HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SINGAPORE!
Today, we wear red (rubies!) and white (diamonds!) with pride and joy.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
As children, we get that a lot. So we contemplated it often, and without limits. Doctor, lawyer, fashion designer, pianist, ice cream maker — possibility was whatever your heart desired. Even the idea of being an astronaut does not seem farfetched when you are five.
At 16, you might have written an essay or two at school on the topic, this time, perhaps a little less dreamy and a lot more, well, adult. Chances are, astronaut did not make it to your list.
They say you get better with age. But we can’t get better, not really, unless we keep asking ourselves that question — what do you want to be? — even when we’re 30. Or 40. Or 50. And keep aiming for the moon. Because, how else will you land on a star?
Today, as Singapore celebrates her 52nd birthday, we can’t help but get a little sentimental. After all, there was a time when people said that this Little Red Dot wouldn’t make it. But, hey, we did. In fact, we did a little more than make it. We nailed it.
To be the best in what we do. (Yes, we still hold the title for best airport in the world. We also have the most powerful passport.)
To dare to dream — and win. (Two words: Joseph Schooling.)
To be happy. (Singapore was named by the United Nations to be the happiest country in the region last year.)
To enjoy the fruits of our labour. (We have a beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site — the Singapore Botanic Gardens — in which to take a walk with people we love.)
Turning 52 doesn’t sound so bad now, does it? Nothing a little hair dye and gratefulness can’t fix.
Today is a day to celebrate achievements and milestones. Today is a good day to ask yourself, and those you love, what you’d like to be when you grow up, when you are 52. (There’s always time.) And today, we wear red and white with pride, joy, and, of course, a little sparkle with our favourite rubies and diamonds.
Images & Jewellery: The Canary Diamond Co
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