Asian Civilisations Museum

Singapore - The Asian Civilisation Museum is about 10 minutes walk from Cathedral but it was pouring cats and dogs.   It cost $12 to enter the special exhibits on Angkor, but was allowed to enter free of charge.  The Asian Civilisations Museum is devoted to the rich artistic heritage of Asia, especially the ancestral cultures of Singaporeans.  

Angkor Exhibition

Picture of Angkor Wat

Collections

Elephant sculpture 

Asian Performing Arts Gallery

Chinese Ceramics Gallery

Types of Ceramics

Contemporary Art by Pich

Sopheap Pich is a Cambodian artist that created this outdoor exhibit of the Cambodian Beng Tree and Ordeal Tree.

Tang Shipwreak exhibits

National Museum of Singapore - another day @ the museum

Singapore -  The National Museum of Singapore is just a short stroll along Stamford, passed SMU school of accountancy.    I went to register to enter the museum and was told that today is free for all visitors.   "What's the occasion?" I asked and was told "It is the opening ceremony of the children's corner.

I started off at Level 1 which housed the "Singapore History Gallery" - the exhibits starts from pre-colony era, The British colony times, WW2 under the Japanese occupation, Singapore today.

Sir Stamford Raffles

Village theme

The Rickshaw

Bust of Lim Bo Seng

Japanese tank

S Rajaratnam arm chair, table and specs

Another exhibition on 2nd floor is "Story of the Forest" -  I entered 2 dark curtains into a kaleidoscope of objects and animals moving with sounds as I walked down a winding Rotunda to the 1st floor.

Story of the Forest

Looking up to the dome

Children was spread lying on every corner of the floor looking up this spectacle of brilliant play of colours and creativity.

It was well worth my time @ this museum.  

National Gallery Singapore

Singapore - Just across my Cathedral is this beautiful restored City hall and Supreme Court transformed into a National Gallery Singapore.   This museum housed mainly visual arts from Singapore and around Southeast Asia.  

Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas, laid the foundation stone of the Supreme Court building on 1 April 1937. Underneath it is a time capsule containing newspapers dated 31 March 1937 and currency from the Straits Settlements. It is due to be retrieved in the year 3000.

The Keppel Centre for Art Education on level 1 caters to mainly youth and children with the Children museum workshop, art corridor, Children museum and many galleries for them.

Glass panel from a height

Scare of heights?

It is an illusion of clear lights and placement which gives you a feeling of staring down from great heights.

Chair in a corner

This chair in the corner is in fact another illusion at the DBS gallery.   Cleverly placed pieces of artwork to create tricks to the eye.

Actual display

Rotunda

One the 3rd floor, The Rotunda was part of the Supreme court building which houses the law library.   On the 4th floor, I was able to see the uppermost top of the Rotunda.

Rotunda dome

The City Hall and Supreme court was beautifully transformed allowing a play of light and colour.

Corridor of the former Supreme court

Listening to Architecture

This exhibit at the ArchiGallery offers insight into the enduring histories and architectural designs of the two national monuments and their dramatic transformations into a home for Southeast Asian art.

Beautiful artwork 

Bamboo artwork

This artwork consist of bamboo maze structure was designed by Rirkrit Tiravanija on the 5th floor at Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden gallery.  Within the center of the bamboo structure sits a Japanese tea house.   I walked halfway through the maze and turned back.

On the 5th and 6th floor has 4  restaurants with a very nice view of Singapore skylight and I think it would look amazing at night.

Esplande and Marina Bay Sands

Sofitel Hotel

Central business district

It was a well spent afternoon at the National Gallery.

The Peranakan Museum

Singapore - Just a short walk down the street, I came across The Peranakan Museum located @ 39 Armenian Street.  After registering, I was asked by the front desk whether I would like to go on a guided tour and I was the only person on this tour.   After about 20 minutes, a Singaporean couple join the tour.

I am a Peranakan and both my parents are Peranakan too.   From young, my parents spoke Malay to my grand parents and relatives.   Walking through this museum brought back fond memories but some of the old traditions are no longer practice by my family.

Beaded table cloth

Wedding gifts

These are the wedding exchange gifts for the bride and groom families.   A pig trotters too is given my the groom family plus jewelry and many more.

Hair combing session

The wedding bed

Unfortunately, I have to cut short the guided tour to pick up my son.  This is one museum all visitors to Singapore should go to.

Singapore Philatelic Museum

Singapore - After dropping off my son @ church I had some time to kill, and decided to walk around Singapore Civic district and came across this big sign that caught my attention ' Free admission for Singapore citizen and PR" for all national museum.  

The Singapore Philatelic Museum is a museum about stamps, situated @ 23-B Coleman Street and houses almost 200 years of Singapore's past in stamps.

Singapore Post scooter

Hello Kitty stamp collection

Heritage room stamps

Letter Box

Singapore Pre WW2 letter boxes

It was a small museum and took me about 30 minutes to view most of the major exhibits.

Shwe Sa Bwe restaurant

Yangon - This restaurant was ranked #1 on TripAdvisor and so I must give it a try.   We arrived on time for our 7.30pm booking.  It's not far from our hotel and also sits on the north shore of the Inya Lake.

Walking through the restaurant gives you a British colonial feeling, a beautifully decorated mansion and is one of the best fine dining in Yangon.   It has a catering training school  and was started as a social enterprise by a French expat Francois Stoupan.   Only a small intake of 22 students graduate per year and they come from all over Myanmar most from disadvantage backgrounds.

Dinner is from set meals of two or three courses.  We choose the 3 course meals.

Kawauchi and me

Salad

My first course was so beautifully and painstaking decorated like a fine artist. The vegetables are nicely placed on a cut out ring of watermelon.

Veal 

The veal was nicely done - rare in the middle and succulent.   Yummy....

Desert

This is art by passionate to be chefs.   The brown crust is meringue crisp and within is the ice-cream.   The ice was still solid sold.     A really good meal.

Lotte Hotel Yangon

Yangon - I was impressed with this newly opened 5-star Hotel in Yangon, very clean and spacious.   Lotte Yangon sits on the bank of the Inya Lake.     This is the largest lake in Yangon and is man-made by the British as a water reservoir between 1882 and 1883 in order to provide a water supply to Yangon.

View from the Hotel Lobby

Hotel Entrance