Just a little deeper...
Guard duty...yes, that feared duty...super xiong....ok, maybe a little exaggerated, but xiong enough... 24hrs of sentry and prowling, its enough to wear you out for days to come.
But 2 hrs spent prowling alone with a fellow platoonmate can be rather interesting, to say the least. With the whole camp compound to walk around, that 2 hrs makes for some interesting conversation time. And it is true, that when people are away from the crowds, they open up more....and what lies beneath that tough exterior can be quite surprising, and touching...
I spent 48hrs of this week doing just that, guard duty...thanks to our PS's fantastic planning skills, Lawrence, Yew Keng and I were privilleged enough to do guard on Sunday, then again on Tuesday...fucking zai ... anyway, i went prowling with both of them and discovered quite abit about them, and about myself too.
The conversation topics were varied, but girls did dominate admitedly...i mean we are guys and 2 out of 3 of us are still single and searching. Boy was the conversation interesting, to have two completely different views on relationships.
Lawrence was telling me to fight for me happiness, to go after the girl that i love the most, regardless if she were attached. My point of view? Why break up a perfectly happy couple so that you can get all the happiness? I mean sure...many have heard this from many guys, if the girl is attached, they can always break up, if she's married she can always divorced, but i definitely beg to differ. I mean, whats the point in forcing yourself into the girl's life and then messing it up when you can't match up to her ideals? Wouldn't that disillusion everyone involved? Besides, i believe that if you truly love someone, you should set her free...if she doesn't come back to you then it's never meant to be. Cliche? Up to you, but yup, i do think that way. I also believe that if you truly love someone, you'd want that person to be happy, even if the person she's happy with isn't you. Romantic? I don't think so, it's just me...
Frankly, more and more i'm affirming the belief that i'm not your typical guy...or more specifically, i'm quite unlike the guys i'm serving alongside. I mean, look at my tastes for example. I prefer the classier, more elegant things in life...fine, snobbish of you like. Take cars...idea of a good ride for them? Mitsubishi Evolution...the latest prefably. Me? Latest ride that's caught my eye, Maserati Quattroporte. Stylish, elegant, sporty and yet functional. Worlds apart. As for girls? Their idea, or what i think is their idea of a great girl is a gal who's got huge boobs, slim figure and a pretty face. Me? I'd way rather go for personality and character. My view is more for the long term, if we end up married even, all the much better, if not the nice knowing you and the great times spent together. I just don't understand the craze about face value. It just seem's too superficial. I mean, faling for someone based on looks alone is pure madness. Looks last for only that long...when the facade fades, the what? Look for a new girl? That is so not me. Sure, looks do play a part in first impressions, but thats about it. I wouldn't go for a girl solely because of looks, its not fair to her.
Another thing that i learned on the prowls was how selfish i am. Chasing MY dream at my PARENT'S expense. Sure they don't mind, in fact they couldn't be happier about my career choice, namely to be a surgeon. But, it comes at a cost, a huge cost, one paid by my parents, not just me. To get to where i want to be, my parent's would have to work real hard to provide my finances for the next 7 yrs or so. Almost a complete decade.
Totally unlike me is Yew Keng. Beneath that tough facade lies a person relatively mature beyond his years. I've always wondered why he wanted to sign on, always so garang and all. To him, his life was either as a regular or as a hawker. At 18, i always feel that you have the potential to do alot more than that. Frankly it came to a point when i started to look down on his ambitions, not that it was the right thing to do, but i felt that he was throwing away his life before he even lived it. Had i known the story behind his decisions earlier i definitely would have took the view i currently have. For starters, his mum is a hawker and dad, a driver with HDB. They don't earn much and they've got 3 kids to feed, clothe and educate. His elder sis is currently in Uni and his younger brother is in JC, with aims to get into Uni, regardless of it being local or overseas. He, himself does not like to study, and he's clear about it. He's not going to waste his parent's hard earned money struggling through poly to have a shot at a diploma he doesn't want. He'd much rather bite the bullet and work now to lessen his parent's burden than to chase a dream. The realist in him knows that being a hawker is the most realistic long-term solution to all his parent's problems now. So, even though its a hard life, his willing to accept it and put himself through it for the sake of his parents. How filial and noble. I frankly never thought this kind of people still existed. I now have a new found respect for him.
But, with all said and done, i'm still en-route on my dream to be a surgeon. my 1yr anniversary in the army has just passed, so its just 1 more year to becoming a full-fledged law-abiding citizen again.
