like all phases in life, there is bound to call for the curtains and mark the end of a chapter. undoubtedly, celebrations are called for, and thoroughly deserved. however, there is something i know for sure when the curtain falls, and when we all move forward in life, there is definitely reminiscence.
the word is often related to good or positive times. however, there are occasions whereby an initial judgement was negative, but upon looking back, you realise perhaps everything wasn't so bad afterall. (having said that, there are some things i'll definitely not miss. those experiences of immense displeasure and disgruntlement, i will never forget, nor take back my words, but they 'll remain as good learning experiences)
forget about the bad. but the good. or just the plain routines. they will be missed.
i went through tough times in bmt. but somehow, i still miss the ferry, the heavy weight on my shoulders, the songs, when the cold wind blows, the intense physical training, the 'communal' living conditions, the looking out for one another, the smell of mud, the stupidness in rushing to wait, and waiting to rush, the sweetness of booking out, the preciousness of book out hours, the yearning for loved ones and the shaved head. honestly, i enjoyed bmt. it's harsh in a way, but it's something you will never ever get elsewhere. recruits have a life filled with anxiety and fear, but it's also nice sometimes to rid of all responsibilities and follow instructions. i can do that, and i did that well. but apparently, they wanted me to give instructions, so..
ocs. was scary. the building itself is intimidating enough. i didn't enjoy the start of ocs as much. there were so much more fear and expectations. i was afraid of putting one step wrong and get kicked out. it was tough as well especially since i've met some weird people at the beginning. it was strange. i never felt at home. i started to come into contact with people of extreme personlities and was quite lonely at that time. i felt i was fighting all by myself. despite all that, i'll miss jurong point. hahaha. i'll miss going there for dinner with my family just before book in in my 'penguin' attire, the white shirt and black pants. the long walk or march in to wingline was so peaceful yet eerie.
then came aftc. i was glad to have normal people with me. finally after 3 months, i felt a sense of belonging. a bunch of good guys with a similar goal and mentality as trainees. i will miss the thai officer i took care of for 7 months (maybe not so much, but a good encounter), the chicken cutlet w fried rice (omg, it's god-like legendary), the happy hours,the freedom we had after 6pm, the first parades, the somewhat useless but useful 5bx (5 basic exercises plus run) every 5.55am, our classroom 2-11, our hangar, my signal sets!, the cookhouse, the insane pull up regime, the ridiculous soc, the stabbing incident which was how i got my 'slicer' callsign, the pre-summex, summex, all the exhaust we breathed in, the times trapped in awkward positions in our vehicles when it was raining, the manpacks which i was always the one with a 60kg load, the rooftops we slept on, the extreme sleep deprivation, the extreme fasting fiesta, the extreme bonding we've achieved. people laughed at us, despised us and said air force doesn't go through shit. i can safely say, i went through shit, deserving of the commisioning on 15 jan 11. and that wasn't enough, heavens cried on our batch. we stood firm in the downpour, couldn't throw our peak caps, but commisioned successfully.
posted to unit and was in for a culture shock. it was nothing like our training. to make things worse, we had even more to learn. additional operations, duties, appointments, taskings. there is one thing i'll definitely miss: my bunk. it was like my personal retreat haven, so comfortable and memorable. i remember first walking into it as if walking into a jungle. i spent the build up to cny cleaning the room all by myself with the company of cny songs. i will miss chong pang market. it's like a mini chinatown during cny and on any other day it's an escapade from military life. i will miss the sambal fried rice, the chicken cutlet bee hoon, the teh, the flexibility of my job, my desk, the freedom of my job, northpoint nights out, 2lt nights, chong pang nasi lemak, haha even audit period. i'll somehow miss duties, because it'll be when you realise tv is your best friend. but more importantly, i will miss the people, not all, but certain people. my boss, my guys, even the cleaning auntie. i had a preview of office jobs, and i have to say i kinda enjoyed it, and will miss it. but not 8hr long meetings definitely!
people might comment how ns is a waste of time, stupid, useless etc. however, there are those who really benefitted from it. i'm one. i've learnt so much within this 2 years, and sometimes i wish everyone had this opportunity to go through what i went through, to learn what i learnt, to become a better person than before. perhaps suffering isn't that bad, because you get to appreciate every other joy you had. when you complain about not having shoes, think about those without legs. we lead lives of comfort and convenience, we sometimes forget those in misery and suffering. we might not be able to help them, but the least we can do is appreciate what we have and not live in anger and hatred.
ok i know that's abit off the topic, but i did indeed learn to appreciate every small thing. my bed, clean water, sufficient food, availability of transport, companionship even shelter and clean air. it has been a valuable 1 year 10 months, and yesterday marks the end of it. to sum things up, ns was tough but very rewarding, if i were given a choice to turn back time and choose whether to do it again, i would.
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