December 04, 2006
Event reportage: Explore Singapore!
Client: Yesterday.sg (National Heritage Board)
- Getting into the rhythm (November 5, 2006)
When I first saw a dikir barat performance in school, I remember thinking, "Wow, this is what Malay traditional music's like? Cool!" Dikir barat's one of those things that everyone enjoys, whether you're young or old, Malay or not, musical or not. How can anyone resist its infectious rhythms and dramatic gestures? Read more
- Seeing the National Stadium inside out (November 8, 2006)
I'll come right out and say it: I have a soft spot for the National Stadium. I used to attend National Day Parades there as a child (though I wouldn't be caught dead near one today) and also sat through a number of soccer matches that I didn't understand (although I came away with a gradually more sophisticated use of the term "referee kayu!"). Read more
- More than just the facts, ma'am (November 9, 2006)
I must confess: until this week, I didn't really know that there was a Changi Museum in Singapore. I had some dim recollection of there being a war memorial-type place associated with Changi Prison, I'd heard mention of a chapel or somesuch, but that was about it. Read more
- On the paper trail (November 11, 2006)
The National Library launched its Heritage Roadshow this morning, to look for printed materials of historical significance that people might have lying around in their cupboards and boxes. But first, a little pencak silat entertainment. Read more
- A botanist I am not (November 14, 2006)
Nothing like going on a walking trail through Fort Canning Park's Spice Gardens on Sunday morning to make me realise how bad I am at recognising local plants and foliage. Read more
- The Japanese Occupation: the Old Ford Factory version (November 19, 2006)
Like all Singapore kids who went through school from the 1980s onwards, I've had more than my fair share of being forcefed the history of Singapore's trials and tribulations during the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945, for anyone who doesn't have those dates burned into their brain). Read more
- World War 2 in the city (November 22, 2006)
There are lots of stories one could tell about our Civic District, but perhaps the least pleasant and potentially most gruesome of them all are those related to World War 2 and the Japanese Occupation. On the Singapore Philatelic Museum's World War 2 walking trail on Sunday, we got a hint of some of these tales but not all the details because our guide, Jimmy Yeo, didn't exactly want the curious kids to go home and have any nightmares. Read more
- Let the art do the talking (November 27, 2006)
The Singapore Biennale may have just ended, but there's no dearth of art to be found on the weekend, if you just know where to look --- the Malay Heritage Centre, for instance, which on Saturday housed a one-day exhibition of student artwork, "Back To My Roots". Check out what kids can do these days. Read more
- Chinese culture, all jazzed up (November , 2006)
I went to a Chinese primary school, but learning about Chinese culture was never very fun: mostly loads of memorising dry, meaningless facts and phrases that seemed completely removed from day-to-day life. At the Chinese Heritage Centre's Sunday Playday this past weekend, though, there was a whole different range of possible cultural explorations at hand. Read more
- The biggest party this side of Jurong East (December 4, 2006)
"Singapore Science Centre" and "indie bands" --- two phrases that I never thought would appear in the same sentence, least of all be associated with each other. But that's exactly what took centrestage at the Science Centre's Eco-Garden on Saturday night, as local bands and DJs rocked their socks off (and then some) from 7 pm onwards. Read more
Written by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow