23rd June 2005

Guess what? It was my birthday...but I was undergoing reservist training from 20-24th June 2005. So have to celebrate in camp lah. And did I really celebrate? Well, I did get a birthday present - by being shot, just below my lips (on the right side)!

If one remembers in the media recently about the army using Paint-Ball guns to inject fun in training, that was the one! It was definitely fun. I played "enemy" in this wargame. 3 enemies vs 7-man soldiers.

At one encounter during the "mission", I was shot, just below the lips, by my "co-enemy"!! Farid!! You should be shooting the soldiers!! Not me!! hehee

I didnt realise there was a swell. When I got hit, it was short-moment shocked and quite painful with a "warm and sensation feeling" initially, then it became numb. You know, like after being injected for a tooth extraction? I didnt know how bad the swollen was until Farid apologetically came to me and told me not to touch the affected area.

I just continued the mission which lasted the next 10-15 minutes. Then I went to seek help from the medic. As I make my way to the medic, everyone was looking at me. I took out a small mirror and... Goodness! It was really bad. By then, it had grown into about the size of a 50-cent coin. I was given some treatment, being bandaged at the swollen area and continued with the next Platoon mission.

Farid continued apologising but, hey, no prob! Just small matter. The bruise showed the "garang"ness of a soldier, right? Hah! As what CO had said earlier, these are soldier bruises. Hmm. Good choice of words. But I really felt like in a real war, man!!

And when we reached back camp in the evening, the whole battalion was supposed to have a Happy Hour and "makan"ing and all. While that happened, my PC went up to the mike and said, " Attention please. Today, my Platoon Sergeant from Platoon 9 is celebrating his birthday. Let's sing him a birthday song!"

Huh? I was out of words. While I wanted to keep my birthday a low-profile affair, it has already leaked out somehow. As they sang, my OC came out with a birthday cake!!

So, not bad for an in-camp afterall.

PS: And thanks to my friends who sent birthday smses throughout the day. And of course, to my Kirana Seni mates who organised an advanced birthday moment in amidst of a tarian rehearsal a week ago. Wah! This year, I cut 2 birthday cakes!!