Of all the exhibits, the cat mummy makes me feel the saddest, especially after learning that kittens were mummified as well.

Exhibits also include varied pieces of ancient Egyptian jewellery, including ear studs as big as 50-cent coins! Surely that would result in enlarged earlobes, not unlike the modern body modification.

For the dead to be recognised in the afterlife, their bodies were fitted with cartonnage mummy masks. These masks show the idealised features of the deceased, and are often gilded in gold to achieve a godlike form.

The mummy coffins are pieces of art in their own right!

These four canopic jars bear the shapes of the god Horus’ four sons — falcon, human, jackal and baboon. Can you guess what these containers are for? The answer is in the following write-up.

Click to enlarge

The exhibition features many information boards that provide useful explanations and elaborations on the Egyptian rituals and legends. This one elaborates on the details behind the process of mummification.

This is the mummy of Nekhet-iset-aru wrapped in pink linen cloth and strips of bandages. A blue beaded net design was placed on it. It represents the sky and places her under the protection of the sky goddess Nut.

The winged scarab, placed on top of the beaded nut, served to protect the heart.

Source: EPA/BGNES

This is the cartonnage coffin of the mummy of Nekhet-iset-aru, seen here being prepared for the exhibition by art handlers. Special prayers had to be carried out before the mummies were placed.

The exhibition ends April 4, 2010. Be sure to catch it here while you still can!

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(I really like this sculpture of a little girl pulling her Daddy towards the main entrance of the museum. Yes, this is also the place where I found the cute cat sculpture!)

It is a good idea to start touring the museum from the ground floor gallery. Here, you would learn about the origins of the Peranakans as larger-than-life-sized portraits of Peranakans surround you.

So who are the Peranakans? When merchants and travellers came to Southeast Asia centuries ago, many settled down here and started families with the locals. Their descendants are the Peranakans, who developed a new hybrid culture with Chinese, Malay, Indian and European influences.

Once you are better acquainted with the origins of the Peranakans, advance to the second floor. Four galleries occupy this entire level, with a focus on the 12-day traditional Peranakan wedding. This was an elaborate affair that started from the time the bride left her parents’ home to when she moved in with her new in-laws.

In this display of a wedding chamber, the antique ranjan kahwain (wedding bed) is decorated with ornate carvings of fertility symbols, intricate embroidery and colourful tassels.

Here’s one customary tradition that I find particularly interesting. Before the wedding, a young boy from a family with many sons would be asked to roll across the bed three or four times. It was believed that this way, his “male energy” would increase the new bride’s chances of having baby boys.

Such multi-tiered gold pagoda trays are unique pieces used in the gift-exchanging practice between families of the bride and groom, a significant ritual during the wedding.

Photo by Soo Ching

Nonyas (Chinese Peranakan women) are well-known for their skillfulness in embroidery and beadwork. A Nonya bride was often judged on her needlework before she was fully accepted by her new family. This is why from a young age, Nonyas had to devote long hours to perfecting their techniques.

At the museum, a whole section has been dedicated to these intricate crafts. On display are beadwork slippers, beadwork slipcases, beadwork tablecloths, beadwork vases and more!

This colourful beadwork wedding purse features deer and dragon motifs. Not only are the glass beads minuscule (typically imported from Europe), thousands of them have been painstakingly threaded together to create the densely beaded design. It would have taken a Peranakan woman of exceptional skill, not to mention time and effort, to make this purse!

To celebrate the opening of the Peranakan Museum, SingPost (Singapore’s designated provider of domestic and international postal services) has issued the world’s first beaded stamp based on this very purse, featuring caviar beads that are hand-pasted. How exquisite! It makes a really pretty souvenir, don’t you think?

And here’s the famous sarong kebaya! This still remains the attire of choice for Nonyas today. Made from an assortment of batik, embroidery, beadwork, silk, satin and organdy, these long-sleeved blouses are the result of a blend of various cultural influences.

Over the years, the silhouette of the sarong kebaya has changed from being loose-fitting to one that better accentuates the womanly figure. The most famous kebaya is probably the one worn by the SIA flight stewardesses!

As an affluent community, the Peranakans certainly spared no expense in acquiring such ornate gold jewellery! These gold tangkal (amulets) were more than just ornamental; they also served to protect the wearer from evil forces and malicious spirits.

