And just like that, 2024 has flown by and we’re back at the festive period when everything slows down. This is certainly the case in many workplaces because most people are on holiday, which makes it pretty difficult to get anything done.
Case in point? Last December, I sent an email to Finance Person A inquiring about a claim I needed to make, only to receive a reply saying I should contact his colleague, Finance Person B, because he was on leave.
Finance Person B replied saying he would get back to me as soon as possible. When I decided to chase him a few days later, I received an email saying I should contact Finance Person C because B went on leave.
I only managed to sort this issue out in mid-January, and it was Finance Person F who finally settled the issue for me. I never knew there were that many people in finance.
Speaking of workplaces, I feel sorry for those whose companies have reverted to the 5-day work from office arrangement. Personally, I’m much more productive at home than in the office because the former allows me to multitask more effectively.
I mean, I can’t possibly attend a meeting while taking a shower in the office, no?
I think the key to workplace arrangement is simply moderation. Three days in the office seems plenty enough to me. No?
And since we’re on the topic of moderation, I reckon we should all partake in merrymaking in moderation this festive season. That’s right. Find a balance. Don’t stuff yourself silly with the Christmas roast and honey-glazed hams.
Be sure to drink lots of wine and champagne too!
Jokes aside, research has shown that we don’t have to worry too much about going a little overboard during the festive period because most of us don’t put on significant amounts of weight from just a few days of partying.
That being said, if your metabolism is as slow as the pace of work during this festive period, it’d be best if you exercise more self-control and watch your intake. As for me, I’ve given up on making weight loss my New Year’s resolution.
The only thing losing weight during this festive period is, unfortunately, my wallet.
Alternatively, you can be like my BMT mate Gary, who has for the past few years been religiously going for NS Fit sessions after Christmas or Chinese New Year just to burn off the extra calories. What I find strange is that Gary is uber fit and can get Gold without even giving his all.
So why does he do this? Because earning rank pay from all these NS Fit sessions and getting Gold at the end of it all allows him to pretty much recoup the money he spent on Christmas gifts.
It’s a really smart move if you think about it. Why pay a gym hundreds of dollars when the SAF will pay you to stay fit?
No matter how fit you are, though, it still sucks to kena guard duty during the holidays. You see, my buddy and I once had to sign extra and do guard duty during Christmas thanks to our merciless platoon sergeant, who found us using a very unorthodox approach for light discipline during a training mission.
What did we do? After realising that the red filter for his flashlight was missing, my buddy took out the red underwear from his field pack and used it as a filter instead (my flashlight went missing as we were bashing through thick vegetation).
Thankfully, the officer who was in charge of guard duty that day was so amused and impressed by my buddy’s ingenuity that he told us both to head home!
And that has till this day remained my best Christmas gift, ever.
Of course, not everyone gets to take a breather during the festive period. Our tireless soldiers, for example, must continue to keep this nation safe no matter the occasion. While others are piling on holiday weight, NSmen are doing laps around key installations, staying fit and festive. It’s like Santa’s workshop, but with fewer elves and more fatigues. And hey, who needs a Christmas ham when you’ve got the gourmet delight of camp rations?
So here’s to the NSmen who trade their Santa hats for berets, their countdown parties for camp duties, and their log cakes for combat rations. You are the glue that holds our little red dot together, even during the most wonderful time of the year. Instead of a Secret Santa gift exchange, you swap teh peng and prata orders from Grab. “Turkey’s overrated anyway,” you might mutter while staring longingly at the Instagram story of your family feasting at Marina Bay Sands.
May your duties be smooth, your commanders lenient, and your New Year countdown unceremoniously interrupted by a well-timed “Change duty!”
Remember, the holidays may come and go, but duty always calls – even if it has terrible timing. Cheers to you, Singapore’s very own festive warriors. You deserve all the log cake (and maybe an extra day of off-in-lieu).
LOL Mondays is an ongoing series of slice-of-life stories from freelance writer and NSman Ethan Lim.
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