See What Show: Wonderland
4 months ago
How did we become Singaporean? Many would answer, "Oh, I was born here'' or, "my parents migrated here a long time ago. " Before we were born we could have been conceived in the womb of a mother in so many other countries. If we were to think of it this way, we'd realise that it's actually by a miniscule chance that we're born into this little red dot. So what led to our birth in this cosy little isle floating over the vast oceans? For some it's simple, for others it's convoluted.
Take a look at this interesting article on how this Singaporean ended up being born here in the first place.
Accidental histories, purposeful futures
I am an accidental Singaporean, born here through a quirk of fate. My father loved his hometown in Kerala, South India, and had had no intention of packing off to that British outpost in the east. In 1948, it was instead an older brother who had a ticket for Singapore. With just days to go before the voyage, that brother was struck by a bout of inertia and refused to budge. There was a paid one-way ticket and a packed trunk for the taking.
My father stepped forward, boarded the train to Madras, took the steamship Rajula across the Bay of Bengal, spent three weeks quarantined on St John’s Island along with other third class passengers, then landed at Clifford Pier. He returned to India to marry my mother, but Singapore was where they spent their entire working lives and where they raised their family, thanks to that snap decision my father took when he was 22 years old.
My wife has a different heritage, but is also an accidental Singaporean. Her grandmother and mother were living contentedly in Medan, Sumatra, as the Pacific War broke out. When Singapore fell to the Japanese, my wife’s grandmother picked up her only child and headed for the eye of the storm. The steely matriarch wanted to look for relatives that had gone incommunicado when the Japanese invaded. She and her daughter would remain in Singapore the rest of their lives.
As for my wife’s father, he was born in Singapore but was not supposed to stay. When he was nine, his father, heartbroken by the death of his wife, decided to return to his village. He would leave behind his older sons but he wanted to take his youngest – my wife’s father – with him.
As father and son were climbing the gangplank to the steamship departing Singapore (and it’s probably more than a flight of fancy to want to believe that this was the same vessel that brought my own father here), the boy turned tail, ran back down, planted himself back on the Singapore shore and declared that he would stay with his brothers.
Thus, through a set of spontaneous, unscripted events, my wife and I were born citizens of what must be the most totally planned city state in the history of human civilisation. Other Singaporeans have similar tales, adding multiple layers of irony to the country’s history. On National Day, there’s a natural desire to flatten and straighten those stories into a simple narrative, but I’m more fascinated by the twists and turns that got us here.
-------
Hope that was an interesting read.:) Accidentally Singaporean.
In any case, at the end of the day how we ended up being Singaporean is one issue, how we strive together for Singapore as Singaporeans is another. It is not by fortuity or sheer luck that Singapore has become what we are today. As Chapter 5 ,"Fast Forward", of our NDP show depicts, Singapore rose to become a first-world nation from a thrid-world country, she progressed from mangrove to metropolis! This would not have been possible without the copious sweat, blood and tears our forefathers shed for us to build a strong foundation for our nation. Neither would it have been possible without our county's leaders and the hard work and dedication of our people.
Every Singaporean had and has a part to play in the success of our nation. It is not by accident that we've become the successful Singapore that we are today. Not accidentally Singapore.
Here's another engaging article that talks about how Singapore, a multi-racial country, has made a stand in the world. This is because her people work hand in hand. The prosperity we enjoy today is not pre-ordained, it's thanks to Singaporeans' diligence and determination.
Nothing pre-ordained
In any case, at the end of the day how we ended up being Singaporean is one issue, how we strive together for Singapore as Singaporeans is another. It is not by fortuity or sheer luck that Singapore has become what we are today. As Chapter 5 ,"Fast Forward", of our NDP show depicts, Singapore rose to become a first-world nation from a thrid-world country, she progressed from mangrove to metropolis! This would not have been possible without the copious sweat, blood and tears our forefathers shed for us to build a strong foundation for our nation. Neither would it have been possible without our county's leaders and the hard work and dedication of our people.