Look closely and you would notice that a few of these are in the shape of the bagua (octagon). The bagua is a significant daoist symbol that represents balance between positive and negative cosmic forces. Word has it that this is also why the Singapore $1 coins bear the same shape. But let’s leave that story for another day, shall we?

Moving on to my most favourite part of the museum — the Religious Gallery. Traditionally Peranakans embraced a mixture of religious beliefs from China, such as Daoism, Buddhism, ancestral and spiritual worship. As they interacted with the British colonial rulers, many converted to Catholicism.

Judging from the carvings on the frame, this large piece of ornate furniture was originally a Daoist altar. When the owners converted to Catholicism, it was reused as a catholic altar with the addition of a central catholic devotional image of the Holy Family.

What you see here is the new testament in the Peranakan language of Baba Malay. Despite its long history — it was published in Singapore in 1913 — what really intrigues me is the next exhibit.

This ornamented mid-size crucifix is undoubtedly one of the museum’s rarest artifacts, if not the rarest. Crafted out of rosewood with mother-of-pearl inlays, it holds a sacred relic of the true cross. Yes, that’s the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Fragments of the cross were distributed after it was found in the early 4th century, one of which is now contained in this crucifix.

Within this same gallery at the end of a dark corridor, you should notice a mirror on which a rather unsettling large red X is taped. You may wish to turn away, for this leads to a gloomy room decked out like a Peranakan funeral wake. There’s even a real coffin decorated with a colourful embroidered cover, complete with background sounds of mourners.

“The coffin is actually not empty, we’ve put some wood inside, because our belief is that a coffin cannot be left empty or it calls for someone,” says Randall Ee, a curator at the museum.

Ahem, that’s a little too creepy for me! Now, how about something a little less gloomy?

These colourful containers are kamchengs (covered containers used for storing food, drinking water and desserts), the most recognised form of Nonyaware. While Chinese utensils tend to be plainly decorated with pale colours, Nonyaware is distinguished by their vivid enameled tints on a brilliantly-coloured background, with auspicious phoenix and peony motifs.

“The Chinese wanted to appreciate the whiteness on their porcelains because it tells you of the quality of the firing, but the Peranakans appreciated the colour and the form — not so much the porcelain — so their porcelain is completely covered with colour,” Ee explained.

Kamchengs of this size were very rare and could only be afforded by the wealthiest Peranakan families. Notice how the lid is topped with a finial in the shape of a qilin (a Chinese mythical animal)? I find this detail very cute!

So far we have seen many treasured antiques of the Peranakans. But there are also modern exhibits such as contemporary paintings. Kenson Kwok, the museum director says, “We don’t want the museum to be seen just as a celebration of the past. It is also a record of the present, and we have tried to look at the taste of the Peranakan and re-interpret it in a contemporary way.”

Adoring the Phoenix is a pair of acrylic paintings done by local artist Desmond Sim in 2007. Set on oval-shaped canvases, the artist has chosen to paint this in the rich, vivid colours favoured by the Peranakans. Once again, there’s the peony and the phoenix, two recurring elements in Peranakan arts.

A temporary exhibition titled “Junk to Jewels” showcases personal items on loan from several Peranakan families. Exhibits include toys, kueh ku (a type of Peranakan cake) moulds, recipe books, beadwork items, wedding shoes from the 1900s and jewellery.

Each exhibit comes complete with its own personal story, allowing us to better relate to the objects and understand the lives of the Peranakans.

The gold jewellery are characterised by their finely-detailed patterns, as seen in this gold brooch.

The beautiful sarong kebaya in a combination of purple and green. On the right is the traditional wedding garment made of heavily embroidered silk worn by the Nonya brides. It is adorned with pairs of phoenixes and peonies.

As a fan of jigsaw puzzles, I find the unusual Zag-Zaw picture puzzle particularly intriguing. The pieces are hand-cut into irregular shapes, much unlike modern puzzles. To top it all, the puzzle do not come with any guide or illustration, making it extremely difficult to assemble. From the little story, it seems that no one in the family has managed to put the pieces together. I wonder if we can still find this anywhere today? I would love to give it a go!

So, are you ready to immerse yourself in the colourful world of the Peranakans? Take a trip to this vibrant museum. There are simply so many beautiful aspects of this vibrant ethnic culture, so many discoveries to make, you will be enchanted in no time.

