Brunei’s Adventures (IV) – Post JCC and e-tour

Section 1 from my platoon was the first to reach the gate that marks the official end of the whole JCC. Seeing them gesticulating so wildly and excitedly makes me feel so happy to see them back in camp, alive and kicking. A few seconds later, a second team appeared from the dense vegetation and then past the gates. As quickly as my eyes could discern, my ears picked up the screams from them. They were all shouting my name and automatically, I knew these guys were from my section, section 3. Typing this down generated euphoria and brings the whole experience back into my mind. The feeling of seeing my section mates especially was too overwhelming.

As they make their way towards the basketball court for a final inspection, I hugged everybody in happiness and congratulated them. Despite them smelling bad from the rain and sweat, hugging them stirred up one of the best emotions ever. Several details made their way out after that, but my staff sergeant pulled me away from receiving details that could have possibly have the split up deadly sins to prepare the administrative work.

The last portion of JCC was supposed to end by 4 in the afternoon. However, by 12 noon, majority of the details were out from the jungle, giving me more time to interact with my section mates and members of the deadly sins.

Back in the bunks where emptiness once conquered, a throng of excited cadets dumped their belongings on the ground while hurriedly trying to scavenge for their showering equipment before the crowd stormed into the bathrooms. I walked down the aisle the segregated the bunks into the two different platoons and saw JX taking out the note I left on his washed field pack from his locker. He sat down and started reading it, presumably again.

I do not remember much of the contents written down on the piece of paper. But from what I observed, it seemed to mean a lot to JX. Roughly, the content included congratulating him for enduring through JCC and coming back to see a clean field pack and an assault bag cleaned by yours truly. It was a small gesture which surprisingly, had a huge impact. The next day when I spoke to him, he told me he felt guilty for not being able to wash my field pack which he borrowed for the JCC. He apologized for causing me more trouble and needing to wash another field pack again. No matter how much I tried to convince him it was okay, he did not seem to accept it. It was only when I said, all you need to do is to, the very least, commission as an officer and hold another Korean BBQ session when that frown turned upside down. JX has definitely taught me that things that might not seem too difficult to do to make an impact could leave a mark on their lives. Friendship, especially made through tough times in the army, are the ones that leaves the host thinking: “How such friendship is made possible in such a short period of time?” JX will surely be one of the friends I intend to keep in my life.

The day before we set off for our e-tour, we had a hot seat session and I joined my section 3. The hot seat was a great activity, particularly after surviving through ordeals like the JCC. From that session, I realized things I had not really picked up, the traits in which were alarmingly dangerous for some that we need to give support to who inherited them, and a little bit of those confirming statements that coalesced perfectly with the observations made prior JCC.

KT has been described by Kevin as a sponge, absorbing every single thing and maintaining his taciturn character. I have not painted KT as a person with very negative views on life until the group highlighted that. Habits of him degrading things he accomplished were subtle signs he showed back in Singapore undetected by me as symptoms of pessimism. These were amplified, together with his lack of confidence, during the course itself. Seeing how KT ended up tearing silently breaks my heart. One lesson he taught me implicitly was that small signs matter because ultimately, they speak volume of a person’s conscious and character.

Talking about that brings me to Kevin, a sociologist wannabe. If he ever becomes one, I am sure he’ll succeed in this field, probably ending up writing famous books about human behaviour and their interactions. Kevin has an astute and compassionate nature whom never fails to connect deeply with other people. On the bus trips during our e-tour, I have gained so much inspiration from him that the feeling of acquiring all riches can never overwhelm the joy of having such a person as a friend. He told me, all of us are like the soft molding clay on a rotating disk. The hands are figuratively, our experiences and the people that shaped us. All of us have flaws, and if we decided to harden, the flaw will always be there, hard to change. So if we remain exorable, we could slowly remove these flaws and develop as a better individual. A great analogy of his life principle, something I will hold closely and dearly in my mind.

The next day was our e-tour, and I shall let the pictures continue the story.

Bus trip towards the first stop, water village in Brunei.

On the narrow man made bridge in water village. I was very scared of moving along in case of any unfortunate accidents of me falling down into the sea.

On the boat out of water village! Finally, a place where my feet can walk on without worries!

The mandatory group photo before leaving the water village.

We next proceeded to the museum and I saw a miniature water village model outside the museum!

