Reading Carnival @ Changi Simei
MOLLY (Mobile Library, NLB) - Reading Carnival @ Changi SimeiThe "Reading Carnival @ Changi Simei" was held at Changi Simei Community Club on Sunday, March 14, 2010 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
This blog is not written in any official capacity of National Library Board, Changi Simei Community Club, People's Association, Changkat Primary School, PAP Community Foundation (PCF) and other supporting partners for this community event. With about 350 participants and residents to attend, it was a very meaningful occasion for young and old, every language library readers.
I blog to express on a personal perspective which brings me joy, as memories surged into my aging brain as I remembered slightly over 28 years ago on February 23, 1982 when I had initiated with the help of the project team a Book Exhibition , which is self-explanatory blog on April 21, 2009. Fortunately, I could manage to retrieve a long forgotten Berita Harian after a tedious effort with the help of so many people and friends.
The book exhibition event was somewhat primitive, simple display on wooden tables, no seats for the visitors in the void-deck, and yes, not even air-conditioned hall with stage for schoolchildren performances to enjoy. MOLLY was not in existence! With 100 visitors then was considered a record-breaking crowd at West Coast Zone 3.
Doesn't matter whatever creature comfort and luxury (most children seldom complain for such stuff during those days. Parents are parents at every generation then and now, value the importance of education and the benefit of reading at the National Library.
It means to many people about personal memorable moments, these are the defining "loving moments with my kids" as I will share to reminisce with the every parents would love. To each and every parents, their own loving moments. For those who are not yet parents, they would still have children of family, relatives, even neighbors with whom they love.
To each person with one's own memory, real life of a person over each thoughts of moments in reverse is surreal. Don't watch it for others, do it yourself rewinding backwards only once in a lifetime. Watching our kids and smiling themselves on candid camera after many, many years when they are no longer kids. Its real, not drama. What a wonderful kids are!
"Was that really me as kids?" they would all have a naturally good time laughing with unconscious "paiseh" (shyness) at ourselves. I have happened myself too in such awkward situations and behaviour when young and innocent once upon a time on thoughts (not video) and it makes me smile. Its fun.
At "Reading Carnival @ Changi Simei", it feels like my thoughts was turning back in a compressed time-warp through personal pleasant history of the past. Its everyone would enjoy children with habits with reading, not necessary to be children of one's own.
Several topics were written on my blog about the National Library, tracing all the way back to my first visit to the Raffles Library, oh..."nong nong ago" ; )
My friend Victor Koo blogged on "Old National Library Revisited" just a few months ago.
Were there any some photos available for the 28-year-old "Book Exhibition" or if any of the former Residents Committee at West Coast Zone 3 members or those who attended the event, please contact me if they have any photos? Even if any of these photos are found around, maybe most of these old photos have been fed to their hungry silverfishes ; (
My gratitude to all to make the "Reading Carnival @ Changi Simei" to make this event possible; to fulfill my dream of walking down memory lane to be the 9-month-old member of the youngest National Library member, registered as my daughter at the "Book Exhibition".
Thanks to the memory, and to every parent who visited a similar public book event in the future in another two decades later, when your children would have been adults.
Thanks to the organisers and everyone to make the children, parents and myself who attended the "Reading Carnival @ Changi Simei" to make this memorable event a childhood experience to last for a long time.
Happy Reading!
Labels: Reading Carnival at Changi Simei
6 Comments:
Hi James,
Wonderful that you are still "involved" in reading activities of the Library at the community level. It's always a memorable walk for most of us when we see our own connection with the Library in the past.
Great memories, a good post!
Thanks Unk Dicko. Cheers!
Some 15 years ago, I used to bring my elder son (who was then a 3-year-old toddler) to the Community Library located in the next block. He liked it very much and got very good G.C.E. 'A' level results this year. I believe that getting him to read at an early age played a big part in his achievement.
Sadly, the Community Library was closed down after about 5 years due to high running costs and lower than expected usage.
Thanks Vic for sharing the generations of every schoolchildren from a young habit from home and in school.
Community Children's Libraries (CCLs) are located in the void decks of HDB estates in 4 language, in addition to multimedia terminals to make learning fun. The teenagers and adult will need wider range of books and facilities in regional and public libraries.
From the experience of our children growing up at the National Libraries, the slogan of "Libraries for Life. Knowledge for Success" is a reading mission.
Regarding loving moments with kids, let me share what I did. I copied some old VHS footages of my kids playing and singing and even my youngest learning to walk and stored these clips on the hdd of my dvd recorder. Sometimes when relatives come, we view them and it is so much fun. Even my daughter was surprised that she was so 'cute' when she was a toddler.
You're a techno-savvy Dad with foresight and to know that when the kids have grown from their young days, Chun See already started his VHS footage collection for the loving moments with his kids. Wonderful, their kids are lucky to remembers when they were younger. Thanks to what Dad had done.
My simple printed photos to scan from my kids photo albums for my kids though. I could only rely on memories of my loving moments of my kids with low-tech blog style...hahaha ; )
Cheers!
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