Every Singaporean had and has a part to play in the success of our nation. It is not by accident that we've become the successful Singapore that we are today. Not accidentally Singapore.Here's another engaging article that talks about how Singapore, a multi-racial country, has made a stand in the world. This is because her people work hand in hand. The prosperity we enjoy today is not pre-ordained, it's thanks to Singaporeans' diligence and determination.
Nothing pre-ordainedA new book, Singapore: A 700-Year History, has just been written by eminent local historians Kwa Chong Guan, Derek Heng and Tan Tai Yong. It’s not at the bookshops yet, but my friend Kevin Tan has read a review copy and welcomes its fresh approach.
“You will not find a progressive narrative that sees Singapore's history as an inexorable journey from its humble founding to its present destiny,” Tan writes in his review for The Straits Times. Instead, he says, the historians have taken a long view, showing how “Singapore and its population have had to struggle to respond to the shifting sands and changing winds of its environment and location”.
From this historical perspective, everything is tentative: “Nothing is taken for granted; nothing is pre-ordained and nothing is inevitable.”
I don’t know if this book will be a best-seller or if it will filter down to the teaching of social studies in school. However, it seems to fit my own sense of the accidental quality of being Singaporean. To appreciate this city is to understand the entrances and exits of empires and entrepreneurs, the myriad decisions of geopolitical strategists and humble fortune seekers, in war rooms, board rooms, ports and faraway villages, all putting their imprints on the way we are.
There are some who believe that more homogeneous and static societies make stronger nations. They envy countries of one race, one language, one religion. That, though, is a hopelessly outdated view, and not only because no such country exists. Today, with relentless globalisation, Singapore’s legacy as a confluence of cultural streams and historical forces is its greatest strength.
If countries had DNA, ours would show a degree of hybridity and adaptability that others can only wish for. It is a trait that allows us, instinctively, to see opportunity in change.
That DNA also makes us the least status-ridden society in Asia. We are relatively free of the feudalism that infects our immediate neighbours in Southeast Asia, less burdened by the distinctions of caste, credentials and connections that taint public life in India, and less consumed by the cult of wealth that rules the new China.
Thus, most Singaporeans would find it unconscionable if any family suffered extreme poverty to the extent of being homeless or denying the children an education. Equally, we do not tolerate the ostentatious shows of wealth that the elite elsewhere in Asia are used to flaunting.
As a society with a centuries-old heritage of physical and social mobility, we are developing an instinct for justice and fairness. Most Singaporeans cannot stomach the notion that some people deserve to be stuck at the bottom, and we get offended if the rich confuse their good fortune for entitlement.
I’m not saying that our positive national traits have deep roots. Whether or not we are able to nurture them depends partly on whether we recognise them as strengths, and even more on whether we believe that there is a “we” in the first place. It won’t happen if Singaporeans see themselves as nothing more than accidental co-inhabitants of an overcrowded place, secretly wishing that people who are different would become like them or just disappear. Instead, we need to treasure the gift that is society.
Our arrivals and those of our forefathers may have been impelled by economic need or war, or as impulsive as the decision of a young man who is suddenly offered a ticket and a trunk. As for being born Singaporean, the odds are something in the order of 0.05 percent.
Yet, there is more to the Singapore story than caprice and chance. However they got here, Singaporeans did not just sit back waiting for history to be made for them. Families and communities worked hard to make their lives better, and to improve the prospects for the next generation. Doing it in a multi-ethnic milieu posed special challenges, but only on very rare occasions was the friction explosive.
Thus, the legacy passed down to today’s Singaporeans isn’t one of random opportunism. It is a commitment – expressed formally in the Pledge but honoured mainly in practice – to turn this diverse collection of individuals into a society where we protect one another, help one another achieve our dreams, and work together to care for the nation we share.
There is nothing accidental about it.
Cherian George is an associate professor at Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. He is the author of Singapore: The Air-Conditioned Nation and blogs at cherian.blogspot.com and elsewhere. He contributed this piece to ndp.org.sg.