   

A random shot of us

During our free and easy time after our lunch buffet, we proceeded to the legendary “The Mall” and we watched Fast and Furious 7 before heading for our buffet dinner.

Crepe experience with Hazelnut and Cheese

Dinner buffet shot at Rizqun Hotel

Final shot at the Duty free shop at the Singapore’s Airport before all of us left for home.

That’s all for my Brunei’s adventures, hopefully I am able to continue training despite my broken pinkie. It all boils down to Tuesday’s review with the medical officer. If I am allowed to continue, you guys will be able to look forward to Thailand’s crazy hot ass weather adventures as well as my commissioning parade photos!

Have a nice day readers :)!

Brunei’s adventures (III) – My version of JCC

Editor’s note: This is the exact piece of reflection written down after extrication from the survival site back in the comforts of my bunk.

Lying down on the soft mattress in bunk is a million times better than to lie on a makeshift shelter formed using thick tree branches. The past three days spent at the survival village for a mock up ex forager was one that does not need to be relive and re-experienced. The first day after insertion, hands were busy flying around, setting up the necessities so that life would be easier on the subsequent days. Planning is definitely very important. Without prior proper planning, more time would be spent wasted on trying to salvage the paucity of wood. For me, I allocated all the resources before tying them down into the skeleton of my hut. Allocation of the resources, as what I see, saves a lot of time and enables the quick establishment of my shelter. If it’s not for the planning, I guess I would end up drenched with a badly dented morale in the rain that came suddenly. The shelter I built (according to my instructors, it’s called a tepee) derived from a random thought and through improvisation was astonishingly good. I created a pyramid shaped hut where it stood firm against the elements, especially during the period of the storm. The time spent in solitary had me confirming the degree of my introverted-ness. Sam, who was there with me, wanted to use every single opportunity to talk. I wouldn’t mind talking, but his presence and the frequent invasion of personal space made me uneasy. Slowly, the taciturn hints were understood and I have plenty of alone time.

The skinning assessment was next on the checklist for day 2. Sam picked his quail and left mine inside the red box. Before I lifted the cover, my eyes scanned the box for the quail. I couldn’t find it since it wasn’t moving around until my hands started searching. The accidental brushing off of the quail startle me and the quail and the quail fled around in panic. The quail almost made its escape from the small crevice where my hand was inserted. After a few minutes of trying to get the afraid quail on my hands, I petted its small head to cajole it. Calming it down was easy so long as you keep stroking the feathers on the head with another hand tucked under its wings. Sam executed the first killing. Before I processed what Sam was doing, the instructor instructed me to behead it. The whole killing process happened so quickly that I didn’t even realized I was dripping sweat. The feeling of killing an animal with a broken finger is horrible. I was so scared of not killing it swift enough that it has to go through the stage of being both alive and dead. Luckily, I managed to execute the kill fast. However, I was unprepared for what came after that. The severed nervous system went in shock, sending signals and activating every single muscle in the body. Halfway through the skinning, the wings flapped so hard that I almost thought the remnants would escape. Minutes into removing the skin, I broke off its wings and the sporadic activation of the nervous system startles me again. This time, the broken bone, where its wings were previously attached, flapped so hard my heart wrenched. It suddenly feels so painful to see the half dead quail trying to escape. This quail has taught me a lesson about life I’ll never forget. Life is a very fragile thing and anyone could have it taken away any second, painfully or without pain. Applying this to a healthcare setting showed how much one simple mistake a skillful surgeon can make to accidentally end one’s life. That is how simple life can end up in a wrong path in the wrong hands. It’s because of this chain of thoughts that made me cherish everything. No doubt I felt homesick and emotional. I missed my JCC detail mates, my section 3 mates, my friends in the civilian world, my family and my soft toys. This incident also leads me on pondering about what does being alive mean and how does one define and experience death. The boundaries of life and death are so vaguely defined that one might end up declared dead in the state of half alive and half dead.

