[Andromeda]

Two years ago, i was forced into military service by my 'beloved' government ... i endured mental and a bit of physical torture through those two years, mostly mental ... cos they're all fuckin idiots.

... as of yesterday 8th of June, 12 midnite, my contract has finally ended..

i am ....

once again ...

A FREE MAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALL HAIL ME !!! JOY !!! JOYY !!!!! BEER FOR EVERYONE !!! HURRAH !!! FREEDOMMMMMMMMMMMMM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

I will now slink to a corner to cry warm happy tears .. *sob* muahahahhah muahahahha muahahahah !!

[Ragnarok]

Congratulations
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"Ever forward, my darling wind." -Master Yuppa
Seigetsu

[[Shizo]]

Wow man!

This is better than getting married. Congratulations!

[Max]

congrats. I can feel your happiness

damn, I'll get forced into military service in 6 months. For either 8 months or 6. Austria can't really decide. damn,.....
I hope I won't loose my skills damn,....argh,...I hate this system...as if they'd need me.
we are neutral dammit, noone is gonna attack us,...arghhhhh

[Andromeda]

Austria is going to have 'National Service' ?(thats what they call it here ...)
lets hope its 6 months max ...

and about losing your skills ... i dont know.. for these two years, i tried my best... but the enviroment is the LEAST conducive enviroment for any kind of art. (is Vulgarity and art ? if so, then its good for that)

every time i pick up my pencil and take out my drawing pad, people just crowd. "HEY draw me ! No ! Draw me ! Draw me naked !" .. for two years i get a few hours at night in the bunk to do my own stuff(if theres no night training) and most of the time, im too tired to do anything. I get to go home only weekends and theres always not enough time... im tired at nights, im tired weekends. life sucked, and my superiors were dicks.

sure there were fun times ... grenades, live rounds, late night jungle trecks where you cant even see your own hand in front of your face, waking up to 'artillery' bombardments and its so dark you can see shit and you're supposed to pack camp within 8-10 minutes and run, wiping your ass with dried leaves, mud and more mud.. and this is the first three months. yes these are fond memories... but my superiors were dicks...

would i do it again ? hell no... maybe the dried leaves part.

[gLitterbug]

I know how you feel Andromeda, altough I only had to serve for 8 months and mostly spent this time in a more "normal" atmosphere that was the kitchen work I was assigned to.

But the mere fact that you are not free to do what you want and are to do what a whole lot of morons command you to was cracking down hard on me mentally. I think I could�ve got used to the physical things (even though I dodged them with the kitchen work mostly) but I doubt I would�ve ever got used to the lack of freedom.

Anyways I doubt that I had anywhere near your pain. I�m happy for you that its over now.

[Drunken Monkey]

Congrats man. At least it was 2 years. I voluntarily imprisoned myself into a "software developer" position for 5 years.
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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity" - Sigmund Freud

[Godwin]

And I'm going in next year (if not end of this year), so is what they say true? NS dumbs you down? Shit. Well at least it's 2 years now.
GIMME PES C!!!!

Ah I feel happy for you anyways
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Derelict Studios|Godwin's Space

[Andromeda]

Thank you guys, i really does feel good to be free again ...

and Godwin, when your time comes, if you're aiming for a downgrad, dont go for just a mere 'C' ... 'C2 L2' is the lowest you should aim for,, any higher (C2 L1 for example) and you're still fucked... C2 L2 or lower ... thats the way to go.

[Godwin]

Wanna help me break an arm? Lol... I think I'm doomed, most probably BP anyway. omg 26 week BMT
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Derelict Studios|Godwin's Space

[Andromeda]

Break an arm ? LOL .. come on, you dont have to go that far... altho i've a close friend who broke the little finger on his left hand ... mashed it with a brick, a piece of wood, and his helmet.

but you dont have to hurt yourself physically to get a lower PES status... the best and most effective way is to claim to be mentally unfit (basic PES status for these guys is C2 L1, to downgrade to L2 is so easy from there)... but you have to be really good at acting ... it can be something really simple like a phobia of authority figures, or something a bit more dramatic, like a serious depression. PES BP is really nothing to laugh at ... i've seen them suffer.

