Visit to Micrographics Data Pte Ltd

The Programmes and Social Committee, LAS organised a field trip to Micrographics Data Pte Ltd today!

Micrographics Data Pte Ltd is a local supplier of micrographics and preservation equipment. Areas of service include microfilming, document scanning, specialised book/print binding and repairs.

For more details on their service and product, visit Micrographics Data at www.md.sg/

I would like to say that it is an enriching experience for me to see how collection maintenance is done at  Micrographics Data.

If you are  member of LAS, and miss the tour in Feb, do sign up for the next tour on 25 March.

The following is the details of my visit today:

Date: 25 February 2011 (Friday)

Time: 3 pm - 5 pm

Meeting Point:
Micrographics Data Pte Ltd
Blk 115A Commonwealth Drive #02-16
Tanglin Halt Industrial Estate
Singapore 149596

Itinerary of the tour:

Time / Programme
3.00 pm
Meet at Micrographics Data Pte Ltd
3.10 - 3.30 pm
Topic: Conservation & Preservation of Library Materials. By Pia Josephine (Paper & Book Conservator)
3.35 – 4.00 pm
Topic: A New Approach to Digital Preservation. By Kelvin Emmanuel (Director of Micrographics Data)
4.05 – 5.30pm
Q and A, Factory Tour of two sections: Preservation of Printed materials and Microfilming services
5.35 – 5.55pm
Refreshment and Interaction
5.55 - 6.00 pm
Receiving Gift from Micrographic Data and End of session

For those who are unable to make it to the tour, here are some useful information  for librarians or anyone who are intertest in information preservation.

Visit the site http://www.md.sg/ and you will get more details.

About Micrographics Data
http://www.md.sg/about.html

"Micrographics Data Pte Ltd is a Document Management and Preservation company which was incorporated in 1989 and remains one of the longest-running service providers in Singapore.

Micrographics Data provides a one-stop microfilming ...
... an innovative company, producing ... in-house environment-friendly processing chemistry Fixer and Eco-Developer, which are ready to use in deep tanks or tabletop-type processors.

... developed ... proprietary document management software, eZee AdminTM, for easy retrieval, keyword search and many other standard features of document management.

The latest innovative line of products is a COM equipment – ArchiveImage Writer, AW 1 Series. The AW 1 Series converts digital files directly onto a 16mm/35mm standard archival microfilm in either negative or positive master (B/W & Colour)...

...Micrographics Data has built over the years the only commercial document preservation department that has an Anoxic Chamber using nitrogen gas for disinfestation.

This state-of-the-art Anoxic Chamber effectively destroys larvae of all types of insects completely with its unique disinfestation process. It is safe and non-toxic thus preserving the original state of the articles. Micrographics Data also customises metal-edge archival boxes and supplies various types of acid-free boards (buffered and unbuffered) for storing precious items such as photographs, maps, manuscripts, treaties, etc..."

For more details, visit:
http://www.md.sg/about.html

Services

Microfilming
http://www.md.sg/services_microfilming.html

Micrographics Data uses only ISO-standard archival quality microfilm because no other media offers such long-time storage capabilities...

Microfilm
Paper to Microfilm Conversion
(a) Roll Films

(b) Microfiche

Digital to Microfilm Conversion

For more details, visit:

http://www.md.sg/services_microfilming.html

Digital Scanning

http://www.md.sg/services_scanning.html

• Document Scanning Services
• 
  Book Scanning Services 
• Microfilm Scanning Services

Micropublishing
http://www.md.sg/services_micropublishing.html

Document Preservation
http://www.md.sg/services_docpreservation.html


Products: Micrographics equipment & Preservation equipment
http://www.md.sg/products.html

Micrographics equipment

ArchiveImage Writer
Digital technology and software continue to evolve and revolutionise how information is captured, stored and distributed. Today’s rapid changes in IT systems, and especially technological obsolescence in both hardware/software solution and design, pose a real threat: loss of data and information.
 
ST ViewScan® -
MICROFILM CROSSOVER™ DIGITAL FILM VIEWER/SCANNER

ALL DIGITAL
The ST ViewScan® offers the newest and the best solution:

Preservation equipment and products
http://www.md.sg/products_preservation_1.html

Colibri Cover System
The CoLibri Pocket Machine is the backbone of the Colibri System. Using the machine in conjunction with our patented book covers , document pockets and gift bags you can easily and quickly protect all types of books, preserve documents and gift wrap a multitude of items in just seconds...

EXPM Book and Document Hygienisation Table with Suction

Protective Masks

Micro-Fibre Electrostatic Duster

EXPM Heavy Duty Wheeled Shelving

Tinyview Plus Data Logger

Museum Vac® with Hepa Filter & Disposable Cartridge

Disposable Latex Gloves

EXPM Archival Box

Iron Horse™ Book Trolleys

For more details, visit:
http://www.md.sg/products_preservation_1.html

Consulting service:
http://www.md.sg/consulting.html

Micrographics Data has extensive experience in the document management and preservation arena for over 20 years. They welcome any institute/organisation/individual who is interested in setting up a service bureau in their native country, or looking for solutions to their existing document management or preservation problems, to contact them.

Source of information:
http://www.md.sg/consulting.html

=====================

Professional Development Scheme (PDS) Points

Eligible for PDS Points:

This activity attracts 36 points under the Industry Knowledge Development (ID) category.
"Participate in product/services briefing & demonstrations by vendor organized or approved by LAS"

OCLC record: Ho Soo Miang: part 1

Hi!

Just to share my joys of locating OCLC record under my full name "Ho Soo Miang".

I have all the printed copy of the original texts which are listed in the database.

The text for Items 1-7 is in Chinese; it was my Dissertation (BA Hons.) when I did my degree course in History from Nanyang University.

NUS has the handwritten original Thesis in 1978 as well as the printed version published by Southseas Society in 1979 (one year after my graduation).

Other overseas libraries had acquired the printed copy. Hence, in OCLC it was catalogued as a Thesis, then a Monograph series title, etc...

The text for Item 8 was in English and was written after my sharing session with academic staff at Insitute of Education, Singapore (Now IE is NIE since it was merged with NTU in 1990).

I was the Reference Librarian in 1986 and conducted information and database seaching session which was something new and innovative. Wtih the encouragement from some academic staff and Mr Jim Davies, the Chief Librarian , the document was sent to ERIC (Education Resource Information Centre) Clearing House for their reviewing.

It was selected and then indexed as an ERIC document. If you have the ERIC database, you may see the record in full details with all the ERIC descriptors and identifiers etc...

NIE Library in Singapore has the orginal full text in printed copy, ED document in microfiche and electronic file.

A great discovery to me and it makes my day!

Cheers!

Dexterine Ho Soo Miang

"Why not" mind set

"Why not" is a slogan for an interesting life.

-- Mason Cooley

I use "Why not" approach to live my life most of the time and I find it interesting to look at many issues and situations differently!

If you have the "Why not" mind set and try this approach at lease three times a day, you will see things from different angles and you will discover new potential of doing things creatively!

Dexterine Ho

R & D and Team building

Extracted the following from emails I received and added some details with information I found via web searches for my own reference and just post them here to share with my readers. Hope you find them stimulating and useful.

Some characteristic of RD personnel:

研发人员特点:


a) 逻辑思维能力强

b) 独立贡献者居多

c) 技术导向性明显

d) 流动意向明显


Characteristic of high performance RD team:

高绩效研发团队的特征

a) 明确的目标（企业目标和个人目标统一）

b) 相互信任（建立信任的基础）

c) 关心、帮助每个人（从方方面面着手最有效）

d) 沟通良好（能有效的沟通）

e) 分工与授权（在具体工作中有效操作）

f) 合理的激励（有足够条件）

g) 合理、完善的制度（制度有效合理）

h) 融洽的团队气氛（用有效方法培养良好的团队气氛)


Methods of team building based on rules of the game:

研发团队游戏规则的方法
a) 亚斯兰现象
http://baike.baidu.com/view/839750.htm

" 将一群羊用铁丝网圈起来，每天都有羊跳出铁丝网逃走，羊群的数量不断减少。后来将铁丝网通上电，开始还是有羊不断冲击电网，也有的羊因此而死掉。

但是，慢慢的冲击电网的羊就越来越少了，羊群里的羊都远离电网，羊的数量也不再减少了。再后来，铁丝网保留，但是已经不再通电了，可是羊群依然不再靠近铁丝网。

最后，连铁丝网都撤掉了，但是羊已经习惯了在这个区域内活动了，不会在走出圈子外去了。这种现象在生物学上叫做“亚斯兰”现象。"

" 这种原理或是现象应用在管理学上也是非常有效的，在管理最初就要设定好规则，也就是电网，只要违规一定会受罚，而且要坚持，那么每次违规都会被电到，时间就会养成一个习惯。

只在规则允许的范围内活动做事情，那么就算，以后规则撤了，习惯已经养成了，自然也就不会违规了，关键就在第一次违规的惩罚，好多的管理者都会说：“念你是初犯，姑且放你一马，下次不许了！”但是，这就管理带头违规的开始，有了第一次的，也就会有第二次......

