No Ragrets

The title is funny because those who watched "We're the Millers", there's this guy with the tattoo that reads "No Ragrets" across his chest. Then again, the same guy looks like Axl Rose from Guns N' Roses in his younger days of Rock N' Roll.

I feel like there are a lot of things that I have been holding onto. To be honest, I thought after seeing my Pink IC again, I could finally close the chapter of NS on my life. It just does not felt that way. I guess NS was a bittersweet experience for me. I hated my CSM but then I came to appreciate him for all that he has done and never a time did he speak of why he did what he had to do.

Sometimes, I feel like I wasted my last 2 years because all I did was complain and look at my own suffering and then looking back now, I ask the question on 'What did I learnt ' ? I guess every mother son was there in the same camp with me yet each and single one of us received differently, though we had the same training, same superior and same treatment.

I remember being slightly excited for enlistment, with the conviction that I will go where God has in mind for me and upon seeing the word "2SIR" instead of Tekong, I was convinced that this is specific.

Then again, after 6 months has passed, I rue the day that I decided not to feign illness during my medical check-up. Actually, the entire time in 2SIR was hell, probably to be specific, 2SIR Alpha Company, led by CSM Kok & Cpt Gan.

The infamous Cpt Gan of Tekong 'R' Coy, coupled with my CSM who was an ADF regular who got CSM of the year (if I'm not wrong), the treatment was really different from other company. I remember having a 30 minute water parade the very first night because some mother's son just can't hold a 90-degree posture.

Subsequently, all I know was tons of punishment and training, turn-out and changing parade on 3rd night and then FBO turn-out run on the 5th night. Not sure if this is regular Infantry or perhaps Alpha company was just trained like ADF soldier instead.

Then again, thinking back, my only true regret was to only complain and not embrace the whole time I was at 2SIR. I guess my take back was having the best Armskote in the entire battalion and the fact that I have now enough discipline to be consistently 10 minute early in office everyday. I look at Kenneth, a fellow church mate who enlists into 16th Mono, he seems so happy and gaining so much even in the midst of much tough training.

I think possibly, my CSM was one-of-a-kind. He did not cared about position or KPI, he had his own standard of what is good and to raised disciplined soldiers that's all. What a focused & genuine man.

Ruminating on all this, I posed myself this question and perhaps If I may, to those who chance upon this blog, are we able to truly live a life of zero complain and embrace what comes ? Perhaps that's the true definition of living life to the fullest with no regrets.