Celebrating Singapore’s 48th Birthday

Maureen
Maureen
August 03, 2013

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‘Many Stories… One Singapore’ – that’s the theme for this year’s National Day Parade as the nation celebrates its 48th birthday. All thanks to the aunty who is performing for People’s Association, I am very honoured and happy to attend this year’s NDP preview again!

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Together with my Grandpa and Aunty, we went early to grab a good seat. The weather was super hot lah but our spirits were high!

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Although there are different themes for each year’s parade, some segments still remain. For one, it is the RED LIONS where we go whooooooooooo and “YAY” when they land safely to a relieved ovation.

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Of course it wouldn’t be much of a parade without a little showing off from the military. Together with a colourful parade made up 31 contingents from the military, uniformed groups, and social organisations, this display of strength and unity never fails to make us feel proud to be Singaporean. I always feel strongly about this because I used to be from Girl Guides!

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And when the helicopter with our Singapore flag flew past, we sang our Majulah Singapura loud and clear, feeling proud to be a Singaporean!

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LET THE SHOW BEGINS! This year, the show segment of NDP 2013 will be presented in the format of a variety show, a first of its kind amongst previous NDPs.

Directed by writer-performer Selena Tan, the show shares Singaporean stories in nine conceptual parts: Play, Build, Reinvent, Express, Represent, Aspire, Embrace, Love, and Party. It aims to arouse feelings of excitement, pride, and nostalgia, so that everyone young and old can get in on the action.

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And even our Merlion is making a guest appearance. I guess he swam from Fullerton all the way here! Haha!

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Last but not least, here’s the much anticipated fireworks display, filling the skies with deafening explosions as the parade closes off with songs we all love to sing along to. There are always complaints about every year’s NDP theme song and this year is not an exception. Although this song is quite catchy but I still prefer the classic ones that can better capture our heart to make us feel proud to be a Singaporean.

Which is your favourite NDP theme song? I think many of us will remember our homegrown artiste Kit Chan, who lent her vocals to the song Home, which debuted in 1998. But I also love Where I Belong, sang by Tanya Chua in 2001 and We Will Get There, sang by Stephanie Sun in 2002.

I love watching NDP every year as it always evoke pride and nostalgia being a Singaporean. I thank the country for being such a green and lovely city, for being a safe country to live in and for all the good food it has! I am sure being a Singaporean, we have so many stories to tell and these stories define who we are as an individual and collectively as a nation. And so, it is through the remembering and sharing of these stories that make us who we are and how we identify ourselves as Singaporeans.

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Do you have any memories to share? The Singapore Memory Project (SMP) is a nationwide movement which aims to capture and document precious memories related to Singapore. The project archives memories from Singaporeans to ensure that it lives on for future generations as part of the Singapore Story.

There is a SG Memory Bank on FaceBook where you can easily deposit your photo collection using pictures from Desktop, FaceBook itself or Instagram. I am submitting these NDP photos and photos of the previous years NDP to SG Memory Bank as I feel that past experiences and memories are important to remind us of who we are, as individuals and as Singaporeans.

Visit SG Memory Bank on your smartphone or computer. Access your Facebook / Instagram accounts or upload photos from your desktop. Select photos, edit your captions and upload! The best thing is, there is a weekly lucky draw for users to win $200 vouchers who submit 30 photos or more! Do your part and submit your Memories now!