2010

A NEW year, a new beginning.

That's what it is suppose to feel. However, somehow, the transition between last year to this year did not feel as significant as I thought it should have.

Partly because I'm still serving national service and the intense negativity associated with being trapped in a regimental institution killed the feeling. The lost of freedom felt like a heavy chain to the ankles that destroyed any wish to fly up into the clouds and accomplish dreams.

Back track a little to put my present situation into record.

I got enlisted for National Service (NS) on the 6th of October 2009 into Ninja Company at Basic Military Training School 2 (BMTC2) for my Basic Military Training (BMT). I stayed there for 9 weeks and passed out as a trained soldier on 8th of December 2009.

After which, I got posted to School of Infantry Specialists(SISPEC) for Basic Section Leader Course (BSLC). I've survived 2 weeks there and as this post is being written, I'm awaiting my booking in at 2100hrs for my 3rd week there. The course is 8 weeks long and after the course, I'll be posted for further training of another 13 weeks before I'll be promoted to a third sergeant rank.

From then on, my military life will be about leading men assigned under my lead into missions for the rest of the 1 year and 2 months.

My life will begin again on the 5th of August 2011 which is my Operationally Ready Date(ORD), when I'll return to my civilian life and release one of the 2 heavy chains secured to my ankle. Depending on how I perform during my service, I'll need to reserve periodically during a period of 10 to 15 years after my ORD before my Run-Out Date (ROD) which marks the end of my national service life. After which, I'll be truly free.

Most SIngaporeans do not like serving the nation in this forceful manner. But many propaganda has been put into place to appease the resentment. The wastage of almost 2 years for a man with big dreams is cruel. To add onto the lost of time, that man is put through a torture-some regime of mental and physical training.

The thought of being in NS is detrimental enough to kill any motivation to think about the future. With unpredictable regimental duties to perform and uncertainty that you'll be able to survive the trainings, it is demoralizing.

However, as I used to say, we determine how we will live our lives. If I decide that NS is going to destroy me, it definitely will. But if I decide that NS is an opportunity for me to exploit the government, for me to get something for free, it helps to alleviate the suffering I'll have to go through. It is time inevitably given to the country, why not make full use of it and get the most out of it.