I am Singaporean (IaS): see what people are saying right now on Technorati

9 Aug is our National Day! Being a Singaporean it is natural for me to search the Tag iamsingaporean on Technorati.

I am Singaporean (IaS): see what people are saying right now on Technorati
http://technorati.com/tag/iamsingaporean

Technorati Blog Directory use tagging method to index blogs on the same subject (tag).

Tag is similar to "Natural Language" in Indexing Term or "Identifier" in ERIC Thesaurus. Individual blogger may use any term(s) or phrase(s) to tag the posts. With the tag (category) created by the blogger, Technoratic is able to auto-classify and organize the posts.

Tags are not "Control vocabulary" hence you may find similar topic with different tags used in different blogs/postings:

Here are some examples:

search iamsingaporean in tags
108 posts tagged “iamsingaporean”
http://technorati.com/tag/iamsingaporean

search i am singaporean in tags
25 posts tagged “i am singaporean”
http://technorati.com/tag/i%20am%20singaporean

As most of the bloggers do not tag their posts, you will find many other blogs/ postings if you search the same term(s) or phrase(s) in Blog posts instead of tags.

For example:
search "I Am Singaporean" in blog posts
return with 31,335 results from all blogs
http://technorati.com/search/I%20Am%20Singaporeansearch

"IAmSingaporean" in blog posts
return with 106 results from all blogs
http://technorati.com/search/IAmSingaporean

The search results are the same even if you used Capitalise Words/Letters.

What is the learning here:

Tag is similar to subject heading in library book catalogues or online databases. Books in the libraries/databases can be searched using subject headings, yet not all the books available in the book shops or on the Internet can be searched that way.

Likewise, only those blogs that are tagged can be searched that way. To search using tags is more accurate in matching Topics of your choice. Nevertheless, if you do not wish to miss any posting, search alternate term(s) and phrase(s) in all blog posts too!

For a more comprehensive search, use the Advanced Search page at Technorati (http://technorati.com/search/) to search by Keyword, Website URL, or Tag. Just fill out only the fields you need and leave the rest blank.

Keyword Search Enter a word or a "phrase in quotes" to see all blog posts that contain your word or exact phrase.

URL Search Enter the URL of a website to see blogs that link to it and what they say.

Tag Search Enter a category like Sports or Books to see posts, photos, and links on that subject. Separate tags with "OR" to search multiple subjects.

Blog Directory Search Enter a category like Photography or Technology to see blogs about that topic.

Happy searching!

For beginners who like to learn more about blogging

For beginners who like to learn more about blogging may visit Mr Ivan Chew's blogcourse demo pages:

Links & References for LAS Blog course, Jul/ Aug 2006 (Part 1)
http://blogcoursedemo.blogspot.com/2006/07/links-references-for-las-blog-course.html

Links & References for LAS Blog course, Jul/ Aug 2006 (Part 2)
http://blogcoursedemo.blogspot.com/2006/07/links-references-for-las-blog-course_22.html

LAS (Library Association of Singapore) Jul/ Aug 2006 Blogging Course:

Blogs, Tagging, RSS, Podcasts: Heresay, Hype, and Hogwash?
An introduction to Blogs and related technologies, and its applications in libraries

Covered the followings:

1. "Blogs" in the Singapore context
2. Define & understand "blogging" terminologies
3. Examples of blogs in education and libraries
4. How does one create a blog? (Hands-on)
5. Introduction to blog-related resources for content creation and searching (RSS, flickr.com, podcasting, tagging/ folksonomy/ technorati.com, blog search engines etc)
6. Discussion of possible applications, legal and ethical issues in the context of libraries

For full details, please visit:
http://www.las.org.sg/calendar.htm#BLOGS1

Hungry Ghost Photography Exhibition

This morning I received an email invitation and would like to share with those who visit my blog:

Invitation to Hungry Ghosts
by David Barratt

Meet the Artist at the Opening Reception
Wednesday August 9, 2006 6pm-9pm

This exhibition is open to the public from Aug 9-23 2006
Tuesday-Saturday 12-7pm or any time by appointment

What an artist way to remember 2006 National Day Holiday!

About the Artist (Extracted from the invitation newsletter):

David Barratt, leading DJ and music composer from NY know about town in some of the city’s hottest nightclubs, as well as, in Hollywood has captured the Hungry Ghosts of Singapore with his camera.

Although David Barratt failed to comment about whether he used his music to lure these allusive creatures from their architectural hiding places, it is clear that his artistic beats played a role in his accomplishment.

In the Buddhist tradition, Hungry Ghosts are the spirits of greedy humans, who in the afterlife are forced to walk the earth with tiny mouths and huge empty stomachs – forever unable to satisfy their desires.

