Heritage Festival 2012 Workshop

I would never get lost with the colorful and attractive direction signs to show me the way to past forward.

Organised as part of the Singapore Heritage Festival 2012:

Theme	Past Forward: A Heritage Blogging and Social Media Workshop
Venue	The Arts House (Old Parliament House)
Time	Date: Saturday, 14 July 2012 Time: 2:00 - 4:30 p.m. (optional tour 4:45 - 5:45 p.m.)

Where else can I go on a lazy Saturday afternoon to keep myself awake and do something interesting?

The announcements at Singapore HeritageFest web entices me to bring both young and old together to celebrate our city’s charms, multicultural community and rich history.

Recollect, Reflect, Reconnect!

Singapore HeritageFest (SHF) 2012 brings culture to your doorstep at nine Festival Hubs from 20 to 29 July 2012!

Interested in local heritage? Enjoy sharing information online? Come and meet some of Singapore’s most interesting heritage enthusiasts and bloggers, as they share how they have used blogging and social media to share their passion for Singapore’s past and present. You can hear about heritage photography projects and 1960s local music, or get ideas for how to blog about your neighbourhood, family history and culture.

You can also sign up for a special neighbourhood tour of either Chinatown or Queenstown, which will take place immediately after the workshop. The tour will be conducted by a heritage blogger who knows the area inside-out and who will share some fascinating stories about each neighbourhood.

Join us for an afternoon of moving the past forward!

I met my blogger friend Lam Chun See, the invited speaker for the workshop,  at Raffles Place and we walked together in the rain to The Arts House.

As we passed by Cavenagh Bridge,  I told him to pose for a memorable photo on the bridge, with the background of the Singapore River and the heritage buildings of Boat Quay. Decades years later as he live to be a grand old man, he will remember this photo to share with Singapore memories for all our nostalgia friends.

As we arrived earlier at The Arts House, we made a tour of the "Old Parliament House" to look around the place. Both Chun See and I were first visitors to this former sacred chamber in the "corridor of power in our homeland" for many decades. 

On 6 September 1999, the flag of Singapore was lowered for the last time at the old Parliament House, before the ceremonial "walk over" was conducted to the new building.  

Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his Cabinet then continued "business as usual" in the new Parliament House of Singapore which was officially opened on 4 October, 1999.  The "remaking" of Singapore from strength to strength, together for a new generation of leaders and the people for the future of Singapore under Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. 


The National Pledge of Singapore:

We, the citizens of Singapore,

pledge ourselves as one united people,

regardless of race, language or religion,

to build a democratic society

based on justice and equality

so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and

progress for our nation.

The "energized seat" of former Prime Minister  Lee Kuan Yew at the "Old Parliament House"

Ms Yu-Mei Balasingamchow presented with Chun See's "Good Morning Yesterday" book.

Blogger Andy Lim and Yusnor Ef, cultural medallionist, author and lyricist

Bloggers Victor Koo and Peter Chan

Chun See...on the ready, get set, go...

(Left to right on this photo): Ms Yu-Mei Balasingamchow, moderator, introduced the panel of speakers to Lam Chun See, Dan Koh and Ivan Chew.

Dan Koh, Editor of Poskod

Ivan Chew, Singapore Memory Project

Blogger "Chinatownboy" Victor Yue of "BullockCartWater" blog.

Thimbuktu with Victor Yue

Andy Lim and Georgiana Glass speaking on "Not Just Nostalgia: Music of the 1960s"

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

Blogger Char Lee of  "2nd Shot" blog

Professional photographer Zakaria Zainal, about the Gurkhas in Singapore

The interesting "Going Past Forward: The art of blogging or writing online about Singapore heritage Forum Panel Discussion" ended at 4.30 pm and I had to leave for another appointment.

Thanks to the HeritageFest organizers and everyone for their splendid efforts to share at this public forum.

I hope the helpful messages of the panel of speakers to spread and share their blogging experiences to encourage more Friends of Yesterday (FOYers) of National Heritage Board and irememberSG. at Singapore Memory Project for a worthwhile and beneficial fun activities to "Recollect, Reflect and Reconnect".  Share our fond nostalgic memories for posterity before they are forgotten and gone forever.

"You only live twice" is only in the movies for James Bond.  Sean Connery, the actor, could only live once though.