The iconic silhouette of the ABSOLUT bottle has captured the imagination of millions worldwide and has pushed the boundaries of art and design. Throughout the years, ABSOLUT has collaborated with some of the most recognisable names in the design community such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Romero Britto. These partnerships have cemented the ABSOLUT bottle as the perfect canvas for creative ideas to take root and flourish.

The iconic ABSOLUT silhouette steps into the limelight with an exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore that showcases the ways in which the company cultivates creativity and innovation. From 23rd August to 2nd September 2013, visitors will be able to take a gander at the close to a hundred bottles of ABSOLUT VODKA and feast their senses on the intricate and varied designs of the rare and limited edition bottles separated into six different theme showcases. It features ABSOLUT bottles that have never been seen in Singapore before. You can meet the rarest ABSOLUT VODKA bottles on earth. 

Visitors will get a chance to view rare and limited editions of ABSOLUT VODKA separated into six different themed showcases – the CITY Edition, TRAVELLER’S Edition, DISPLAY Edition, VODKA INNOVATION Edition, LIMITED Edition and RARE BOTTLES Edition.

I hope all of you had a happy weekend! I'm glad that i went for my niece's (Rachelle) first classical ballet competition over the weekend. I know my little niece loves her ballet classes and dreams of being able to dance on stage and perform. The decision to participate in competitions is really a personal preference and depends mainly on the personality of the young dancer. There are many dancers who are dancing and performing at a professional level who did not compete in such competitions extensively at a young age and many that did. I do feel however, that as the girls get older, it is good for them to enter various competitions to help gain experience and understanding of the demands performing under pressure on stage, as performing a solo piece in a competition is very different to performing in the dance schools end of year show. 

My little niece has started her first ballet classes last year and was so excited to learn the moves she sees in some of her favorite TV shows. I was a little apprehensive about letting her start ballet: Would she listen to the instructor? Would she enjoy it? What if she get hurt? Will she be discouraged that she’s not as graceful as others? My fears were erased on her first day of class when she came running out of her lesson with her pink dress and precious white ballet shoes, prancing around as excited as can be, saying “look what i learned today” as she twirled around the room. 

I’m not sure where this is going – if she will ever want to be a professional ballet dancer, or if this is something that she will enjoy for years to come. So instead of looming in initial fears, her parents and i figured that we would just “go with it” and see where it takes her. As long as she is enjoying ballet classes, we see no reason to stop her from pursuing. She loves anything ballet themed at this point and whenever she watch Barbie emerged as a ballerina, you can imagine the squeals of joy from my niece!

In short, i would tell my niece to go for it and give it her all. I will also remind her to dance for dance’s sake, not for where it might get her in ten years’ time. Ballet can be competitive if you want to make dancing professionally your goal. The journey should be as rewarding as perceived destination.

I was a stamp collector when i was a kid. Got my collection from the letters that my family received, though on only a small scale. My father told me that during their old days, stamp collection is a form of savings. Buy stamps whenever you have spare and once your stamp book is full, you can exchange it for cash. Now that emails have somewhat taken over snail mails, we don't really get to see many stamps around. I still remember how stamp collecting was a hobby for many when I was in primary school. All of us would have stamp albums and we'd enjoy swapping stamps with each other. I like the artwork on stamps, especially the commemorative issues.

Singapore has been pumping in top dollar into heritage conservation, in a bid to build up a sense of identity, and foster a strong sense of community spirit. Our museums are being heavily promoted by the National Heritage Board. I've been wanting to visit the Singapore Philatelic Museum for a while, and i have finally managed to do so recently.

Singapore Philatelic Museum opened its door to the public with a mission to stimulate interest in stamps and promote the awareness and appreciation of Singapore's history and heritage. The collection in the museum is ranges from stamps and archival philatelic material of Singapore from the 1830s to present day. Apart from the local stamps, it also offers a wide array of stamps from around the world. Time was well-spent at the museum by injecting myself with loads of Singapore’s history. 

It is also a museum showcasing stamps collected from the past few decades, many of which are commemorative by nature, offering a window to the past and for some, it will bring back childhood memories.

"A Collection of Our Shared Memories" comics exhibition at the National Library of Singapore is jointly organised by the local Chinese daily paper Lianhe Zaobao and the Singapore Memory Project and showcases comics published in the Chinese daily over the years. This is the first time a local exhibition is organised to showcase works by local comic artists dating back nearly nine decades. The comics range from 1940s anti-Japanese propaganda to some about 1980s birth rates.

