SINGAPORE: They came in a sea of red – Singaporeans, young and old – lapping up psychedelic performances, air force and naval aerobatic stunts and much more for a massive bash marking the nation’s 53rd year of independence.

Here is a recap of the National Day parade which was directed by film-maker Boo Junfeng.

​​​​​​​

SINGAPORE: It started like a sell-out rock concert, with 25,000 spectators and a stage that erupted in flashing lights and a twanging electric guitar solo.

Only it wasn’t a rock concert, but the show segment of this year’s National Day Parade (NDP) on Thursday (Aug 9), and the guitar solo was a rendition of the national anthem Majulah Singapura.

The theme of Singapore’s 53rd birthday celebration, We Are Singapore, aims to recognise everyday Singaporeans who share a common identity, and the show managed to drive this home across three acts that proved to be equal parts nostalgia and visual bonanza.

Act One opened with more 600 Institute of Technical Education (ITE) students rushing onto stage, each dressed in a nod to Singapore’s humble beginnings.

Some were samsui women, others were sweaty pushcart sellers peddling steamed chicken – all dancing to a beat that celebrated the Singapore spirit, as they illustrated how our forefathers forged the Singapore we know today. 

The students were also joined by real workers of the present – cleaners, construction workers, teachers and bus drivers. And the props, including luggage carts, satellite dishes, even gleaming Housing and Development Board blocks, made everything come alive.

If the first act was all about the dynamism, the one that followed was a feast for the eyes.

Against the night sky, a brilliantly illuminated procession of 18 boats and floats sailed in across Marina Bay, which by now was occupied by the watching hundreds who didn’t have tickets.

Fronting the parade were three floats, each carrying one of the nostalgic dragon, dove and pelican playgrounds.

The almost gloomy lights reflected singer Aisyah Aziz’s ethereal vocals, but the mood picked up when 12 sparkling balloon garlands, each 18m long, snaked into the show.

Like jellyfish tentacles flickering in different colours, the garlands reached high into the sky. The spectators obliged, swinging their light bubbles to the vibrant performance.

The performance itself was a visual spectacle – more than 700 primary and secondary school students formed kaleidoscopic patterns with lighted lanterns, in what organisers hope would mirror the hopes and aspirations of the people.

READ: Sprints, heavy balloons and a lot of sweat – what it’s like preparing to be an NDP garland performer

But perhaps what tugged at heartstrings the most was the show film, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Boo Junfeng, that depicted real-life stories of five Singaporeans – a former samsui woman, ex-Olympic runner, struggling student, visually impaired busker and young social entrepreneur.

The film, woven throughout the three acts seamlessly on giant screens, showed how these individuals overcame challenges to achieve their goals.

The stories were heartwarming, and the feature on the blind busker and his son – a common sight near Tampines MRT – would have identified with many.

READ: NDP show segment to feature film on everyday Singaporeans, giant balloons and nostalgic mascots

Speaking after the show, researcher Ahmad Ahmad, 27, said the film “really captured” the essence of what Singapore is.

“I could relate to it,” said Ahmad, a first-time NDP spectator who got lucky on his first try balloting for tickets.

While the show segment takes the plaudits, the pre-parade segment – always a crowd favourite – deserves high praise as well.

The crowd gasped as they watched – footage captured from the bird’s eye view of unmanned aerial vehicle Heron-1 – eight naval combat divers jump off a helicopter 2,000m in the air. This is the first time that the divers, complete with masks, fins and rifles, are jumping at the NDP.

Hundreds chanted “hooyah!” as the divers, like black dots in the sky, deployed their parachutes and dropped in the water.

Also doing their own jump were the hugely popular Red Lions, this time from 3,800m in the air – the highest ever for an NDP.

READ: Red Lions to perform record wingsuit jump from 3,800m at NDP 2018

While the weather made the jump impossible in 2016, it was all clear skies on Thursday. The wingsuited Red Lions, leaving behind red and white smoke trails, landed in a jog just in front of the stage, to much aplomb. Standing together, the divers and Red Lions saluted the nation.

“I’ve done this 20 times,” host Gurmit Singh said. “It never gets old.”

What also never gets old are all-time favourite National Day songs, and so there was time to get the crowd involved in a little singing competition.

The hosts picked out a few from the crowd and asked each to sing along to a song, before abruptly stopping it mid-sentence. To win, participants had to complete the line, and many gamely guessed correctly, cheered on by those sitting around them.

