The road less travelled...I guess...

After returning from the 10 days training at Brunei, I was seriously dead beat! Looking back at the things I did, I could hardly believe I overcame the training. The climb up Mount Biang was the ultimate killer experience. One would be faced with a slope almost close to 85 degrees to the horizon, climbing up such 'common' slopes required one to be on all fours, any slip proved to be injury-causing if not fatal. To top it all up, the route up and down the mountain was not as direct as it seems. It was full of ups and downs for the ascension and descension, causing you to wonder whether or not have you progressed up the darn mountain.

However, inspite of all this, everyone looks forward to 5pm because it is then when we settle down at a suitable harbour site to rest. Hammocks sprout up like mushrooms after a rain, and bonfires were a frequent sight. For me, I derive great joy in cooking Maggi Mee when I harbour. The feeling of surpling down warm noodles and sipping hot soup was the ultimate killer concept. Temperatures at night and in the early morning was cool. It was like being in an air-conditioned room, just that the air-conditioner was too cooling that most of us shivered loads.

A lesson that I have learnt from this trip was that water is seriously precious. We had to collect river/stream water because 3days 2 nights of walking and climbing took a toil on our personal water supply of average 4litres. The water collected was cooling to the max! Just seconds after filling your bottle, you could see water droplets forming on the surface of it. Of course, Puritabs were added to the water to kill off any bacteria present, making the water potable. It was truly a cool experience...literally.

Now, back in Singapore at Sungei Gedong Camp, I am undergoing an extremely packed and vigorous training programme. Being selected to be a tank officer-to-be, I am excited yet apprehensive toward the training that is about to occur. I will learn how to drive a tank and how to operate the main gun of the tank in the coming week. Sounds like fun! I hope I will be able to survive another week in the School of Armour. God will pull me through. I believe!