Out loud and altogether now: ! MORE YEAR TO ORD!!!!
But 2 hrs spent prowling alone with a fellow platoonmate can be rather interesting, to say the least. With the whole camp compound to walk around, that 2 hrs makes for some interesting conversation time. And it is true, that when people are away from the crowds, they open up more....and what lies beneath that tough exterior can be quite surprising, and touching...
I spent 48hrs of this week doing just that, guard duty...thanks to our PS's fantastic planning skills, Lawrence, Yew Keng and I were privilleged enough to do guard on Sunday, then again on Tuesday...fucking zai ... anyway, i went prowling with both of them and discovered quite abit about them, and about myself too.
The conversation topics were varied, but girls did dominate admitedly...i mean we are guys and 2 out of 3 of us are still single and searching. Boy was the conversation interesting, to have two completely different views on relationships.
Lawrence was telling me to fight for me happiness, to go after the girl that i love the most, regardless if she were attached. My point of view? Why break up a perfectly happy couple so that you can get all the happiness? I mean sure...many have heard this from many guys, if the girl is attached, they can always break up, if she's married she can always divorced, but i definitely beg to differ. I mean, whats the point in forcing yourself into the girl's life and then messing it up when you can't match up to her ideals? Wouldn't that disillusion everyone involved? Besides, i believe that if you truly love someone, you should set her free...if she doesn't come back to you then it's never meant to be. Cliche? Up to you, but yup, i do think that way. I also believe that if you truly love someone, you'd want that person to be happy, even if the person she's happy with isn't you. Romantic? I don't think so, it's just me...
Frankly, more and more i'm affirming the belief that i'm not your typical guy...or more specifically, i'm quite unlike the guys i'm serving alongside. I mean, look at my tastes for example. I prefer the classier, more elegant things in life...fine, snobbish of you like. Take cars...idea of a good ride for them? Mitsubishi Evolution...the latest prefably. Me? Latest ride that's caught my eye, Maserati Quattroporte. Stylish, elegant, sporty and yet functional. Worlds apart. As for girls? Their idea, or what i think is their idea of a great girl is a gal who's got huge boobs, slim figure and a pretty face. Me? I'd way rather go for personality and character. My view is more for the long term, if we end up married even, all the much better, if not the nice knowing you and the great times spent together. I just don't understand the craze about face value. It just seem's too superficial. I mean, faling for someone based on looks alone is pure madness. Looks last for only that long...when the facade fades, the what? Look for a new girl? That is so not me. Sure, looks do play a part in first impressions, but thats about it. I wouldn't go for a girl solely because of looks, its not fair to her.
Another thing that i learned on the prowls was how selfish i am. Chasing MY dream at my PARENT'S expense. Sure they don't mind, in fact they couldn't be happier about my career choice, namely to be a surgeon. But, it comes at a cost, a huge cost, one paid by my parents, not just me. To get to where i want to be, my parent's would have to work real hard to provide my finances for the next 7 yrs or so. Almost a complete decade.
Totally unlike me is Yew Keng. Beneath that tough facade lies a person relatively mature beyond his years. I've always wondered why he wanted to sign on, always so garang and all. To him, his life was either as a regular or as a hawker. At 18, i always feel that you have the potential to do alot more than that. Frankly it came to a point when i started to look down on his ambitions, not that it was the right thing to do, but i felt that he was throwing away his life before he even lived it. Had i known the story behind his decisions earlier i definitely would have took the view i currently have. For starters, his mum is a hawker and dad, a driver with HDB. They don't earn much and they've got 3 kids to feed, clothe and educate. His elder sis is currently in Uni and his younger brother is in JC, with aims to get into Uni, regardless of it being local or overseas. He, himself does not like to study, and he's clear about it. He's not going to waste his parent's hard earned money struggling through poly to have a shot at a diploma he doesn't want. He'd much rather bite the bullet and work now to lessen his parent's burden than to chase a dream. The realist in him knows that being a hawker is the most realistic long-term solution to all his parent's problems now. So, even though its a hard life, his willing to accept it and put himself through it for the sake of his parents. How filial and noble. I frankly never thought this kind of people still existed. I now have a new found respect for him.
But, with all said and done, i'm still en-route on my dream to be a surgeon. my 1yr anniversary in the army has just passed, so its just 1 more year to becoming a full-fledged law-abiding citizen again.
Out loud and altogether now: ! MORE YEAR TO ORD!!!!
posted by Timothy at 9/04/2004 10:43:00 PM
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