By Corrie Tan

THE National Day festivities this year will definitely go beyond the shores of this island, as Singaporeans worldwide gather to mark Aug 9 in ways both grand and cozy.

The Singapore United Kingdom Association plans to throw either a lunch or a dinner for its members, but the treat will be more than just for the stomach come Aug 9.

They will watch excerpts of the musical Raffles Of Singapore, which traces the life of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore.

The work, which premiered in Singapore in 1979, will be staged in Britain in November next year. The excerpts, to be presented by British writers Ian Senior, 71, and Richard Cleghorn-Brown, 69, will thus give members a preview.

Senior, who co-wrote the musical, said: 'It will make Raffles much better known in the United Kingdom, where at present, most people associate the name with the hotel and nothing more.'

Organisers expect about 150 people to attend this event.

In the Middle East, the Singaporean society in Qatar, RedDotters@Qatar, will organise this year's National Day celebrations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Last year, about 300 Singaporeans showed up for Aug 9 festivities in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

Ms Philomena Gan, 48, the president of RedDotters@Qatar, has been living in the city for four years. 'Celebrating National Day away from Singapore always fills me with both patriotic and longing emotions,' she said.

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the organising committee expects about 400 guests to show up at its National Day celebration in Abu Dhabi.

Those who will attend this year's celebration will receive a yearbook giving a photographic and narrative portrayal of Singaporeans in the UAE in the past year.

In the United States, National Day baby Hong Wenxian, 21, will mark the nation's and his own birthday in Boston, where he is taking summer courses at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He plans to gather with close friends and watch the parade on the Internet.

He said: 'Being in a foreign land on this special occasion makes me miss my family and friends back home doubly - plus, it just wouldn't feel like National Day without the fireworks at Marina Bay, the sea of red shirts when I take the MRT and the theme songs playing on television!'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.