Final Week

Artist's Comments

Perhaps you're being told that the army is amazingly brilliant. well if ya don't like gettin dirty then don't bother joining up. A british army cadet helpfully posed by the puddle with his rifle as i snapped away.

Came back from IFC with energy level almost at zero percent. Running a fever as well. All i can remember about field camp is mud, camo, rain, sandy tent, basically nothing pleasant. Oh. Except for the part where i got to throw a smoke grenade :) hehe.

Had a heap of dirty laundry to clear so i got the ball rolling by soaking the clothes, round after round, to get rid of the mud that has caked on the no.4s after so much time spent cooped up in the ziplocs. Gore-tex boots needed a rinse as well, along with those socks with a killer stench. All in all the toilet became slightly muddy after my attempt to clean my stuff, so yes, i had to clean the toilet too.

The fever didn't get better. What started out on 2nd last night of field camp, was around 37.8 deg. Friday morning was 38 plus. Saturday afternoon it skyrocketed to 39.8 deg. I conducted periodic water parades myself and took temperature regularly to ensure that it went down. Luckily it did. I went to the doc and got an MC. Damn. My zero report sick record is gone (five, ych). So yeah, i'll return to camp on Mon instead.

Phew. 9 weeks have really flown. The final week is looming up ahead. One more evolution to clear - the 12 klick route march. Hope i've recovered by then, can't afford to miss this last one before block leave comes! And yes, i think this upcoming friday is going to be unforgettable. Unforgettable.

Alright then, see you!