How Well Do You Know Singapore?

Written by: Nur Mirrah Amit, Year 2, Diploma in Mass Media Management

Quick, answer these if you can: What was the initial name of Singapore’s very own Bras Basah Complex? Which two school institutes merged back in the 80s to form Millenia Institute?

Can’t answer them? Neither could I, until I stepped into MediaCorp Studios for the first time to be a part of the audience in the new upcoming season of ‘We Are Singaporeans’ few weeks back.

The show’s host, if you didn’t know, is comedian Hossan Leong, returning for the second season. The set was beautifully decorated with numerous local goods and painted in various bright colours to lift everyone’s spirits. ‘In awe’ was not good enough of a phrase to describe how I felt at that very moment. It was as though I stepped into a whole new and different world.

I need to confess, for someone who barely watches local programmes and has no interest in them, this show managed to capture my full attention throughout the entire three-hour filming. The audiences cheered loudly and the invited celebrities spiced up the show by throwing stuffed toys all around. Audience interaction was highly encouraged too. Being the eager beaver that I am, I took every opportunity to scream and shout very seriously. When the time came for me to keep mum, I practically squirmed in my seat. It was utter misery, not being able to shout out a possibly correct answer to the contestants, and I’m not exaggerating.

In the end, the contestants went home with money in their pockets and I, on the other hand, went home with newly gained knowledge on all things Singaporean. Some of the lucky audience even managed to bring home a limited edition of ‘We Are Singaporeans’ board game that I, unfortunately, couldn’t get my hands on. Nonetheless, it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I, for sure, would never trade this for anything.

Take my word for it and catch the brand new season of ‘We Are Singaporeans’ starting 30^th May 2012 at 8.30pm only on Channel 5.

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Mirrah is a Year 2 Mass Media Management student who, as her mother had reiterated, “reads all the time!” She consumes as many as three books a day in her spare time, and enjoys classics and romance novels by authors such as Mari Mancusi, CS Lewis, and Sophie Kinsella. She aspires to write for political science magazines like Time and Newsweek in the future, and also has an interest in fashion writing.