Mexican Art Exhibition at Singapore Art Museum

Mexican Art Exhibition at Singapore Art Museum

My family members and I were looking for weekend places in Singapore to see when we withered down the choices to a handful. The Singapore Art Museum *surprise* finally came out tops in the family vote. This was due in no small part to the heavy thunderstorms in recent weeks that ruled out outdoor areas. Other indoor museum venues like the National Museum were out-voted as one or another family member had already made earlier trips.

We checked out the exhibition: Camino a la Modernidad, The Path to Modernity: Mexican Modern Painting not because it "traced the major developments in Mexican art from the 1900s to the 1950s, where Mexican society underwent tremendous changes in social and political spheres that impacted much of its artistic expression."

We were also not too aware about how the "Mexican Revolution (1910) laid the foundation for a new artistic movement, Mexican Mural Renaissance, which attempted to bridge the class divide in the construction of a national identity and aesthetic, through bringing art to the masses in the form of highly accessible, outdoor public art murals."

Our tour strategy was simple: start with the newest exhibits, followed by the next most recent... until we either covered every square metre of the museum or when any one of us felt disinclined to continue any more.

There were over 70 works from important Mexican public and private collections, including works by renowned mural artists Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, Roberto Montenegro, Rufino Tamayo, Maria Izquierdo and Frida Kahlo. All those unfamiliar names laid bare my ignorance of Mexican art.

The wonderful thing about looking at art works is that there is no one perfect way to interpret what the artist has painted, and the intention behind every stroke of paint. We could discuss what we saw with our untrained eyes and still stay happy with our own interpretations. Some paintings attracted us with their pleasing subject matters, while a few were harsh on the eyes (and mind). 

One game we liked to play at exhibitions was for each of us to choose one or two favourite paintings and to compare notes later to see if we shared the same views and thoughts. My selection of the following Mexican Art Exhibition works are presented below.

Mexican Art Exhibition Photo 1:

I thought this face stood out for its convincing life-like, life-sized, musculine features. The collared attire framed his face very well too. It was to my surprise when I read the accompanying notes that this was Frida Kahlo's self protrait, her Self-Portrait with Medallion, that was done in oil/ masonite in the year 1948. 


Mexican Art Exhibition Photo2:

This face frozen in mid scream was another Mexican painting at the Mexican Art Exhibition that intrigued me. More deformed and less contorted than the other famous expressionist painting by Edvard Munch. Dark mood with an attitude. You either love it or hate it.

Mexican Art Exhibition Photo3:

In Diego Rivera's Night Landscape, first glance of the painting reveals a tree crowded with country people observing an event at night. As I stared a little longer, the tree seemed to transform into a hand with spindly fingers as its branches, as if an evil hand had these poor souls in its grasp. It was only days later after reviewing my photographic image that a word appeared. Can you make out that word in this painting?  

Catch these intriguing art works and many more at the Camino a la Modernidad, The Path to Modernity: Mexican Modern Painting at the Singapore Art Museum. The exhibition runs from 15 November 2009 to 3 January 2010 in Singapore.

Visit Singapore Art Museum website for details.

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Masriadi Exhibition At Singapore Art Museum

Masriadi Exhibition At Singapore Art Museum:

This post was created because of Yesterday.sg, the brainchild of the National Heritage Board. I recently read several posts there that had great impact on me.

Visitors to Yesterday.sg would not have missed NHB’s prominent post on the first-ever Heritage Starbloggers Contest. To qualify for this Starblogger contest and perhaps win attractive prizes, I had to search for an NHB museum or heritage idea to blog about. Again yesterday.sg’s voluminous and insightful articles came to the rescue.

The exhibition “Masriadi: Black is My Last Weapon”, a first solo exhibition of the renowned contemporary Indonesian artist I Nyoman Masriadi featuring works from 1998 to 2008, caught my attention. Held at the 8Q SAM, the newest baby of the Singapore Art Museum, two yesterday.sg members wrote enough about it to trigger further action.

In “The Power of Black” at Yesterday.sg, I found the painted comic version of Batman from DC Comics in Masriadi’s “Neon Hero” intriguing. In another yesterday.sg post, ‘What’s Your Speech Bubble", the mention that his paintings "command the highest prices in the field of contemporary Indonesian art” raised my temperature even more.

