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It is safe to say that one way or another, the majority of Singaporean men have served their country. Be it sleeping in the jungles of Mandai, walking the beat on the streets of Clarke Quay on New Year’s Eve, or putting out fires (literally) clad in heavy protective gear, most local and naturalised male citizens have given up, as the song goes, “two years of our time”. But many have differing views of National Service. Some see it as a hindrance, a waste of time. Some see it as an opportunity to get fit and test their limits via command school. Some prefer simply going through the motions, doing whatever their superiors tell them to. Me? I reasoned to myself that since I’m going to have to do it anyway, I might as well go in with an open mind and seek enjoyment in wherever CMPB decides to throw me. Who says you can't hear pictures? The sounds are embedded in my memory for life. Finding diamonds in the rough Did I have a good time? In a manner of speaking, yes. I forged lifelong friendships, I probably hit my peak fitness (getting thrown into a “chiongsua” vocation will do that to you), and I came out with the mantra that whatever else I may face in the future, it can’t be as bad as trying to get some sleep in a torrential downpour in the Lorong Asrama vegetation, soaking wet and desperately shielding my weapon with my body to prevent potential rusting. And on the first night of a five-day exercise too. There is truth too, in what your seniors would presumably have told you before you enlisted: You will definitely see all manners and types of people in the service. Hearing of the different stereotypes and seeing them with my own eyes definitely made for a humorous experience, especially during BMT. Don't judge a book by its cover There was the stereotypical “JC kid” recruit who was presumably sheltered and pampered for his entire life. He who struggled with simple chores like straightening his bedsheets (because Maria or Mama would do it for him), sweeping the floor of his bunk (I have literally heard, with my own ears, someone say that he did not know how to do it because he had never done so in his whole life), or propping two mattresses against each other in an upside-down V-shape. To give some context for the last example, my BMT company was tasked with sunning our mattresses in the courtyard on a particularly hot day. The obvious solution was to prop two of them against each other at an angle (like a tepee) and it would hold. We watched the other platoon (of which 95% were JC kids) stack them up like dominoes and struggled to understand why they kept falling over, creating a chain effect. That day, I learned that common sense was, in fact, not so common after all. My first day was a mixture of nerves and curiosity. And it is true what they say, that you struggle to sleep on your first night. I only managed to sleep for two hours. There was the stereotypical “poly kid” who would poke the cauldron of patience to see how far he could go with his bulls**t, who would usually follow orders but attempt to find an easier way to go about it. And the stereotypical “ITE kid” who would cuss a mean streak, go against his superiors, and usually did whatever they wanted. Of course, these are just stereotypes and not a generalisation. Most people whom I’ve had the pleasure or disdain of crossing paths with generally did not fit these stereotypes, save for a select few. And of course, last but not least, the “chaogeng warrior”. Every unit will have at least one such person, I guarantee it. He who possessed skin thicker than a rhino’s hide, he who knew full well what he was doing and what he could get away with, and he who spent more time at the doctor’s listing off ailments like a seasoned hypochondriac than in camp. My unit had one such person who, from the first day till the last, “chaogeng-ed” to an extent that I only ever had a conversation with him once, at the smoking corner. I now consider it a feat that in a “chiongsua” vocation like mine, he managed to avoid any and every physical training from the first day, for a duration of close to 20 months. He never even marched with us to the cookhouse once. I got the chance to learn how to, and ride a motorbike during my service. By now, you may have guessed what my vocation was. IYKYK. My takeaways (extra 30 cents) I did enjoy my time in the armed forces, to an extent. I did not like the constant once or twice-a-month weekend guard duties (my constant gripe was that there already was a specific vocation for it, yet we were forced to do either a full or half-day guard duty, on top of being physically exhausted from training the whole day). I bitched and whined like any true Singaporean would (how could I not?). I always tested the waters to try and make life more bearable (but I never did anything that would affect my bookouts, that was my threshold). But I came away a better person. My quick temper mellowed, I learned the value of discipline and patience, and I started to take my future a lot more seriously. All in all, I only enjoyed my National Service because of the attitude I decided to go in with. For all that’s being said of it being a waste of time, logically speaking, it’s something one has to do anyway, so why not try and enjoy it as much as possible? It’s only a waste of time if one deems it to be.

Hi all, This thread is with regards to the 'Mazda 3 driver who failed to stop at the stop line @ a hospital carpark' article. I've noticed a couple of comments on Facebook stating that the cam car should not have sounded its horn in a 'no horn zone'. But, it's okay if it's to avoid an accident/collision right?

