18 May 2007

International Museum Day 2007


National Heritage Board (NHB) is launching International Museum Day 2007 (IMD'07) today, 18 May 2007. IMD'07 promises more than 80 activities and events spread over 24 museums over 10 days. Unlike other commercial events, most of the activities are FREE or at very low cost. The idea is to make heritage and culture more accessible to everybody, especially the heartlanders and the masses.

There will be lots of fun things to see and do at IMD'07. You can hop on free museum bus tours, wiggle to exotic middle eastern dances, form a group to participate in the Heritage C-Race, dine with your favourite toys plus of course the ever popular MIA Night Tour. Those who are into art collecting and trading can find out all about the art markets in Singapore and Southeast Asia. There is something for foodies too, with the Eastern Surprise Food Trail which combines culture with cuisine!

More details are in the official IMD'07 website here.

So if you are in Singapore or happen to be just passing by, do lend them your support.

10 comments:

KopiSoh said...

You gonna bring your kids?

Victor said...

Firehorse - Hmm... you are calling my bluff. I happen to be on leave next Friday because there's a parent-teacher meeting at my younger son's school in the morning. My wife also wanted to go to the World Book Fair at Suntec City in the afternoon. If there is any time leftover, I promise that I will bring them to the Singapore Philatelic Museum.

So will you be bring FB over? :P

Anonymous said...

Let me calculate:
Cost of Museum pass: $25/each
Activities : Free or low cost
Museum bus: free
Food: At least $80
Air fare for FB and I: $1,800
Errrrr....most likely NOT :P

Anonymous said...

MM Lee, who is in Rome commented in the ST today that the Italians have taken centuries to develop what is their cultural heritage today, and that Singapore has a long way to go to reach the level of the Italians. I dunno. the NHB must first try to attract, not juz the tourists, but the locals as well. I'm juz wondering what is being taught in schools about our heritage. Do the schools organise excursions for the kis to the museum these days, like they did when I was in schools many moons ago? The educators should try to catch the imagination of the kids, and I think they would grew up appreciating arts and history... For now, it seems to me like a lot of dollars and cents, but unfortunately, no SENSE. Heh.

Nice blog :))

Victor said...

Firehorse - Although heritage cannot be measured in terms of dollars and cents, I do agree that spending so much is just not worth it.

Redmond - Thanks for visiting my blog. My sons do go on school excursions once a while. The elder one had been to S'pore Philatelic Museum and the younger one recently visited the Chinatown Heritage Museum (in Temple Street) recently.

Anonymous said...

Just visited the National Museum on Sat. with my family. But the charge of $10 per adult turn us off. It's too expensive for us - a family of 4. Moreover, I personally not impressed with those guarding the entrances wearing coat and tie... too high class and modern for a museum. To justify for the $10 charge? Haha, maybe...

Guess I may just visit the stamp and toy museum instead.

Victor said...

LKK - Well, even at $10, a visit to the National Museum is still very much cheaper than attending this nostalgic play.

Anonymous said...

Aiyah guys if you want sponsorship or donation, let us try ther NKF way. Put up a sobbing storyline and sponsors will come.

Anonymous said...

When Singapore was in the midst of industrialization, we were brought to the Jurong Shipyard in 1963 to see the developments. Of course who would not want to go (bus ride got so many things to see). It was all Goh Keng Swee's idea to impress our citizens that Singapore is "somebody". Back then such propaganda already in place. Comin back to the story, we kids were so happy (got 1 free Green Spot orange drink and 1 piece of cake) but the best part was to actually see ship-repairing in action and cross the bridge to the reclaimed island of Pulau Samulun.

At thei end of the tour, we had to write a composition on "What I like to Be When I Grow Big?" Our choice - fireman, policeman. See we kids then had no big ideas about careers like wanting to serve the country through a scholarship.

Victor said...

Peter said: "...we kids were so happy (got 1 free Green Spot orange drink and 1 piece of cake)...

We were so naive and innocent then that it took very little to make us very happy. I remember that for Children's Day on 1 October every year in the 1960s, our primary school would distribute to each pupil a biscuit pack. Inside it, you could find assorted biscuits together with 2 sweets. The biscuits came in all sorts of shapes and colours. Most of them were the "sandwich-type" - 2 biscuits were "glued" together by a layer of sugar paste which was usually white, yellow or pink in colour. I would pry open two biscuits and lick up the sugar paste first and then devour the biscuits with relish.

The value of the biscuit pack in those days was probably less than 20 cents. Even in today's value, it is still probably less than a dollar each.