I googled “Masriadi” and discovered that one of his painting "Sudah Biasa di Telanjangi" ("Used to Being Stripped") was recently sold for $540,000 at a Christie’s auction house according to Newsweek.com. Immediately a lighted bulb appeared in my thought bubble. I was sold on the idea of a visit to 8Q Singapore Art Museum to inspect these costly paintings.

Next, I had to convince my kids. As a parent with young children, it can be difficult most times to raise kids’ enthusiasm for a visit to an art museum, especially when they have little flair for art and craft. Lame excuses about art pieces and paintings – boring, ugly, “too cheem” and other unflattering remarks seemed to surface, again. (Eh... these comments are not directed specifically at SAM, ok?)

So what did I do? Let them play computer games! While surfing SAM’s website, I discovered an online computer game based on Masriadi’s exhibition themes.


This slash-and-shoot arcade game may not look as fun as playing Formula 1 racing but it became addictive once we mastered the controls. Unfortunately the software programming seemed to favour the baddies and in the end we could only battle our way to the fifth and final level before succumbing to an invincible green-blob monster.

As exams were nearing and our kids not impressed by snippets of these paintings on-line, only wife and I eventually made the trip.

First glance inside level 4 of 8Q Singapore Art Museum gallery revealed large blackish paintings bearing down on us. So threatening! Especially the warrior with a sword (no, not the museum guard with walkie talkie) that hung on an air-conditioned wall did not appear too friendly upon our approach.

Yet as I warmed up to the presence of these paintings, I found myself drawing closer to the art pieces. Larger than life, these plump-looking figures with oversized features reminded me of similar work by Fernando Botero that were once exhibited in Singapore. Except that in Masriadi's paintings, the figures seemed to have more muscular profiles splashed with prominent shades of grey and black. Even squiggles and bubble writing were bold statements done in black marker ink. Such a gloomy colour would have easily doomed lesser paintings but in Masriadi’s hands, black really rocked.

Of the 30-odd masterpieces, I liked the painting entitled “Geli-Geli” (Ticklish) best. You can see it here at the row of thumbnails located at the bottom of 8Q SAM webpage. It featured two wrestlers (an artist and an art-dealer) where one was busy cleaning his ear while the other struggled in the contest. His sarcastic visual commentary on the state of the art market is evidently clear. This cheeky sense of humour is also expressed in the many strategic scribbles placed like graffitti on his paintings.

Regarding that half-million-dollar painting “Used to Being Stripped”, let’s just say that if the market rate for it remained unaffected by the current US credit turmoil, then I would presume that some of the other more aesthetically pleasing pieces could easily command higher bids at auctions.

As I left the exhibition satisfied with the outing, a lingering thought still remained. What would my speech bubble say? In reply to this question posed by a member of yesterday.sg, mine would look something like this:

Masriadi paintings sat on a wall.
Seen this scene that’s black and more.
All the flashy cybergame
And all of comic Batman fame
Could not bring my children
And Singapore Art Museum
Together again.
{Scribble}: I no shame,
only playing Starblogger game.

What would you like to do next?

1. Visit Singapore Art Museum

2. Visit 8Q SAM

3. Visit Yesterday.sg

4. Join Starbloggers contest

5. All the above!

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Images Taken During My Family's Visit To Peranakan Museum: Published With Written Permission

Images Taken During My Family's Visit To Peranakan Museum: Published With Written Permission

If you read my earlier post on the Peranakan Museum, you would have noticed I wrote that no images of the exhibits in the Peranakan Museum could be published without permission. As a sceptical individual living on an island, I had assumed that their website notice was a polite way of saying NOBODY can publish any images from Peranakan Museum at all. Really. I had even published the earlier text without photos of the exhibits here.

As there was no form on its website to indicate who or where we could approach for permission, I took a chance and e-mailed them on their feedback form, believing it would be swallowed into a blackhole, never to be heard from again. I was really surprised when I received a reply the next day informing me that they were "OK for you to upload your personal photos of the Peranakan Museum on your weblog".

To Ms Joice Toh, Manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications Unit of the Peranakan Museum, thank you! I hope this would not unleash a flood of email requests to keep you from your busy schedule.

So enough talk, here's the photos.

Above 2 pics: The tok panjang (long dining table) with pingang mangkok (bowls and plates) demonstrating fine intricate motifs.


Above: One of the many kamcheng (porcelain pot) that may possibly feed a person with enough nutritional soup for weeks!


Above: Figure-hugging kebayas

Above: curtain of fertility motifs and good-luck amulets


Above: hands-on station for visitors to get in touch with the exhibits.

