4 MORE WEEKS

I am 4 weeks away from enlistment. What will I miss most? I guess it will be the freedom that I have come to enjoy. Freedom to do what I want, when I want. Honestly, I can't fathom the thought of seeking permission to buy a drink. *cringes* The last time I did that was in.. CLT course? No, maybe Part A (that's the equivalent of Sec 1 for those unfamiliar with NCC terms), when we cringe and tremble whenever those nasty Part Ds (Sec 4) appear.

Me: "I wonder what we have to touch today."
Sgt Eric: "Touch that tree and come back, Go!"
Us: "Ah!"
Sgt Eric: "Can't move together as a platoon, right? See the pole there? Touch and come back!"
Us: "Damn that Lim Jia."

In short, we were ducklings at their mercy.

Over the years, I am confident, most of the people from my batch have become physically and mentally stronger. Most. A double-edged sword actually. Comparing sec 1 and now, the fitness level is a no fight. The sgt wants 20 push ups? We give you. 20 sit ups? We give you too. 8 chin ups? Why do you want so many things from us? Hahaha. Flipside? When I was in sec 1, I took instructions, mostly without thinking. The roar of the pimply-face SSG, with his saliva splashing wildly, believe me, you won't want to go against his instructions (remember that fat-ass staff we had? I wonder where he is now). You could say fear encapsulated us. In addition, age played a part. The seniors were mostly 3 years older.

Fast forward to the present. I believe most of my Sgts in BMT are NSFs too, straight out of ASLC perhaps (I'm guessing on this part)? I say 19-21 years of age? I won't bet on them being younger than me. I am, after all, 1 year behind most people. At 21, having gone through some life-challenging experiences, I am lying if I say I absolutely accept whatever comes my way. Imagine, some 1990-born kid starts screwing us (whatever platoon I end up in) for something *absurd? Abit hard to tahan. No wonder they came up with the term "suck thumb"!

Alright, I understand everyone is just doing their job, serving 2 years of his time, and back to normal life after that. I just hope I don't get absurd instructors who takes joy in making others miserable. And if I do (unfortunately), I can pull off the "suck thumb" thing till my POP.

*Specifically, I don't know what goes under "absurd", but having heard some stories from my weekend buddies, I think it's ludiculous. On this, I have to check with edwin again. Hahaha.