先画圈，再通电，后断电，再撤圈..."


b) 破窗理论
http://baike.baidu.com/view/298167.html?tp=0_11

" 一个房子如果窗户破了，没有人去修补，隔不久，其它的窗户也会莫名其妙地被人打破;一面墙，如果出现一些涂鸦没有被清洗掉，很快的，墙上就布满了乱七八糟、不堪入目的东西;一个很干净的地方，人们不好意思丢垃圾，但是一旦地上有垃圾出现之后，人就会毫不犹疑地抛，丝毫不觉羞愧。"



c) 蛇蛙原理
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_631098e40100hnxh.html

" 如果知道自己干坏事的人，至少会特别小心谨慎多加注意；如果感觉自己在做好事的人，会满心高兴大张旗鼓地做，以为自己在帮别人。做坏事的人害人利己，以为做好事实则在做坏事的人则害人害己。

... 真有这样的人吗？当然有，而且在日常管理工作中还很常见！

“ 夏日的中午，一个农夫在池塘边休息，忽然看到一只蛇捉住了一只青蛙，想把它当做午餐，农夫看着可怜的青蛙顿生怜悯之心，就对蛇说：‘你看这个青蛙多可怜呀，也许它家里还有不大的孩子需要它抚养呢，你就放了它吧！’蛇说：‘如果放了它，我就得饿死呀。’农夫一想也对，于是拿出了自己的午餐一个牛肉干给蛇，说：‘你放了青蛙吧，我把这个牛肉干给你’，蛇很高兴，放了青蛙，津津有味地吃起了美味的牛肉干。农夫很高兴，因为他今天救了一个生命。第二天中午，农夫又到池塘边休息，忽然发现蛇嘴里叼着两只青蛙，蛇说：‘我今天早上就没有吃东西，感觉特别饿’，于是农夫给了蛇两个牛肉干，蛇吃着牛肉干满心欢喜地走了。农夫更加高兴，因为他今天救了两个生命。第三天中午，当农夫再来到池塘边的时候，马上傻眼了，他看到几十条蛇每只嘴里都叼着两只青蛙……”


这就是蛇蛙原理的故事，说的是你无意中奖赏了不该奖赏的行为。也就是说自己做了坏事，却以为自己做了好事。

在管理工作中，有很多“蛇蛙现象”，我们看看自己身边是否有这样的事情，看看我们自己是否犯过这样的错。"


d) 火炉法则
http://www.chinavalue.net/Wiki/%E7%81%AB%E7%82%89%E6%B3%95%E5%88%99_C_244363.aspx

" 所谓“火炉法则”，就是把“火炉”烧得红红的，放在那里，本身并不会主动烫人，但只要有人敢于触摸，它就必烫无疑，不会顾及触摸者的身份，人人平等，谁摸烫谁，而且立即处罚，没有下不为例。火炉法则主要有四个特性：
1、警示性：一个火炉放在那里，熊熊火苗，告诫旁人不能轻易触碰和跨越，自然具有威摄力。制度就是规范，也应具有警示作用，起到事前的一个约束与预防作用。

2、及时性：一个红通通的火炉，如果你去触碰它，你会马上会被灼伤，而不是摸上去，等一下再感觉到热。违背制度就会马上得到相应的惩处，承担相应的责任，及时性是奖惩的一个重要原则。

3、必然性：如果你去触碰火炉，你必然会被灼伤，而不会这次碰了会灼伤，下次就不会灼伤。违背制度必然会承担相应的后果，而不会因为时间、地点的改变而改变。

4、平等性：不管你是什么人，一般工人也好，政府官员也好，企业老板也好，去触碰了火炉，都会被灼伤，火炉不会因为你是什么人而选择是否灼伤。在制度面前，人人平等，谁违反了制度，都会受到相应的惩戒。

从这四个方面来看，火炉法则包括“预先警告、即时处理、相同后果、普适执行”四个步骤，用火炉来比喻制度和制度的执行，显得十分贴切。换言之，对于制度建设，教育和规劝违法乱纪的社会行为确有必要，但还应与“严厉的惩罚”相结合，方能产生“治标”的同时、更能“治本”的效果。“教育规劝”也好，“培养守则意识”也罢，都只是寄托在“行为人能够自觉遵守”这一点上；而严厉的处罚，则是强制行为人必须遵守，是对上述“行为要求”的一种必要的配套措施。"



e) 研发人员允许犯什么样的错误，不允许犯什么样的错误


Creating Team Culture:

创建团队文化

a) 工程商人 Engineer with Businessman mind-set



http://wenku.baidu.com/view/c24ac33383c4bb4cf7ecd1e1.html

"工程师文化关注的是纯技术导向,有着非常强烈的技术倾向, 而工程商人文化需要工程师把产品研发看成“投资”行为,而投资就要考虑投入产出比。"

http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4743651c0100ikbe.html

"希望工程师变为工程商人，而非要求工程师单纯的痴迷于技术。可见，工程师们具备商人的思维对企业的发展有着举足轻重的作用。"

"而工程商人文化需要工程师把产品研发看成“投资”行为，就要把握商机和考虑商品的获利性。因此，要做一位工程商人，就要学着经营产品，就要求工程师具有更多的商人思维。"

"工程商人需要“服务意识”


工程商人需要研究市场需求


工程商人需要学会整合资源和有效利用资源


工程商人需要把市场和技术有机融合


工程商人需要审时度势，把握市场节奏"


"总之，工程商人要有服务思想，要学会把握市场脉搏，利用可用资源，在技术实力可支持的前提下，在合适时机推出具有市场竞争力的产品，让自己的产品做到利润最大化。只有这样，才能促进企业的平稳持续发展，才能让自己不仅仅是工程师而可称之为工程商人。"


b) 避免盲目创新 Avoid blind Innovation

Rebuilding our strength...

"Many of us live with a variety of body aches that transform over time but never really go away.

Living in our body demands that we work with our injured muscles and rebuild our strength.

Someday there will be a scientific test that can measure the scar tissue in the heart. Just like those of every other muscle in our body, tears in our hearts repair, but not always in an orderly way."

-----Wendy Strgar

Source of information:
Be Inspired by Love — Book Giveaway!
posted by Wendy Strgar Feb 11, 2011 11:01 am
at http://www.care2.com/greenliving/be-inspired-by-love-book-giveaway.html?page=2

 



Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/be-inspired-by-love-book-giveaway.html#ixzz1DpHtmsvB

Help learners to discover it within themselves

You cannot teach people anything. You can only help them to discover it within themselves.

*** Galileo Galilei ***


I believe the heart of Knowledge Management is allowing great conversation between anyone anytime.

*** Marc Auckland ***

As an ex-librarian and now a trainer for support staff in Singapore libraries for WDA course under LAS, I would like to facilitate the discovery of knowledge and be the bridge between conversation of knowledge among learners.

Some of my co-trainers who are ACTA cerfitified had done it!

I am cheering for them and hope to sail in the same boat...

Dexterine Ho

Grasping a hot coal

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

-- Buddha

A portrait of yourself

Every man's work, whether it be literature or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself.

-- Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English Writer

Words of wisdom

Just found these "Words of wisdom" forwarded via email from a friend sometime back:

***********
On Pain...
***********

人之所以痛苦，在于追求错误的东西。

如果你不给自己烦恼，别人也永远不可能给你烦恼。因为你自己的内心，你放不下。

好好的管教你自己，不要管别人。

你随时要认命，因为你是人。

这个世界本来就是痛苦的，没有例外的。

你什么时候放下，什么时候就没有烦恼。

每一种创伤，都是一种成熟。

***********
On Worry...
***********

当你烦恼的时候，你就要告诉你自己，这一切都是假的，你烦恼什么？

根本不必回头去看咒骂你的人是谁，如果有一条疯狗咬你一口，难道你也要趴下去反咬他一口吗？

忌妒别人，不会给自己增加任何的好处。忌妒别人，也不可能减少别人的成就。

永远不要浪费你的一分一秒，去想任何你不喜欢的人。

得不到的东西，我们会一直以为他是美好的，那是因为你对他了解太少，没有时间与他相处在一起。当有一天， 你深入了解后，你会发现原不是你想像中的那么美好。

这个世间只有圆滑，没有圆满的。

***********

不要刻意去猜测他人的想法，如果你没有智慧与经验的正确判断，通常都会有错误的。

你要感谢告诉你缺点的人。

时间总会过去的，让时间流走你的烦恼吧！

不要因为小小的争执，远离了你至亲的好友，也不要因为小小的怨恨，忘记了别人的大恩。

感谢上苍我所拥有的，感谢上苍我所没有的。

***********

当你手中抓住一件东西不放时，你只能拥有这件东西，如果你肯放手，你就有机会选择别的。

人的心若死执自己的观念，不肯放下，那么他的智慧也只能达到某种程度而已。

如果你能够平平安安的渡过一天，那就是一种福气了。多少人在今天已经见不到明天的太阳，多少人在今天已经成了残废，多少人在今天已经失去了自由，多少人在今天已经家破人亡。

***********

恶口永远不要出自于我们的口中，不管他有多坏，有多恶。你愈骂他，你的心就被污染了，你要想，他就是你的善知识。

你不要常常觉得自己很委曲，你应该要想，他对我这样已经很好了，这就是修行的功夫。

世界原本就不是属于你，因此你用不着抛弃，要抛弃的是一切的执著。万物皆为我所用，但非我所属。

***********

学会用理解的，欣赏的眼光去看对方，而不是以自以为是的关心去管对方。
成熟的人不问过去；聪明的人不问现在；豁达的人不问未来。

***********

发光并非太阳的专利，你也可以发光。
你可以用爱得到全世界，你也可以用恨失去全世界。

爱的力量大到可以使人忘记一切，却又小到连一粒嫉妒的沙石也不能容纳。

人总是珍惜未得到的，而遗忘了所拥有的。

***********
On friendship
***********

如你想要拥有完美无暇的友谊，可能一辈子找不到朋友。

You're not thinking the way he is

"When a guy says he doesn't understand you, it simply means you're not thinking the way he is."

-- Thane Chan, my 17 years old nephew, posted on his blog on Thursday, April 01, 2010

I just happen to read Thane's blog today and like this quote from him!

In any conversation, if one commented that "I do not understand you!" it simply means that you are not thinking the way he/she did."

Hence, it is alright to be different from other! 

Sometime, being label as un-conceivable, is just a simply fact that we can not fix into the thinking of others.

Cheers!

Dexterine Ho

Wedding Quote: Something old, something new, something borrowed ...

Where did the wedding custom of "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" come from?

