Listen up soldier, face your weak head forward. You see those arms? Tiny! That stomach? Flabby! Those shoulders? Why don't they ache?

Of the many things that Splendour taught me, I most appreciated learning that my back pain could be controlled with dosages of Panadeine 15 and Bundy'n'Cokes. This combination doesn't actually remove the pain itself, nor is it medically recommended, but it does remove the connection from the pain to the brain. And it was then, as I actually enjoyed a set by Operator Please, that I knew I did not need to fear pain anymore.

This was an extremely vital realisation for me. Because, as anyone who has experience chronic back pain will attest, the fear of back pain exceeds the pain itself. This is a mental battle that saps a lot of energy, because every time you move, stretch or make plans you need to consider your back and internally reassure yourself that your back will be ok, every thing's under control.

What this pain killing instance taught me was that, given all the rehabilitation, habit changing and conditioning that I'd gone through in the past 12 months I was now at a stage that I could take extend myself physically and if there was pain I had the power to knock it out. I can't convince you how this has changed me. In the weeks following I have felt new again, like a man who could not walk healed. Then, as the sun began to rise earlier and warm longer and the flowers burst with colour, I realised it was now time to resume my life as it was on July 15, 2006. Because God did I miss that Brad. So, on August 26, a Sunday Evening, I welcomed myself back. With BULKTEMBER. I am one week into my 6 week extreme conditioning and bulking phase that will henceforth be the theme for this publication in the coming month. Testify!