Wow... the next post im about to post is Exclusive... The fact and Shocking!, this article have been adapted from The Fabulous Rainbow Lifestyle.....

Homophobia is real and can sometimes be fatal.

"I am the girl kicked out of her home because I confided in my mother that I am a lesbian."

"I am the prostitute working the streets because nobody will hire a transsexual woman."

"I am the sister who holds her gay brother tight through the painful, tear-filled nights."

"We are the parents who buried our daughter long before her time."

"I am the man who died alone in the hospital because they would not let my partner of twenty-seven years into the room."

"I am the foster child who wakes up with nightmares of being taken away from the two fathers who are the only loving family I have ever had. I wish they could adopt me."

"I am one of the lucky ones, I guess. I survived the attack that left me in a coma for three weeks, and in another year I will probably be able to walk again."

"I am not one of the lucky ones. I killed myself just weeks before graduating high school. It was simply too much to bear."

"We are the couple who had the realtor hang up on us when she found out we wanted to rent a one-bedroom for two men."

"I am the person who never knows which bathroom I should use if I want to avoid getting the management called on me."

"I am the mother who is not allowed to even visit the children I bore, nursed, and raised. The court says I am an unfit mother because I now live with another woman."

"I am the domestic-violence survivor who found the support system grow suddenly cold and distant when they found out my abusive partner is also a woman."

"I am the domestic-violence survivor who has no support system to turn to because I am male."

"I am the father who has never hugged his son because I grew up afraid to show affection to other men."

"I am the home-economics teacher who always wanted to teach gym until someone told me that only lesbians do that."

"I am the man who died when the paramedics stopped treating me as soon as they realized I was transsexual."

"I am the person who feels guilty because I think I could be a much better person if I didn't have to always deal with society hating me."

"I am the man who stopped attending place of worship, not because I don't believe, but because they closed their doors to my kind."

"I am the person who has to hide what this world needs most, love."

What you have read above are some of the major problem that PLU are facing every single mins, hours, days, weeks, months, years and so for... We urge the community to be open minded and treat the minors equally. afterall we are humans and we do have feelings.....

This article is brought to you by i-blog08 and adapted from


Signing off
AyiE

Do YOU know that:

The names of the three wise monkeys? They are: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil).
---------------------

An atomic clock is accurate to within 1 second in 1,7 million years.

Thomas Cook, the world's first travel agency in the world, was founded in 1850.

A fathom is 1,8 metres (6 feet).

There are more TV sets in the US than there are people in the UK.

Before the year 1000, the word "she" did not exist in the English language. The singular female reference was the word "heo", which also was the plural of all genders. The word "she" appeared only in the 12th century, about 400 years after English began to take form. "She" probably derived from the old english feminine "seo", the Viking word for feminine reference.

There are no letters assigned to the numbers 1 and 0 on a phone keypad. These numbers remain unassigned because they are so-called "flag" numbers, kept for special purposes such as emergency or operator services.

After the French revolution of 1789 selling sour wine was considered against national interest and the merchant was promptly executed.

For 3000 years, until 1883, hemp was the world's largest agricultural crop, from which the majority of fabric, soap, paper, medicines, and oils were produced.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp. Ben Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper. The US Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.

The word malaria comes from the words mal and aria, which means bad air. This derives from the old days when it was thought that all diseases are caused by bad, or dirty air.

The names of all the continents end with the letter they start with.

On every continent there is a city called Rome.

The oldest inhabited city is Damascus, Syria.

The first city in the world to have a population of more than one million was Rome

The most populated city in the world - when major urban areas are included - is Tokyo, with 30 million residents.

Tokyo was once known as Edo.

The pin that holds a hinge together is called a pintle.

The Vatican is the world's smallest country, at 0,44 square km (0,16 square miles).

The US flag displays 13 stripes - for the original 13 states.

To most Americans, the orient is China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam; to Europeans it is the area of India and Pakistan.

The words "electronic mail" might sound new but was introduced 30 years ago. Queen Elizabeth of Britain sent her first email in 1976.

Some 190 billion emails are sent daily - more than 2 million per second - by 1,2 billion email senders. About 70% (133 billion emails) are spam and viruses. There are about 1,4 billion registered email addresses.

Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food from freezing.

MasterCard was originally called MasterCharge.

Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon with his left foot first.

The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.

Lightning strikes men about seven times more often than it does women.

Women make up 49% of the world population.

About 50% of Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace. This is called propinquity.

The pleasant feeling of eating chocolate is caused by a chemical called anadamide, a
neurotransmitter which also is produced naturally in the brain.

From the Middle Ages until the 18th century the local barber's duties included dentistry, blood letting, minor operations and bone-setting. The barber's striped red pole originates from when patients would grip the pole during an operation.

