Hi there!! Do you recoginse anybody from the below photo?!?! Let me give you a hint – look at the middle girl!

Still have no idea? Ha ha it’s me!! Horrible me ha that was me 21 years ago! Yea yea don laugh at my 21-year-old ago hairstyle – it was kinda ugly ha what with those “standing high up in the sky” spiking fringe!! - but then that was the in-thing & hot cool fashion 21 years ago!! And I was so much so much slimmer 21 years ago (

Well, that was I blowing Trombone at the Singapore Padang on the 22nd Birthday Celebration of Singapore!! I was one of the 600 students from 15 Secondary Schools performing the Mass band Display – Moving Patterns synchronised with Music, & accompanied by 64 Flagbearers, & a 2000 strong Combined School Choir - a glowing Demonstration of the vibrancy of Singapore Youths!!

P/S : Photo taken from Page 34 & 35 of the 22nd National Day of Singapore Book - mine to keep which I’ve kept well till today, 21 years later!! I couldn’t believe I’m that old now!!

And YES YES, that was the PROUDEST Day of my Life!! As a Singaporean I was as honored as any other participant of that most special 22nd Birthday Celebration of our Beloved Homeland – Singpore!! I was in my final year at my former all-girls St Kilda’s School – a Senior member of the School Band. And I still remember we were so Excited & Proud to be chosen as one of the many Secondary Schools from Singapore to be participating in the Mass Band Pattern Display, almost beaming with smiles & chatting non-stop about it after we got the Greatest News!!

Practices started months before the actual day on the 9th August 1987 – I remember our School Music Teacher was Mr Frederick & initially, we had to practise twice or thrice a week after school – & we even had to practise with all the other Schools’ participants at the former Singapore National Stadium & the Singapore Padang, playing our musical instruments as well as forming patterns with our legs, hands, bodies, heads, & instruments!! And our practices became more & more frequent to almost daily after School & to even weekends!

P/S : My VERY PRECIOUS 22nd National Day of Singapore Book :

It was all really tough at first cos it was our very first time working on patterns while playing instruments! It seemed almost impossible cos besides having to memorise our musical notes, we had to remember our footsteps & actions!! We got scolded tens or even hundreds of times for making mistakes in our musical playing, or for doing the wrong steps in our pattern forming…..we got praised too at times for doing it right & well…….we made new friends, we sweated much & suffered lots under the hot sun & humid weather……we had tons of Great Good Fun & it was all pretty stressed & tiring, yet we were all too often Happiest to be involved & always looking forward to all the practices!!

And surprisily, all the musical notes & the different pattern steps that we had to do all came naturally & easy for us as the date drew nearer!! We had a few rehearsals (normal & full-dress) at the Singapore Padang & we were all too fimiliar with all our musical notes & patterns even before the actual day arrived!

9th August 1987 – the actual day of Singapore’s 22nd Birthday finally arrived – we had to be at the Singapore Padang by the afternoon hours before the evening’s National Day Parade. And we were so Nervous & so Excited yet kinda Stressed cos we were so afraid we would forget all our steps or our notes!&#$^!%&#!! But we kept our faith on & supporting one another & when the actual moments came - we really could do it!! YES we really did it & did it well too!! ! And on that night, we were the Proudest Youths of Singapore!!!

P/S : Slideshow of my 22nd National Day of Singapore Book :

After our Happiest & most Special & Unforgetable moments of our young tender lives participating in the Mass Band Display, we gathered aside & continued watching the rest of the night’s National Day Parade just like the whole of Singapore. And after all other performances of the night were over, all of us (spectactors plus participants) walked to the nearby Singapore River where the Singapore Merlion is (near Clifford Pier) to watch the night’s most looked-forward moments – the Fireworks Display!!

Standing below & looking up at the ongoing Gorgeous Loudest Grandest Fireworks shooting way high up into the sky from the middle of the Singapore River, I was filled with indescribable utmost Excitement & Happiness. And as I watched the Magnificent Fireworks, I was filled with a feeling so Strong & so Proud that I am a Singaporean – a feeling of so much Pride & Honor of being part of the Superb Birthday Celebration of my So Precious Homeland - holding with me the most Magical & most Amazing & most Awesome memories that I were to remember till today, 21 years later!

P/S : Slideshow of Individual Pages of my 22nd National Day of Singapore Book :

And till today, I could still remember well those Beautiful Gracious moments of my participation in our Nation’s Grand Birthday Celebration 21 years ago – & till today, I’ve kept well the The Book of the 22nd National Day of Singapore, on which I was one of the many Lucky Honored participants featured, on Page 34 & 35 of the whole Book of 48 Pages, as shown in the above photo & Slideshows.

And till today, I still feel so Proud that I got the Greatest Fortune of all to become a tiny little part of our most Amazing Country’s Birthday Celebrations History!

Thank You Singapore for Everything – I love you!