Continued...

3rd time at range was similar, jus tht tis time round u only had 2 shoot either in � day or night or both, dpding on whether u passed it during � previous range session. So for those tht passed both, they basically did nothing except for some "sai kang". If u don't knw wat "sai kang" means, it is actually shitty jobs like moving tables, chairs, water containers etc, said in Hokkien i guess. As for me, i failed my Day range, so i only had 2 shoot in � day, which i'm pretty happy abt since it means less running up & down � chambers & more time 2 relax a little. Unfortunately, being a bad shooter, i had 2 take � day shoot twice b4 i cld actually pass. Was feeling pretty lousy abt myself, like i'm useless & stuff. HaiZzz...But i'm jus glad tht i passed it, which meant tht i didn't hve 2 go 4 range � next day, hehez. Definitely looking forward 2 my slacking day � next day.
As i'd expected, it was pretty much a slack day for me. Practically did nothing for � whole day till abt night time, where we cleaned our stores as in SAF items issued 2 us tht needs 2 be returned back. Initially, my bunkmates were speculating & spreading rumours abt being able 2 book out tht Fri night, instd of � originally planned Sat morning. Unfortunately, all their high hopes lead 2 nothing except disappointment. I wasn't tht disappointed, since being a pessimistic guy, i didn't thought they wld be tht nice 2 let us book out on a Fri night.
Before booking out, we checked our stores & did area cleaning. Was supposed 2 visit some heritage thingy tht morning, h/e � lightings weren't in working condition so � officer decided 2 cancel it. Got 2 book out a little bit earlier at abt 0945. Oh yah, forgot 2 mention sth abt my nxt book-in timing. It's 2215 lehz, � latest timing i've had so far. Was really shocked & happy abt it when my sergeant told us abt it. Talking abt late timings, my reveille was 0600 tht morning, which meant tht i need 2 wake up only at 0530, hehe. Tht meant 1/2 hr more sleep cauz my normal reveille is 0530. How i wish it wld be like tht for my last week in BMT. 2 words 2 myself: Dream On! After booking out, went 2 McDonald's 2 buy Sausage McMuffin with egg, which i was totally craving for. Bet u peeps will be laughing at me once u've read wat i've said. Instd of buying � Sausage McMuffin with egg extra value meal itself & changing � drink 2 Ice Milo, i bought everything � same but separately, which cost me more. How stupid am i man. Originally, i was planning 2 buy only � McMuffin with � drink, h/e was craving 4 some hashbrowns, so bought it on impulse after buying � McMuffin & Ice Milo. But still, i feel stupid abt it. Honestly speaking, i think tht coming 2 NS makes a guy more stupid, at least it applies 2 me. Really wonder how 2 face university life after completing my NS, one of my worries.
Went home after tht & took a short nap before meeting up with my clique of frens in � late afternoon. Finally got a chance 2 walk ard town & saw quite a few changes, after hibernating in camp, hahaz. Had a sudden urge of purchasing sth, but had no idea wat 2 buy. It was like u want 2 spend some of ur money, but u don't knw wat u wnt 2 spend it on tht kinda thing. Eventually, i didn't buy anything at all. Spend my money mainly on food & movie tickets. Had dinner at Pasta Fresca, which was pretty nice. Hve a tendency 2 go 2 restaurants for food on weekends. Guess u need some good food after 5 days of eating almost � same stuff in camp. Watched Bruce Almighty as well, which was pretty funny, esp � part where he did some trick on a guy reporting news. I laughed till tears started to well up in my eyes. Tht was how funny it was.
Realised how time really flies man, as some of my frens had already gotten their promotionin rank & will be passing out quite soon as well, like me. Seriously speaking it wasn't a very long period of time tht i've spent in BMT. I still remembered � day when i first enlisted into NS, it was like only yesterday when it happened. Quite glad abt it since i'll be leading a less regimental lifestyle after i pass out, i hope. No matter wat it is, i think i shld appreciate wat's been given 2 me. Really consider myself lucky as compared 2 those PES A/B pple who had & will go thru more tough trainings.