=====
Wedding Quote: Something old, something new, something borrowed ...
=====

Just attended the Wedding dinner of my university roommate's daughter at Sands Expo & Convention Centre (Orchid Main Ballroom, Level 4, Marina Bay Sands) and thought of remembering the date by re-compiling something I forwarded to Lee Ngoh few weeks ago.

Before I received the invitation card, I already noted in my pocket Diary that Ming Ying (Lee Ngoh and Yew Cheng's daughter) is getting married on 17 Dec. 

For the month of Nov and Dec, I started on the look up for Wedding related phrases and quotations. When I found the following phrase pop up at Refdesk.com on 8 Dec, I thought it was a magical coincidence, and proved one of the universe laws I learned sometime back (i.e., the Law of Attraction)

As it could be handy reference for her to know the meaning of the Wedding phrase, I email her the RefDesk information on 8 Dec. 

Now, I would like to share the reference with more details in this blog to let others who are interested in knowing the origin and meaning of this Wedding phrase, cited from http://www.refdesk.com/ (published on 8 Dec 2010):

=====
The wedding phrase "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in her shoe" symbolizes continuity, optimism for the future, borrowed happiness, fidelity, and wealth or good luck, respectively.

- Provided by RandomHistory.com
=====

I also did a search on google and found the expanded explanation in ASK YAHOO:

Where did the wedding custom of "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" come from?
http://ask.yahoo.com/20031027.html

====
A sixpence is a coin that was minted in Britain from 1551 to 1967. It was made of silver and worth six pennies. So this wedding tradition is definitely English, and many sources say that it began in the Victorian era.

Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy.

"Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past.

"Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead.

"Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride.

The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.

As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity.

Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true."

And finally, a silver sixpence in the bride's shoe represents wealth and financial security. It may date back to a Scottish custom of a groom putting a silver coin under his foot for good luck. For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe. These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted, and many companies sell keepsake sixpences for weddings.
===

For more details, please view: http://ask.yahoo.com/20031027.html

I think it is a great way of passing well wishes and good wills through practicing the wedding phrase?  Don't you think so?

To end the entry today, may I use this to celebrate and commemorate the Marriage of Tai Wei Hao and Lim Ming Ying in BLOG-way!

Cheers!

Soo Miang
==========
Dexterine Ho Soo Miang

Tanglin Trust School Libraries tour

LAS Programmes and Social Committee organised the Tanglin Trust School Libraries tour for 40 members today.  Here are the details:


Date: 10 December 2010 (Friday)

Time: 3:00 pm – 5.30 pm

Meeting Point: Senior Library, Level 2, 6th Form Centre, Tanglin Trust School, 95 Portsdown Road, Singapore 139299

The itinerary of the tour:

3.00 pm    Meet at Senior Library, 6th Form Centre, Tanglin Trust School

3.10 - 3.40 pm Refreshment & Interaction with Library Staff

3.40 - 4.10 pm Presentation Session in Senior Library

4.10 - 5.00 pm Guided tours of Teachers, Junior school and Infant school libraries

Professional Development Scheme (PDS) Points

Eligible for PDS Points: This activity attracts 46 points under the Industry Knowledge Development (ID) category. "Study visit to other libraries (local and overseas)"

Letting go and holding on

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.

-- Henry Ellis (1721-1806)


I am in library field and practicing librarianship for some decades.  Since I was a reference librarian and an adjunct lecturer in National Institute of Education, librarianship and digital literacy skills gave me an opportunity to engage in education and training.

I understand learning can only take place if one is willing to learn.  Acquisitions of knowledge can only happen at the time when you allow what is outside you to be inside you.

If the door of the learner is not opened, it is hard for the teachers or educators to teach them.  As intruders are not welcome!

I enjoy teaching self motivated learners.  I am glad that most of the course participants in many of my classes are eager to learn and enjoy the process of translating learning into practice. 

Nevertheless, there are some learners who are not self-motivated. They are against learning and do not see the needs at the first place.  They are always in defensive mode and build mental wall to block all the new input. 

If one is unwilling to learn, it is easy for one to find all the means and ways to avoid it.  I may try and hold on and do my part, yet, time wait for no man.  If they are unable to use their learning time within my coaching period, I feel sad for them and hope things may change or get better in the future. 

I learn to let go, as I can only be with them for so long.  I just hope that when they miss learning now, they will catch up some other time in the future when they realise and make a change in their mind set.

A friend is a gift

A friend is a gift which I treasured!

======
Hi Soo Miang,

This is Beng Kin from Malaysia.

Do you still remember me?

I found your blog through the internet that's how I got your email. How are you? You still look as young as ever. I'll be going to Singapore on the 26th of November. Hope to meet up with you.

Do you still keep in touch with Yeow Leong and Tony Ng? I can't find them through Facebook. Looking foward to hearing from you.


Beng Kin

======

It was a read surprise to me when I received the email from Beng Kin, my housemate, roommate and cooking group member back in 1989 - 1990 in Milwaukee,Wisconsin.

I was doing my Masters degree in Library and Information Science at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee campus.  Beng Kin was doing her Degree in English Studies.  I joined her and her housemates for cooking during the weekdays.  We cook one meal each and have lunch and dinner for 5-6 days.  Together with us are Wei Wei and Juan Cheng from Taiwan, Zah Jing, Fong and her from Malaysia, Yeow Leong, Tong Ng and me From Singapore.

On Sunday, we sometime travelled in car to Chicago and have our shopping at China town and harvest back a lot of Chinese foods which were hard to find in Milwaukee.

Our store room for foods in our duplex house, upper level, is like a mini grocery shop.  Beng Kin and many of our houesemates are good cook and I alway enjoyed eating dinner prepared by them!

I remembered I was not with them for the first semaster as all the rooms were occupied with at least two persons. I finally joined them when someone graduated and moved out.  I then have a chance to stay there till I finish my degree course.

In Aug 1990, on my way home to Singapore, I travelled with them (plus Beng Nee, Beng Kin's sister) and visited Hollywood, Universal Studio and many other interesting places in Los Angeles.  We saved a lot on accommondation as we were able to have lodging at Beng Kin's sister's place.

Ofter the LA's tour, I then headed east and stop at Hawaii for 3 days and visited Wei Wei in Taipai before I came back to Singapore.

After returning to Singapore, I think I only managed to visit Beng Kin and Beng Nee in 1998 when I went to KL for a library conference.

Time really fly and we now meet for a second time! It is about 20 years from our Milwaukee's time and she is now a mother of two teenages who are studying in Secondary School in KL!

We have a great time today having Shanghai Tim Sam lunch at City Square Mall and recalling our good time back in 1989 - 1990!

=======
A friend is a gift which I treasured very much!

Dexterine Ho

Library of Congress Vs WWW.SG

Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/index.html

The Library of Congress (LC), with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections, is the oldest federal cultural institution of the United States, and it serves as the research arm of the Congress of US.

The mission of Library of Congress is to make its resources available and useful to the Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations.

The Library of Congress web site contains selective links providing authoritative, in-depth information about the nations and other areas of the world. They are arranged by country or area with the links for each sorted into a wide range of broad categories.

Here is some links I found which maybe of interest to Singaporean:

COUNTRY PROFILE: SINGAPORE (updated on July 2006)http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Singapore.pdf

• Formal Name: Republic of Singapore (English-language name). Also, in other official languages: Republik Singapura (Malay), Xinjiapo Gongheguo― 新加坡共和国 (Chinese), and Cingkappãr ...
• Short Form: Singapore.
• Term for Citizen(s): Singaporean(s).
• Date of Independence: August 31, 1963, from Britain; August 9, 1965, from the Federation of Malaysia.

Other facts and figures may need some update, for details of our country profile created by LC Federal Research Division, visit the page at
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Singapore.pdf

A Country Study: Singapore

http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/sgtoc.html

• Main Title: Singapore : a country study / Federal Research Division, Libarary of Congress ; edited by Barbara Leitch LePoer. Washington, D.C.: The Division: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 1991
• Library of Congress Call Number DS609 .S55 1991

http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/sgtoc.html

• As the data is as of December 1989, the information is good for historical background and general understanding, yet some key statistics, facts and figures need some update. 

For those who are interested to have up-todate information about Singapore, the following created by Singapore Government will be a good starting point: 

"Your Offical Gateway to Singapore"
http://www.sg/
The site is created and maintained by MICA (The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts').  Look up under the tag "Who we are" you will see the following:
 

"Singapore at a Glance" at

http://app.www.sg/who/1/Singapore-at-a-Glance.aspx 

"Singapore Yearbook"
http://app.www.sg/who/3/Singapore-Yearbook.aspx

• The Singapore Yearbook is an annual update of the major events that have taken place in Singapore and the key achievements of Singapore in the previous calendar year.
• It provides an overview of what each government ministry and their agencies have achieved in the previous calendar year, as well as the projects and initiatives that Singapore is working on to further the progress of Singapore.   

Many other links will guide visitors to needed information, researcher may find it too general, yet tourists will find it informative and easy to navigate.

Advanced Certificate in Training & Assessment (ACTA)

Today, I received my ACTA Certificate with the help of my ACTA classmate, Ms Seow Hwee Ling.

My Advanced Certificate in Training & Assessment (ACTA) consists of six modules and with the full certification, I am now a certified ACTA trainer, course developer and assessor.

The following quotation come in timely and I would like to share with all who have a passion in teaching and training:

===========
The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.
-- William Arthur Ward
===========

In teaching or training, telling, explaining, demonstrating and inspiring is our tasks and goals at different level!

I hope I can be an inspiring trainer who is capable of sharing my experience in library and information work through demonstration with explaination. 

Dexterine Ho

While you are in trouble

I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection.



-- Thomas Paine (1737-1809) British-American Writer


I would like to be a person who can gather strength from distress and smile in trouble.  With that, I may grow brave by reflection!

Only when we have experience distress, we know we need strength to battle with life and stand against all odds!

