Happy 58th Birthday Singapore!

Today is Singapore National Day and we are celebrating 58th years of independence! I just stay at home reading, sketching and eating local food like fried mee pok from Teochew restaurant and  nasi lemak (coconut rice) from Ponggol Nasi Lemak with dishes like fried egg, otak, vegetable curry,  achar, chicken wings) and watch National Day Parade show at home later.  I try not to go out on public holidays and weekends and just rest at home due to the packed crowd. My family and I will just enjoy local food and relax at home. 

After work yesterday, I went to Gardens by the Bay flower dome to see the latest Orchid Extravaganza theme show and Floral fantasy. After admiring and taking photos of the flowers, I went to shop at Plaza Singapura. There are many promotions this month (National Day month) including 15% promotion at Art Friend and 20% at Times bookshop. I brought a book, Atomic Habits ( finally 20% discount!) and some art materials.

In Singapore, I like that we have the freedom to choose and practise the religions we believe in, different races and nationalities living in this small city and it is a safe place with the law we have in place here. I like the tough stance on drug abuse here. San Francisco has become unsafe due to rampant drug abuse as shown here. I don't take safety for granted here. Of course there is still room for improvement in Singapore, especially the rising cost of living. 

Besides the usual racial and religion harmony, we have to be mindful of the potential fault line between rich foreigners and locals. Case in point, just this year, a foreigner Kaur got into trouble for putting down on people who live in Housing Development Boards (HDB) flats (about 80% Singaporeans reside in HDB) as reported here. Foreigners must respect and understand local cultures and not take peace for granted.

Happy birthday Singapore! Continue to strive for excellence and not compromise on HDB quality and service. 

Website Woman gets backlash after making disparaging comments about 'HDB people' on LinkedIn: https://mothership.sg/2023/05/linkedin-woman-limit-contact-hdb-people/

Beautiful orchids at Floral Fantasy.

Vanda Miss Joaquim Orchid Singapore national flower

At Times bookstore at Plaza Singapura