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For me personally, the highlight of the exhibition was seeing all the various items and toys from my childhood. I know many of you would find these things familiar, especially if you grew up in the 1980s or 1990s. This list should interest you too.

Firstly, my most favourite…

The colourful kuti-kuti! This is one of my favourite childhood toys, not because it is so darn fun to play with (it isn’t really), but the colourful transparent pieces in various animal shapes simply look so adorable!

This is how you play with kuti-kuti. From the Singapore Museum Shops website:

Two players, or two groups of players, would take their turn in flicking with one finger (known in Malay as “kuti”) these colourful little animal-shaped tokens, aiming to land their piece on top of the opponent player’s to win the game.

More childhood games such as the five stones which are made from cloth and sand. My Mom played with these in HER childhood!

Colourful plastic puzzles! I had both of these! The empty slot is there so that you can slide the letters or numbers to rearrange them in the correct order.

This handheld game from casio was a total classic! It’s called Western Bar. Your cowboy character enters the bar to shoot and break the plates and dishes while avoiding any that may drop onto his head. It was a very fun and highly addictive game (with an ending music that I dreaded hearing each time I lost the game).

The red, blue, green and yellow board game above was pretty common when I was a kid, although I never did find out how it was played. A friend tried to explain the rules and objectives to me recently, and made it seem like the most pointless game ever (too pointless to be true)!

Would someone please tell me the name of this game and how it’s meant to be played?

Ahh… Who can forget the simple playing cards like Old Maid, Donkey, Happy Family and Snap? They bring back fond memories indeed.

The colourful chapteh (an Asian shuttlecock game)! The boys in my school used to play with it.

Do you remember brushing your teeth alongside your classmates during recess breaks back in primary school? We used to rinse out of these colourful plastic mugs! Mine was the yellow one, complete with the words “clean teeth never decay” in gold!

By the way, do you notice something interesting about the toothpaste?

Instead of the current Darlie toothpaste that we’re all familiar with, there was a time when it was called Darkie! A friend told me that this name and the logo of the smiling dark-skinned man were deemed racist back then. Hence the name was changed and logo modified to make it more racially sensitive!

This is a more detailed backstory on the Darkie/Darlie saga for those of you who are interested.

Moving on…

I found these condensed milk labels very interesting. They were printed on reused paper; the back of these labels had a whole bunch of other text and pictures on them.

What’s the story behind the condensed milk? Did schools order it for school children in the past? For me there had always been chocolate and strawberry milk packets, or even Milo. But never condensed milk.

Oh! I remember those colourful pencil cases very well. They had all kinds of interesting buttons and different compartments in them. The more there were, the more bragging rights the owner had!

The blue ink erasers would frequently rub holes onto the thin pages of the brown exercise books! Those cheap made-in-china wooden pencils were the norm back then. I think they cost just 10 or 20 cents apiece.

Here’s a timeline on how writing media has evolved over the years, from the graphite pencils in mid 1600 to the iPhone of today!

While we’re at it, here’s another timeline for the evolution of music media.

These are things used during the physical education classes in school.

At the exhibition, there was a large table with crayons and paper. Kids could draw freely with their creative juices!

The drawings would then be pinned up on the Memory Wall, just like a classroom wall!

Before I forget, there is also a barber on hand giving cheap haircuts to men and boys, reminiscent of the street barbers in the past. An adult haircut costs just $3 while a kid’s haircut costs $1! He gives only ten haircuts a day though.

So, are you intrigued yet? Head down to the heritage exhibition at Suntec City Mall then! It runs ’til this Sunday! There are also a whole slew of other activities taking place at various venues across the island.

I cannot wait to check out those other activities! Time is running out though, so do hurry!

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Because the exhibits are so awesome and there are so many of them, I have decided to dedicate two blog posts to them! This post has the theme “household things” so it would have stuff like antiques and old furniture. Part 2 has the different theme of “childhood memories”.

And for now, here’s Part 1: household things!

I really dug this gramophone (some call it “phonograph”). That gorgeous brass horn and the black vinyl records just reek of nostalgia!

Here’s a timeline on how music media has evolved through the years, from a gramophone to an ipod! (I shot this picture of a poster at the exhibition.)

