My Daily Roti Kopitiam - NS for Everyone?

Above: My company flag, designed by yours truly.

In this moment of boredom, where I am lazing about at home today.....and possibly the next 2 months, I began to think. It is in moments of boredom that ideas are thought out, memories are recaptured. It was in a moment of boredom that Sir Isaac Newton bothered to figure out why an apple fell to the ground instead of up into the air, in a moment of boredom that Gregor Mendel decided to make plants have sex instead of doing his daily routine of watching nuns. Unlike them, I was bored of burning bugs that I find around the compound or feeding guppies to my dogs, so I rested on the reclining chair and began to hypnotise myself. In this moment of boredom, memories of my stint at national service, or NS started to come back.

Above: "I smell fear"

    God damn I thought, I miss those 3 months like hell. I remembered the 1st day I knew I was going to what I thought would be hell at that particular moment. It was at my chemistry tuition and someone decided to kill the boredom by finding out who will be going to hell. I decided to join in and I was one of a few there that were the unlucky ones, or we thought we were. 1st day at camp was hell, so was the 2nd day and so were the 5 or more days after that. I hardly knew more than 3 people there. The following 2 and a half months were one of the greatest moments of my life that I will cherish forever. I remembered the moments of hardship and friendship. I learnt lessons there, how to iron my clothes, hand wash my clothes, how to not get my stuff stolen after my phone was and of course how to kill flies with a rubberband. NS was fun, the friends that I made and not to mention some enemies. Ah..and the tears everyone shed on the last day. After the stint, I felt sad instead of what I thought how I was going to feel 3 months prior. NS was great and till this day I believe that I was in fact lucky to be chosen to participate in this one in a life time experience while others who laughed at me for being chosen didn't get to go. In the end, I got the last and the loudest laugh.

Above: Not exactly like Auschwitz is it??

    Anyway, thinking about NS, I remembered our gov's plan on making NS compulsory for every teenager and for once I thought that the gov will be doing something right if the plan is to be implemented. I remembered when the idea of NS was first brought up, people complained that it's another waste of the rakyat's money. But actually, I think it will only be better if NS is made compulsory. Perceptions were changed, I've heard so many parents of NS-ers that have praised the programme for being so good at disciplining their children. Children came back and knew how to wash their clothes on their own and wash dishes etc. Also, I saw with my very own eyes that barriers between teens of different races were broken, everybody worked together, slept together and bonded together. It was wonderful. Of course there are bound to be troublemakers, but in the real world troublemakers are inevitable and it only makes one stronger by learning how to deal with the challenges that they will be facing once they are out into the real world.

Above: Pray that you will be chosen and you shall.

    Think about it then, if every teen were to go to NS, so many lives would be changed, so many paths straightened and so many barriers would be broken. Unity among people of different races would be stronger and the future of our country would be brighter. Therefore, gov, if you are listening, make NS compulsory for everyone in this country. Many need help, NS is one way and what a damn good way to help them. For those that have just finished their exams and are thinking of giving excuses like bad health or studies to try to avoid NS if you are chosen, I think you're an imbecile. I promise you, tears will come out of your stubborn eyes, even the worst people among all come the day when all of you throw your berets into the sky, and I've seen all that with my own eyes.