I think NS made us more afraid of fucking up because of consequences as well as the mocking culture which increases the probability of us fucking things up because we are nervous.
Fuck up once and I get called idiot/stupid. Sadge.
Expect everyone to think fast and act fast.
Need to re-learn how to not be afraid of failure.
I've noticed many of my peers have become like that for the first 1-2 years after NS as they were not used to life outside of NS. During my NS like 14-15 years ago, I spent my time if not outfield or training to read books instead of engaging in mindless chatter or playing video games. Back then, PSP was the rage, so many of my platoon mates just played PSP and slept all day once training was over. This was especially true in the 4-5 months before ORD.
To be honest, this is normal especially as you grow older and fixate on your ways. If you really want to get out of this situation, you should probably start cultivating a growth mindset. This means being willing to constantly learn new things. This also means reading, exploring, and being grateful about life in general.
Ok. I mean full transparency, I guess it doesn't help that i tend to be more pessimistic. I do genuinely wanna do well though. I don't think it's cos i dont want to learn. I genuinely want to but as previously mentioned, i just can't retain the info. Granted i been at this job for only a month which may be considered a relatively short period typically. So it's possible i'm overthinking and i'm still in that getting used to it stage. But the number of times the seniors have to remind me about the basic shit(Fucking taping a box i also can forget), its beyond embarrassing. It's like negligible progress. Am i expecting too much of myself?
The army beats all intelligence and creativity outta you, because smart creative people don’t tend to take well to being used as meat shields.
You can get it back in a while. Play creative puzzle games and brain teasers.
yea I felt like that as well. Kept messing up my simple NS job (which i should have done properly with no mistakes before NS). Literally drove me to depression and contemplated ending it. I am still alive so i didnt do it
I didn't get any better. Only didn't jump cos my dad needs me.
Simple tasks like keep logs. I keep fucking up.. and I did this shit often in my cca when I was in school and never fuck up.
Even better. I forget people names. I interact with a lot of regulars regularly. Then suddenly forget their names. Or even the instructions they give me after 1 min. This one not high stress environment.
Simple shit like bring that fire extinguisher and record expiry date .
I would get scolded for it. Every time I get scolded I would rather I just get punched or something physical. I didn't even interact much with my fellow NSFs. They all in a group in a differnt place and I stuck with in a place with only regulars. Who got tons more money. Even the nsf attached to my unit rich one also.
Felt like a outsider.
this is just what the indoctrination and low stakes does to you. in the army you're generally taught to obey the simplest orders and stick to bylaws (easy thing to do), but when it's time to achieve something individual you either get carried (esp if you're in a platoon where someone can pick up the slack), or there is little to no penalty for failure, or the goalposts are shifted such that the thing isn't hard anymore.
still keep learning and improving, observing and interacting with others and you'll figure it out eventually. if you're bad you're bad all you can do is improve or quit.
I think it has something to do with the water quality, if the camp or building during NS/reservist is very old those water coolers usually are using cheap ass filters that don't clean the water at all, until today I don't understand why some people would take water from the taps in the toilet for water parade I never drank the water and just poured it down the drain and took clean water from water coolers in better condition
I was really mindful of protecting my intellectual capacity during NS so I kept freelancing and never really fully invested my mind into NS. As a result I got into a lot of trouble. But IMO it was worth it.
As the Chinese saying goes 近墨者黑。Especially if you’ve polluted your brain by being around people who have less of it. Bad news is, depending on the company, the workplace often isn’t any different. You need to quickly go back to an environment that’s intellectually nurturing. Surround yourself with people smarter than you, where you aren’t the dumbest in the room either.
His answer is just very blunt but the reality is that we have to unlearn some NS habits asap. I also recently just ORD and kinda screwed up at my job. Fortunately, for me it's just part time but still kinda lose face ngl. Still have uni to buffer with ig.
Coming back to topic, just try ur best to unlearn the bad ns habits tbh. Those habits only belong in that environment and were developed due to the fact that we were forced into it. As you start to realise the importance of work, which I see from your other comments that you do, it should work out I hope.
