13:09.

With the Queen's visit to Canberra, her coming trip to Singapore, the Commonwealth Games and my impending move and the Sg-Msia-Aust quandary of the past, it struck me the past week of the shared multi-cultural societies that all three shared (at large at least) with varying success and overtness of racism.

An article asks :"What Does It Mean To Be Australian?"

For years, we grappled with: "What Does Being Singaporean Mean?"

And Malaysians are free to protest being in the same category but I've always been fascinated at race relations and the politics of race and money in our neighbouring country up north, a country I am looking to move to for this season.

What does it mean to be Malaysian?

Or yes, for that matter, Singaporean or Aussie? Surely every nation asks that question some time in their history and define it with patriotic pride by their fish n chips, beer or war history, liberty movement, abundant nature bounty, belief in way of life and so on... but why does these three countries' answers seem harder to articulate, or at least, to this girl from Sg.

National identity, unique cultural nucleus, nations born from a people united by one thing - That they chose to leave their countries to come to this land and make it their own.

It's something I love.

Pastor J was saying in church one weekend, inspired by the death of our first foreign minister who also wrote the national pledge (which pledged us, the citizens of Singapore "to be one united people regardless of race, language or religion to build a democratic society based on justice and equality so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation") that the late minister saw the required vision and conviction to have if we were to make it - 'cause we all made a choice to be Singaporean.

In every search for a dream, there are sacrifices; departures as investment for the future.

I'm a third-generation Singaporean on my maternal side and second-generation Singaporean on my paternal side (Grandpa came from China when he was young). I'm from a nation that chose to be and fought to become.

When I received Christ, I became a first-generation Christian. Now that Mom is a Christian too (Whee!), maybe I'm a first and half gen?

But like my pride at my nation's birth and ahem, I have to say it, fast progress from third to first world in just 30 years, I'm aware and proud of my heritage in Christ.

When I first received Christ, I may not have received with full understanding the dream I have been given. But now that I'm an adult, I am coming to understanding more and more. And as a grown citizen in God's kingdom, I want to and am willing to always try to pay the price, whatever sacrifice required for the kingdom come.

When you ask me what it means to be Singaporean, I may not give the best answer. It means belief in meritocracy, it means a rat race for prosperity, it means continual advancement and upgrading in everything because we are getting the newest everything so fast, it means a country where I can have friends of all races without any racism at work (SPG stuff excluded), it means I can walk home at 3am in the morning and still feel relatively safe, it means I can sleep on public transport and feel safe, it means I can depend on the public transport, it means we have a great school system 'cause I see how well turned out academically we generally are but the same system makes me wonder if I want my kids subjected to its rigorous nature, it means we are a nation with different facets - little india, myanmar, thailand, old singapore in katong, new singapore in town and so on. There are heaps heaps more that makes Singapore *grins* uniquely Singapore.

While my identity is build on Christ, I believe that doesn't mean a total disown of my heritage. Much can be learnt from history and heritage.

It seems like I'm attracted to nations like Singapore - Full of cultural mish-mash and seeking still to understand itself (Globalisation will soon make the mish mash part go everywhere though, if it hasn't done so already).

Free will rocks. You decide on a commitment and you keep to it, you decide on the battle for you and you fight for it, you decide who you are and whose you are and you live for more than me or you.

What are you and I bound by? Does the same blood of the Lamb flow through us? What is the heritage you choose to have in this one life?

In every search for a dream, there are sacrifices; departures as investment for the future.

Our founding fathers of this nation fought to make their dream of a world class Singapore happen, though we are really just one little red dot on the world map.

Jesus Christ fought to die for us. God the Father chose to give His very very best, His only Son for you and me. For the dream of having us lost children know abundant life and find our way home to Him.

What's your dream? What's the cost you are willing to pay?

I'm a Singaporean Christian with a proud heritage of my nationality and Christianity. I dream of a today when my dad and bro are Christians in the same army for the kingdom. I dream of a life so full to the brim sacrifices can hurt but fail to have power to cripple. I dream of days of impact to change lives, countries and world for God. I dream to see miracles and the face of God. I dream of a world where people can laugh without barbs, where my family can laugh till they cry in pure joy of the simple goodness life still offers today.

And I will do whatever it takes for the will of God.

What does it mean to be you?

And tell me, what's your dream?