Second day of 2016 went well...

Today felt like a Sunday even though it's only Saturday.

The day turned out to be quite fruitful and I'm happy about it.

In the morning, I went to the gym to attend Vinyasa class. The teacher for the class I attended is one of my favorites. Since I have not been practicing, it was a challenge. I could do certain poses but I definitely still have a long way to go. It was a good workout though since I sweat it out. The left knee survived although it doesn't feel as strong as my right leg. For the meantime, I think I will be doing less Pump and more yoga classes, Body Balance. On the side, I'll do the weights. On off days, I'm thinking I can do short, light jogs.

After gym, I passed by the kopitiam for a quick brunch. Then, I headed back home to change my clothes.

The afternoon agenda was a guided tour at the National Gallery. Today was the second time I led a group around the Singapore Gallery. And I must say that I did a lot better today than my maiden tour last week. I felt I was more confident today. I felt I knew the gallery better. I adjusted my tour - I dropped some of the artworks that I talked about previously and I added some of the other art works that are closer to my heart. Of course, what also made the tour more enjoyable and twice as fun was the group itself. I led a group of 20 people - Singaporeans, Americans, Japanese. Several members of the group were responsive to my questions and many were willing to share their thoughts about the painting.

I was smiling on the inside when I saw several heads nodding in agreement, when there were smiles on some of the faces, and of course, when they applauded at the end of the tour. The other proof I have that the tour went well was that I took almost an hour and a half to finish the tour. Last week, I completed the tour in under an hour. Today, it was much better. I should however learn to stick to the 60 minute or so tour time since another group will need the headsets that we used. Oh, there was also one guy who walked up to me after the tour and told me that he had also previously attended my guided tour at the National Museum. I really appreciated the kind words he and a number of other guests gave.

Anyway, I was happy with how the tour went today. Round 2 of tours tomorrow. ;)

I left the gallery and walked to nearby Funan where I grabbed a late lunch at Subway. Thinking that it was part of the $5 meal, I ordered the Italian BMT. Ugh! It turned out that it wasn't and I paid more than what I wanted. Haha!

The last stop was the National Library. It wasn't as crowded and I easily found a study space. Spent a few hours at the library before packing up my stuff and heading back home.

Now, I'm just taking a break and then I'll study again for an hour before calling it a day... a long day.

Some photos from the Singapore Night Festival...

Some photos from the Singapore Night Festival...

It was a tiring but enjoyable experience. I enjoyed the presentation at the National Museum whereby the facade came to life with a group of cute and adorable inuits turning the museum into their playground.

Hmm, we only got to visit the following: National Museum, Peranakan Museum, Armenian Church, and Singapore Art Museum.

There are still a number of other installations to be visited but I'm not sure if I have the time for it. Today and next weekend will be very busy.

Anyway, it was a good Saturday night spent with Richie, Ann Marie, Ana, and Alex. Mon was not able to join because he had another commitment. The rest of the gang also had their own activities. Hehe.

May is here...

Sheesh, I can't believe I only have 9 posts for April. Haha! What's up with that? I should try to do more this May.

Let me start this month's post by writing about how the first day of May went.

It's a long weekend, and I didn't really have any out-of-town plans. I need to save for an upcoming holiday with my Mom. I need to save for another holiday later this year. Meanwhile, most of my friends headed out of the country. Hehe!

But me being me, I know I will find ways to keep myself busy, to tire myself this long weekend. Haha!

Okay, so I really wanted to hit the gym today. There was a Pump class at Fusionopolis that will be handled by two of my fave Pump instructors. However, I won't be able to go as I have another appointment at the same time as the class. So, I thought I'd just go to Westgate and hit the treadmill.

As I was prepping my stuff, I thought to myself, "Why not just run around the neighbourhood?" It's close to home and it would give me enough time to do the other things I want to do before heading out. Besides, the Park Connector close to my home is a great jogging/running/cycling path.

So, the plan to go to the gym was scrapped. Instead, I looked for my running belt which I have not used in so long. After finding it and after stashing my IC, ATM, EZ Link, some cash, my phone and earphones in it, I left the house and made my way to the park connector.

