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Update 25/02/07: The slideshow is up. You can view it by clicking here.

I was in Form 4 when the 1st National Day Parade took place at the Stadium. I remember going with my dad and younger brother.

My dad had a Nikon SLR with a zoom lens then and he let me play with it for a bit and that was the first time I had ever handled one. Since then, I only watched the proceedings every year on the telly in the comfort of my living room.

But as Johnson put it:

It’s not the same. You don’t sweat. You don’t get feel the heat. Smell the body odour and you don’t get thirsty. You don’t have to set your alarm for 530 am. You don’t feel the thumping of the brass band. You don’t have to park 2 km away walk into town cause you woke up late………….. you don’t get to be on TV!

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that today, 23 years later, I would be on location at the Taman, thoroughly immersed in the experience, carrying my own dSLR and absolutely enjoying myself taking photographs of the event, the people, and most importantly, our beloved monarch.

The atmosphere was simply electric! And in the space of that few hours this morning, I truly appreciated the essence of what being a Bruneian was about… sweet!