Then we moved to the States where Fourth of July is a extremely festive occasion. There we celebrated the independence of a nation instead of a new regime or new dynasty, You would have Charlie Brown and other special programs on TV. Nothing military about the whole thing unless you go near the military bases. Sometimes you can catch a good air show. Of course, having a bar-B-Q in the backyard has became synonymous with the Fourth of July celebration. People would also get re-educated on how America came about. Things like the Revolutionary War and Declaration of Independence. Taiwan and S'pore were never very clear on the events and history. Maybe Americans are more proud of their history. I am still quite amazed by Macy's 4th of July firework display. IMHO, I don't think there is anywhere in the world beats the grand scale of this particular firework display.
Then there is the S'pore National Day which falls right between the two categories. It's festive with the patriotic element built in. The theme this year is "My Singapore, My home" IMHO, it's not celebrated as grand scale as the Fourth of July in the States. But instead of every town has its own celebration like in the States, S'pore has a grand finale at the National Stadium. And this year is the first time it was held at night. Since I heard the tickets were extremely hard to get and knowing the kaisu mentality of S'poreans, I didn't bother to try to compete in getting the tickets. Instead, I was happy just sitting at home in front of the TV to watch the parade. The National Day parade was also broadcasted live on Internet. The SBC news had a little segment on this. I think the best part of the parade was the appearance of the SIA S'pore girls... No, just kidding 8-) The entire event was well choreographed but the laser show didn't come out too well on TV. And it was also the first time that I realized that S'pore has a first public elected President that really doesn't do anything. I also noticed that he was the only one in suit while everyone else, include LKY, was in white. Someone also pointed out that his picture is in all POSB offices. I think he was also the one who would have pardoned Michael Fay.
Two things, IMHO, didn't go well with the parade were Civil Defense putting out the fire in the middle of the stadium and the huge birthday cake in the middle of the stadium at the end. I don't know but I never associated the birth of a nation with a large birthday cake 8-) Also I read that people go around selling S'pore flags to the residents of HDB flats. I can't imaging people knocking on my door in the states trying to sell me an American flag. I guess American flag was never well respected since everyone is burning it all over the world. Even burning the flag in the States is deemed constitutional. And finally, the firework was a bit disappointing because of its size and duration. Americans are quite spoiled by the Macy's firework display. I guess we always celebrate in the grand "Hollywood" fashion 8-)
During day, a group of us was fortunate enough to get introduced to rock climbing and abseiling. Two questions you might have at this point. Is there a mountain in S'pore? And what in the world is abseiling? The answer to the first question is no. But there are places to do climbing such as rock quarry, little cliff here and there, and artificial walls. The answer to the second question is that abseiling is similar (is it the same?) as "rapelling" in American. I recently read about an article in the Straits Times regarding rock climbing. SAFRA is organizing a rock climbing competition in S'pore and actually invited some rock climbing experts around the world to S'pore for judging and demonstration. I think the sports is getting some attention in S'pore.
The clinic was held in Labrador Park right across from Sentosa on a little cliff facing the S'pore Straits. The first attempt for the event a few weeks back was interrupted by a freak storm. That was when the roof of a HDB housing was blown away. This time it was also interrupted by a storm. But it was right before the course was finished. It was different than climbing a artificial wall because you get the natural obstacle such as stones, vines, branches and other things you wouldn't encounter in an man-made environment. The most interesting part of the whole thing was that we were interviewed by the BBC television. Since the event was organized by SDU, they ask us the typical questions such as "Why did you join SDU?", "What do you expect to get out of SDU?" and "What do your friends think of your involvement with SDU?" If someone saw the interview in UK, please record it and mail the tape to me. A handsome reward will be given 8-)
Just a few side notes on my previous posting regarding the Hungry Ghost Festival. The wayangs don't usually go pass 11pm so we living souls do get a break. Black soot and ashes were everywhere especially around the 15th. Even the place where I am staying, which is on the 26th floor, did not escape from the ashes and soot. These pesky little things simply float everywhere. It's kind of eerie. Also, There is a way to know when the spirits have finished eating their meal. You can either use a coin or two kidney shape apparatus to get answer from the spirits. And finally, people do send gold credit card to the other side. But just want out for the interest rate 8-)
30/08/94
