I made a little pilgrimage to the Pledge installation at The Event Plaza, Marina Bay Sands (the other four are at Raffles Place Park, Marina Bay Mist Walk, School of the Arts and the Esplanade).
Perhaps it is because I like to see the words I have been reciting since my school days as giant letters. Perhaps I felt they were more concrete somehow, in this way.
I am not sure I agree with making certain words bold though. Sure, "Regardless", "United" and "Build" and "Nation" are important words, but so are "We" and "Happiness" and "Democratic", at least to me.
The Pledge display attracted a fair bit of attention. Many took photos with it. Some used it to lean on while making phone calls. Kids climbed and played on it. It was a handy, hardworking Pledge.
There is a "Like Me" button at the installation, which I dutifully pressed. I mean, it wouldn't be patriotic not to "Like" the National Pledge, right? I pressed it a few more times just to be sure the machine knew I liked the Pledge a lot.
Nearby, people were gathering to watch the Light and Water Show. I took a few photos of that too, since I was there. The skeptical part of me felt it a little cheesy. The emo part of me felt, wow, Singapore is really pretty at night.
One of the things that struck me was how much I missed seeing the rest of the Pledge. This was just one line. To see the rest, I had to go to the other sites. Yet, the Pledge is not just one line or a collection of lines. The idea behind the National Pledge is bigger than the sum of all its parts. I filled in the gaps in my mind, reciting the whole thing under my breath. Years of saying it in school does that to you.
Do go down to take a look at the installations. Take photos, tag them #PledgeSG, tweet them, and even join the contest to win $200 or an NDP Goodie Bag. More details can be found at Pledge.sg.
