Categories
Stamps

Know 10 Trees

Trees have a high level of importance in nature. Every day, trees are used to identify landmarks, provide shade, act as dust filter, prevent soil erosion and are habitats for various animals under their foliage. Trees are found almost everywhere in the garden city of Singapore, including parks, neighbourhoods and even along highways.

On 26 May 2010, Singapore Post released a stamp issue ‘Know 10 Trees’ depicting ten trees that accompany our daily lives. They include the Rain Tree, Angsana, Yellow Flame, Senegal Mahogany, Broad-leafed Mahogany, Tembusu, Sea Apple, Saga, Trumpet Tree and Sea Almond. This NParks initiative aims to raise public awareness of common roadside trees found in Singapore.

Categories
Singapore

International Museum Day 2010

International Museum Day (IMD) falls around 18 May each year and is celebrated worldwide since 1977. This year’s theme is ‘museums for social harmony’. Today, a number of museums in Singapore are having an open house, i.e. free museum admission. In addition, family-friendly activities and interactive programmes are organised. Since 2006, the National Heritage Board has celebrated IMD in Singapore to foster a museum-going culture among members of the public.

Participating museums include Asian Civilisations Museum, Hua Song Museum, Land Transport Gallery, Malay Heritage Centre, Marina Barrage, Memories at Old Ford Factory, National Library Singapore, National Museum of Singapore, NEWater Visitor Centre, NUS Museum, Peranakan Museum, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, Reflections at Bukit Chandu, Singapore Air Force Museum, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore Coins and Notes Museum, Singapore Philatelic Museum, red dot design museum, SGH Museum and the Youth Olympic Games Learning Centre.

I would be heading down to the Singapore Coins and Notes Museum (SCNM) for the first time. This museum was recently opened on Wednesday, 1 July 2009. Located in a restored shophouse in Chinatown, this museum is conveniently located near the train station. For those who are interested in going down, its address is 2 Trengganu Street.

The Singapore Coins and Notes Museum is the first and only museum in Singapore dedicated to showcasing currency. Visitors to the museum are brought on a journey through a world of coins and banknotes, ranging from the earliest objects used for barter trade to the modern polymer banknotes. In addition, one of the collections allows visitors to learn how local currency made its way into Singapore during her early nation building days.

This museum aims to create an awareness of Singapore’s history by taking visitors through the evolution of the Singapore currency over the years. In addition, through interactive activities and themed galleries, SCNM aims to develop interest in coin and banknote collection amongst the younger generation.

Interactive displays are found throughout the museum, where visitors can learn about the commonly used metals in the production of coins. Rare objects from pre-independence Singapore can be found within the galleries. Visitors can also make coin rubbings to take home as souvenirs.

Categories
Stamps

Prepaid Envelope: Gardens of Singapore

On 15 April 1994, Singapore Post issued the Gardens of Singapore prepaid envelope. Available in two different sizes, DL and C6, these envelopes can be used to send letters of up to 20 g to local addresses. Consumers may purchase these envelopes for convenience, since they save time on affixing a postage stamp.

Next, if you have not heard so, there will be no more mail collection on Saturday since 15 May 2010. Simply, it’s a five day work week! However, the cut-off timing for local mail delivery on Friday will be extended to 8 pm for mail posted within the Central Business District (CBD) and 6 pm for mail posted outside the CBD.

Categories
Singapore

Exhibition at YOG Learning Centre

Earlier this year, the Youth Olympic Games Learning Centre invited collectors to display their Olympic collection at a temporary exhibition. Located at 1 Kay Siang Road (off Tanglin Road), the two-storey Youth Olympic Games Learning Centre attracts students from primary and secondary schools around Singapore.

Part of my Olympic stamp collection was on display, including a specially picked selection of international stamps from the first few Olympic Games, limited edition Olympic souvenirs, as well as out-of-print philatelic catalogues.

Being one of the participating exhibitors, I was invited to the 99-Day Countdown event at Scape last Friday. Beijing Olympic collector Dr Yeo Seem Huat also displayed his poster collection and limited edition Olympic souvenirs at the event.

Categories
Postcards

Postcard: Kiasma

Kiasma is a contemporary art museum located in Helsinki, Finland. Designed in 1993 by American architect Steven Holl, the museum opened its doors to the public in 1998. In 1992, an architectural design competition was held, attracting 516 entries, mainly from the Nordic and Baltic countries. Today, the museum displays the contemporary art collection of the Finnish National Gallery, with a goal of promoting contemporary art.

Publisher: Janne Harala Tmi
Photographer: Pentti Harala

Categories
Singapore

99 Day Countdown to Singapore 2010

Today, I was invited to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games 99-day countdown celebration. The event started at 7 pm this evening, attracting thousands of visitors. A queue for security clearance to enter the celebration ground did not deter visitors to the once-in-a-lifetime event.

There were performances by celebrities such as Hady Mirza and Electrico, as well as dance performances by groups of students. At 7.56 pm, the Runway Singapore 2010 presented, for the very first time, the official apparel for staff, volunteers and participants of the Youth Olympic Games.

At 2010 hours today, the VIPs crossed out the giant numeral 99, signifying the number of days left to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.  This is followed by three minutes of fireworks.

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A 99-Day commemorative collar pin was given to invited guests. Limited edition wristbands of different colours were issued to the various groups of guests.

At the end of the event, guests were invited into the Warehouse for reception. Being the sponsors for the Youth Olympic Games, Mcdonald’s and Old Chang Kee served food to the guests while they interacted with one another.

Categories
Stamps

The Successful Olympic Bid

With a total of 204000 visitors on the opening day, the Shanghai World Expo Park was flooded by huge crowds. Visitors to the park have started queuing up early in the morning for safety checks before entering. Visiting the Shanghai World Expo Park was similar to a tour around the globe. The 2010 Shanghai World Expo has high expectations to meet, after the success of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The latest addition to my Olympic collection is a first day cover from Macau. Dated 14 July 2001, this cover is released to commemorate the success of China’s bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. The results were announced by the International Olympic Committee on 13 July 2001. The 1 ptc stamp features the logo of the bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics by Beijing.