26/7/03 (Sat)
NDP Preview 2003 or the One Where the Kallang Wave isn't what it used to be

--been to 2 NDP previews but remember shockingly little of those two events. hence, this ramble to record this experience for posterity

--pestered my not-say-very-enthusiastic friend to arrive at 4+ because i didn't want to miss the pre-parade
--crap, the stadium wasn't even half filled when we arrived. so i sat, feeling bored and hot and the weight of my bag on my lap
--motivators (they are not called cheerleaders these days?) tried to entertain us in the meantime. They tossed sweets/tibits to eager spectators. (to which a spolit girl several rows behind me loudly demanded, "I want! I want! I want!" and her father self-indulgently excused her behaviour by saying, "there's us Singaporeans. we always want to get freebies". If she were my daughter, you would think I would be jolly well embarrassed). they blew balloons and bubbles and one guy motivator even sprayed his water guy around

--Gurmit Singh and Sharon Au were terrific as emcees. The former almost singlehandedly rallied our spirits with his loud wacky humour while the latter attracted bemused stares by running around in circles and carelessly throwing her arms in all sorts of directions.
--Li lin and Jean Danker weren't. Li-lin made a boo-boo when her voice trailed off to an awkward silence as she was running towards the spectators. Jean just stood there and looked pretty. Hardly a contributing member at all.

How NDP 2003 stood out from the rest

--more lively parade. army contingents marched to the tune of upbeat music and executed some simple moves! i guess just standing still like statues is no longer enough to whet the appetite of the increasingly sophisticated Singaporean? also liked how the civilian contingents just dashed off towards the exits in wild abandon instead of marching off in previous years. Yes, spare us the boredom of trying to pinpoint flawed matching and get on with the show man!

--was taught the Unity Chant "One People, One Nation, One Singapore", which they had incorporated into the acts performed later on. Throwing our fists in the air and uttering the chant made me feel like we were the hapless participants of a brain-washing revolution led by a draconian government but heck, it was a simple and effective way to get the ordinary spectator involved

--Special tribute item to our health care workers. the clip of the mother of a casualty nurse weeping that she "said bye-bye" still got to me

--two video clips of PM Goh and one clip of SM Lee, with their thoughts of why Singapore is home and expectations that we will prevail, just as we have always prevailed in the past. An effort by the organisers to boost the morale of the nation in this economic slump? An opportunity created so that we would affirm our loyalties in the midst of this stayer/quitter debate?

--the inclusion of children with special learning needs in one item. Was this move unprecedented? I guess this is just a token gesture and i shouldnt read too much into it. But for someone whose pet peeve about Singapore is how it promotes elitism to the negligence of the needs of everyone else, i applaude this as a small but significant move in the evolution of a more caring society

Personal thoughts

--two singaporeans with their different approaches to enjoying the same NDP preview

to my left, a guy in the mid-20s didn't join in the flag-waving, clappers-banging, song-singing etc and just sat impassively. did he think me a nuisance as i sang too loudly and utilised my clappers way too often? a middle-aged man in the row before me was chanting the Unity Chant enthusiastically and egging his son on to do likewise. i raised my eyebrows because i was amused to witness such pride.

--my fellow spectators must be NDP veterans or something. Cameras just snapped away whenever something particularly exciting happened on the field. How on earth did they know what to expect and hence lie in wait for the moments to secure good photos? in self-denial mode, i dismissed their skilfulness aisde by convincing myself that i wouldn't want to take photos of stuff that everyone else had taken. *grins*

I was disappointed not to snap a photo of the fly-past of the State Flag by three helicopters but i did think it was a bit rude to get out my camera in the midst of singing the National Anthem. So that's that lah