we have probably dreamed of being a hero; scoring the last minute goal that ends 50 years of hurt, or even diving to save a child from an oncoming bus. it has inevitably made some of us want to be somebody great.

but as age catches up with us and some of us become more knowledgable, we know it is physically impossible to be the next superman, batman or even wonderwoman. thats when we become realistic and try to achieve something that is within our grasp.

i can still vividly remember the time of my gruelling training program - track and field. no wine, no sex; where salad and meals with protein were the norm. to top it, trainings were twice a day and the heat was just unbearable. fatigue sets in and your vision gets blurry - you feel like giving up and yet you know you cant. you have already come thus far.

and when the day finally comes and your name is being called out over the PA. your heart starts to pump faster and you get excited. the adreanaline rush. the eagerness to just go out there and witness how much you have improved. and as you walk out to the track, the crowd roars and your friends cheer. just when you thought your heart rate was at it maximum, it upped again - and you can hear the beating ringing in your ears.

and when the gun goes 'bang', thats when you know its just the beginning.

As i watch, the waves from the shore look fun and almost innocent as they crest and then crash over on another. I can almost taste the salt in the air and watch little rainbows glisten through the prisms of the ocean's spray. The warm ocean water towards the shore is covered with ...

Wait, it is no more than just my little imagination. Over the past months, things have been happening for no rhyme or reason, absolutely no rhythm to its madness. Some worthy of us spending a few moments to savour the stupidity of the situation and yet some just a complete waste of time. It is my fourth week in Safti MI - Officer Cadet School and I am starting to get a feel the process of being an officer.

No doubt my knowledge of being a great officer is subtle, i am positive through all these gruelling training sessions and punishments will we be accustomed and prepared for the challenges up ahead. Call me an enthusiast, whatever, but i am trying to have a sanguine disposition to prepare myself for the next 8 months. Yes, you heard me; 8 months.

However in the course of serving my National Service, I have learned about and understood the behaviour of many people - some to my great amazement. There are those who forsake the logical and objective debate, more often than not, opting rather for emotions, generalizations and accusation.

'' I am not working with him because he... "
" Why do we have to do this when they... ''
'' It has to be him cause he was the last to... ''

And I am sure there's more to come.