By Kaylene S.

What defines being Singaporean? Is it our inherent ability to douse our conversations with fragments of Malay, Mandarin and Hokkien? Is it the buffet spread of food available all round the island – the tangy Mee Siam, evergreen Chicken Rice, Crispy Prata or sinful Laksa? Is it our love for flip-flops that adorn the feet of all Singaporeans (to counter the heat, we say!). Is it our incessant need for great bargains and shopping discounts? How about our love for the term FOC? Or how we have to be #1 at everything?

We’re a young nation with a history that spans barely two centuries back. We are more innovative than creative – latching on existing technology and products, we reinvent and make it our own. So what do we have to be proud of?

With friends from overseas, I relate how Singapore survives on an instant noodle culture. Like our squiggly yellow friends that are cooked in an instant, everything in Singapore is accomplished in record speed and efficiency. A new mall slated for the ubiquitous Orchard Road? A magnificent structure will soon loom overhead within a span of two years. Bridges, highways and new housing estates are conjured in a jiffy. Domestic policies are adopted and implemented the moment issues need to be resolved. It is no wonder we lead such hectic and harried lives!

Sure, being Singaporean has its quirks and nuances. We love our food, can’t help but sprinkle the occasional “lah” when we communicate, and believe air-conditioning is god-sent. We appropriate cultures – fusing the east and the west – but make them better. Yet, eventually, that is who we are in an essence. We have our faults, but that makes us all the more lovable, does it not?

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