Firers, Own Time Own Target, Carry On...

What a helluva week it has been.. work week might I add.. The usual slacking aka calm before the storm was experienced on the first day back to work.. everyone seems to be still in holiday mood man... pace was slow and everyone seems to be in a daze.. including me... momentum started picking up and 'arrows' started flying after my coy's weekly meeting... hello hello, dear me is in charge of heli ops for our special ops package.. talk abt negotiating with our fellow pilots comrades, arranging for heli-tasking.. blah blah blah... gonna be busy till the year end bawls...

Fell terribly sick on wed and the rest of the week was spent fighting a 'running' nose.. must have been the lack of exercise since last week.. damn, should have went for my morning jog on tuesday.. had a dining-in on wed itself.. saw some own comrades-in-arms since OCS days.. heng no need to compulsory bring dates this time.. else would probably absent myself from the function...

Zeroing range was conducted on Thurs and Fri as part of my Bn's upcoming 4NTM Stand-By as well as ATP range next week.. (dear me 'volunteered' to be the DO on the first day of 'A' coy's Stand-By.. talk abt garang-ness... Narf!) Anyway, for the uninitiated, 4NTM means 4 hours Notice To Movement.. meaning to say, upon activation, we are capable of reaching the 'front lines' of where a conflict would be.. for the peace-loving folks, think of our dear Tekong Robbers more than 1/2 a year back.. the 4NTM CBT Tm was there within that duration.. yes, and my coy has been given the honour to be on 4NTM during Christmas... 'Silent Night, Holy Night... All is Calm.. All is Bright...", hopefully...

Had the whole saturday to myself.. yes, poor me spent it alone... literally for a good part of the morning and afternoon.. yes, i love the new 5-days' work week.. but that was when I was still attached... still reminisence the Sat mornings I send my gf to work following breakfast and fetching her after work for a late lunch and shopping/movies thereafter... damn, got to get bachelorhood into my blood soon...my dear old buddy, Jeff (not very old lah.. know him since May 03 only.. ) whom we share the same birthday..'unfortunately' ha ha.. celebrated his 21st in the evening.. was initially sian abt going, cos really didn't know what to get for him and don't like going empty handed... but finally got him a bottle of red wine and made my way there after church... talk abt fine wine and dine... think gone are the days i was fascinated with booze.. think wine's the way to go now.. won't get beer belly also mah.. anyway, the most touching thing was when he thanked his mom for the 17 years of single-handedly bringing up of him and his bro, after his dad passed away when he was 4.. his mom is truly one of the more happening and impressive mom I ever came across (she still remembers my name though we haven't seen each other for more than half a year).. Aunty, you the woMAN...

Seems to have improved tremedously in my blading skills, though it's been a week since i lasted bladed.. but seems to be getting more comfortable to pick up speed... as well as keep my head up (to bio cai and traffic that is.. the latter being more important of course.. ha ha) gonna help out with one of Bn's OC's wedding soon.. sword bearer that is.. long time since I worn my No. 1.. hope I still look good in them.. wonder when will my turn comes to wear it down the aisle.. with my beautiful bride of course.. dream dream dream...

Was thinking back of a couple of military movies that I liked in the past.. some quotes are really meaningful.. here are some I can think of, for now...

"What you do in life, Echoes in Eternity" - Maximus (just prior to him leading the calvary charge @ the start of the movie), Gladiator

"Hold the line, Stay with me" - Maximus (when he led the charge agst the barbarians @ the start of the movie), Gladiator (used to use this when doing Fire and Movement with my platoon)

"All of my life I have lived by a code and the code is simple: honor the gods, love your woman and defend your country. Troy is mother to us all. Fight for her!" - Hector (when the Greeks landed on their shores), Troy

"Nobody asks to be a Hero, it just sometimes turns out that way" - Eversmann (@ the end of the movie while mourning one of his men's death), Black Hawk Down

"I will leave no one behind. Dead, or alive, we will all come home together." -Moore (in his departing speech to his men before they left for Vietnam), We Were Soldiers

"We Few, We Happy Few, We Band of Brothers" - Lipton (when remembering the events during the World War 2 campaign), Band of Brothers

"I wasn't a Hero, but I serve in a Company of Heros" - Winters (when questioned by his grandson if he was a hero in WW2), Band of Brothers

Till then.. Cowabunga!!!