Majulah Singapura

18 August 2007 Loyal patriots that we are, we jumped at the chance to while away a lovely Saturday afternoon celebrating Singapore's 42nd birthday. What better way than to spend it in the company of a hundred other fellow Singaporeans, herded onto a boat, all wearing red and/or white, sipping wine and scoffing curry puffs, cruising our way up and down the Thames, to the strains of a live jazz band amidst a smattering of Singlish all around?

Having stolen the show at last year's National Day funfair in London by singing solo in front ot hundreds of guests, Saffron had set for herself a tough act to follow. With some forward planning, I thought that I could teach her the national anthem in the event that she would be called upon to sing. However, my attempts were rejected with a dismissive "I will sing Rule Britannia, Mummy."

Armed with our door gifts of the actual goody bags given out at this year's National Day parade at Marina, we ensconced ourselves comfortably at the table nearest the buffet table. (We were celebrating the spirit of being Singaporean, after all!) Saffron promptly raided the bags with Aunty Debbi, set up the Singapore flags at our table, and proceeded to plaster herself and everyone else around her with 'Made in Singapore' tattoos. I, meanwhile, was getting ever so slightly stressed out by the amount of battery-operated, flashing, plastic tat that was potentially going to follow us home.

Halfway through the lunch, there was a Singapore quiz during which our decision on where to sit was vindicated. The MC asked questions relating to Singapore and anyone who knew the answer had to run up to him. Handy then that he was standing right in front of us, and even handier that 80 percent of the other passengers were all separated from us by a treacherous staircase. It was our lucky day. Aunty Debbi won a prize early on for shouting out "New Asia Bar" to "Where in Singapore is the highest point where you can have a drink in a bar?". We had to do all we could to restrain her from running up with the answers to the other questions that followed.

Saffron's moment of glory came when there was a question for 'under-12s' (the cruise was only officially opened to children above 5. It pays to work in the same office as party organisers, that's all I can say...).

"Name 3 places in Singapore where you can find animals."

Dragging me along with her to the colourfully-vested host, Saffron offered this answer into the microphone, "My por-por's house, the farm and the zoo."

It's a pity no one really got to hear the "farm and the zoo" bit of her answer, for as soon as she had said "My por-por's house...", the entire boat went "Awww...". She could have ended with "a vegetarian restaurant and Parliament House" and it wouldn't have made any damn difference. I don't think that was the answer my Singapore Tourism Board colleagues had in mind, but needless to say, she walked away proudly with the prize. You see her here eagerly opening her well-deserved gift.

All in all, we had a nice time on the cruise. Of course it would have been better had I won the first prize of a return ticket to Singapore courtesy of Singapore Airlines, but hey, at least I made away with some KFC Moist Towelettes, a hand-held fan complete with batteries and a book of vouchers for VivoCity. Woo hoo.