Come to Singapore in August And Take Pictures - Singapore's National Day Flags are still Flying

Flag of Singapore.

Singapore's National Day is August 9th but a Singaporean told me that the flags and banners are up until the end of the month. That is good news, for fun and photography. So you can enjoy all the flags and banners throughout August, this year, next year, every year. Many people visit Singapore in August, which is peak travel time because in the UK, Europe and worldwide it is summer holiday from schools and colleges and universities. Singapore is a popular stopover between the UK and Australia and New Zealand and the reverse direction.

I left Singapore for England the day before National Day, but the flags had been on sale and I bought some in Daeso, the Japanese shop where everything costs only two dollars, for the meeting of my Toastmasters club, Braddell Heights Advanced speakers' club, where I am the President.




Here are some of my favourite photos:
Flags galore from a housing estate (HDB - Housing Development Board), opposite Redhill MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) station.


Rows of flags on bunting.

The white crescent and five white stars.

The Merlion, head of a lion, a symbol of Singapore. The name Singapore is derived from Singa pura, lion city. Lion or tiger?  But there are no longer any lions. The last lion, or tiger, the story goes, was shot under the table in Raffles Hotel.

I saw more flags in a private condo, Cashew Heights, where residents own or rent apartments around a central swimming pool. The main clubhouse building has flags on both sides of the balconies.


Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Around the condo pool, even the little barbecue buildings are decorated. Each one has its own flag.

BBQ with Singapore flag in August after National Day.

What you will see on the internet or next time you visit:
1 The parade past the padang (central grassy area, like the city's bigger version of the old village green). Patriotic residents waving flags and children and adults with their faces painted with the flag.
2 Fly-past of aircraft creating red and white of the Singapore flag in the sky. Watch the Mexican wave - in Singapore known as the Padang wave, created by each line of people standing and sitting down in turn creating a visual wave effect.
3 Speeches by VIPs.
4 Fireworks displays.


Singapore Flag On A Car, for National Day, August 9 and all August. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

All August
You will see the flags flying, fluttering in the breeze, on public and private buildings. If you take a bus you will pass huge signs on the huge community housing estates.

Even the cars are flying flags from the wing mirrors. The flags can be attached to the window or wing mirror.

Buy Singapore flags from Daeso.
Or online from Ebay.

My Singapore hat was bought from the YWCA for only five Singapore dollars.

Useful Websites
singaporeair.com
daeso.com
ebay.com
amazon.com
ywca
Toastmasters International find a club
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/national-day-parade-1966-10-things-about-the-inaugural-parade
https://www.wiki+singapore+national+day
National Day song on Youtube with many singers of different ages and races.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZyiSEyx_Kg

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is English, British, and has family in the UK and Singapore.

How to Create a Mexican Wave or K a l l a n g Wave In A Small Room - or Do A Party Piece

Problem
How do you create a Wave of people when you are not in a football stadium with thousands but just a small room with a couple of dozen people?

Answer
This was demonstrated at a Toastmasters International meeting at L e n g Kee Advanced Toastmasters club in Singapore. The Emcee giving a talk on being an emcee (M.C. or master of ceremonies) was Lee Qing Hong. (He is my Facebook friend if you want to find his page.) He demonstrated what he called the K a l l a n g Wave (first time I'd heard the term) by running around the o v a l table you find in board rooms at many Singapore Community Clubs.

He explained the Wave and asked people to stand up as he ran past and immediately to sit down again. He then ran around the room.

Your Party Piece
It's good to have a form of entertainment. When I was a child every child had to have a 'party piece' to perform at other children's birthday parties and family gatherings. You could play a piece on the piano, sing, recite poetry, do a handstand, dance to music and clapping, perform a magic trick or card trick. Teenagers liked to play the guitar.

A party piece is a way of thanking the hosts by providing entertainment in return for the food and drink and welcome and socialising / networking / matchmaking / dating opportunities you receive.

I once stopped at the door of my host and hostess's house to say thank you and said, "Thank you for the food and drink and welcome and the entertainment."

The hostess responded, "Thank you. You were the entertainment."


Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Mexican Waves, Waves in America, and Kallang Waves in Singapore

Problem
What is a Kallang wave? That's Singaporean for what in England is called a Mexican wave.

What is it?
The Wave is a human ripple, or wave, very effective and striking visually, when each person in succession stands up, waves, then sits again.

The K a l l a n g wave first took place at an event in K a l l a n g Stadium in K a l l a n g W a v e Mall in K a l l a n g Singapore. Look on the internet for Singapore's shopping mall called Kallang Wave. It's quite hard to find the stadium, as the website is all about the places to eat.

The Wave in The USA
According to Wikipedia, in the USA it is called The Wave.

It probably started in the USA in 1981. It often took place in football stadiums.

The Mexican Wave
Outside American in other English speaking countries it is called The Mexican wave.
Some people say it started getting world-famous at the World Cup in 1986 in Mexico City, but had been popular in Mexico for years before.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_(audience)