Happy Birthday Singapore

Happy birthday to my beloved, much missed and occasionally much complained about, SINGAPORE! You are now 41 years old and just look at how fast you have grown!!! Back than in 1965, "THAT WAS A TIME, WHEN PEOPLE SAY THAT SINGAPORE WON'T MADE IT" but WE DID!

Singapore came real far since than, we people "BUILT OUR NATION WITH OUR HANDS". STRANGER WHEN WE FIRST BEGAN, People from different races coming in harmony, making what we are today, thanks largely to early intervention by our government to promote racial harmony, equality and to deter and punish those who are out there to break that bonding we have built for so many years. We got our Ah Mat, Ah Neh and Ah Beng plus Ang Mo playing a big role in moulding our country through the years from the early construction and "Todays China Style" manufacturing back in the 70s and 80s to the modern R&D, Banking, service orientated industry that have characterised Singapore in the 90s and millenium.

So what ring my mind whenever people in America ask me about Singapore? We are not just a little dot on the map which is smaller than the entire Irving City in Texas, Dallas county. We are truly ONE UNITED PEOPLE that have survived and transform an island ,that could be just about any Indonesia undevelop island, from a DAYONG SAMPANG fishing village into a modern city that can compete among the best the in world!

You can just see the proud face I have whenever I told the Ang Mos I am from Singapore and how much praises they have for Singapore for its multi-racial diversity, the variety of food, the weather, the safety low crime rate. It seems that when I was in Singapore, I just treat my country like a house I stay in. And now, right here in the US... Singapore and as a Singaporean is a unique identity that I feel proud of carrying around.

Personally, I love my country for the food and YES, I dearly miss all my favourite food and even those ordinary food we always take for granted at the coffeeshop. So much so I can compile a list of food that I wish is right in front of me now,

1- Roti Prata from Causaurina, near old thomson road
2- Kwey Chap
3- Cha Kwey Teow, Waterloo Street
4- Hainanese Chicken Rice, down stairs!!!
5- Hokkien Mee
6- Chilli Crab, Ang Mo Kio Seafood Junction
7- Ice Kacang
8- Popiah
9- Laksa from the snack store at Yishun Central
10- Mee Pok, Anywhere!

Although its 9th of August right now in Dallas, due to the time zone difference... the Peace Praire Detachment held our National Day observance parade on the 8th of August instead. It was a simple ceremony where we recite our National Pledge, sang the National Anthem and presents long service medals and promotion certificate to some of our well derserved service man. Ha ha...don't know why but I tend to Sing the National anthem louder here than back in Singapore... maybe with a bit of American accents when reciting the pledge...ha ha.