Mint Toy Museum and Chijmes

23 May 2015

I ran out of time on the 22nd of May I could not visit the other museums due to the closing time. I decided to head to the other museum today. The museum that I planned to go today was the Mint Toy Museum. I took the train to Cityhall and walked to Seah Street. Seah street is just beside the Raffles Hotel. Even a direction idiot like my manage to find my way to the museum so you all would not have a problem finding your way.

Before you even step in you will see this on the outside do not be confused, the museum has a cafe outside but once you walk in you will see a small counter which is the entrance to the museum.

The museum is not free even to locals but the good thing, they have a student's discount. Students just need to pay $10.50 for the entry and they will receive a ticket.

I got my ticket and the staff was nice enough to advise us to go to the highest floor first to ease the hassle of walking up the stairs. We took the lift up to the 5th floor of the building.

When I first step out of the lift and walked into the main exhibition area I was overwhelmed by the number of toys there were showcased there. Toys from all over the world not only from Asia but also the European countries. 

Let the pictures do the talking from now. 

 Even though the entrance fee is a little on the high side, I think it very worth it to visit this museum. It was truly and eye opener.

After the Mint Toy Museum, I headed to Chijmes. To check out the architecture of the place. I walked there (again) because it is really very nearby. There is no need to take a bus or any form of transport. It is really very near. It is just opposite the Mint Museum of Toys.

Once I reached Chijmes I immediately went to the information board and took one of the brochures on the restaurants situated at Chijmes.

After taking a look at the map, I just decided to explore the place blindly. I walked to this row that sells only Japanese cuisine. The walls there are covered in murals too.

From here, I walked to the centre of Chijmes. I felt a sense of peace. It was very peaceful and quiet. To be honest, it felt like I was on a beach side bar just "chilling". There I saw many restaurants like Carnivore Brazilian Churrascaria, Oyster Bar and wine dining and many more. I walked towards the chapel area. The first thing I saw when I was at that area was the rustic spiral staircase.

If given the chance, I would definitely want to try dining at Chijmes one day. It seems like a place with a very relaxed ambience with a large amount of options to choose from when it comes to food. If you are a person that likes to visit historical monuments, you would definitely love it here.

My trip to the Museums of Singapore

22nd May 2015 

I decided to go to the Singapore National Museum after school. I was hoping to get a glimpse of the Lee Kwan Yew exhibition when I was there. I googled and searched, what is the easiest and most efficient way to get to the National Museum. I traveled from school so at that point, the easiest way for me to get their was via the 518 express bus. I stopped at the bus stop in front of the YMCA and walked from there. The bus ride was approximately 35-40 minutes and walking time is about 5 minutes(depends on speed) before I got to my destination. The building is really hard to miss. It is a huge white building with colonial architecture. In my opinion, it was beautiful (I am a person who likes vintage stuff and buildings). I was immediately drawn to the architecture of the building that I just had to snap a picture of it. 

When I entered the museum, immediately I felt the cool air of the museum. My immediate react was "shiok" because it was a very hot day. I thought I would get lost in such a big museum like this being the "Direction Idiot" that I am but there were many signage to lead you to where you intend or need to be. When I start to go in further, it was very peaceful, very quiet. I think if you dropped a pin people would have heard it. I decided to go up to the free Lee Kwan Yew exhibition on the second floor. I really wanted to go for the main exhibition but I was almost a month too late. It ended on the 25th April 2015. I was only left with the free exhibition. You all might think like "Oh free exhibition = Lousy" or "Free exhibition leaves you with 0 knowledge of Lee Kwan Yew" but no. The exhibition was small but there were a lot of information on the boards. 

Not to bad right? The boards were filled with information! Read up and learnt quite a bit about him too. 

After exploring the free exhibition, I decided to head over to the other side of the museum. On the way there, I found this machine under the staircase. Want a cheap souvenir from the National Museum? I highly recommend this. 

I carried on my way to the main area of the older side of the building and to my disappointment, the second level of the museum is currently under renovation till the end of September. That did not stop me from appreciating the designs of the museum. 

