In Continuum.

Night Life

Allow me to give you a little description of what happens in my camp at midnight,and of course the area around it.Or rather,what really(or should)happen in an ordinary night life in Keat Hong Camp.

It's all quiet,usually after lights off.All is silent,save for a few fitness fanatics still jogging around the compound around eleven at night.At the gate the sentry guards,holding their SAR 21 rifles dozing off while standing there,fighting with the Z monster.The toads,hiding in the bushes and shrubs,composing strange verses of songs not understood by the prowlers strolling around the perimeter of the complex,while the crickets chattered away in the trees,with the puddles of water around those still warm to the sun,now long retired behind the western skies.

Serene,is a common thing in my camp at night.You can say that after lights off,you can find more cheer in a graveyard.Indeed,the only thing we have more of here in camp after light off is perhaps the lights all around.A little more on the lights,a little less on the cheerfulness of human populated community.

Lately however,the night life of Keat Hong Camp has been rather different.In fact,i reckon the night life around the whole of Singapore has been rather different.Two words: World Cup.Those two words have driven the whole world into a uproar,into this bloody football frenzy.People have been staying up late just to catch their favourite teams battle it out on the field with a single ball,kicking that around with each other.Others,injecting a little more excitement value to the whole game,decided to bet half(or sometimes,all)their pay on a single match.Either gaining everything,or losing everything.Some cheered,some wept.Some got insomnia,while others plotted ways to kill themselves.Really,those things happened around me in real life,and bullshit you i do not.

So,in Keat Hong Camp it is not different.Bunch of guys would gather in the rest room,and even after lights off it's not uncommon to find people still lingering around the television set,cheering for their favourite teams with blankets wrapped around their bodies and bags of potato chips scattered on the table.

I've never promoted myself as a very sporty person.Not to mention soccer,of course.But considering the fact that the World Cup happens once every four years,it really is hard to resist the beauty of it all.For some reason the insomniac inside of me is back,and ive been finding myself tossing and turning in bed without actually falling asleep at all.Sometimes i would wake up in the middle of the night,look around and find the bunk half empty,because those people who used to occupy those beds are in the rest room catching a football game.

I dont blame the soccer matches for my insomnia though.It really are my thoughts,just bouncing around at the wrongest times.Also,the fear of actually falling sleep,terrified by the dreams i have been having lately,which i would elaborate later on.Anyway,so yesterday night i decided to crawl out of bed and down to the rest room to catch the England Vs. Trinidad match.

To my surprise a bunch of people were already stationed before the television set,while a mini-soccer match was going on at the empty space behind the rows of sofas,between two teams of three equiped with a mini soccer ball.It was half time,and i jumped into the sofa next to Benjamin Horn,who at that time was suffering from insomnia as well.Just as i was about to settle down in my seat for the second half of the game to start,my blood froze and my heart stopped bounding as i caught sight of Sgt. Eddie sitting at the edge of the seats.But then again,i thought to myself.Since he's here and not saying anything,he obviously doesnt give a shit that the bunch of us are here after lights off,watching a World Cup match,right?So when Lt. Melvin came in and shouted at us,the sight of Sgt. Eddie sort of backed him off,which had me and Benjamin grabbing at our sides,laughing our heads off.

The match was excruciatingly boring.I mean,what was up with England in the first half of the second half?I'm glad i didnt sit through the first half,because nobody actually scored anything then.I wonder how the rest of the crowd sat through that,without any signs of moulds or decay going on.It was a sleep incurring match indeed,and for a moment there i was actually glad that i was finally going to fall asleep.

Then then 82nd minute came,they finally scored with a header.Everybody cheered,and the whole rest room trembled under the ferocious screaming of crazy England fans.I was part of the lunatics,climbing on top of tables,jumping around and high-fiving each other without actually being a crazy soccer fan myself.How strange,that i actually went esctatic over a ball going into a giant net.

Anyway,later on England scored again.This time we cheered even louder,and according to Jonathan who was sleeping at that time,the same type of cheer was heard all the way from Cougar and Archer the same.Guess everybody agreed that England was going to win then,and the bunch of us went crazy again,dancing around in circles shouting "Goal!Goal!Goal!" over and over.Haha,it was fun in a very stupid way,and though it didnt help me get to sleep afterwards,it sure made the life in Keat Hong,the night life in particular,particularly fun.