From far, I had thought that this large brown wooden box was a television set. It sure was big enough to be one. Then I noticed it had no screen and it was actually a really, really old radio! I can almost hear the old opera songs blaring out from it with crackling noises!

More old antiques! Clockwise from top left: sewing machine, old grandfather clock and abacus. When I was little I took abacus classes to learn how to do lightning-fast mental calculations like a China whiz kid!

In the photo below, can you tell what these two machines are for? Courtesy of the popular local sitcom Phua Chu Kang, I think most people can identify that the green machine on the right is a shaved ice machine for making ice kacang (a shaved ice dessert native to Singapore and Malaysia).

But what’s the one on the left? Make a guess before scrolling down to find out!

It’s a… Meat grinder! Eek! I have never seen one being used before and I sure wouldn’t want to get my finger caught in there!

This is another grinder, one that is made out of granite. The Malay term for it is “batu giling” and it was used at a time when flour wasn’t available. By pouring rice grain and water into the hole at the top and turning the brown handle round and round, it would churn out a batter used for making kueh (asian cakes and pastries)!

Here’s a more detailed article with diagrams on how this thing works!

Clockwise from top left: coffee cups that are still used at Ya Kun and many kopitiam (coffee shops) today, tiffin carriers (tiffin is an old English word for a light lunch), and an extremely old and overused steamboat. It looked as though whatever food that went in there would come out black.

By the way, doesn’t that light-coloured tiffin carrier look like this particular STAMP postbox?

More tiffin carriers! I grew up at a time when tiffin carriers are no longer being used. But I love the way they look, with those colourful floral designs and different layers for different types of food!

Enamelware and thermos flasks.

Colourful F&N soft drinks in glass bottles. If my memory serves me correctly, I think they can still be commonly seen in Bangkok.

In these old photos of family portraits, one thing I noticed was that the people rarely smiled, ever. Most of them looked rather solemn.

Ah! I love these! Don’t the bottles and the coloured liquids look pretty? Decades ago, people used perfumes and colognes in the form of scented water called “florida water” (is that a brand or something?). This is a 19th century formula that blends floral essential oils in a water-alcohol base.

Cosmetics and powder of the yesteryears.

On the left is an old copy of the Straits Times from the year 1863. Compare that with the newspaper of today! Personally I really like the old-style font of the big “the Straits Times” on the header of the newspaper. Very classic. the New York times still uses it today.

So that’s it for now! Here’s Part 2: childhood memories! I think it would bring back fond memories to many of you. Enjoy reading! Better still, drop by Suntec City Mall and check it out yourself. The exhibition takes place in two different locations within the mall and ends this Sunday.

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Personally, I love museums and art galleries. I visited 4 of them (civil defence heritage gallery, Singapore Philatelic Museum, Singapore art museum, museum of Shanghai toys) during the interNational Museum day last year. Boy, that was one eye-opening experience!

I mean, you would think that Singapore, being such a small country and a relatively young nation, there wouldn’t be anything particularly interesting or new that you haven’t known of. But after visiting the four museums last year, I learned so much! Read more about my enriching experience!

Currently, I am also a friend of yesterday.sg, a local website set up by enthusiasts who blog about Singapore heritage and culture. I have contributed a few posts over there, and I think that the website would be a good read for people that are interested in local museums!

Since I started working, I haven’t had time to visit as many museums or galleries as I’d like. Other than gushing at the adorable kitty paintings in catmasutra, watching the remarkable kurt wenner draw live at the National Museum, and more recently, exploring the little known HDB gallery at my current workplace, I simply stopped visiting museums altogether!

The interNational Museum day would be a good time to start visiting again. Read walter’s post for more on what you can see, hear, taste, feel or do during the next 10 days! I’m going to make it a point to check out a few museums and galleries. If anyone’s keen to join me, drop me a note! I promise to be nice.

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In 1960, HDB was formed to address the critical housing shortage. I’m sure many of you Singaporeans have heard about the infamous bukit ho swee fire that broke out in 1961. (I have heard a certain conspiracy theory about this but I shan’t state it here, for obvious reasons.)

That massive fire rendered 16,000 slum dwellers homeless overnight. Over a period of just 8 months, HDB managed to build sufficient emergency flats to house these people.

Look at these old flats in Tiong Bahru. They are still around today!

