being in the army has taught me 2 things. firstly, men are not necessarily horny creatures individually, but when 2 or 3+++ gather in the name of ANYTHING, hormones go flying and the dirty talk starts. secondly, i've found the reason why i serve NS.

i guess the first lesson isn't nearly as important as the second, but just to clear some doubts people might have about men being the horny, incorrigible creatures they are thought to be. when a man see's an attractive woman, his mind is prone to indulging in a great many carnal thoughts, his eyes wander, tracing the delicate lines of the female form before him. this combination soon leads to the surging of blood from one head to another, and the rest, as they say, is history. i can't deny this, but what then if an attractive woman is absent(can anyone say ARMY??)? all the above are suddenly made irrelevant. now, consider a group of men. even without the visual stimulation, all you really need is someone in the group who has a penchant for stirring up hot and heavy mental images in the heads of other men around him, and voila, you have yourself a chain reaction. each dirty thought feeds on the dirtiness of the thought preceeding it, and soon enough you have a group of cantankerous men openly discussing their favourite DIY techniques or the girl they'd each most like to 'do' (not forgetting how they 'do' her either), and this is actually a very enjoyable thing! we men don't necessarily have to be doing the 'doing', but the mere thought of 'doing' is enough to keep us happy through the night, because such talk is not only capable of breaking social walls, but it's also a form of motivation for your sick boys in camp.

so ladies, before you complain about how your significant other doesn't spend enough time with you, think, because it's not as if they don't want to spend time with you, it's just more enjoyable with the lads. as francine put it today "you (thomas) just don't get any (in the army)" well normally i'd counter (and i did) with something like "i can get some any ANYTIME i want!!". the truth is we (I) don't, and maybe that's why time out with the boys is preferable. it's like everyone's in the same club and there's a common understanding.

the second thing i learnt: why i serve ns.

this one's probably more intelligent.

i've only spent 3 weeks in the army, but i think i already understand why i put my life on the line, even if it's just training. i've done a lot of thinking wrt my life in general, and my days in NJC were probably the best. there was a lot more heartache than happiness, but even a rose has it's share of thorns. my experiences, the friends i made there, the opportunities i was given to push myself, those things i know i'll never find anywhere else. The music, the quirky friends and teachers, and of course the girls oh the girls. now i'd be the biggest liar in the world if i said they didn't mean a thing, but i think i can consider myself one heck of a lucky guy. im not really charming, im not even good looking, but i was blessed every step of the way with female friends who taught me different lessons in life, each lesson as important as the last. some left greater impressions than others (we did crazy things none of my guy friends would've done with me- not those kind of things!!- leaving me with a sense of liberation like never before ) and to these girls, i'd just like to say a big thank you for making such a big impact on my life. if or when you leave this sad, sad country, rest assured that you will be dearly missed by this army boy. far from advocating government policy and propaganda, i genuinely want to serve NS if it means i can protect my family, my friends, and the life i used to live with such carelessness, and if it means i can give someone else out there a chance of living the life i did. being in the army is like living in a state of suspended animation. all those you knew on the outside move on with their lives, while you're stuck at the same state for 2 whole years. you will inevitably lose part of the life you had, the friends, the promises, happiness and sadness, all in. those out there who disagree and argue that it's all about how hard you try to keep this part of yourself intact, i spit on you. ok i don't. 2 years isn't as short as you think. a lot happens in the 700 days or so. but i've got my reasons for serving NS, and until my 700 or so days are over, that's all im confident of clinging on to.