The last day was the worst. Extrication and assessment was supposed to happen at 10. Nobody, not even a single shadow, appeared until 1345 when Sam got impatient and we communicated back to elicit our extrication time. Turns out our instructors forgotten about us, like what I had a hunch about, and waiting for them to arrive felt like an eternity. The interminably long 3 hours 45 mins was hell. Initially, everything was fine when I could still talk to myself about life and sang songs I dearly missed. Slowly, when food started running out and stomach begins to growl, the devil throws a welcome message to hell. The lack of stimulation pushed me to the brink of insanity. I almost went crazy waiting to the point I lost meaning to life. Maybe that’s how people lose their minds, having to be isolated from any form of stimulation in an environment where a paucity of resources resided. When I heard the instructors came shouting: “xiaokang, where are you”, I was so god damn happy that tears almost rolled down my dirty black cheeks. I couldn’t believe the overwhelming happiness that shook me to even hear somebody else’s existence. It took me a while to process that information and cool down though. Horrible experience.

Coming back from survival village has never elicited so much joy before. Rather, getting to see other beings around never felt so great before. Unpacking, washing up and dinner were the best few occurrences ever since I step foot into the army. However, the bad news came arriving when Eugene told me that CZ, my Ex Rhino best friend, suffered a cut when smoothening his crafted spoon. His cut was so deep that it warranted a Heli-Evac out to the hospital in the mainland. Currently, from what my wing commander 2 said, the operation he underwent to fix his tendon should be completed and will be back soon, either tonight or the morning tomorrow. According to wing 2, his forager’s necessities were well done so it’s a huge pity for him to not get the badge and receiving an injury. I hope he’s coping well like how KT should be. KT had his badge revoked because his A frame collapsed when the cadres shook. Imagine the horror he must have faced when his own creation toppled down. All the hard work in enduring through the navex, surmounting Mount Biang and swimming in groups of 3 to the harboring site all went into waste. I cannot imagine what he is going through now. All I could do is to hope that our section mates can help tide him through that. Sigh. Why do bad things always happen to people who don’t deserve to suffer? That’s one question I asked myself. Could it be for the better development of one’s character? Or is it that we don’t deserve better? I don’t know, but i don’t believe in the latter. Everything happens for a reason.

Feeling so excited to see all of them tomorrow! I just want to run towards them, hug them and tell them how much I missed them. Especially to my buddy whom I felt I always mistreat. And to Daryl, Kevin and KT, for always being there in section 3, making my OCS life funnier and tolerable. Of course not forgetting my JCC detail mates: Ben tang, Ben lee, JX, Alfred, Sean and YJ for having to go through JCC with a lacerated morale and a foreign team. Hopefully, these guys will bring in more stories to share when they come back and probably strengthen the bonds between the 7 deadly sins when we convene together some time in the future.

Introducing the 7 deadly sins!

Brunei’s adventures (II) – Rojak of emotions

When I got back to camp, I wasn’t prepared for what the medical officer was about to tell me. He told me straight in the face that I will be forfeited from JCC, the main reason why I decided to join infantry, and there will be a chance of me getting out of course from being an officer. The news hit me like a hammer on my head. It was terrible. I linked up with the others in the canteen and before I know it, my head was tucked in my arms on a table.

The slightest thought about OOC-ing and not being able to commission as 1) an officer and 2) an officer with my current batch mates made me feel like shit. Relationship with my peers is something I hold dearly and closely to. When life attempts to break any of these bonds, I’ll end up suffering in misery like how a mother grieves for her dead child. This is made worse given the fact that we have been through unlimited ups and downs since the journey to officership begun.

At the back of my mind, I know I need to snap out from self pity and plan out contingency routes. But somehow, my rationalized self knows that if I don’t seek solace or establish emotional equilibrium, being logical or rational would be of no use. Fifty percent into grieving, my buddy broke the chains of thoughts running through my mind when he asked me to go out to talk.

Since then, I felt stuck. Neither here nor there. I couldn’t make up my mind whether I was sad to be happy or happy to be sad. It was too confusing and too much information to process and to stop processing at that time.

As I’m penning this down, there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to type out. It could be attributed to laziness or the desire of not wanting to discover more. I guess I have to step up the game and coerce this reflection out for a more thorough analysis of my situation.

On the same day of receiving the blow from the medical officer, my JCC team received another blow right at their faces. The team had to be disbanded. The moment that news was delivered, JX head sank down. Seeing how quickly the melancholy atmosphere sets in and how disappointment repletes itself within my comrades dishearten me. I don’t want any sort of schism to break us all apart, but it happened. My heart broke totally when two of my buddies cried. I have never felt so guilt ridden before.

