They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. I say watching your diet keeps him at bay too. I’m supposed to be back in camp this morning but unfortunately I’m suffering from a bad case of gastric flu and a whole load of other symptoms. As far as I can recall, the last time I was so seriously ill was back in Basic Military Training days. I still remember that it was right after field camp and I return home with a high fever that spiked at 39.7 degrees Celsius. The doctor immediately placed me on 4 days medical leave.

However, the latest episode is a different matter. I think it all started on Monday when I booked in. As there wasn’t anything much for us, we headed to the mess for some after-dinner snacks in the evening. So for 2 consecutive days, I gobbled down $2 worth of fries each time. I didn’t think that it would do me much harm then. Wednesday came and we had yusheng as part of CNY celebrations. Back home, I devoured battered prawns and belacan fish for reunion dinner. It all seemed OK and I didn’t feel that I was going to fall ill any time soon. But the final straw probably came from the CNY goodies I ate when we went house-visiting. The temptation was just too great to resist. Prawn rolls, love letters, pineapple tarts, bak kwa, etc.

I neglected my stomach and now I’m suffering from the after-effects. And to think that I actually told myself that I’ll watch what I eat this CNY but I failed to do so. But if you can’t enjoy the food then, where’s the fun in it all? So, thinking back, I think it was such a bad bargain. At least I pampered myself before I actually fell sick. Nevertheless, I learnt another lesson this CNY and that is to control your diet – don’t overstuff yourself or you’ll probably end up like me!