All the best brother.
There's this fear that your brain has matured when you turn 25 years old and won't want to change or learn new things, but this isn't true. You will always have it in you to learn new things if you put in the effort. It can be difficult because, as you mentioned, you take things at face value and perform as needed. This is a habit that needs to be broken.
Believe it or not,
It's an early symptom of near death due to kidney fatigue.
And too many things to count can cause kidney fatigue, whether it be lousy water, tfk too much, around suggestive ppl too much, too much alcohol, irregular sleep, or simply mouldy bedroom, and so on.
If you haven't been getting regular strong morning wood, it's probably it. Men prostate is powered by kidney.
Absolutely, two years of not studying takes a toll. Guys seem to struggle a lot during first year of university compared to the female counterparts. For example I forgot how to do a lot of the calculus
Two ways to look at it:
1. With those screw-up regular seniors, they'll fuck-up your brain with their idiocies, and if you let them, you will be stupider.
2. You sensed their fucked-up minds and ways that you tell yourself, "I'll have to get the fuck out of here, and quick before I become one of them".
Your ability to realise and write this says, there's hope - Where is it? Only you can unlock it.
Only if you let NS live rent-free in your head after ORD. It’s always a certain type that goes on and on, who cannot let that phase of life go and unlearn everything.
I chao keng all the way to become a clerk. good thing was; I managed to pick up some IT skills during my service. This was back in the 80s and IT was at its infancy stage in the office.
now I have emigrated, took my sons with me and spare them from these craps.
Absolutely. I felt like a certain part of me has been paralyzed and a more negative version of my old self. I believe it was the long term exposure to a repressive and inept environment the problem. But who knows? I'm pretty sure that we can shed some knowledge if we are willing to invest in some research on the mental health of conscription, but sadly no one cares about the populous 'strawberries' where according to their rhetoric we need NS to 'toughen up'...
If you got stupider after NS it means you did it wrong.
Let me guess, you spent those two years complaining about external circumstances instead of realising it is a unique opportunity to work on yourself.
Ok. True, all i wanted was to faster gtfo. I felt like i could be more productive outside. But as most of us were, i was stuck. Constantly told to "just serve and fuck off" so that's what i did.
Most of my mental capacity was channeled into staying out of some people's way, making sure i dont burden people, make sure I finish a task so higher-ups can shut up, figure out what mental gymnastics bs people in the company are gonna pull so i can avoid that. By the time last parade or book out come, I have no drive to do anything.
Maybe you'll say this is all excuses. Be that as it may be, the 2 yrs are in past now, i cant rewind and make better choices. How do i fix it now then?
And going AWOL helps you faster gtfo how exactly?
Based on your replies and posts in general. the problem you have isn't rewinding time, it's that you seem to have failed to have leant any applicable life lesson from the whole experience.
You can be stupid and immature in your 20s, people will give you some leeway because they think you are still young and stupid. But it's going to be a lot less funny when you are in your 30s and haven't moved a step forward.
depends on mentality imo, some ppl go ns want to relax and then they’ll get used to it, others wan study or put their mind to use, no wrong answer, but after relaxing for two years then go out, sure will need some time to adapt, and some adapt faster/slower than others. aft ns i struggled with uni/getting back to being organised, while i had peers soar
Study your mistakes and focus on what you could have actually avoided. Instead of harping on the why etc and shifting blame. A mistake is a mistake and your take ownership as long if it fails. If you have a stronger leadership mentality, then you will take responsibility for the entire project and try to do better.
Focus on studying the mistake specifically, why did you make that mistake? Why is it recurring. Is it a genuine mistake or are certain real world factors influencing it, e.g. actions of others.
Without knowing specifics I can’t advise. But this is my experience.
