A touching video by Rony Tan..

Rome was not built in a day..and neither was Singapore. We've been through innumerable arduous journeys that date back a long way before Singapore gained her independence. Can we smile at our bustling cityscape today and think in retrospect, "It's worth it"?

I was reading our NDP 09 EXCO chairman's new blog post on "Is this worth it?" and it fuelled some thoughts that I'd like to share. After all, being on the New Media team for NDP isn't an easy task; so it's good that we find some time to ruminate on our purpose, mindset and direction with regards to the hard work we'd be putting in for NDP. Is all the effort worth the while?

Lets take a quick journey back into the past to reminisce about (well, at least for the older generations) our NDPs back in the good ole'' days when Singapore was just a baby merlion.



And that was in the 1960s...

And then we advanced somewhat in the 1970s as the difference in photo quality illustrates. Wow, imagine that one of those young ladies could be our mums.haha.

Time passed and we arrived in the 1980s! Ever wondered where those dazzling fireworks come from? Well, that picture shows you where! I wonder how deafening the blast of the pyrotechnics would be from those ''blasters"?

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Well, it was the 1990s-life's good.

Ahhhh..and we're in the new millennium-the age of technology...and we've arrived at the floating platform! Marvel at our annual awe-inspiring display of fireworks.
-Surrealism.

Well, our NDP journeys have progressed remarkably through the years , and so has our nation. Singapore managed to blossom into a first-world country from a third-world country within a short period of time. Isn't all this worth celebrating?

Everyone loves to be a part of a larger community, it's kind of a common innate desire. For us, this "larger community"would be Singapore. So do we love Singapore?

Like what our chairman said, the NDP participants have worked tirelessly. The drummers from Drumfest, the performers from SOKA, the fighters from Martial House, the drill squads etc..each and every individual effort goes a long way to contribute to the success of NDP.

Being able to take part in NDP is a great privilege, an experience you'd relish in the future. Every year, different groups of people get to put their best foot forward for NDP. I'm sure our parents who have seen Singapore mature over the years enjoy the sense of nostalgia and good memories of having participated in previous NDPs. I guess we all have analogous experiences. For instance, soldiers may have to trudge through the forests on survival courses for days--they might feel disgruntled while going through all that..But in the future when they look back, those are unforgettable memories that they would wanna keep. This isn't exactly the best analogy to use but the point is that we'd laugh and smile over the sacrifices made for a greater good.

Some may argue that the money and resources used for the celebrations can be put to better use elsewhere. But just imagine living each year in Singapore with absolutely no inkling of celebrating our nationhood. If one were to see the big picture, alot would be undermined if we were void of NDP celebrations. Unity, harmony, the desire to reach for our goals together, could all be adversely affected. It's just like why we celebrate our birthdays, or Mothers' Day or New Year? Can't the money and resources spent on these be used for more practical purposes? That's where some fail to see the significance of such events.

So why do the partipants sweat so much for all the NDP preparations? Yes, Singaporeans are hardworking and lets be proud of that. But the answer's simple, they love their country. It is just great to be able to be a part of celebrating all that's good about our country.

Well, it must be tough at times for the participants of NDP. Some have to endure the sweltering heat during rehearsals, some have their weekends burnt whilst others, such as the organising committees, might face some unhealthy stress while trying to meet deadlines. Our chairman has described some touching examples in his post.

At the end of the day, I'm sure that no matter what complaints the participants may have, beyond the sweat, blood and tears, within them there's a sense of pride and satisfaction in being able to play a part in this year's NDP. This sense of pride and love for our country is the nexus of our motivation to want to do Singapore proud in NDP.

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So what do you think? How do you wanna contribute to NDP? It could be as simple as starting to be more appreciative of the fellow Singaporeans around you. As for the parade? How about coming down to witness together our "Coming of Age"! Click Here if you're interested in getting or winning some NDP tickets! There are many cool contests to be found there too. Check back again for a new post on e-balloting for NDP tickets!