Well, it turned out to be a very good decision to run in my neighbourhood. What I initially planned to be just a 30-minute run had it been at the gym became a 51-minute run/jog. What I initially thought would be a 3.5KM run/jog became a 6.6KM run. Hahaha! Even I myself was surprised with the outcome of my morning plan. Lol!

It was definitely a good start for the month.

This afternoon, I went to NUS because I read that the Natural History Museum is now open. I was interested to go because I want to see the dinosaur skeletons. Hehe! I was able to find the museum. Sadly, all tickets for the day were already sold out. Oh well, some other time.

I decided to just use the time to walk around the almost empty NUS campus. I love the feeling of being in a university. It really brings back good memories of my own university experience.

So, that's it for 1 May.

Series of MV talks on Saturday afternoon...

Yesterday, I attended a talk for museum guides organised by the MV Group's Museum Continuing Education Committee.

I gotta give it to the team. They really do a good job in coming up with talks/sessions that add more knowledge to what docents learned during the training session.

There were three topics yesterday: 1.) Chitty Peranakans; 2.) Parsis in Singapore and 3.) a fellow MV's trip to Iran. The last topic was related to the talk about Parsis and Zoroastrianism.

It was a very informative talk. The speakers were all very knowledgeable and had a lot of information to share.

Prior to the talk, I managed to squeeze in some time to check out the ongoing Secrets of the Fallen Pagoda exhibit.

The collection was not that big so I was able to go through the exhibit rather fast.

The exhibit features relics and artefacts found from the Famen Temple in present day Xi'an, China. Famen Si is one of the most revered Buddhist sites in China.

According to the exhibit gallery guide:"A finger bone relic of the Buddha and magnificent Tang dynasty objects of gold, silver, ceramics, and glass were sealed within an underground crypt there. For more than 1000 years, these treasures were forgotten until their chance discovery in 1987."

Interesting Saturday it was.

Officially a museum guide at the National Museum of Singapore...

Saturday was a very special day for me.

After two months of history lectures and curator walkthroughs, two mock tours and my very first public tour a few weeks ago (which also doubled as my final exam), I am now officially a museum guide of the National Museum of Singapore.

A simple graduation ceremony for the new batch of docents (I like the sound of that!) was held last Saturday at one of the Seminar Rooms of the museum.

There are a total of 32 people who "survived" the rigorous training to be a docent. In my team alone, we had three people who left due to work (I think).

The new batch now joins the existing 40 over guides of the National Museum of Singapore and the more than 200 other guides of the 7 other museums under the National Heritage Board.

I'll be guiding at least once a month at the museum. The next one is towards the end of August. I'm excited because I get to do something that I've been wanting to do even when I was still in the Philippines.

I'm really happy to have been given the opportunity to be able to serve as a docent. As a foreigner living in Singapore, I feel that I am able to enjoy the best of two worlds - the Philippines and Singapore.

To a certain extent, this is also a simple way of me giving back to the country that has adopted me these past two years and counting. Though I've only been here for a little over two years, the experience is just awesome. (So please, MOM, keep extending my work permit. Hehe!)

Do drop by the museum one of these days...

Today is International Museum Day...

Photo from here.

In celebration of International Museum Day, free admission at a number of museums across the island. Yay! Among the museums with free admission are Asian Civilisations Museum, Peranakan Museum, Reflections at Bukit Chandu (which I've yet to visit), Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and SAM at 8Q, and of course, the National Museum of Singapore.

Afternoon with the Masters...

Having a painter for a father, I've been exposed to the art world at a very young age. I remember, as a young boy, I would wake up in the middle of the night and see my Dad in one of the rooms of the house. A watercolor brush in his one hand, different colors of paint on a palette, classical music in the background.

He had a number of books on the world's greatest artists lying around the house, and I remember I would marvel at the photographs of paintings by people I had no idea were legendary.

This, I guess, is one of the reasons why I have a natural affinity towards the art world. In uni, one of my favorite classes was Humanities II (Art and Society). I remember one of our exams was to talk about an artwork. What were the techniques used by the artist? What does the lighting mean? What were the objects in the painting? I talked about one of the ballerina paintings of Edgar Degas, and I remember getting 1.25 for that exam.