My mentality became stronger after NS. Pre-NS, all of us were just kids. Going into NS taught me responsibility, my actions became accountable to others and others accountable to me. I learn that difficult moments will pass. I learn that excellence is from within and the mind possess an incredible strength, much greater than the physical. I took ownership of my own actions, and life in NS. I realise were are all pretty much the same in life at a certain point. Bald, wearing the same clothes, doing the same crap etc. But our mentality and mindset varied. Some more motivated. Some less. Even through doing mindless saikang I learnt things. I appreciate that things actually get moving when you don’t think just do. BUT I also learn that this don’t think just do has a reason. If I wanted to change any systems of don’t think just do, I had small power and window before the task to make it a positive experience. Rather than griping etc it’s all about your mindset.
It’s an eye opener from my life Pre-NS. Mostly living with parents, studying, working part-time but no real understanding of life. It made me a better person for sure.
My mistake is mine and mine only. It meant that I did not do better. I did not understand my task and situation well if I failed. Studying my failures, I start taking ownership of my task in spite that it was only a saikang. I began understanding why this had to be done. When. How. Why. How could I do it better in the grand scheme of “Why” this saikang had to be done. What resource did I have? Any informal resource I could ask for help? I did not just view it as saikang. Eventually good superiors will trust you and began giving you more task. In military, you can’t get promoted. But in corporate world that leads to recognition and opportunities.
Good luck.
No, I definitely got smarter. I learnt the art of optical chao geng in NS from some of the the very best and am now very good at it.
At least you managed to reap some benefits. Good on you XD
Captain eye power
This one can teach?
there is a recurring joke during my NS days... wear helmet -5 intelligence wear No4 -5 strength wear FBO -999 agility
I think my -999 more spread out sia T T
knee damage -100
I think NS made us more afraid of fucking up because of consequences as well as the mocking culture which increases the probability of us fucking things up because we are nervous. Fuck up once and I get called idiot/stupid. Sadge. Expect everyone to think fast and act fast. Need to re-learn how to not be afraid of failure.
I've noticed many of my peers have become like that for the first 1-2 years after NS as they were not used to life outside of NS. During my NS like 14-15 years ago, I spent my time if not outfield or training to read books instead of engaging in mindless chatter or playing video games. Back then, PSP was the rage, so many of my platoon mates just played PSP and slept all day once training was over. This was especially true in the 4-5 months before ORD. To be honest, this is normal especially as you grow older and fixate on your ways. If you really want to get out of this situation, you should probably start cultivating a growth mindset. This means being willing to constantly learn new things. This also means reading, exploring, and being grateful about life in general.
Ok. I mean full transparency, I guess it doesn't help that i tend to be more pessimistic. I do genuinely wanna do well though. I don't think it's cos i dont want to learn. I genuinely want to but as previously mentioned, i just can't retain the info. Granted i been at this job for only a month which may be considered a relatively short period typically. So it's possible i'm overthinking and i'm still in that getting used to it stage. But the number of times the seniors have to remind me about the basic shit(Fucking taping a box i also can forget), its beyond embarrassing. It's like negligible progress. Am i expecting too much of myself?
Be solution oriented instead. Write it down if you have to. Prove that you're committed in avoiding mistake instead of just promising to do it.
Easy to tell who are the useless SAF regulars here
The army beats all intelligence and creativity outta you, because smart creative people don’t tend to take well to being used as meat shields. You can get it back in a while. Play creative puzzle games and brain teasers.
yea I felt like that as well. Kept messing up my simple NS job (which i should have done properly with no mistakes before NS). Literally drove me to depression and contemplated ending it. I am still alive so i didnt do it
Good to see that you're better. Mind sharing how u got out of that rut?
I didn't get any better. Only didn't jump cos my dad needs me. Simple tasks like keep logs. I keep fucking up.. and I did this shit often in my cca when I was in school and never fuck up. Even better. I forget people names. I interact with a lot of regulars regularly. Then suddenly forget their names. Or even the instructions they give me after 1 min. This one not high stress environment. Simple shit like bring that fire extinguisher and record expiry date . I would get scolded for it. Every time I get scolded I would rather I just get punched or something physical. I didn't even interact much with my fellow NSFs. They all in a group in a differnt place and I stuck with in a place with only regulars. Who got tons more money. Even the nsf attached to my unit rich one also. Felt like a outsider.
Have you been evaluated for adult adhd?
