Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Camp OUT
Days go by so quickly even I forget what day it is sometimes. Aren't we just ageing away whilst toiling daily in study, work and play? Are we really working towards any goal at all? Or are lives just enslaved into a pre-determined system created by society? Sometimes it just seems like my entire life has been dedicated to the absolute compliance of societal norms...
Nobody I know of thinks it's fabulous to be in the Army. It has never been a job that I would even consider, if not for the mandatory conscription. But for consolation, I treated it as a hiatus from the academic drudgery.
I supposed the dreadful stories that I've heard of from numerous untraceable sources had already imprinted in me the impression that the Army is a life-changing experience, where boys become men; softies transformed into macho guys. As I meandered through my secondary and JC days, I began to think of ways and means to avoid enlistment - to no avail. But I soon realized that I wasn't the only one feeling in trepidation of that fateful day. My friends (well, most of them) were totally going to freak out as well. Despite lots of farewell dinners and well wishes from one another and the girls, every male being within my social circle got enlisted successfully, with much reluctance and jittery. After approximately 2 years, all of us passed out from NS, fine and unchanged.
In the end, we did survived the ordeal and are once again, back to our daily activities. Oh heck.
Always being pessimistic of NS, I've never thought of anything good coming out of it. You spent your days snaking through forests exposing yourself to injury and infection; getting reprimanded for rules your mates break; sticking to the mundane crew cut hairstyle and sleeping on (for some) foam mattresses while serving as buffet for mosquitoes to feast upon at night. What's worst? Revolting menus.
Without a doubt, a few good things did came out of Army: New found buddies, fond memories of the good and not-so-good times and maybe, a wider range of expletives. KNNBCCB. Maybe that's the kind of life-changing experience people were talking about. Yes, I've learnt to cherish the air-con and my spring mattress and be less choosy of what I eat. Oh yeah, now I know what they mean when they say to go Sakura for a night of fun.
Whatever it is, life's good now that I'm out of that place. It's liberation. One wonders what becomes of those regular servicemen. So many more life-altering experiences to go through. No wonder the longer serving regulars look years wiser beyond their age.
Behind are those days. When the Army days are over, it's back to school. Pout.
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