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In Camp Training ended a little while ago in the afternoon.

It was a pretty chill exercise unlike the usual. I don't get to hang with the usual battalion since this is a make-up training in lieu of the deferred one in June months ago.

So i took the chance to do whatever i missed in the previous sessions.

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Day 1 was pretty chill and purely administrative. It is a lot of moving of stuff over here and there. Got to see a few people who too, deferred from the main body. I got to say, having them around is reassurance for the whole period.

Got a brief of the training and had a little giggle. Training program wants us to go and dig holes, which is something a lot of us will never have to do since we are in a formation that don't need it...but ah well.

The day was pretty much in the bunk doing nothing. I have never burnt so much data off my phone before.

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Day 2 started with the standard fire drill. I was one of the designated fire-fighter and so am required to take a extinguisher to the fall-in area, which is the grass field in the middle of the stadium. After falling out, i was about to proceed to draw arms for the digging holes when Benji said that certain people don't need to go, including me. I'll admit that part of me was a little glad that i don't have to.

Went back to the bunk and did nothing until lunch time, when the party returned from the hole digging. According to Shawn, they didn't even finish.

4pm was the technical handling test. Basically, it is a test about handling arms, specifically the SAR21. It includes stripping, assembling, loading and unloading of magazines into the rifle. It would be easy for me if i didn't have to also wear the protective vest and helmet. Those add a lot of weight onto me and tire me out real quick.

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Day 3 got tough for me. The day started with a 4km route march, which everyone thinks it is easy.

Well, not for me. After all, i haven't marched for years.

Initially it was okay for me. I could keep up until maybe about the 1km mark where my foot starts to seriously hurt. By then i was limping and lagging to the rear end, with only the CO, Daniel and 2 other rear guards.

I couldn't have made it to the end without them, who constantly encouraged me throughout. Although, inevitably when i limped back to my bunk and removed my boots, there were large blisters on both of my foot.

I limped around asking for plasters and eventually found myself in the medical centre. Managed to get some plasters but didn't get to obtain some kind of cutting tool to remove the skin. At the end, i had to pull it off bare-handed, which hurt like...well, nothing i've ever felt before.

I should also add that this was the dumbest decision i have ever made.

The day does not end there. Afternoon was the IMT shoot, which is the virtual marksman training which i cannot remember the full term of IMT is. Took the bus to another camp and participated, all the while limping around with the plastered blisters rubbing about inside my boots. Some commanders were pretty surprised how well i can shoot.

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Day 4. It was really early waking up in order to draw arms in time and board the bus to the range centre. Unlike when i was still a trainee 5 years ago, seems like range is no longer conducted in the outdoors. We fired in a indoor area where conditions like wind speed and lighting can be controlled. Most rooms we waited in were also air-conditioned, which is a huge improvement over what i had experienced years ago.

There were standard delays here and there and when it is finally my turn to go, i felt nervous like it was taking a finals. I forgot clearly how long the rifle would sound, how the recoil felt, but quickly adjusted to it.

When we return, it is pretty much the whole day to ourselves.

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Day 5 is bookout day. Pretty much nothing happened except that we left real early compared to past ICTs.

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That is all for this training week. I enjoyed myself~

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