Barratt saw the flowering of a thousand skyscrapers across Asian city skylines as the new Hungry Ghosts, manufacturing endless desire which can never be fulfilled. He explores this modern manifestation of the ancient tradition in his series of digitally remixed photographs of the Singapore skyline.

The works, rich in color and grand in scale, capture Singapore striding into the 21st Century, whilst remaining deeply connected to its ancient folklore. The dance between the present and the ancient shows the familiar landscape of the city in a new light.

Barratt has also composed a series of musical works, exploring the thematic of the Hungry Ghost myth, as part of the gallery installation. The work takes traditional Malay, Chinese, Thai and Indian melodies, and combines them with powerful modern rhythms.

During the Hungry Ghost Festival Aug 9-23, 2006 David’s Ghosts will be on display at Blue 2 Green Gallery, 33 Everton Road in an exhibition open to the public from 12-7pm Tuesday- Saturday.

According to Christopher Palm, Managing Director of Blue 2 Green Gallery, the exhibition is a visual / audio celebration of the Hungry Ghost Festival and offers all an opportunity to appreciate these usually benevolent creatures and offer alms to ease their suffering in this world.


HUNGRY GHOST SERIES
(What David Barratt said in his own web page http://www.davidbarratt.com):

When I moved to Bangkok in late 2005 I was struck by dance between old and new ways. I was especially intrigued by the old folk tales of "Hungry Ghosts"; spirits who in their human lives were greedy, forced to walk the earth in their afterlife with tiny mouths and huge empty stomachs, never satisfying their desires.

Consumerism, growing at an astounding rate throughout Asia, may well be the central belief system at this time, pushing more ancient spiritual concerns to one side. The most obvious symbol of this is the flowering of a thousand skyscrapers across city skylines. These are the new "Hungry Ghosts" manufacturing endless desire which can never be fulfilled. The dance between the present and the ancient is the subject of the Hungry Ghost series.

David Barratt
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Email me your comments, if any to:

dexterine@yahoo.com

Thanks and Have an Artistic National Day Celebration!

Dexterine

Digital Literacy Skills

For Dexterine's NIE Digital Literacy Skills
teaching web site, visit

http://dexterine.tripod.com

Memories at Old Ford Factory

The LAS group who visited Memories at Old Ford Factory on 4 Jul 06

Second from the left: Dexterine Ho Soo Miang

Third from the right: Mr Pitt Kuan Wah , Director of National Archives of Singapore

The group from LAS was so honoured to be greeted and guided by Mr Pitt Kuan Wah, Director of National Archives of Singapore personally.

Mr Pitt shared with us the inside story of restoring the Old Factory, and his personal experience in perserving and presenting the old artifacts for this site. We benefited from his rich knowledge, valuable insight and in-depth sharing on the process of re-creating something from the past for the future generation.

For those who miss this tour, the following sites are good make-ups:

National Archives of Singapore - Memories at Old Ford Factory (MOFF) Website
http://www.s1942.org.sg/s1942/moff/

"Old Ford Motor Factory" from Wikepedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Ford_Motor_Factory


Here is some info I extracted from the Wikepedia:

"The factory is the site of the historic surrender of the British to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, at the end of the Battle of Singapore in World War II. It was here that the meeting between Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival and General Tomoyuki Yamashita was held and the surrender document signed. Then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill referred to that event as the "worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history"; it was also widely seen as a turning point for anti-colonialism in Southeast Asia."

...

"Behind the museum are tall condominium buildings and a transmission tower. The front of the museum features a Chinese calligraphy sculpture (和平 or Peace), storyboards that recounts the battles fought during the Malayan Campaign and history of Bukit Timah as well as a granite rock carved with a statement from a decree by Tang Taizong, urging visitors to 'Take History As A Lesson'."

"Memories at Old Ford Factory was officially opened by Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean on 16 February 2006. The museum had free admission during its first year of opening."

For more details, read the full text: "Old Ford Motor Factory" from Wikepedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Ford_Motor_Factory


Dexterine Ho

LAS Members' Day Trip to Kota Tinggi

LAS Members' Day Trip to Kota Tinggi

Organised by Programmes & Social Committee, Library Association of Singapore
Tour Leader: Ms Lau Siew Kheng, Chair, Programmes & Social Committee
Total No. of participants: 33 (LAS members and their family)

Date/Time of the event: 3 Jun 06, 8.30am - 9.30pm

Highlights:
*Shopping @ Johor Bahru Seafood
*Lunch @ Pengarang
*Dinner @ Kota Tinggi Orchid & Fruit Farms
*Visits @ Kota Tinggi after dinner: enjoy an evening cruise down Kota Tinggi River, welcomed by millions of fireflies!