Above: Order of Temasek medal



Above: my girl trying to figure out whether girls or boys wear these clothes.


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A Family's Impressions Of The Peranakan Museum, Singapore: Marriages, Mothers, Models, Medals And Much More

A Family’s Impressions of Peranakan Museum Singapore: Marriages, Mothers, Models, Medals And Much More

My family of five, who carry no known Peranakan genes, paid a recent visit to Singapore’s Peranakan Museum at 39 Armenian Street, for a Saturday afternoon of exploration and learning. This occurred after the hustle and bustle of its recent opening festivities had subsided. What I discovered was a lavish collection of Peranakan artefacts spread throughout ten entertaining galleries in an impressive three-level building. To my family, the memories in the Peranakan Museum seemed to revolve around makan, marriages, mothers, models, medals, mourners and much more.

The many exhibits that were supplemented with information boards and audiovisual aids at the Peranakan Museum overwhelmed us. I would have loved to put up photographic images of the Peranakan Museum exhibits to share but the Peranakan Museum website has a warning: “No images of the Museum or its collections may be reproduced, distributed in any media, including websites, without permission from ACM.” You can inspect the high quality images at their museum website over here.

Who is a Peranakan and how do you recognize one? For this and other questions, my family wandered into Gallery One on the ground floor of the Peranakan museum to check out the photographic models of present-day Peranakan faces smiling from three walls. An audiovisual presentation in the same room performed a brief introduction that I felt did not provide in-depth answers.

From the photographs, it was not possible to discern any distinguishing feature to identify a Peranakan. According to the Peranakan Museum A-Z guide, I quote: “the term ‘Peranakan’, meaning ‘child of’ or ‘born of’ in Malay, has come to refer to the descendents of traders who intermarried with local women in Southeast Asia. Over time, a distinctive culture that brought together Chinese, Malay, Indian, European and other influences, emerged.”

Of the Peranakan Museum’s ten galleries of exhibits, my family liked the gallery with the tok panjang (long dining table) laid with pingang mangkok (bowls and plates). We loved the large spread of exquisite bowls, plates and other crockery, designed with fine intricate motifs of butterflies, phoenixes, peonies and pink emblems on both surfaces of the crockery. Just based on these exquisite display sets, I could imagine all the aromatic goodies calling out to my nostrils to sample Peranakan cuisine. A wall display nearby filled with rows of kamcheng (porcelain pots) with their elaborately attractive designs captivated our attention as well.

The twelve-day Peranakan wedding ceremony galleries provided an eye-opening experience. The matrimonial bedroom easily earned our family’s 'best visual exhibit' accolade. Besides beautiful carvings on the bedposts, a curtain of fertility motifs and good-luck amulets added to the superstitious mystique surrounding this bed used in yesteryears. While it was considered one of the largest furniture pieces during its heyday, I would deem it a size too small, and a tad too ostentatious for minimalist-designed bedrooms of today.

Other aspects of the wedding gallery intrigued. The service of a young boy to bless the wedding bed in the hope of procreating a son as shown in the video screening brought out a question from one of my daughters on the reason for the biasness of the generations at that time. While the deployment of a cockerel and a hen under the matrimonial bed to determine the sex of a couple’s first born might be hailed as a ridiculous practice in the light of modern scientific knowledge, this practice was still considerably more elegant than flipping a coin.

My wife and children were awed by the hand-sewn beaded pieces of embroidery like the million-bead tablecloth as well as the figure-hugging kebaya collection. While they checked out the laces, styles and designer quirks, I was wondering how useful these priceless investments would be as a collector’s item to beat inflation. The museum’s other exhibits of gorgeous handiwork like beaded slippers, knee pads and handkerchiefs, plus the history of house confinement for girls above twelve years old to learning sewing, beading and cooking, showed a society that placed great emphasis on training for married life and motherhood.

above: 'medals' of museum entry sticker tickets

Elsewhere within the museum walls, I noticed several medals on display. There was a Darjah Utama Temasek (Order of Temasek) medal conferred on Mr Lim Kim San and an Order of the British Empire (1918) medal for Dr Lim Boon Keng, amongst the exhibits. These offered ignorant visitors like me some idea of the significant contributions of prominent Peranakans in the past. Along the same corridor of this gallery, you cannot miss the large portraits of Tan Tock Seng, Tan Kim Seng and Gan Eng Seng, wealthy Peranakans rightly recognized for their philanthropic far-sightedness.

above: stamping machine enchantment

My kids did not jump with thrill when I pointed out clothes on display at one of the galleries that Peranakan kids used to wear on special occasions. They thought it was not as fashionable or comfortable as their present-day all-purpose T-shirts. However, there was one item in almost all galleries that enchanted them. The stamping machine was their favourite “exhibit” at the Peranakan Museum and they expressed disappointment with a broken piece at one of the galleries.