The US nickname Uncle Sam was derived from Uncle Sam Wilson, a meat inspector in Troy, New York.

The living does not outnumber the dead: since the creation about 60 billion people have died.

The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

Midday refers to the moment the sun crosses the local meridian.

Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 metres.

It is not true that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure that can be viewed from space - many man-made objects, including the Dutch polders, can be viewed from space.

Signing off
AyiE

i-Blog Bringing you another Exclusive Topic.

True Fact, Question and Answer about Homosexuallity brought to you by yawningbread.org.

If you have recently discovered your son, daughter, brother, sister or friend to be homosexual, we hope the following answers are helpful to you in some way.

1. What exactly is homosexuality?

Homosexuality is the tendency wherein the persons you find sexually attractive happen to be persons of the same sex as yourself.

Bear in mind however, that a homosexual person does not find all others of the same sex attractive. Only a few. After all, a heterosexual person does not find all opposite sex persons attractive either. But a homosexual person finds that all the people he is ever attracted to, happen to be of the same sex, just as a heterosexual person finds that all the people he is ever attracted to, happen to be of the opposite sex.

Sexual attraction goes hand in hand with a desire for a relationship and love. Homosexual persons yearn for love and a relationship with persons they are attracted to. Other than the fact that the persons they are attracted to happen to be of the same sex, the qualities in their relationships are no different than in heterosexual relationships, e.g. emotional commitment, mutual support and a desire for permanence. This can be seen from the strong desire in many countries to have laws changed to recognise same-sex marriages.

2. Why do some people think they are homosexual?

This question is a misguided question. When we use the word "think", we imply that it is not true, and that someone is misleading himself. Homosexual persons do not "think" they are homosexual. They know they are homosexual.

They know this because they can recognise their own feelings. They do not feel sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex. Every time they have a crush, it's with a person of the same sex. They do not experience similar feelings for persons of the opposite sex.

Related to this question is another, "Why do some people choose to be homosexual?"

This question is even more misguided. No homosexual person ever chooses to be homosexual. He simply discovers from his own feelings that he is. He has never made that "choice" in life, and as we will discuss below, he cannot "unchoose" it.

It is now widely accepted by scientific, psychiatric and medical professionals that homosexual orientation is innate, and fundamental to a some persons' nature. It is increasingly accepted that homosexual orientation is latent in the child, and possibly even in the foetus. It is not something that people change into during their teenage or adult years as a result of certain "bad influences". Certainly it is never something that people deliberately or consciously choose to become.

It is also widely accepted by thinking people that homosexuality is normal variation among humans. Just as some people are by nature left-handed, others are musically talented or extrovert, so some people are homosexual.

3. What causes a person to be homosexual?

The main answer right now is that we don't know the precise reasons, though it is a field of study that is receiving more and more unbiased attention. Studies conducted so far point increasingly to a substantial biological basis for homosexuality, but environmental influences in early childhood may be a factor too (not the sole cause).

(a) Genetic causes?

There is increasing evidence that it may be partly genetic. For example, it is found that when one son is gay, his brothers have a higher chance of being homosexual too. A homosexual identical twin (who shares the same genes with his twin) has the highest likelihood of having a homosexual brother.

Other articles in Yawning Bread provide more information on recent scientific discoveries. Use the search function to locate them.

(b) Other biological causes?

There is also increasing evidence of hormonal factors acting on the foetus. There is some tentative evidence that the brain structure in homosexual persons is different from heterosexual persons, and that this difference in brain structure arose from brain development in foetal life.

The most likely cause for differences in brain development is that of hormonal balance while in the womb. There is evidence that this hormonal balance of the foetus would have been affected by the hormonal balance of the pregnant mother.

Other articles in Yawning Bread provide more information on recent scientific discoveries. Use the search function to locate them.

(c) Upbringing?

On the other hand, evidence for upbringing as a factor is non-existent, despite a century of searching by people attached to this idea. The first problem is that "upbringing" is a very vague and general term. When I press my questioners to be more specific, they tend to bring up two old ideas which I will deal with below:

(d) Distant father, domineering mother?

This is an old idea that has no credible research supporting it. It is conjecture that comes from the idea that homosexual males are somehow feminised by an overdominant mother, while the father as the male role model is absent.

The problem with this conjecture is that it assumes that homosexual males are feminised. This is contradicted by the simple observation that the vast majority of homosexual males are as masculine as heterosexual males.

People who have made a serious study of homosexuality generally consider this notion to be without basis.

(e) Being molested when young?

This is another old idea without any credible data.

It comes from the mistaken assumption that people are innately heterosexual, but are "converted" to homosexuality through bad experiences, or through exposure to other homosexual persons during their formative years.

