And the Winner is....

Months of inactivity and generally keeping busy with the better half. Though the thought of going back for In-Camp Training right after the Chinese New Year holidays wasn't all that appealing, much less going back for the much dreaded Stage 2 evaluation.

I had rushed to finish and hand over what work I had prior to that (I at least want my short holiday to be undisturbed) and the buildup to the exercise wasn't as smooth as one would like it to be. It was afterall, a 3-week affair.

Granted, the first week was kinda slack as we brushed up on the planning and SOPs. And then a quick pep-talk by our out-going Div Comd. Interesting conversation though:

Div Com: So, which is the best company?

(A, B, C OCs all quiet)

Div Com: No one wants to answer? Where's the Scouts?

Me (Scout PC): [Hong gan....] Sir, Scouts are the best! (What else you expect me to say?)

Div Com: Really? Good to hear that because I agree you have to be the best in order to serve the rest of the Battalion well. So let's do this one more time, which is the best company? (Think half expecting all the OCs to take my lead and claim the title)

B OC: Sir, I think all of us are quite equal. Have to remain humble (smile)

Div Com: Good. I agree humility is good but I also want you to have confidence in your own men. So C, which company do you think is the best?

(My OC Support company slides up to empty chair beside me hiding behind the other staff officers)

OC Support: Support Company!

(Everyone laughs)

We went on and slugged it out for the evaluation, us scouts having to move out an extra 24hours ahead and losing more of our blood to the jungle commandos. It was sheer torture having to bash through the vegetation and struggling to find a way through the swampy areas. I almost gave up during the first night from exhaustion after being on the move for 4 hours straight and carrying too much weight I believe. In the end, we managed to get a fairly high rating for our efforts. Two of the scout teams managed to earn a name for themselves by adopting an aggressive posture instead of retreating when encountering an enemy OP (but sadly, they both got "KIAed" and I think we lost some points on that) but clearly our CO was quite impressed and approved of the teams' spirit.

Coincidentally, our Battalion was named the best NS Infantry Battalion of the Division for the previous work year, taking over from the "retiring" Battalion. Not a bad experience though. Not bad at all.

The writer is still recovering from the many bites and scars from that traumatic 3 weeks.

How the Internet Started

How the Internet started

A revelation with an Incredibly Big Message (IBM):

Well, you might have thought that you knew how the Internet started, but here's the TRUE story ....

In ancient Israel , it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot.

And Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg. Indeed, she was often called Amazon Dot Com.

And she said unto Abraham, her husband: "Why dost thou travel so far from town to town with thy goods when thou canst trade without ever leaving thy tent?"

And Abraham did look at her - as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said: "How, dear?"

And Dot replied: "I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale, and they will reply telling you who hath the best price.

And the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS)."

Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. And the drums rang out and were an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever having to move from his tent.

To prevent neighboring countries from overhearing what the drums were saying, Dot devised a system that only she and the drummers knew. It was called Must Send Drum Over Sound (MSDOS), and she also developed a language to transmit ideas and pictures - Hebrew To The People (HTTP)

But this success did arouse envy. A man named Maccabia did secret himself inside Abraham's drum and began to siphon off some of Abraham's business. But he was soon discovered, arrested and prosecuted - for insider trading.

And the young men did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung.

They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Sybarites, or NERDS.

And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to that enterprising drum dealer, Brother William of Gates, who bought off every drum maker in the land.

And indeed did insist on drums to be made that would work only with Brother Gates' drumheads and drumsticks.

And Dot did say: "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others."

And Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel , or eBay as it came to be known. He said: "We need a name that reflects what we are."

And Dot replied: "Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators." "YAHOO," said Abraham. And because it was Dot's idea, they named it YAHOO Dot Com.

Abraham's cousin, Joshua, being the young Gregarious Energetic Educated Kid (GEEK) that he was, soon started using Dot's drums to locate things around the countryside. It soon became known as God's Own Official Guide to Locating Everything (GOOGLE).

And that is how it all began.

Truuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuly!!!

Turning the page

Dear friends,

If I still have many of you left, that is. Today marks the last page of a chapter in this not-so-awesome story. I doubt the suspense and drama has killed you yet nor left you begging for more so I'll cut it short. Another story is about to begin.

Stay tuned.