Hey ppl!!! I finally managed to get hold of a computer and access the internet. Life for the past 3 weeks has been a whirlwind of a ride for me. I was first posted to Lakiun camp, which is a camp on a offshore island of Brunei. In other words, really super ulu! Everywhere is just trees and more trees. It's just like being on Tekong, just that you get mountains as well. Ok, the shuay thing was once I reached the camp, it was already the start of the 1st Guards battalion training frame, which means totally no time for me to settle down and straight into work immediately. Initially, I thought when they said I was just supporting the training troops, it would mean just preparing the all the signal sets and comms related stuff for them, but never did I expect that I actually had to follow the SOI(Senior Officer Instructor) around for the training. As if having to go outfield wasn't bad enough, but I was then told that I'd to carry a signal set around, which means an extra weight of slightly more than 10kg on me, and this is not inclusive of the weight of my 2 green bottles in the sbo. The first day was quite xiong cos I'd to follow the troopers for their navigation course in the dense Brunei vegetation and those bloody buggers(officers and specialists some more!) had to navigate wrongly!!! So, instead of taking an easier and more open route, they decided to bash through the trees. Nonetheless, I still survived. It sure was one heck of an initiation rite. Subesequently, things got a little slacker cos the SOI didn't follow the troopers around and let them do the exercises on their own, which means I didn't have to walk around much. In fact, on one occasion, after despatching the troopers for their exercise, the instructors actually got the driver to bring us to some coffeeshop in the area to have breakfast and they treated me! Heh, so it wasn't too bad. But like they always say, all good things always come to an end. The entire training frame culminated in the much talked about exercise which was codenamed: Exercise Buaya. Despite the connotations of the name, this exercise has absolutely nothing to do with honing the public relation skills of the soldiers with the local Bruneian girls. But rather, it is a 4 day 3 night exercise which involves a lot of simulated fighting, flying in the helicopter, scaling Mt. Biang and crossing a river. Of course, Heaven did us a big favour by giving us its showers of blessing every single day of the exercise. The simulated fighting didn't really involve me much, I'd just be at the sidelines with my SOI (and not forgetting the cursed signal set), as he assesses the performance of the troopers. The highlight of the exercise was the scaling of Mt. Biang, and I must say that I've not found any other mountain more aptly named. After climbing all the way to the harbouring area, which was near the peak at about 1000m in altitude, with the signal set, 5 litres of water and food, one just can't help but say "wah biang!". If things were bad going up, it worse coming down. The rain from the night before made the ground so wet and slippery that my butt just couldn't resist kissing it on numerous occasions. Nevertheless, I managed to make it through the 4 days alive, albeit with many cuts, bites, bruises and loads and loads of mud. It was truly an unforgettable experience.

After having endured one tribulation, I was rewarded with some good news. I was informed that I was going to be posted out to Jalan Aman Camp, which is the HQ of the camps in Brunei. But more importantly, it is on the mainland, near the city and near civilisation!!! Of course I was overcome with relief when I got the news, but a part of me couldn't bear to part with the camp, cos of my signal platoon mates there in Lakiun Camp who were really a nice bunch of people with a quirky sense of humour that just cracks you up. Some of them may be "ah beng", but they are really helpful. Gonna miss the guys there man.

So one chapter of my life in Brunei comes to a close, and a new life begins in Jalan Aman Camp. I've heard loads of rumours about how slack my job would be there, and true enough, it is in the sense that I don't have to go outfield. But it looks really really sian cos I've to do a deskbound job which involves sending e-mails, faxes, sorting mail and answering calls. Sounds easy, but it isn't when you're new on the job and you're supposed to do everything on your own. I really admire all those secretaries now man, it's not an easy job.

To be continued...

Oh well, I still got loads more to say but I gotta bring my Brunei Chronicles to an end for the moment cos my night's off is going to end soon and I still have yet to buy my groceries. Till next time..