It felt like decades since I had an early morning and when i did, the glaring rays of the sun

struck me as i got off my bed. It was as if the sun was hurrying me to get up. I have not had such an episode for as long as I remembered maybe back in the days when I studied. After completing my Chemical Engineering course in a local polytechnic, I started to sleep late at night. As I exited my bedroom, I realized that nobody was at home; The sound of the fan whirring could only be heard. I sat myself at the coffee table, directly facing the kaya toast and a flask of black coffee. As I was trying to make myself comfortable, a letter with my name on it caught my eye. It was from the Ministry of Defense. I slowly peeled the flap, and I knew that this was it. All good things had to come to an end. I stared ahead on the bus, thinking about how life would be like for the next two years. I would be taking care of my "wife", a SAR21 rifle. Life would become an endless cycle of waking up in the morning, donning the pixelated green camouflage No. 4 uniform and making sure that my boots were well polished and shiny, so that my "Encik" would not punish me. It is going to be a new chapter in my life. I thought of my days back in Secondary school when the teachers would bring students to visit the Army Museum. I vividly remember the conditions of the life in National Service, especially the bunk. The exhibit shows a wooden cupboard with a nice glossy finish beside a small bed frame with what looked like to be the worlds most uncomfortable mattress, which is what each of the recruits were given when they are serving NS. I guess that exhibit was to tell us young boys that we will be living in that environment in the future. At that very moment, I could not face reality. The thought of going through the toilsome and onerous training day in, day out without fail I can see myself calling in sick everyday, trying to excuse myself from the strenuous physical training. I tried to distract myself from that thought by reminiscing about my Secondary school life, where everything was so carefree. My favorite subject was History as I had never failed to score a distinction in that subject before. One of the topics that we learnt in History was the Japanese Occupation of Singapore. I recall an image of the Shonan Times in my textbook. The Shonan Times was the name of the newspaper in Singapore during the times of the occupation. Originally, it was the Straits Times before the Japanese invaded Singapore. The Japanese used the Shonan Times as a medium to spread propaganda, glorifying the victories of Japan and portraying a positive image of the people. It struck me. I realized that without any sort of defense, the country that we all love, Singapore, would be thrashed by stronger countries. Such as countries with stronger militaries, one very good example is Japan Vs. Singapore war. Singapores lack of defense led to its defeat. It is our duty to protect Singapore. If we, as Singaporeans, do

not defend Singapore, Who will? After recalling what has happened to Singapore in the past, my mindset has changed for the better. I believe that every one of us plays a part in protecting Singapore and contributing to the society. At this moment, the bus has reached my destination. I got off the bus feeling like a new person.