On Sun, due 2 � fact tht i was booking in late, i decided 2 go out with my Mum & Aunt, which i hvn't had � chance to after i enlisted into NS. I enjoy going out with them cauz i can get 2 buy some stuff occasionally. Since it was � Great Singapore Sales period, we kinda bought quite alot of stuff tht day. Initially thought tht tis sales wasn't a big deal since certain items cans till be unaffordable no matter how great � sales were. H/e, i was wrong & it can be a good thing afterall, dpding on which place u go 2. If u peeps don't understand wat i've said, it's alright, since i don't really knw how 2 explain in words. Another sign of stupidity. Alright let me tell u wat we bought tht day. 1st stop was Salvatore Ferragamo, which had plenty of rich female customers, since some of them looked like Tai Tais, carrying branded handbags & wearing branded clothes. One of my aunt's colleagues will be leaving � company & my aunt wanted 2 buy a gift for her. She bought a wallet which cost like $300++ after discount, it was orignally $600++ i guess, not too sure. To me, it's really very expensive. I'll never buy such a wallet unless i'm filthy rich or sth. Oh, by � way, she's sharing it with her other colleagues, she's not buying it alone. If she did, she'll be damn broke man. Hahaz. Went 2 Emporio Armani & Hugo Boss 2 look around, checking out their belts since i don't really hve a leather one. Unfortunately, there weren't any nice ones 4 this season, so didn't get 2 buy anything. Hey don't get � wrong idea tht i go 4 branded stuff, jus tht my Mum wants me 2 take advantage of tis sales going on 2 buy things tht r of good quality, which will last me a longer time, as well as things tht i need. Branded stuff do hve their quality as well, so sometimes it's worth 2 buy it. So don't think tht i buy only branded stuff, no arhz.
Bought a Swatch watch, which was quite ex, since it was having a sale, which they don't normally hve. Decided 2 buy one 4 my Dad, since Father's day was approaching & he needed a new one, & another one 4 my Aunt since i've never really bought anything for her before. Wanted 2 buy for Mum as well, but she didn't want me to since she didn't need one. � total amt was abt $300 plus which was totally worth it since i don't really buy any presents 4 my family members. It's not tht i'm stingy or wat, it's jus tht sometimes when u buy for them, they might not need it & start 2 ask u why u buy tis. In addition, if they don't use it, they may even give it as a gift 2 their frens instd, which wld make u think tht they don't like wat u've bought. Sometimes, they rather u do well for ur exams, be respectful & filial etc, 2 show ur appreciation for them as well as a form of present than buying something. Hence, spending tht much was really nothing as compared 2 � care & concern my family has given 2 me. It's priceless man. As for Mum, she bought a Swavrowski limited xmas edition crystal for my uncle, as a form of luck since he jus bought a new car. Aunt also bought a necklace there, which was on sale, 70% discount. � sale was only for certain items, guess they wanted 2 clear their stocks. It was pretty nice, but i don't think my Aunt will be wearing it often since � necklace was more for special occasions like dinners etc, which my Aunt don't usually have.
Basically i spend most of my day at Takashimaya since it was � last day where they had an additional 15% discount for their visa card holders, on top of � discount given 2 certain items as well as nett price items except for certain stores where they wnt 2 control � price of their items. Went 2 Centrepoint after tht 2 buy some biscuits frm Marks & Spencer 2 bring into camp. Absolutely love their biscuits man, really very nice. It was pretty cheap as well for certain items. I hve 2 mention tht it was really very crowded tht day, since there was � Great Sg Sales & in addition, WHO jus declared tht Sg was a SARS free-city, if' i'm not wrong. Went home quite early at around 6 plus so as 2 pack my stuff 2 go back 2 camp. SiAnZzZzZz. � only good thing on returning 2 camp was a late reveille at 0600 � nxt morning. YeAh!

2 June '03
Wat a way 2 begin my day by waking up at 0400 in � morning for a fire drill DAMN! Everybody was slpg soundly when � fire alarm went off. Had 2 change 2 a proper attire & bring a pail + helmut, b4 rushing down 2 gather at � basketball court downstairs, since i usually wear home clothes while i'm sleeping. Initially thought tht it was a normal fire drill practise, when one � sergeants on duty said tht it was a false alarm. WAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!! Everybody was damn pissed off by � fact tht it was a false alarm, it's like we woke up for no reason. Imagine tht happening 2 u peeps.
