シンガポール建国記念日

8月9日はシンガポール建国記念日。恒例の式典「ナショナルデー・パレード」が、国立競技場で盛大に行なわれました。普段、建国記念日の催しにはあまり関心がない筆者ですが、今年は外国から訪れていた友人と一緒にテレビ放映を楽しみ、シンガポール人としての自分を再認識するいいチャンスとなったようです。

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red dot	commute
sardine-packed MRT train	vegetating
was puzzled	lackluster
ensued〜	city-state
let〜in on〜	trivia
was hooked	appeal
account	peninsula
Malay	televised
it was with much aplomb-and-pomp that〜celebrate〜	national anthem
Onward	State President S.R. Nathan
those gathered at〜	Super Skyhawks and Fighting Falcons
took to the skies	salute〜
audience	three rounds of the Fire of Joy was executed
colors party	marched
Glimmering	accompanied by〜
props	fundamental
values	crooned
suspended in the air	helium balloons
culminated	perennial
fireworks display	were synchronized to〜
was impressed	（was）awe-struck
（was）elated	feast
pageantry	glittery
rousing	was chided
queuing	admission tickets
pledges	have streamed in
drive	were achieved
was preserved for posterity	Archives
In retrospect	it was more a boon than a bane when〜
races	was booted out
Federation	（had）unceremoniously thrust upon her
embark on〜	beset with〜
riots	envied
astonishing	cohesiveness
on the dot, in more senses than one	pulsates to the ebbs and flows of a cosmopolitan
tender	soil
nonetheless