It is contradicted by the increasing evidence of a biological basis for homosexuality.

It is also contradicted by the fact that the vast majority of homosexual persons do not have any experiences of being molested, just like the vast majority of heterosexual persons.

Of the unfortunate few who have been molested by others of the same sex, some have turned out to be homosexual, while others have turned out to be heterosexual. Of those who have been molested by people of the opposite sex, some have turned out to be homosexual too, but others heterosexual. No observable pattern has ever been shown.

(f) Mixing around with other homosexual people?

A person does not become homosexual because he has homosexual friends. Likewise, a homosexual person will not turn heterosexual even when he mixes with heterosexual persons. Sexual orientation, either way, is pretty much fixed in any particular person.

Even children and teenagers do not turn homosexual just because they mix with homosexual adults. After all, the great majority of adults that children mix with are heterosexual. Is it logical that just because they get to know one, or even more than one, adult who is homosexual, it will forever change the child's future sexuality?

4. At what age do most homosexual persons become homosexual?

Again, a misguided question. No one "becomes" homosexual. Most homosexual persons report that they discover they are homosexual sometime during their teenage years. A smaller number report that they have known they were different from their peers since around 9 or 10, though at that age, they couldn't fully comprehend or put a name to that difference.

On the other hand, there are homosexual persons who repress their homosexuality for years. Mostly it is due to social pressure to conform, and to the lack of information in the society in which they live. They may get married and have children. But then at some point in their lives, they realise that they have never really felt anything for the opposite sex, while their feelings for the same sex never goes away. At that point in their lives, they finally recognise their own homosexuality.

To outsiders it would look like he suddenly "turned" homosexual. In fact, he has always been homosexual, only that he has denied it all this while.

5. How can a homosexual person change?

He can't.

Many homosexuals, wanting to escape social pressure, have tried. There has been no properly documented case of anyone succeeding.

Yes, there are documented cases of people who have psyched themselves into denial (almost always, these examples have come from the fundamentalist Christian groups), but there is no documented case of a person changing his feelings of attraction. Mental health professionals today consider these attempts (often called 'reparative therapy') by cult-like groups to change orientation to be abuse and warn of damage to the mental health of participants.

Sexual orientation is too fundamental in our nature to be changed. You cannot change homosexuals into heterosexuals. Nor vice versa.

6. What can psychiatrists do?

They can't change anyone's sexual orientation.

But a few homosexual persons can benefit from counselling and professional help. These are the ones who, feeling the burden of societal pressure, get very depressed, and maybe even reach the point of suicide. Professionals can help them see their situation in a more positive light, and improve their self-esteem.

However, the vast majority of homosexual persons do not need professional help. They are well-adjusted, self-confident people. Psychologically, they cope quite well despite prejudice and discrimination from society.

7. How do I persuade him to mix more with the opposite sex?

Why do you want to persuade him to mix more with the opposite sex? Are you hoping that he will turn heterosexual? As I said above, sexual orientation can't be changed.

By trying to "persuade" homosexual persons to do this or do that, you are showing disrespect to a person's right to choose his friends freely. How would you like to have others pressure you to do things that don't interest you? You'd see that as an unwarranted imposition.

8. Are all gay men effeminate and all lesbian women tomboyish?

No.

The reason society often has this stereotype is because most homosexual men and women are indistinguishable from heterosexual persons. Only the tiny minority who happen to be effeminate or tomboyish, are visible. So society has taken the visible tip of the iceberg and wrongly extended the stereotype to all.

By the way, some effeminate men are heterosexual. Some tomboyish women are heterosexual.

In any case, what is wrong with having feminine or masculine mannerisms? In themselves, there is nothing wrong, is there? What may be the problem is the disapproval of other (unenlightened) people around. But the problem should be fixed at source, which is to enlighten those people rather than infringe on the self-autonomy of gays and lesbians with feminine/masculine mannerisms and outlook.

9. Do homosexual people wish to go for a sex change?

No.

People who wish to go for sex change are transsexuals, not homosexuals. Transsexuals identify with a gender that is opposite to their bodies. For example, someone could be anatomically male, but feel very much a woman inside. Quite often transsexuals prefer to cross-dress, in keeping with the image they have of themselves.

Homosexual males consider themselves male, the same way as heterosexual males. They do not feel female at all. Homosexual females (i.e. lesbians), likewise consider themselves female. There is no conflict between their anatomical self and their sense of gender.

10. Why does my son, daughter, brother, sister or friend want to tell me that that he is homosexual? Why isn't he ashamed of it?

Generally, homosexual persons wish to ensure that those who are important to them have a clear and truthful idea of who they are. It may take them a long time and a lot of worrying to reach this point. But ultimately, they find that their sense of self-respect is such that they do not wish to live a lie any further.

