Although it was only a 4-day work week for us, it seemed an eternity. Even though I was only around for 2 days, I could see the lethargy and fatigue in many faces. While I was on medical leave on Tuesday and Wednesday, the others worked their guts out for the Change Of Command ceremony and parade. When I returned on Wednesday night at about 10, they didn’t even have their last parade yet.

Thursday was another hectic day as we carried out preparations for the upcoming Thailand trip. After the COC parade in the morning, we got down to work as we prepared the Ops boxes which we use to pack the equipment that we plan to bring over. It took the whole day to get some of the boxes repaired, to organize the stuff and put them into the right boxes. But at least there was nights out for those who had dates to attend to on Valentine’s night.

Then Friday arrived. Besides preparing for next week’s evaluation, we also had to continue with the Thailand trip preparations. As usual, it’s the same old story as the vehicles arrive late while the majority didn’t even turn up at all, leaving us to book out late on Friday and more work on Monday as we face an increasingly tight deadline.

Therefore, sometimes it’s not that we want to do things at the very last minute, but there’s simply too much to do that leaves us with no choice. It’s not that we don’t take the initiative to help others who are in need but we’re actually too caught up in our work that prevents us from offering our hands. In fact, judging by the situation and look at it from different perspectives, it might bring you to the realization that perhaps it’s not us who are refusing to lend a hand, but that in the first place, there’s no necessity.