From BMT to vocational training to your unit, your bunk mates are always changing.

However, they all follow a certain pattern because in every bunk, you will definitely find three or four of the following bunk mates.

1. Fitness enthusiast

He is the easiest to spot because he will always be topless.

Whenever there is admin time, he will be doing push-ups, sit-ups followed by whatever the fitness craze is at the moment.

According to my bunk mate, it is something called high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

I try to avoid eye contact with him when he is exercising because seeing me just lying there reading my book, he will come over and invite me to join him.

I hate this because when I turn him down, he smiles and shrugs, and gives me a look that immediately makes me feel fat.

Even during bookout days, you can find them at the gyms in Safra, making full use of their membership.

2. The gluttons

The first thing they do when they go back to their bunks?

Open their lockers and take out their Oreos - doesn't matter that they just had a double portion of rice during lunch.

The most annoying thing? They are normally the skinniest. #lifeisnotfair

3. The sloth

He never bothers about cleanliness and collapses immediately after taking off his number 4 top.

He will milk every second out of his nap, refusing to wake up until the last minute.

The next day, even though he gets more than seven hours of uninterrupted rest, he will still have visible dark circles and eye bags, walking around with heavy steps and complaining about how tired he is.

4. The your-stuff-is-my-stuff bunk mate

Beyond the items issued in our duffle bag on the day of enlistment, he has nothing.

He will take your toilet paper, your soap, your portable charger, your snacks and disgustingly enough, sometimes even your socks. Basically, anything he can get his hands on.

So never let him know the password to your lock or you might just find yourself out of toilet paper when nature calls.

5. The-your-space-is-my-space bunk mate

This is the competitor of #4 for the most annoying bunk mate.

They are also an unexplainable breed.

Why can't they just lie on their own bed?

Also, what's the difference between putting their shoes under their bed and under yours?

Why must they always cross the socially acceptable boundary between two people's beds?

He's a mystery you'll never be able to solve.

5. The touch-my-stuff-or-invade-my-space-and-you-die bunk mate

Always neat and tidy, he is he arch nemesis of #3 and #4.

With him, your body parts are always at risk because he threatens to cut off something precious if you mess up his stuff.

So, it is best you leave his belongings alone. If you need to kope something, then take it from one of your more easy-going bunk mate.

6. The one that is always on the ball

He is the sergeant's favourite.

Admin time for him is preparation for the next day: packing his assault pack, tidying up his locker, polishing his boots and studying for his test.

He does all this while I proceed to stare at him with disdain and whisper: "Wayang!"

7. The international student

He spent his whole life overseas, only coming back to Singapore just to serve his two years in NS.

To understand him his heavily-accented English, you will probably need a translator for the first two weeks.

As I tell one of them about writing this into the article, he defends himself by saying Singlish is very hard to learn. Yet, he is extremely fluent in the Hokkien vulgarities.

From the get-go, he is sociable, outgoing and enthusiastic, many traits which us Singaporeans only display after knowing someone for awhile; hence, he will unknowingly turn many people off.

However, once you get to know him, you'll realise that other than his accent and social etiquettes, he is not much different from you.

8. The one that is always using their phones

The only place you can have a conversation with him is outside of the bunk because once he steps back in, his headphone goes back on.

He will always have his phone in hand (held horizontally) connected to a portable charger, playing Summoner's War or watching a movie/anime. Bookout days for him is normally spent torrenting and transferring these shows onto his phone.

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It's the different people you meet that makes NS memorable; and, truth be told, you're probably never going to experience such diversity again.

Because, we choose our studies or jobs based on our interests or life goals, so the people you find in there will generally be similar to you.

So embrace the differences, and live and let live. One day all the small frustrations and frictions will become beautiful memories.

Top photo from here.

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