For a homosexual person to tell others about his sexual orientation is a huge risk. He risks rejection and emotional chaos. If he has chosen to tell you, it is a sign that you are important to him. It is a long-standing truism that we are honest with those we love. You should feel honoured by his choice and you should feel a sense of responsibility to stand by him.

The truth does not make him or her any less your son, daughter, brother, sister or friend. He is still the same person as before, except that now he has given you a special gift, the gift of privileged honesty.

When he has reached this point, far from feeling guilt or shame, which is what society tends to put into homosexual persons, he has overcome it, and restored his self-respect. He has seen his own value as a person; he no longer subjugates himself to the ignorance and prejudice around him. That act of telling you is an act of liberation.

There are a few first-hand coming-out stories in Yawning Bread. Use the search function to locate them.

11. He/she is gay. What is the best thing I can do?

Make an effort to understand what it means to be homosexual. Do a bit of clear thinking and examine any pre-conceived notions you may have. Do not be judgmental. You yourself would not want others to be judgmental around you. Continue to see him as a person, a person you've long known.

Find some way to indicate that you are broadminded. Find some way to reassure him that the question of rejection does not arise. If it is true that it may take a while for you to get used to the idea, say so, be honest yourself. But if you believe that your love and capacity for friendship is deep enough to take the news in stride, then say that too, and work at it.

12. He/she is gay. What is the worst thing I can do?

The worst thing you can do is to issue ultimatums. You should never demand that he change, or repent. You should never make your love and friendship conditional upon others living their lives in accordance with your demands.

To demand that he change is asking for the impossible. He can never comply. He will simply feel cut off from you. You risk driving him to despair and suicide.

The second worst thing you can do is to say "I cannot accept it". This response is not constructive. It builds brick walls against understanding and communication. He is not asking you for permission or acceptance. He is telling you the truth about himself. Imagine that you're a 43-year-old woman. When an occasion calls for it, you tell your friend, truthfully, "I am a 43-year-old woman." But the response you get is "I cannot accept it. You must change!" Wouldn't you consider that a moronic and unhelpful answer?

13. What is meant by "homosexual lifestyle choice"?

Nothing. It is a meaningless term.

Firstly, there is no choice involved in being homosexual. Secondly, homosexual persons are as varied as heterosexual persons. There is no uniformity in the lives they lead. Some are career-driven and super-achievers; others know how to savour life. Some care for the environment; others are always buying the latest model of techno-wizardry and junking the old. Some are promiscuous; others are extremely faithful to their partners. Just like heterosexual persons.

This term, "homosexual lifestyle choice", is an invention of people who are anti-gay. They use this term to paint a false picture of supposed hedonism, and then go blasting at it.

Do not use this term. It is derogatory. Actually, it is bad enough that it is meaningless.

14. Is it true that homosexual men are obsessed with sex?

No more, no less, than heterosexual men.

Perhaps the media gives this impression. When heterosexual men are caught in compromising situations with the opposite sex, it is hardly newsworthy (unless the person is famous). But since homosexual exposés are considered more salacious and more newsworthy, based on the "moralism" of some societies, they tend to be highlighted. This bias in reporting may give the impression that homosexual men are more obsessed with sex, or that their behaviour is more shocking.

15. What is the risk of him getting AIDS?

On an individual basis, no more, no less than heterosexual persons. AIDS is not a disease for homosexual persons. AIDS is a disease spread mainly through sex, any kind of sex that is unprotected. Another common route of transmission is through intravenous drug use, but this is not at all related to sex.

In Singapore, the majority of HIV infections occur via heterosexual sex. Lesbians are considered one of the groups with the lowest risk factors.

Every one, whatever his sexual orientation, male or female, should be aware of the risk, and the appropriate protective measures, like using a condom. Just because a person engages in homosexual relationships does not mean he is necessarily at greater risk.

16. Is it a crime to be homosexual?

In Singapore, the homosexual act between males is a criminal offence. Even if it takes place between two consenting adults in the privacy of the home, the law considers it an offence. Government ministers however have said that the law will not be applied to consenting adults in private, and data from court cases indicate this policy is in effect.

The law probably does not apply to females, though as far as I know, no case has yet come up to test it. This means lesbian sex is most probably legal.

Most Asian countries do not have laws against homosexual sex. They only ones that do are ex-British colonies which inherited the laws from Victorian England.

What we have is a terribly stupid law. It is in breach of the UN Human Rights Committee's ruling that discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation is a violation of human rights. Although the Singapore government no longer enforces the law actively, the continued existence of the law reinforces prejudice and discrimination in this country, causing emotional damage (and possibly suicide) to your friends and your loved ones.

