As every true blue singaporean (you know wh the real ones are) knows that we became ruddlerless for a national identity when they introduced the first race based policy in black and white via the HDB Ethnic Housing policy. Thats when nation building ground to a halt and the U-turn was complete.
NTUC then stepped in decide to come out with a national dress along the orchid motif. It was cross between that of a unquitious uniformed tourist guide and a great unknown. The other danger was a possible creation from the Istana choice of dressmaker in the lasy that runs a shop at Ocean Park, Upper East Coast Road with the likes of Old Lady and Ho Ching.
As APEC tradtion always has the guests dressed in the host's national dress, everyone was waiting what that was going to be as no singaporean had a clue what the national dress was? Well you must have seen it by now. The irony is that Obama, Arroyo, Najib and other leaders were first and not Singaporeans who became aware of what the national dress of singapore was.
In simple terms, these are are interesting features and a classic singapore trait of being being economical and practical - light material, easy to use , one colour, plain and thats it. No link to culture, no history, no emotions and no identity. A straight copy of the Phillipines Shirt but avoids allegation of counterfeiting ( a well known regional trait) and lacks originality and creativity, the colours were dark shade of the spectrum contrary to the Philipines transparent, white or cream and the collar, a cross between Nehru and the Chinese collars. The women's version is closer to the Sri Lankan top.
And we fucking pay top money to scholars and offialdom and we can't get something that tells us that its Singaporean by nature, taste and outlook.
The only thing worse is a white shirt or blouse with a pink jacket and the aircon turned sky high. Then again, it immediately it would be easily recognisable as the dress code of a old man, his son and the country that they ruled for 50 years via a series of electioneering hurdles, booby traps and plain road blocks.
NTUC then stepped in decide to come out with a national dress along the orchid motif. It was cross between that of a unquitious uniformed tourist guide and a great unknown. The other danger was a possible creation from the Istana choice of dressmaker in the lasy that runs a shop at Ocean Park, Upper East Coast Road with the likes of Old Lady and Ho Ching.
As APEC tradtion always has the guests dressed in the host's national dress, everyone was waiting what that was going to be as no singaporean had a clue what the national dress was? Well you must have seen it by now. The irony is that Obama, Arroyo, Najib and other leaders were first and not Singaporeans who became aware of what the national dress of singapore was.
In simple terms, these are are interesting features and a classic singapore trait of being being economical and practical - light material, easy to use , one colour, plain and thats it. No link to culture, no history, no emotions and no identity. A straight copy of the Phillipines Shirt but avoids allegation of counterfeiting ( a well known regional trait) and lacks originality and creativity, the colours were dark shade of the spectrum contrary to the Philipines transparent, white or cream and the collar, a cross between Nehru and the Chinese collars. The women's version is closer to the Sri Lankan top.
And we fucking pay top money to scholars and offialdom and we can't get something that tells us that its Singaporean by nature, taste and outlook.
The only thing worse is a white shirt or blouse with a pink jacket and the aircon turned sky high. Then again, it immediately it would be easily recognisable as the dress code of a old man, his son and the country that they ruled for 50 years via a series of electioneering hurdles, booby traps and plain road blocks.
