wk 5
ok so i guess i should bring you guys up to date, if anyone still reads this.
on wednesday I had a pretty bad SOC (standard obstacle course) lesson - spent about an hour draining all the energy from my arms on the swing trainer (sth like monkey bars) and low rope (climbing up the rope) and didn't manage to complete either. utterly demoralising. i still have the raw flesh to show from it, on my fingers and palms.
thursday - the once-in-a-lifetime hand grenade throw. was rather nervous in the morning; all the procedures and drills are a headache to remember, not to mention the actual thought of having 700 ball bearings and a fuse sitting next to your heart. strange thing happened, though; prayed for some peace of mind while we were waiting to move off, and a ladybird landed on my LBV. i like ladybirds; they remind me of those ladybird books and a childhood long gone (and that nursery rhyme too); in some places they're a symbol of the virgin mary (which explains the 'lady' part of ladybird) and supposed to be good luck too, which is why i didn't flick it away. stayed there for ages - nearly half an hour, even while i was marching; i was scared to death of crushing it with an accidental swing of my rifle. it was quite an amazing morale boost. was a bit disappointed when it flew away though; i guess i was hoping for it to stay the whole time and sit on my LBV through the grenade throw heh.
the actual throw was quite a non-event though. lots of waiting around (even more than live range, though unavoidable), and throwing the grenade wasn't spectacularly exciting for me. was a bit nervous but that was mainly cos my warrant officer (incidentally my PC - platoon commander) was talking cock all the way, how the previous guy didn't throw far enough or whether my guts (ok, actually balls) were still intact, that kind of thing. [i should introduce their characters to you, but that's for another post.] anyway, it's a loud blast but not heart-stoppingly loud; i couldn't twist the ring properly cos of the blisters so warrant razali (that's my PC) did it for me lol... and i just let it go. nothing spectacular, nothing even remotely poetic about it. just a heartstopping moment while you watch it land, then a few nervewrecking seconds crouching and holding your breath till the blast. warrant razali said some enthu stuff about being a man now and that was it.
on fri SOC again, which I was dreading. managed to get out of it because i reported sick with a back injury. frankly i tried my best on thurs night to get a fever and everything, but it didn't work. my body absolutely refuses to fall sick; it's unfair, but although i'm not extremely fit or strong or anything i'm disgustingly healthy. even a long cold shower, even not wiping off, even standing in the wind and under a ceiling fan going full blast for 15 minutes to dry off, even sleeping topless except for a wet towel - ALL of that, and i still couldn't catch as much as a chill. my temperature in the morning was 35.6 deg. ridiculous. thank goodness for the back sprain. so i spent the SOC period at the medical centre, getting my [medical] status slip and zaoing off to the bunk to slack. 2 more lectures - on tying knots and lashings, and preparing firing circuits (setting up explosives, really basic stuff) and that was it.
so yes, that wraps up my week. the highlight was probably my failed attempt to get a chill on the last night or the ladybird on thurs, which shows how much it (the week) sucked. going off to practice tying lashings (around my left foot, how sad is that?) cos my knotting skills are non-existent. oh well.
on wednesday I had a pretty bad SOC (standard obstacle course) lesson - spent about an hour draining all the energy from my arms on the swing trainer (sth like monkey bars) and low rope (climbing up the rope) and didn't manage to complete either. utterly demoralising. i still have the raw flesh to show from it, on my fingers and palms.
thursday - the once-in-a-lifetime hand grenade throw. was rather nervous in the morning; all the procedures and drills are a headache to remember, not to mention the actual thought of having 700 ball bearings and a fuse sitting next to your heart. strange thing happened, though; prayed for some peace of mind while we were waiting to move off, and a ladybird landed on my LBV. i like ladybirds; they remind me of those ladybird books and a childhood long gone (and that nursery rhyme too); in some places they're a symbol of the virgin mary (which explains the 'lady' part of ladybird) and supposed to be good luck too, which is why i didn't flick it away. stayed there for ages - nearly half an hour, even while i was marching; i was scared to death of crushing it with an accidental swing of my rifle. it was quite an amazing morale boost. was a bit disappointed when it flew away though; i guess i was hoping for it to stay the whole time and sit on my LBV through the grenade throw heh.
the actual throw was quite a non-event though. lots of waiting around (even more than live range, though unavoidable), and throwing the grenade wasn't spectacularly exciting for me. was a bit nervous but that was mainly cos my warrant officer (incidentally my PC - platoon commander) was talking cock all the way, how the previous guy didn't throw far enough or whether my guts (ok, actually balls) were still intact, that kind of thing. [i should introduce their characters to you, but that's for another post.] anyway, it's a loud blast but not heart-stoppingly loud; i couldn't twist the ring properly cos of the blisters so warrant razali (that's my PC) did it for me lol... and i just let it go. nothing spectacular, nothing even remotely poetic about it. just a heartstopping moment while you watch it land, then a few nervewrecking seconds crouching and holding your breath till the blast. warrant razali said some enthu stuff about being a man now and that was it.
on fri SOC again, which I was dreading. managed to get out of it because i reported sick with a back injury. frankly i tried my best on thurs night to get a fever and everything, but it didn't work. my body absolutely refuses to fall sick; it's unfair, but although i'm not extremely fit or strong or anything i'm disgustingly healthy. even a long cold shower, even not wiping off, even standing in the wind and under a ceiling fan going full blast for 15 minutes to dry off, even sleeping topless except for a wet towel - ALL of that, and i still couldn't catch as much as a chill. my temperature in the morning was 35.6 deg. ridiculous. thank goodness for the back sprain. so i spent the SOC period at the medical centre, getting my [medical] status slip and zaoing off to the bunk to slack. 2 more lectures - on tying knots and lashings, and preparing firing circuits (setting up explosives, really basic stuff) and that was it.
so yes, that wraps up my week. the highlight was probably my failed attempt to get a chill on the last night or the ladybird on thurs, which shows how much it (the week) sucked. going off to practice tying lashings (around my left foot, how sad is that?) cos my knotting skills are non-existent. oh well.
Labels: Life
posted by Unknown at
11:29 pm
1 Comments:
i like ladybirds, they're pretty (: didn't know they had any special significance. cool.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home