17. How do I tell whether a person is homosexual or not?

Most of the time, you can't. Homosexual persons are normal persons. They look normal, they act quite indistinguishably from heterosexual persons. This is so for a simple reason: they are normal. Just as a left-handed person is, for all practical purposes, quite a normal person.

The question should be why do you want to be able to tell whether a person is homosexual or not? I hope it is not to poke your nose into others' private affairs. I hope it is not to justify any discriminatory action (like sacking him from his job).

18. How many homosexuals are there in a population?

There is no simple answer to this, but most researchers today are of the consensus, based primarily on surveys done in the West, that among adult males it is somewhere in the region of 6-7%. There is an additional 6% or so who are bisexual (i.e. people who are attracted sometimes to the same sex, sometimes to the opposite sex).

Among adult females, the percentages are lower. Somewhere in the region of 3-4% homosexual, and perhaps a similar number bisexual.

There is no indication so far that these percentages vary by much from one country to another.

The question of percentages is complicated because of the many ways one can use to define homosexuality and bisexuality. What if a person feels homosexual but doesn't engage in homosexual acts? What if a person feels heterosexual, but engages in homosexual acts? What if a person is in a stable homosexual relationship, but occasionally has sex with the opposite sex?

Still, using the above percentages, as a rule of thumb then, it means that out of every fifteen male persons you know, about one would be homosexual and one bisexual. 15 is not a large set. How many male colleagues do you have in your office? In your class?

Chances are that you won't be able to figure out which of them are homosexual or bisexual. This only goes to show how normal they are.

19. How did homosexuality come into Asian societies?

Asian societies have always had homosexual persons in their midst. Historical records indicate so. For example, classical Chinese literature contain numerous references to same-sex love, expressed in non-derogatory terms. Chinese imperial records through the ages have witnessed emperors and high officials with homosexual love affairs, as have Moghul records from India.

There are some people who hold the mistaken idea that homosexuality was one of those "degenerate practices" imported from the West. They are wrong. It's not degenerate, and it's not Western.

20. What is homophobia?

Homophobia is defined as a "fear of homosexuality or homosexual persons". Quite often, though, it is used in the sense of "hatred of homosexuality or homosexual persons".

Like other phobias, e.g. hydrophobia (fear of water) or agoraphobia (fear of venturing into public spaces), homophobia is essentially irrational. It is not founded on clear logic or reason.

Unfortunately, some people act out their homophobia, in the form of gay-bashing, in the form of emotional rejection and even violent treatment of family members who are homosexual. When in positions of authority, they enact laws or preach sermons that do injustice to millions of homosexual persons around the world.

There are some articles in Yawning Bread that discuss the origins of homophobia. Use the search function to locate them.

That is all for now
Signing off
AyiE...

I just realised (after doing sooo many reflection) that the life that we have now is very valuable and precious. Facing the fact that i only have a few years to live on, i think i am going to spend every single available time wisely. Like many people said, Life is short, live it to the fullest... let us cut down the fighting, let us cut down the worrying, let us cut down the hatred... am not going to waste any of my precious time fighting over small things, categorising people or hating people... seriously its a waste of time... so the next time people looking for trouble with me, i just cant be bothered... am gonna adapt a "i cant be bothered" attitude... i tink it wud be better, minding my own business and making my self happy in life.... infact happy people live longer.... so yea.....

well i gtg now... hoping my best to spend time with azrio... one of my closest friend in NS... so yea.. haha... dun think otherwise!

signing off
AyiE

Hey guys, here to update... ive been feeling sick for the past few months actually, when i say sick, i mean i am literrally sick! no joke at all... well to others i may seem ok cause tat is what i want them to think cause i dun really like when my friends are worried about me... really, so pls do not worry, i understand your just showing ur care and concern, and i really2 appreciate it alot! So as i was saying, i was sick... The NUH called me up for an appointment, stating tat i have an abnormal blood result, so i did go back to NUH to go for another test.... 2 weeks later the same abnormal blood result.... i asked how abnormal can it be?? and even the doctor do not knw how to explain... so i was refered to TTSH CDC, when i heard that they are transferring me to CDC i get afraid... because its a place where people go for HIV treatment.... TONNES of question running through my mind, asking my self if its possible that i am a HIV positive carrier... and dang i am sooooooo afraid and panic, i have no one to turn to now! gosh... so much of a drama!

ok... last week i went to CDC 1 for the appointment.... str8 at the doctor face i asked, AM I A HIV CARRIER!.... then the doctor say.... "NONSENSE" lol.. i was like huh?? wat do u mean by nonsence, then the doctor reply that i am not a HIV carrier, there's no HIV AB viruses found in my blood... then i was like "PHEW" THANK GOD!.... soo... at cdc.... we proceed for another blood test.... then the result reveal.....

hmmm seriously, when the doctor approach me, he doesnt have any smile on his face... and i sense something is not right... but what is it??

