Genesis!

You don't really hope for much anything great when you wake up with a stuffy nose. The only good thing I did was to sleep early the night before. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have had such a good sleep and recovered marginally. I still felt miserable, but that was all to change as I made me way to my so-called new unit back in Sembawang Camp.

When I reached, first thing we had was the unit induction interview. Went well, felt flattered because while I was asking about IPPT, the S1 said I looked fit. But then he concurred with me that looks can be deceiving. I did not want either of us to develop on the topic.

After another long lunch, we had what is known as transport leader's day. It wasn't some rule-rapping session by the RSM as I thought it would be. Instead, it was an annual convention for transport leaders and commanders in the transport community to meet and sit for talks and dialogues with key appointment holders. I found every moment of it useful. At the end of the day, I was left with this impression that although we as transport leaders claim we have no pride, most of it is an attitude that we've left to breed within us through the generations. It's become innate to view ourselves as negatively, which I find absurd. Nobody goes to a place they are not proud to be in. And I certainly did not become a transport supervisor so that I look down upon myself. That's self-condemning, and extremely dangerous to the esteem and to one's effectiveness and productivity. Ultimately you fall into a trap where you become absolutely worthless, not just as a matter of perception, but in reality. I don't care if I'm a non-combatant and I don't care if my pay is low. I'll do my job nonetheless as long as I'm in NS.

People scorn me for being so siao on. It's not true. If given the chance and a really really large temptation, I wld skip the whole NS experience and do something more pertinent to my life's future. But now that I'm here, why don't I just do my best? There's nothing to lose and all to gain. I become a better person and get more mature (just like what all the girls in uni say their post-NS friends are). I have no regrets being in the army.

After the meeting adjourned, I learnt my new posting. I no longer make my way to Sembawang every morning, but somewhere closer to home. Khatib, home of the gunners! A new life awaits me, and I love new beginings because it's a time to put the old behind me and aspire to do new things. I'm going to learn new things there for sure, and now I gotta give it my best second shot at passing IPPT or no sergeant rank. There's more at stake now, I feel. Although I failed it in BMT, I can't do it now or it'll be terribly humiliating!

Never mind, I'm so glad with the posting results!