Happy 41st!

The feeling of celebrating your nation's birthday at the national stadium with 59,000 other spectators was certainly different from watching it alone on the TV. The sights, the sounds, the merry, the cheers and the sheer size of the stadium was so intense that you just feel so minute and humbled.

And most of all very patriotic.

The efforts, the investments and the time spent on the event itself must have been huge though. The manpower, the cheography, the coordinations and the logistics must have been a nightmare!

As I watched the events unfolding before my eyes, a sudden thought struck me. How many countries in the world can celebrate their nation's birthday every single year without fail? Or perhaps I should instead say, how many countries in the world have the ability to celebrate their nation's birthday in the first place?

We Singaporean are really a fortunate lot, we have a roof over our heads, we have electricity, water and comfort in our house. We have an organized society, good security and a well-coordinated public transportation system. How many countries in the world is able to proudly say that their public transportation are comfortable and accessible. Or even on time? Most of the time.

And yet most of us take things for granted. We complain, we bitch, we point fingers and we asked for help whenever we meet any problems. Its so disheartening. Have we become so useless that every single little things, we have to ask for help from the government? And then when they are doing things that we dislike, we bitch and complain and yet do nothing?

In my opinion, we still have a long way to go before we can safely say that we are a developed society. Being developed or not does not only involve the economic wealth of the society. It is also about an attitude. An attitude that spells maturity and far sightedness instead of reliance and narrow mindedness.

As much as I hate some of our public policies, I am still very proud of my country and her achievements.

Most of all I am proud that I am able to celebrate my nation's birthday without fail every year.

Happy Birthday Singapore!