Happy Birthday, Singapore
Credit: Sheng Long Photography
The great thing about the 9th of August is that it gives you a shameless excuse to celebrate the best things about Singapore — excessive food intake, loud noises and taking out that flag you keep in your bomb shelter for display once a year.
Despite all the imperfections of this nation and YouTube rants on why some people may not be proud to be Singaporean, we still have good reasons to love this place. In fact, we have 50. On our Nation’s 50th birthday, we give you a story on why Singapore will always be my home.
1. Welcome to Singapore
2. There is no shame in ‘public housing’
Like these? Check out 15 Singapore homes so beautiful you won’t believe they’re HDB flats.
3. And public transport rides are not always awful
4. Every Singaporean kid has contributed to this garden city
Source: Mumsgather
5. But some kids recognize others’ contributions as well
Like this two-year-old who gives out sweets daily to construction workers working near his home. Read about it here.
6. We are a pretty confident bunch of people
Source: BicoastalBitchin
7. Who are unafraid of some PDA with strangers
Source: Humans of Singapore
Upgraded from free hugs to free kisses already.
8. Because we know that sharing is caring
Source: The People of Singapore
9. Our uniformed groups make us laugh
Source: Twitter
10. And sometimes they make us slightly teary
Source: Republic of Singapore Navy Facebook
Heartbreaking photos of the Navy men bidding farewell to their loved ones before embarking on Operations Blue Sapphire for three months.
11. We hate to admit it but we are a little weird sometimes
Source: The Huffington Post
12. Doing eye exercises before recess
Source: eye-exercise-for-good-vision
13. And the things that make us happy are definitely one-of-a-kind
Source: SGAG Facebook
14. We enjoy drinking our favourite beverages out of little plastic bags
Source: Vanessa Poh
15. And we eat bread with ice cream
16. We all tell white lies, sometimes.
Source: The Little Drom Store
Translation: Behind, Hot!
17. Love him or hate him, we have one of the greatest politicians alive
Source: skl0
18. Who can be quite trendy
Source: Twitter
#newbalance #ootd
19. His son, our current Prime Minister, knows how to have fun sometimes
Source: Lee Hsien Loong Twitter
20. We dance to the same beat
21. And when we come together we create a wave
22. And of course, FOOOOOOD
Source: SGfoodonfoot
23. Our love for cheap, good food transcends generations
24. Despite the crazy amount of calories we consume, we are still one of the world’s healthiest countries
Source: Bloomberg
25. All thanks to The Great Singapore Workout, I guess?
26. Or the upgraded Great Singapore Workout?
27. We are very serious about education
Source: 9gag
Location: National Junior College
28. But we bend rules for the love of World Cup
Source: 987FM Facebook
29. And we are happy to share this love with others
This Singaporean moves his TV set outside his landed property so that everyone can enjoy watching World Cup. Read about it here.
30. We retain our sense of humour even in the midst of exams
Source: Twitter
31. Superheroes are everywhere in Singapore
Source: Betshopboy
32. Everywhere
Source: STOMP
33. EVERYWHERE
Source: Language Log
34. Though sometimes, not without irony
Source: BBC
It is a tough name to live up to.
35. Dear Justice, where art thou?
Source: The New Paper
36. But you don’t need superpowers to do good
Source: Twitter
37. To those we often take for granted
Source: imgur
38. And even to the most unexpected ones living among us
Source: Twitter
39. And non-living things
Source: Shocking Facts Archive
40. Sometimes we can do it in unexpected ways
Source: Deborah Choo
41. And it definitely is possible to love thy enemies
Source: STOMP
42. There are definitely still sides of Singapore that we have not seen
Source: Justin Ng
43. Stories that we have not heard
44. And people that we have not met
45. Perhaps it’s all about your perspective
46. The world may mock us
47. A lot
48. But this song will always get us
49. So much so that we did our own version
50. Happy birthday, Singapore