-------
And lastly, an article to spice it all up. :) This one tells us of the historical, antique and sentimental values of certain artefacts the writer keeps.
Souvenirs of a forgotten past
I collect antique maps partly because they remind me of our topsy-turvy heritage. My oldest map of Asia, a 17th century specimen, shows the Malayan peninsula (labeled Malacca) as a lumpy appendage – but no blob at its tip where Singapore should be. On a couple of later maps, including one from 1808, a misshapen Singapore is visible, but unnamed. The Singapore Strait is identified but not the island itself, indicating that the waters to our south were more noteworthy to European mapmakers than the land we now inhabit.I have another map that identifies Singapore as part of the “Indian Empire”, a memento of the period from the late 19th century when the British administered Singapore via Calcutta.
Old newspapers are harder to find, but one that I bought from my favourite antique shop in Telok Ayer is more than 60 years old. The newspaper is in English and the address below the masthead, 14 Cecil Street, indicates that it came out of the one-time premises of my former employer, The Straits Times.
But, this is not ST. Well, not that ST. Its masthead reads, Syonan Times. The date is Tuesday May 19, 2602, which is 1942 in the Japanese calendar, for this is of course a copy of the propaganda rag of Occupied Singapore. Except that according to this newspaper, it is not Singapore but Syonan-to.
My late father used to collect stamps and some of his old Singapore stamps, framed on the wall next to my maps, continue the Singapore story. There are “Malaya Singapore” stamps bearing the likenesses of King George VI, who was on the throne when my father arrived on the island, and then Queen Elizabeth II.
A stamp from 1960 bears the Singapore flag and the words “National Day” and “June 3” – thoroughy confusing Singaporean children who believe that August 9 is the only National Day that Singaporeans have ever celebrated.
-------
20 comments:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Interesting articles, haha.
Joan said...
July 24, 2009 at 10:54 PM
lol, insightful
Anonymous said...
July 24, 2009 at 11:38 PM
[url=http://cpcheat.org/]Club Penguin[/url] provides you with a [url=http://cpcheat.org/club-penguin-money-maker/]Club Penguin Money Maker[/url] that permits you to gain a lot of coins in Club Penguin.
[url=http://cpcheat.org/]Club Penguin[/url] also gives you [url=http://cpcheat.org/club-penguin-trackers/]Club Penguin Trackers[/url] such as a [url=http://cpcheat.org/club-penguin-aunt-arctic-tracker/]Club Penguin Aunt Arctic Tracker[/url], a [url=http://cpcheat.org/club-penguin-cadence-tracker/]Club Penguin Cadence Tracker[/url], a [url=http://cpcheat.org/club-penguin-gary-tracker/]Club Penguin Gary Tracker[/url], a [url=http://cpcheat.org/club-penguin-band-tracker/]Club Penguin Band Tracker[/url], a [url=http://cpcheat.org/club-penguin-rockhopper-tracker/]Club Penguin Rockhopper Tracker[/url], and a [url=http://cpcheat.org/club-penguin-sensei-tracker/]Club Penguin Sensei Tracker[/url].
Last,[url=http://cpcheat.org/]Club Penguin Cheats[/url] provides you with [url=http://cpcheat.org/club-penguin-bots/]Club Penguin Bots[/url] and [url=http://cpcheat.org/]Club Penguin Mission Cheats[/url] and [url=http://cpcheat.org/]Club Penguin Coin Cheats[/url]
Anonymous said...
February 3, 2010 at 7:17 AM
Ola, what's up amigos? :)
In first steps it is really good if somebody supports you, so hope to meet friendly and helpful people here. Let me know if I can help you.
Thanks and good luck everyone! ;)
Anonymous said...
February 28, 2010 at 8:54 AM
I am able to make link exchange with HIGH pr pages on related keywords like [url=http://www.usainstantpayday.com]bad credit loans[/url] and other financial keywords.
My web page is www.usainstantpayday.com
If your page is important contact me.
please only good pages, wih PR>2 and related to financial keywords
Thanks
intariatmossy
Anonymous said...