Moving on to modern times, this is a model of the eco-precinct, treetops @ punggol. As its name suggests, this is an eco-friendly precinct that will incorporate a range of green technologies and innovations for effective energy, water and waste management. We’re talking solar panels, centralised recyclable refuse chutes and a rainwater collection system.

The skybridge above simulates the view from 50 storeys above the ground, with skyscrapers, moving vehicles, and a sky that changes according to the time of the day. The concept was good, but the CGI was pretty bad.

In the near future, technology would be very much integrated into homes. What you see above is a working model of a living room in an e-home. Visitors get to play around with the electronic devices.

For example, music, movies and pictures can be transferred wirelessly from the study room computer to the television set in the living room. Lights can be turned on and off, and window blinds can be rolled up or down all from one central device.

And that’s not all. Say you go out but you forget to turn off the lights at home. You can simply go online and have remote access to turn off the lights from wherever you are. All you would need is an internet connection!

Pretty cool! I hope this becomes a reality soon!

This is a rather small gallery. For those of you who happen to pass by the HDB hub, you may want to check it out. It would give you a better idea of the history behind public housing in Singapore, and what lies in store.

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1. Hope of a new life

Long before Chijmes was a cool hangout with bars and restaurants, it was a safe haven for unwanted children. The Gate of Hope, located within the premises, was the dropoff point for many abandoned babies. The nuns made it a point not to watch the gate so that those who left the babies would remain anonymous. This gate was also the origin of the Home for Abandoned Babies.

Veron says: very surprising! I wonder if any of the abandoned babies were borne by the nuns themselves. Would make it a point to locate this gate during my next visit to chijmes.

2. A river runs through it

Along Bishan St 14 is a canal that used to be called Say Kai Hor (Dead Chicken River) in Cantonese. Village folk discarded dead animals including chickens, dogs and even pigs into the river.

Now it’s lined with trees and has a jogging and cycling track beside it, linking Bishan Park and Potong Pasir, and the only animals you see are either the odd stray crow or pet dog.

3. Days and nights of being wild

Chinatown was not always a touristy place with great food and cheap souvenirs. In 1887, it was known as Bu Ye Tian (Place of Nightless Days) due to the countless brothels as well as opium and gambling dens.

4. Ford minor

Drop by Upper Bukit Timah Road for a bit of local history. The Old Ford Factory, now converted into a museum, holds many secrets from World War II years, and houses the room where Singapore was surrendered to the Japanese. One highlight of the museum is the garden dedicated to food crops grown during the Japanese Occupation, including locally-grown rice.

5. Pavilion town

Take a break at Bishan, which was named after Kampong San Teng, or Pi Shan Ting, meaning “pavilions on the green”. This name influenced the design of the town and its colourful roofs.

6. Sport the similarities

You could be living like a sports star. Four point blocks in the centre of Toa Payoh were used as the games village to accommodate the participants during the 7th South East Asia Peninsula (SEAP) Games held in September 1973, while the newly-completed library was used to house the Games’ Secretariat.

A two-storey building with shops and a restaurant was converted to dining and social halls. After the games, the four blocks consisting of 384 units of fully-furnished 4-room flats were sold together with the furniture to flat buyers.

7. A good flow of luck

Want some extra luck? Drop by Telok Blangah before heading to the lottery. Crowds of motorists gather at the foot of Telok Blangah Hill Park each weekend to wash their cars with water flowing from a stream with concrete banks there. Many believe washing their cars with the water brings them good fortune – besides, it costs them nothing. One car-owner won the 4D lottery after washing his car there.

Veron says: with all due respect, isn’t this the same place where huang na‘s body was found?

8. Star gazing

Residents in one “VIP block” are probably less prone to being star-struck than the ordinary Singaporean. Visitors to flats in Block 81 Toa Payoh Lorong 4 have included Philippines President Gloria Arroyo, former Indian President K R Narayanan and former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, to name just a few.

The block was chosen along with several others as they were the tallest ones built then. From the open terraces on the 25th storey, the VIPs can view all of Toa Payoh, as well as the rest of Singapore.

9. Bridging the age gap

Singapore’s oldest bridge in use is so old the signs in front of it forbid cattle and horses from crossing. Constructed in 1869, Cavenagh Bridge has switched from bearing cargo and coolies to allowing people to cross safely to and from the concert halls, museums and offices on the banks of the river.