Photos taken at Kota Tinggi Orchid & Fruit Farms

Charming Dragon fruit hanging on the branch

See the "loving couples" "enjoying" in the fruit farm!
(Caption and Photo: by courtesy of Ms Jennifer Kwong, NUS Library)

On the left: Christopher Lye (Mr Patrick Lye's son)

and on the right: Jessica Tay (Ms Jennifer Kwong's Daughter)

(Photo: by courtesy of Ms Jennifer Kwong, NUS Library)

A close look at the juicy Dragon fruit

(Photo: by courtesy of Ms Jennifer Kwong, NUS Library)

Tasting and enjoying the cooling Buah Kedongdong drink in the Shop

From Left to right: Dexterine Ho Soo Miang, Ng Chen Wee, Chong Yee Ming and Caroline Pang

Enjoying the Cooling Fruit Spa in the Shop

From Left to right: Caroline Pang, Dexterine Ho Soo Miang, Chong Yee Ming and Ng Chen Wee.

At the most cooling spot in the fruit shop

Left to right: Caroline Pang and her friend Aliena

Ms Caroline Pang said

"It is like Yang Ming Shan (Famous "Yang Ming" Mountain) in Taipei"

Yes! It is the Malaysia's version: just next to Kota Tinggi Water Fall

You need not pay for airfare to view it if you were to follow us on this trip!

In front of the "Yang Ming Shan" in our heart

From Left to right: Caroline Pang, Dexterine Ho Soo Miang, Chong Yee Ming and Ng Chen Wee

For the trip itself, how much it cost us?
*******************************************
Answer:
Fees (includes transport, lunch, dinner, boat trip, insurance) was:

Adult (LAS member) $50
Adult (non-LAS member) $60
Child (age 3-11) $40

Value for money!

Meeting points before our departure : MRT Lavender or MRT Marsiling

For those leaving from Lavender MRT, we were there at 7.45 am as our coach's departure time was 8.00 sharp.

For those who meet at the MRT Marsiling, they were there by 8.30am.

********************************************

Librarians always give clear instructions.

First start with Identifying the coach:

Coach colour: Blue

Coach license plate number: PA5410

Tour agent name: Superior Tour (Coach will also indicate).

Photo taken inside the Coach

In the Coach: First row: Dexterine Ho with Christopher Lye and Jessica Tay. Second row: Jessica Tay's Parents (Mr & Tay ? ?)

Jessica Tay and Christopher Lye harvesting Durian Mini from the fruit farm

First time to see Durians in miniature version!




Jessica Tay with double load of Durian Mini in her hands

Look how happy and joyful she is!

It is indeed a fruitful trip for her!

Here are some comments from the tour members:

From Ms Lau Siew Kheng:

"An interesting and relaxing trip. At the Desaru fruit centre, we saw the biggest mangoes ever, wondered if they were genetically altered !

Also, saw the unusual dragon fruit plant, it's like a cactus and we also had a chance to try the red variety - beetroot red and very sweet.

The highlight of the tour was of course the river cruise to see the millions of twinkling fireflies all along the river bank. It's like decorations on Christmas trees.

They were a beautiful sight and seems like a mirror image of the twinkling stars in the dark sky above us!

We also had a great time catching up with friends and colleagues and got to know their family members as well."

From Ms Lily Teo:

"The best happening for the whole trip is the fire-flies cruise. I have never seen such natural beautiful "Christmas trees" light up.

Highly recommended for anyone visiting Kota Tinggi not to miss this cruise. It really compensates for the held-up in traffic-jam for 3 hours and missing the waterfall visit."

From Ms Chong Yee Ming:

It was great, tiring but fun! The fruit farm and tidbits shop were both "delicious" and interesting - wish I had more time at the shopping centre!
Of course the highlight of the trip was the 'light-up' of the Johor River there at Kota Tinggi.

From all the tour members:

Thanks to Siew Kheng for the following thoughtful notes and reminders sent before the tour:

"As it is school holidays, long queues at Customs are expected and we want to be in JB as early as possible. Please remember to bring passports and water."

Many thanks again to Siew Kheng and Programmes & Social Committee, Library Association of Singapore for organising this trip!

Many thanks to all the tour members for making this trip fun, fruitful and enjoyable!

From,

Dexterine
on behalf of all the participants

The report is drafted by

Dexterine Ho

With contributions from other tour members

(June 11 to July 11 2006)

Email me if you have any add-on:

dexterine@yahoo.com