世界各地的报章, 除了文字和照片, 另一个重要的组成部分就是漫画. 每一则漫画背后都有一个故事, 有的反映波谲云诡的国际局势, 有的针砭时政, 也有的勾勒出小市民的心声.

联合早报与 “新忆工程” Singapore Memory Project 联办了《我们的另一种集体记忆》大型漫画展, 首次汇集和展出自 1920 年至 2013 年, 过去 80 多年来在报章上发表的各类本地漫画作品. 这些漫画记录了世界局势的历史转折, 也反映了我国生活面貌的转变. 特别是在识字率偏低的年代, 漫画更是向小市民传达各种信息的最佳管道之一. 许多漫画作者通过作品机智, 幽默地反映社会现象, 还往往间接利用漫画针砭时弊. 在日军占领新加坡期间, 有些漫画作者甚至因为作品丢了性命.

漫画展览是本地漫画界一次跨年代的作品大检阅, 让公众通过这些生动传神的漫画来回顾历史, 回味记忆. 漫画是大众的艺术, 展出的作品都是紧贴老百姓的生活. 有些让人不仅发出会心一笑, 有些则一针见血地指出当时社会问题的症结所在. 这些历史的嬉笑怒骂, 时代的酸甜苦辣, 是陪伴我们几代人成长的共同记忆.

《我们的另一种集体记忆》漫画展以 “衣食住行” 为主题, 希望作品所带出的不同时空, 能唤起我们的另一种集体记忆.

Yes, this trip to the “city of a hundred spires” Prague is finally confirmed after months of planning. I've always wanted to see this historic city of castles and gothic churches endowed with an incredible mix of Gothic, Romanesque, baroque and art nouveau architecture. It is home to one of Europe's best preserved old towns. Once the crossroads of centuries-old trade routes, it’s now the cultural and economic centre of the Czech Republic and one of the most visited cities in Europe. I will be embarking onto a segway journey at Prague in the coming mid-October, as it will be a fantastic way to see Prague! A Segway is actually the first self-balancing, electric-powered one-person transportation device in the world. The Segway is able to go everywhere a pedestrian goes, allows you to narrow distances, to move faster. It is very easy to learn to operate because of its technologically advanced design that senses your body movements. One is always in control of the Segway. Stay tuned for my Prague photo travelogue blog posts in October!

布拉格是中欧最美丽的城市, 保留有大量各历史时期的建筑和成片的中世纪风貌. 布拉格是一个我可以去了一次还想要去第二次的地方, 我相信那里每天的不同时间看相同的景点都会有不同的感觉. 真的好期待这趟布拉格电动代步车 Segway 之旅!

Getai, is a Chinese term ‘歌台’ which mean street concert or 'song stage'. Getai is a big part of our culture in Singapore and that is one of the activities during the Chinese lunar year’s 7th month (also known literally as Zhong Yuan Jie / Hungry Ghost Festival. Getai’s activities similar to street concert’s productions which having tentage, stage and backdrop set-up, live bands and the main soul of the event – the emcee and the singers. Usually held in the heartlands on makeshift outdoor stages, it showcases performances that are different from contemporary stage concerts with staples such as stand-up comedians who deliver their humor in Chinese or dialects (mainly Hokkien) and singers of all ages dressed in a wide array of dazzling costumes that are essentially colorful and glittery. Getais are a dying trade in Singapore, there are usually scantily clad performers who will sing hokkien songs as well as other kinds of talent shows.  I am not sure whether it is an age thing or my perception has totally changed but i was actually looking forward to going to a Getai this month and to embrace whatever that comes with it. It has finally dawned on me that it is something that is quite unique to these parts of the world.

今天就让我来谈谈歌台吧! 嗯, 没错. 当我说我要去歌台的时侯, 有人用着质疑的眼光看着我问: 你这个年龄听什么歌台? 我不否认我以前很不喜欢歌台, 也跟很多的人一样觉得歌台就是给老人听的, 而且只有七月才会有歌台. 其实不是的, 原来一年 365 天可能有200 天都有歌台. 有时一天还不止一个地方有, 当红的歌星们都得纷纷跑台.