The melodious and even passionate voices soon turned to the thumps of the parade drums, as Singapore’s armed forces, police and civil defence force rolled onto stage.

Soon it was time for a landmark moment: President Halimah Yacob, in her first NDP holding the nation’s highest office, arrived and waved to cheers from the crowd.

As she inspected the parade, artillery cannons parked on the water volleyed as a mark of respect. The highest honour, however, were the five F-15SG fighter jets that pulled off a bomb burst against the sprawling skyline. With a boom they soared in formation above the crowd, before splitting up and zooming in different directions.

But the Republic of Singapore Air Force, celebrating its 50th jubilee, had more to show. In another impressive aerobatic display, an F-15SG executed a knife edge pass, pulled around the towering Marina Bay Sands, and shot into a gravity-defying vertical climb.

Still, the fireworks, which lit up the sky with loud colours and louder pops, remained the highlight of the show for many spectators.

While regular NDP spectator Huang Zijuan, 35, said she enjoyed the fireworks the most, she added that the performance by the ITE students stood out too.

“The props were very nice,” said Ms Huang, an investor who came with her six-year-old son Gideon.

Ms Huang said she ballots for the NDP every year, and will try again next year because it’s always a fun experience. “It’s one big party,” she added.

Mr Benjamin Cavalli, 45, praised the entire show, but reserved special mention for the fireworks.

This is not the first time that the Swiss banker has attended the NDP with his family, and he didn’t need to answer when asked if he’d try again next year. “Yes,” chimed in his smiling 10-year-old daughter Chiara.

“We’ve been here for more than 18 years,” Mr Cavalli said. “This is home for us.”

NEW YORK: An eye-catching Bluetooth-enabled yellow stylus, loads of storage space, an intelligent camera, and more – Samsung Electronics unveiled its latest smartphone, the Galaxy Note 9, at its Galaxy Unpacked event on Thursday (Aug 9).

Or, to be more precise, much of it was a confirmation of the premium smartphone’s features following various online leaks way before the launch held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, where Samsung also announced a new Galaxy Watch and smart speaker.

BATTERY AND STORAGE

Taking note of just how much Galaxy Note users use their phones, Samsung has beefed up the Galaxy Note 9 in terms of power and storage to keep up with the demands of work, gaming, watching movies and more throughout the day.

Its 4,000mAh battery is the biggest ever on a Samsung phone – 21 per cent bigger than the Galaxy Note 8. It also offers the fastest network speed, capable of up to 1.2 gigabits per second (GBPS), meaning superfast streaming and downloading of movies, which is good when you’re in a rush.

And, finally, there’s all that space you’ll need so there’s no fretting about deleting photos, videos or apps. It’s available with two internal storage options, 128GB or 512GB. Together with the option to insert a microSD card of up to 512 GB, that’s a whopping 1TB of space. (In comparison, Apple’s iPhone X has 64GB and 256GB options, while Samsung’s own Galaxy Note 8 and S9 has 64GB, and S9+ goes up to 256GB).

THAT’S ONE INTELLIGENT CAMERA

Described as Samsung’s smartest camera yet, the Galaxy Note 9 improves on the camera platform found in the Galaxy S9 and S9+ phones, which includes the Dual Aperture lens feature.

It now also has an AI-based Scene Optimiser that automatically analyses the image and does the necessary tweaks for more dynamic photos. There are 20 scene categories, such as “flowers”, “landscapes” and “beaches”.

The Flaw Detection feature can now also spot if you’ve got problems with blinking eyes, blurred images and backlighting, in addition to previously calling out if there’s some smudging on the lens. For low-light environments, the HDR and Live Focus improvements are set to be a boon.

S-PEN WITH BLUETOOTH

Samsung has cited the S-Pen as the number one reason for Galaxy Note fans’ loyalty. And while hardcore users might have fun debating about aesthetics of having a yellow S-Pen for its main Ocean Blue-coloured model (the rest come in matching colours), the stylus’ Bluetooth capabilities is another matter altogether.

With a few clicks, you can control the phone with it from a distance of up to 10m, for a variety of things: Taking photos, playing YouTube videos and going back and forth within the photo gallery. You can also play around with the AR Emoji stickers on Live Message by drawing and writing on it.

Don’t think your photos make the mark? The S Pen also lets you trace over your own photos to make it look a bit more “artistic”.

