Happy Birthday Singapore.

"Do you love singapore?"

The children roared, "YESSSSSSSS!!!"

"One people, one nation, one singapore. That's the way that we will be, forevermore..."

This was a typical scene during national day celebrations when i was in kindergarten. I will never forget the zest we (the kids) had whenever we sang these patriotic songs and this was my personal favourite ndp song when i was a kid.

However, as i grew older, the general interest among students in national songs gradually wane off like my previous post observation... Even the hanging of national flag isn't that popular anymore. Are these the effects of the Gen Y syndrome or has Globalisation 3.0 (refer to The Flat World, Thomas Friedman) fully set in?

It doesn't really matter... What matter most is the ability to answer the question yourself... Do you love your country...

"I do..."

Everytime i hear the national anthem special occasions, there will be this gush of emotions within me. Not being too mushy about patriotism, it just comes naturally to me that I am proud to be a singaporean, despite our negative parts. I guess questions about patriotism shouldn't asked at all, cuz isn't it natural to love your country?

Sometimes, it takes a few trips overseas to realise the beauty of Singapore and to appreciate ourselves more. There is no need for comparison between Singapore with any extremely undevelop country to understand that we are very fortunate and far better off. Even comparison with developed nations and cities, we are already better off in many aspects... cleanliness, order and even in our social civic. Who says the "fine" system isn't fine for us? I guess the habit of not littering started back then as a result of the fear of being fined, but by now people are more civic minded and it has become innate in us that we do not litter. Maybe one day, we will just find everyone emptying their trays automatically in fast food chains. Even giving up of seats, i would say we are a gracious bunch of people and it is very common to see people giving up their seats to needy. To my surprise, in some cities, there are people who do not give up their seats even with the priority seats signs pasted up. Are we really right to say that we are not civic minded? Even in buses, the passengers do not automatically move to the back and the bus driver simply doesn't even care. Conslusion? I guess we are in the process of becoming very civic minded, even though there's still more to be done.

We like to complain and its really true. E and i were "complaining" once we touched down... eeewww, why is this airport like that? so lousy... nothing compared to changi...
eeewww, why is their train station so dirty...
eeewww, why do people litter here? i thought they don't litter?

well, these complain sessions definitely prove the fact that singapore is really a comfortable place to live in. though maybe too much of a comfort zone for us sometimes...

high living expenses in singapore? rising transportation cost? i wouldn't say that rising 10cents in transportation fares or having a taxes will not hurt the majority of us that much, cuz we are really enjoying very cheap public transportation and very very low tax rates. the usual clamour for a welfare system would definitely work if everyone is willing to give up to 50% of ur moolah to the state every year... be contented... be appreciative of what we have...

lousy arts scene? is it really that bad? i wouldn't think so... maybe years ago i would have felt that way, but after getting to know the sprouting art movements in singapore, i would say that in fact we have quite a vibrant arts scene... who know's what rojak? who farm is? not many people know such groups, but they are the credible art forces out there slowly infusing their artistry in our society. perhaps it isn't that fair to complain that our local productions have no standard when we don't support them ourselves. and how would we define what the "standards" are? is a jack neo film any inferior to a 2046? his shows always cater to the general public, direct, plain and simple... any singaporeans would understand the show even with language barriers.. so, should films be artistic in order to be good or can plain and simple show be award winning too? the debate always be on going but it doesn't really matter, cuz whatever film produced, it must be produced with love for the people, for the country. what good does it have, if it doesn't speak to the audience with a heart?

we like to create hyper-real landscapes... chinatown, old stamford library... it's always a love hate relationship when it comes to urban planning... perhaps, there will be a day where we can all be really happy with how we live, work and play.

schools have to be more creative... moe should look into instilling creativity... singapore has no identity... the government should provide a creative environment and create identity and the government should be more liberal too... therein, lies an ironic statement... these are also nostalgic lamentations on the need for a state driven effort in boosting creativity in singapore... does it work in that manner? Rather than clamour for the need to have more creative spaces or lamenting about the lack of identity, we should in fact take charge and collaborate and work with the ministries and state organs in coming up with projects that will shape singapore... rather than oppose, why not collaborate?

I feel that this is our time, our generation is part of the history in the making, in building a strong identity for our nation... Do not only look back at our forefathers as the founders of singapore, we are also the very founders of our country in future. What is present will become history, we will also be considered founders years and centuries down the road. 41 years isn't a long period of time, there're many years to come and it's time for us to shine...

Reach for the stars but count our blessings along the way...

Happy Birthday Singapore.