每年一到农历七月, 只要是在亚洲居住的华人就一定知道一年一度的中元节又来了. 中元节都是华人的一个重要节日. 农历七月, 新加坡像中国南方一些地区一样, 都会举行庆中元活动. 在中元节期间, 你会在新加坡各处看到临时搭起的舞台. 一到晚上, 主办单位就会在舞台上展开现场表演. 新加坡人称之为 "七月歌台". 歌台非常受欢迎, 整个七月每晚都有表演, 好不热闹. 歌台是一种常年举办的现场舞台表演, 但更常见于每年的农历七月中元节. 这种热闹的场合, 已经成为新加坡的文化特色, 让新加坡社会更具凝聚力. 当新加坡随着现代化的步伐不断前进时, 我们也应该思考如何保留这一民间文化, 也借此让新加坡保留更多的社会凝聚力. 如果您不想错失去一个体验真正民风的难得机会, 就不妨去凑凑热闹吧. 

歌台是新加坡文化之一. 以前是, 现在是, 希望以后也是.

The mention of a Hong Kong drama television series《冲上云宵 Triumph In The Skies》will have to turn the clock back 10 years ago set aside.《冲上云宵 Triumph In The Skies》premiered on TVB in Year 2003. The Hong Kong drama tells the lives of pilots working for a fictional Airways based on Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific. It has been cited as one of TVB's best serial dramas (to-date) and it sparked an interest in aviation when first aired amongst Hong Kong viewers. Ten years have gone by, i am now currently watching the sequel to TVB's 2003 blockbuster television drama. 

Having said that, i had made a recent visit to the airplane hangar located at the Singapore Youth Flying Club (SYFC) that promote aviation among youths and inculcate in them a strong passion for flying. This is done through its aeromodelling courses for secondary school students and flying training for Junior College and Polytechnic students. Its vision is to be a world class aviation training centre for youths and it strives to develop them to take up a career in the Republic of Singapore Air Force. Currently, the aeromodelling and flying operations are all colocated at one central location in Seletar Airport. 

Hello everyone, here's a suggested weekend activity that you can try it out to occupy an afternoon. Recently, my friends and i walked into Arteastiq, a Social Painting and Tea Sipping Place located at Mandarin Gallery in Singapore, with a nostalgia of the long-lost childhood relationship with the paintbrush ever since we graduated from school. While we had zero confidence in painting, the thrill of coming up with anything we wanted somehow got into us with no hesitation. Actually, it doesn’t matter if you know how to paint or not. In a way, art is interpretation and each piece is subjective to his or her own. Art Jamming is beautiful because in that little painting session, it’s hard to judge or be judged. When musicians gather in a studio with proper facilities, they call it a jamming session. Basically, art jamming is free play painting party with diverse musical genres playing in the background (from Pop, R&B to Soul) which simply means, have fun!

趁着难得的长周末假期, 与两位好友一同报名我们彼此都不擅长的绘画班, 说绘画班其实是 Art Jamming, 自由艺术创作或即兴作画.

Art Jamming 是一项自由创意与休闲的绘画活动, 参加者在一个播放着轻音乐, 环境舒适的画室里, 这个属于个人的创作时段内, 你可以随意挑选合适的画具, 顔料, 任意绘画, 不用考虑好看与不好看甚至选择什么题材, 轻轻松松画出你心中所想的便足够了.

或许很多人都与我当初的想法一样, 认为绘画只是画家或科班出身甚至是艺术爱好者的玩意儿. 但实际上, 即使你没有艺术天份, 都可以不约而同地爱上这类提供个人创造力的艺术空间, 以及充满趣味的创作体验！

Traditional provision shops occupy a special place in the hearts of Singaporeans who grew up in the 1960s to the mid 1980s. Tucked away in the residential sprawl just off Yio Chu Kang Road, near Rosyth Road is Tee Seng Store, believed to be the only landed house in Singapore that doubles as a provision shop. I decided to visit the shop and do a photograph documentation of the place. This is one of the few remaining provision shops in Singapore and one that may hold memories for long time customers. It is a quaint shop, typical of the many provision shops we had in the Singapore of old before they started disappearing with economic development and competition.

Residents from the surrounding neighbourhood gathered around to converse and exchange about their daily happenings as they made purchases of household items and various necessities. The memories of serving an assortment of snacks and drinks, after school, to the men who gathered around the small tables to chat and joke. In essence, the provision shop was more than a mere store selling goods and offering services, like the wet markets, it was a venue of affection, friendship and wondrous connection. 

Times have changed and many might opine that the advent of a variety of communication channels has made keeping in touch more accessible and efficient. Yet, the “human touch” of these smaller traditional shops, in the form of personalised service, familiarity of the staff and the tremendous attention to details remain inimitable for the large grocery chains.