// a blog! bits and pieces of life

Field Camp; Pain is Transient, Glory is Forever.

The tent I slept in (note: photo was googled)

I'll make the disclaimer again, the above photo was not personally taken. I did not sleep in the exact same basha tent. It was just a similar photo I found online on Google.

I just had to make sure the above was said, lest I land into any trouble with the army.

Anyone who went through Basic Military Training (BMT) in Tekong, will have to go through a Field Camp. For PES A/B recruits, it will be a 6-day Field Camp. For PES C recruits, 4-day Field Camp. I went through the 4-day one, and I must say, it will be the toughest activitiy a PES C recruit will go through.

On hindsight, maybe not. It was the toughest activity for me, because it rained for 2 days. It would be probably be relaxing if it didn't rain throughout at all. Unfortunately, we weren't that lucky, and were soaked in mud within hours of our arrival at the camp site.

I cannot describe the process too much; for fear of being prosecuted for leaking military secrets and whatnot. But the idea is, we pitch tents, sleep in them, train, and the cycle continues.

It wasn't very physically strenuous for me, since I was exempted from most activities that required the usage of upper limbs. I had shoulder injuries, so I was excused from majority of the activities. Nonetheless, the outfield conditions still took a toll on me, and I really felt miserable on the first day, when it rained. The whole camp's mood was terrible; recruits were unhappy, commanders were unhappy, everyone had issues.

But going through hardship really uncovers plenty of secrets. You'll only know who really stands by you in times of hardship, and who reveals their true colours when the going gets hard. It wasn't all surprising, when certain individuals took steps to protect their welfare before others. It wasn't all surprising either, when recruits started acting stupidly. This is the type of individuals that the education system has groomed. Once again, a strong motivation for my steps towards overseas university education.

Before I carry on, I suppose I'll voice out that I'm glad I wasn't alone. A big thank you to everyone who played roles in ensuring we all tided over the field camp. A big thank you to my bunk mates, who played essential roles in one way or another. And thank you to those who finally revealed their true colours, for I now know who to be wary of.

GCE 'A' Level Results should be out this coming Friday, 6th March. I'm looking forward to it, because I need my direction back. NS has been a terrible disruption to my life, and the knowledge of my results will allow me to plan the route ahead. Then again, there is that fear of unpleasant results. Nobody will know what will happen on that Friday, but lets keep our cool and calm when the results finally dawn upon us. Smile or Cry, let's take it in our stride and move forward. We're aging, and it's apparent our youth's running out on us.

I miss my friends. I miss my life before NS. I miss everyone who has played a role in my life. But we've to move on. Somewhere, someday, we'll think back, and see how much we've all grown..