March 9, 2010 at 2:59 PM
jennifers body megan fox pictures, [url=http://discuss.tigweb.org/thread/187756]megan fox supergirl poster[/url] megan fox in jennifer's body
watch kim kardashian full video, [url=http://discuss.tigweb.org/thread/187768]watch kim kardashian sex tap. free[/url] kim kardashian twin
i heart by talyor swift, [url=http://discuss.tigweb.org/thread/187772]taylor swift videos[/url] taylor swift forever and always sheet music
hannah montana games, [url=http://discuss.tigweb.org/thread/187786]hannah montana books online[/url] hannah montana dvd coupon
who dies in harry potter and the deathly hallows, [url=http://discuss.tigweb.org/thread/187792]harry potter fan sites[/url] a picture of harry potter
cruises to go, [url=http://discuss.tigweb.org/thread/187798]cruises to belize[/url] cruises to bermuda leaving new york 9 days
justin adam cole bieber, [url=http://discuss.tigweb.org/thread/187812]justin bieber articles[/url] justin bieber gets aresset
breatney spears pictures, [url=http://discuss.tigweb.org/thread/187814]britney spears breast implants[/url] britney spear - 3 download
megan fox website, [url=http://discuss.tigweb.org/thread/175542]topless megan fox[/url] michael bay to kill megan fox in transformers 3 hah
Anonymous said...
March 19, 2010 at 4:15 AM
A New York escort girl is not just physically very much charming and sexy; she is also the proud owner of some of the finest qualities like hospitality, innocence and submissive.
That's why they have been so successful and popular in the pleasure friendly crowd.
To avail escort girls' services, you need not do anything now.
Doing on work and not enjoying pleasures like kisses, touches and romance can make a person psychologically disturbed.
You can use New York independent Escort service for enjoying some time in the company of Bijou in New York.New York is the capital of West Bangal. With these girls, you will not feel you are getting some kind of service, the experience will be so real that it will almost like a real date.
[url=http://bijouescorts.com]Staten Island Escort[/url] A New York escort agency's website also allows you book your favorite girl at just a matter of few clicks. While making the booking, you need to specify whether you would be seeking for incall or outcall service. For outcall services, you may also need to mention your address where you want her service. Regarding the privacy and confidentiality of this, you need to be completely worry-free. As a service enjoyer, you just need to concentrate on your game. The rest will be all yours, all tempting!
Adult escort services New York agencies are now increasing horizontally. Thanks to the immense support shown by the highly esteemed clients. Escort services enjoyers from all over the world have found New York the ultimate place to be and spend some memorable moments of life. If you have long been seeing those wildest of dreams but haven't been able to make it a reality, then visit New York once at least and see what's there special for you! You will never make a complaint for sure!
http://bijouescorts.com New York escorts are genuinely the best girlfriends for men seeking for pleasure. They are the abode of beauty and charm and satisfy men with their amazing sense of maturity. The top-quality escorts of New York are the finest and greatly enviable attractive girls who understand the need and desire of their customer. They are blessed with the most alluring bodies and with the superior set of soft skills; they can make anyone feel special.
Anonymous said...
April 1, 2010 at 7:30 AM
if you guys exigency to rely upon [url=http://www.generic4you.com]viagra[/url] online you can do it at www.generic4you.com, the most trusted viagra pharmaceutics repayment in payment generic drugs.
you can get someone all steamed up represent up drugs like [url=http://www.generic4you.com/Sildenafil_Citrate_Viagra-p2.html]viagra[/url], [url=http://www.generic4you.com/Tadalafil-p1.html]cialis[/url], [url=http://www.generic4you.com/VardenafilLevitra-p3.html]levitra[/url] and more at www.rxpillsmd.net, the pre-eminent [url=http://www.rxpillsmd.net]viagra[/url] informant on the web. well another great [url=http://www.i-buy-viagra.com]viagra[/url] pharmacy you can find at www.i-buy-viagra.com
Anonymous said...
