National Museum of Singapore.

Got dragged to the museum by E as he insisted we should visit as many famous landmarks as possible before leaving Singapore for good *rolls eyes* Not that I have anything better to do that day anyway. That was sometime ago, before DS Lite came into the picture. You know what, wandering around aimlessly the other day, I saw a shop selling themed DS Lite kits, so nice can? One that really caught my attention was the Transformers kit, totally awesome but also really expensive. Oh well... I know, not related, just thought of sharing it out only. Now, have a look at the exterior.

National Museum of Singapore.

From another angle. In actual fact, when first arrive, we were pretty clueless and unsure whether we've reached the correct location, didn't really look much like a museum to me.

The sign which cleared our uncertainty.

Back to the museum, while admission into the building as well as selected exhibitions and theatres are free, the main sections, consisting of Historical as well as Living galleries, requires an admission free of SD$10.00 for a full-day access, which we found out later was dirt-cheap. Even before visiting the exhibits, we were already left in awe of the architecture alone, interior and exterior, fusion of modern simplicity with a detailed past. We went for the free exhibitions first, before moving on to the other galleries. Now, let's have a look at the interior first. Since I am particularly lazy today, I'll let the pictures do the talking instead.

Rotunda dome. No futher information, I just know the name.

The floating ring, supported by the continuous flow of pressurized air from above and below keeps the ring airborne. Actually, I just made that up. Its supported by thin lines of strings not visible in this image.

At certain duration of the day, the segment in the wall will function as a screen. Neat huh?

Modern simplicity...

With a touch of details from the past... The two images above are actually side by side, so you can notice a complementing yet distinct difference. Notice how one has a dark shade while the other a bright texture?

The Canyon. And again, I just know the name. Its a very nice place to take pictures ala camwhore.

Up until this point, I'm quite sure you're wondering why there are only pictures of the building, right? Simple, that's because cameras are off-limits in exhibition areas, I was already warned when walking into one holding the camera, even with the lense-cap intact. While the free stuff were kinda boring (some Archive in Motion: 50 Years thingy), the galleries were absolutely engaging. Upon entry, one will be equipped with a Companion which will guide you through the whole journey by entering a unique code attached to each section as well as every single exhibits for more information. Uber cool! It's like having a tour guide who knows every nook and corner of the Historical Gallery, on demand. In between some exhibits, there'll be small rooms showing movies or clips, just in case you got bored with all the reading and listening, not forgetting, the resting areas here and there.

Subjects cover from the founding of Singapore to the conquering, to the arrival of Chinese immigrants, to the assault during WWII, to Independence, to economic and political boom, its all in there. Honestly, one single day is not enough to even cover selected information from the gallery. Due to time constraint, we kinda rushed through the later part to make time for the other exhibitions as well. One was A Banquet in Stone, where famous/common dishes from around the world were replicated entirely only by using a variety of stones, amazingly realistic. Another four galleries showcased on topics regarding Fashion, Food, Photography and Film & Wayang. All in all, it was a very mind opening experience, so much absorbed and learned. It felt like a small kid visiting the museum for the first time all over again. Who knew a visit to the museum can be so rewarding, eh?

The Companion. Just key in the codes and press GO.

The Time Capsule that we only managed to notice on the way home. Funny to think that it was behind us all along when we were taking pictures initially, before entering the museum.