It was obvious at the end of the tour that the extensive use of glass barriers in the galleries prevented close proximity to better appreciate details. Thus it was no surprise that my children enjoyed one of the galleries because of the old telephone exhibits. There were three reasons for that. The telephones were a novelty to them. They were allowed to handle and play with the telephones. They could listen to weird conversations by strange-sounding voices. The wall display holding three items (including a single kasut manek) that were encased with holes large enough for hands to reach the items was a letdown as my children preferred them to be more accessible, perhaps like those hand phones on sale in a shop with a wire chained to the item.

The mourners’ wail at a corner of the Religion Gallery was a rather morbid auditory experience. For those who are “pantang” or superstitious about such funerary displays, it is best to heed the warning signs posted at the door and skip this creepy section.

In a nutshell, a two-hour visit to the Peranakan Museum inclusive of a guided tour is insufficient time for a curious family with little prior background knowledge to truly appreciate all the exhibits and the stories behind them. To extract a better understanding from the visit, books like Peranakan Museum A-Z Guide (first published by the Asian Civilisations Musuem for the Pernakan Museum 2008) and Lim GS Catherine’s Gateway To Peranakan Culture (Asiapac Books 2007) helped me to patch up the gaps. As for my children, who had to tag along because I recommended it, they were able to find something to learn. Most importantly, they managed to enjoy the visit to the Peranakan Museum without being saddled with the feeling that museum visits were boring turn-offs.

[Latest Update as at 18 June 2008:]

I have obtained permission from Peranakan Museum to upload the photographs taken at the museum. Here is the link to Images Taken During My Family's Visit To Peranakan Museum: Published With Written Permission.

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National Heritage Board Celebrates International Museum Day 2008

National Heritage Board Celebrates International Museum Day 2008

The National Heritage Board (NHB) is celebrating International Museum Day 2008 (IMD 2008) with three days of events across 46 museums from 31 May 2008 to 2 June 2008 in Singapore. This year's International Museum Day 2008 emphasis is on our senior citizens aged 60 and above. There will be specially organized bus trips, workshops and events and free entry to selected museums on those three days. Senior citizens will also get to enjoy free admission to all National Heritage Board museums every Monday.

For visitors of all other ages, you will not be left out. There are programmes for children and adults, some free of charge at the various museums throughout Singapore's museums on 31 May, 1^st June and 2^nd June 2008. For instance, there will be free Children Craft programmes at the National Museum Concourse Level 1 on 31 May from 10am to 5pm. Children will also enjoy magic tricks performed by a magician using stamps at the Singapore Philatelic Museum on 31 May from 12pm to 1pm.

Free entry to the following museums on Open House Day 31 May 2008

Asian Civilisations Museum

National Museum Of Singapore

NEWater Visitor Centre

NUS Museum

Memories at Old Ford Factory

Peranakan Museum

Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research

Reflections at Bukit Chandu

red dot design museum

Republic of Singapore Air Force Museum

Singapore Art Museum

Singapore City Gallery

Singapore Philatelic Museum

For more details

Call IMD 2008 Hotline: 62214463 (9am – 7pm daily)

Website: http://www.yesterday.sg/imd08/

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VIPs At Airforce Museum Singapore: Very Important Persons, Planes And Processes

VIPs At Airforce Museum: Very Important Persons, Planes and Processes

The VIPs who greeted my wife, youngest daughter and myself when we visited Singapore’s Airforce Museum on a recent Saturday afternoon impressed me. These Very Important Persons, Planes and Processes were prominent displays and exhibits housed in a two-storey bulding at Airport Road, just an airplane length away from Paya Lebar Airport.

Who Are The Very Important Persons
The men who toil in the skies to protect our nation are evident in the many photographs, write-ups and pin-ups that decorate the 8 gallery walls of the Airforce Museum. What tops it all are vintage photographs of Singapore’s political leadership with their quotes of wisdom highlighted for generations to appreciate. These are obvious signs of the important function and expectation that the nation places on these elite Airforce units to safeguard Singapore’s security interests.