The S Pen’s Bluetooth features run for up to 30 minutes standby time or 200 button clicks per full charge, which takes around 40 seconds when you insert the stylus into the phone.

NOTED FOR WORK AND PLAY

Gamers will also be pleased with the phone’s robustness – aside from the long battery life, the Galaxy Note 9 also has a new water-carbon cooling hardware system, which is said to prevent overheating by 21 per cent. An AI-based performance adjusting algorithm software also manages the phone’s functions when it senses it’s getting too hot.

These, together with its 6.4 inch AMOLED infinity display (slightly bigger than the Note 8’s 6.3 inch display) and stereo speakers, means a steady, long and intense gaming experience.

Work-wise, Galaxy Note 9 users can still tap into the Samsung DeX experience – but it does one better than the S9’s docking station by skipping that entirely and simply plugging directly into a monitor using an HDMI adapter.

The phone can then function as a touchpad and controller, or even serve as a second screen for taking down notes – which means easy multi-tasking at, say, a meeting or presentation with just one device.

The Galaxy Note 9 will be available from Aug 24 in select markets, in Midnight Black, Lavender Purple, Metallic Copper with matching S Pen, and Ocean Blue with a Yellow S Pen. Prices in Singapore and other details will be announced soon.

SINGAPORE: Former President Tony Tan Keng Yam was given the top honour at this year’s National Day Awards, receiving the Order of Temasek (First Class) on Thursday (Aug 9).

He was among 4,624 people who were recognised for their significant contributions to the nation. Recipients came from varied backgrounds, including the civil service, educational institutions and grassroots organisations.

In a statement, Dr Tan said he is “deeply humbled and greatly honoured” to receive the award.

“Together with many of my generation, I was privileged to serve my country, to see it grow and thrive.

“Our nation remains a work in progress, and Singapore needs the service of men and women from all walks of life to build on our strong foundations to ensure an even brighter future for our nation,” said Dr Tan.

The 78-year-old, who started out as a lecturer in 1964, entered politics in 1979.

Over the decades, he has served in various roles, including being minister for finance, education, defence and trade and industry, as well as deputy prime minister.

After retiring from Cabinet in 2005, Dr Tan took on the mantle of chairmanship in several organisations such as Singapore Press Holdings and the National Research Foundation.

In 2011, he was sworn in as the seventh President of Singapore – a position he held until 2017.

Said Dr Tan: “It has been truly rewarding to work for, and alongside, so many Singaporeans who envisioned a better future for their children and grandchildren.”

RECIPIENTS FROM VARIED BACKGROUNDS

Among those who received the Meritorious Service Medal was Ustaz Ali Mohamed, co-chairman of the Religious Rehabilitation Group.

He has been with the organisation since 2003, when it was launched with a mission to correct misinterpretations of Islamic concepts and dispel extremist ideologies.

The challenge, he said, is the time and patience needed to reform radicalised individuals. And although there is no end to the work that needs to be done, he called it “a blessing” to be involved.

For his efforts, Ustaz Ali previously received the Public Service Medal in 2001 and the Public Service Star in 2010.

One recipient of the Public Service Medal is Mr Rajaram Ramasubban, chairman of the Tamil Language Council.

Along with volunteers and his team, the council organises the Tamil Language Festival every year. The month-long festival has been running for 12 years, with Mr Rajaram helming six editions.

“Knowing your language is important because the language is a window to the way of life that you belong to, the culture that you belong to,” said Mr Rajaram.

He added that the challenge of preserving the language lies in reaching out to youths and making it attractive for them.

Nevertheless, he said volunteer work is meaningful and that the award serves as an encouragement.

“You don’t start off by expecting to get an award, but it’s always nice to be acknowledged. This is an acknowledgement not just of the work that I’ve done – I’m aided by a whole group of volunteers.

“At the same time, the experience of volunteering is a very meaningful and rewarding one. So to that extent it’s already a very meaningful experience and this (award) is sort of an icing on the cake,” he said.

TEAMS INVOLVED IN TRUMP-KIM SUMMIT, PEDRA BRANCA CASES RECOGNISED

In addition, seven teams were awarded the President’s Certificate of Commendation for their contributions in organising the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Jun 12.

The teams were from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Communications and Information, Prime Minister’s Office, broadcaster Mediacorp, Singapore Police Force, Singapore Armed Forces as well as a group from 11 other government agencies that supported security operations.

