.. what makes me miss it whenever I’m away and what I love about it.
You know how journalists always talk about Singapore using the key word “melting pot of… (Race, Culture etc)” Sometimes I forget what it really means to live in one and forget what makes me appreciate it enough to stress that this is what makes us truly Singaporean.
What made me feel right at home on a Sunday morning was the sound of the beating Kompang (Malay Hand Drum) to welcome the bride & groom which woke me up. Even though I’m right on the 11th floor, it was loud and cheery filled with gusto and celebration. And no, it didn’t irritate me but I was up and started to think about the nice curries cooking below and started salivating LOL.
and then it dawned on me how much this makes me feel right at home. That an estate is never complete without this celebration every once in awhile. That we are not much different from any cosmo city until you experience this. And if someone were to ask me what’s unique about Singapore and a must see/attend, in a heartbeat I would have the perfect answer – Live in the heartland for a day and if u have a local friend, attend a traditional Malay/Indian/Chinese wedding! I’ve heard and experienced the big hearts of the Malays to welcome just about any race to their weddings so long you are a friend and here to bring good wishes, even if you dont have an invite! Thus explaining the location, casual-ness & overwhelming amount of food!
Like all wedding filled with traditions, the rituals and colours just speaks more than telling you about a culture. You’ll see the hostility on MRTs & shopping centres melt away, making way for bonds, friendship, laughter and community. I hope the new estates will still thrive with this sort of bustle and multi-cultural love for one another filled with activities & fun!
A typical Malay wedding, and yes this is at a void deck, grand huh! photo credits from Yahoo.sg
If I haven’t already told you enough, the highlight of the wedding was a malay guy singing “我问天“ in hokkien, better know as ” Wa Meng Ti” for an extremely long Taiwanese drama “爱“. When he was done, he closed it with “Terima Kasih”. Talk about being Rojak and totally multicultural/lingual.
I love being Singaporean and as rojakly Peranankan for reasons like these!
corrin nicole 