Merdeka...Merdeka...

Open the dailies and you'll see this word appearing far too many times for all the wrong reasons. Strictly speaking, it's the day where our country gained independence and we should be proud /thankful with all the independence and well-beings that the country has provided us with.

But in this era, I think businessmen have turned this special day into a buying day, like our Mega Sales! Open newspapers or turn on radios and you hear/see "MERDEKA SALES, MERDEKA CLEARANCE SALES, MERDEKA PROMOTIONS" and the list goes on.
Then again, what actually is Merdeka for those of us whom are born after Malaya obtained independence? Shyly, I admit, that it's just merely another public holiday which I very much look forward to!

When we were kids, the school line up activities so that everyone is geared towards celebrating this country's special day! We'll come up with poems, plays, choral speaking, choirs, all to be performed to the name of the country's independence. I still remember our Merdeka play that won us something when we were in the upper secondary where fie wore her attention-grabbing Bapa Merdeka's black-framed specs and songkok! We'll have self-made flags hanging everywhere and the tune of Sudirman's "Tangga 31" will be hummed everywhere! Then, we, the active St. John members will practise and brush up our marching skills to march before some important people in the Kajang Stadium. Hot, sweaty, damn torturous, but we enjoyed it. How to explain the contradiction? Well, those were the days...

As for now? Come the word "Merdeka Day", and all I can think of is a break from work! How patriotic :P

Happy Merdeka all! :)