A Mediacorp spokesperson said: “The Mediacorp team is honoured to receive the President’s Certificate of Commendation for our role in the summit, a momentous event which resonated worldwide. 

“Mediacorp made significant investments in manpower, technical expertise and infrastructure to deliver comprehensive services to journalists who came from across the globe to cover the event.”

For their contributions to the Pedra Branca cases, an inter-agency team also received the President’s Certificate of Commendation.

A full list of this year’s National Day Award recipients is available on PMO’s website. 

NATIONAL DAY PARADE 2018 | Watch the parade live on channelnewsasia.com starting from 5.30pm on Aug 9.

Our livestream is also available on twitter.com/channelnewsasia and facebook.com/channelnewsasia.

SINGAPORE: The night-time is when this muscular man, sporting tattoos and an ear stud, goes hunting around void decks. He lives in Hougang but goes to HDB estates round the island, even those more than an hour away.

Mr Zat Low is especially likely to make a catch when it rains. That is when a queen ant would emerge from its nest to mate, and it would typically fly towards a lighted place such as a void deck.

Armed with a laminated card and a test tube, the 34-year-old tattoo artist would be all smiles when he spots his prize, like the time he found a queen crawling inside a lift.

He is not the only one hunting ants after night falls. Singapore Ants, a Facebook group of ant lovers and collectors he helped to start, has about 1,640 members. That is four times the group’s membership in June last year.

Unlike most other ant-keepers, however, he has even gone into forested spots to lure ants with a light box. But more than that, he likes the time alone.

“I love the night life because everything is so quiet. Everybody is asleep” he said.

I’m not scared of being in the forest alone. I think humans are much scarier.

His is one of the stories featured in the documentary Singapore After Dark, about people who come to life at night.

They include emergency call dispatchers, paranormal investigators and wildlife enthusiasts as well as an insomniac who prowls cemeteries to find sleep, and a joss paper maker who burns his goods for wandering spirits. (Watch the show here.)

In the case of Mr Low, his hobby has given him more than a unique perspective of Singapore by night, it has also given him a renewed purpose in life, “a lot of truth” and “joy”.

AN IDEA HATCHED FROM EGGS

It started some three years ago when a friend, a bird enthusiast, showed him a bag of ant eggs he bought to feed his birds.

Mr Low figured that it could be a good business opportunity and decided to catch queen ants – recognised by their wings and swollen bottoms – to harvest their eggs as bird feed.

But after half a year, he found it too tedious, even though he reckoned that he and a partner who was doing the sales were each making S$4,000 a month.

From what he had learnt online, ant-keeping seemed more interesting – even former United States president Bill Clinton has two ant farms – so he decided to start his own colonies instead of selling the eggs.

But it was such a niche hobby in Singapore that he had to do more online research and get tips from ant-keeping communities worldwide.

For instance, it may take up to a month for a queen ant to lay its eggs. If it does not, it may not be fertilised, and he would release it.

He also learnt to build his own formicariums (ant nests) and now has more than 100 colonies.

Some of them are crammed into his room, while others are looked after by his friends from the ant-keeping community, whose members range from students to housewives to working professionals like lawyers and doctors.

They share tips about caring for their colonies and where to hunt for rare finds. Different HDB estates attract different ant species because of their location near different forested areas, explained Mr Low.

We’d never know what we’d find. We’re like Pokemon Go players.

His parents were initially sceptical about his hobby but now even wander into his room to admire his collection: Formicariums of different shapes and sizes surrounded by walls adorned with some of his favourite tattoo art pieces.

He is a favourite of his young nieces and nephews and cousins, who are curious about and in awe of his pastime.

ANTS SAVED HIM

Ant-keeping is more than just a hobby for him, however – it helped to save his life.

Three years ago was also when he was at the lowest point in his life. He used to have bad mood swings, which affected his relationship with his family and close friends.

“I used to be a very arrogant person. I had hurt a lot of people, both emotionally and physically,” disclosed Mr Low, a former gang member.

He became depressed, partly because he had also lost friends who had taken their own lives. But after he came to terms with his past actions and personal losses, he began to rethink his life.

“I found that life was kind of meaningless, but I didn’t want to spiral downwards to that,” he said.

Then I looked at ants, and I realised that they’re so small and are fighting for survival. What (about) me then?

