The walk to the train station was so deserted this morning, I felt like I was one of what must be only ten percent of the country's population that hasn't left town for the extended National Day weekend.

This, by the way, doesn't mean that National Day is always a long weekend for us, like Memorial Day or Labor Day is for the Americans. Our crazy Asian work ethic means that while we get the day off to celebrate the Nation's independence day, perish the thought that we'd be able to get away with an annual long weekend as well. No, no --- we work over in this part of the world, lest our economic growth fall into the unfavourables and then we'd have to start restructuring the economy and retrenching workers. Oh wait, we're already doing that.

It occurs to me that I am a total Grinch about National Day. Perhaps I went to too many National Day Parades as a child (back when they were actual parades and not confined to the National Stadium) ...