The feeling definitely sucks and I hope neither one of you readers will undergo the pain of this. The remaining nights that lead up to JCC were spent talking to them, helping them, as well as myself, to cope with our predicaments. It was also these talks that made me understand them more that further strengthens the underlying bond we forge over the course of navigational exercises. The morning before they set off to their respective checkpoints, I wished them all the best and no doubt happiness struck me to see that they were adjusting well in their new team. However happy they might seem to be, below lies the innate desire to pull through as the 7 deadly sins, as what we named ourselves.

Right now, I have accepted the fact that I might OOC and never ever commission as an officer. This incident made me zoom out my current field of vision and look at a bigger picture, much larger than what I initially looked at. Life isn’t about army and just army. It’s really funny how many of us wanted to steer clear of army only to end up dedicated to finish their course. I guess it’s true when they say that you make lifetime friends here in the army.

If I ever happen not to commission as an officer and get posted to the headquarters for the rest of my army life, the next logical route for me would be to focus sharply on improving my linguistics, logical thinking and on the small little steps that paves a way to fulfill my future goals. Maybe that’s life, you are a being that a constantly subjected to life challenges and what you earn from it is ultimately experiences that shapes your character and personality. And it’s through your interaction with others in the light of your past experiences that creates a powerful impact on them.

To quote one of my buddies:”In life it’s all about sharing. There is no point in keeping things to yourself, things will be stagnated and nothing will change.” That explains why he always shares information around and look after each other despite not being well reciprocated. And to quote my sergeant major, he says that “everything happens for a reason. Some things can become worse if it’s not for a minor hiccup that circumvented a major accident.”
So now, I guess it’s time to wait and hope for the best.

Note: This is an exact replica of the reflection I wrote one day after the news from the medical officer sank in. It was also the day when my friends, my brothers in arms set off for their dangerous missions. I have inserted the photos of my x ray below in case you guys might be wondering how bad the fracture could be.

B Day – 2

Unbeknownst to the majority of my readers, this alpha batch of cadets is trained under a new wing commander. This new wing commander places a lot of emphasis on morale as well as welfare, which explains why our wing, compared to the other wings, are having more fun ad laughter. From what I learned from my instructors, alpha wing used to be one of the toughest wing, but have decided to tone down for a change. Thankfully, I happened to be posted to alpha wing at the perfect opportunity.

Yesterday, we had a small scale event, the feast before the famine, at the cadet’s mess. The main reason for this event is to allow us cadets to wind down before training speed picks itself up during Brunei. Another possible reason was to establish a culture no other wings had. For a start, the wing commander had tasked each platoon to convene together and to come up with our own theme. Platoon 1 decided on black, while platoon 3 had it on retro style. My platoon? Beach wear. Initially, I thought beach wear would be easier for me due to the paucity of clothes I have hanging within the four walls of my cupboard. I spend several hours figuring out which piece of cloth would blend me into the theme better only to stumble upon the decision of purchasing a new set for this event. Mentally, I had a vague idea on what to purchase. However, the sizes of almost everything I found pleasant were simply too huge for me to don in. Eventually, I proceeded back home with a pair of Bermudas from the kids section.

Just yesterday, I wore my class jersey and the newly purchased Bermudas an hour prior to the start of the event, when had time to slack around in our bunks. When one of my friends spotted me, he asked: “you from instructor team is it?”. It was during that instant I recalled that the instructor’s theme was sports. Realizing how forgetful I was, and how embarrassed I would be should an instructor jokingly question about my attire, I eschewed myself from wearing the jersey. Luckily for me, I chanced upon a piece of white tee shirt and wore it. Tongues still waged after that and I dismissed them off thinking: “this is why I hate going to events”. Social events abounded in my journey towards officership, and being placed on the near end of the introverted scale, I never once felt rejuvenated at the end. I guess I was still lacking self-confidence and holding falsely onto the belief that I never cared about people’s view. Or maybe I don’t but the people here shaped that attribute. Hopefully, during the 9 days Jungle Confidence Course, I would think through all these and come back with a new found and better me.

As time moved on deeper into the night of the 17th, I was mentally inured to the throng of cadets. Despite knowing almost everyone of them, socializing in such a large presence drains me. Of course, I began to grew comfortable when attention was divided among the other cadets. Personally, so long as I don’t receive a lot of attention in a humongous crowd, my unsettled spirit would calm down. With that said, it doesn’t mean I would feel uneasy if one or two people shower me with attention. I mean, things are on a different level you know?

