I Wished I Was Born In The Exciting 60's!

Benji and I love visiting the National Museum. It is such a curious place with insightful exhibitions! Last weekend, we trot on over excitedly to check out the Singapore 1960's gig and here's a walk down, well I couldn't say it was memory lane but, history's lane for us.

  

Chaa... CHAMBO!

Zubir Said's piano which he wrote our National Anthem on.

That's Benji's finger striking a B key. We got told not to touch the '100 yr old' piano as it is 'fragile'.

Despite that, Benji was happy he was in tune with Zubir Said.

This IS the defining moment for Singapore. MM Lee, then Mr. Lee,

swearing in as Prime Minister of Singapore.

See! The National Museum now is actually the Assembly House then.

A fact I relished with joy!

A display of jade from the 1960's. Actually I don't know what this display was about.

I'm posting it up because I think it's a well taken shot. Frivalous, I know.

What really intrigued me about the exhibition were the newspaper display from the 60's.

Especially the ads! Check out this travel agent ad.

Things were much simpler before, no brightly colored ads screaming FREE LUGGAGE! Travel for $50!

Aahh, something familiar you say?

Dude, it was a REAL power station. Like the electricity kind.

Ads the Health Ministry now wished wasn't so rampant before.

Whoelsome underwear ads with no jiggly boobs and models

 strutting in the air brushed bodies.

The terrorists of yesteryears: The Communists.

 I am glad MM was bent on chasing them out. Hail ! Hail !

Ah ! Proud moment - Weightlifter Tang How Liang and the

first Olympic medal for Singapore!

How much we, and our waistlines, have progressed.

They had ads to encourage people to PUT on weight. Now?

Even those that need to PUT on weight are bent on shedding those precious kilos.

Hey! This is so cool ! These are marriage ads!

The headline read: Four Married Over The Weekend!

When 8,000 was a large number. We have progressed.

Hey!

TIGER beer when the tiger neither had its paw in or out.

Spot the mistake?

This skyscraper took FOUR years to build.

Now we build an IR in 1.5 years... or less.

Well, I won't show everything here and rob you of the joy of discovering the exhibition for yourself.

Check out the exhibition which is on at The National Museum, Exhibition Gallery 1 till 22 Aug. Free Admission. Have fun!

How Much Further... or Farther?

How many of you, like myself, can never get it if we should use 'further' or 'farther' in a sentence? Conveniently, I always dismissed it as being U.S and U.K English. You know, to-mah-toes and to-may-toes.


However I was determine to understand the two words in a bid to strengthen my English so I gathered all my detective skills and Google (but of course) and it turns out that these two words 'further' and 'farther' do mean something on their own and are not just a product of years of English customisation. (po-tay-toes, po-tah-toes)

According to www.lessontutor.com,

FARTHER denotes physical advancement in distance.
For example: It is farther down the street (for distance physically travelled)
It's not that much farther to the gas station

FURTHER denotes advancement to a greater degree, like time.
For example: Do you have any further plans for your education?

Try it!

How much _______ farther do we have to walk to get to the ice cream parlour?
How much _______ do you intend to take this legal matter?
Do you intend to _______ your career with management courses?
How much ____________ do I have to read in the text?
The ________ I walk, the _______ I am in my schedule!

Now, aren't we happy the mystery is solved? :) So how much further will you take your English?

Live Curiously at thepebbletrail.blogspot.com

Benjamin, or Benji as he is known is a curious fella. He reads voraciously and is interested in every nary detail that exists in the world. He is your details man. In thepebbletrail.blogspot.com, he breaks down the thorough scores of information that soars through his head everyday and lays it out for us, the short attention span generation, to enjoy.

He presents curious facts and interesting happenings in bite sized blog entries - things you knew but never really know, facts you didn’t know and is glad you now know and things that will make you sound a lot smarter when stuck in a boring social gathering.


Live curiously and read up these intriguing thoughts on thepebbletrail.blogspot.com

You’d be glad you read it.

How To Build A Nation - Start By Reading

I am currently reading this candid and honest book by Tom Plate on his conversations with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. Surprisingly it is refreshing and mildly irreverant which is a good take on the father of our nation. When I'm done with it, I'll write up on it here - keep a look out, or pick one up and enjoy it yourself !

I hope you're having a energetic countdown to the weekend ! Wwheee !

How My Heart Soared

Every morning, I see this man at the bus stop. He is striking not because he is handsome or have an aura that attracts. In fact, it is the opposite. Every morning I see him, he is hogging the front of the line regardless or not the approaching bus is his. And when his bus approaches, he has no qualms about rushing forward and being the first on the bus even though his bus ride is but 10mins. It irks me. Every morning it irks me because to me and to some degree, men are supposed to be gentlemanly.



This morning, I met him again. And this time, there were 2 of them. Rushing, pushing, hogging, taking the first breath of bus-air the moment the door opens. Regardless of women, children or the elderly, they are the firstest, mostest, fastest. In sad regard, I asked myself, ‘Is chivalry dead?’ I’m not asking for door opening, or laying down your jacket as a carpet. I’m asking for just a morsel of gentlemanliness.

To my surprise, my answer came in the same morning, an hour later. I boarded the shuttle bus that brings me into my workplace, a 5mins drive from the main road. The bus that came was unusually crowded with only 3 seats for 5 of us who boarded. 2 people didn't get to sit, a lady and a guy. It was a 5 min ride, nary would anyone think of giving up a seat.

To my surprise, a gentleman stood up and offered his seat to the lady who was standing. She wasn’t old, pregnant or handicapped! Oh, how my heart soared! It was only a 5minute ride, but he graciously gave up his seat to her. In that instant, the answer to my question in the morning rose in my heart. Chivalry is not dead. The guy who gave up his seat was not dashing or particularly well dressed, but at that moment, there was something regal about him.

Women are not asking to be waited on hand and foot, definitely not in these days where independence is so as much shouted about. But sometimes, when men know to be men, women will become the ladies they want them to be.