"Indeed, i have a bad news for you... Not tat you are having a HIV, but you have a blood disorder". Doctor says...

i replied... "Is it tat bad"...

"oh yes it is, this blood disorder case is very rare and there's no cure for it... but with treatment you can control ur blood cell and cd4..."

"oh ok..." i thought tat is all..... then the doctor says...

"Judging from your NS salary, i dun think you can afford the treatment cause its $3500 per month... and am sorry to say but without treatment, you only have 5 to 8 years of lifespan, with treatment, you may have 8 to 14 years if lifespan..."

well tears start to flow out of my cheek, i cant believe tat i only have 8 years of lifespan cause i cant afford the treatment... but i have to be strong... think positive... and move on.... within next 2 years who knws i find a better job and can afford the treatment... god knows.... so yea indeed ive revealed it.... but pls do not worry for me... and don worry cause it cannot infect others... its only in me... so yea....

signing off... afad...

The NS (Amendment) act was passed on 14 March 1967, as the Singapore government felt that it was necessary to build a substantial military force. The country only had about 1000 soldiers at the time of independence. In the late 1960s, the British government had decided to withdraw its troops and bases East of Suez, which included the troops stationed in Singapore. That prompted the government to implement a conscription program for the country's defence. It adopted a conscription model drawing on elements of the Swiss and Israeli national conscription schemes. This was done with the help of Israeli military advisers who were closely involved in the establishment of the Singapore armed forces.^[1]

The stated rationale behind conscription is two-fold. Firstly, because Singapore has a population of about 4 million (as of 2004), an army solely of regulars would be too small to defend the country. Secondly, national service is supposed to foster racial harmony among the Chinese, Malay, Indian, and other ethnic groups in the country by requiring all males to go through similar experiences and thus being able to identify themselves to share a common destiny of defending the nation. (see multiracialism).

Enlistment

Male Singaporean citizens and permanent residents alike are required to register for National Service upon reaching the age of 16½ years, during which they would also be required to undergo a mandatory medical examination to determine their medical status, known as Physical Employment Status (PES), which is used as a guideline as to which vocation the person is placed in.

Exemptions are rare and are usually due to disability or serious medical conditions certified by the SAF Medical Board. One instance of rare cases of exemption would be if the enlistment would cause hardship to the enlistee's family, be it financially or otherwise, although this particular exemption is rarely granted.

Physical Employment Status (PES)
PES code[2]	Status
PES A	Fit for all operational vocations (Full BMT)
PES B	Fit for most operational vocations (Full BMT)
PES BP	Fit for 4 months/26 weeks full BMT (applicable only to obese recruits)
PES C	Fit for some operational vocations (Modified BMT) Further subdivided into: C1 Required to take IPPT, but can be excused up to 2 static stations C2 Not required to take IPPT except Regulars, who are required to take Alternative Aerobic Fitness Test (AAFT) C9 Serviceman exempted from IPPT The PES C grading is supplemented by the Land Deployability Code (L-Code) as follows: L1: Fit for field duties including front-line duty L2: Fit for field duties but only in Unit HQ or rear areas L3: Fit for operational duties at Bases only. Not fit for field duties / exercises L9: Not fit for field duties / exercises
PES D	Temporarily unfit for grading and pending further review
PES E	Fit for administrative duties only Further subdivided into: PES E1: Able to participate in simple observance parades and LIFE activities PES E9: Unfit for any form of physical activities PES E grading will be followed by the L-Code (Land Deployability Code) as follows: L3: Fit for operational duties at Bases only. Not fit for field duties/exercises L9: Suitable for peacetime sedentary duties at Bases. Not fit for operational duties even in Bases
PES F	Medically unfit for any form of service

Male children who take up permanent residency status through their permanent resident parent's sponsorship will be required to serve National Service like other Singaporean males [1]. However, foreigners who take up jobs in Singapore or become permanent residents of Singapore will not be required to serve National Service.

They are then called up for enlistment at the age of 18, although most Singaporean males would usually choose to complete their tertiary education in the respective Polytechnics, High Schools, Junior Colleges, Pre-University courses or other institutions before commencing the mandatory duration in which they are required to serve. Those who voluntarily opt for early enlistment with the consent of their parents are allowed to commence full-time national service at the age of 16½.

The duration of the conscription for a typical Singaporean male usually spans over a period of 2 or 2½ years depending on his educational qualifications. As an incentive of some sort, the duration may be cut by a further 2 months, if potential enlistees are able to obtain a silver or gold for their physical fitness test (NAPFA) prior to enlistment. The duration of National Service has since undergone some minor changes and it now stands at a period of 1 years 10 months to a maximum of 2 years.