[Yarik]

I have a strong fear of clothing all together. Would that disqualify me? Prolly not, they would make me just wear a helmet and a gun in my hand. Imaging that.

[Gort]

Sounds like a rough time but I'd chalk it up as a positive one; think of all the really incredibly terrible things you've endured during that time, and then remember them when you think you have problems. Maybe your problems will then appear small.

Congrats on being done, so get busy livin'.


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- Tom Carter

"You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf" - Jack Kornfield

[Naeem]

hey, congrats!

i've always wondered, that someone who goes into the army and endures those tough times, will paint compeltely different. he/she will have a bigger view on life, and will have seen things that other ordinary artists have not. thus, you'll paint things different, and perhaps have a unique style.
i for one would have wanted to go and see what I come out with in the end...
But I'm only living in USA, and don't know all the details .

and godwin, sorry to hear that man.
max, u too . good luck. i'm sure you won't lose your skills.


question;
wat's the punishment if you try to dodge this whole thing? prison? a heavy fine?

[Affected]

Congratulations.

I spent a bit over 6 months in jail (more of a holiday really) because I didn't serve "fatherland", and it really was an odd feeling when I found myself on a bus going home for good. I find myself getting increasingly bitter about it, even though I can't really say why. I guess it's just the ridiculousness of the idea that a uniform, be it military or other gives a person authority to command others. That's what it boiled down to in prison, anyway. The only thing the guards had going for them was the blue they wore.

But anyway. Good luck with moving on, I bet it feels strange now, not having a daily routine, being able to go where you please when you please, having to start building your life... I don't know anything about you, but if there's one piece of advise I would give, it's to move along as fast as possible. If you've not been in contact with friends as much as you were before, fix that. Just get a life. When you've become accustomed to a certain way of life and certain social circles, only to suddenly be kicked out of that, the real world can be a quite alienating. I know I found myself being a lot less social once I was free, just because it was what I had become used to.

[xenos]

annisahmad - I dont know how its elswhere, but here in finland the army is at least 6 months. If you dont feel patriotic you have the option of going to civil service, but that's 13 months, or you can do what affected did and go to prison for 6 months or if you are good actor, you might try to convince the authorities that u are insane (it will be tough)

my father is from greece so i had the option of becoming a greek citisen and pay my way out of the army. My father, when he was younger used this method, but he had to work half a year as an sailor to collect enough money (at the time, the army was 2 years) ..I could'nt get the money because of my shitty job, so i just went to civil service for 13 months..

[Lunatique]

I left Taiwan at age 11 and immigrated to the States, but if I had been 13, I wouldn't have been able to leave until after I served 2 years. I think I can handle the physical conditioning, but I have zero tolerance for assholes who are on power trips. These people have nothing in their lives that makes them feel accomplished, so they torture others to feel special. Some of them don't even have enough character or integrity as a human being to handle the responsibilities they are given, and that's why their personality defects drive them to abuse their power and unleash ridiculously harsh and inhumane treatment/punishment to people who are helpless and cannot fight back. My brother served, and so did my friends in Taiwan. There were people that were tortured to death by their drill sargents. Military training is one thing, but blatant torturing is a whole different matter. I'm almost 100% sure that if I had served, and my drill sargent was one of those assholes, I would've murdered him (but I would've been smart about it. If you're going to murder someone, you better make sure you don't get caught).

[choboroy]

It's times like this I thank the lucky stars I live in Australia.

I don't even see the point of conscripted military service or national service. Australia probably has the smallest army in the world but we don't have conscription.