Veron says: just a couple weeks back when I went to the Asian Civilisations Museum I saw the “no cattle” sign right in front of the cavenagh bridge. It did set me wondering!

10. Secret gardens

The first botanical gardens were at Fort Canning Hill. They were opened in 1822, closed in 1829, reopened in 1836 and finally abandoned in 1846.

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]]> 15 http://sparklette.net/lifestyle/event/mobile-homes-asian-civilisations-museum/ http://sparklette.net/lifestyle/event/mobile-homes-asian-civilisations-museum/#comments Sat, 10 Jun 2006 15:46:55 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/?p=397

We were at the Asian Civilisations Museum yesterday, marking my second visit to the museum at Empress Place. Currently they have an exhibition that showcases the mobile tents and shelters of Asian nomads.

From my first visit to the museum, I remember it as being both visually and structurally appealing. The exhibits and artefacts sprawl three levels, with many stations that play videos pertaining to the exhibits. There was even a video projection on the floor that I thought was rather creative!

Moving on to the artefacts, I used to think that ancient Chinese emperors wore only yellow garments. But there was a particular cloak, adorned with clouds and dragons, in snow white colour! It looked huge too.

This monumental Buddha was missing its torso. It came from the 1368-1644 time period.

The porcelain ewer, or pitcher, came from the yuan period (1279-1368). It was beautifully crafted and incised with Chinese characters, 天下太平 (world peace). I like it a lot! Despite being so old, it was in pristine condition. With the four decorative holes, how it held any tea or wine is beyond my grasp.

Due to its multiple arms, we thought this guanyin (goddess of mercy) statue from North vietnam looked more like a fusion of Buddhism and Hinduism.

This book that originates from North sumatra in Indonesia contains text that is every bit as potent as it looks. It has magical spells, oracles, medicinal recipes, and instructions for performing rituals and various magic cures. Sounds like pretty lethal stuff!

Moving on, the museum has a huge section dedicated to qur’ans. They come in all forms and sizes and a wide range of colours.

My favourite is this 12th century qur’an from North Africa. The calligraphy is written in gold, and has somehow survived over the centuries. The gold still looks shiny and new! The letters have been accented in dark brown ink to make them more legible.

The script on this qur’an section is also written in gold, and enclosed within cloud designs.

Even more impressive is this particular qur’an manuscript. Instead of being written, the calligraphy has been painstakingly cut out! The aim is to make the cut-off resemble the calligrapher’s handwriting exactly, and requires great skill and precision.

The asma’ al-husna (ninety-nine names of Allah) is considered a source of blessing. Each one has been written onto the centre of a page, and adorned with colourful geometric designs.

This marble tombstone comes from the 9th century. It has been elaborately engraved with Islamic wordings, although elaborate tombstones are traditionally frowned upon.

Mobile Homes Exhibition

“All that is gold does not glitter; not all those that wander are lost.”
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

The exhibition showcases the dwellings of nomads from central and West Asia.

Mongol people were expert horsemen trained to ride from young age. Perhaps the most famous of them all would be Genghis Khan. The mongol yurt is called a ger (pronounced “gair”). At its centre is where the stove would be typically located. The back of the yurt is reserved for the most respected or eldest person.

Funnily enough, the Turkish tent does not appear to have any sort of covering over the front, like anyone is free to waltz into the tent any time! It looks as though it can be set up within five minutes.

The turkmen yurt, called the oy, looks the best out of the group. The new ones are called aq oy (white tent) when the felt mats are still clean and white. Eventually they turn black from the smoke of the fire burning within the yurt, and these old tents are then called qara oy (black tent). How cute!

The walls of the yurt are covered with panels of bamboo screens. The entrance is beautifully decorated with multi-coloured woven bands embroidered in different patterns. Within the yurt, there are three sections — one for the women (with the baby cradle, cooking utensils and such), one for the men(with ropes and weapons), and a place of honour that faces the entrance.

Overall, I was largely disappointed by the scale of this exhibition. I had fully expected a huge array of tents that come in various sizes, materials and colours, with different functionalities and perhaps the ways they have changed over the centuries. But there were perhaps just three or four noteworthy tents. The modern tent on loan from NUS’ sports society doesn’t count! For an exhibition spanning three months, it was one of extremely small scale.

