I am Singaporean...

Ok, this is in response to Mr Brown's call to post a video of about 2 to 3 minutes of yourself saying what you think makes you Singaporean. It's already a phenomenon on the Web, for you less happening people. :P

However, I am only less less happening than you so I will write my piece instead. Plus I am dem lazy, la. What to do?

I am Singaporean by me

I am Singaporean.

I was conceived in a HDB flat, born in a government-run hospital built especially for that purpose, grew up in a kampung with real attap houses, a private condominium and a three-storey house.

The government took away the kampung land to build more HDB flats.

I am the only person I know who has lived in EVERY form of housing Singapore has.

I wore a blue pinafore for 10 years, in primary school and secondary school.

I liked the blue pinafore.

I like uniforms.

I wanted to go to study theatre, but theatre cannot make money what, so my dad refused to pay.

I've been in girls' schools all my life - except for a brief year in Primary Six when the school sold out and became co-ed, and six months in JC, which I hated.

So I quit JC.

I quit JC and went to Perth, quit Perth and went to Sydney, quit Sydney and went to Singapore, quit Singapore and went to Hong Kong, quit Hong Kong and went back to Sydney, quit Sydney and came back to Singapore, then quit Singapore to go to Shanghai, and I quit Shanghai to come back.

I'll keep quitting.

I take the bus and the MRT everywhere. Sometimes the taxi. But I'll try to avoid peak-hour and midnight charges.

I don't believe in ERP.

I think there are too many inconsiderate drivers on the road.

They are the same people who don't keep to their lanes when walking at East Coast Park.

I am almost 30. I have never been to the ROM.

I would go for a 80-cent kopi-c from Leong Huat Eating House instead of a $6 Hazelnut skimmed latte from Starbucks any day.

My favourite dish in the entire world is bak chor mee, with lots of chilli. Don't care got bak kwa or not, I also eat.

I also like vegetarian beehoon, with lots of chilli.

Now that we're in the Seventh Lunar Month, I walk around telling invisible things to "siam".

But I don't like the getai.

I like the karaoke.

But karaokes can be expensive, with all the peanuts I don't eat and the wet tissue I don't use.

Everything is expensive. I think I make decent money for doing what I do but, like, everything still so expensive.

I think nurses and policemen should be paid more.

Soldiers also.

I believe in NS and if girls had to do NS, I would want to do combat.

But I don't believe in war. So if Singapore got war, I don't know if I'd stay and fight.

But I'd defend Singapore. In my own way.

My name is Jean Chua.

And I am Singaporean.