When forty-nine people are in the same room, things do can get ugly sometimes. Compromises will sure have to be made. Yet to what extent? Never will I wish to sleep on a double-Decker bed. The thought of having to climb up to your bed and having to endure the awkward sudden jerks during your sleep just kills all the fun from a good snooze after a long day. Choosing good sleeping partners also takes good wit too. I think I made a pretty good choice.
The first night's off was treated with much fanfare. Most of us went for a quick shower despite the cold icy water and changed into our civilian clothes. We booked out of camp on a pretty high note. We went to one particular food outlet near the camp which was situated rather deep down the lane.
The place was sufficiently cosy enough and it also allowed us to indulge on the television. Who couldn't ask for more! 
Yet, as predicted, I had serious problems with the menu. It was written in gibberish old Chinese words which took me great pains to decipher.
The food was worth a second bite though it was a little oily.
The first night's off was a splendid moment for most of us.
The exercise lasted 6 days. I was scheduled for the day shift. I was asked to pen down three objectives that I wanted to meet for this exercise. Many thoughts crossed my mind. I was thinking about rest and welfare since it has been an open secret that people from my unit ain't exactly getting the required amount of rest they ought to be getting from any form of exercise. I thought of laughter and joy as I was sort of missing the euphoria around me. I thought of murdering my RSM for sucking in another person's well-deserved oxygen. I really question his purpose for existing in this world. I thought of not doing anything since more than half my mind is already filled with plans after I ORD. Thoughts.
The exercise was a movie fest for me. I watched the entire season one of The OC, The Corpse Bride, a number of Korean Movies, Fearless, Ultraviolet, Wild Things 3 and the list goes on. I truly found ways to entertain myself.
Portable water is scarce in Taiwan. From hearsay, SAF spent 3 million on mineral water for all soldiers involved in this exercise. Yet, many crates of bottled water were in the end either ridiculously emptied or given away. At the very least, the soldiers were all meticulously well hydrated.
Life in camp was mundane if not trite. All lights had to be switched off by 10.00pm. The water supplied to the camp was pumped from an adjacent one and the water heater was only turned on at 6.30pm and switched off at 10.00pm. Bed bugs were plentiful and so were the mosquitoes and flies. The standing fans only came much later but they were of not much use to people like myself who slept on the upper deck of the double-Decker bed.
Every morning at 5.30am, patriotic Chinese music will blast though from the speakers and will end at 6.00am with Mao Ze Dong in the lyrics. For the first 10 odd days, we were greeted with morning physical training at 6.30am. Wearing a singlet and shorts in such a cold and chilly weather was somewhat like an endurance training to many. At 9.45pm, the speakers in the camp will start to grumble again. However this time, the music slants towards Chinese Pop. Every thing becomes hush hush at 10.00pm. Bet you would not know that Taiwanese soldiers even have 2 good hours of an afternoon nap every single day.
---part one ends here---
