National Flag

National Day is over finally.

The thought of having to remove the National flag outside my window is enough to kill my mood. I am staying on a high level and it is no mean joke if I were to fly out of the window during the process of trying to remove the flag!

I really don't like removing it. It is not as though I like to leave it there to show my patriotism. Being patriotic has never got to do with hanging flags. Sometimes, it pisses me that there are indeed people who think otherwise. For those who has gone to the extreme of having one stuck onto their moving vehicles, I will think they are really really over board. Bored, I say. Ahem.

ANYWAY, I JUST SO DREAD THE CHORE OF HAVING TO REMOVE THE FLAG.

"Why then did you fly the flag OUT??" Good question.

Right from the beginning, I have never wanted to hang the flag out of the window. I have just said, and let me re-iterate....................

I have never thought much about flag hanging because I do not think patriotism is really about having to declare to everybody that you are being patriotic. THE MERE ACT OF HANGING THE NATIONAL FLAG OUTSIDE THE WINDOW DOES NOT NECESSARILY EQUATES TO TRUE PATRIOTISM SO WHY BOTHER.

Let me digress.

It all started that day when I met the RC chap. (RC - Residential Committee)

He was buzzing my doorbell in the eleventh hour. I knew he had it all planned because he could not stop quizzing me if I had been distributed a National flag and that since I had the flag, why aint I put the flag out and all sorts of bizzare questions that nearly set me to a mode of shame. The questions were enough to corner me to change my perspective. As intimidating as the questions seemed, what really changed me was when I was in the midst of struggling thoughts, I cast my eyes over my neighbours' windows and I saw an almost spectacular display. Nearly all my neighbours had partaken the patriotism act of hanging their flags!

Not wanting to be seen as an outcast, I immediately complied.

and so, Yes! I complied because of the peer pressure. In retrospect, I appeared to have no principle. Sad. On the hind sight, it probably was'nt a bad idea because conforming to a norm could be seen as better than going against it.

Afterall, who would'nt agree that Singaporeans are all a kiasu lot.........