One of my dreams, of course, was to see these paintings up close. I envy my friends like Bernice, They and recently, Grace, who have had an opportunity to see the works of Masters during their travels abroad.

Last Saturday, that dream became a reality when I visited the Dreams & Reality exhibit at the National Museum of Singapore.

This is one of the things I love about Singapore. There is an effort to promote both local and international arts and culture among the locals. Since I moved here, I have had the opportunity to see so many great works.

The appropriately named exhibit featured over 140 Salon, Realists, Impressionists and Post-Impressionists paintings, photographs and drawings from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century from the collection of the world renowned Musée d'Orsay.

After handing over my ticket to the . The first painting to really wow, I guess, any visitor to the exhibit is Alexandre Cabanel's The Birth of Venus. It's the first huge painting you will see as you walk towards the hall leading to the other paintings.

I spent a good few minutes just marveling at the painting. I rented an audio guide, which helped me appreciate the painting even more.

The works of the "superstars" were uhm purposely placed towards the last section of the exhibit. Save the best for last I suppose.

Obviously, that's where I stayed the longest.

For many, including me, I'm sure the highlight of the exhibit was Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night.

When I saw it, I just stood there for several minutes in awe. I dunno if it's because I knew it was a van Gogh, or maybe because there was just really something about the painting that mesmerizes any person looking at it.

One surprise for me, which I liked, was the presence of works of female Impressionists. Not to be a sexist, I didn't have a clue that there were female Impressionists at that time. I was truly pleased when I saw that several of the outstanding pieces on display were by female artists like Berthe Morisot, Marie Braquemond and Eva Gonzalès.

The exhibit was definitely star-studded, so to speak. Manet, Monet, Cezanne, Gauguin, Degas, Pisarro, Renoir.

I allotted about two hours to see the exhibit, but I realized that it wasn't enough. I should probably allot close to half a day to have enough time admiring select pieces. I definitely want to see the van Gogh again, that's for sure!

The exhibit would be until Feb 2012. It would be awesome if my Dad were here, I'm sure he would really enjoy it.

The terracotta warriors were in town...

One of the things I really love about Singapore is the effort the government puts in advancing cultural knowledge by providing extensive support to its museums and similar institutions.

The Asian Civilisation Museum in Raffles Place is one of my favorite places here in SG. In addition to its highly interesting permanent exhibit showcasing Southeast Asian history, the ACM also holds exhibits that are always a treat for anyone hungry for history and culture.

From June to October, the ACM became the home of a number of pieces from China's well-renowned Terracotta Warriors discovery. Through the exhibit entitled Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor and His Legacy, I was able to see up close the magnificent archaeological pieces.

I've always wanted to go to Xian in China to see this. Thanks to ACM, I can delay that trip. Hehe!

It was on a Sunday some months ago that I checked out the exhibit. I just got back from a morning trip to the Sungei Buloh reserve park, I asked PG Boy if he wanted to check out the exhibit. I've been planning to really visit the exhibit, but haven't found the time to go. Good thing PG Boy wasn't that tired yet and he said yes.

After grabbing lunch at Marina Square, we walked to ACM.

I read that this was the first time the statues were showcased not just in Singapore, but in Southeast Asia as well.

The statues that were on display included a general, two archers, infantrymen, a cavalry officer, a charioteer, a strongman and a horse.

What made the exhibit more interesting for me was an iPhone app was developed especially for the exhibit. The app featured Augmented Reality experiences and mini-games and I was just wowed by it. Seriously.

PG Boy and I spent a good two hours roaming around the exhibit. Whereas I was busy taking photos (one more thing I love about ACM - photography allowed!), PG Boy followed the guided tour and listened intently to the museum docent. Hehe! He looked like a schoolboy who was very eager to learn about the pieces on display because an exam might be given. Hehe! Really cute.

The other thing that never fails to amaze me whenever I go to ACM or to most museums is how the exhibit was set up. I'm always interested how a painting or a sculpture was mounted, or what materials were used for the accompanying literature. It comes from the fact that I did events in my previous job. Hehe! I just never got rid of the habit. I seriously think working for a well-funded museum would be a job I can take. Hmm, why didn't I consider that when I was filling up my university application? Hehe!