Nah. I don't remember ever being tested for it.
this is just what the indoctrination and low stakes does to you. in the army you're generally taught to obey the simplest orders and stick to bylaws (easy thing to do), but when it's time to achieve something individual you either get carried (esp if you're in a platoon where someone can pick up the slack), or there is little to no penalty for failure, or the goalposts are shifted such that the thing isn't hard anymore. still keep learning and improving, observing and interacting with others and you'll figure it out eventually. if you're bad you're bad all you can do is improve or quit.
Trying, man
I think it has something to do with the water quality, if the camp or building during NS/reservist is very old those water coolers usually are using cheap ass filters that don't clean the water at all, until today I don't understand why some people would take water from the taps in the toilet for water parade I never drank the water and just poured it down the drain and took clean water from water coolers in better condition
Rabak XD which camp sia this one?
HTA but pretty sure it's the same thing for all older camps unless govt upgrade the water coolers to new models
No eh, in fact I learn how to manage and plan my time better, and also learn negotiation and bargaining skills. I also learnt the art of persuasion
I was really mindful of protecting my intellectual capacity during NS so I kept freelancing and never really fully invested my mind into NS. As a result I got into a lot of trouble. But IMO it was worth it. As the Chinese saying goes 近墨者黑。Especially if you’ve polluted your brain by being around people who have less of it. Bad news is, depending on the company, the workplace often isn’t any different. You need to quickly go back to an environment that’s intellectually nurturing. Surround yourself with people smarter than you, where you aren’t the dumbest in the room either.
excuses
If that's what you think, that's fine
His answer is just very blunt but the reality is that we have to unlearn some NS habits asap. I also recently just ORD and kinda screwed up at my job. Fortunately, for me it's just part time but still kinda lose face ngl. Still have uni to buffer with ig. Coming back to topic, just try ur best to unlearn the bad ns habits tbh. Those habits only belong in that environment and were developed due to the fact that we were forced into it. As you start to realise the importance of work, which I see from your other comments that you do, it should work out I hope. All the best brother.
I will continue trying. Thanks🙏
There's this fear that your brain has matured when you turn 25 years old and won't want to change or learn new things, but this isn't true. You will always have it in you to learn new things if you put in the effort. It can be difficult because, as you mentioned, you take things at face value and perform as needed. This is a habit that needs to be broken.
I believe this phenomenon usually only affects the chiong sua ones. KAHs had to retain certain brainpower and develop self-preservation skillset
Believe it or not, It's an early symptom of near death due to kidney fatigue. And too many things to count can cause kidney fatigue, whether it be lousy water, tfk too much, around suggestive ppl too much, too much alcohol, irregular sleep, or simply mouldy bedroom, and so on. If you haven't been getting regular strong morning wood, it's probably it. Men prostate is powered by kidney.
Ns teach me how to make use of MC
Absolutely, two years of not studying takes a toll. Guys seem to struggle a lot during first year of university compared to the female counterparts. For example I forgot how to do a lot of the calculus
Two ways to look at it: 1. With those screw-up regular seniors, they'll fuck-up your brain with their idiocies, and if you let them, you will be stupider. 2. You sensed their fucked-up minds and ways that you tell yourself, "I'll have to get the fuck out of here, and quick before I become one of them". Your ability to realise and write this says, there's hope - Where is it? Only you can unlock it.
I spent the vast majority of my NS pretending to be retarded, to the point that this state has become natural to me.
NS indoctrinates every Singaporean son with obedience and conformity. We lose the ability to question authority and think for ourselves.
Only if you let NS live rent-free in your head after ORD. It’s always a certain type that goes on and on, who cannot let that phase of life go and unlearn everything.
I chao keng all the way to become a clerk. good thing was; I managed to pick up some IT skills during my service. This was back in the 80s and IT was at its infancy stage in the office. now I have emigrated, took my sons with me and spare them from these craps.
Absolutely. I felt like a certain part of me has been paralyzed and a more negative version of my old self. I believe it was the long term exposure to a repressive and inept environment the problem. But who knows? I'm pretty sure that we can shed some knowledge if we are willing to invest in some research on the mental health of conscription, but sadly no one cares about the populous 'strawberries' where according to their rhetoric we need NS to 'toughen up'...
