ON THE UP

Getting settled into a new role on board a warship, training to be an aircraft controller, going overseas on exercises, moving house and getting married (sorry, guys) - all in a year.

No wonder the question of what she likes to do on weekends draws a blank expression. "Last year was quite a big change for me so I haven't had time for much else," said the fresh-faced 25-year-old who tied the knot last September.

Trained as a Naval officer, she has a master's degree in War and Psychiatry. As the Assistant Operations Officer on board frigate RSS Intrepid, part of her job is to act as the bridge between the warship and the Sikorsky S-70B naval helicopters.

"When the pilots are 40 to 50 miles away from the ship, we need to tell them what to do and then they will relay the information which the ship needs," explained CPT Sim.

She has managed to bring her other love - playing the guzheng - into her job in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). At last year's Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, she played the classical Chinese stringed zither during a reception on board the frigate. RIMPAC 2014 involved 22 countries and about 25,000 personnel.

Going back to the question about her weekends, CPT Sim quipped: "Maybe if you ask me one year later, when I'm more settled, I'll have an answer!"