Where Are The Very Important Planes
On the ground floor of the Museum is a large hangar-like space where decommissioned planes and helicopters have found a new lease of life. These original fighter planes and training aircrafts prove to be crowd pleasers, as visitors can get up close and personal to them.

My girl enjoyed the opportunity to touch the planes and peep into the intricate innards of aircraft bellies and cockpits. This intimate engagement stands out as a positive public relations act for the museum, as compared to the recent do-not-touch-me exhibits of the Singapore Airshow 2008.

At the second level entrance, visitors are greeted by a breathtaking floor to ceiling glass panel containing miniature models of all the aircraft, air defence and surveillance systems that ever existed in the arsenal of our Airforce.

A life-sized mock-up cockpit is a popular hangout for museum visitors. Complete with a seat, belts and a two-handed joystick, this cockpit is magnet for the young kids and little children who linger around like bees to honey.

What Are The Very Important Processes
While not all command and control details in the Airforce are elaborated in the displays due to obvious security concerns, there is enough information to assess the processes that make the airforce tick.

The training of a Hunter fighter pilot, which amounted to S$800,000 each in fiscal year 1970, is given prominence and due recognition in the exhibits. In particular the history of the Black Knights since inception, occupies a large footprint in the exhibition corridors. The cable car accident of 1983, that involved helicopter pilots from the Force, is told through lighted panels surrounding a large replica model of the actual location.

One can feel assured, after a visit to the Airforce Museum, that national security by the men, machines and method of the Airforce is in excellent VIP hands.

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Glamour And Glitter At Raffles Hotel Museum, Singapore

(Above: Hollywood's Ava Gardner)

Raffles Hotel Museum, Singapore

Glamour and glitter, distilled from Raffles Hotel’s luminous heritage, are abundant and apparent at the Raffles Hotel Museum to a casual visitor like me. If lifestyles of old-Singapore’s crème de la crème are your cup of tea, this place of interest may stir your paparazzi instincts. The story of Raffles Hotel began with its founding in 1887 when it was named after the founder of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles. Over the decades, its prominence as the de facto place to be seen and heard was cemented. This museum came into being after the hotel went under the knife for a major makeover in 1991.

(Above: Interior of Raffles Hotel Museum)

Located at Bras Besar Road, the Raffles Hotel Museum sits at the third level of the Raffles Hotel complex, occupying prime land at the Central Business District. You can peer at the many photographs, correspondence, maps, porcelain crockery and leftover memorabilia of Singapore and the region. The fascinating collection keeps its focus on travel-related materials during the golden age of travel. With its high ceilings and wide windows, the cozy museum welcomes admission between 10am to 6pm without any charge.

(Upper pic: USA's President George W Bush and Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kwan Yew in 1992. Lower pic: Malaysia's Chief Minister designate Tengku Abdul Rahman and Singapore's Chief Minister David Marshal in 1955)

Of the many items on display, some exhibits attracted my attention more than others. An old rickshaw, looking forlorn at a corner, must have seemed as grand as a Rolls Royce back in the days when vehicular traffic was non-motorized. An old municipal map of the area showed the tremendous change that this grand hotel had witnessed. Photographs, yellow with age, point to famous personalities, writers and royalty from the past and the present. The presence of Hollywood starlet Ava Gardner, immortalised in a smiling photo, added glamour and a little glitter to a display cabinet here.

Raffles Hotel Museum is recommended for those with a penchant for the heritage charms of Raffles Hotel. Turn up the nostalgia after you’ve sipped the famous Singapore Sling at the Long Bar and bagged the most popular souvenir at the gift shop – the Raffles Hotel mug.

Do you have any interesting museums to recommend?

Take care, stay happy.

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On The Nalanda Trail At Asian Civilisations Museum Singapore

On The Nalanda Trail At Asian Civilisations Museum Singapore

To say that my recent visit to the special exhibition, On The Nalanda Trail, currently held at the Asian Civilisations Museum from November 2007 to 23 March 2008 was a cerebral experience would be an understatement.



Above: Photo of "Kwan Yin" at Southeast Asia Gallery 3


This exhibition showcased the historical records and relics of Buddhism as its concepts spread throughout Asia 800 years ago. Through rare art pieces and various exquisite artworks, we were told how religious personnel traveled to and from Nalanda, a place in India well known for its center of learning in Buddhist studies, in order to educate other cultures.

