ndp preview

thanks to doris who's forever so lucky to win the ballot for the ndp tickets, i'm here @ the padang with doris, thomas & my sis watching the preview today.

the last time i watched the parade "live" @ the padang was before i went to kindergarten. yup, it was THAT long ago.

here's a shot of the 4 of us in our ndp reds. this picture was taken @ carlton 18th floor lobby. nice?

we had gone to mx & kl's room to hang out after lunch. also checked out the pictures of the bridal & evening gowns that mx had tried out the day before.

raffles city was swarmed in a sea of red when we made our way to the padang at 4:30pm. the security measures were stringent. all bags were scanned using the same x-rays machines that are used for baggages at the airport.

the military & police were out in full force, a clear deterrent against any extremist groups hoping to gain their 15 mins of fame. but also a very visible sign of the times that we're in.

with the recent bombings in london and egypt, how could singapore afford to let our guard down?

especially since we've been previously identified as a potential target for terrorist activities.

nevertheless, the additional security measures coupled with strong military/police presence were reassuring to say the least.

the preview went on like clock-work without any glitches as is expected of all things in singapore. the fireworks were beautiful as usual.

and reciting the pledge and singing the national anthem together with 25,000 other singaporeans and friends of singapore is a truly goosebumps-inducing experience.

i'm proud to be a singaporean.