Happy (belated) birthday Singapore!
Feeling very happy because national day is my favourite holiday, not because we have a 3 day break(really) but because it makes me feel proud to be Singaporean.
As cliched as it may sound (you probably read this before in the National Day supplement,) national day really rocks. Even though i dont really sing the national anthem during assemblies, i get a totally different feeling during nat. day.
I remember the video showing how we grew from some country to a global city during the ndp last year and i was really touched. In that way i respect our political leaders for steering us to achieve so much.
5 things i like about Singapore
1. The neighbourhoods
Somehow whenever i walk around my neighbourhood and see ppl from all races around me, i get a feeling of warmth. It feels like an extension of my home somewhat, as you know where everything is, you know where to go etc.
2. The Songs
Surprisingly i dont really feel it's propaganda at all. I feel every one of them tells a story of our history and where we are now. Of all of them, think i like "count on me Singapore best" haha.
still not convinced? here is one example
many of us will be going overseas to study, and if great job opportunities come by, we might even choose to stay there for an extra period of time. For me at least, the words of the song "Home" is enough to tell me that i should never leave Singapore.
3. The Food
Surprise Surprise, i eat enough of it to know that Singapore's food is really good. I cannot imagine living on potatoes and slabs of meat should i go overseas.
4. Low Crime and Great people
Other than in our class, you can hardly find a criminal in Singapore.
some examples
-you can walk in a dark alley at night and not get scared, unless you are jen han (see his blog)
-I left my handphone in the foodcourt and a cleaning auntie kept it for me, returning it to me when i came back to look for it hours later
-I left my handphone on the bus 159 and got it back a week later
- people donate during flag day (even though many do not)
- i always see people give up their seats to old folks on trains, buses
- and people always smile at me when i hold the lift for them
5. Transport
- i can get from place to place quickly
-roads are all well built
you must be thinking like "omg this dude is brainwashed", maybe i am but my experience in laos told me how lucky i was to be Singaporean.
even though the people in laos (in schools, shops, restaurants) are all really nice, somehow you still feel a little unsafe. When you buy things, stallholders always hold your US in the light to check if it is real. The streets are dirty and disorderly. You hear stories about drugs being rampant all around. Everywhere we went, we were told to be careful.
But when i went in the Singapore embassy, and like my teacher (michael seah) said, saw the Straits Times, I had the feeling of warmth, even though it was only a newspaper. I felt that i have stepped from the outside world home. With the Singapore flags and people there other than ourselves who actually spoke English, the feeling was very good.
in short I LOVE SINGAPORE! yay!
speaking of birthdays, our class hasnt been buying presents lately, and i have been among those who were in the "don't buy presents" group.
I know some of you are unhappy, like "oh gerbert is damn cheap" and "oh thats why you won't get a girlfriend" etc. but let me explain my p.o.v.
1. We find buying presents a chore and end up buying very general presents like shirt, bags, pencil boxes. We always go for mainsteam stuff from J8
2.We go in huge groups and loiter for an hour and not get anything good. (when was the last time we had a "Thats exactly what he wants" present?)
3. Its very expensive, like $120 bucks a year at least?
4. guys for guys presents. girls buy girls presents. but in the end girls get personal presents for girls. so guys buy girls presents
5. And most importantly, i dont like the idea of appreciating someone only on their birthday when other than that you make no conscious effort to get to know them at all. I am not big on the materialistic stuff. I appreciate ppl in other ways and its my friendship with you that counts!
:)
since i feel that presents are very "for the sake of giving" and our exams are so close, i was against it
and if i havent already done so, Happy Belated Birthdays Cass, Tsai and Taitai!!!
remember to stay happy
Gerbs
p.s. for those you know what i mean, if your diary contains "get gerbert a present " on oct 14, u can ignore it, really