Cldn't slp till � fire alarm finally stopped ringing, which meant tht i slept for another 40-50mins only b4 waking up 2 fall-in & stuff. Luckily, there weren't many activities going 4 � day except for � IPPT Trial Test, equivalent of NAPFA, which worried me alot. Oh, had 2 clean � toilets tht � sergeants & officers were using at another block, which was stinky, dirty & filthy. It was 10 times dirtier than my platoon's toilet man. Really wonder why, since they always taught us abt being responsible. Don't see them practising it. Had an interview with my Platoon Commander (PC), which i thought was pretty futile in some ways or another. It was jus 2 check out how u r coping with NS life, whether u hve any problems tht kinda thing. Tis time round, it was also 2 find out where we are planning 2 head 2 after BMT, so tht they cld help us by making some recommendations. Ultimately, � decision doesn't lie with them but with some other higher ranking officers. To me, i feel tht it's predetermined frm � day u enlist into NS.
IPPT was ok, managed 2 do 8 chin-ups. Almost gave up for 2.4km but perservered on. Running 2.4km at Tekong is really frm running on � track. � distance felt significantly shorter. It got me 2 like running � 1st time in my life, hahaz. And guess wat, i got Silver for it, which totally shocked me. I felt really happy cauz tht means tht i don't need 2 do it again for � nxt IPPT since my sergeant jus told me tht as long as i've passed any IPPT sessions, it was considered tht i'd passed my IPPT. Hehez.
Night time was super slack, tht's why i'm able 2 write this down. One thing i hve 2 mention before i forget, my sergeants were less stricter & joked wth us more. Guess mayb it's becauz it's our last week here.Quite scary wth � sudden change in attitude since u'll never knw when he'll be back 2 his strict mood. So i don't really dare 2 take it for granted or be complacent abt it. Going 2 sleep now, need my 7hrs of sleep u knw, hahaz. NitEz...

3 June '03
Had Grenade Assault Course in � morning. It was 2 prepare us 4 our Live Grenade Throw which will be happening tomorrow. It was basically jus trying 2 throw grenades frm different positions using fake grenades & sandbags. 2 were in prone position while � other was in standing position. Had 2 leopard crawl a little which wasn't as bad as BIC. Quite excited but a little afraid abt � live grenade throw tomorrow. Excited cauz it's a once in a lifetime thing. Afraid cauz u r gonna throw something which can take away someone's life if u r not careful with it, same sentiments during my 1st range. Other than this, there was nothing much for � day.

5 June '03
� most dreaded day of my entire wk, Trench Digging. Had 2 dig a shell-scrape myself, which took me almost half � day, frm 1000 2 abt 1500, with lunch break in btwn & � shell-scrape incomplete. It was basically a rectangular shaped hole in � ground 2 take cover as well as 2 sleep in it, during war times. If u r really unlucky, u might be digging at a spot where there r rocks below, which makes it even more difficult 2 dig. For eg, my buddy, he was digging on a pretty hard spot, which made him give up even before completing it or shld i say not even half of it. When one officer came 2 take a look, he criticised my buddy's shell-scrape asking whether it was meant 4 a baby instd. Hahaz. Honestly speaking, my buddy gives up quite easily, likes 2 complain as well as talk alot w/o any actions taken, in other words talk big. Don't quite really like him seriously speaking. As for me i dug till i stared blankly into my shell-scrape not knwing wat i was doing & hve no appetite at all for lunch. Did force myself 2 eat sth since i knew i needed energy 2 continue digging, besides i skipped breakfast tis morning. My whole uniform was soaked in sweat while my helmut stinked like hell. Was digging under � hot sun with a slightly higher temperature than � BMTC School area, since we were on reclaimed land. Fortunately, towards � end while i was covering up my shell-scrape, it rained a little, which helped me 2 feel less sticky & more cooling though it was pretty much humid. Was lucky as well tht i didn't hve 2 sleep in it like wat PES A/B did during their field camps, i think. � area was infested with all sorts of insects man, which i really dislike alot.
Really wondered wat wld hve happened 2 me if i were 2 go 4 a field camp tht lasts for 7 dys, w/o bathing, sleeping with insects esp mosquitoes sucking ur blood. Can u imagine tht? Really feel so relieved tht i didn't hve 2 go thru all tht, which makes me a lousy soldier or not even one, hahaz. Went back 2 company line after tht & had practically nothing on 4 � rest of � day except consolidating � remaining SAF stores & packing for our 10km Route March tomorrow. Was so happy 2 see my bunk when i returned man, � feeling was equivalent 2 going back home i tell ya.