The next exhibit I'm eyeing to visit is Dreams and Reality: Masterpieces from Musee d'Orsay, an exhibit at the National Museum. I'm really, really excited about this one because works by great painters like Van Gogh, Monet will be on display. Wooohooo!!!

Vacheron Constantin at the National Museum...

Vacheron Constantin.

I only know the brand because of its shop in Greenbelt 5, which is right beside other luxury watch stores.

I didn't know that it is the world's oldest watch manufacturer. Since 1755! Wow! That's a lot of history.

Though I'm not really a watch enthusiast (I've been using the same watch for the past how many years!!!), anything historical is something I find interesting. Haha!

When I saw that the watch manufacturer is having an exhibit at the National Museum, I definitely wanted to check it out.

Some 180 exceptional heritage pieces. Archived documents. Watchmaking tools.
The best part - free admission. Haha!

The person who I thought would be most interested in this exhibit is friend Mon. I messaged him about the exhibit, and true enough he was planning to go visit.

All we have to do now is schedule the visit. Woohoo!

Treasures of Vacheron Constantin : A legacy of watchmaking since 1755
Exhibition Gallery 1, Basement | 24 June - Fri 14 Aug 2011 | 10am - 6pm

Make time for it.

A day at the ACM...

One of the things that I really, really love about Singapore is the presence of so many interesting exhibits (and theater shows) all year round in different parts of the city.

Prior to moving here, I made sure that I checked out the different museums.

On my first week of moving here, I spent an entire day visiting the holy trinity (?) of museums in the city-state - the Asian Civilisation Museum, the National Museum, and the Singapore Art Museum.

That day was truly fantab because each museum had exhibits that were of different themes.

For this blog entry, I'm just going to talk about the Asian Civilisation Museum. The other two I will reserve for future blog entries.

The ACM is located near the Fullerton Hotel. If I'm not mistaken, the museum has a permanent exhibit which showcases the rich culture and history of Singapore and its neighboring countries. (I have no idea why there is nothing much about the Philippines though.)

Anyway, during my first week here, a special exhibit on the art of the Congo River was ongoing at the ACM. Lucky guy that I am, there was an open house on my first weekend.

I made sure that I went and it turned out to be such a fantastic visual treat.

The permanent exhibit was marvelous. The pieces on display were rich in culture, and the way the exhibit was curated was just impressive. I recently visited ACM again when friends JB and Miguel were in town, and I must say that I enjoyed it again. I don't think I'll ever tire of visiting that place.

The best part about that day I visited the Congo River art museum, I have to say, was getting to see Picasso art pieces up close and personal!!! It was completely unexpected so I was truly, truly ecstatic when I found out that there were Picasso pieces on dispay!!!

The masks and statues that were on display were awesome, yeah, but it was the Picassos that really made my heart skip a beat. It was just too good.

I didn't think I would be seeing a Picasso that soon.

Unfortunately, photos of the art works weren't allowed. I managed to take some photos from a distance though. Eeep, I hope I don't caned for doing that. Haha!

Oh, that's one other thing I like about museums here. You can actually take photos as long as you don't use a flash. It was just awesome.

In Manila, I don't understand why some museums don't allow photography. Ugh.

Moving on, that day at ACM was just really good.

During a recent visit, I read that an upcoming exhibit would be the… drumroll please… the Terracotta Warriors from China!!! Wooohooo! I'm really excited about it. I've been wanting to go to Beijing so that I can make a side trip to Xian province to see the warriors.

Now, I can see some of the precious pieces. Fantastic, fantastic. The exhibit is going to open sometime this June and I'm definitely going.

This is just the first of several exhibits I'm going to check out here. That's for sure.

On the same day, I visited the ACM, I went to the National Museum for the Beauty in Black exhibit which featured beautiful creations of Lagerfeld, Kawakubo, among others. (Now you know why another blog post is needed. Haha!) I also visited the Singapore Art Museum which featured several contemporary pieces, including works by Filipino artists. Coooool!

Check out the ACM website here for more deets - www.acm.org.sg/