How Will You Celebrate Singapore's 50th?

Hi Huneybees,

"Yum Seng!!!" That's how we say "Cheers" here in Singapore. Alongside with another 49 icons of Singapore, the Singapore50 (SG50) celebrations kicked off on Friday 24 January 2014. I know this post has been delayed for awhile, but can I say blame it on Chinese New Year? Tehehehehe....

With Minister of Education, Mr Heng Swee Keat as the Chairman of the SG50 Sterring Committee as well as Acting Minister for Community Culture and Youth, Mr Lawrence Wong as the Chairman of SG50 Programme Office, we were all in celebration for the launch of the official SG50 logo and joined in to the start of the journey towards 2015, to shape Singapore' Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2015.

The SG50 logo that was revealed is the 50th icon of the 2 week long #ICONSOFSG teaser campaign, with "Little Red Dots" appearing all over Singapore, with a unique depiction of a slice of life in Singapore, like the lingo that we speak "LAH", ERP, Durians, Kopi Bag, etc...

The SG50 logo is inspired by the concept of a little red dot and is designed by local designer Jackson Tan, Creative Director of BLACK. He has won numerous prestigious local and international awards, including Designer of the Year in the President's Design Award in 2007.

Not only is the logo a play of the Singapore's "nickname" and its size on the map, it also symbolises Singapore's ability to constantly punch above our weight and our tenacity in overcoming our limitations in size and natural resources.

The logo's kept clean and simple, which also makes it customisable, so that Singaporeans can personalise the logo and make it their own. So here's my very own Huney'Z World SG50 logo made in Singapore!

So, Singapore, the beautiful garden city is celebrating its 50th anniversary of its independence in 2015 and what surprises do you have installed for her? How do you intend to celebrate her 50th? 

I had plans to go around Singapore asking for people to do the Kallang Wave video, what do you think? If you have ideas of your own, why not contribute them directly at the SG50 website www.Singapore50.sg, or in collection boxes located island-wide at community centres, public libraries and museums? The Call for Celebration Ideas period will be ongoing till 23 March 2014, so get cracking!

SG50 Celebration Fund

A SG50 Celebration Fund has also been set up to spur widespread participation in the celebrations and support ground-up ideas for SG50.

Applications will be open to groups of individuals, non-profit organisations, societies and companies registered in Singapore. Successful applications can receive funding of up to 450,000 per project. Projects will be assessed by the SG50 Celebration Fun Evaluation Panel, comprising community and industry experts from the people and private sectors.

For more information on SG50 logo, call for ideas and SG50 Celebration Fund, please visit www.Singapore50.sg.

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SHINE Youth Festival Bash 2013

Hi Huneybees,

Last weekend, the SHINE Youth Festival 2013 came to an end with the SHINE Youth Festival Bash 2013 held at Universal Studios Singapore. It kickstarted with a fireworks show at Lake Hollywood, right in the centre of USS and then, we were led to New York Street for a string of performances.

Hosted by Divian from 987FM, we were treated to performances by The Rockafellas (B-Boy performance) as well as Show Choir from Regent Secondary School.

We also had Guest-of-Honour -Mr Lawrence Wong, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Chairman of National Youth Council giving out awards to the Stars of SHINE for their passion, dedication and perseverance of these young role models who made a difference to others' lives.

Issac Ong YiJie - Since 2006, he has been embarking on annual trips to 3rd World countries to lend aid and in 2011, he started Colours Global, a social enterprise that initiates volunteer movements. His greatest wish for Singaporeans is to be more involved in community work and improve the lives of the less fortunate. He intends to couple his personal interest in media and community work to create what he terms as "media that matters" to reach the masses.

Mark Cheng Jin Quan - While people were out chasing the greenback, Mark chose to bring the world's green back. He co-founded Avelife in 2009, a Non-Profit Organisation working to improve environmental education in Singapore. He is also the Chairman for Project Stomp - a free tuition programme for socially disadvantaged children; the Vice-Chairman for Queenstown Youth Executive Commitment; is part of the NEA Hawker Consultation Panel; and also the co-founder of togather.asia - a crowd funding platform for creative projects. He also wrote "It;s I'MPOSSIBLE" - the bestselling youth motivation, humanitarian and community work book which had then-President SR Nathan penned the foreword.

Muhammad Bukharie Bin Abdul Malik - At 4PM (Malay Youth Literary Association), Bukharie organises activities that inculcate positive personal values fpr Remaja Resilien, a developmental programme for youths. This is where Bukhair mentors and interacts with other youths. He also provides logistics support for Ramadan on Wheels, an annual food disbursement initiative for the elderly and low-income families. He wishes to improve not only his own life for the better, but others' too.

Sim Kang Wei - To show the world how the disabled can be easily be abled, Kang Wei who was born with cerebal palsy takes part in many handcycling charity races to give hope to other less fortunate people and encourage them to dream. He has proved that anyone can go the distance, no matter what. He is currently pursuing a Degree in Counselling and sees this as another step in his journey towards giving back to society once again that the disabled can easily be abled.

Chan Chiang Joo, Nicholas - Hard work was never a stranger to Nicholas who started working at his aunt's corporate gifts silkscreen shop since he was 12. He overcame the odds despite battling with autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as he was offered a chance at investing and business development under the ropes of his dad's friend - CEO of Sim Lim Group. Today, he is a serial entrepreneur-turned-venture capitalist, focusing on assisting young, passionate start-ups in Asia. He is eager to continue empowering more young people and businesses by paying it forward and serving as a mentor himself.

After which, we all had the" wrist-lighting" moment to mark the launch of the NEW SHINE Logo. It aligns with the NYC's commitment to "hear youth and be here for youth". It also aptly highlights the Festival's ground-up nature and emphasizes the dynamism of today's youth.

To wrap things up, we had a fun STIX performance moment. Everyone was involved and we didn't even know that the different coloured tubes actually made different sounds! Click on the video below to check it out!

After that, we had 2 free rides at the "Lights, Cameras and Action" with Steven Spielberg and TRANSFORMERS The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle. FUN!!!!

SHINE 2013 will carry on into August, expanding on the plans of various partners to continue engaging youths on a regular basis, beyond just the Festival period. 

For a full list of upcoming events and more details, visit: www.shine.nyc.sg

For more photos from the event, head on over to my album here.

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