Why visit?
Why did I fork out $10 to visit this museum’s special exhibition, On The Nalanda Trail? There were two reasons. The first was my curiosity to search for an unusual place of interest. The second was a desire to push myself beyond my circle of comfort. At this exhibition, I found a golden opportunity to learn if there could be a case to mix recreation with religion.

What did I learn?
1) Special Treatment
Special exhibitions allowed special visitor “treatment”. We were made to pass through metal detectors to filter away photographic and video-recording devices. One reason given was the consideration to protect the art pieces from damage by photographic lighting. I suspect another reason could be the consideration to protect the mystery of the exhibits to attract more visitors.

2) Geography and Travel
Our guide introduced many new geographic locations on a huge wall-mounted map to detail the historical routes taken by monks and pilgrims across India, China and South East Asia. Visitors who have a penchant for pilgrimages or educational tours need not fly to these destinations, as they are now available at the Asian Civilisations Museum on a temporary basis.

3) Aesthetic Merit
Many original ancient sculptures and statues were worthy of appreciation in view of their artistic refinement and beauty. Made of stones and bronze, the physical features of statues were remarkably detailed. Various styles of Prized collections of international repute, many of these national treasures have never left museums in India except for this short loan period.

4) Legal Tender
Even in ancient times, coins were circulated not only for commercial transactions but also as a form of communication through use of religious symbols imprinted on coin surfaces.

5) Religious Theme
For those interested in religion, the highlight of this exhibition must be the bone relics of Buddha, which was kept in separate room with its own security personnel in attendance.

6) International Ties
In the spread of Buddhism, international ties were also reflected through the discovery of historical relics throughout Asia and even South East Asia with the conspicuous absence of Singapore. Locally, no discovery of any item with a religious connection had been made yet and our guide mentioned the possibility of a few pieces being buried under the padang.

7) Adults Mainly
This place of interest certainly would not interest children very much, as I discovered at the museum. Of those who did turn up, they were more excited to play hide-and-seek with one another along the dimly lit corridors of the exhibition gallery.

Once in a while, a visit to such a rare exhibition could serve to stimulate the mind. Do you have any destination that stimulates your mind?

Take care and be happy.

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Greek Masterpieces At National Museum Of Singapore

Greek Masterpieces From The Louvre

I visited the National Museum of Singapore recently. The object of my curiosity? A tiny token of Greek masterpieces drawn from the famous Louvre Museum in Paris, paraded for the first in Singapore from 9 Dec 2007 to 16 March 2008.

What's In the Stores?

Scattered throughout the cavernous exhibition hall at National Museum's basement were Greek sculptures, figures, vases and jewellery from ancient Athens and beyond. By reading bilingual scripted signboards after proper introduction by a knowledgeable museum guide, I managed to make some sense of the four sections on display.

What did I learn?

In my humble opinion, using simple terms and non-academic jargon:

1) Open display of genitalia in various art forms was not considered taboo in Greek society during the 4th and 5th century BC. (Fast forward to the present: modern-day artists continue to keep this tradition alive in galleries and museums.)

2) For male citizens of Greece, military warfare was a highly coveted career path. (Fast forward: Unlike those times, we now conscript all male citizens for up to 2.5 years plus another ten years of Nsman service to allow proficiency in the study on the art of war. )

3) Only citizens could vote at that time. (Fast forward: We have not changed since then. )

4) For women, universal suffrage was an alien language. (Fast forward: We now make our children study it in school, plus second language, higher mother-tongue, third language, etc.)

5) Slaves were acquired to keep family compounds tidy. (Fast forward: We've replaced these workers' titles to sound much nicer: foreign domestic workers; and issue letters on how to treat them better.)

6) The more slaves, the richer the family. (Fast Forward: Similar to present concept where more maids could indicate means-testing failure.)

7) Ancient society was preoccupied with Greek heroes. (Fast forward: We copied history and now occupy ourselves with Heroes on TV.)

8) The Greeks invented a term 'Agon', loosely translated to mean challenge or the spirit of competition. (Fast forward: We've also started our kids young with challenges like competition for places in Nursery classes, balloting for places in Primary One. )

Looking For More

I had no inkling that I could learn so much from an hour's visit to this exhibition. I'm glad I caught these Greek products before their expiry dates and departure from Singapore. It's been a welcomed change of routine. I shall be looking out for more.

Do you have any interesting place to recommend?

Take care, be happy.

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