army now seems such a distant past.

hands up those of you who miss being in the army. *ME ME ME!!* i went to mail letters today, and it was raining and all thunderstorms and shit. i got my sandals wet and sentiments flowing. i bloody miss the army days! its always such a nice feeling when we go chiong-sua despite "CAT 1" (meaning lightning-risk weather in army lingo). its a different issue when its CAT 1 and we get to slay-gay in bunk, and when we're already out there training feeling all garang and high morale and great "platoon integrity" (i always thought it was a wrong use of word) and suddenly it jus rains like there's no tomorrow. its bloody shiok when shit happens. this is especially true while we're overseas. in singapore, we'll just "exercise-cut" and go back for canteen break or admin time. but when we're overseas, we just suck thumb and continue on with the training. call me sadistic, but i always love it when it rains. since BMT, i've always loved training in the rain. of cos this weird preference was further satisfied when i go for specialist courses, and even more sadistically sated when i was in officer training. we all loved the rain. it makes us more garang. when i was in temburong, brunei, it rained almost everyday. we used to call the "LJ weather", but the funny part was... when it didnt rain, we took a dip in the river. haha...

gosh i miss the army. i miss all those moments where there's absolute truth among ppl. they call it "brotherhood", i think its more of ppl not bothering to cover up anything because everything gets exposed at the end of the day. i miss reciting the 7 core values, the specialist creed, the officer's creed - even more so. i used to like the word "fortitude" alot. i remember no one ever knows how to spell the word "reveille" even though they use it everyday! i miss doing the perfect Sedia with the clik-clak boots, the sejenta (arms) drill with the drill arms (HAHA) because they are meant to make alot of loud noises! hell i even miss 5BX and scanning your 11B before u get food! i miss e-marts and prickly heat powder. i miss standing on the parade square with parents looking down at us, backdrop of the commissioning square such a nice bluish purple, and feeling the throbbing of our hearts - pride, relief, and everything good.

beautiful, isnt it:

The Officers' Creed:

I am an Officer of the Singapore Armed Forces.
My duty is to lead, to excel, and to overcome.
I lead my men by example.
I answer for their training, morale, and discipline.
I must excel in everything I do.
I serve with pride, honour, and integrity.
I will overcome adversity with courage, fortitude and determination.
I dedicate my life to Singapore.