When we are able to gather strength from distress, we can then smile in trouble and grow brave by reflection.

In life, without distress, we may not gather strength, and we can not grow brave as nothing is there for our reflection.

Hence, in retrospect, your distress in life is helping you to gather strength and allow you to be braver than you usually are!

Dexterine Ho

Successful vs unsuccessful

Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, 'What's in it for me?

-- Brian Tracy


I like this quotation!

Always looking for opportunities to help others!

A successful person is making the world better when he or she is around!

Cheers!


Dexterine Ho

To profit from knowledge which we do not possess

It is largely because civilization enables us constantly to profit from knowledge which we individually do not possess

and

because each individual's use of his particular knowledge may serve to assist others unknown to him

in achieving their ends that men as members of civilized society can pursue their individual ends

so much more successfully than they could alone.


*** F. A. Hayek ***

How "to profit from knowledge which we do not possess"?

My simple answer: Read books and visit library or book store from time to time!
Cheers!

Dexterine Ho

Think creatively

"To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted."

- George Kneller


For those who are very forgetful like me, to look afresh at what we had seen maybe a natural inclination as our memory bank is not able to store things in the random access index file for too long.

Hence, being forgetful, I sometime took photos of whatever I had seen over and over again, yet the angle I used is somehow different each time.  It then allows me to look at the same thing from different angle and in new perspective!

I think creative approach to problem solving is just allowing yourself to try various way of approaching the problem and resolve it in a way you never expect it at first!

Dexterine Ho

Quotations about Libraries

If you like to read and search for quotes with Library or Libraries and Librarian or Librarians as a keyword, you may be glad to read:

Quotations about Libraries http://www.quotegarden.com/libraries.html

Here are some quotations that I like very much:

Libraries: The medicine chest of the soul. ~Library at Thebes, inscription over the door

A library is thought in cold storage. ~Herbert Samuel

The best of my education has come from the public library... my tuition fee is a bus fare and once in a while, five cents a day for an overdue book. You don't need to know very much to start with, if you know the way to the public library. ~Lesley Conger

As a child, my number one best friend was the librarian in my grade school. I actually believed all those books belonged to her. ~Erma Bombeck

To those with ears to hear, libraries are really very noisy places. On their shelves we hear the captured voices of the centuries-old conversation that makes up our civilization. ~Timothy Healy

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. ~Cicero

Here is where people,
One frequently finds,
Lower their voices
And raise their minds.  ~Richard Armour, "Library"

A great library contains the diary of the human race. ~George Mercer Dawson

I love the place; the magnificent books; I require books as I require air. ~Sholem Asch

The richest person in the world - in fact all the riches in the world - couldn't provide you with anything like the endless, incredible loot available at your local library. ~Malcolm Forbes

I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library. ~Jorge Luis Borges

A good library will never be too neat, or too dusty, because somebody will always be in it, taking books off the shelves and staying up late reading them. ~Lemony Snicket

The library is not a shrine for the worship of books. It is not a temple where literary incense must be burned or where one's devotion to the bound book is expressed in ritual. A library, to modify the famous metaphor of Socrates, should be the delivery room for the birth of ideas - a place where history comes to life. ~Norman Cousins

Consider what you have in the smallest chosen library. A company of the wisest and wittiest men that could be picked out of all civil countries, in a thousand years, have set in best order the results of their learning and wisdom. The men themselves were hid and inaccessible, solitary, impatient of interruption, fenced by etiquette; but the thought which they did not uncover to their bosom friend is here written out in transparent words to us, the strangers of another age. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Books," Society and Solitude
Librarians are almost always very helpful and often almost absurdly knowledgeable. Their skills are probably very underestimated and largely underemployed. ~Charles Medawar

A university is just a group of buildings gathered around a library. ~Shelby Foote

Libraries are reservoirs of strength, grace and wit, reminders of order, calm and continuity, lakes of mental energy, neither warm nor cold, light nor dark.... In any library in the world, I am at home, unselfconscious, still and absorbed. ~Germaine Greer

Librarian is a service occupation. Gas station attendant of the mind. ~Richard Powers

The student has his Rome, his Florence, his whole glowing Italy, within the four walls of his library. He has in his books the ruins of an antique world and the glories of a modern one. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever were, with the best teachers, drawn from the entire planet and from all our history, to instruct us without tiring, and to inspire us to make our own contribution to the collective knowledge of the human species. I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries. ~Carl Sagan, Cosmos

Love and approval

"We all have the power to define our own worth and bring love into ourselves.

While you might think that the only love that feels really great is love from another person, this is a huge false belief.

If you have ever experienced a moment where you feel full and joyous for no external reason, you know that it is possible to feel incredibly wonderful without another's love and approval."


Email message from "The Values We Live By Are Worth More When We Pass Them On : INNERWORKS SEMINARS" from innerworks@gmail.com

You can't change the whole world

Maybe you can't change the whole world, but if you have love in your heart you can make small differences every day, which really does change the world, one life at a time.


-- Kristina Koncz

Not to live backwards

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards:

they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so they will be happier.

The way it actually works is the reverse.

You must first be who you really are, then do what you love to do, in order to have what you want.


-- Margaret Young

Look at what you have in life

If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more.

If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough.


-- Oprah Winfrey

Marketing and Promoting Library Services

"In today's competitive environment, libraries face an increasing challenge in reaching out to both their existing and potential users. What used to be a relatively remote concept in the library profession, marketing and promotion is now one of the essential tools for libraries to their outreach efforts. Some possible questions then would be the relevance of marketing and promotion to library services and the most effective methods to employ."

Source of information: email from Professional & International Relations, National Library Board, dated 18 Oct 2010

With the assistance from Goethe-Institute, the Professional & International Relations, National Library Board invited Ms Barbara Lison for Professional Talks Series today.

Ms Lison is Director at the Public Library of Bremen in Germany, with her invaluable experience, her sharing and on the value and importance of marketing and promotion in public library is very stimulating.

Here is the details of the talk I attended today:

Topic : Marketing and Promoting Library Services
Speaker : Ms Barbara Lison
Director, Public Library of Bremen, Germany
Date : 29 Oct 10, Friday
Time : 4.00pm - 5.30pm
Venue : Possibility Room, Level 5, National Library Building

LAS Professional Development Scheme (PDS) Points: 46

Barbara Lison is the Director at Public Library of Bremen, a position she has held since 1992. She is responsible for a library system with nearly ten different units. During the last few years, her main professional issues were the modernisation of the Public Library of Bremen and the project for a new Central Library.

Having held several professional positions, she has been very active in library policy and development on the level of the European Union having taken part in different European Union projects. She has also been engaged in the activities of German national and European professional library organisations. Over the past couple of years Ms Lison has been working for the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Goethe-Institute as an expert for library affairs.

In this afternoon session, Ms Lison shared the process of marketing and relate it to library and information services in Bremen, Germany. "Libraries nowadays evolve in an everchanging environment with competition from various fronts, it is paramount that libraries and librarians are equipped with an understanding and appreciation for the value and importance of marketing and promotion in any type of library or information centre."

She also identified various considerations when selecting specific marketing or promotion methods for use within Bremen's Public Library context.

As I was curious about the Maccot cartoon (Brementown Musicians) used in the presentation, I was lead by Ms Lison to visit the following audio story in flash:

Brementown Musicians
http://www.brementownmusicians.com/flash/story/en
As I never read the story of "Brementown Musicians" before, this interesting audio story allows me to patch the hole of my unknown world.  At least, now Bremen Town is linked to Brementown Musicians (Chanter: the Donkey, Anciano: the dog, Songe: the cat and Belement Chanticleer: the rooster).

After the talk, I just visit the websit of "Bremen Public Library" at http://www.bremen.lib.in.us/

I like the quotation below the address: "We link our community to the world; past, present and future" and I find some interest and unique contents on the home page with the following links:

Community Heritage Online Databases

•Bremen Obituaries
•Bremen Cemetery

Bremen Obituaries at http://www.bremen.lib.in.us/historical/bpl_obituaries.asp
"Obituaries from The Bremen Enquirer. 11,883 records entered as of 11/17/2008. We have completed all years prior to 1997..."

I think the library have a unique community database which is not common to me who are in Library and Information service for years. 

Well, I think it is not our way of "Marketing and Promoting Library Services" at the present moment, yet it may be a good reference point as our Nation is looking at the needs of the "Silver Ages". Maybe it is something we can consider as the service will be well appreciated by the Library users.

Visiting Health Information Centre (HIC)

Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.

-- Lord Byron (1788-1824) English Poet

The visit to the Health Information Centre (HIC), Health Promotion Board today starts with a talk on laughter and it is great to have the laughter exercise "Laughter Yoga" as an Ice Breaker.

All the visitors from different libraries feel so good and smile their way throughout the visit.

The visit today is organised by LAS Programmes and Social Committee.

Health Information Centre (HIC), Health Promotion Board is a library that specialises in health education, health promotion and disease prevention resources.

HIC offers a collection of health related books, journals and magazines, audio-visual resources and print resources and exhibition panels on a wide range of health topics. 

Our group was briefed by Ms Flora Bay, Manager of HIC.  I had my BMI and blood pressure checked at Health Zone and glad to note that all are within the normal range!

As I was very impressed with the visit and like the HIC collection very much, I enroll myself as a library member by paying $20 refundable deposit on the spot!

