Today marks the day I’m no longer NSF (National Service, Full-time). It’s been quite a long two years since I enlisted into the army (29th September 2004), and I’m ecstatic it’s finally over. As much as I hated it, I have to admit that life in the army has changed me into a different man, hopefully better, but definitely not worse.
Brunei Training
If you asked me what impacted me the most during my NSF tour, I think it’d have to be the overseas training exercise in Brunei, where I remarked to a friend “I’ve never been in so much pain in my life” just before we ended the exercise, and I meant it.
IPPT Gold
In the IPPT (Individual Physical Proficiency Test) following Brunei, I managed to get my long awaited IPPT Gold. What made the gold even sweeter was that there was someone in my detail who had the number “174”. In mandarin, 174 literally translated sounds like “die together.” The last time someone had that number, his whole detail failed the test.
I told my friend, “I’m going to break that jinx,” and I did.
Did I believe I was going to “break that jinx” when I said it? Actually, no. But with the power of hindsight, I command thee to kneel before me and acknowledge I broke the jinx!
What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.
I feel like Hercules.
Donn, fragments 
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