His ants kept him busy, and helped to keep him from feeling depressed, even though some of his friends and relatives thought it was a “lame” hobby at first. Some people still do.

“Some people think I’m crazy. They say, ‘Why ants?’ But I find ants an enigma to me,” explained Mr Low, who remains fascinated by their social behaviour, hierarchy and caste systems, as well as the similarities between humans and ants.

Ants invented farming – 60 million years ago – he pointed out, noting that some ant species still farm fungus to sustain their colonies.

Ants also operate within a highly developed division of labour: Some ants are in charge of foraging, some defend the nest while others tend to the queen.

“Ants have remarkable capabilities. For example, some enslave other ants while others can show the highest levels of altruism,” said Mr Low, citing a species of self-sacrificial ants from Borneo that can explode themselves to cover intruders with toxic goo.

Today, he can rattle off the scientific names of ant species in Singapore – like the Polyrhachis beccarii (the golden ant) and the Dinomyrmex gigas (giant forest ant) – and their characteristics with ease.

HOPING TO HELP OTHERS

Mr Low got out of his rut after about two years, through his ants and regular exercise, and is now focused on sustaining his ant colonies and building formicariums, some of which he sells.

These formicariums are typically made of acrylic plastic or aerated cement; the elaborate ones are decorated with crystals. He even has one with a music box inside.

A formicarium can be set up for as little as S$5 and can sell for as much as a four-digit figure, depending on the craftsmanship involved and crystals used.

It costs him less than S$50 a month to feed his ants, with a concoction of chicken, flour and multivitamins, among other things, that he formulated himself. For the ants’ “carbohydrate needs”, he gives them the blackcurrant drink Ribena.

He used to sell his ants but stopped doing so, even though a rare queen Dinomyrmex gigas can cost €1,000 (S$1,580) on the European black market.

He preferred to concentrate on acquiring and sharing knowledge about ants with the local community, including children.

He thinks that by educating more people about ant-keeping, he can “give people a glimpse of hope when they feel hopeless or helpless”, like how it helped him to rediscover himself and the natural world.

“My main purpose in starting an ant community is to make people understand that ants can be a pet too, not just pests,” said Mr Low, who now views ants as “sacred creatures” for saving him.

“I also have great ambitions for the ant industry, whether harvesting its eggs for food (a delicacy in Thailand and Mexico, for example), formicarium-making or making ant presentations to school. We can venture into a lot of things.”

Watch the webisode Antman of Singapore here. The documentary Singapore After Dark airs on National Day, at 10.30pm.

SINGAPORE: A woman who failed to provide a safe working environment for her two maids and employed them as a scaffolder and maintenance worker illegally was fined S$46,000 in total on Wednesday (Aug 8). 

Willow Phua Brest, 46, pleaded guilty to four charges of breaching work permit conditions and a charge of illegal employment on Tuesday. Five other similar charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

All the offences took place in October last year, said the Ministry of Manpower in a news release. 

Phua had permitted her maids to clean the windows’ exterior at the two-storey bungalow at Cluny Park on four occasions.

The maids had to stand on a 7m-tall L-shaped scaffold that was erected outside the bungalow’s main building to reach the windows, which did not have grilles installed. 

MOM said that such acts should have been undertaken by service providers instead, and that Phua had endangered the maids’ life by permitting them to carrying out those acts. 

Phua also failed to provide a safe working environment for the maids and did not take necessary measures to ensure their safety, the ministry added. 

The maids, who had been employed to carry out household chores, were also told to erect a scaffold and carry out maintenance work at the back wall of the bungalow without valid work permits in the same month. 

One of the maids had raised concerns that it was dangerous to climb onto the scaffold to work as it did not have proper guard rails to prevent falls, but Phua persuaded her to carry out the tasks, said MOM. 

Both maids have since been stopped from working for Phua by MOM. One of the maid has been placed under the temporary job scheme and works for a new employer, while the other has returned home. 

MOM director of well-being Ms Jeanette Har said that the case was “egregious”. 

“Lives and limbs are at stake here … The risks are real and obvious but the employer was oblivious to them,” she said. 

Phua could have been fined up to S$10,000 and jailed 12 months for each charge of failing to ensure the work safety of domestic workers can be fined up to S$10,000 and jailed up to 12 months for each charge. 

For illegal employment, Phua could have be fined up to S$30,000 and jailed up to 12 months. Offenders will be barred from hiring domestic workers in future as well.