Oh yah, 2day was � POP of BMTC Sch 1 Recruits. Saw some of them carrying their duffle bags, walking with their parents, frens or relatives while i was on marching back 2 company line after dinner. Really admire them in some ways or another, going thru much harsher trainings & definitely doing much more than me. Sometimes i jus ask myself, why am i such a weakling both physically & mentally. A little punishment & my mind wld start thinking abt why i hve 2 suffer all these. It's like suffering in silence, but i do constantly remind myself abt how lucky i was & tht i shldn't take things for granted. Guess i really hve 2 try 2 think +ve & think less abt stuff, it will make things less complicated & definitely not torture myself. SiGnz...

6 June '03
My last event b4 i pass out frm BMT, 10km Route March, which was pushed forward a day earlier. Actually since yesterday, my bunkmates were already saying tht we wld be booking out 2day evening, since everything was pushed forward. This time round they were quite confident abt it. As for me, i was a little apprehensive abt it. Everybody were in high spirits b4 � march since it was going 2 be � end of BMT, which meant no need 2 stay in Tekong anymore provided tht u r not posted back here. During � 1st part of � march, my platoon was still able 2 sing some songs & walk in steps. Towards � end, it was totally � reverse. Fatigue & anger starts 2 set in. We weren't walking in steps & never really sang any songs. Some were lagging behind, resulting in gaps appearing here & there. Whenever tis happens, pple behind wld hve a hard time covering up, since we had 2 be within one arm's dressing away frm each other. When � front man walked too fast & those at � back had difficulty covering up, all � vulgarities start to come out of those pple who were frustrated. I was almost on � verge of doing jus tht towards � end cauz � front pple were really walking too fast & i had 2 run, then walk, then run again in order 2 cover up. H/e, i told myself tht there's no point in shouting at one another, it only aggravates � situation. So i jus perservered on. Sometimes � timing was too fast, while at other times, we were suppose 2 keep 2 our right but � pple in front didn't listen, resulting in � back pple scolding those at � front. There was once where i cldn't walk straight & i didnt even notice it, luckily � guy behind me pulled my field pack & drag me 2 � right. My shoulders & back were aching each time i put down everything tht i was carrying, during � 2 breaks tht we had. � sole of my left foot was pretty painful as well, guess it was due 2 � friction btwn � shoes, socks & my feet.
Nevertheless, i did complete it. I felt pretty accomplished after � whole event. Was wondering again how � PES A/B pple managed 2 walk 24km. Really admire them man cauz they had 2 walk tht distance frm 1900 - 2000 to abt 0300 - 0400 � nxt morning. Felt so lucky man at tht point in time. Didn't get � chance 2 take a quick shower, only splashed some water on myself, which resulted in me feeling sticky all over for � entire day. Did change into a new set of uniform later on but still felt quite uncomfortable. After � route march, there's weren't many activities except for area cleaning & clearing of our own cupboards. Sergeant got quite pissed off with us as we didn't fall in after he shouted 4 us for 3 times but his mood changed after a while. Sometimes my sergeant can be very temperamental, constantly having mood swings.
Good news for � day was tht we did get 2 book out tht day. In addition, i got 2 book out earlier since i got silver for my IPPT. And becauz of tht, � no. of days of leave i'm entitled 2 take has increased 2 one more day, minus � compulsory block leave tht i hve 2 take. This is a form of welfare tht is given 2 us for performing well in certain activities. Was so happy tht i tried my best for my IPPT, otherwise i wldn't be able 2 enjoy such privileges at all. WooHoo, long weekend finally, hehe. Booked out at abt 0700 afterwhich i went home 2 bath. Unpacked most of my stuff & went for supper, afterwhich i used � computer 2 update my blog, finally.

Tht's abt it for � past 3 wks, wld be even longer if i didn't cut short everything tht i wanna say. Sorry abt it, nevertheless. Actually hve alot of things 2 say abt my feelings with regards 2 BMT & stuff, but guess i'll leave tht till later or some other day, cauz i've spend quite alot of time on this update liaoz. Will be going out later, 2 hve dinner with my clique & mayb 2 catch Finding Nemo. So CiAoz....