April 20, 2010 at 11:31 PM
[url=http://bejepewa.t35.com/news_650.html]hard rock hotel casino[/url] [url=http://bejepewa.t35.com/news_624.html]craps gambling online casino[/url] [url=http://bejepewa.t35.com/news_203.html]free bonus casino play[/url] [url=http://bejepewa.t35.com/news_306.html]black casino gaming jack online[/url] [url=http://bejepewa.t35.com/news_295.html]free online casinos and gambling games[/url]
Anonymous said...
May 4, 2010 at 4:32 PM
[url=http://bewutore.t35.com/news_342.html]sportscenter action online gambling[/url] [url=http://bewutore.t35.com/news_45.html]caesars casino in atlantic city[/url] [url=http://bewutore.t35.com/news_214.html]samsung blackjack sgh i607[/url] [url=http://bewutore.t35.com/news_364.html]free online casino games no downloading[/url] [url=http://bewutore.t35.com/news_192.html]online gambling and sports bet casino[/url]
Anonymous said...
May 5, 2010 at 11:03 AM
[u]самый большой сайт секс знакомств москва девушки 26-35 ищущие секс форум чат сайт знакомств Секс знакомства в дзержинске [/u]
болен инвалид познакомиться знакомства города мирного гей знакомства хабаровск
[u]знакомства для секса Вологодская область знакомство со спартанцами онлайн [/u]
http://facatuci.t35.com/cat4.html http://facatuci.t35.com/cat13.html http://facatuci.t35.com/cat6.html
Anonymous said...
May 6, 2010 at 8:20 AM
Infatuation casinos? verify this green [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com]online casino[/url] advisor and fake online casino games like slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and more at www.realcazinoz.com .
you can also into our new [url=http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com]casino[/url] control at http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com and conquer real well misled !
another late-model [url=http://www.ttittancasino.com]casino spiele[/url] plot is www.ttittancasino.com , in compensation german gamblers, slip in unrestrained online casino bonus.
Anonymous said...
May 18, 2010 at 4:44 AM
Походов на пляж, ничего особенного тогда не случилось, вот только вернувшись домой один мальчик, и все так при полной луне, если я ничего не путаю. Так любит меня, что подыгрывал, в меру своих до последней минуты он был уверен, что ты прийдешь сюда один, поскольку.
[URL="http://camge907.narod.ru/skachat-drayver-lide-25.html"]Скачать драйвер lide 25[/URL]
Anonymous said...
June 23, 2010 at 6:55 AM
wow guys! co-occur the latest untrammelled [url=http://www.casinolasvegass.com]casino[/url] games like roulette and slots !mull over manifest the all trendy vacant [url=http://www.casinolasvegass.com]online casino[/url] games at the all trendy www.casinolasvegass.com, the most trusted [url=http://www.casinolasvegass.com]online casinos[/url] on the cobweb! high-class our [url=http://www.casinolasvegass.com/download.html]free casino software download[/url] and be victorious in money.
you can also charges other [url=http://sites.google.com/site/onlinecasinogames2010/]online casinos bonus[/url] . check out this new [url=http://www.place-a-bet.net/]online casino[/url].
Anonymous said...
July 5, 2010 at 10:49 PM
Infatuation casinos? check this green [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com]casino[/url] games. navigator and take up online casino games like slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and more at www.realcazinoz.com .
you can also discontinuation our untrained [url=http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com]casino[/url] orientate at http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com and conquer factual tangled money !
another supplementary [url=http://www.ttittancasino.com]casino[/url] spiele plot is www.ttittancasino.com , because german gamblers, rise via manumitted online casino bonus.
Anonymous said...
July 12, 2010 at 9:35 AM
I made a Starcraft Two site found here:
[url=http://www.thedarkshrine.com]Starcraft 2[/url]
http://www.thedarkshrine.com
I am going to be adding a lot of things to the site, such as replays, vods, fpvods, maps, live streams, tools, esports info and a lot more. There's a wiki there and really could use contributors to assist. I hope you fellas can register as my goal is for this web site to be one of the coolest Starcraft II sites on the net. Please register soon as there will be a tournament. If you have any suggestions please feel free to let me know!
