Singapore

Happy 44th birthday, Singapore!

I watched the webcast live and was cooing over the city skyscrapers and city lights "ahhh, so beautiful..." And saying the pledge in front of an Irishman watching the news (which happened to coincidentally be talking about the Singapore economy). Taking patriotism one step ahead. Hahaha.

Singing national day songs along with the several hundred people singing in Singapore. It's that day every year that reminds us how far we've come, and where you've come from. The further you are from home, the more you miss it. Well, for most. I especially missed seeing Singapore flags raised with pride in every neighbourhood, out every main window of your apartment. Seeing that it's optional and was never compulsory, it only shows the conviction the people have for the nation. Despite the daily complains we have of the way of life, we still love the country we live in. Complains may be good - it acts as a driving force pushing us forward, dream big, achieve bigger. I guess complaining means we care about the future of our generations to come. It doesn't mean we hate the country even though we use the word 'hate' ever so loosely. We're just accepting to the fact that even though we love the country we live in, the truth remains we're not perfect and we always have bigger things that will come our way and we have to keep fighting for our survival.

You dream of venturing out to the rest of the world, but your habits stick by you. No matter how far away, you're always wondering if there's a Singaporean you might bump into, and if there's anything close enough to the things you can get in Singapore. Catching a Singaporean accent overseas and getting to say hi, is one of the biggest thrills you can get. Or finding a Singapore branded item in the Asian store. Why don't we ever appreciate these things as much when we're back home? I guess the saying "distance makes the heart grow fonder" serves as truth in this aspect as well.

You can take the Singaporean out of Singapore, but not Singapore out of the Singaporean. Bo pian lor. Just have to accept it the way it is.