National Day
My National Day celebration this year was slightly different.
For the first time in five years, the parade was held at the Padang, which means our yearly ritual of catching the fireworks was disrupted this year. :(
Granny wasn't around to view the parade with us this year. She was part of the 100,000 crowd who viewed the parade at the heartlands. She was at Tampines with my grandaunt.
I am so jealous! The fireworks this year had to be the most spectacular this year because this year was Singapore's 40th. And I had to miss it! Bah!
Our yearly ritual of fireworks viewing during National Day consisted of a quick dash to the corridor on the 10th floor to catch a pathetic few minutes of "a bird's eye view" of the fireworks. And due to our mistimings and impatience, we always left before the whole display. The fireworks need to take a breather too; to save the best for the last, we found out. But if we waited too long, by the time we get back home, we would hear the last strains of "Count on me Singapore" or "One People, One Nation, One Singapore." These songs are still my favourite National Day songs after so many years. True, I do like the recent songs; Kit Chan's "Home" never fails to tug at my heartstrings. But somehow I still find comfort in the older National Day songs, despite the anonymity of the singers. I miss the "MTVs" of these songs!
So, perhaps it was a good thing we couldn't view the fireworks this year, because I was then able to view the reciting of the Pledge, listen to "Mahjula Singapura", "Count on me Singapore", "One People, One Nation, One Singapore" completely.
I just get particularly patrotic come National Day. The sight of everyone (well, nearly everyone) singing of the National Anthem never fails to send a tingling feeling of pride rushing down my spine. I might even be moved to tears if I was at the Parade.
Of course, some things never change during National Day.
Like how Mum would urge us to stand up to sing the Mahjulah Singapura. My sister could no longer bear hearing the same comment year in year out that she quipped, "I have been hearing this since I was in primary school."
Or how Dad would crack silly and lame jokes about how the Prime Minister would be late because he couldn't find his socks or there was a traffic jam, about whether the commander of the parade would suddenly attack the President with his sword (?) while he was getting permission for a marchpast. He even conjures up imaginary (read: predictable) questions that the President might have asked when he stopped to talk to the selected soldiers of the contingents. He has a very vivid imagination.
This year, he had something new. Because the heartlands have their own celebrations this year, he wondered if the ministers and MPs who were "stationed" there had any grouses at having to settle for something smaller and miss out on the actual "big thing".
His remarks have become so predictable that Mum had to remind him gently that he had said the same thing the previousyear years.
Some things just do not change.
For the first time in five years, the parade was held at the Padang, which means our yearly ritual of catching the fireworks was disrupted this year. :(
Granny wasn't around to view the parade with us this year. She was part of the 100,000 crowd who viewed the parade at the heartlands. She was at Tampines with my grandaunt.
I am so jealous! The fireworks this year had to be the most spectacular this year because this year was Singapore's 40th. And I had to miss it! Bah!
Our yearly ritual of fireworks viewing during National Day consisted of a quick dash to the corridor on the 10th floor to catch a pathetic few minutes of "a bird's eye view" of the fireworks. And due to our mistimings and impatience, we always left before the whole display. The fireworks need to take a breather too; to save the best for the last, we found out. But if we waited too long, by the time we get back home, we would hear the last strains of "Count on me Singapore" or "One People, One Nation, One Singapore." These songs are still my favourite National Day songs after so many years. True, I do like the recent songs; Kit Chan's "Home" never fails to tug at my heartstrings. But somehow I still find comfort in the older National Day songs, despite the anonymity of the singers. I miss the "MTVs" of these songs!
So, perhaps it was a good thing we couldn't view the fireworks this year, because I was then able to view the reciting of the Pledge, listen to "Mahjula Singapura", "Count on me Singapore", "One People, One Nation, One Singapore" completely.
I just get particularly patrotic come National Day. The sight of everyone (well, nearly everyone) singing of the National Anthem never fails to send a tingling feeling of pride rushing down my spine. I might even be moved to tears if I was at the Parade.
Of course, some things never change during National Day.
Like how Mum would urge us to stand up to sing the Mahjulah Singapura. My sister could no longer bear hearing the same comment year in year out that she quipped, "I have been hearing this since I was in primary school."
Or how Dad would crack silly and lame jokes about how the Prime Minister would be late because he couldn't find his socks or there was a traffic jam, about whether the commander of the parade would suddenly attack the President with his sword (?) while he was getting permission for a marchpast. He even conjures up imaginary (read: predictable) questions that the President might have asked when he stopped to talk to the selected soldiers of the contingents. He has a very vivid imagination.
This year, he had something new. Because the heartlands have their own celebrations this year, he wondered if the ministers and MPs who were "stationed" there had any grouses at having to settle for something smaller and miss out on the actual "big thing".
His remarks have become so predictable that Mum had to remind him gently that he had said the same thing the previous
Some things just do not change.
1 comments:
haha... my dad does the same thing year in year out too.
guess i'm lucky we missed this yr's NDP ;P
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