Here is the detail programme of the day:

Date: 28 October 2010 (Thursday)

Time: 2:00 pm – 5.00 pm

Meeting Point:  Lobby of Health Promotion Board, 3 Second Hospital Avenue, Singapore 168937

MRT: Outram Park (SGH exit)

Registration is on a first-come-first served basis. Maximum group size: 50

Programme:

2.00 – 2.15 pm Meet @ Lobby of Health Promotion Board

2.15 – 3.15 pm Health Talk on Laughter and Laughter Yoga with Demonstrations

3.15 - 4.30 pm Tour of HealthZone/Viewing of HIC resources

(Divide in 2 groups)

4.30 – 5.00 pm Tea/Networking

5pm End of Visit

For those who miss this visit, you may visit the links available at

HPB Online and click the link under "Health Information Centre' http://www.hpb.gov.sg/hpb/default.asp?pg_id=961


Professional Development Scheme (PDS) Points

Eligible for PDS Points:

This activity attracts 46 points under the Industry Knowledge Development (ID) category. " Study visit to other libraries (local and overseas)"

Web of life

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.


-- Chief Seattle (1780-1866)

Understand it from the perspective of Internet, we can understand all things are bould together and all things connect. 

Yet, Internet and humankind have not woven the real web of life.  Internet and we as humankind are just one thread within it.  We just being a small part of the web of life.

Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves, yet it also bound us with the bigger web we live our life with!

Hence, when we blog, we connect, we weave the thread, we do to the web, we do to ourselves!

Dexterine Ho

When Nations Remember: an International Conference on Memory

11-12 Oct 2010, Carlton Hotel, Singapore

When Nations Remember: an International Conference on Memory, is organised by National Library Singapore and supported by International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and Institutions & Library Association of Singapore (LAS).

The programme I attended today are as follows:

Monday 11 October 2010
Conference Day One

8.30am – 9.00am Registration for Conference Delegates @ Carlton Hotel Singapore

9.00am – 9.15am Opening Address by Mrs Phoon Chew Ping, Chief Executive, National Library Board

9.15am – 10.00am Keynote Address "American Memory and the Evolution of the World Digital Library" by John van Oudenaren, Director, World Digital Library


10.00am – 10.30am "When Nations Remember – Delivering a New Generation National Library of New Zealand: A Practical Perspective" by Ms Penny Carnaby, Chief Executive / National Librarian from National Library of New Zealand

10.30am – 11.00am "The Memory of the Netherlands: Towards a National Infrastructure" by Dr J.S.M (Bas) Savenije, Director General from Koninklijke Bibliotheek (National Library of Netherlands)

11.00am – 11.15am Tea Break

11.15am – 11.45am "UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme: Global Approach to preserving and accessing documentary heritage" by Ms Joie Springer, Senior Programme Specialist, Memory of the World Programme from UNESCO

11.45am – 12.15pm "Presentation on Singapore Memory Project" by Mr Gene Tan, Programme Director, Singapore Memory Project

Personally, I am very impressed with Gene's light-hearted way of presenting "The Singapore Memory Project (SMP)".

A national project to tell the "Singapore Story" and to collect, preserve and access Singapore’s knowledge assets can be very "Heavy" to listen, yet his choice of words and his humourous ways of translating what is in his and our minds have turn the session to be the most memorable one for many participants.

"The Singapore Memory Project (SMP)" is a national knowledge initiative to collect, organise, preserve our cultural and intellectual memory for research and discovery.

After I listen to his presentation, I think "Singapore Memory Project" are now linked in my heart with two keywords: "Love" and "Soul", I think with the love one has for our family, our neighbourhood, our community our country, Singaporean will be able to answer the question: What is the Soul of Singapore?

I think "Singapore Memory Project" will create a truly proliferative movement and move the nation to build the project in that direction.

With that in my mind, I think

"Singapore Memory Project: a whole-of-nation collaborative initiative facilitated by the National Library Singapore and in strong partnership with heritage, academic and research institutions, government institutions, people agencies, companies, NGOs and a host of enthusiastic Singaporeans all eager to share their Singapore Memory"

is not just an official statement in print.


12.35pm – 1.15pm Q & A
1.15pm – 2.30pm Lunch

Session B – Experiences

■Mad About Singapore Buses

If you missed the tour, just follow the youtube programme and all the links to have some ideas of the groups' work and their intest in Singapore Buses:



We were lead by James Lee and the group for the tour of Bus Depot, Interchange and many interesting sites related to buses in the 1970's, 1980's. 1990's and the current decades. I took some videorecordings for the tour and download them to conference organiser's computer for their selection. Hopefully, some clips maybe selected for future use!

我心中的中峇鲁

After using "中峇鲁" in Chinese text and google , I found this article today:

文章标题：我心中的中峇鲁 发表日期：2010-07-20（2010-08-05修改）


作　　者：骆宾路
2010年07月20日，星期二
2010-8-5 13:26:22   被依林编辑过


For full text of the article, visit the link:
http://sgcls.zhongwenlink.com/news_read.asp?NewsID=8700

Here are some interesting facts and history related to Tiong Bahru Estate mentioned in the article:
* 中峇鲁是英殖民政府属下改良信托局于上世纪四十年代初所建的居屋，是目前属于政府管辖下屋龄约七十年的最老的组屋区。
　　
* 二次大战前，中峇鲁区只限于中峇鲁路（即现今的大牌五十五座至威镇庙）、中保路、成保路、英云街、永发街、源全街、齐贤街、炳源街及薛华街一带，人口不是很多。二次大战之后至新加坡独立，中峇鲁区扩建至成保路右侧，今之中峇鲁巴刹及食阁一带以及中峇鲁路南面原属坟山一带，即原南洋工商补习学校对面并延至今之中峇鲁广场。

* 中峇鲁在二次世界大战期间，遭受日军空袭。中峇鲁五层楼炳源街有一个单位受炸。我家齐贤街前的草坪也落过两枚炸弹，一枚爆炸，一枚是死弹。日军蹂躏新加坡百姓三年八个月，中峇鲁也不能幸免。我们这些适龄学童都成了失学儿童。新加坡光复之后，华校复课，中峇鲁这批失学儿童都拥到南洋工商补习学校就读。

* 当年住在中峇鲁一伙小伙伴，已经走的据知有前华语话剧资深导演、演员张维明（维爵），恐怕他是住在中峇鲁区最早走的一个（一九七六年）。前《人闻月刊》创办人杨明兴（笔名鸣人）也在几年前走了。

* 曾经住在中峇鲁老区的，还有老报人傅无闷一家，夫人刘韵仙、公子傅超仁、傅超贤。他们就住在我家（齐贤街）斜对面（源全街）四楼一个单位。

* 前杨协成酱油厂老板昆仲，弟弟也是住在源全街和傅无闷一家比邻；哥哥一家是住在齐贤街和我家比邻。

* 前南洋工商补习学校龙姓美术老师也是住在源全街，龙老师的公子郁君贻年少负笈英国，是英国皇家钢琴学院的教授，二十一世纪中，曾在新加坡出任南洋艺术学院院长。龙家千金郁君谋是钢琴家。

* 此外同在中峇鲁区的玩伴，还有前国会议员政务部长庄日昆、前宏文学校校长杨先景、南大史地系第一届毕业生林肯俐、留学澳洲（不知有没有记错）著名建筑师杨树先，还有杨柳芳、杨柳青等。在南洋工商补习学校和我同班的何炯照（据说他留学英国后曾出任海港局高职）、朱智生（其父，一时记不起他的名字，是前中国银行高级职员）等。

* 住在齐贤街还有两家吴姓家庭，吴敬山和我大哥曾是中国银行同事，弟弟吴仰山，另有一个和我年龄相近的弟弟就记不起他的名字了。他的姐姐和我姐姐年龄相近，如果没有记错名字是叫吴楚燕。

* 另一家吴姓家庭有两个姐妹是前南桥女中的学生，篮球打得顶好，是校代表队主力球员，一叫吴楚文，一个好像叫吴楚珊。

* 当年我的小学（南洋工商补习学校）老师住在中峇鲁的有前南洋工商补习学校校长陈国祥、陈姓英语老师，听说现在旅居美国，今年高龄应该有八十几了。

* 余松年（已故）以及夫人马老师住在成保路。庄令昭老师（已故）住在今中峇鲁路大牌五十五座二楼一个单位。已故资深作家姚紫也曾住在中峇鲁路南后期扩建的居屋。至今仍扬名歌坛的资深女歌唱家潘秀琼也曾住在战后扩建的中峇鲁路的居屋。

* 有人说，中峇鲁是个老化了的老区。守在这里的老一辈，心中仍有很多中峇鲁说不完的、精彩的、动人的故事。不管你今日住在哪个角落，只要听到你是在中峇鲁住过的，大家会格外感到亲切。这是一个原住民缅怀的地方。

For full text of the article, visit the link:
http://sgcls.zhongwenlink.com/news_read.asp?NewsID=8700

I get very nostalgic when I read the article. I was very touched by the author as he is very detailed in recalling the names, past events and fill the lines with sentimental statements.  I wish I could do the same when I am at his age!  Reading his narration of event happened in the estate for the past 70 years is like watching a documentary on screen!  

Highly recommended for reading!

Dexterine Ho

Tiong Bahru: Article in Chinese found via Google's Cache

I just run a google search on Tiong Bahru and found the following Chinese article:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:TuWW_4RtT3oJ:big5.17u.com/blog/article/153971.html+%22tiong+poh+road%22&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=sg&lr=lang_zh-TW

中峇魯，拐個彎就是一道風景

This is Google's cache of http://big5.17u.com/blog/article/153971.html. It is a snapshot of the page as it appeared on 27 Aug 2010 00:05:34 GMT. The current page could have changed in the meantime.

