ME: April 2009

I ♥ SG DAY LONDON 09!!! so this yr, sg day was held at hampton court palace... really nice place... esp the cute trees... lol man the food was great... just not enough space in my stomach to try them all... missed out on laksa, bbq seafood, hill street char kway teow, bak kut teh, rojak, indian rojak and kuey chap... haha oh wells... haha so it was queue for food while eating the one u collected at the stall before that... lol queueing and eating makes queueing seem shorter... i think... lol anyways the entertainment was great too! goodiebags etc... which surprisingly, alot were still unclaimed at the end of the event... maybe the kiasu mentalty only sets in when ur back in sg... LOL haha yeah i also took home 2 bottles of satay sauce... cos when i went to redeem 1 bottle, the guy said they are lonely so gave me 2... LOL haha n its also on Straits Times!

April 26, 2009
S'pore Day in London
Some 12,000 people turn up for event that celebrates all things Singaporean
By Alison de Souza
London - Britain's busiest train station reverberated with lots of 'lahs' and 'lors' yesterday morning.

Scores of Singaporeans were there to catch trains for south-west London. They were headed for Hampton Court Palace where this year's Singapore Day was held.

Neurosurgeon Vinothini Apok, 28, who has lived in Britain for nine years, said: 'I am looking forward to being among the unique social mix that defined my childhood and early adolescence again.'

Some 12,000 Singaporeans who live and work in Britain, and even from other parts of Europe, attended the event organised by the Singapore Government at an estimated cost of S$6 million. A small army of hawkers, performers, civil servants and other support staff was flown in to pull it off.

The grounds of the palace were turned into a mini version of Singapore, with areas marked 'Clarke Quay', 'Tanglin', 'Katong', 'Dempsey Hill' and 'Lau Pa Sat'.

Filmmaker Eric Khoo, the event's creative director, had overseen every detail.

His tongue-in-cheek touches included an ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) gantry at the main entrance and, in the goodie bags distributed, packets of wet wipes labelled 'Chope!'

The space was designed around displays and interactive installations to update Singaporeans on the latest developments back home, from education to national service.

People could sign up to become volunteers at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games which will be held in Singapore, or join one of the Singapore associations abroad.

Singapore employers were also on hand recruiting for jobs in health care, law, finance and the public sector.

Read the full story in The Sunday Times today.