National Day is coming. We're not going to tell you to be proud to be Singaporean. Because nobody can force that on you.

What we do have are 15 very personal moments that will make you realise you're Singaporean. Proud or not.

1. Arriving back in Singapore at the airport

Not only do you get to skip the long lines of travellers waiting to clear immigration, you can't help but feel a sense of comfort at the automated clearance gantry when the LCD screen lights up with "Welcome home [your name]".

2. Paying a cheaper price for Gardens By The Bay

This is how all tourist attractions should be. Venues where Singaporeans pay less than tourists will surely be welcomed by inhabitants of this sunny island. Come on Universal Studios and the Zoo, we know you're reading this.

3. Free entry for Singaporeans into Museums

It sure feels good when you know tourists have to pay to enter our museums while we get to enjoy it for free. Time to get cultured, people!

4. When you jump in excitement when you hear 'Singapore' being mentioned in movies

Because Hollywood considers China, Japan, parts of the EU and Africa as the only places, other than the United States, worth mentioning in movies, it feels pretty damn awesome that our country gets a mention.  Talk about our low expectations.

Look out for the movie Agent 47 starring Star Trek's Zachary Quinto - they were in Singapore earlier this year to film scenes at Robinson Road and Gardens by the Bay.

5. When these people won glory for us at sports

Nothing screams 'Singapore rocks' quite like sportsmen and sportswomen you love and identify with winning glory for your nation.

6. When you can understand all manners of English accents, but other people cannot understand your Singlish

Our politicians are always worried that Singaporeans may not be able to communicate properly with the rest of the world.

Perhaps we understand it better - not everyone's a native speaker of the language. We just have to speak more slowly and we can all be friends.

Singlish is a part of us and it's high-time we celebrate something very unique, while still making sure we teach proper English at schools.

7. Seeing a sea of tissue packets on empty tables at the hawker centre

Perhaps four to five years ago, many Singaporeans were lamenting that this practice was very ungracious. Perhaps these people had already ordered their food and were confronted with a sea of 'choped' seats and were upset that they couldn't utilise the empty seats.

I think this practice of reserving seats with packets of tissue has sunk in and has become a cultural norm today.

It also shows that Singaporeans have settled upon their very own honour system, something which grew organically, when it comes to reserving seats - umbrellas, name cards and packets of tissue are acceptable 'seat-choper's; empty drink bottles or other innocuous items are not.

8. Being able to find a rubbish bin within 100 metres of wherever you are standing

Ok, you will probably not feel proud to be Singaporean when you're actually throwing stuff away in Singapore, but you may feel differently when you're overseas.

You'll come to realise that rubbish bins are not as abundant as you would like around the world. +1 for convenience.

9. When you understand what people mean by '9pm show'

It doesn't get any more Singaporean than this. It has become part of our culture and daily ritual to make sure we catch the 9pm local dramas on Channel 8. Please bring back the golden age of dramas like the Unbeatables and Wok of Life.

And none of those dubbed Hong Kong/Taiwan shows, please.

10. Automatically think of our flag when you see someone dressed in a combination of red and white

While others will think 'Santa Claus' or 'Where's Wally', you will probably think more along the lines of our national flag.

11. Ordering food/drinks using a combination of languages and dialects

Where else can you order Tak Giu Kosong takeaway and get exactly what you want?

12. Boiling tap water or buying bottled water overseas

I think Singaporeans become acutely aware of how Singapore's tap water is safe to drink whenever they travel overseas. Even if some countries have safe-to-drink tap water, Singaporeans just won't take chances.

13. Seeing the Singapore skyline during the F1 night race

Whether we think F1 is a major hindrance or waste of resources, one cannot help but feel a sense of pride when they see the beautiful night scenery of the Marina Bay Area. Millions of F1 fans around the world appreciate our cosmopolitan beauty, so maybe just for that three nights a year, we should too.

14. Watching the NDP live

Watching the ranks of military personnel marching past, reciting the pledge, singing the anthem, waving the flag, how can you not feel Singaporean while you're at the parade? Maybe those at home will be sour that they didn't score a ticket, but there will always be a chance as long as you try.

15. Going to a new hawker centre and choosing what to order based on queue length

Hawker stalls can hang as many newspaper reports and certifications claiming they sell great food, but the Singaporean in you knows that the only way to gauge how awesome the food is, is to see the number of people queuing at the stall during their lunch break.

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