Well now, this is the end of the decade, and the beginning of a new one, as they say. Which actually brings up an interesting point, shouldn’t the decade starts with the year ending in 1, and ends with the year ending in 0? If that is the case, the decade should end in 2010, instead of 2009.
Whatever is the case, a new year is upon me. The feeling I have now of the new year is best described as what I termed ‘The SOC Feeling‘. The SOC here means ‘Standard Obstacle Course’. Back when I was serving my nation for 2 1/2 years, we had to complete regularly this Standard Obstacle Course. We put on our uniforms, boots, helmet, our webbing, and our M16. We run 700m, followed by eleven obstacles, after which it is another 800m run to the end. The SOC was simply a torture, a case of mind over body. No matter how fit one was, one is bound to go through pain. While the Individual Physical Proficiency Test was to gauge how fit one was, the SOC was to gauge how much pain one can endure.
The SOC Feeling came during the initial few months of my 2 1/2 years. We had to complete the SOC within a certain time period, and if we do not make it, we are to remove 1 item of our gear, rest for a few minutes, and go through the entire SOC again within another time period. And if we still do not complete it within the time period, we are the remove another item of our gear, rest for a few minutes, and go for our third SOC for that morning and so on. Suffice to say, most people cannot even clear the obstacles during the second SOC. And we do this 5 times a week, for a few weeks. The SOC Feeling is the feeling that I get, when I am waiting for my turn to run the SOC. It is like having millions of butterflies in the stomach, knowing that I will embark on a journey that will subject my body and mind to perverse pain. And wishing that I was at the end of the SOC instead.
2010 will be like running SOC every day. Many challenges, many obstacles, and much pain. 2010 will be a year where my mind, my body and my soul will be subjected to abuse and pain. As the year 2010 begins, I am like waiting for my turn to run the SOC, with the dreaded and familiar SOC Feeling. And wishing the year 2010 will end already.