Since there were no exhibitions in the National Museum that I can go to, I decided to check out the area where all the pamphlets and brochures of the other museums. There, I found a brochure on the Peranakan Museum and the Singapore Philatelic Museum. 

Peranakan museum was the nearest so I decided to head to the Peranakan museum first. On the way to the Peranakan museum, you would pass by a restaurant that sells authentic Peranakan cuisine but they were closed because we went around around 4 plus. They only open from 11am-3pm and 6pm to 9.30pm. I also passed by substation. I found out through the brochures there that substation is a theatre that showcase local productions and just next door is Peranakan Museum. 

Took a mandatory tourist shot and proceeded into the museum. At such museums you would not really expect a guard or a doorman to open the door for you right? One of the staff opened the door for us to enter and actually greeted us. Immediately you would feel very welcomed. Best part of this museum is that LOCALS ENTER FOR FREE! Just remember to bring your IC along when you visit this museum. I got my sticker and I went to the exhibition on the first floor. 

Here is a short video of what you see at the area on the first floor. I proceeded up the stairs to the second floor, there they will show you the ways of the Nonyas and Babas. 

 This mat actually showcase the talent of the Nonyas. They are known for their beaded items. 

 Here is a close up of it. Look at how much work is put into actually create this piece. Truly amazing.

Here are just the type of furniture that are used by them in the old days. 

These are just some of the costumes that are worn during weddings. 

Last but not least, another mandatory tourist shot at the top level of the musem. I would have to say I enjoyed my visit to the Peranakan Museum I really enjoyed myself will definitely make a second trip there. 

Since there was some time left, I decided to head to the Singapore Philatelic museum which was also walking distance from the Peranakan Museum. That day I saved a lot of money and burn quite a lot of fats due to the walking and of course the weather. The Philatelic museum is easy to spot because it is hard for you to miss a European style red mailbox in the middle of a pathway in Singapore. The moment I walked in, I saw a sort of messy surrounding due to the small building so everything seems very cluttered. It was very quiet, it seemed very much like a ghost town. Could be due to the lack of marketing? I am not very sure. To be honest, I did not come across this museum until I saw the brochure at the National Museum. Again, free admission for locals. I got my sticker and proceeded into the museum. The first thing I saw was a Elvis Presley tribute area. 

Headed up to the second floor to see their old mail systems and the old kind of stamps. 

Here is a video of me attempting to play the piano at the children play area in the Philatelic museum.

This pretty much sums up my day and my trip to the 3 museums. I would say that I would definitely return to the National Museum as I have been there quite a few times before they commenced renovation and I really like the exhibitions they carry out there as for Peranakan Museum I would go back again to make sure I cover every corner of the museum, I saw an area which is an up and coming part of the museum. Probably a new exhibition. I would recommend to go to Singapore Philatelic museum at least once in their life but if you ask me, I do not think I would be heading back a second time until there is a new feature or exhibition there. 

History of Bugis/Bras Basah

Did you know? 
Bugis, Singapore was renowned internationally from the 1950s to 1980s for its nightly gathering of trans women. It was an "event" that made it Singapore's top destinations during that period. To be honest I did not even know about this until I did a research on Bugis. The Bugis that I know and I am sure the same goes to all of you, the Bugis that I know is filled with retail outlets and eateries. The malls that are standing there now are Parco Bugi, Bugis Street and Iluma.

So how did Bugis transform to the current Bugis that we recognise now?
Well, in the 1980s Bugis street underwent a major redevelopment into a complex of modern shopping malls, restaurants and legalized back-alley vendors. During this time, they also started to dig underground to construct the current Bugis MRT that we have now.

What's the story about Bras Basah and how it got its name?
On GD Coleman's map 1836 Map of Singapore this road appeared as Beras Basah. in malay, Beras means harvested rice with the husk removed and beras means wet. The road got its name because in the early days, wet rice was laid to dry on the channels of the "wet water stream" (also known as the stamford canal). BUT there is another version, tons of rice were brought by boats into the lagoon to spread onto the dry road.

The places that are stated here are frequented by people but how many of them actually know the history of these places? This has actually opened my eyes to how much history I am walking on when I am there.