中峇魯，拐個彎就是一道風景

[原創]作者：佳寶 日期：2008-6-12
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:TuWW_4RtT3oJ:big5.17u.com/blog/article/153971.html+%22tiong+poh+road%22&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=sg&lr=lang_zh-TW

中峇魯是繁忙市區的一片清涼之地，空氣彌散著一種悠閑的味道

　　沒有到過中峇魯，你很難想像繁忙的城市裏還有這麼一片清涼之地。它範圍不大，小小的住宅區裏都是戰前的舊式組屋，空氣裏彌散著一種悠閑的味道，偶爾會看到有人走過，但多數時候看到的只是趴在墻角的懶洋洋的貓。

　　一個地方的氣質跟歷史的厚度有關。

　　中峇魯發展於1936年，是英殖民政府在新加坡興建的第一批公共住屋，經歷了戰火，仍然完整地保存下來。2003年，政府宣佈中峇魯為保留區，它與眾不同的建築外觀，它的一磚一瓦，將永久成為我們歷史遺產的一部分。

　　中峇魯是繁忙市區的一片清涼之地，空氣彌散著一種悠閑的味道。

　　看到、聽到、嗅到生活

　　老區的房子，連一樓都住滿了一戶戶的人家，黃昏時分從他們的門前走過，生活，可以看到、聽到、嗅到。中峇魯從很久以前就是一個令人垂涎的地方，咖啡店、菜館、餐廳、煮炒店，加起來超過15家，鎮中心的巴剎與熟食中心遠近馳名，翻新以後，很不幸的變得格格不入，反而成了區內最煞風景的地方。

螺旋形樓梯是中峇魯戰前祖屋的一大特色

　　每一條街都是一部人物史

　　中峇魯一帶都是蜿蜒的小路，轉一個彎就是一道風景。

　　從中峇魯路轉進忠坡路（Tiong Poh Road），包括英雲街（Eng Hoon Street）、林烈街（Lim Liak Street）、成保路（Seng Poh Road）、成保巷（Seng Poh Lane）、永發街（Eng Watt Street）、齊賢街（Chay Yan Street）、永錫街（Yong Siak Street）、茂源臺（Moh Guan Terrace）、源全街（Guan Chuan Street）、有進街（Eu Chin Street）、金榜路（Kim Pong Road），都構成中峇魯的命脈。

　　根據《南洋年鑒》和《南洋歷史》記載，這些路名都是為紀念19世紀華社名人而取的。如金榜路是為紀念大慈善家劉金榜，有進街是為紀念義安公司的主要創始人佘有進，忠坡路是為紀念福建籍富商邱忠坡，齊賢街則是紀念陳篤生的孫子陳齊賢。他是新馬橡膠業的開路先鋒，最早把樹膠作為園丘式經營。每一條街都是一部人物史。

　　在中峇魯，還有百年老廟、古早的咖啡店、50年不變的雜貨店和當鋪、傷痕纍纍的防空壕，以及郁達夫在《星洲日報》擔任副刊編輯時，曾經住過的房子。

　　今年底，中峇魯第53和第54座組屋將改建成酒店，屆時，可以想見，這個老區將有另一番風景。

吳玉桂是齊天宮的顧問，也是中峇魯的“地方領袖”，是中峇魯的活字典


　　找到中峇魯的“字典”

　　寫中峇魯的故事，最大收穫是認識了吳玉桂老先生。吳玉桂肖猴，今年76歲，是齊天宮的顧問，廟裏理事說：“他是第一百零一個老中峇魯，其他的搬的搬、走的走（故世），現在只剩他一個了，中峇魯的歷史你問他吧，他最清楚。”

　　吳老先生為人風趣，學養很好，問起我的父母親，都用令尊令堂。他老當益壯，但不認老，開一輛馬賽地轎車，每天還到自己的公司上班。開頭我叫他老伯，他作惱怒狀，於是我趕緊改口叫他大叔。哈哈。

　　看著一棟棟房子建起來又看著它們拆除

　　吳大叔在中峇魯出世、長大，父親是齊天宮的乩童，一家人就住在齊天宮樓上。他指著英雲路上的老房子說：“我看著它們一棟棟建起來，現在又看著它們一棟棟的拆除重建。”吳大叔一直住在中峇魯，間中有段時間搬到烏節一帶，不久又搬回老地方，現住在金殿路，跟我算是街坊。大叔是中峇魯的“地方領袖”，擔任中峇魯聯絡所主席有30年之久，現在還是聯絡所的顧問。

　　他看盡中峇魯的變遷，在情感上，一輩子與中峇魯有著千絲萬縷的關系。他說：“中峇魯以前都是有錢人住的地方，生活起碼要在中等以上才有資格住進來。這裡住了很多文人，也有很多人在這裡包二奶。”

　　齊天宮斜對面是忠坡路，吳大叔說：“郁達夫當年就住在忠坡路的一個單位。”後來我回報館查資料，發現記載的是第65座組屋三樓24號。大叔還說，中國大畫家劉海粟也住過中峇魯。

        訪問第二天早上，約了吳大叔拍照，他知道我想到防空壕看看，慷慨的充當我的車夫，用他的馬賽地把我載到茂源臺。

　　茂源臺的老房子俗稱五層樓，建成一個馬蹄形，樓房後面是停車場，廢棄已久的防空壕就在樓房後面的底層，面對停車場，大門深鎖，並不是我原先所以為的什麽秘密通道。要不是吳大叔帶路，我恐怕找上一天都找不到。

　　大叔說，這是英國人設計的老房子，建得銅墻鐵壁，堅硬非常，釘子釘不進，大戰期間炸彈下來，也只是打穿一個小洞，底層拿來做防空壕最合適不過。大叔曾經帶電視臺的攝影隊到裏面拍攝，被蚊子叮得全身又紅又腫，他問：“你想進去嗎？可以跟市鎮會申請，讓他們給你開門。”我想到他的慘痛經歷，當然不敢輕舉妄動。

Here are the links with the same article:

http://cbbs.chinadaily.com.cn/viewthread.php?tid=4221&extra=page%3D34
Wtih "稿件来源：联合早报"
This link have some photos included, yet with some typo errors and irrelevant text added!

http://www.chinabaike.com/article/316/tour/2007/20071024609409.html

Fort Canning Park with LAS members

Just went for a heritage guided walk of Fort Canning Park, conducted by NParks board, on 17 Sep 2010, Friday (3 pm – 5.30 pm).

This guided walk is organised by LAS (Library Association of Singapore) and our guide is Ms Lee Wei Ling from National Park.  (Ms Lee is in her Twenty, and her full name is the same as the daughter of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. She said it makes her and her name hard to forget for most Singaporean.)

We are pleased to have a nice and cold walk in the afternoon as the heavy rain in the morning wash the heat away.  We are so fortunate to have a good day for this outdoor activity.

We enjoyed hearing many good tips on plants, some legends and interest story about Fort Canning from Ms Lee.  Ms Lee was surprised to note that what she thought as something uncommon or not easy to guess are well answered by the group members.  I think the Fort Canning is the Library of plants and LAS have a lot of good Librarians who love and know plants very well.

I enjoyed the afternoon walk with a group of knowledgeable Librarians.

As the walk were limited to 30 participants, and on a first-come, first-served basis, I am glad that I had signed up on 18 Aug and get myself registered!

About the walk

It is a leisurely stroll back into time to rediscover Fort Canning and its rich heritage within this verdant oasis in the heart of the city.

"Standing serenely amidst the bustling sprawl of the city, Fort Canning Park has plenty to be discovered and much to behold."

The walk let us find out about the many historical layers of this hill which is irrefutably intertwined with the history of Singapore. 

Being an old resident of Tan Tye Alley (A small lane no longer existed in Singapore street directory after mid 1970), the hill is my childhood play ground and it is nice to revisit it once in a while.

Tan Tye Alley which was a small lane adjacent to Tan Tye Place, it was just opposite Fort Canning Hill.  During my childhood time, our family was a tenant living on the third story of a unit (The address was 4A, Tan Tye Alley).

We used to enjoy watching fireworks showering down in front of us when we lay down to watch the show at our small open air roof-top balcony cum garden after dinner.  No firework can be watched as close and look as beautiful when I compare it with what was imprinted in my memory!

Tan Tye Alley (Some 3 storey units with the address No. 2, 4, 6, 8, etc and a big Ware House) is now part of Liang Court (Chinese: 亮阁) at Clarke Quay, near Singapore River. 

When our family members visited Liang Court the first few times, we always felt that we are visiting our old home and like to guess which shop is at our old home location! 

Now back the the walk!  Guided by Ms Lee, we climbed the hill and visited some other interesting sites:

• Fort Gate and the nearby sites: Once the seat of Malay royalty in the 14th century and home to colonial governors in the 19th, it became a military base during the Second World War. Today, a display of ancient relics dating back to the 14th century as well as the Fort Gate, remnant of the fortress built in the 1860s, are reminders of Singapore’s rich past.

• Spice Garden: Explored the world of spices which was part of the original tract of Singapore's first botanical and experimental garden, we learn about the importance of spice back then as well as how it has integrated into our lives today.

Whether it is botanical or historical, learning about our heritage is not possible through just a walk in the park, yet, it is a good starting point for some and good revision for me today!


What to take note if you plan to walk on your own in future:

• Walk is moderately easy but will involve walking up slopes and steps so do come dressed comfortably. Sport shoes is the best!
• It is also good to bring along a bottle of drinking water, hat/cap/umbrella/poncho, sun glasses and sunblock!
• Apply insect repellent if you are likely to attract them.

Here is some good information:
Meeting point for the group: Courtyard opposite NParks Visitor Centre, Fort Canning Centre

Nearest MRT: Dhoby Ghaut or City Hall

Nearest carpark: carpark B off Percival Road


Professional Development Scheme (PDS) Points
Eligible for PDS Points:
This activity attracts 26 points under Category C – Personal Development. " Participate in any self-development or productivity course not directly related to library and information work (half day) “ 2. Reference: See para 4.6 of the PDS Guide [:http://www.las.org.sg/PDS-Guide-2008-LAS.mht ]

Source of information: Email from Programmes & Social Committee Dated 18 Aug 2010

Book as a gift

When you give someone a book, you don't give him just paper, ink, and glue. You give him the possibility of a whole new life.

-- Christopher Morley (1890-1957)

I like to give book as birthday gift for nieces and newphews, I hope it benefits them like what Christopher Morley said in the above quote!