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interNational Museum day is held on May 18 every year. I have always been the kind of girl that loves museums. I have previously visited the raffles museum of diversity research and the Asian Civilisations Museum.

This year, the national heritage board has rolled out a series of tours to about thirty museums around Singapore. And on Sunday, a friend and I went on our very own museum trail!

First stop: Civil Defence Heritage Gallery

On our way to the Singapore Philatelic Museum, we passed by this familiar red and white landmark. It is the $3 million civil defence heritage gallery housed in the central fire station, which is the oldest existing fire station in Singapore — it was built in 1909! Both of us had not been aware of this gallery before.

The two-storey gallery showcases the development of firefighting in Singapore since the 19th century. It was very interesting to see the gradual evolvement of the old system with old fire engines and red metal buckets to what we have today.

Mounted on the wall was a vintage phone that still used the rotary dial. It rang at one point, and when we picked up the receiver that resembled a torchlight, a female voice on the other end shouted “FIREEEEE”. Hilarious!

There was also some insight into modern firefighting. Every exhibit was interactive. For example in this civil defence ambulance (above), you could push the blue button to reveal the interior (below). It caught us by surprise when the two human figures suddenly appeared before us!

A small brightly coloured booth attracted our attention. It had tiny blue stools that we could sit on to do pencil shading. Being the kids that we were, we sat. And we shaded.

Each side of the booth had a metal plate, stenciled with a different image that ranged from logos and fire engines, to the central fire station itself. I chose the central fire station as it looked the most striking to me.

With multiple fine lines in this image, I had to shade lightly over and over again and wait patiently for the fine details to show up nicely. Here’s the finished product!

Happy with the results, we proceeded to leave the gallery, but not before trying on a little firefighter uniform and helmet. They were meant for kids, yet somehow fit me quite easily (!!!). I also bought a little red fireman helmet at the souvenir shop; it would make a good hat for one of my stuffed animals.

Second stop: Singapore Philatelic Museum

The Singapore Philatelic Museum lies just a few footsteps away. That was one crowded place! Eager stamp collectors, curious sight-seers and tantrum-throwing children thronged the building. This wasn’t my maiden visit to the museum. Years ago, I was there with my Mom on its opening day.

For many years I was an avid stamp collector. My stamp collection was first started by my dad, which explains why we have so many rare stamps from decades ago. I remember both of us cutting the corners out of used envelopes, soaking the stamps in water, waiting for them to dry before finally arranging them nicely in albums. My Mom on the other hand collects brand new stamps in the form of first day covers and miniature sheets.

Of course, none of our stamp collections consist of anything really valuable such as the treskilling yellow. This swedish stamp was issued in 1855 and sold for 1.35 million US dollars on November 8, 1996, making it the world’s most valuable stamp. The reason why it is so valued is that it is actually meant to be green, but was printed yellow by mistake.

I find it hard to fathom that something this small (and made out of paper) can be worth that much. Yet it is also quite amazing to know that this is the only one of its kind to ever exist!

Another extremely rare stamp is the black on magenta of British guiana. This one-cent stamp, issued in 1956, has been subjected to numerous forgery attempts.

These two stamps, released in 1960, are the first stamps to have the words “State of Singapore” printed on them. A significant milestone for our nation!

Deviating from regular paper stamps, many countries have issued some rather unusual and unique forms of stamps. In the fight against leprosy, djibouti (an East African nation I have never heard of) issued a stamp printed on wood veneer! This wooden stamp was named “Luffe contre la lepre”, or “The Fight Against Leprosy”.

“talking stamps” like the ones above are small phonograph records that play native folk songs on record players. I wonder how they can actually be attached to envelopes! These stamps were released in 1973 by bhutan, an Asian nation in the himalayan mountains. Sounds like a place I might actually visit some day!

The colourful stamps above were issued by the united kingdom royal mail in 2003. What makes these stamps unique is that they can be easily customised by the sender. People can paste tiny stickers onto the stamps to form little fruity and veggie figures with faces and legs. Cute!

And finally, my favourite stamps of the day — Swarovski crystals encrusted stamps! So beautiful, I would kill to have those!! (hey I just realised they can be found on ebay!) suddenly I feel the urge to revive my stamp collection. A good place to start would be the museum gift shop where used stamps are sold at 20 cents apiece.

