Party of the year!

I was at the National Day Parade of course. Can't miss the show of the year. Actually this is my first time viewing it as a spectator.(Grandstand seats too, thanks Adam!) I took part in 2 National Day Parades a few years before, but I was, naturally, too tire to feel anything but relief when the Day finally arrives and we put on our last performance.


There was a sea of red and white at Kallang MRT station. Everyone was very corporative, wearing red and/or white. I did spotted a few in jeans and non-singapore-flag-colored shirt, wah lau, make some effect can? McDonald was also showing an enterprising spirit by placing wooden tables outside its shop to make space for the thousands strong crowd.


The traffic marshal was, as per tradition, a NS man. Hey, kind of remind me of myself 2 years ago. They play a great role. Seriously.


We met a couple of young people on stilt, and I got a sticker off one of them. Wonderful people.




There are place cards of cow like this everywhere. What's with the cow?


There was time for a little history lesson. I was counting the number of times MM Lee appeared.


As we neared the stadium,

I felt a strong sense of patriotism, and I saluted. Wow. You can't see it from here, but I was almost in tears.


We spotted this near the stadium. It seems friendly enough...


...so we posed for a picture. Check out my teeth!

Turns out there are a lot of stuff going on around the stadium.

Different groups were performing and I like the skipping best. I think they are from my old primary school, so there might be something there, but it's the pure spirit they display that attracted me. And also the ear-splitting screams of their supporters.


Also a young man blowing his trumpet.


And a little girl getting her face painted.


More wonderful people,


I may not be able to walk on stilt, but I can definely do the balloons. Yah, it's a hobby of mine. I can be creative too you know.


And we are finally in! We got tire of walking around and made our way onto our seats. This will be the last year the NDP will be held inside the national stadium, so there is a certain amount of sadness there.


The balloon lady got real close.




And our Ministers and MPs arrived! Mostly in white. You won't know this if you wasn't there. They were playing the song "(I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be) Free" just before the VIPs arrives.


Now the real show begins.


The fly pass.


The march pass.


The drive pass.


Oh yah, not forgetting the poor soldiers.


What a extraordinary day.


And I sit and contemplate it all.

The show went on...
and on...
and on...
some more...
not bad...
and on...

We love the fireworks.


And it ends with a bang.


Now that the official show ended.




Let's party!


I went around hugging people,


performers,


and random school children.


And it would seem, I'm not the only one.


People in costume are still partying,


eating fire,


and just fooling around.


Now I understand why they call it the party of the year. This is the part you don't get to see on TV. From the performance outside the stadium, to the children, till the end where our youth dance and party the night away on our nation birthday. Now that's worth going for. So if you went and left with the crowd, you miss half the show.


All photographs are courtesy of SHOTBYADAM.COM
technorati tag:national day parade 2006 singapore singaporean

Our nation, our home, our dreams, our hope.

National day is tomorrow and this will be my first time at the National Day Parade as a spectator. Adam has been luck enough to get tickets for the grandstand (damn, how did he do this? It's like $300 in ebay I heard) and is kind enough to invite me along to the show. Well I was there for 2 years as part of the marching contingent, but then I was in the middle for 2 years and didn't get much of a view.

You know, I like to hear national songs on the air and tv. It gives me this warm fuzzy feeling inside and brings back memories of my childhood. I could just close my eyes and imagine I'm in primary school again. I found this official sing Singapore version of "Count on me Singapore" on YouTube.


And then been the devil I'm, I've found a link to a unofficial lyrics here:

The first few lines goes:
We have a revision of pay tomorrow
Just release, just release
We have a poorer Singapore
We won't receive, we won't receive...[here]

Make no mistake, I love Singapore. I love her for her stability, for her security, for her accessible education, for her lovable people, for her economy, for her rich culture, for her teh tarik.

And because I love the land I grow up in, I feel that some things can be improved.
For example, censorship. Take a look at this (really, you must, its sidesplitting):





We cannot use local dialects on tv, cross dressing is banned. Our movies and shows are heavily censored. Ideas, concepts and themes are restricted. We sometime have to go oversea to watch Singapore made movies. Which is silly. And just a bit sad.

I just got news that the police had issued a warning to Martyn See who made "Singapore Rebel" about Chee Soon Juan, but decided not to prosecute him, ending the saga.[news] Having seen the show on google video I honestly do not know what all the fuss is all about. I'm bewildered.

After Singapore banned protests and outdoor gatherings for the coming IMF meeting, the world watches as IMF and World Bank request Singapore to allow people more opportunity to express their views in the coming meeting. The World Bank expressed that: "effective inclusion of the voices of civil society is key to ensuring that the annual meetings are a success." An official organisation asking for people to criticise and complain against it? An idea that is somewhat shocking in Singapore.

Recently, after I was disappointed and sadden by the lack of opposition coverage in our media, and the Mr Brown affair, have turned to oversea news site and papers to find out about things that are happening in Singapore. I wish I do not have to.

I believe that we ourself is the best censor. I will decide what to watch, when to watch, what is right and what is wrong. If I feel something distorted the truth, I won't believe it. And I certainly won't be distressed by all the information.

I look forward to a time where we can freely publicly debate issues in a health, mature fashion.

For example this news report:
"MCYS has formed a nine-member parents' workgroup to look into the financial security of children with special needs. President of Autism Resource Centre and MP for Jalan Besar Denise Phua has been appointed to lead it... it will recommend initiatives on how such parents may enhance the financial security of their children."
Is there something more we can do? Is there enough voices speaking up for those who cannot speak for themself? This should at least be discussed.

People with passion and ideas are not out to make trouble. Very often, its precisely because they love this country that they feel that they should speak up. People get involve in all these issues and discussion because they feel we have a stake in the country. Compare that with those scholars who migrate after serving their bond, who's the true patriot?

We're all on the same boat. From time to time, we fight over who should be the captain, who should be in charge. We may argue constantly over which direction the boat should go. But no one, no one will deny that this is an important voyage. We may rock the boat from time to time, but no one will want the boat to sink.

I look forward to a culturally and ethnically diverse society. Where everyone, regardless of race, language, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, education and income can come together proudly with our heads held high as Singaporean.

And with that I salute our nation on her 41st birthday, and wish her a smooth journey on the seas ahead.



technorati tag:
national day censorship singapore singaporean

Photos from Aur