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About

"I started this blog for 2 purposes. 1, to chronicle my days and experiences in Malaysia's National Service for my own future references, and at the same time, 2, to provide a personal insight into the life of a National Service trainee for whoever who would care to read."

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"Back from NS, and updating this blog bit by bit. I wrote almost every single day in there!"

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Reading in Malaysian National Service: My Brief Encounter With Tuan Komanden Sunday, August 23, 2009 |

I HAVE to write this down. My brain is still running high on virtual dope right now, hours after i left the place where they sell the dope. Can't help it. I'm ecstatic! I got 18 books for a mere RM60 from the Times Clearance Sale at Hartamas Shopping Centre! Wo0t!


I kept to the "3 for RM10" area the whole time, picked out mostly non-fictions, plus a couple of Sci-Fis. Dad paid for it of course. Bless him. I've never been to this shopping mall before, neither has he. It took some googling of a map plus a couple of wrong turns before we found the building nestled amongst other buildings which was under construction. So bless my dear darling daddy for chauffeuring me all the way here and paying for the books ^^

Okay i realise this blog's supposed to be about NS. So...

I remember reading in NS, a lot. I brought 2 books, one was Ryu Murakami's Coin Locker Babies (it was an impulse purchase, one that i couldn't let go after reading the short excerpt on its cover. I've never heard of Murakami and wasn't aware of the cult film adaptation of his novel Audition back then...).

The first few days in camp, i buried my nose in my book all the time, living an unsocial reclusive life. Nah, actually it serves as a kind of refuge for the moments when nobody approached me for a conversation. I'm the more passive type. I slowly retreat to my shell if nobody initiates a conversation with me but i'd gladly join the party if only someone else other than me speaks first :P

I totally get it that i give people the first impression of being this nerdy stuck-up girl who'd rather read than talk to people. Couldn't care less back then.

Anyway, there was once when i was sitting on the benches beside JLB (i think it was during the Kelas Rohanis), and all of a sudden Tuan Komanden showed up! The man himself! He commended me for reading an English book, then took the book from my hand and flipped through it, pausing on this page and that for a little while.

The horror.

I tried finding the exact page he read but i couldn't be sure which page was it. I'll be damned if he came across any sexual depictions. That grim book was filled with stories about the dark side of the society, and more.

When he asked me what the book was about, i was at loss for words for a moment. I definitely couldn't tell him that it's about 2 abandoned babies, one who grew up to be a pole-vaulter and the other a bi-sexual prostitute. For chrissake, the first sentence of the book was
The woman pushed on the baby's stomach and sucked its penis into her mouth; it was thinner than the American menthols she smoked and a bit slimy, like raw fish.

Now you see why i was worried.

Putting it as vaguely as i could, i told him that it was a novel about the "adventurous journey" of two young men.

Then, my heart still pounding, he handed the book back to me, and mentioned something about how glad he is to see someone finding the time to read even while in NS *beam*

Phew...

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Got my NS letter, and Books In My Phone! Tuesday, June 3, 2008 |

So the official letter came last week, finally.

Less than 2 weeks until i have to leave for Ayer Tawar ^^

Too bad we're not allowed to use our handphones on weekdays. I had mine filled with books from BooksInMyPhone. I'd rather read an actual book, but sometimes when i get somewhat absent-minded, this would come in real handy. Not to mention all the books there are FREE!!!

I finished Cory Doctorow's Little Brother in less than a day, which i downloaded f.o.c from here. I love it so much i'm gonna download all the other Doctorow's books once i finish writing this post.

I used to download txt files from Project Gutenberg, but my SE phone sucks at loading txt files. It takes some time to load (which i totally don't get since they're just plain text files, not rtf or html or anything like that), and i couldn't pause, get out, and come back into reading where i had left off. BooksInMyPhone runs on Java and "remembers" where you left off, though i kinda hope they had a bookmark function too. But what the heck, they're the only good one i can find for the time being, so i'll just have to stick to it.

Less than 2 weeks, and mum seems more anxious about it than me. Buying toiletries, reminding me to bring this bring that, borrowing a larger luggage bag from an aunt because mine's too small... *sigh*

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Disclaimer

*All names have been changed to protect the identity of the people involved. Usually i'd just avoid putting names and refer to them as 'friends' instead ;)

"While every care has been taken to provide my readers (if any) with most accurate information and candid accounts, please note that the author would not be bothered to update this blog following the end of her NS days, and that all accounts only reflect her views alone over the course of her NS days. If the author has presented comments that may be deemed harmful, rest assured that they are not meant to offend anyone, and she may not be held liable for sharing her opinions on this blog."

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