I ♥ SG & more...
I impulsively signed up to be a volunteer for Singapore Day in London because I missed home quite a bit. Work commitments soon poured in and I realized I was unable to attend any of the briefings since I would not be in London. Nevertheless, I received an email, notifying my role, just like a regular Singaporean 18 year old boy receiving their notice to serve National Service.
Don't you just love Singapore?
Singapore Day @ Hampton Court Palace
So since I was unable to turn up for the briefing, it is natural to kena the worst role ever - Food Queue Manager Shift One. Shift One indicates you have to report at 9am at some ulu part outside central London. That equates to waking up at ungodly hours on a Saturday, yes sir. And what on earth is a Food Queue Manager? I imagine myself to be screaming over throngs of over-zealous Singaporeans storming the grounds for their beloved home delicacies.
Me: HELLO! QUEUE UP PLEASE!
(Gets ignored)
Me: PLEASE QUEUE UP! QUEUE UP!
(Gets ignored and shoved around)
ME: QUEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEE UP!!!!!!
(Gets ignored and finally stamped to oblivion)
How glamourous.
Anyhow, that is just my over-active imagination. The reality was much more bearable. Singaporeans have been trained to queue since they were born. There was no unruly behaviours and everything was orderly. My job was in fact, quite boring. Few people came to me for directions and recommendations for which food to queue for.
I was a Food Queue Manager located in Katong.
Chili Crab so popular until finished already, you know?
Felix gets highly amused whenever I spout or quip random Singaporean phrases in our conversations. Sometimes, it goes "Why like that?!" (when a major baking disaster occurs) or "Aiya, finished already!" (when I run out of chocolate cookies). Just so to certify the validity of such phrases, I took the above picture just to prove to him that "Finished already" is an actual phrase.
A Not-so-sweet Reminder of Home
Mr Brown, who was present at the event, told some of the incoming attendees that the ERP deducts money each time they enter. Some of them worriedly took out their wallets to check. I tried hard to suppress the urge to check mine when I exited. Such is the fear ingrained in me by the ERP systems in Singapore. They were everwhere!
Finally, my shift ended at 1230pm and I could queue for my own food! Yay. I had nasi lemak, dough fritters, curry puffs and muah chee.
The muah chee was a toxic shade of green, unlike anything I have seen in Singapore. I am not sure why. Maybe Hougang 6 Miles Famous Muah Chee makes them this way. I haven't heard of them, though. Are they that famous, huh?
Anyway, I enjoyed myself tremendously and I just felt really blessed to be part of a country which goes through such lengths to make sure Singaporeans abroad think of home. I mean, how often do you get this from the government of other countries? The Singapore government must have spent a bomb on this - from flying celebrities to the excellent coordination and design of the entire event.
The food must be so good that the London policemen themselves were queuing for them and the goodie bags. Not very professional or impressive, but I did indeed witness that.
I ♥ SG Goodie Bag
Hampton Court Palace itself was a gorgeous location. The cloudy skies gave way to bright sunshine - the perfect condition for a carnival atmostphere and picnics.
Spring is here and flowers are bloomnig.
The duck squad!
Yeah, so Felix tried on the T-shirt, cleverly designed and gifted from Ministry of Communication and Arts.
He wants his chicken rice NOW.
The red shirt is only for volunteers. A man came up to me during my shift to ask me if he could buy it.
Yeah, and that is all for Singapore Day. And yes, I ♥ SG to bits, quirks and all.
On a parting note, yesterday's was Flora London Marathon. I want to run a race in London! I was too late in participating for yesterday's race. Perhaps I will join the Run for Cancer race in July.
The weather and atmosphere is just perfect!
Fuzzy mascot cheerleader
Don't you just love Singapore?
Singapore Day @ Hampton Court Palace
So since I was unable to turn up for the briefing, it is natural to kena the worst role ever - Food Queue Manager Shift One. Shift One indicates you have to report at 9am at some ulu part outside central London. That equates to waking up at ungodly hours on a Saturday, yes sir. And what on earth is a Food Queue Manager? I imagine myself to be screaming over throngs of over-zealous Singaporeans storming the grounds for their beloved home delicacies.
Me: HELLO! QUEUE UP PLEASE!
(Gets ignored)
Me: PLEASE QUEUE UP! QUEUE UP!
(Gets ignored and shoved around)
ME: QUEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEE UP!!!!!!
(Gets ignored and finally stamped to oblivion)
How glamourous.
Anyhow, that is just my over-active imagination. The reality was much more bearable. Singaporeans have been trained to queue since they were born. There was no unruly behaviours and everything was orderly. My job was in fact, quite boring. Few people came to me for directions and recommendations for which food to queue for.
I was a Food Queue Manager located in Katong.
Chili Crab so popular until finished already, you know?
Felix gets highly amused whenever I spout or quip random Singaporean phrases in our conversations. Sometimes, it goes "Why like that?!" (when a major baking disaster occurs) or "Aiya, finished already!" (when I run out of chocolate cookies). Just so to certify the validity of such phrases, I took the above picture just to prove to him that "Finished already" is an actual phrase.
A Not-so-sweet Reminder of Home
Mr Brown, who was present at the event, told some of the incoming attendees that the ERP deducts money each time they enter. Some of them worriedly took out their wallets to check. I tried hard to suppress the urge to check mine when I exited. Such is the fear ingrained in me by the ERP systems in Singapore. They were everwhere!
Finally, my shift ended at 1230pm and I could queue for my own food! Yay. I had nasi lemak, dough fritters, curry puffs and muah chee.
The muah chee was a toxic shade of green, unlike anything I have seen in Singapore. I am not sure why. Maybe Hougang 6 Miles Famous Muah Chee makes them this way. I haven't heard of them, though. Are they that famous, huh?
Anyway, I enjoyed myself tremendously and I just felt really blessed to be part of a country which goes through such lengths to make sure Singaporeans abroad think of home. I mean, how often do you get this from the government of other countries? The Singapore government must have spent a bomb on this - from flying celebrities to the excellent coordination and design of the entire event.
The food must be so good that the London policemen themselves were queuing for them and the goodie bags. Not very professional or impressive, but I did indeed witness that.
I ♥ SG Goodie Bag
Hampton Court Palace itself was a gorgeous location. The cloudy skies gave way to bright sunshine - the perfect condition for a carnival atmostphere and picnics.
Spring is here and flowers are bloomnig.
The duck squad!
Yeah, so Felix tried on the T-shirt, cleverly designed and gifted from Ministry of Communication and Arts.
He wants his chicken rice NOW.
The red shirt is only for volunteers. A man came up to me during my shift to ask me if he could buy it.
Yeah, and that is all for Singapore Day. And yes, I ♥ SG to bits, quirks and all.
On a parting note, yesterday's was Flora London Marathon. I want to run a race in London! I was too late in participating for yesterday's race. Perhaps I will join the Run for Cancer race in July.
The weather and atmosphere is just perfect!
Fuzzy mascot cheerleader
posted by jellybeano at 5:17 PM
3 comments
