After-nonsense review

I have finally gotten away from full-time national service and am now a normal unemployed citizen who has no schedules to follow nor obligations to fulfil. No exams, no money woes, no work, no more sleeping at 2am and waking up at 6am (sch), no more waking up at 6am a dead person and returning back home at 7pm having lived through nothing (army). No more CCAs on saturdays, no more weekends burnt, no projects, no need to interact with people I don't like to interact with.

I originally wanted to write an extensive summary of my army life here, as well as several arguments for and against hating the army. The latter I found myself unable to accomplish from more than a month ago, when I started to clear my offs and leave. I was temporarily a free man then so my intense feelings for the army fizzled out somewhat. The former would probably be done in time, when I have settled down from my trip to vietnam and my moving-of-house, or when memories waft back to me in the future the same way bits and pieces of my junior college life are coming back to me now.

Instead I have opted to write a short piece detailing how 1 year 10 months in the army has changed my life fundamentally. A few of these changes may seem minor, inconsequential even, but they belie the experiences I have had as a military serviceman and underline the far-reaching effects national service had on me.

1) I now clean my body first and clean my hair second when bathing. Previously it was the other way round. This is due to the grime-and-oil workshop environment which I had to pull through every day, from 745AM to 630PM.

2) I now eat my meals in a balanced way. Previously, if you have ever noticed, I would eat my all my vegetables first, then meat second, and the best pieces, be it egg or sausage or whatsoever (but never chicken), would be saved for last. This is an old childhood habit of mine, and it is a very important habit because it leads to my character itself: I like to go through adversity first then enjoy later. Army took this habit away from me because I would usually be ravished everytime I eat a meal in the cookhouse, and cookhouse vegetables are far from tasty. During those 1 year 10 months I found that I usually took to play first then work second, to the extent that I had to use massive amounts of willpower just to keep myself at my desk for half an hour just to do what I needed to do. Even now I'm still recovering, and the day I get back my self-discipline would be the day I eat all my vegetables first then meat second.

3) I am now less tolerant of people who shun their work and lie to their team mates. In the army I try my best to shy away from work too, but when the task was given and there was no way to escape I would do it. Only if there were no escape though. If not I wouldn't bother.

4) I now shun work given to me more skillfully.

5) I now detest responsibility and leading people even more. This also means greater intolerance to people who like responsibility and like leading people. I still respect leaders who take charge because they feel that having a leader is the most efficient way to go through an ordeal or win the game.

6) I now have keener eyesight to see through people.

7) I now appreciate the day a lot more. No freedom in army, work day in day out. I never got many chances to lie on the bed in the morning and listen to the radio.

8) I am now a number person. Bad news and last-minute changes don't affect me as much now. Some people call this resilience, or maturity. I think it's just a more developed sense of numbness to bad reality.

On top of the above I would like to mention that serving the nation has in no way inspired me to become more loyal to it. If anything it has compelled me to think that this country isn't such a nice place to be in after all. The way taxpayers' money is being spent is just one aspect of it. Point 2 also means that I haven't become a more disciplined and focused person, as opposed to what some people may say. In fact I have become less disciplined, less focused, and in short worse off a person than I was 1 year 10 months ago. I hate the army.