Enlisted Date[3]	Rank	Full-Time NS Duration1	Qualifications	Remarks
1971 till Nov 2004	Lance Corporal or lower	2 years	O-level, N-Level and ITC or lower
1971 till May 2004	Corporal and higher	2 years 6 months	A-level and Diploma qualifications or higher	Will be promoted to at least the rank of Corporal
Jun 2004 till Nov 2004	Corporal and higher	2 years 2 months	A-level and Diploma qualifications or higher	Then current serving NSF wil have 2 months reduction instead
From Dec 2004	All ranks	2 years	All qualifications
1. NAPFA Silver before enlistment get further 2 months reduction

Refusal to serve and conscientious objection

Those who are liable to serve national service, but refuse to, are charged under an Enlistment Act. If convicted, face imprisonment for a period of three years and a fine of S$10,000. Controversy arose when the penalties were increased in January 2006 after Melvyn Tan, who was born in Singapore, received a fine for defaulting on his National Service obligations. Tan left for London to study music during his enlistment age and later acquired British nationality. In parliament, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean provided some illustration of the punishments defaulters would face:^[4]

• Where the default period exceeds two years but the defaulter is young enough to serve his full-time and operationally ready NS duties in full, MINDEF will press for a short jail sentence.
• Where the defaulter has reached an age when he cannot serve his full-time NS in a combat vocation or fulfil his operationally ready NS obligations in full, a longer jail sentence to reflect the period of NS he has evaded may be appropriate.
• Where the defaulter has reached an age when he cannot be called up for NS at all, a jail sentence up to the maximum of three years may be appropriate.

Each year, a small number of people are convicted for their failure to enlist or refusal to serve in the military.^[5] Most of them are Jehovah's Witnesses, who are usually court-martialled and sentenced to three years of imprisonment, although they are usually held in a low security detention facility and separated from other military offenders. The government doesn't consider Conscientious objection to be a legal reason for refusal to serve NS. Since 1972, Jehovah's Witnesses as a religious group have been banned from Singapore.^[6]

Economic and social impact

There have been reports of reservists who were denied job opportunities because of their NS commitments.^[7] Among some Singaporeans, there is a sense of dissatisfaction with regard to the foreigners who do not have to serve NS, but are able enjoy the fruits of Singapore's economic success.^[8]

Also, the stipend given to full-time NSFs are usually below what he would would receive in an open labor market.^[9] In comparison, the salary paid to a career soldier performing an equivalent task would otherwise be very competitive, at times even higher than civilian pay^[10][11], given the increased risk and nature of the job. This can be seen as a form of hidden taxation, since the conscript is coerced into serving at levels of compensation below what would induced them to sign up as a career soldier and are hence underpaid with tax-in-kind.^[12]

Aligning with the increasing education levels of conscripts ^[13], a lengthy period of conscription dams the economic contributions of these young men in a labor market where unemployment rate is low^[14], in which their specific skill and talent would be better valued by employers rather than being accorded and generalized by rank or vocation.^[11] This is against the principle of comparative advantage, offering an ineffective match between people and jobs, incurring increased opportunity cost to the conscript.^[12]

With a system of depressed compensation enforced by the government through legislation, it reduces the efficiency, hence productivity of labor when manpower is in abundance supply and inexpensive. This is magnified in peacetime, when the cost of over-manning, organizing and maintaining a large passive standing army put more burden on the government expenditure than the tangible gain it benefit.^[12]

Given the regularity of conscripts turnover, the cost of retraining, adapting and familiarizing a soldier with equipment and machinery increases, as does the incident of casualties and accidents.^[12] It also raises the question of social equality, since it is only young men and not women who are drafted into conscription where it may be viewed as discriminatory, with the delayed access to employment or further education.^[12]

Type of services

Military service

There are several types of Basic Military Training (BMT) conducted by the SAF at its BMT Centre on Pulau Tekong, which is an island off the north-east coast of Singapore. Medically fit NSFs who hold educational qualifications from Junior Colleges and other institutions of higher learning undergo a 10-week Enhanced BMT program. Those from lower educational backgrounds undergo a similar program (Standard BMT program), but without a Sit Test (Situational Test), which is a test used to assess trainees for posting to command schools like the School of Infantry Specialists (SISPEC) and Officer Cadet School (OCS), occasionally a select few will later be posted to the Police service for training as an Inspector.