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Amazing time spent with fantastic people before departing for Brunei. This will be one night I'll never forget. #9714alpha #beachwear #feastbeforefamine #beforejcc

A post shared by Dr. Kang in the making ☺️ (@xk_pupperfish) on Mar 17, 2015 at 7:42am PDT

Speaking of which, yesterday marked the 4th week after my confession, I think.

It is really amazing to see how fast time flies past so quickly like that. There were many instances when awkward silences fill up our fortuitous encounters, but things are definitely on the path of restoration. There was this time whereby he was standing so close right beside me, facing my direction, without me detecting his presence. The moment I turned and saw his face, I shrieked and jumped in shock. Nobody really noticed that so I saved myself from falling into the pit of embarrassment. I guess he saw, but showed no emotional response from it. It doesn’t matter. Throughout that entire period of time where he stood there, I felt like an ostrich that wants to bury its head inside the sand dunes. Standing with him so close by my side, entertaining the thought that he might be staring right at my side view is creepy and leaves me feeling uneasy. If that was me 4 weeks from before, I might enjoy that. Or scream like how fans cheer for their idols. Although it’s a brief moment, I guess after the unmasking, deep down inside me, I liked it.

Somehow, my yesterday’s impression of him changed and we are never ever getting together.

Tomorrow’s the day where we cadets will be flying off to Brunei. For me, the best thing I can ever get from Brunei’s trip is to understand myself and how I can further improve so that I don’t feel estranged and the many interactions among my fellow friends would be better.

Here’s a headsup, my Brunei’s trip will commence from 19th March til 12th April. During this period, I doubt I will have the time or the connection to update this blog. So yeap, stay tune and take care of yourself guys :)!

The longest march ever

If you ever played maplestory, you would have noticed that there was a medal feature imbued in it several years ago. To achieve the complete collection of the wide array, you will have to simply fulfil the stipulated requirements and before you know it, a medal is awarded to you. You can equip the medal and brag about how much challenges you overcame before you acquire the medal. The long hours of trainings, the amount of mesos invested on the equipments and scrolls, and the amount of a-cash you spend on 2x EXP are part and parcel of your journey to the medal.

An example of a medal in Maplestory

Similarly, this week, our 97/14 Infantry Batch had undergone arduous challenges in order to make the CSB badge ours to call. The Combat Skills Badge is one of the most common badges to obtain for those posted to infantry. Seeing how abundant the badges are spreaded across the uniforms of most infanteers, it is hard for others to perceive the obstacles circumvented and to see the pride of the badge. In order for one to achieve the CSB badge, one needs to complete a 10km endurance run within 60 minutes, pass a night navigation exercise, achieve a minimum of IPPT silver, march 32km within 7 hours, cross a water obstacle, and lastly, shooting down a minimum of 5 out of 10 targets in the 100m live range.

Those requirements might seem like a huge boulder, but the trainings in OCS are built in a way to allow you acclimatize to the training gradually. For me, 32km is a gruelling ordeal that I am proud to be able to survive through it. The first 12km march around SAFTI was more tolerable compare to the remaining 20km outside of camp. Probably because I was able to estimate how long more the journey would be before we rested. After the first 12km, we had a weapon handling test. I passed it and we were allocated a bit more time to rest. The walk to the 15km mark was the killer. According to all my route marches experiences, marching 3km takes about 30-35 minutes. However, this took 10 minutes longer and we hit the 15km mark at the 42th minute. I almost died there. Being known as somebody who frequents the toilet/latrine, my 15 minute break truncated into a 1 minute rest. For the remaining of the journey, I was struggling to maintain and catch up with the pace of the main body and had to constantly run a bit here and there. At the 24km mark, we had another weapon handling test which majority of us got chided for. That was the time where I slept because the fatigue is taking its toil on my body. After that refreshing relationship with a siesta, the next 3km to the 27km mark was a breeze. Basically, I turned on zombie mode for the rest of the march.

