My brother went to OCS at Jurong area on Monday. On Sunday, he was so nervous, & scared he can’t make it in OCS, as he heard it is very shiong (tough). My parents & I sayang him, gave him moral support & encouragement. He even asked my mum for a hug. He didn’t ask me though.. -_- Probably because I had hugged him few times that day. I guess they will train them like hell, give them little sleep, etc. e green army bag he carries on his back.. e width is twice e size of his skinny waist. How he can manage to march with this bag together with all e accessories like helmet, vest, etc, is beyond my imagination. His luggage.. I doubt I can carry it for more than 3 meters.

Hope he can have good buddy mates, as he heard that mostly everyone is competitive, self-centered, and selfish.. & act for e sake of acting.. so fake. Wow.. I guess its just like office politics, or high sch days. I told him to try to be independent, because u can’t always rely on ur buddy all e time. & he might backstab u, if he is not a gd person. I added that we are always there for him, though not physically, but mentally & emotionally. Use instinct to know who is fake & who is not, & do not trust so readily, or be naïve. We adviced him not to over-push himself too hard, if cannot do e arduous task then don’t force himself. NS is just one of e hurdles in life. Life is way, way much more important & precious, than e risk of over-pushing oneself, and getting hospitalized.. or.. ehh.. ok, I will skip this point.

My bro doesn’t seem to want OCS , but of course.. can’t be transferred to elsewhere, no choice. Have to do what you have to do & just get this over and done with. Time flies pretty fast, & soon, e harsh training will be over. My parents and I cared much more about e process, journey involved.. like e training, e sleep, e food, his health, etc, and not really care much about e prospects or results. Usually people comment that being an officer has good prospects, good future. But how about e process, e tough journey? It involves emotional distress, worries, on a daily basis for us. I would not be surprised if my hair turns white at this time next year.

I believe each life is priceless, & everyone of us is unique in our own way. As a parent wrote in e Straits Times forum.. “ We offer u our sons, it is only right that they are returned to us safe & sound after their National service.” I agree with that statement, & I applaud it heartily.