Hi! I revised some sections that are now archived or irrelevant.
- Rayson from the future (2026)
Hi everyone! I’m back to blogging after a long break. I’m definitely more excited to write once again and share with you what to expect next for this blog.
Bye NS
On 3rd Nov 2021, I’ve officially ORD-ed! It feels bittersweet honestly. Whilst I celebrate the return of my own freedom and sovereignty, somehow I still miss the place and the people I’ve came across. One thing for sure though - I won’t do it again.
tears of joy now…
Image source
Although 1 year 10 months don’t seem a lot as compared to 2 - 4 years of school, the many different experiences made NS feel like a long, long time. In my previous post, I’ve already took a trip down memory lane, so I won’t want to rehash the same stories over again.
Instead, I’ll like to give my final thoughts about my experience and my overall view of NS. I think this will give a proper closure to another phase of life before moving forward to bigger things.
My ReflectioNS…
Not everything is fair
Well I used to compare a lot to friends who had an easier time in NS. Then I kept asking why me? I really felt like shit over how unfortunate I was . Once I accepted that nothing isn’t going to be fair in NS and in life in general, I realised that I could move on faster.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
- Theodore Roosevelt
HAHA literally
While I don’t think we can ever stop comparing, I think we should reframe comparison as an opportunity to learn from other people and continue focus on playing the cards we’ve dealt with.
Don’t get personal for too long
When things go wrong in the army, it’s easy to self-sabotage and spiral into negative self-talk. Then I realised it’s no different in the real world. Mistakes and harsh feedback from managers or mentors are inevitable. But I guess the beauty of all this chaos is still having control over my response to these circumstances. Learning to have the resilience to not let my mistakes define me and still possess the courage to take another shot. I think it’s an invaluable trait having the emotional maturity to fail forward.
The End…
Whilst NS has taken my precious time and freedom away, I’m glad to have met great people, receive a liveable allowance and enjoy free medical benefits along the way.
11B POWER LAH!
Of course, everyone’s NS experience will be different. For those serving/about to serve, may you find the best friends, best memories, best experience. The best advice I can give is to go in with an open mind.
And for those who stuck on this far even though NS is a foreign concept to you, I sincerely hope you found some insights that are beneficial to you.
Game plan
Wow, two years have past since I enlisted… NS really took away a huge bulk of time huh? At least now I get to enjoy the longest break in my entire 20 years being alive — not just your typical year-end holidays but almost a gap year! While I still can cherish this precious time to myself, here’s a concise summary of the plan ahead for 2022 in just 4 points:
1. Only post about NS stuff
ORD LOH! Where got time for NS already? Yes this post serves as a closure. I understand not everyone reading this is an NSF or NSman. I also don’t want to be that one guy who keeps talking on and on about NS. While NS might be a common topic to share with guys, I’ll hate it if conversations mainly revolve around time in the army. It’ll be great to move on to more engaging and inclusive conversations that everyone — guys and girls that do not serve — can relate as well.
2. Season 2 Blogging release date TBC???
To date, I don’t have any plans to develop this blog further for these coming months. I just felt like blogging in view of ORD and the new year. Otherwise this blog will pretty much remain on an OTOT (own time own target) basis i.e. I post whenever I feel like it :) . Hopefully, I will have a clearer idea of what to do with this blog… but I don’t know when will that be.
3. Focusing on other interests
So with the blog becoming mostly inactive, for the rest of this break, I will be spending it on furthering my interests related to music, fitness and food. Big plans ahead…!
Other 20%? Just time for myself to explore new things and to also enjoy and relax before living the student life again. Activities like volunteering, personal finance and IT are areas that I’m looking into now. And when wanderlust strikes, I’m definitely travelling!
4. Social media presence
Honestly I’m not sure about this one? I don’t really spend much time on social media, but when I do, I post good stuff. Seriously, I probably share my journey once in a while. Look forward to that!
Thanks for reading. Wish you all a Happy New Year!
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