it's not perfect, but it's still home...
i guess this was supposed to come up in the half written entry before the previous one which has been pretty well read judging from all accounts. but i think it deserves a topic on its own.
i've not exactly been an absolute singaporean patriot. yeah, sure, when i was a kid i used to love singing all those national day songs, but as time wore on, cynicism crept in and eventually i stopped singing. and, with my gradual growing disillusion with this country and all it stands for, especially after *that* event in my life, i couldn't look upon the singapore flag with much sense of pride.
a generally ungracious, uncaring, unfriendly and unforgiving city state that was so caught up with status and power and money where life chugs along at an electric pace. the red and white was becoming for me a symbol and cover for all these things that i found messed up with my world.
but wyd came and reminded me that while i have bones to pick with some singaporeans, it doesn't mean the country is entirely at fault or just plain sucks because we can't measure up to other places around the globe. it has its perks and achievements that you just can't find anywhere else.
like for example, i'm all for speaking good and proper english, but it's nice once in a while to indulge in a litle singlish to get a point across lah, especially when some words and situations can only be described with a sprinkle of malay or hokkien.
we may not have a lot of awe-inspiring natural flora and fauna around to marvel at, but we do have clean streets and a good public transport system around.
i found it sad to be at the (hopefully) *last* match at the national stadium that singaporeans were booing the singapore selection xi. i can imagine many brazilian fans around in singapore, but surely it's a little too much when someone in front of you is shouting at the singapore team to "go home."
sure, there are tonnes of things we may not entirely like here, but at least there's enough here to give me semblance on national pride. if not for what we really have achieved, then at least for the wonderful people around me who have shown me their love and care in the past 24 years of my mortal existence.
all because of this tiny little dot in the south china sea.
i've not exactly been an absolute singaporean patriot. yeah, sure, when i was a kid i used to love singing all those national day songs, but as time wore on, cynicism crept in and eventually i stopped singing. and, with my gradual growing disillusion with this country and all it stands for, especially after *that* event in my life, i couldn't look upon the singapore flag with much sense of pride.
a generally ungracious, uncaring, unfriendly and unforgiving city state that was so caught up with status and power and money where life chugs along at an electric pace. the red and white was becoming for me a symbol and cover for all these things that i found messed up with my world.
but wyd came and reminded me that while i have bones to pick with some singaporeans, it doesn't mean the country is entirely at fault or just plain sucks because we can't measure up to other places around the globe. it has its perks and achievements that you just can't find anywhere else.
like for example, i'm all for speaking good and proper english, but it's nice once in a while to indulge in a litle singlish to get a point across lah, especially when some words and situations can only be described with a sprinkle of malay or hokkien.
we may not have a lot of awe-inspiring natural flora and fauna around to marvel at, but we do have clean streets and a good public transport system around.
i found it sad to be at the (hopefully) *last* match at the national stadium that singaporeans were booing the singapore selection xi. i can imagine many brazilian fans around in singapore, but surely it's a little too much when someone in front of you is shouting at the singapore team to "go home."
sure, there are tonnes of things we may not entirely like here, but at least there's enough here to give me semblance on national pride. if not for what we really have achieved, then at least for the wonderful people around me who have shown me their love and care in the past 24 years of my mortal existence.
all because of this tiny little dot in the south china sea.
greg last trudged in on 8/08/2008 03:13:00 am
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