It was an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.
I have seen many video and cameramen, mostly at weddings, and they looked like they enjoyed their job alot. I always pictured myself in their shoes, and I finally had the chance to experience it. We were all involved in a project where we had to go to Fort Siloso and film there. Let me just tell you I wasn't really looking foward to it because many of the trips I had went to in the past were, I wouldn't say boring, but just not to expectations. Either that, or mother nature wouldn't be on our side that day. However, upon arrival, my feelings took a huge turn for the better.
I was rather reluctant on going as it was already a long day of school and I was exhausted, but I tried my best to still look foward to it. Soon, the bus arrived and all of us waited impatiently for fun and adventure. Then, we arrived. I think I was the most surprised and amazed at the sights and scenery when we arrived in Fort Siloso because I had never been there before. I had been to Sentosa but never ventured into Fort Siloso, so my mind was buzzing with questions and my heart was beating excitedly.
We were all set. We had our camcorders, cameras, scripts and storyboards all prepared and we were raring to go. We went along with another class and the tour guides led the way. Even before we actually entered Fort Siloso, there were already many interesting animals. There were elegant birds roaming around freely. There were even monkeys! I was enthralled by it all.
Finally, I took my first step into Fort Siloso, and our tour guide began giving us a talk. Her talks were rather short so it was easier to pay attention and not get tired or distracted easily. I saw many prodigious things, espicially the canons. They were, in my opinion, one of the best things I saw during the trip. The tour went on and on, and I was captivated throughout. Fortunately the weather was also on our side so everything went smoother than expected. Even the interview went well. We had to actually persuade the tour guide to do the interview with us, and thankfully she agreed. I was the interviewer, so I was rather nervous and had butterflies in my stomach. Still, it was really fun. The first "take" was hilarious! The tour guide suddenly burst into laughter and all of us followed suit. The second take was much better and everything was done, in just two "takes". But besides the working, there was something that I could not refuse not to experience, walking through the dark tunnel. I went in with my friends. The entire tunnel was Pitch Dark. You would not even be able to see your fingers even if you tried hard to. There was eerie music as well as some pictures of people living in the past. I was petrified, to be honest, but when you are with friends your fear reduces alot.
But of course, there were difficulties.
Other than all the fun things and exciting discoveries, I had to go through a handful of problems. The one I can clearly remember the most was time. Time and tide wait for no man, and it was definetely not waiting for me. Time was like a bullet train zooming past you without you having the slightest idea of what was going on. The other trouble was picking the right spot for the interviewing to take place. Fortunately, we settled down at a quiet spot for our interview and everyone was very co-orperative. It was already getting late and I was getting exhausted but it is not everyday that you get to go to Fort Siloso, and since this was my first trip, I just simply couldn't leave without visiting the souvenier shop. I went in and bought a bag of potato chips, the only thing I couldn't keep forever, as well as five toy soilders for my dad [he likes toy soilders] and lastly I was lucky enough to get a nice dogtag, and I got one more, for free! I was so excited I was at a lost for words when the cashier told me to pick another one for free!
All good things must come to an end. The bus arrived and we were all ready to go home tired but happy. Everyone was busy talking about the trip, but I just sat on the bus, looking out the window and reflecting on what an amazing trip it had been. Given the chance, I would, without any hesistation, love to go back there and do some filming again. It is very rare that I enjoy such adventures, but this was a very huge exception! Joey Teo 2C