Fireman Ash

Md. Ashmawi Md. Jailani has an insatiable appetite for chocolate and has admitted to being ‘one of the driving forces’ contributing to the impending global chocolate shortage. The word he finds most annoying is ‘exams’ and gaming is his guilty pleasure. Unsurprisingly, academically, Ash is interested in digital animation and gaming and is aiming to specialise in Interactive Media. He is in the second year of his Computer Science programme.

Describe your SoC experience.

[I enjoy] the SOC community and its people have always been warm and friendly, making SOC like a home for all of us. [The thing I find most challenging is] coding. It’s really difficult to think of the algorithms and implement them, but incredibly satisfying once you get the desired result. [The craziest thing that has happened to me here is] getting sabotaged to participate in a blindfold dance competition onstage during Computing Bash, and my blindfold was a ski mask. It was like a robber was dancing onstage hahaha XD. [If there was one thing I could change about NUS, it would be to] add Foosball as an IFG Sport :D 

Right now, [I have been] playing soccer more, and also studying hard to pull my grades up hahaha. I’ve really liked playing soccer for quite some time and would really like to improve myself in the game. Other than academics and soccer, I’ve joined some of the cells in Computing Club.

What do you count as your most significant achievement to date?

Participating in SOC Rag 2014! I was tasked as an Engineer for the float, and with the help of seniors and friends we came up with a truly impressive float. The dance was enjoyable and fun as well, and we learnt a lot of new dance styles! Also, special mention goes to the recent Funball competition during IFG where SoC managed to win first place XD! 

I applied for vacation stay during summer break, so as to be able to go to rag site (most of the float building took place at the Central Forum) every day and also participate in other events such as camps and Orbital during the summer break (late May – August 2014). It was worth it. A lot of friends were involved – seniors, freshmen and even graduate students! SOC is awesome in that sense; we’re like a big family who look out for one another and always help each other out.

  

I hear that you were a former fire fighter in SCDF. Tell me more about that.

SCDF training was long and arduous, as all trainings for NSFs are, but it was a truly great experience as I learnt a lot of new and useful skills. We had one day attachments at fire stations, and during the attachment I was able to go for 2 cases, but both cases were not too serious or had already been dealt with by the time we reached the incident site. It was still fun however, to have been able to ride in the fire engine and have the initial adrenaline rush of going to an actual emergency situation.

Firefighting is not easy, and really takes up a lot of effort and energy. Fire stations are not as ‘lepak’ as people would think, especially with the 24 hour work, 48 hour off shifts. During the 24 hour work, firefighters would have to be alert and awake throughout the whole period of time, as they must set off and reach the emergency site within a specific period of time. Also they could be activated at any time, regardless of activities they were doing, such as drills. The firefighting suit, while it protects the wearer from the fires and heat to a certain extent, it also traps heat inside itself. Heat exhaustion is a very real and serious problem and the firefighters train hard to endure this heat and also the weight of the equipment they’re carrying and wearing, to ensure that during an emergency they’re well prepared to face long hours of work.

Firefighters, especially the ones I’ve met and known, are dedicated to their work and take pride in it. Salute to all the firefighters and members of Home Team out there, for enduring tough training and situations to keep Singapore and all of us safe J

What is something most people would be surprised to learn about you?

I can’t really take spicy food – just not too fond of it. And I’m a shy guy, hahaha.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not studying?

[Playing] video games, be it on laptop or console, as long as it’s a fun game that I can play solo or multiplayer. Multiplayer would be more fun with friends of course, like L4D2 or Battlefield.

Quick-Fire: Worst fear?

Being alone and forgotten.

Worst experience with public transportation?

I missed 3 shuttle buses and realised that walking is far more reliable than waiting for the buses.

Singapore’s best kept secret?

LeSteak at Jalan Kayu, one of the best halal restaurants specialising in steak :P

Tell us who we should we talk to next. Email tien@nus.edu.sg