Singapore celebrates 58 years of independence on August 9th, Wednesday. This year, the annual National Day Parade (NDP) will return to the Padang field, where it last held the parade in 2020. The venue expects to host 27,000 people, the lion city’s biggest turnout for the last four years. This year’s theme is “Onward As One” to rally Singaporeans to be resilient to the challenges ahead and to pursue our passion together.
The celebrations and activities will kick-start the weekend before National Day, featuring family-friendly activities, such as sports tryouts at selected heartland locations, followed by the National Day Parade (NDP) on August 9th. Highlights include an aerial display to celebrate the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s 55th anniversary, and the inaugural appearance of the Digital and Intelligence Service’s (DIS) guard-of-honour marching contingent. If you are in Singapore at this time, do catch the celebrations around the heartlands or the firework display at the marina bay waterfront vicinity.
Singapore is a small Southeast Asian nation, located in the southern tip of Malaysia. Although small, it is well-known for its garden city, world-leading airports, global financial center, food paradise, and rich culture. Unsurprisingly, Singapore remains a popular destination for assignees amidst rising necessities and housing rental costs. The nation boasts excellent infrastructure, a primary English business language, and a rich mix of Eastern and Western cultures. Here are the top five things that Singapore is well-known for.
Singapore is famous for the Merlion, a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. The name Merlion combines “mer” (which means “sea”) and “lion”. The symbol is a personification of the country’s history.
Singapore was originally a small coastal village called Temasek, Javanese for “sea town.” Legend says that Sang Nila Utama, a Srivijayan prince from South Sumatra, landed in Temasek in 1299 and encountered what he thought to be a lion. This prompted him to rename the land Singapura, which translates to “lion city” in Sanskrit.
British ichthyologist and curator Alec Fraser-Brunner designed the iconic Merlion for the Singapore Tourism Board in 1964. It has since become a national symbol, and no trip to Singapore is complete without a visit to the statue in front of One Fullerton.
The crown jewel of Singapore and the nation’s pride is Singapore Changi Airport, named the world’s best airport for 12 years, holding the longest winning streak for eight consecutive years between 2013 – 2020, and earning the title again in 2023 after the pandemic. The airport is one of the busiest and cleanest in the world; besides its unrivaled passenger experience, it’s also known for merging airport facilities, retail, and nature-themed entertainment in one complex.
To add to its splendid, the expansion and opening of Jewel Changi Airport in 2019 combined urban ingenuity with the tranquillity of nature. Visitors can get lost in the ten-story nexus of high-end shopping outlets, a luxury hotel, and an Imax movie theatre. It also houses the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, the Rain Vortex, a stunning display of water cascading down seven levels of terraced forest, attracting 50 million visitors just six months into its opening.
An engineering marvel and iconic building standing at 191 meters tall, it is one of the most expensive hotels built in history, located at the marina bayfront of the Singapore skyline. Combining more than 120,000 square meters (nearly 1.3 million square feet) of world-class convention and exhibition facilities; three 56-story hotel towers; a 1-hectare (2.5-acre) sky park and world-longest infinity pool capping the towers shaped like a boat atop the towers offers 360-degree views of the city and sea and outdoor amenities for the hotel; an iconic Art Science Museum on the promontory; two state-of-the-art theatres with 4000 seats; a casino; a wide array of shopping and dining outlets; and an outdoor event plaza along the promenade that can accommodate up to 10,000 people.
When you step into Gardens by the Bay, you may feel transported into a scene from the movie, Avatar. This massive cosmos of flora and larger-than-life Supertrees provides sanctuary to over 1.5 million plant species and a solace from the hustle and bustle of the city. The Flower Dome also holds the Guinness World Record for the largest glass greenhouse.
As if it is not enough, the 101-hectare ode to beauty, diversity, and horticulture artistry comes to life every night with light shows to entice visitors to explore the grounds even after the sun sets.
A review of Singapore is only complete with food. Having traveled to many parts of the world and tasted many fine cuisines these places have to offer, I still stand by the fact that Singapore serves the best food in terms of quality and variety.
No other place will you find the perfect symphony of cuisine choices and quality like Singapore. Historically as an immigration colony, we have inherited a good mix of Eastern and Western cuisine and everything in-between! You can find authentic, humble local dishes, like chicken rice, nasi-lemak, and laksa at heartland hawker centers (similar to food courts/ markets) that are affordable and good value-for-money, as well as well-known dishes (and a personal favorite of mine), such as chili crab at coffeeshops stalls to high-end seafood restaurants. If you are still looking for more, Singapore is also home to 55 Michelin-star restaurants, so you can eat your heart out!
We have come a long way and achieved so much as a small nation, and as a Singaporean, I couldn’t be more proud! Together with the Cartus Team, we wish all Singaporeans a happy 58th Birthday!
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