LOL! I was reading my brother’s blog to kill time while waiting for my flight out of Suvarnabhumi (that word took me quite a while to memorise!) Airport when I realised that my blog has been taken out from his links! Due to inactivity caused, according to him, Facebook and Twitter! And I gotta agree with him on that! I’ve not been updating my blog regularly. And for me it’s not only Facebook and Twitter. Foursquare, Foyage and a host of other location-based apps are sucking away my blog time! Not only do I not update my blog regularly, I do not even read other blogs with regularity. But come to think of it, with RSS feeds, that could be rectified... anyway... here goes...
It’s been a month away from the family... on my 6th overseas training with my current unit each lasting an average of about a month. That’s about 6 months worth in my 2 years here! Wow! A quarter of the time I’m away on overseas training! And whenever I’m overseas, my close family always helps out and for that I am thankful. From Abah sending my girls to their classes, to Boboy helping out and sending Mars and the girls for family gatherings, to Mak helping to look after the girls when Mars needs a bit of time out, I know my family can be depended upon. Plans have been set in motion for another big decision that will affect my family and those around me. Watch this space for updates! :)
I came across an article with an interesting phrase the other day that I thought was worth an entry somewhere in the future - “An Ode to the Temporary People in Our Lives”. In my almost 20 years in the Army (has it been THAT long!?), I have come across many, many people and came to know quite a few closely. My trainees, my cadets, my recruits, my men, my commanders. Some became close friends, some just disappear from memory. Some have been indelibly etched in my mind. People who were inspirational, people who motivated me, people who looked up to me, people who I looked up to. Then there were the clowns who would almost always elicit a smile when I thought of them. But none of them are ‘permanent’. I will always remember what my current boss said, “You are in the Army for at most 25 years, but you will be with your family until you die.” (or something to that effect!). When all is said and done, family is still the most important.
The training in Kanchanaburi has been tough both for the umpires and the unit under evaluation. They’re our Special Friends.... if you know what I mean! :) The day’s temperature readings were a killer 40 degrees on average, nights were clammy and the distances to cover were long. The language barrier even with our Thai liaison was an impediment but I’ve managed to pick up a smattering of Thai words to get by. I shall add that to my repertoire of Mandarin, Hokkien, French and Arabic. Shopping in Bangkok and holidays in Krabi and Phuket will never be the same! :) It has been a good experience training in Thailand. I love the rolling mountains and wide open spaces. I have fallen in love with the Mango Sticky Rice found at the night markets in Kanchanaburi Town (or K Town for those who know). I don’t know when I’ll be back training in Thailand but I’ll never forget those that I have met and made me feel at home even though I’m away from home. It certainly was a land of a thousand smiles!
Well, it’s almost boarding time. Even in the airport, I can’t really feel the aircon! Catch you guys some other time...
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