The unique stamps as described were all issued by foreign countries. That’s not to say that we don’t have any of our own. In 2004, singpost issued stamps made from felt to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of FIFA. In addition, we also have our very own fruit-scented stamps!

I also like this beautiful stamp motif that fills up one wall. It is an image composite of stamps from various movies such as king kong, Harry potter and Lord of the Rings. Very nicely done.

The museum gift shop sold red wax seals reminiscent of what English people used to sign off their letters in the past. How do people use it? Firstly, the red wax is burned and melted onto the paper, and then stamped with a signature or an initial like the one above. I would have bought it but I’m really more of the email type.

On a separate note, I really like the aged cursive writing. Why don’t people write like that these days?

Over the years and different continents, different variations of postboxes have sprung up. The green pillar box was used in China during the qing dynasty.

In more recent times, pink postboxes were spotted in beijing. They were coloured pink as they had a more specific purpose — to collect love letters! How cute!

Something more relevant to us would be the postboxes above. After the red pillar box that was first seen in 1965, the postboxes here have changed in colours with the shape remaining the same over the years.

Personally I prefer the red pillar box any day. In fact, I like it so much I even bought one from the museum gift shop — in the form of a safety bank! It is now standing proudly on my bedside cabinet.

The lamp posting box, as its name suggests, is usually mounted to street lamps. Used circa 1949, people would stop at the lamp posting box to scribble a quick note to someone, with the light from the lamp at night. That somehow paints me a very romantic image of a soldier in the 40′s or 50′s that has been sent to a faraway country. He stops by the postbox, hurriedly pens a quick “i miss you” to his lover at home before rushing back to his camp.

Okay back to slightly more recent times. Does this vespa scooter look familiar to anyone? This had been the vehicle of choice for postmen for decades up until some years back.
After learning so much more about stamps and Singapore’s philatelic history, we scoot off to our next location…

Third stop: Singapore Art Museum

From now until July, there is the fiction@love exhibition at the Singapore art museum. It showcases the irony of love through a varied medium of artistic expression.

It was pretty tough getting pictures of the exhibits as the security was tight.

This long black and white mural is made up of caricatures of famous Asian landmarks, such as the petronas twin towers, Tokyo tower and Changi Airport. The words “wish you were here” are sprinkled over the motif, signifying a sense of loneliness. To a certain extent I find I can identify with the artist’s sentiments when I go travelling.

Another exhibit that appealed to me was this giant ribbon made completely out of padded butterflies.

Made my footprint at the Singapore art museum, before hopping onto the shuttle bus to our final destination.

Fourth stop: Museum of Shanghai Toys

The museum of Shanghai toys is hidden away within — of all places — Little India! It is a privately owned museum that spans three storeys. I have never heard of this museum before then. It is Singapore’s first toy museum, and I certainly hope there would be more toy museums to come.

Once inside the museum, we were greeted by the museum mascot, a friendly teddy bear dressed in green. We proceeded to purchase our admission tickets and a small passport. This passport has many empty spaces within where we would have to follow clues and stamp with the different rubber ink stamps found amidst the exhibits.

Toy cars with red flags.

The Shanghai toys dated from 1910s to 1970s. Most look very colourful. I especially like these miniature figurines of snow white and the seven dwarfs.

Other toys just look downright creepy.

Did Shanghainese kids really play with these? The Chinese bride toy is reminiscent of the local horror movie, the maid, shown last year. It scores full marks on the creep factor.

The san mao comics were my mom’s choice read when she was a child. I have never gotten my hand on a copy before, but I remember my Mom saying she likes them a lot.

A collection of Chinese cosmetics used in the past goes on exhibition as well. It is definitely refreshing to see a French label, guerlain, appearing on old Chinese cosmetics.

At the end of our toy journey, we managed to stamp our entire passport correctly and were rewarded with an iq puzzle toy. It would definitely help me remember this trip to the museum of Shanghai toys in the future.

We bought some toys from the toy shop at the museum. For a museum that showcases toys of yester-years, they did have modern capsule machines as well!

So that marks the end of our museum trail. Given more time, I would have loved to go to a few other museums. After all, there are thirty over museums in Singapore and each one tells a unique story.

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