Wednesday, November 17, 2004
SOC training in the morning. All I can say is that I have no experience in loosening the soil. I have never been an excuse personnel during SOC trainings before, so I have to keep consulting Sergeant Aaron, who is my station I/C, whether the soil has been treated with the correct results.
I deliberately choose the low ramp, because I have a particular phobia of falling into the barbed wire at the bottom of the ramp, near the sand pit. By studying the structure and watching people leap off I can finally tell myself, hey, even if I just drive myself off the ramp I can still fall somewhere in the middle of the sand pit, far away from the barbed wire itself.
And I guess the last method I tried worked: look ahead at some object in the distant horizon while running up the slope, and shouting, and ignore where the ramp ends, and just LEAP OFF!!!
* * *
In the afternoon, I go and endorse my MC.
Now, at that time I don't really understand what "endorsement of MC" really means. Is it (1) an extension of one's medical excuse? Or (2) let the MO see your MC and then approve the remainder of the excuse that you have been given? Anyway, I'm not really well enough: I want more excuse, so I go ahead to the medical centre.
Once there I find out that the term "endorsement" really stands for option (2). My MC isn't considered valid anymore, because it's finished. My doctor had only given me MC for one day: the 16th of November. However, I voice out to the medic that I am still feeling unwell, and he ticks a box on the paper that says, "Medical Review".
I should have known.
Pathetically it results in a reverse effect, whereby I become more ill than ever. The problem is that those seeking a medical review have to wait until the MO attends to all the afternoon report-sick cases. So I sit in the freezing waiting room in just a T-shirt and shorts. It begins to rain outside, causing the temperature to drop even further. I find myself shivering and having to wrap my arms to block out the cold, without much effect. A migraine develops from the lack of proper sleep yesterday.
By the time I see the MO I am as good as a report-sick case. But I didn't tell the MO about the headache; I assume that I will go back to bunk and sleep and then it'll all be gone. The MO gives me one day medical leave at home and light duty for tomorrow. The medical leave is pretty absurd, considering that by then it is almost four in the afternoon, and if I take leave it'll only be sufficient for me to touch the door of my house and then return back to camp.
So I request Sir to let me sleep in the bunk once I get back to company line. He says okay. For a while I'm in a dilemma: to lie on the bed or not. What if Garfield or Doraemon is/are unreasonable, and fault me for breaking rules? After that, I determine, to hell with them, health is more important, if they punish me I'll complain about them.
It's terrible to sleep. The headache is like a hammer beating down upon the pulp of my brain, as if trying to make steak out of it. My nose is blocked; I have to use my mouth to breathe, which doesn't help me to get to sleep, because all my focus is upon trying to obtain air.
Dinner time, and I have no appetite to eat. Curry puts me off. I eat the dishes and throw the remainder of the curry-stained rice away. At this juncture I only long for soup-based dishes. Clear or herbal soups. Unfortunately, SFI does not serve them.
Jeremy comes into the room. He says I am stupid not to have taken the chance to go outside and report sick. Then I can get a longer MC and go home and rest properly. I ask him, is it possible to report sick twice? He tells me that the others who were not here on Tuesday did the same: the moment they were released on medical leave from camp, they went out and got MCs from polyclinics and government hospitals. And then I realise that I'm actually so stupid.
* * *
In the night, Medic Tu wakes me up to take my temperature. It's pretty bad, he tells me. I am told to take two fever tablets.
It rains. It's very cold. It's a torture going to the toilet, having to experience chills and the ongoing migraine. I am only thankful to be back in bed under the blanket. I doubt I can fully recover even to assume light duties - this fever is taking ages to subside.
¶ 11/17/2004 01:57:00 pm I deliberately choose the low ramp, because I have a particular phobia of falling into the barbed wire at the bottom of the ramp, near the sand pit. By studying the structure and watching people leap off I can finally tell myself, hey, even if I just drive myself off the ramp I can still fall somewhere in the middle of the sand pit, far away from the barbed wire itself.
And I guess the last method I tried worked: look ahead at some object in the distant horizon while running up the slope, and shouting, and ignore where the ramp ends, and just LEAP OFF!!!
* * *
In the afternoon, I go and endorse my MC.
Now, at that time I don't really understand what "endorsement of MC" really means. Is it (1) an extension of one's medical excuse? Or (2) let the MO see your MC and then approve the remainder of the excuse that you have been given? Anyway, I'm not really well enough: I want more excuse, so I go ahead to the medical centre.
Once there I find out that the term "endorsement" really stands for option (2). My MC isn't considered valid anymore, because it's finished. My doctor had only given me MC for one day: the 16th of November. However, I voice out to the medic that I am still feeling unwell, and he ticks a box on the paper that says, "Medical Review".
I should have known.
Pathetically it results in a reverse effect, whereby I become more ill than ever. The problem is that those seeking a medical review have to wait until the MO attends to all the afternoon report-sick cases. So I sit in the freezing waiting room in just a T-shirt and shorts. It begins to rain outside, causing the temperature to drop even further. I find myself shivering and having to wrap my arms to block out the cold, without much effect. A migraine develops from the lack of proper sleep yesterday.
By the time I see the MO I am as good as a report-sick case. But I didn't tell the MO about the headache; I assume that I will go back to bunk and sleep and then it'll all be gone. The MO gives me one day medical leave at home and light duty for tomorrow. The medical leave is pretty absurd, considering that by then it is almost four in the afternoon, and if I take leave it'll only be sufficient for me to touch the door of my house and then return back to camp.
So I request Sir to let me sleep in the bunk once I get back to company line. He says okay. For a while I'm in a dilemma: to lie on the bed or not. What if Garfield or Doraemon is/are unreasonable, and fault me for breaking rules? After that, I determine, to hell with them, health is more important, if they punish me I'll complain about them.
It's terrible to sleep. The headache is like a hammer beating down upon the pulp of my brain, as if trying to make steak out of it. My nose is blocked; I have to use my mouth to breathe, which doesn't help me to get to sleep, because all my focus is upon trying to obtain air.
Dinner time, and I have no appetite to eat. Curry puts me off. I eat the dishes and throw the remainder of the curry-stained rice away. At this juncture I only long for soup-based dishes. Clear or herbal soups. Unfortunately, SFI does not serve them.
Jeremy comes into the room. He says I am stupid not to have taken the chance to go outside and report sick. Then I can get a longer MC and go home and rest properly. I ask him, is it possible to report sick twice? He tells me that the others who were not here on Tuesday did the same: the moment they were released on medical leave from camp, they went out and got MCs from polyclinics and government hospitals. And then I realise that I'm actually so stupid.
* * *
In the night, Medic Tu wakes me up to take my temperature. It's pretty bad, he tells me. I am told to take two fever tablets.
It rains. It's very cold. It's a torture going to the toilet, having to experience chills and the ongoing migraine. I am only thankful to be back in bed under the blanket. I doubt I can fully recover even to assume light duties - this fever is taking ages to subside.
