The Istana (which translates to "Palace" in the Malay language) is the official residence of the President in the Republic of Singapore. Happening only on 5 times every year, it opens its doors to visitors in celebration of special occasions, namely: • The 2nd day of the Lunar New Year holidays, • Labour Day, • The Festival of Eid, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, • In celebration of the Independence of Singapore, • The Hindu Festival of Lights. The activity highlights vary upon the celebratory season, ranging from Calligraphy during the Lunar New Year, the weaving of Ketupats during the Eid, to the showcase of ethnic dances for the Festival of Lights. All in all, the myriad of programme highlights serves to encourage the understanding of various ethnicities that make up the Singaporean society, and to foster closer ties in lieu of the celebratory atmosphere. Fund-raising is also a centralised idea mooted in events, with proceeds going directly to the President’s Challenge, an initiative started by the late Mr SR Nathan, which provide funding to selected beneficiaries each year. Booths are set up in sales of merchandises and seasonal souvenirs, and guided tours are available for visitors to immerse themselves in the rich history and natural heritage of the Istana grounds. Members of the Singapore Scout Association are on site as well, to provide auxiliary services and enhance the visitor experience. Volunteers spend their holidays in service to others in augmenting processes such as crowd management, despite the often gruelling and ever-changing weather conditions of Singapore. Rain or shine, Scouts, Ventures, Rovers and Leaders alike strive to provide a high quality of service so that visitors can enjoy the amenities fuss-free. Through the numerous deployments to different functional areas, I have learned much in having the patience in explaining information regarding the event to visitors, be it local or overseas. Sometimes, language may just be a small barrier to overcome in the interaction with overseas visitors, but a little bit of patience and a whole lot of passion goes a long way in making someone else’s day a better one. Records of Service Hours (5 hours per day, 0800h to 1300h): 2 August 2015 10 November 2015 9 February 2016 1 May 2016 6 July 2016