Enlistment Letter + Last CT session

THE ENLISTMENT ACT, (CHAPTER 93)
ENLISTMENT NOTICE (FULL-TIME/OPERATIONAL READY NATIONAL SERVICE)

1. You are hereby required under Section 10 of the Enlistment Act (Cap 93), to report for enlistment on 13 Dec 2007 (Thu) at 1:00PM to Basic Military Training Centre School 2.

As you did not attain the required NAPFA Test standard, you will be attending a 4-weeks (sic) Physical Training Phase Programme followed by 9-weeks (sic) Basic Military Training.

2. Please report to the unit at the address stated below for your full-time National Service.

Address: Basic Military Training Centre School 2, Pulau Tekong Besar, Singapore 508450

Incidentally, the notice to beginning of a new phase in my life was received on, arguably, the last day of the previous phase. (Yes, I know that we still have a Math revision lecture to attend on Tuesday and many more mock 'A'-Level papers to sit for) No doubt that I am excited about making new friends while stranded in some remote offshore island, the idea of penning down the last sentence of the current chapter -- on my 12 years of education in institutions that enforce discipline and make it mandatory for their students to wear uniforms -- saddens me.

I guess it's innate in us to want to cling on to our current status, no matter how forward-looking you may be, how positive you are when embracing the (unknown) future.
Like what I had written before (Click here to re-visit), we all have buffer solutions within us. We'll try everything to resist changes, but try as we might, we eventually will accept these changes.

And after two years, I probably would dread returning to civilisation.

Two years is actually a very short period of time. Literally within a blink of an eye, I am no longer a J1 boy who goes around the school cheering randomly with his orientation group mates. Instead, I am now a J2 young gentleman who goes around the school looking for friends who can answer his question on differentiation and integration.

That's why to some extent, I am a little glad that I will be serving a few extra weeks of National Service: to experience to FULL national service and enjoy a few more weeks than others should I find National Service a fun and memorable experience.

During the last CT session on Friday, my CT Miss Chua created powerpoint slides with her message for each one of us on it (she claims that she's better with the written language than the spoken). She also handmade little paper boxes using her incredible origami skills (even my origami book doesn't teach me how to fold a star-shaped box, complete with a cover) and inside it many colourful paper clips. Besides, each of us also received a bag of sweet wrapped with colourful felt. I was really touched by her efforts to personally hand-make all these things as our parting gifts. I understand that as a teacher, she has got a heavy workload, but nevertheless she still spent time and effort to make our last CT session a memorable and sweet one.

If last Friday's CT session were to be the conclusion of my current chapter of my life, it would certainly be the prettiest and the most beautiful full-stop I've ever had in my life story thus far.

To reciprocate her thoughtfulness, we sang her a belated birthday song to celebrate her birthday which happens to be on the day before. Despite our wrong pitching, the birthday song was still a catalyst to make her tear.

I seldom blog about details of my experiences, but if I were to do it, the event must be of significance to me.

Miss Chua just made it even harder for me to let go and establish a new social network in the jungles.

Kay Siong asked me what would I miss the most when I go to Tekong. I couldn't answer him then. I think after giving the issue much thought, I know I would miss my life as a student.

The only console, I think, after I enter NS would be the fact that I still get to wear uniforms. And maybe the enforcing discipline part.