At the 30km mark, we had to cross a water obstacle. That process itself was pretty easy, but the moment you lift your soaked bag up, you’ll feel the pinch of the extra load you have to carry. The volume of water absorbed by your bag is so high that it could easily weigh another 1 to 2kg. And with that additional stress on your back, you will proceed to the live range for a 100m shoot. To make it for the CSB, 5 targets must be shot down. The wing that went before us had a lot of failures and that stifled the confidence we had. Luckily for me, my weapon was zeroed, making my shots accurate. I scored 9/10 and upon completion of the final stretch, all of us were sent back to wingline.

We had our badge presentation and here’s my very own badge!

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Achievement unlocked: CSB badge! 😁 Requirements: -10km endurance run -IPPT Silver -32km route march -Crossing of water obstacle -100m shoot Can't believe I survived through this ordeal just like that. Marching for 7 hours without sleep with a heavy fieldpack is no joke man. There were times I wanted to give up so badly, thinking that I couldn't make it. Luckily those that were around pushed me on. Thank you guys ❤️😘! Next stop: Jungle confidence course badge. 💪

A post shared by Dr. Kang in the making ☺️ (@xk_pupperfish) on Mar 11, 2015 at 9:15pm PDT

The next badge in line would be the JCC badge, and the things you have to go through to name it yours is triple the difficulty for CSB. Nonetheless, I will do my best to achieve it, and by the time you know it, 12th April’s post would be about my newly named JCC badge.

Prior CSB, we had Ex. Seeker, a navigation exercise without any instructors tagging along. My detail and I had the worst experience by far for all the navigation exercise we went through.

Firstly, Sean had sprained his ankle a few days ago and was recovering then. However, halfway towards our destination, he tripped over a branch, fell and twisted that same ankle. He laid down there in pain and agony while the rest of us stood there watching him. Come to think of it now, if I was Sean, I hope nobody would be starring at me like that because I would feel uncomfortable with so many eyes on my ugly pain expressions. After Sean regained his composure and felt better, we proceeded our way to the first checkpoint.

Here’s a schematic to help you visualizers to perceive better.

The brown lines are contour lines, meaning to say the more lines you have on top of each other, the higher the ground is. From there you would be able to identify if that particular region is a knoll or a plateau, ravine or a spur. In the map I drew with paint above, there are three knolls. The one with the red X is our first checkpoint, the second one is east of the first knoll. Last but not least, the third knoll that runs horizontally south of the mentioned two knolls with a pink X. The pink X is another checkpoint we have to go through too.

The black thick lines are dirt tracks created by trekkers, runners and cyclist who frequent this park. Over time, the route they stamped and trampled on created a path where no plant can ever live there peacefully. Our initial plan was to go to the end of the dirt track and follow the green dotted path from the first checkpoint to the next. However, on our way up, two of my friends saw a clear path and assumed they would bring us to the correct location. We assumed that path and ended up reaching the checkpoint indicated by the pink X. The checkpoint with the pink X had two instructors manning it so one of us decided to ask the instructor. The instructor pointed us to head north and we’ll reach our first checkpoint. We bashed and walk and ended up on the knoll beside the intended checkpoint.

We searched for the checkpoint and couldn’t find any so we decided to backtrack. We reached the instructor’s knoll again and confirmed ground. This time, we attempted to bash in the presumed correct direction and ended up at a knoll east of the area I drew. It was the encounter with the other details that confirmed ground with us that we realized we were on the wrong knoll again. By this time, we were left with 4 hours to finish the objectives of clearing 3 checkpoints.

Time after time of going up and down knolls of varying heights, we stumbled upon this knoll. All of us agreed that this would be the last knoll and started combing for the checkpoint. Benjamin passed me the ziplock with the necessary templates to copy down the codes should me and JX found the checkpoint. Both of us explored, but the density of the vegetation showed no absolute signs of disturbances. When we headed back to convene with the others, I handled the templates and all back to Benjamin and they searched the other side.

Turns out, there were no symptoms of human invasion at all, except for those Benjamin left.

We decided to forgo the first checkpoint and proceeded to the last checkpoint (not marked in the map above). Halfway through, Benjamin dictated that we should copy down all the checkpoints we pass by in case we need to redo one more checkpoint. That was when we noticed our template went missing.

There was a heated discussion over where was the template, or who last used it. Me and JX definitely saw the template before we return it to Benjamin. We were so certain of it since 2 pairs of eyes saw it. We backtracked to the untouched knoll and search. Our efforts ended up fruitless.

