Update (10 Jul, 9.16pm): The set of 4 cards are now sold out on Lazada, however you can still get individual cards at $12 with $7 prepaid value. More details below.
So NDP is officially less than a month away.
In case you’re already planning your wardrobe for the parade to show how patriotic you are, we bring you glad tidings of a better way to do so.
As part of Singapore’s Bicentennial celebrations, a hearing-impaired local artist named Mr Ng Siang Hoi has lovingly designed 4 stunning watercolour EZ-Link cards to commemorate the occasion.
Here’s a closer look at the meaningful designs — each representing 50 years of Singapore’s heritage.
The first design was inspired by the island of Temasek’s fishing villages back in 1819, when Sir Stamford Raffles first made footfall on our sunny island.
We love the details on the hay roofs of the old-school kampungs and family working together in the foreground.
Flash-forward 50 years later, and we’re now in the era of shophouses where early Chinese immigrants would hawk their wares on the lower floors, while squeezing in a cozy room on the upper floors.
The colourful facade acts as a backdrop to 2 cyclists making their way across the road.
Toa Payoh’s famous Dragon Playground is now an ubiquitous icon for nostalgia in Singapore, thanks to successful efforts to prevent attempts to tear it down.
In Mr Ng’s third design, you get to see the spanking new Dragon Playground in bright red — honestly our favourite of the 4 designs.
When Marina Bay Sands’ 3-towered design was first released, many of us were skeptical about whether a spaceship-looking building would ever fit in with our already beautiful skyline.
Turns out, our architects knew exactly what they were doing. We think Mr Ng’s illustration of the bay’s view is a beautiful representation of how far we have come as a nation after 200 years.
The best part about the release of these cards is that $50,000 in proceeds will go to Very Special Arts (VSA) Singapore — a local charity that supports people with disabilities in their pursuit of the arts.
The designer, Mr Ng Siang Hoi (70), is an exemplary example of someone who has embraced watercolour paintings since he was 14 to preserve our heritage. He has never let his hearing impairment stop him while dedicating most of his life to public service.
In his words,
Art is a means for me to communicate with people my joy and feelings.
You can get your hands on the cards at all TransitLink Ticket Offices in bus interchanges, as well as some SMRT Passenger Centres from 9 Jul.
If you have the EZ-Link app installed, you could even get a 4-in-1 set for free by entering a lucky draw. 54 lucky winners will also have $5 load value in each card — which is about 2 MRT rides.
We love that the designs are hand-painted by a senior Singaporean who has tried to encapsulate our nation’s growth over the years.
Showing how proud you are of Singapore’s transformation from kampung to swanky city-state in just 200 years, hasn’t ever been this meaningful.
We don’t always have to wait for National Day to remember just how far we’ve come.
Featured image from MS News. Photography by Sharleen Ang.
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