Loy Krathong (water parade)

iTunes' party shuffle is playing a copy of: A Day in the Life - The Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 1, of which I have the original CD and therefore didn't steal music.

Tonight I have to book back in to camp early because we're having a water parade. We're having a water parade because they are conducting the physical proficiency test (IPPT) in the morning, and they don't want any of us to die of thirst. So tonight, they'll make us drink two bottles of water (2l) and hope we don't wet our beds. I was looking forward to passing the IPPT and getting $400, but they tell me I can't do the IPPT because I haven't gone for my Fit For Infantry (FFI) medical inspection, which is compulsory for all soldiers aged 35 and above. I tell them they didn't tell me to go for FFI, and they tell me they were supposed to write me a letter telling me to go to them for an FFI. They, are the all-knowing, all-powerful them. Source of all information, true and false. Last year, they said Stefanie Sun was gonna come to camp and sing for us. Last year, they also said we'd only have one ICT this year. This year, they tell us we're going to Australia for training next year. Every day in camp, they say there might be night off at night. Every week, they say we might go home on Friday night. Every once in a while, someone says it's been heard that they say National Service might be scrapped. Apart from the water parade and some Army evaluation (ATEC) of our battalion, we're not sure what else we'll be doing this week, and we're looking forward to them leaking bits of information and rumour. Last we heard was that they were making us do heliborne training as well as boat coastal hook assault. Quite busy, if it's all true. I've stocked up on my instant 3 in 1 milk tea and biscuits already, as well as a stack of women's magazines for the rest of the boys. (Cleo and Her World are very popular in my platoon). Who will keep us safe? (Live firing exercise dry run, Singapore 1990).

Surf stop: twenty-five seconds of silence