We communicated back to the conducting officer and told him we lost our template, he told us to look for the last checkpoint before calling a day. By the time we hit checkpoint JOB, 500 meters away from our last checkpoint, all of us came to an agreement that both Benjamins will scout for the last checkpoint while the rest stay put.

Somehow, both Benjamins got caught by instructors and the whole detail was punished after that. The instructor then explained to us that we were not supposed to split the team up, or if we needed to, the team should be at a visual distance. Our instructor then shared his story about the demise of his JCC badge and how this 3SG, who was about to ORD in a few days time, got sent to detection barracks because of the reccee-ing.

From this navigation exercise, we might not have been the first team to clear all checkpoints like what we always do in the previous exercises, we have no doubt learnt the essentials of surviving the whole ordeal as a team. Below are the lessons I picked up from this Ex Seeker and hopefully, should this be applicable to you, experience them for yourself and empower yourself with them.

1. Overconfidence kills.
We were so confident we headed the wrong path, bashed up the wrong knoll and ended somewhere else. What is most important is to trust your inital planning routes and never give in to temptations you see (i.e. favorable route that leads to somewhere else).

2. The only thing you do when you see others is to confirm ground.
Check with the other details where their current location is. Never ever be too focused in searching for specific things the other details mentioned like your checkpoint is further down at this huge tree. Once you have decided to follow their advice, your mind will wander off your navigation process and you might be too focused on searching for the huge tree.

3. Use logic.
If you were the instructor, you would place the checkpoints that can be easily accessible by any means of transportation. If you happen to go through some portions of the jungle or forest where the vegetation is not symptomatic of human manifestations, chances are, the checkpoints are not planted there.

4. Always conduct checks, especially on things that are constantly passed around.
Otherwise, you’ll lose the template like us but the consequences suffered might be a whole lot worse in JCC, sometimes at the expense of your badge.

5. The most important thing: Teamwork
After all, you are going through this tough nut as a team. No matter what happens, as long as you give others the support they need and don’t exacerbate any bad situation, the team’s boosted morale will tide you through this rough journey.

Oh, for those who were wondering where was the template, it was at the pink X. Somehow, both JX and I saw the template after we lost it. Meaning to say, we observed a piece of non existence. Creepy eh?

We also crapped about how the three knolls formed up a bermuda triangle since we were trapped inside its circumscribed region and none of us were able to extricate the team out. Funny moments.

That’s all for this week. And I’ve got a cough to mend so readers, remember to take care of your health too!

Ex. Passaway

Ex Castaway is a pre-requisite for our Brunei’s Jungle Confidence Course (JCC). During this exercise, whichever survival skills we learned on Ex Gateway is put into test. For us, we were given two days to build up traps, craft out the necessary survival tools, set up shelter and collecting food and water resources. It may seem fun initially, like what me and my buddy perceived it to be. However, surviving these two days with one day’s worth of rations and a paucity of water is slightly challenging. Personally, food was not an issue for me, the water is. With the scorching hot sun shining brightly on my physically exhausted body, water is a cure for all my fatigue and a motivating factor to push on.

Before Ex Castaway officially begins, we had to source for wood (bakar poles [don’t bother about the spelling cause that’s what I aurally extrapolated]) to prevent a shortage of resources. For our site, there were plenty of wood, or so we thought, and my buddy gave majority away to others. I wouldn’t mind the sharing my buddy did, but it does not make any sense if we need it and he distributed it all out, leaving nothing behind for us to finish our traps and shelter. Anyway, setting up the shelter requires us to assemble an ‘A’ frame. Basically, the ‘A’ frame is a frame that resembles the alphabet ‘A’.

With the two poles standing at 3 meters tall, my buddy leaned the two poles against a tree. We were discussing about the structural aspects of our shelter when suddenly I collapsed on the floor. Before I know it, a sharp stinging pain overwhelmed my head. Just when I thought things could not get any worse, a whole pile of firewood fell and smashed my left leg. On that instant, the pain on my head seemed to dissipate and migrated into the leg. I was on the verge of crying and my buddy stood there helplessly, apologizing for accidentally dropping the damn pole on me.

The immerse pain I experienced engulf any imminent infuriation and were quickly replaced by tears. I wanted to reprimand my buddy badly, scream and shout at him, throw tantrums to express out my dissatisfaction. My body could not do it, somehow, the caring and taciturn nature held my devil back. I ended up suffering the whole Ex Castaway with a swollen leg, limping from point to point.

