National pride

I have to admit, when I first heard Singapore was building its very own Universal Studios, I was pretty darned skeptical. I guess I've just never had a very good impression of this tiny red dot on the map, in comparison to all the other great countries in the world and the beautiful things they have to offer.

So when I made a visit to the almost-completed Universal Studios this week, I was very much pleasantly surprised. The entire Resorts World was simply impressive. I felt like I was in another country or something. From the rows of elegant shops to the majestic hotels to the beautiful infrastructure to the theme park that gave its sister in LA a run for its money. And... I couldn't help but feel a pinch of patriotism.  

That's right - I, the Americanized girl, actually experienced a tremendous wave of national pride swelling up and engulfing my entire being.

Such an unfamiliar emotion. Well, I guess I do feel patriotic from time to time at National Day Parades, but that's about it. So this is probably the first time outside of August 9 that I feel like patting my country on its back and saying, 'good job, good job.'

Maybe Singapore isn't so bad after all. It's safe, clean, there's good food everywhere, shops don't close till 9pm, movies are cheap, and I have a house to stay in for free. Of course, it has its flaws, but this is a positive post about Singapore, so I'll stop here and finish off with photos from the theme park.