RAIN AND WIND DID NOT DETER ME

THE NDP THEME SONG



WHAT MAKES US SINGAPOREAN




Our goody bag and its contents
With student performers
SOKA performers always perform yearly

Hot bods - Not easy to have such bodies. Lots of sweat and swear!

With a Bibik and the Peranakan Family

The Indian dancers in thir loverly gree pawadeh

Taking the pledge at 8.22pm
Marina Bay flooded with lights

Our flag flying high

Our 3 G soldiers taking position

The Red Lions landing safely

Standing beside an MP

A prancing cub with a big roar

Got his permission to take a shot with him
Fiq and aunty

On the way in the train - Fiq, Me, Nami, Aish
2009 NDP Logo and tag line

Red and white team - not MU ok?
The time to take note

PROUD TO BE A SINGAPOREAN

Reaching out, Reaching up

I did not manage to get the NDP tickets this year but was fortunate enough to preview the rehearsal. I would not elaborate much on the celebrations as plenty of that had been in the media.

What was different this time round was the that our red dot vibrant island experienced its very first Pledge Moment at 8.22 pm on 9 August 2009. For just 30 seconds of their time, Singaporeans from all walks of life put aside whatever they were doing, clenched their right fist over their chest and stood together in reaffirming their commitment to the nation. The pledge was written by the late Mr S. Rajaratnam.

You may want to know why at 8.22? According to a report, it's because it sounded cool and it was not too late in the night to say the pledge with all your heart. Ironically, however, if you look at the clock at 8.22, you would see a sad face being formed by the hour hands of the clock. I hope our gloomy economy state would be lifted and the smiling curve of 1020 return to Singapore as fast as possible.

Have I taken part in any National Day celebrations as a student before? Hear! Hear! Yes I did in 1968. As a Cedarian, the cohort I was in had to perform a Scottish dance. We underwent months and months of practice, jumping over two swords placed at a cross in a clockwise manner with the choreographer clapping and shouting "Heel, Toe, Heel, Toe" till her face turned blue.

The day arrived and we were sent by the busloads to the Padang. In those days, National Day was celebrated at the Padang and all the Members of Parliament would be seated at City Hall overlooking the green where the NDP participants would be standing in attention for their turn to take 'padang stage'. Our many rehearsals took place at Jalan Besar Stadium. That was where I lost a classmate and her cousin who were knocked down by a rubbish truck near Jalan Besar before they could enter the stadium for one of those rehearsal days.

I left home at 10am for school on that National Day. Home was at 10 Jalan Kasturi, near Central, Jalan Eunos. I had been ironing my scottish costume the past night and just could not wait to don it the next morning. Gobbling down some breakfast, I got ready for the big day.

My kampung mates were sniggering behind my back the minute they saw me coming out from my house wooden gate. The chuckles grew into guffaws. I could have slaughtered and slew them with my 'Excalibur' but I kept my cooI. I bet I must have looked weird like 'Xena The Warrior' (minus the skimpy loin cloth) with my silver wooden sword in my hand and marching down the red mud track from my house to the main road in a chequered kilt and a white long sleeved blouse with a ruffle down the neck to the waist. I did not care if pairs of eyes were looking longer than necessary at me. I simply was just too proud to be part of the contingent which would be performing on that auspicious day.

The sky did not take mercy on us that late afternoon. The contigent parades were all standing stiff at the Padang. As we waited for our turn to dance, the sky above us decided to be generous with its condensed water vapour content. Like someone who had slit a plastic sheet which was holding litres and litres of water, the sky decided to open up its belly and pour the rain heavily, relentlessly and mercilessly on us. We did not move, we did not waver, we did not back out! The rain washed our makeup, matted our hair, crinkled our skin, shivered our bones, soaked our white blouse, weighed down our kilt and flooded our black shoes. We steeled and stood with pride for we did not want to miss out on performing the dance which we had memorised every step of it even in our sleep. We wanted to be a part of history on that wet 9th August 1968.

As the police band played our Scottish song, we put our hands at the waist and began to jump "Heel, Toe, Heel, Toe." I persevered till the end of the song though the rain and the cold were numbing every limb of mine. I would not want to waste those moments of hard work which my schoolmates and I had put in. The minute the song ended, we stood facing City Hall with the wind lashing and drowning the applause. However, I underestimated myself. As I curtsied I blacked out and that was when my spirit and rattling body gave way. I collapsed from hypothermia. An ambulance had to rush me to SGH as my blood pressure was too low and my fingers were taking a bluer shade.

A doctor fussed over me. He had a quick check on me and instructed the nurses to wheel me to the heater room immediately. The warmth of the room stabilised my pressure. After my temperature had climbed to normalcy, I made my way home alone. I might have looked real silly with the sword in one arm and a wet bag in the other hand boarding the red and white bus No 51. My parents heaved a sigh of relief when they saw me approaching the house gate for they had waited for my reutrn but I had not appeared at the appointed time.

I was extremely proud to have been part of the NDP history in 1968 though had to be an SGH patient for two hours!