NS is not just training, uniforms and waiting for ORD. It has its own songs, food, jokes, ghost stories and phrases that sound completely ridiculous until you have served.
This is the less serious side of National Service. Some of it is official. Most of it gets passed from one batch to the next until nobody remembers where it started.
TLDR
- Army lingo: saikang, chao keng, wayang and everything else
- NS songs: the songs you will hear in BMT and on route marches
- White horse: the real old SAF classification and the modern BMT rumour
- NS movies: Ah Boys to Men, Army Daze and more
- Best canteen dishes: camp food people actually look forward to
- Meme assets: SAF images for making your own memes
Words that only make sense in NS
Why is an unwanted job called saikang? What is a bobo shooter? Why does everyone suddenly tell you to knock it down?
The army lingo guide explains the abbreviations, Singlish, Malay words and army phrases you will keep hearing. It also covers practical terms such as OOC, SOL, FBO and upperstudy.
For one of the more mysterious terms, read about the white horse classification. It was real, it officially ended in 2000, and people still blame it whenever another BMT company has suspiciously good welfare.
Songs
You might forget half your training after ORD, but somehow still remember the lyrics to Purple Light.
The NS songs page collects the common BMT and route-march songs, including:
- Training to Be Soldiers
- Purple Light
- Army Life
- Left Toe Right Toe
- When the Whistle Blows
- The Infantry Song
- BMT Roar
Movies and shows
Ah Boys to Men is the obvious one, but Singapore has been making stories about army life for much longer. The movies page also covers Army Daze, Zombiepura, Ah Girls Go Army and the Every Singaporean Son documentary series.
They are not training manuals. Still, they explain many of the references people make when talking about BMT and reservist life.
Food
Cookhouse food keeps you alive. Canteen food gives you something to look forward to.
The best canteen dishes page collects the meals people remember from different camps. Stalls and menus change quickly, so contribute an update if your favourite has disappeared or a better one has taken its place.
Memes
Need a transparent SAR 21, beret or sian recruit for an extremely important creative project? The meme assets page has you covered.
Stories and folklore
This section is growing. Next up:
- What a blanket party means, and why it is assault rather than an NS tradition
- The ninth SAF core value
- Tekong ghost stories and urban legends
- Old-school punishments such as change parades and stand-by universe
These pages will separate documented history from the stories every batch somehow hears. If nobody can prove a story, we will just call it what it is: NS folklore.