Hm...surprised that I'm here at such an odd time? Don't be, because officially, I'm what the SAF terms as "Out of Training" or colloquially: Permanent Saikang Warrior. Okay, so it's disheartening that I cannot pass out of the wonderful Orion Company (and I mean it- it changed my perspectives about NS, slightly) and I have to rot my socks off in the dreary company office and in addition to that, act as a surrogate maid/servant/slave/cleaner/telephone operator AND worst of all, a recourse. But that aside, at least now I have a shot at an administrative vocation or the MDC or the SAF band instead of command school as a major option. And for those sneering out there, Singapore has a conscript army, ergo, some of us are here on a national obligation with no willingness on our part to perpetually roll in the mud and be subjected to regimental torment like our mammalian cousins of the porcine variety. It must also be said that I did not attain such a status on purpose. My original intention was to actually complete BMT and be done with it once and for all, instead I now have to contend with a delayed re-BMT which honestly, is not very exciting. By some horrible trick someone out there played on me, I aggravated an injury during training I sustained prior to enlistment AFTER the medical examiniation. Hence, the ligament in my left shoulder region is sheared/torn/strained and due to the length of such an injury, it of course would be described as a chronic condition by my orthopaedic surgeon (yes, I now have one too and no, not at the -god forbid- medical centre). And by the sheer impatience of the meddling Medical Officer, he merely sniffed at my appointment card and grandly issued me my O.O.T. status. The medical centre is really amazing, wait for 2h, see the MO for 10s and wait another 2h for medication, full of poor service and medical officers who really cannot be bothered with stricken recruits, dishing out status slips and discourtesy with a dismissive wave of the hand along with their trademark sneering look. It is thus expected they cannot seem to find it in them to tear their eyes away from their illegible scribbling and prescribe with such alcrity, our status.

If it is any comfort, a 8-5 job is suddenly on the horizon and much eagerly awaited for. Now all I need are just the necessary certificates to authenticate my injury to be presented before a medical board. On that point, it is nice to note that I am more often than not, ignored at Ayer Rajah Camp, especially since my course has not started yet and therefore am reduced to doing mundane, redundant administrative tasks which can be completed in a mere hour so the rest of the day is spent rotting, waiting for the time to escape from my prison.