Dexterine Ho

Simon Calder's 48 Hours in Singapore

Simon Calder, an Independent Traveller spends two eventful days in Singapore and experienced the diverse and welcoming city!
For those who are planning to have a short visit of Singapore, even if you only have 48 hours, you still can bring back great memory of Singapore.
 
As a Singaporean, I find the New Majestic Hotel interesting !

I like the interial deco of New Majestic Hotel (http://www.newmajestichotel.com/) and it would be interesting to experience the pool one day!
 
Cheers!
 
Dexterine Ho

Leadership

Leadership is no longer about your position.

It's now more about your passion for excellence and making a difference.

You can lead without a title.



-- Robin Sharma

Reason vs emotion

The sign of intelligent people is their ability to control emotions by the application of reason.


-- Marya Mannes (1904-1990) American Journalist

Happiness

Man is happy only as he finds work worth doing --
and does it well.


-- E. Merrill Root (1895-1973) American Writer

The Library of Congress  (http://www.loc.gov/index.html) in Washington D.C. has over 33 million books and 12 million photographs, millions of maps, sheet music, and other manuscripts.

Its holdings make it largest library in the western world; and having been founded in 1800, it is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country.

Source of information:
The World Almanac 2010, original source
The Refdesk 2 Sept 2010, indirect reference source
The Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/index.html)

Teaching with the Internet

If you need to use Internet for teaching, "GERSH'S GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS: TEACHING WITH THE INTERNET" created by Dr. Sheila O. Gersh, City College of NY - Center for School Development may be a good site for your reference and here is the link:

http://www.schoollink.org/twin/

In the list, the following are compiled and you can just click your way to some good Internet resources like:
 
CultureQuest, ScienceQuest, Child Safe E-mail

Acrobat Reader Real Audio/Video, Skype

Projects ProjectWorksheets,  Citationmachine

NYS Learning & Teaching, Internet Curriculum ResourcesELEM sites

Sites for young children, Refdesk,  Participating in Projects Virtual Architecture

Post It Add It Conference Presentations For Administrators, CyberGuides video conf. with Japan

Tech Tips (videos),  Interesting Sites, NYS Standards

Literacy Sites, Internet Basics, Subject Matter Links

Science News, Make Your Own Rubrics, Hints for Creating Rubrics WebQuests

WebQuest Resources,  Graphic Organizers

Evaluating Web Sites, ESL Sites , Best WebQuests

Searching on the Internet, Searching strategies, More Searching Tips

Lesson Plans, Project Based Learning

Searching HANDOUT,  Searching with Google Schoolnotes, 
Blackboard Portfolios, Personal Portfolios, Multimedia resources  

Learn to Keyboard

And many more...

Everything starts with just a thought

Thought manifests as word.

Word manifests as deed.

Deed develops into habit.

And habit hardens into character.

So watch the thought and its ways with care.

And let it spring from loveBorn out of concern for all beings.


-- The Buddha (563?-483? B.C.E.)Siddhartha Gautama

Travel light

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.

-- Glenn Clark


It is great to read something like that today as it is very meaningful to realise why I can have a different world of experience when I reflect it in retrospect.

Travel light physically and mentally!

Even with motion sickness on plane, in car and ship, I find ways to many places with friends who enjoy visiting and experiencing the life of different places together.

I think we are able to travel light physically and emotionally!

Having very light luggages ease the physical journey and with light emotional baggages make the choice of tour mate an easy task!

Cheers!

Dexterine Ho

一個“放”字

Just received the followings today from a friend:

千般哲理, 一個“放”字
有一種養心方法叫“放下”。
擅樂者希聲，養心者留空。
何時放下，何時就會獲得一身輕鬆。


有一種處事方法叫“放棄”,
放棄無法擁有的，
重要的是放棄之後就不要悔恨。
獲得幸福的不二法則是珍惜所擁有的。

有一種辦事方法叫“放置”。
放置不是閑置，
今天無頭緒可能明天有條理，
因為事緩則圓，事緩就有變。


有一種管理方法叫“放手”。
管理不是緊緊抓住不放，
更非事必躬親，
而是有條有理地調動大家的積極性，
捆住了手腳當然就無活力而言。


有一種思考方法叫“放飛”。
放飛思緒才會天馬行空。
創造源於想象，想象力遠比知識重要。


有一種表達方法叫“放聲”。
若不影響他人，不妨放開喉嚨，
壓抑是致病的罪魁。
需要注意的是，放聲之後應知道何時收聲。


有一種觀察方法叫“放眼”。
能放眼時應放眼，放眼之處皆風景。
目力所及可見銀河星瀚、
高山流水、雲卷雲舒，遠比眼前風景好看得多。


一個“放”字，千般哲理。

運用得好，就會使復雜的生活回歸簡單，
紛亂的思緒回歸明晰，浮躁的心境回歸淡然。


“放”作為生存之態，是化繁後的睿智，
是畫龍後的點睛，是深刻後的平和。


梭羅說：“一個人越是有許多事能夠放得下，
他就越是富有。”


“提得起”常被人稱道，
“放得下”則更令人贊嘆。

Source of original information: Unknown

Attachment

I like these quotations someone sent me:

"The worst in life is "ATTACHMENT", it hurts when you lost something!"

"The best thing in life is " LONELINESS", because it teaches you everything and when you lose it, you get everything!"

Creation of something

It is wonderful to be in on the creation of something, see it used, and then walk away and smile at it.
-- Lady Bird Johnson (1912- ) American First Lady


It is a joyful journey when I travelled the path of creating something I like and have a smiling day after doing it!
 
I enjoy the mode of doing something creative and innovative.  It can be just as simple as cutting something out from paper, planting something green and beautiful in the garden, or just doing some arrangement and re-arrangement of artifacts around me etc...
 
Creating something just take a few minutes or less than an hour, yet the joys of looking at it last for the whole days or, some time, years!
 
It is a good way of trading time for something that please your and other's heart that is everlasting!
 
Dexterine Ho

Singapore - Crossroads of the East 1938

A tour of the British colony of Singapore in 1938.  Footage from this film is available for licensing from http://www.globalimageworks.com



I can identify some of the scenes taken in Singapore River then as the River in the late 1950s and 1960s when I am a child was like that in my memory, especially the sights of Chinese workers (Ku Li) walking on planks with loads of goods on their shoulders brought back many fond memories of my childhood living near boat quay (Tan Thye Alley)

My father came to Singapore in the 1940s, if he is still around, this film will bring back some of his fond memories:

Singapore in 1938:
- the Gibraltar of the East!
- the cheapest shopping centre in the whole world!
- with modern buildings and large boulevards!
- thriving harbour!
- a lively city with lively people!
- religious freedom and harmony!

When I heard this in the movie, it is like what is like reading printed text in the geography text book in school in the late 1960s. Yet is was the achievement 30 years before Singapore's Independence.

We were told that Singapore was a poor city and it is very enlightening to see 1938 with all the modern facilities already in place!

I really enjoy this movie as it made me understand the way Singapore is today are the toils and hard work of our ancestors.

During that period of time, the whites are the ones who enjoy themselves while our ancestors toil. 

Now some of us are engaging foreign maid and doing the same like the white did in the past. 

The population in 1938 was only 500,000.  Our ancestors were immigrants then and now in 2010, the population is 5,000,000+ and many of our maids and workers etc are immigrants.

If history can help us reflects and projects into the future, it will tell us whatever we have at present will not be permanent!  Things will change and evolve from time to time.

The future of our Singapore is for all of us to create!

Whoever toils and hard work, like our ancestor may harvest the fruits of their labour, if not within their generation,  it will in their next generation.

What will Singapore be in 2050 and who are the Singaporean then?

亲爱的潮州

潮剧艺人张长城，黄盛典，郑舜英等以潮曲介绍美丽的潮州。

With whom you are going to spend most of your waking hours

The people with whom you work reflect your own attitude. If you are
suspicious, unfriendly and condescending, you will find these unlovely traits echoed all about you.

But if you are on your best behavior, you will bring out the best in the persons with whom you are going to spend most of your waking hours.

-- Beatrice Vincent


For those who are in working world for years, you will have enough experience that boss attracts only like-minded subordinates.

If you do not like to be re-format by your boss and you cannot change your boss's ways of doing thing, the only way out is to ask for transfer or post yourself out. 

There are lot of rooms for exploration if you try another way of living your working world.  We are not obliged to work for one organisation or one boss for life.

If we like the way the organisation run and identify our dream with their mission and vision, we stay longer and become a loyal staff.

If we entered to a work place with disillusion and misconception, and after a while your realised that it is not a place for you as it is not healthy for your body, mind and soul, you will know that it is time to say "I had tried and I understand I can be better elsewhere" and you moved on ...

Work is just a place for your mind and soul to explore the potential it may extend.

If your mind, body and soul is at a stand still or degrading and you have to create a new place and made new room for the body, mind and soul to breath freely and healthily, you will make the choice, however costly it is. 

Dollars and cents will not make much sense at this juncture, as it is the value in the decision you make that benefit the rest of your life.

The cash that you chase and trash yourself in at work day and night, may ruin your mind, body and soul!

If you choice the way you work, you will have the like-minded with you and you will never be alone!


Dexterine Ho

Singapore - The Lion City, 1957

A visit to Singapore in 1957. To license footage from this film, visit www.travelfilmarchive.com




I was filmed in 1957 and I was too young to have any impression of Singapore at that time!

"Singapore was once so pretty!" I can see that places and things changed so much within 50 years if you compare the places of interest THEN and now.

On making the right decision

In addition to self-awareness, imagination and conscience, it is the fourth human endowment-independent will-that really makes effective self-management possible.
It is the ability to make decisions and choices and to act in accordance with them. It is the ability to act rather than to be acted upon, to proactively carry out the program we have developed through the other three endowments.