[Mikko K]

Annisahmad>

Don't buy that 'army broadens your horizons' crap.. Been there, done that, but I would rather have spent that six months doing something else. If you are not sure what you want to do in life, you will surely know what you DON'T WANT after going to the army, so it's a good experience in that sense.

I've been thinking about refusing to go if I'm ordered for another two week training session just to see how they will punish me.

[Freebooter]

Affected, I'm leaning towards that option myself. I'm going to the army in less than a month and I sprained my ankle real good, I'm not sure if I'm up to all that marching with only one leg. And no way I'm postponing that crap for another year or so, I have rent to pay and mouth to feed (my mouth) and civil servitude is out of question as I'm not willing to work as a librarian for thirteen months without salary. I guess it's jail time if I can't get myself disqualified somehow.. Any suggestions besides raping the six-year-old next-door?

[Affected]

Freebooter: I don't know about evasion, I didn't even try. But the thing with going to jail is it doesn't happen overnight. From the time you somehow refuse to serve it can take a year or so until you find yourself in prison. If you do decide to not serve, you might want to refuse civil service instead of military service. You can drop out of military service too, but be careful how you do it - if you just go awol and wait for the mp to come get you, you may end up with a desertion charge on your criminal record. I think the best way to ditch military service is to go whereever you're told to serve and tell them you won't do it. If you really wind up doing that though, find some more info first - I went the route of signing up for civil service, not going when it started, giving the cops a written statement of refusal to serve, being "questioned" (formality, it's not like there's any questioning to do really) and then waiting a lot.

[gLitterbug]

Listen to Mikko K. Even if the guy telling you this horizon bullshit, was in military himself. Most of the guys I know now talk like military wasn�t that bad after all. The only reason they do that is that you fade out the bad memories over time if they weren�t like lifechanging(murdering a drill sergeant for example).

Affected: Did the decision to refuse and the following jailtime you had to do affect your circle of friends and social contacts and your everyday life? Like getting a job and things like that?

[Andromeda]

[Godwin]

dey all WOs are fucktards what, why do you think they're warrant officers?? LOL that's why no one (who's sane) wants to go SISPEC no? PLUS sign on? He must've really thought he'd no future or whatever. Though I heard starting from next year you have to go through that first if you want to go to OCS. Tough luck for those haha, I don't have such dreams anyway.

Hey btw touching on education, what route did you take? I'm so sick of JC -_- and I have no idea what I'm gonna do after NS... do you know if the new NTU design school is any good? Any good art schools in the region?
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Derelict Studios|Godwin's Space

[Mikko K]

Yum, maybe stupidity can be expected in a country where they will spank your ass for spitting chewing gum on the street

Come to think about it. Even my grandpa who was in the army during WWII and fought against Soviet Union has told me not to take the military service too seriously, that it's a game being played by big boys who try so bad to be Men.

[Godwin]

[Mikko K]

Hehe, btw. I don't really know about Singapore, I was just joking based on things that I have been told. No offense meant

[Freebooter]

Sorry for warming up such an old topic but I got kicked out of armed service yesterday, after only four days there. I seriously hurt my ankle this summer and now it happened again. My service is postponed for till autumn of 2006 but I doubt if I'm ever going there again. Enough walking like a duck and pizza-faced juvenile sarges spittin' on face to last a lifetime.

Affected, we will see each other soon in the cafeteria at UIAH after all..

[Dekard]

I guess military service is different in different countries here in the US, it's not mandatory but in times of war you may get drafted. It's an all volunteer military.

I spent 4 years in the military, my wife spent 10 in the reserves. I met great people and was taught a trade. I had a PC in my dorm for drawing, and for the most part it was an 8-5 monday through friday job, after basic training, and also got 15k for college.

So, not all military service is bad.. just an outlook, you can draw anywhere.. all you need is a pencil and paper. I ended up drawing up t-shirts with all our names on it for basic training and painted our Training Instructors podium with a big cougar with a TI hat..



Your milage may vary.
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