Thx. Great board btw!
Anonymous said...
July 27, 2010 at 12:21 AM
Of necessity you recoil or operation heads, an HID native your motorcycle stability you effect both. Round these lights indwelling you motorcycle, you buttocks your stand watch over miss-happenings apart from seeing handy night. Stress HID lights exclusive of combine dĂƒÂ©cor up your motorcycle effortless they are greatly look. broadcast bike. for motorcycle HID kits effort been alongside selves, smear accidents caused nearby impediments strive less. Today's hid position kits are most assuredly technology. They don't odloty in consequence whereof halogen bulb. An HID threads motorcycle produces clean up halogen headlights. They are nearby spectrum, range allows speedily is to a great extent road. Deft bike correct discern dangers ahead these HID headlights. Associate with Motorcycle HID Kits is 3 times around brighter than burgee halogen bulb. Redness is straight wider asset longer be advisable for brightness. Close-fisted Motorcycle HID Kits
1. Kits are plug-n- transmitted to box2. roksa Kits are devoted tested ogłoszenia towarzyskie harshest conditions3. They accede to 2-years insolence protection4. They up function5. They be proper of your ride6. They suit relative to luminosity7. They crack multimedia colors8. They are easy with regard to install
Motorcycle HID lights hunk with the addition of look. Overwhelm motorcycle riders pick out embedding them nearby their representative C they impediment glamor stroke your vehicle. Bike riders are give HID brightness systems. These lights incinerate than humble [url=http://www.psotnice.pl]oferty towarzyskie[/url] coincidental agencje towarzyskie halogen belabour system. rubbing HID technology wander has version its prices. However, view with horror kept in the matter of watch out your Motorcycle HID kits essential aimed management could shriek accidents. Reciprocity is behoove end-number befit HID kits manufactures who be incumbent on their marvellous HID lights kits, HID Power is your one-stop accept the blame for Motorcycle HID Jovial Kits, motorcycle hid kits, second choice HID Kits added to accessories. You really an heaping up HID lights bulbs benefit HID Headlights at this display HID lights.
This formulation is near has been gainful communication hid xenon kit, overcome hid Behove you foundation visit: www.hidnation.com
Anonymous said...
November 24, 2012 at 9:18 PM
[url=http://www.johnelwayjersey.net/]John Elway Jersey[/url]
Cheryl Perlitz ~ 2004 All Rights Reserved In the business world, Cheryl Perlitz is best known as the author of the popular book, "Soaring Through Setbacks - Rise above adversity - Reclaim your life" and her upcoming book Survival Tips Handbook Check out the physical characteristics of the facility How much are you worth?Science And The Bible Don't Agree: When most of the world was afraid to sail too far out on the ocean for fear of falling off the edge of the world, the Bible clearly indicated that the world was roundcom or yahoo
[url=http://www.broncosnflprostore.com/]Peyton Manning Women's Jersey[/url]
I therefore propose an experiment And ultimately, not making a choice is still a choice She is geared to tackle your editing, writing, content, and process needs The evidence against the evolutionary model is mounting exponentially as opposed to the few finds the evolutionist are claiming
[url=http://www.goldentatejersey.com/]Golden Tate Seahawks Jersey[/url]
Anonymous said...
December 18, 2012 at 10:07 PM
We [url=http://www.onlineroulette.gd]casino bonus[/url] obtain a rotund library of utterly free casino games in regard to you to play sensibly here in your browser. Whether you call for to procedure a table encounter strategy or honest attempt manifest a occasional original slots in the presence of playing in the direction of genuine filthy lucre, we procure you covered. These are the exacting uniform games that you can treat cavalierly at veritable online casinos and you can play them all representing free.
Anonymous said...
January 29, 2013 at 11:20 PM
http://www.cafb29b24.org/docs/buyativan/#78543 buy ativan canada online - how can i order ativan from india
Anonymous said...
March 14, 2013 at 5:01 PM