NSFs who are less medically fit, depending on their particular medical condition, either have to go a 7-week Modified BMT or just a 1-week induction program for recruits with certain medical conditions.^[16] NSFs who are medically fit, but have failed the pre-enlistment Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), will have to undergo an additional 4-week Physical Training Phase (PTP), making it a 13-week BMT program for them. Conscripts who are overweight go through special BMT programs, depending on the severity of their obesity, with the longest BMT program lasting 4 months (16 weeks) for the most obese trainees. The obesity of a conscript is determined by his Body Mass Index (BMI) during the pre-enlistment medical checkup.

Medically fit NSmen also have to take the IPPT every year as part of their training program.

Police Service

Though a majority will serve in the army for their National Service, a considerable number of enlistees will serve their NS years in the Police Force. For those who are chosen to serve in the Police Force, they will undergo training at the Home Team Academy where they will study the Penal code and standard police protocol. After training at the Academy, they will be posted to various Departments of the Force eg. Special Operations Command (SOC), Logistics, Land divisions, Airport Police, etc. Those who are posted to the Police Coast Guard (PCG) or Police KINS will undergo further training. Selection of Officer Cadet Trainees (OCTs) to undergo the NS Police Inspector Course (NSPI) is a stringent process for Police National Servicemen (Full-time). Usually, a very small number (ie 3) from each cohort will be selected, with the majority of the OCTs being the Singapore Armed Forces' National Servicemen (Full-time) who have completed their Basic Military Training (BMT).

Civil Defence Service

The SCDF is the emergency rescue force of Singapore and they provide firefighting, rescue and ambulance services, and has been one of the three National Service postings since 1972. Those who are enlisted into the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will typically undergo a 7-week Basic Rescue Training at the Basic Rescue Training Centre (BRTC) where they will be given basic rescue training (BRT), exposed regimental discipline and trained to maintain a level of fitness required of all NSFs in Singapore.

Much alike the SAF's SISPEC course, selected NSFs are also posted to the Civil Defence Academy (CDA) to undergo the Firefighter Course (FFC) or the Emergency Response Specialist Course (ERSC) within the first two weeks of their BRT stage, passing out as Firefighters for FFC trainees, and as Fire & Rescue Specialists for ERS trainees who would also simultaneously be conferred with the Sergeant rank (Firefighters mostly pass out as Privates prior to station posting). Firefighters would typically be posted out to the various fire stations island-wide after passing out, while Fire & Rescue Specialists would be posted as Section Commanders at territorial division, fire stations or at the Special Rescue Battalion; a small number may also be posted as Instructors back in the CDA to staff the Command & Staff Training Wing.

While a certain level of health and fitness pre-requisites are expected by both the FFC and ERSC administrators before one can be selected for the aforementioned courses, admission into the ERS course typically requires a certain added set of added qualifications, namely either a minimum of a GCE 'A' Level certificate, a Polytechnic Diploma or a Higher Nitec Certificate. These added pre-requisites are viewed as necessary in light of a Section Commander's operational and administrative role when posted out. One marked difference between the FFC and ERSC is the added rescue and emergency training received by ERS Specialist Cadet Trainees (SCTs), as well as the General Command & Control Term which includes the Basic Home Team Course held at the Home Team Academy and an outward-bound Brunei trip which serves to equip and develop the necessary leadership skills required of a specialist junior officer. In terms of administration and duration, the FFC is under the charge of the Firefighting Training Wing (FFTW) and lasts for three months while the ERSC is under the purview of the Command & Staff Training Wing (CSTW) and lasts for six months.

In addition, there is also the Basic Officer Course under the charge of the CSTW designed to train NSFs and regulars as Senior Officers of the SCDF, with NSFs graduating as Lieutenants (LTA). While the BOC is traditionally largely made up of NSFs from the SAF who had just completed their Basic Military Training (BMT) at Tekong, the top 5-10% of the ERSC will also be offered to cross-over to the Basic Officer Course (BOC) to be trained and commissioned as Senior Officers after passing out, spending the last three months of the BOC together with Officer Cadet Trainees (OCTs).

For NSFs who undergo the full 7-week basic rescue training at the BRTC, they will subsequently be posted and trained to become Medical Orderly (Medics), Dog Handlers, Provosts, Infocomm & Logistics Specialists or Instructors (such as Physical Training Instructors or PTIs) among many other vocations upon passing out from the BRTC.

its been 4Mths and now finally, POP oi!... hahaz, well for sure am gonna missed all my squad mates, we have been staying together for the past 4mths, sharing our problems among our mates, be it squad mate or coy mate from other squad... and not forgeting having pt session with our FI sufiyan and getting nag by our OC, SI Asnah... This 4mths of POBC have taught me many things, and also meet many people from different walk of life... haiz seriously, i am gonna miss all this fun... well i gtg nw.. cya....
signing off.... Afad...