As i sat in my easy chair and switched channels whenever the irritating taufik/Rui-en NDP crap cohesion dance MTV came on, i noticed with interest how little state flags were being draped outside my windows.

at first i thought it were some playful kids who actually quit the computer and consoles to come out and play along the HDB corridors and void decks like i did when i had a childhood

only when i took a look outside did i realise they were put up by some banglas(presumably employed by the CC)

so all these long strings of cute multi-colored triangular state flags with the lion-head crest, all strung up in neat angles and making the HDB blocks look so nice are put up by bangla instead of SIngaporeans (less to say nationalistic ones)

i must also add that i see only one normal-sized white-red state flag outside a window from my block. that shows alot for national fervour i guess.

my whole family was just wondering why the cute flags came to our block this year, after a grand two decades since the block was constructed and we moved in. this is really our first time to recieve the honour of cute lil' triangular flags put up by banglas.

my first guess was its because my block, togeta with 3 other adjacent blocks were the last group convinced by HDB to pay for lifts on every floor. my block being closest to the main road, got the honourable reward for succumbing to the Board's marvellous initiative of providing lifts on every floor.

then i realised the model block that usually gets the flag treatment has gaping holes on every floor as part of the Lift Upgrading Program (they were the first to get them, no wonder model block), so maybe not too nice to drape those traingles over the gaping holes. logical.

so it boiled down to the fact that my block was the only rational choice. good planning on the authorities' part. but it's sad to know how much meticulous and practical planning took place in order for my block to finaly be crowned by those cute lil' things

its also sad to know that national fervour is limited to media-hyped celebrations at Padang and crappy MTVs on the telly, that we dunt put up flags anymore but the job is left up to banglas who probably laugh in their hearts at how their putting up the flags deprecate the value of having them hung up on block facades. what imean is they prob know we should be the ones proudly adorning our block.

its even sadder to know that kids dunt play catching/ police and thief/marbles/hopscotch at void decks or corridors anymore. even playgrounds dunt have swings anymore, no sand for playing and cat-dung to discover. all flooring heavily padded up, even more than the flattest girl's chest, just to protect them from injuries due to falls and such. i learnt about plasma when i had cuts and stuff..i wonder how kids today learn about them...

okie okei so much for all the media-hyped national fervour and the attempts to bring the celebration to the heartland. i hope the all banglas get a day off on national day, i always see them working even on public holidays, now i know part of the reason why. other reasons also include the third-world and post-riot mess singaporeans leave behind after evry major street party or national event. who cleans up? the banglas. even the press has quit sending in teams to capture the mess and chastise singaporeans. it's become part of our bad-traits culture.

if any member of the media is reading this, pls take the MTV off the air, or at least restrict broadcast till 2 days before Aug 9th. meanwhile i would rather have clips of hardworking banglas sweating it out puting up flags or a 30 minute clip on their contributon to our economyin the past 40 years.