HAPPY 42ND BIRTHDAY SINGAPORE!!!

Taken at yesterday's NDP Celebration.
Don't you think the water drop graphic has a really cool retro feel to it?

There seems to be something really "uncool" about nationalistic pride these days. Somehow, we have grown up thinking that feeling for our country and nation is something bad, perhaps even something to be embarrassed about. People think - if you are pro-Singapore, you are pro-PAP and that makes you a subservient lackey of the government. What a mouthful and so far from the truth. In the process of learning to be critical and not just "Yes men", we might have turned into skeptical, convenient and maybe even heartless bystanders of this place we call home. In my growing up years, I have often shared with the people around me (often to many too-quick retorts of "That's just gah-men propaganda lah...") that there is much to be thankful for here in Singapore.

Be thankful for the government. They have successfully turned Singapore around from a miniscue primitive fishing port to become one of the greatest success stories of the modern world. "Huh? Where got success? You mean suck cents ah? The gah-men never upgrade my flat! COE so high, now somemore increase GST? Gah-men think we very rich ah! @#&*!!^" Well, what about the fact that you own your own house? That your children have an almost guaranteed opportunity to be educated? That you can travel from Tampines to Raffles City in 25 min WITHOUT a car? These are things that many around the world don't even come close to enjoying.

Be thankful we are a small country with minimum resources. The fact that we are so dependent on the economies of the world also means that we are more knowledgeable about them, that we are more mobile, that we have to and can be more connected to them. Precisely because we are forced to move out of our tight little constraints of this tiny red dot on the map, the world has become our playground. We have been blessed with the opportunity to experience cultures and environments that people in much bigger and resource-abundant countries are not even aware of. Our multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-religious background allows us to be naturals at adapting to another culture overseas. We know how to appreciate diversity yet hold on to our heritage because that is what we try to do every day in this garden of an island.

Speaking of gardens, let's be thankful that while we often think of ourselves as one hard concrete jungle, truth is, there is much greenery around us. Walk around the streets in Shanghai or Beijing and you will realise that trees are grey, not green.

True, there are many things that could be be better, but since when did we become such perfectionistic whiners who care only that we can be number one in everything? Better still if someone does all that for us. Are we proud of Singapore? It's hard to be proud of something if we did not put in effort into creating it. You might have tasted the best banana cake in the world, but as long as your experience is just limited to the tasting, the greatest pride and satisfaction belong only to the person who baked it. We OWN this land. The people here, they are family. Shouldn't that mean something? Isn't that something worth investing in and caring for?

Yesterday, as I watched the fireworks explode into the sky on TV, and saw people from different walks of life celebrating together, something moved in me. I thought about what they were happy about. The skeptical side of me rationalised that perhaps they were caught up in the moment. They were experiencing an emotional high from the climax of all the festivities that were going about. But as I pondered further, I hope they were celebrating too because they were proud to be Singaporeans. That when they recited the pledge, they did so with conviction for what we stood for as a sovereign nation. That when they sang the National Anthem, it wasn't because they were forced to do so since primary school, but because it was worth declaring again that as a nation, we will not bow to adversity but press on to even brighter days.

I am proud of Singapore. I am proud to be a Singaporean. So what if our flag is not as cool as the union jack which has found its way to become some sort of a fashion inspiration? Our flag flies high where it matters - on our HDB balconies, across the bay swaying from a Chinook, as a 120m x 80m human weave at the Padang and most importantly, in our hearts as a reminder of how unique and special we are. You might have heard this before, but allow me to say it again. Singapore IS a miracle. I don't mean to say that we have created this miracle. No, we ARE one by the grace of God. Treasure it. Be thankful for it. Choose to live it.


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Photos courtesy of my brother.