Empowerment comes from learning how to use this great endowment in the decisions we make every day.

-- Stephen Covey


Of all the abilities that one has, decision making is most crucial in one's life journey!
 
In my personal journey, I would like to exercise self-awareness, imagination and guard against my own conscience, with that, I have made a decision lately:
 
I would rather "Live in a world with "Vision", and not "Blinding" myself with work!"

With the loads of work I have for over 30 years in the library and teaching world (labour of love, most of the time), I have the awareness lately that my I had overloaded my eyes too much which cause retinal tear of my left eye. 

Born with the mind set of wanting to explore creative way of doing things, I may had exhausted my eyes with all the visual treats I received or created in my personal and work life.  Now, I have come to a decision that even the work is valuable and meaningful, it will not be "visible" to me if I am unable to view it in the future. Hence, what I am doing is doing more harm than good for my "Vision".  To do or not to do, a painful decision is now made with ease!

If you do not have any problem with your eyes and vision, it is hard for anyone to make a decision not to overwork as all the work now required overtime and over strain of eyes.

If you are in the situation that your eye is so painful, dye, and need lubrication every 1-2 hours, even the decision is made, it is already too late for the good for the rest of your life!

Nevertheless, it is better late than never! 


Dexterine Ho
 

任何事情都会过去的

Here is what I just received from a friend:

＝＝＝＝＝
没有任何事情是不会过去的

****

不顺心是必然的，顺境不是境界如自己的愿，
而是顺应境界而进退取捨。

当任性时立即有不顺心的烦恼。

人事如海滩不可胜数的沙子，一个人寡不敌众，一个境界
怎能满足千变的心呢？

其实没有任何事情是不会过去的，没有人是
不会改变的。

不顺心也是一时的心情。

****

施比受更有福。
人生无常，把握《当下》！

＝＝＝＝＝

Dexterine's life journey with LAS (Library Association of Singapore): Part 1 of 5

Here is something I wrote and forwarded to Nurul at NLB (Nurulhuda_SUBAHAN@nlb.gov.sg) as a Volunteer Memory Agent after attending a Saturday morning "Singapore Memory workshop" in June at NLB!

If you like to join the Group, email to Nurul (Nurulhuda_SUBAHAN@nlb.gov.sg) and she will send you an invitation to join the Yahoo Group.

Cheers!

Dexterine Ho

===

Dear Nurul,

I wanted to write more, yet time is not with me now!

Here is something simple and easy for me to start with:


TITLE
====================================

Dexterine's life journey with LAS (Library Association of Singapore)

====================================

If you are a librarian, you would know what LAS stands for: Library Association of Singapore.

If you are not working in the library and information field, LAS may not be anything significant in your life journey. You may just skip this article.

For those who are still reading, please note that unless you would like to know more about library professionals and their links with their professional organisation, you may find the article irrelavant to your experience of memory in Singapore.

*****************
History of LAS
*****************

"The LAS traced its history to the days when Malaysia and Singapore were not independent yet. In the 1950s, Singapore was a British colony, and Malaysia, then known as the Federation of Malaya, was a British protectorate. At that time, libraries and librarians in the two territories were far and few. Only a handful of government research libraries and a few subscription libraries existed, the latter, as Jean Waller had described, "masquerading'' as public libraries."

(Source of information: Library Association of Singapore: About us http://www.las.org.sg/about_us.htm)

If you are keen to learn more about the history of LAS, just read the webpage cited above.

************************************
Dexterine's life journey with the library world in general and LAS (Library Association of Singapore) in particular
************************************

As this article is about 150 words, if you would though like to take a glimpse into some of my personal experiences of the library world in general and LAS in particular, just read on and visit "Travel down memory lane with Dexterine" at http://dexterine.blogspot.com/ to get more.

You will find out some facts and views about librarians from the my personal perspective, the state of development of librarianship and the professional association through my personal life encounters.

Notes: Since I know very little about the library world and LAS before 1981, I look forward to reading other senior librarians’ write-ups to fill my knowledge gap about the first 25 years of Library world in Singapore and LAS history.

To start, I have the following Q and A for easy narration:

Q: Why did Dexterine become a librarian?

Answer:
Teaching was her first career prospect and librarianship, her second. Since she could not become a teacher in the 1980s, she chose to become a librarian. To her, librarians and teachers are all helping others to share the fruits of knowledge.

End of Part One, to be continued...

If you would though like to have a glimpse into some of her personal experiences of LAS, read "Travel down memory lane with Dexterine" at http://dexterine.blogspot.com/ to get more or wait for Part Two of this post.

Cheers!

Dexterine
=======================
Dexterine Ho Soo Miang
http://dexterine.tripod.com/
http://dexterine.blogspot.com view my other blogs through my profile

email: smho@pmail.ntu.edu.sg
dexterine@yahoo.com
*************************************************************
INNOvative HANDS-ON, INNOvative minds-on
*************************************************************

Myths, Stories, and Possibilities

The Programmes and Social Committee organised a talk by Dr Paul B. Gandel today:


Topic : Myths, Stories, and Possibilities

Date : 9 July 2010, Friday

Time : 3.00pm-5.00pm

Venue : Possibility Room, Level 5, National Library Building

LAS Professional Development Scheme (PDS) Points: 46
(Applicable only to librarians who are participants of PDS)

About the talk

As technology has developed over the past years moving from the Web to Web 2.0 to the Cloud, barriers have dropped and possibilities seem limitless. Our world is becoming ever more interlinked.

This presents both an opportunity and a dilemma for those of us in information services that need to plan for an increasingly technology-enabled future of interconnectedness.

How do you plan for the abundance of possibilities?
How do you plan in the absence of good predictive models?
What is really true about all the technological hype?
What really will change?
What core values and services will remain the same?

Planning for the future may be as much of process of discovery as a planning process. Success will be finding the right ingredients and partners. It also requires a bit of luck!

From the perspective of a former library dean, CIO, and now university professor, Paul Gandel leads a conversation about the challenges and opportunities he sees for this complex and cloudy future.

He illustrates these trends with stories from his own personal experiences: Creating new governance and consortium models in the face of changing technologies; green computing—an example of turning slogans into reality; and building new models of education and services for the information professional of the future.

About the speaker

Paul B. Gandel
Acting CIO, Singapore Management University
Professor of Information Studies, Syracuse University

Paul Gandel is Professor of Information Studies at Syracuse University. His teaching and research areas include the management of information technology systems, information management, leadership, information policy, and the visualization of information. Currently while on leave from Syracuse he is serving as acting CIO and senior consultant for Singapore Management University (SMU). He also is a visiting professor in the School of Information Systems at SMU.

Previously he served as the Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Syracuse University.

As Chief Information Officer, Gandel was responsible for all aspects of information technology and information services—computer services, voice and data networking, instructional technology services, business process improvement, and distance learning technology.

During his tenure as CIO he was instrumental in modernizing the University’s technology infrastructure and IT support services to ensure that SU remains competitive with the growing demands of providing high-quality information resources for research, teaching and student learning environments.

Before coming to Syracuse University, Gandel was Vice Provost and Dean of Libraries at University of Rhode Island.

Before Rhode Island, Gandel was Associate Provost and Chief Information Officer at the Ohio University, Senior Director of Academic Computing and Associate Professor of Library Science at the University of North Texas, Supervisor of the Computing Technology Group at Bell Laboratories, Head of Media Services at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, and Director of the Research Library at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, New York.

Dr. Gandel earned his Ph.D. in Information Studies from Syracuse University, an M.A. in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin, and an M.F.A. in Photography and B.A. in History from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

What impressed me is that being a history major, he has advanced to IT field and travelled a very different path from general history graduate of his time! 

I will always remembered him as he is also a graduate of University of Wisconsin.

Source of information: email from The Programmes and Social Committee, LAS dated Jun 14, 2010 

Your vision

If your vision is for a year, plant wheat.

If your vision is for ten years, plant trees.

If your vision is for a lifetime, plant people!


-- Chinese Proverb

Top 10 Sites for Creating Slide Shows by David Kapuler

Top 10 Sites for Creating Slide Shows by David Kapuler

I just received this email alert on the Top 10 Sites for Creating Slide Shows by David Kapuler

from:

Linkedin Groups: Technology Integration in Education

"Now that there are several free sites that let users create amazing slide shows, it's no longer necessary to have a program such as iPhoto or Power Point for the job.…"

"Slideshows are one of the most popular ways to integrate technology into education. Now that there are several free sites that let users create amazing slide shows, it’s no longer necessary to have a program such as iPhoto or Power Point for the job."


"Top 10 Sites for Creating Slide Shows:

1. Kizoa
- Creates beautiful slide shows, with a variety of music, effects, transitions to choose from.

2. Shwup
- Great site for creating private collaborative slide shows with features such as the ability to allow comments.

3. Photo Peach
- Unique site that allows users to create quizzes in their slide show through multiple choice questions.

4. Animoto
- One of the most popular sites around with an educational instance.

5. Slideroll
- A very nice site site that allows the user to make private or allow comments.

6. Flixtime
- Easy to use site where a user uploads photos and selects audio and transitions and then gets a code to embed into their site.

7. One True Media
- Great site to create animated slide shows with video.

8. PhotoSnack
- Very user friendly site with a drag & drop interface.

9. Pho.to
- Create flash based slide shows and get an embed code to put it on a site.

10. Vuvox
- An excellent site for creating beautiful multimedia slide shows.

David Kapuler was the media and technology specialist at Greendale (Wis.) School District. Read his blog at cyber-kap.blogspot.com."

Source of information:

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=145374083&gid=108447&type=news&item=145374083&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etechlearning%2Ecom%2Farticle%2F31270&urlhash=UfyD&goback=%2Egde_108447_news_145374083

If you have time to try any of the above, would appreciate it if you could post your comments and let me and others who use ppt for training know the + and - of the new applications!

Cheers!


Dexterine Ho