reflections

Hey people,
Just thought I should post something here, to share some reflections and thoughts. Its been 2 years since graduation, and I guess many of us have gone on different paths - from enlisting into army to studying in universities and Shatec. Well, it would be interesting if everyone can share their experiences here and update others on what they might have missed out. Haha, this is a suggestion by Chen Jing, and she thinks that I should start the ball rolling as the CT rep. I wonder if any people still come and visit this blog, but anyways, here goes:

My 2 years in army is coming to a close, and I must admit I've grown pretty much used to in-camp life. Though army life is perhaps tough and hard to adapt to, I think most of us would agree that it serves a definite purpose. Not only does it train up a capable defence force, but it also moulds boys into men. Personally, I feel that I have grown much during these while, and saw a whole spectrum of the society which I was shielded from during my 12 years of academic life. Some of my men come from very diverse family backgrounds, and have a whole range of problems - family, financial, relationship, medical. It is an eye-opener seeing these problems for myself, and almost impossible to experience what they actually feel. Speaking to them through those interviews and trying to provide advice is something I've learnt to do, but their problems are often rather complicated and not so easily resolved. While it might be easy to turn empathetic and feel for these individuals, that is perhaps never the point. Instead, it is encouraging to see many of them who could carry on with their training with great resolve and positive attitude despite their problems. Simple things like the smiles on their face are things that motivate me to go on and fulfil my roles as their PC.

Well, during the past year, I've also done many silly things that I would look back and laugh at in the future. My feel about this is that we're young only once and there are certain things that we should try while we are still capable. For one, I've tried walking from Pasir Ris to Suntec in slippers with four other friends because we could not fit into a taxi. The irony of it all was that all 5 of us managed to get onto a taxi at 530 in the morning at Suntec. The whole trek took us five plus hours, and a great deal of resolve, but we would simply laugh it off whenever we look back. Well, on the more serious note, my piece of advice for everyone is - dun be afraid to think big, and do not hold back from your dreams. Be clear of what you want in your life, and go about achieving them in whatever small steps each day. Be it to run your first ever marathon or to pick up a new hobby, be positive and take the neccessary steps. Lead a driven life and not look back with any regrets. We live our lives only once, and we will become but memories once they are over. It is these memories that we create that will last on.

Teenagehood to adulthood is a transition that all of us have to go through. Some have to go through the hard way, learning to balance financial issues with academic studies. Its a period of time when we have to make important choices and decisions, which will eventually map out our future paths. We will have to learn to live with the consequences of the choices that we make, even though they may not always be the most pleasant. I suppose friends and family are important in this case, as they provide strong pillars of support. I am fortunate to have found friends in the army, people who I know I can count on. But just as easily as they appear in your lives, they would be gone in no time. It is important to keep in contact with them, and spend the effort and the time maintaing these invaluable friendships. More often than not, the christmas-new year festive period is a good time for these rekindling sessions.

Well, these are some thoughts that I would like to share. If you have any, do feel free to post them here. If you are unsure of the email and the password, drop me a message. Hope to hear from any of you soon, and have a great new year ahead!

Lin Min