2009

In the blink of an eye, one full year has passed. My last post was written and published days before I handed in my pink IC and changed it for a green one. One that reminds me of my 'Military Personnel' status everytime I enter a club; everytime I play Left4Dead; everytime I open my wallet to explore its contents out of boredom. Surprisingly, while I find the two words cool, I feel a lot different when the 'personnel' it refers to is myself.

But this post is not about National Service. Like any other male person in Singapore, I can be a tad too whiny about still being in service and I can see myself boasting and gloating the very minute I ORD. All the more, this post is a summary of my year and the many changes that have taken place.

In February, I passed out from SISPEC and was posted to the Air Force. I rejoiced as my Infantry days were over. Being posted to the Air Force would allow me to learn some new and refreshing things, not just a bunch of ambush weapons and advanced techniques of cover and concealment, though I found all of the above quite fun. However, this newfound excitement was not to be longlived as I realised that my job in the Air Force was basically to ensure the security of the Base and to respond to any threats or intrusions. Sure, slightly different from what I've learnt so far, but utterly dull and boring as each day passed.

At the end of the year, all I can say about 2009 is that I've been blessed with the opportunity to have run into so many different situations that made me question why I even exist in this world. I now know how it feels to be doing a job you really don't want to be doing - that you're not even a little bit good at. I know how it feels to have everyone hate you. I know how it feels like to countdown the days to your girlfriend going away for studies. I know how it feels to not know what on earth to do with your life. I know how it feels to think that you know what you want to do with your life only to find out that you don't have the money to do it. I know how it feels like to have people around you who think like yourself. I know how it feels like to have people around you who think the exact opposite. I know how taking a train to Gemas from Singapura feels.

But most importantly, I know how it feels to have 9 more months to go in the military so that I can just move on with my life - whatever kind of life that may turn out to be.