Do u think she has gone too far by CSI and post pics about people who made nasty comments about her including the people's family pics.. Wife .. Kids .. Workplace etc Some of her comments quite funny tho. By the way she looks completely diff now

I'm not much of a road-rager while I'm driving, but I have witnessed some pretty stupid things that people have done while they're mad. TBH, this blog post was one of the most childish things I've ever seen and I wonder if there are more nut cases like this? 🙄

Hi guys, After yesterday's (20 Aug) flash flood occurrence, it got me thinking. Those 13 cars that got partially submerged, how ah? This kind of situation will insurance cover?

Hello guys, did any of yall experience a direct encounter with wildlife while driving before? Feel free to share with me your experience and what you did!!

In relation to my most recent blog post, I would like to know what the community thinks. Given that the cyclist is at fault here for not heeding the traffic rules, how would that translate when it comes to insurance claims? Is the driver able to claim anything at all? 😥 As I have mentioned, the laws seem to favour pedestrians more when it comes to situations like this. It doesn't seem very fair for drivers. Has anyone ever encountered something like this before?

To all the drivers out there, please help me to understand why some drivers act like this: I really don't get it, isn't it better to have just missed that turn and then turn back later on? Sure, you could say that this driver might have been in a rush or that he could have had something urgent to attend to. But I don't think having to make a missed turn is worth having your car getting hit by other vehicles. 😥😓 And worse, this driver might not be able to claim anything from insurance due to his reckless insistence! Thoughts?

I'm sure by now, most of you would have read my article on the Audi driver jamming up the SLE just to retrieve his mirror cover (and if you haven't, do check it out :D). And honestly, I just can't wrap my head around the fact that the driver actually would rather risk his life and the life of others for a measly mirror cover. So I googled the cost of mirror covers for an Audi A3, and it averages around $30-$50 on most online stores. Given the costs required to fix it back onto your car, I would estimate that getting a new mirror cover would cost around $150-ish? Unless there's something I'm missing out on, I seriously doubt that $150 is too expensive for an Audi A3 owner to pay for a new mirror cover. So what are your thoughts on this incident? Is buying a new mirror cover more expensive than my estimates or is this driver just a cheapo? Also, as a new driver, if this were to ever happen to me, what am I supposed to do? 😮

This story has been trending for the last 48-hours with multiple posts over various FB pages in Singapore. Now, put yourself in the shoes of the taxi driver. If it were me, I would have driven off as soon as the 90s ah beng started shouting. I mean, kudos to the taxi driver for keeping his cool and locking his doors to keep him and his passengers safe. But I think he could have saved his taxi from all that HULK SMASHING if he had driven off. What would you do in the same situation?

I have seen from multiple online sources that lane-splitting is said to be safer for a rider. However, as someone who does not ride, I don't really understand the logic behind lane-splitting. In fact, I feel it is more hazardous than safe for a rider to lane-split. What's your take on lane-splitting? Is it really safer for riders, or is it just a convenient excuse for them to cut through traffic? I would love to hear what some of yall have to say!

I'm sure we all have done it before - charging through an empty street and speeding up even as the light turns red. Seems pretty harmless, especially when it's late at night and the whole street is quiet and empty, right? Well, I've written this article about a driver who beat the red light and ended up running over a food delivery rider who was waiting for the red light. While I can understand why drivers tend to beat the red light when the street is empty, I don't really get why drivers think they can do the same when there is clearly traffic and pedestrians crossing the junction. What exactly goes through a driver's mind when they attempt to beat the red light at busy areas? 🤨 Do they really think they could do it without any severe consequences?

So I wrote a post about this hit-and-run incident recently, and it got me thinking about how other drivers would handle a hit-and-run situation. Of course, I have never gotten into a hit-and-run before as a driver (and I don't intend to for a long long time) but I do have an iconic experience that I would never forget. Note: This happened when I was in secondary school. My dad was driving me home from school one day (I was in the passenger seat) when we stopped at a junction along Bukit Timah Road (because it was a red light). All of a sudden, we were rear-ended by a rental car and the impact was strong enough that I jerked forward in my seat. Anyways, the junction was near a petrol station so my dad signalled for the guy to stop ahead to settle the damages and everything. We thought things would go smoothly bUT IT DIDN'T BECAUSE THE GUY IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED LANES AND DROVE OFF. 😠 I don't remember exactly what had happened afterwards but I do remember sitting at the side of the petrol station and waiting for a tow truck to come and bring my dad's car to the repair shop. At the end of the day, my dad had to pay off a large repair fee since the back was mostly smooshed in but I never got to know if we caught the guy or not (or if he even got to make an insurance claim for this incident). Nevertheless, it was pretty memorable for me. Do you have an iconic hit-and-run story? I would love to hear it! ☺️