Despite being one of the most knowledgeable guys in our wing, when it comes to outfield, he was one of the worst. The instant he shagged out, he’ll shut the outside world and leave within his own. Because of that, I suffered again.

And here’s the story:

Our first inspection for our setups at 5pm garnered us a huge number of points in which we could exchange for extra food. Prior the start, I had set up expectations and a list of goals we agreed upon for the entire Castaway. Naturally, the presence of these expectations reeled in a healthy level of stress and being the responsible kid I was, I had to ensure the stipulated end states are met. During the collection of the extra food we earned from our good progress, the instructors reinforced his point about doing better since we were given the luxury of food. The instructor’s point exacerbated my stress level when he said no one was suppose to sleep. When I headed back to my site, I convey the messages to my buddy and agree that we should accomplish several goals by another timing. We were given raw chicken, together with other staples, as a reward. Throughout that short two hours before 12am, we worked and cooked. Thanks to the stress I, and subconsciously the instructors, build up, I decided to skip eating and keeping working on the roof of my shelter while my buddy mended the trap.

The entire time when I was thatching and weaving the leaves to the frail undulating branches, the rooftop collapsed and collapsed. There were a few instances I felt like giving up, but thinking about the disappointments the instructors would have on their faces when they visit our site made me carry on. If I don’t do it, who will?

I persisted with the depressing results, experimenting with different methods of establishing the roof. I sought help from instructors as well as my friends, however, the limiting factor in place was the resources. The entire time while I was having a skirmish with the frail leaves, my buddy sat down and sleep. Despite my many fruitless attempts to wake him up, his fatigue level was so high and seconds after waking up, he fell back to sleep. Our progress for the whole night stagnanted and I got a little pissed off since he was not putting in the effort to make things complete.

In the morning, we had an inspection at 9am and at 7am, my buddy woke up. I told him I will be collecting resources with another guy and we headed into the depths of the forested area, searching for wood. Halfway through salvaging, I heard my name being shouted across a distance. Intrigued, I headed to the open area to be greeted by a frantic looking buddy asking me to hurriedly head back to our site. Curious by his sudden panic, I rushed to our site only to stumble across my whole platoon getting punished. In a state of shock and overloading of information, the instructor came up to me and demanded to know where did I go and whether I told my buddy. I replied him, indicating that I had done both of that. Since I came back alone, the instructor shot me a skeptical look when I told him I went out with somebody. He only believed me when the other guy confirmed with the instructor. Turns out, my buddy was not paying attention to me when I told him and dismissed me off until the instructors probed.

Next, the instructor brought us back to our site and chided me for the slow progress (of the roof). I explained that I spent the entire night doing the roof trying to justify and prove my innocence. My instructor assumed I was sleeping. Seeing the possibly of the commotion getting out of hand, one of my neighbours stood up for me. With that settled, my instructor demanded to know why was there cooked chicken left unattended. I admitted my mistake and apologized immediately because I had completely forgotten about that. It was supposed to be my dinner until I got too caught up with my work.

Subsequently, the next few visits by the instructors were distressing because they never fail to leave the place disappointed. My buddy’s incompetency, my lack of sleep and the disappointments my instructors had render me useless. I wanted to dig a shellscrape and bury myself inside, or cry my heart out, anything to relief the hapless feeling that compounded from day 1.

Even after ending the whole exercize, one of the instructors from another platoon, ignored me when I greeted him. I mean he usually doesn’t do that, and to make matter worse, he gave me a high five when I collected the extra food. The sudden 360 change of attitude is scary.

The whole Castaway had casted a bad experience for me. Surely I had learn the importance of planning every single thing prior putting them into concrete tangible actions to save both time and energy. In addition to that, I learned the importance of standing up for things you believe in. Failing to stand up for the ambitious goals and going against my buddy’s laziness is the main reason for the chain of disappointments. And lastly, never attempt to do trail and error for any things you do (I did this for my roof) because they occupy a lot of unncessary time. But I repudiate the reasoning, unless of course time is of a sacre resource. If you don’t try different methods, how would you ever find out which method suits you and which doesn’t? Or which is more feasible and effective than the others? Right?

Now, I feel too embarrassed to book in and face my instructors…
Sigh.