我已經做好準備...開始浮出水面

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10th Aug
Just when I was adapting to the lifestyle of the military, I was 'marooned' in the jungle of Tekong as part of the field camp. It began with an 8km route march with the cumbersome field pack. The prevoius route march was challenging, so I had a bad instinct about this march to begin with. The first kilometre was really ardous and demanding but I eventually got used to the weight. All the while, I kept reminding myself that I want to backpack around the world, especially to Phillippines to meet my friends, so this is all part of the preparation.

Upon reaching the destination, we were given combat rations which mainly consist of A5 size green packets of main course and dessert. My first flavour was the black pepper chicken pasta which actually tasted quite good. My only complain was the overdosage of preservatives. Then we were also given lots of junk food like biscuits, Oreo, peanuts, Horlicks malties, Nescafe can drinks, sachets of Milo, Super coffee mix etc. The old version had anonymous packets while the new version were all the Oreo, Horlicks, Milo and Nescafe. I guess this is all part of the ever-increasing commercialization that manifests itself in all sectors. Having a Nescafe mocha is 'heavenly' while being in field camp - great product placement and marketing gimmick.

Pitching the basha tent was pretty decent albeit a rough start. We were racing against time because there would be no light after day time. All these felt like I was on the show 'Survivor' less the fire-making and water-spot hunting process. Even walking in the dark while doing my guard duty was an interesting experience. Quite amazed that I was adapting well in the 'wild', especially to any noise made by insects or creatures. My buddy Justin was quite annoyed with the squirrel on the tree, afraid that it would hop into our tent. Ha! The only time I was really petrified was the night confidence walk in the dense vegetation where I had trouble maintaining contact with the guy in front of me. I guess it would take a little more time to get over this barrier.

The first two days consisted of Fighting in built-up areas - F.I.B.U.A. which is basically vacant two-storey shop houses ala The Mansion map in Counter-Strike. Each shop house had interesting names like Yun Nam Seafood Restaurants. LOL! The whole F.I.B.U.A. village reminded me of Myanmar, the structures, roads and the rustic charm. I remember the Singapore ambassador in Myanmar told me that Myanmar is almost a replication of Singapore in the 60s. I guess the F.I.B.U.A. village is an appropriate simulation of our neighbouring countries. We learnt how to creep, enter the structures and shoot. It was my first time pressing the trigger and feeling some recoil and sound, despite it being blank bullets. The whole experience felt like a real-life Counter-strike... or rather I felt like I was acting in a movie. Creep to a certain spot, enter the room, shoot at something and then evacuate. Of course there were lots of N.G. takes because Yong Jie's rifle kept having problem. Hence we had to do it seven times!

When I reached back to my basha tent, I realized there were flies beside it. Taking a closer look revealed a small pile of dog shit. The yankee dog which kept following us throughout our training actually shitted at my tent! Hence Justin had to use a leaf to pick it up and throw it away. That was the only minor unlucky incident because most of the time, we felt blessed - especially for the fine weather which did not rain at all!

When we shifted camp site, we had to dig a 'grave' to sleep in the night. It was really exhausting and the first time I understood the meaning of shagged. Neverthless I had a decent sleep with the support of sand bags and D.I.Y cushions. All you need to do is stuff clothes into the zip lock bags. As for pillow, just blow air into the zip lock bag and put a piece of clothing on it. It works wonders.

Nevertheless, this field camp should be a teaser and a glimpse of the future. I would not say I did excellant with adapting to the jungle life but I was not dissatisfied with how I carried myself during this period either. I am sure there is more to come.