i never thought i would say this. but with the ever cliched blink of the eye, i am back. in mainland singapore. the land of fresh air, clean water, dust-free beds, insect-free zones and all the carnal desires a ns guy could ever drool for. a pity i never took to appreciating the simple things in life, things such as sitting down and savouring seconds when the cold wind blows, talking to friends, being able to chew and appreciate food and more. now i do. and with all the imparted military jargon in my head, i have begun a new life. one of regimental backbone, one of physical endurance, one of psychological battles. with sergeants flowering their vocabulary with hokkien specifics, i suppose some sort of mental filter must be implaced, lest a degradation of linguistic skills ensues. and somehow it kind of rubs off onto my bunkmates, so i'm attending 24/7 language class nowadays. oh yes b4 i forget, many many thanks to those who smsed n called on the first few days. the encouragement is simply.. priceless. without those words, life would be that much tougher, that much more unsupportive, that much more tedious. many thanks and many thanks. then again my bad for not replying. well we do haf 'admin' time every night from 930 to 1030.. supposedly, but sending arms and the last parade simply chews up bulk of this free time, but excuses r but for wimps. so i apologise. ah well, with the overtly chlorinated tekong water and the dusty bunks, almost all save a few have succumbed to disease and attend b tags reached a high of 12 on one particular day. hopefully with the cookhouse oranges giving life-saving vitamin c, we'll all pull through. training's alright and manageable, tho the speed training gives me butt cramps ever so often. more or less getting used to all the punishments, half lefts to crunch position, spread-gather timings etc etc. i remember one day with speed training in the morning, then close combat training in afternoon, and then strength training at late afternoon, followed by pc tekan session comprising 80 assorted push ups and chin up regimes in one sitting. straining, but bonds effectively. falcon platoon ppl are pretty friendly and fit, and within the first few days i've got to know almost everyone around. not bad, all have very interesting tales to talk about at night while we lie in bed and think about.. stuff. ahh so much to say but so little time. *glances at watch* few more hours to going bak in, so i shall end here. cyu'll next week. promise!

looking all around us,
children having fun
while we are holding guns.

as my hands ran through the curves and notches of my m16 wife, it struck me that the very thing could protect my life one day. and as my eyes scanned the corners of my bunk, it struck me that the very people could save my life one day. and as my mind raced thru the recesses of my memories, it stuck me that the very you could change my life one day.