was time for the night rallies…even as the rangers gathered together before the rally to pray, God’s presence just began to fill the place. There’s just something special about camps. From the moment we began worshipping God, I felt this great rush and outpouring of His Spirit in that place. Everyone, from the young to the old…as they began to lift their hands and voices, it was simply awesome! From that moment, I knew in my heart that this was going to be an awesome camp because God was in da house! Praising Him was awesome…I honestly think Dusun Eco might need to reconsider using cement for the floor, instead of wood! I thank God for the opportunity that He has given to our youths and rangers to minister and bless the rest of the campers. Friends, this is truly our time! And may our prayer be that God will continue to stretch us, expand our borders and lengthen our reach, so that we may do more and more for Him!

The speaker of the night was our very own Cmdr. Gideon. Man…he was smooth as always! He started off with some really funny videos…his trademark…which had nothing to do with the sermon. Just for laughs…but a great way to break the ice. But this time he surprised us all…did you all realize that he never mentioned anything about his hair, his looks, or his hairspray bottles??? Wowww!!! Hahaa…Friends, do you know what’s the difference between an ordinary speaker and an annointed one? All you had to do was to listen to the man…when he speaks, people listen. When he speaks, lives are changed. People gave their lives to God. Hearts were re-ignited and turned back to God that night, my friends. One simple truth…the works of Christ on the cross was Once and For All!

When he speaks...

...People listen

Even as the night drew to a close, everyone was re-charged and glad to be a part of God’s move. Lights out were supposed to be at 12am…but knowing you guys and gals, the night was well extended into the wee hours of the morn. Guess what? We decided to go Italian for the night…pasta and spaghetti were the main course for supper! Its been a while we had pork…so we decided to pop open a can or two of luncheon meat as fillings for the pasta sauce! Someone even brought a packet of BKT! Whoaaaaa…this is definitely the next level of camping! But I’m telling you friends…this is probably the best part of the camp. Sitting beside a campfire under the stars at night, cooking your meals over the fire, having a great time of fellowship and simply chilling out with the ones that mean the most to you…that’s the joy of Royal Rangers! The food fair closed shop at around 2.30am, again…

What's camp without our own cookaramas at night?? Cooking under the stars, enjoying each others' company...Simply beautiful :)

I guess that’s a wrap for Day 2. Stay tuned to part 3, coming up sometime soon…now its time for me to head back to work! Hope you enjoyed the story and pics…

God bless! :))

No quote of the day cause no one said anything dumb or asked any stupid questions…! :)