I know this entry is VERY, VERY backdated. When I reached there, I was ten minutes late, and the national anthem was being telecasted on the big screen at Federation Square.
Thousands of Chinese people had congregated together in celebration of their country's proud achievement. They stood up, hands on their chests, eyes fixated to the big screen, and sang along to the national anthem. Their voices were loud and clear, their pride clearly evident in their serious demeanour.
To be honest, even though I am not from China, the Chinese's people's pride for their country shone through so brightly, that even I felt my heart swelled with pride together with them.
Anyway, when I reached there, I saw my China friends carrying a red flag like this:
Pardon me, but I had a minor culture shock at the outward displays of national patriotism. Simply because I cannot imagine that during Singapore's NDP, a Singaporean would pocket a big red and white flag from home, and bring it to the stadium to wave it in front of everyone and declare his or her dedication and love for Singapore.
After I got over my initial shock, I asked them why they were carrying their national flag. They didn't have an answer for that. Instead, they were surprised at my question. Perhaps, what seemed like a perplexing scenario to me, to another, it was the most obvious thing to do.
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