I assume that most drivers have encountered road hogs every now and then (I know, they're not that fun to deal with). While some of these road hoggers tend to be pretty new to driving, there are some incredibly annoying 'lao jiao' drivers who insist on holding up traffic during busy timings. Because of their behaviour, it's hard to switch lanes sometimes and it's even harder to keep calm when I'm in a rush. So what do you do when you encounter road hoggers? Do you just honk at them until they speed up or do you just suck it up and follow behind until they're out of your way? 😞

Many netizens commented that a fine should be issued to this cyclist, who was pulled over by a traffic police officer. However, from a wider perspective, does it really matter if a fine was issued to her? Instead, active enforcement is what is required to deter cyclists from flouting traffic rules and regulations. Other than warnings and fines, what could be other possible enforcement actions that will help deter such behaviours? I would love to hear your opinion on this matter!

Thought it is interesting to note that there are laws for cycling in Singapore. Not sure if cyclist are aware of them as I often see "professional" looking cyclists riding in 2 or 3 abreast or weaving in and out of heavy traffic. Hopefully more drivers and cyclists can be aware of these relatively simple laws so that the roads can be a more pleasant environment. :) Extracted from: http://www.ntu.edu.sg/ohs/safetyforeveryon...n%20Cycling.pdf http://www.pedal.sg/pedal/Singapore_Laws.html 1. These Rules may be cited as the Road Traffic (Bicycles) Rules. Definitions. 2. In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires

The above reminded me of an incident that I previously experienced: This one time, a chain collision took place on lane 1 of the expressway, but I managed to check my side mirrors and swerve out of the lane in time to avoid being part of the chain collision. I came close (there was a fair bit of distance) to the car behind me on lane 2 when I decided to swerve out of my lane. And this resulted in endless honking and scolding from the car behind me as I had cut him abruptly. What I did was not entirely right or wrong. In fact, I feel it was a dilemma-kind of situation. If you were in my shoes, what would you have done differently?

You've probably seen the video of the Toyota C-HR that almost hit an innocent father and son duo. If you haven't, here you go What do you think? 1) Negligence 2) Inexperience 3) or.....

Drivers, have you seen this Audi while you're out on the roads? 👀 It's really appalling to see how much damage this Audi driver's recklessness has caused over the past week - and to think he hasn't been jailed yet! TBH, I wish more drivers have those dashcams that are able to capture 30 second snapshots with the click of a button and automatically store it in their phones so that it's easier to catch idiots like this. Maybe something like this? It's kinda annoying to have to watch the whole dashcam footage when you witness something interesting or get into an accident. Are there any recommendations for good dashcams, especially for new drivers? 😅

This hack below received mixed reactions from the public. Some said it was “smart” while some criticised him for reckless driving. What do you think of this hack? Any other “special" tricks that you see before?

Would love to hear all your juicy stories about the sudden cycling craze in Singapore. Also, what would you do if you were the one driving behind the group of cyclists similar in the below blog post?

Ever since this viral post made its way through social media, many drivers have come out to share similar experiences. Besides making a police report within 24-hours, what else should drivers do to protect themselves from cyclist who try to pull an insurance scam on you? 🤔 Also, do check out the article if you haven't already!

I think it is pretty cool to use an old car for decoration. 😍 Thoughts on this?

Woo, finally wrote my first commentary piece for MCF! 😊 I would like to know your thoughts/opinions on it. Would you ever get a Tesla in SG? 🤔

Everyone knows that skidding is a common problem for drivers, and I'm sure some have even experienced it at one point throughout their driving experience. As someone who has never had that problem yet (and I don't wish to), I'm not really sure what to do if my car were to ever skid. Do I steer away from the direction and pump the brakes or do I pray to God that I won't get to meet him so soon? Any tips on this? 😥 And also, I know that SG is probably filled with a lot of potential skidding hotspots. Are there any infamous areas that I should take note of? 👀 P.S. If you want to read about an accident that happened recently because of skidding, you can check out my blog post: