SCS, here I come.

Okay, so for those who don't know yet...
I've been posted to the Specialist Cadet School (SCS), for further training to be a specialist.
What this means is that I will go through the Basic Section Leader Course (BSLC), that will gve me the skills needed to lead men. Which in other words mean that I will become a 3SG, after I successfully complete the course.

I am surprised that I am being posted there, due to the fact that I only have a GCE 'O' Level certificate, which by right means that I am not elegible to be selected for command school at all. The fact that I'm chosen speaks more about myself, than what I actually realize. Maybe they see something in me that I've not seen. Or maybe they just made a mistake. In anycase it is quite an honour, and I will do my best. I've decided that I will not be disappointed or dread the fact that I will have to go for field camp and route marches. No, I've decided to just take it as it comes and hopefully, people will feel proud of me. And that I can feel proud of myself.

So SCS, here I come.

Sometimes I wonder if I've died... Maybe this is the afterlife. Which then begs the question, how did I die? Do I reenact the way I die here? Maybe then I bled to death, or jumped off the top of a building in a surreal state of mind, brought on by copious amounts of alcohol.

Glueklich Geubrstag!

Happy Birthday boy!
You're now 19 years old.
How're you gonna celebrate?

Well, I was hoping to have dinner with friends, but since they're busy...

It's okay, we'll celebrate with you.

POP

A proud moment of my life.
4 months of gruelling training and conditioning that culminates at the Marina Floating Platform.
The signalling of the end of one journey, and the beginning of another.
Every recruit goes through this moment, and rejoices.
Passing Out Parade.

It all begins with the entry into BMT, during which time a recruit is put through his paces.
He trains with his comrades, learning skills that will give him the basics of military life.
He learns to shoot, cope with mental and physical stresses, lead men.
After which he is sent on the final leg of his journey that begins with a 24km march.

But here is the story of the 24km march, and my POP.

It starts with us setting off from the start point, at Changi Beach Park, at 6:30pm.
The first 4km was not a problem. The sun was setting and the sea breeze was blowing. Morale was high and we were singing songs about our sergeants, chatting and joking about.
But after that, things got bad...

At the 8km mark, my feet were raw from walking. Each step I took hurt. And to add to that, my left knee started giving me problems as well... It was sheer agony to walk. My breathing was laboured, and sweat fell down my brow in huge droplets. I was screming every few steps I took, just to distract myself from the pain. It was worse when I had to pretend that everything was alright in front of my officers, lest they pull me out from the march and prevent me from taking part in the parade.

There were only a few things on my mind through out the arduous march. The unbearable pain, my family and Yoshi. The pain was hard to ignore, prompting me to fall out all the time. But thinking of my family, of Yoshi, kept me going. I was not doing this march for myself. I was doing it for them. I was not serving NS for myself, I was doing it for them. To do them proud, to let them be proud of me, that's what went through my mind and kept me going.

I pushed on despite the pain, and eventually, I was rewarded.
We arrived at the endpoint, at the F1 Paddock at 3.00am, after marching 9 hours through East Coast Park.
I threw off my field pack, my helmet and combat vest. Collapsed on the ground and wept.
I made it. I survived the march and pushed myself beyond my limits. A huge sense of pride surged through me, along with relief and ecstacy. I did it!

After a precious few hours of sleep, we made our way to the Floating Platform, and the end was about to begin. The Parade started promptly at 8.00am, and we, the men of Scorpion Company, marched proudly out on to the parade ground led by our Officer Commanding and Company Sergeant Major.
As we marched out the city skyline came into view. And suddenly I knew why I was servng NS. I new why I had to. I had always known, but now it struck me deeper. The parade was over in less than an hour, and at the end we tossed our jockey caps into the sky. We were officialy trained soldiers.

Ecstatic, and tired. That's what most of us were. We went through 4 months of tough training. It didn't go to waste. To be on the parade ground that day made the 4 months of hell all worthwhile.

Passing Out Parade at Marina Floating Platform.

Marina Bay Sands and the ArtScience Museum in the backdrop.

Me and a few platoon mates, along with my OC.

The men of Scorpion Company, Platoon 2, Section 1.

(Photo taken during our field camp)

Just as one degree can unmake a man,
So too can one degree make a man.
But in my case, I'm being undone.
And where is the hero who would save me?
He's so near. Yet so far.

I've been subjected to insult and teasing from the world outside, and here within camp, simply for being who I am. But today brought things to a whole new level, with the words "You gay-fuck!" directed at me. It wasn't so much of the words, but the intent, and the looks given to me, while it was being said. Is it any wonder why I hate humans?

Chernobyl of the East?

We've all probably seen and heard about what's going on in Japan right now. A triple whammy.
A 9.0 earthquake, followed by a tsunami that killed thousands already and now an imminent nuclear meltdown... My greatest concern is about the nuclear meltdown.

As we know Chernobyl happened almost 30 years ago. And the fallout reached all the way to America. Tens of thousands of people displaced. Thousands dead, due to radiation. An entire land rendered uninhabitable. Perhaps now it's Japan's turn to become the Chernobyl of the East...

As of right now 4 out of 6 reactors are overheating. Pressure is building up in the reactor. Explosions have wracked these 4 reactors, and the ambient radiation level has risen to dangerous and potentially lethal levels. (3000 millisevierts. 1000 millisevierts is enough to cause temporary radiation sickness)

As of now, the Japanese government has evacuated people from the surrounding area and established a 20km Zone of Exclusion (ZoE). Technicians are doing their best to prevent a meltdown from happening, but they are facing some setbacks. Winds are, fortunately, blowing the fallout towards the sea, but all it takes is a change in wind direction to blow it towards us.

I advise my readers and the general public to go to your local pharmacy and buy at least 2 bottles of Potassium Iodine Solution (KI Solution) mix 130mg of it with a glass of water and drink it for 3-4 days to protect our thyroid and prevent yourself from getting thyroid cancder due to the Iodine-131. 65mg is the child's dosage. Please do this only after the authorities have told you to do so. Also reamin indoors, and do not go out, unless absolutely necessary. If you have to go out, please try to limit your exposure by getting back indoors as soon as possible.

Hopefully a Chernobyl of the East won't happen...e

Too long...

Well, well, well...
It's been too long since I last updated my blog.
So I wouldn't really be suprised if my readership went down.
But anyways, here to update you on a few things.
1) Only 3 more weeks till my POP, which means that there's only 20 months left till I ORD!
2) When bald, always go out with a hat.
3) I'm trying to do a photoshoot that will tell a story, a picture is worth a 1000 words after all.

Anyways, here's someone new I just discovered.
He is incredible. Love the voice. Love the face.

Too busy?

I wonder if we're still feeling the same way for each other.
Perhaps we've drifted too far.
I waited for your letters, but they never came.
Too busy for me perhaps?
Not even a short little letter for me?
Hmm... Where do I stand exactly?
You tell me.
A last letter from me to you.
Today.
We shall see.

Going back into the jungle again, but this time it's by the seaside.
Bad news is, we're walking there. 12km. 12 long-fucking-km...
Good news is, we're tere for only 3 days and 2 nights.
Bad news is, we're marching every single day.
Good news is, once it's over, it's over.
I just wanna get it done and over with, return to myself.
Return to my fellow soul.