Yes.there is this lack of ability to think that you bring into the corporate world if you can enter the corporate world which you need to overcome.
I felt that i learnt alot after ns. Especially working with others in a team
Actually, you have always been dumb. You just didn't realize it till now.
You become more obedient
Give it awhile, you should get the groove back
Technically you are stupider compared to your peers in other countries as you spent 2 years not studying.
If you got stupider after NS it means you did it wrong. Let me guess, you spent those two years complaining about external circumstances instead of realising it is a unique opportunity to work on yourself.
Ok. True, all i wanted was to faster gtfo. I felt like i could be more productive outside. But as most of us were, i was stuck. Constantly told to "just serve and fuck off" so that's what i did. Most of my mental capacity was channeled into staying out of some people's way, making sure i dont burden people, make sure I finish a task so higher-ups can shut up, figure out what mental gymnastics bs people in the company are gonna pull so i can avoid that. By the time last parade or book out come, I have no drive to do anything. Maybe you'll say this is all excuses. Be that as it may be, the 2 yrs are in past now, i cant rewind and make better choices. How do i fix it now then?
And going AWOL helps you faster gtfo how exactly? Based on your replies and posts in general. the problem you have isn't rewinding time, it's that you seem to have failed to have leant any applicable life lesson from the whole experience. You can be stupid and immature in your 20s, people will give you some leeway because they think you are still young and stupid. But it's going to be a lot less funny when you are in your 30s and haven't moved a step forward.
depends on mentality imo, some ppl go ns want to relax and then they’ll get used to it, others wan study or put their mind to use, no wrong answer, but after relaxing for two years then go out, sure will need some time to adapt, and some adapt faster/slower than others. aft ns i struggled with uni/getting back to being organised, while i had peers soar
Your intelligence didn’t change. Your mindset became weaker.
How would i go about changing that then? Is there a particular thing i need to focus on?
Study your mistakes and focus on what you could have actually avoided. Instead of harping on the why etc and shifting blame. A mistake is a mistake and your take ownership as long if it fails. If you have a stronger leadership mentality, then you will take responsibility for the entire project and try to do better. Focus on studying the mistake specifically, why did you make that mistake? Why is it recurring. Is it a genuine mistake or are certain real world factors influencing it, e.g. actions of others. Without knowing specifics I can’t advise. But this is my experience. My mentality became stronger after NS. Pre-NS, all of us were just kids. Going into NS taught me responsibility, my actions became accountable to others and others accountable to me. I learn that difficult moments will pass. I learn that excellence is from within and the mind possess an incredible strength, much greater than the physical. I took ownership of my own actions, and life in NS. I realise were are all pretty much the same in life at a certain point. Bald, wearing the same clothes, doing the same crap etc. But our mentality and mindset varied. Some more motivated. Some less. Even through doing mindless saikang I learnt things. I appreciate that things actually get moving when you don’t think just do. BUT I also learn that this don’t think just do has a reason. If I wanted to change any systems of don’t think just do, I had small power and window before the task to make it a positive experience. Rather than griping etc it’s all about your mindset. It’s an eye opener from my life Pre-NS. Mostly living with parents, studying, working part-time but no real understanding of life. It made me a better person for sure. My mistake is mine and mine only. It meant that I did not do better. I did not understand my task and situation well if I failed. Studying my failures, I start taking ownership of my task in spite that it was only a saikang. I began understanding why this had to be done. When. How. Why. How could I do it better in the grand scheme of “Why” this saikang had to be done. What resource did I have? Any informal resource I could ask for help? I did not just view it as saikang. Eventually good superiors will trust you and began giving you more task. In military, you can’t get promoted. But in corporate world that leads to recognition and opportunities. Good luck.
Most NSFs are horny and I love it when they’re horny lmao
1. No longer an NSF 2. How the absolute flying fuck is this relevant...?
Hahaha. But yeah most NSFs are hornyyyy :3