One People One Nation One Singapore

One People One Nation One Singapore.
The above text is most apt to describe how Singapore came together over the past week.

I hope the kids might read this post again in the near future and understand that such spontaneous outpouring of emotions might never again appear in Singapore. We Singaporeans are not particularly known as expressive (sentimental), but ChannelNewsAsia (documentaries) and Social Media sharings brought tears to my eyes countless times.

Singapore was grieving together as a nation. (read article about Vigil guards).
Vigil Soldier

Video : It all started with Auld Lang Syne. The lone Gurkha bagpiper bidding Mr Lee Kuan Yew before he leaves Istana for the last time. Solemn and dignified.

Crowds gathered to witness his Gun carriage travel from Istana to Parliament house.
Crowds stream non-stop to bid Lee Kuan Yew farewell at Parliament House’s Lying In State.
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Newspaper articles indicate “Queuing for History”, definitely a historic moment for Singapore.
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We did not queue successfully to pay our respect at Parliament House earlier.
Lee Kuan Yew Lying in State

But we pop by MM Lee’s one and only constituency, Tanjong Pagar. This CC is one of the 18 tributes sites in Singapore for us to pay our last respect, and pen our heartfelt gratitude.
Lee Kuan Yew Tanjong Pagar Tribute

MM Lee’s Lying in State (Parliament House) allowed Singaporeans to show their respects, together.
Families queued for hours under the sun or overnight just to say “Thank You”.
Most have not seen MM Lee face to face before, and all mentioned their 8-hour queues are nothing (compared to Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s lifelong service)
It was heart-wrenching to see parents weep together with their kids, or older folks making extra efforts to pay their last respect.

This is a side of Singapore which we do not get to see often!

MRT and Bus services ran 24 hours to ensure everyone can visit and say one last farewell.
We see Singaporeans from all walks of life coming together to help each other.
Volunteers were out in force to distribute water, umbrellas and biscuits.
Soldiers and police help to control the massive crowd turnout.
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Smaller kids might not understand what they are queuing for today, but they will understand later.
As Singaporeans, the kids have a lot to be proud of.

We sing patriotic songs during National Day, Stand up for Singapore, Count on Me Singapore, Home etc. This week, we heard a beautiful and sorrowful rendition One People One Nation One Singapore at Parliament House (by Rani Singam and Jeremy Monteiro).

After MM Lee’s passing, every patriotic song sounds especially meaningful.

29 Mar 2015, we bid goodbye to Lee Kuan Yew one last time along Shenton Way.
The rain and wind never stopped during the Funeral procession, it was cold and kids were shivering, but we soldier on. Waving Goodbyes with our little flag, shouting “Lee Kuan Yew, Thank You!”
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Strangely, the scenario reminded me of Singapore’s wet National Day Parade in 1968. Then, the country was still very young, and had to face the harsh elements. We are celebrating SG50 this year, perhaps the sky was tearing for MM Lee too?

It was hard for me to finish singing our National Anthem Majulah Singapura today, I choked a few times.
Lee Kuan Yew Funeral Procession

A few more poignant moments :

Video : Lee Kuan Yew Funeral Procession
Video : Majulah Singapura by DISRUPT

Thank you Lee Kuan Yew for everything!
One People One Nation One Singapore.

Books that moved me

[ Daddy’s childhood memories ]

Growing up, I would always return home from school to a quiet home.
My parents would be working, only my grandparents and younger brother would be home.
Doraemon 100 birthday

Every so often, I would be secluded in my own world of fantasy.
You can say that I was a loner, my childhood was filled with adventures and fantasies from the world of comics.

Doraemon (小叮噹) was my favourite, the robot cat and Da Xiong (大雄) kept me entertained in the afternoons. Doraemon always has a solution for everything contained within his pouch. Together, 大雄 and 小叮噹 always stand up to the bullies.

Doraemon’s gadgets are so ingenious!
His door can time-warp you anywhere.
Unravel history in his time-travel machine, hidden inside Da Xiong’s drawer!
Everyone can fly with Doraemon’s flying thingy!
I love the gadget which allows one to shrink themselves so that they can start riding on their toy cars and planes!

Do pop by our Doraemon moments during our Hongkong and Taiwan tour.
I was more excited than the kids !
Doraemon comics, doraemon gadgets

Doraemon comics spent many happy moments with me during my childhood, I would always day dream and let my imagination run wild. Sometimes I wished I had Doraemon as my buddy too 🙂

A pity all the comics are no longer in my possession, either given away to neighbours or Karang Guni. I brought the kids back to my favourite second-hand bookstore at Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 Block 724, but alas the bookstore has already closed down.

It would be cool if I can find some 小叮噹 comics to reminisce on my childhood memories, and share them with my kids.

Recently, Singapore Memory Project has launched a campaign “Books That Moved Me”. This campaign hopes to trigger our memories about the joy of reading and books.

Video : Find out how Yihao manage to reunite with his childhood memories, with the help of social media.

What is your favourite books and comics growing up? Pop by irememberSG’s Facebook page for the Books that moves me album to discover more old time favourites.

Maybe one of these “scribbled” books belong to you? (Ghost Stories and 老夫子 included!)

The Singapore Memory Project (SMP), a whole-of-nation movement that aims to capture and document precious moments and personal memories of Singapore, is presenting two exhibitions during the Read! Festival this year. Based on the theme “Books that moved me”, we hope the exhibitions trigger memories about the joy of reading and books. Come on down to the National Library and check them out!

There are 2 showcases on “Books that Moved Me”.

Date: 20 June – 31 August 2014
Venue: Lobby, Level 1, National Library Building

This exhibition features 40 reinterpretations of book covers, from local titles to international best-sellers and literary classics. A collaboration between SMP and KULT, artists from Singapore and overseas will present their take on book covers well-loved by the public, such as the works by Enid Blyton, Shakespeare and Catherine Lim. The artworks, accompanied by memories from readers, will be showcased in an SMRT train and at the lobby of the National Library Building.

Date: 20 June – 31 August 2014
Venue: Central Public Library

SMP embarked on a journey to reunite old books with old friends, and the result is a reunion showcase for avid readers with popular books of yesteryears and recent times. This exhibition invites the public to contribute their memories of reading and books. Activities will also be held over selected weekends for the public.

ps.. All content submitted will be contributed to the Singapore Memory Project. Please visit iremember.sg to find out more.

Disclosure. This is a sponsored post.