My current reading list are mostly WWII books these days. Like “Tears in the Darkness” by Michael Norman, about the horrors of the Bataan Death March. Another is “Counting the Days” by Craig B. Smith, chronicles of POWs and stragglers in the pacific war. I have two more that I haven’t even started reading. WWII […]
Category: Singapura
I dropped by Singapore’s National Museum yesterday to see a rare piece of Americana. The Revere Bell. The bell was donated by Maria Revere, daughter of Paul Revere. She was married to the first American consul in the island (Balestier road was named after him). She wanted it to be tolled every night to let […]
Last Wednesday I attended an evening mass nearby. I normally avoid this church because the choir’s too loud. They have complete drum sets and very powerful speakers. They remind me of born-again services I attended as a child during my summer vacations in Cavite. The singers, some Filipinos, have great vocals. Maybe I just prefer […]
Libraries eventually will all be phased out as information becomes available in digital forms. This institution will all serve as repositories of physical books. One day, we’ll just borrow digital facsimile online (Google’s on it with GoogleBooks). There will be no need for a visit. And so, enjoy them while they’re still around. Arguably the […]
I arrived at the Asian Museum Civilization pass 4 this past Sunday. While there’s hardly traffic here it takes me about an hour to get to the downtown core—the old colonial seat of power. The British are gone but they left behind elegant buildings now utilized to promote art, culture and history. Like the old supreme court […]
I visited the Royal Singapore Air Force museum in 2011. I heard then that the RSAF use to have a yearly “air show” but that it had been put off indefinitely. It made a comeback this year. I thought I should see it. Who knows if they’ll have one again next year. I’m a huge aviation […]
I grew up seeing the hectic streets of Baclaran and its modern Romanesque church. I was too young to understand then why my mother would kneel, pray, and move, while kneeling, towards the altar. You still see a few devotees doing this today. My Aunt’s ritual was different and less taxing. After mass and novena, […]
Singapore is home to some of the most impressive art galleries and museums in the region. This certainly is not an accident. The government creates art programs accessible to its people and attractive to its visitors. Most museums are discounted if not free for its citizens. I recently visited the new National Gallery Singapore. How […]
Last month we were invited by some friends to eat “bulalo” in Lucky Plaza, the mecca of Filipino overseas workers here in Singapore. During weekends Filipinos, mostly domestic workers, congregate around the area. We shared stories about our diversions. I told them I enjoy biking around the 4 kilometer shoreline of the Bedok Reservoir especially […]
I missed out on the commemorative events that took place after the death of Lew Kuan Yew. The founder of modern Singapore died March 23. I was in Manila to welcome a brother that I have not seen for 4 years. I’m a huge admirer of this South East Asian statesman. He wrote diligently in the last […]
national library singapore, old south east asia maps The National Library of Singapore recently exhibited old maps of South East Asia from its rare maps collections. They presented maps from 15th – 19th centuries from celebrated European map makers: Gerard Mercator, Abrham Ornelius, Theodore de Bry, Sebastian Munster and Samuel Thornton. These cartographers created some of the […]
I recall how my brother Samuel, now living in the US, would sit me down and show me pictures of great paintings, ancient buildings and perfect sculptures. It was the 80’s and I was in grade school. We had an encyclopedia, a 29 volume hardbound Funk and Wagnalls, which my parent paid for in installments. We were […]
isleworth mona lisa, hugh blaker, earlier mona lisa I’m a casual observer of art so me being enthused by the sight of this Mona Lisa (also known as the Isleworth Mona Lisa and the Early Mona Lisa) counts to nothing. There’s only 20 paintings attributed to the great Leonardo da Vinci; art historians believes that 70% […]
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