HANDY NEW CONVERTIBLE FUNPACK FOR NDP-GOERS

Come 9 Aug, don't be surprised if you see a sea of rainbow hues and hear people playing the flute along with the tunes of Singapore's most popular National Day songs.

This year's National Day Parade (NDP) promises to get even louder and livelier as spectators pump up the volume with their new noisemakers and light up the gallery stands with colourful light sticks.

These are part of a wide variety of interactive items found in this year's funpack that Singaporeans can use to join in on the fun and action during the parade. They include a clap banner (a two-sided banner that can make clapping noises when struck against the palms), a three-toned flute inspired by the Angklung (a traditional Malay instrument), and 75cm-long light sticks, which resemble the light sabres seen in the Star Wars movies.

The funpack itself is a modern sail-shaped bag that features a motif of the classic Lion Head icon. A tagline at the bottom - "Since 1965" - encapsulates the journey Singaporeans have gone through ever since the nation's independence.

Chairman of the parade's logistics and finance committee Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Chang Pin Chuan explained the concept behind this year's funpack: "The design was kept simple with the Lion Head symbol as a representation of our Singapore story. At the same time, because the bag has a subtle design, we hope that it encourages the use of the funpack and its items even after NDP 2013."

Created by ten students from the School of Design in Nanyang Polytechnic, the funpack can be used as a backpack or a sling bag, depending on the user's needs.

Mr Mohammad Zoehairy bin Kosnani, who led the design team, said: "We want the bag to be versatile and trendy, and easy to carry at the same time. We hope that it can be used by Singaporeans of all ages."

He added: "Because we had this aim in mind, we faced some challenges when coming up with the design... For example, (we had to think about) how to make it both a backpack and a sling bag, how to make it user-friendly for all Singaporeans and how to make it convenient for the kids as well."

A souvenir book titled Our Storybook will also be included in the funpack. Reflecting this year's NDP theme Many stories... One Singapore, it contains personal accounts as well as stories of shard community experiences and events that have had an impact on Singaporeans.

LTC Chang said: "We want to reach out to Singaporeans to encourage them to share with us their stories at the individual level, community level or national level. This defines who we are as Singaporeans and reminds us that despite our different backgrounds, we are one Singapore."

The funpack will also contain traditional favourites such as sticker tattoos and the miniature Singapore flag, various snacks and beverages, as well as welfare items like the cap, poncho and fan.

The packing of this year's funpacks is done by 30th Battalion, Singapore Combat Engineers as well as student volunteers from the Northlight School.

For more information on the funpack, visit the official website at www.ndp.org.sg.