ASK! about Singapore 

Do you feel a sense of loss or nostalgia when you watch children playing? It could be that you lament how ‘traditional’ games have been replaced by technology like computers, or simply feel sadness that children today are not privileged to the simple joys you had long past.

For the youths who are reading this blog, their reactions are probably more of curiosity, a keenness to find out how people in the past could have possibly entertained themselves in the absence of technology like today’s.

Fortunately, information and books have been compiled to preserve the history of games played during early times. Below are some suggested sources:

1. Gateway to Asian Games (Call No.: J SING 790.15095 GAT) 
Inside the book, Gateway to Asian Games, you will find concise information of various games played in Asia, many of which belong to the fond memories of our childhood and parents’ days.  Accompanied by coloured pictures and step-by-step instructions, the book is a user-friendly game guide as well.

The book is packed with surprises as it contains many unknown facts. For instance, you will discover, that a number of games played in Asia, such as Hopscotch, originated in non-Asian countries . It was actually first played in Britain during the early Roman Empire. In Malaysia, it goes under the name ‘ketengteng’ or ‘ting-ting’. Some of the games such as playing swings and kite flying, are followed by a comic strip to explain their origins.

Games you will find inside: Dayam & Paramapadam, Weiqi, Cherki Cards, Paper Dolls, Gasing, Tangram etc.

2. Gateway to Eurasian Culture (Call No.: SING 305.804 GAT)
This book is a collection of the history, culture and lives of Eurasians in Singapore, from the past to the present. Under the chapter ‘Daily Life’, is a mention of Eurasians playing the Peranakan card game Cherki.

Games you will find inside: Cherki, sports like softball, tennis etc

3. Gateway to Malay Culture (Call No.: 305.89928 GAT)
What did the villagers play during the Kampong days? They had no Nintendo or Playstation then, but life in the village was still just as fun. Described in section ‘Home and Attire’, are games like kite flying, chapteh, and congkak.

Games you will find inside: Gasing, kite flying, chapteh etc.

4. National Library’s Infopedia
The Infopedia articles below were compiled base on research from various books and electronic sources:
- Five stones by Bonny Tan (1999)
- Gasing by Zaubidah Mohamed (2004)
- Wayang kulit by Endon Salleh (1999)

Contributed by Ng Cheng Soon, Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Just a week ago, there’s an interesting enquiry posted at our Public Library website. This enquirier uploaded a picture of a cloud formation at the website and had asked for identification of it.

(Remember the good-o-days in secondary school whereby our Geography teachers asked us to identify the various clouds.. I can only remember there’s one cloud “pattern” called cirrus cloud, the rest of the names I obviously have returned back to the teacher already)

Any help to shed light on this would definately be appreciated though.

If you have any enquiries or comments, please drop us an email at ask@nlb.gov.sg and we will reply within 3 working days.

Posted by
Mr Justin Tan
Librarian
Adult and Young People’s Services

With the recent outbreak of Hand, Mouth and Foot Disease (HFMD), a concerned library customer posed the above question to us. We decided to ask the experts and wrote to the Ministry of Health’s Communicable Diseases Division (www.moh.gov.sg). Below is the reply:

“There is no need to disinfect the returned books as enteroviruses cannot remain indefinitely in the environment. No special precautions are necessary for staff handling the books, but basic hand hygiene should be continued by all staff.”

For additional information on HMFD, a list of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) is available below at the Health Promotion Board’s website  (http://www.hpb.gov.sg/hpb/default.asp?pg_id=865&aid=272&altid=0)

1. What is Hand, Foot and Mouth disease?

2. How is HFMD transmitted?

3. What is the incubation period of HFMD?

4. When is an infected child contagious?  When will the child stop to be contagious?

5. Is HFMD associated with fatalities?

6. Does HFMD affect only children?

7. What is the treatment for HFMD?

8. What is the HFMD situation in Singapore?

9. What should parents do if their child has HFMD?

10. Are there any precautions that parents can take to prevent transmission of HFMD?

Here are books on children’s diseases available in the libraries:

    1. The complete guide to children’s health/ Norman Saunders and Jeremy Friedman, general editors.  Call no.: 618.92 COM -[HEA]

    2. Baby & child health/ editor, Jane Collins.  Call no.: q613.0432 BAB -[HEA]

To check the availability of titles, please visit our online catalogue (http://vistaweb.nlb.gov.sg/)

Posted by Kweh Soon Huat,

Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

ASK! about  Anything & Everything

In the movie Sex and the City, the romantic location that Carrie chose for her marriage to Big was the New York Public Library, so that she could bask in the aura of the great love stories there.

Big suffered a last-minute-commitment-phobia malady however and backed out of the marriage. They were finally married in a simple ceremony held at the New York City Hall.

Posted by Ang Mei Jun,

Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

ASK! about Anything & Everything

Here are some useful resources for those who are keen to pick up French!

Multimedia items:

1. French [interactive multimedia]/ Pro One software

Call no.: 448.242 FRE V.1

2. Everyday French [interactive multimedia]/ Laser Publishing Group

Call no.: 448.342 EVE

3.  I can speak French [ electronic resource]

Call no.: 448.242 I

French phrasebooks:

1. Countdown to French: learn to communicate in 24 hours/ Gail Stein

Call no.: 448.242 STE

2.  30 days to great French/ Jenny Barriol

Call no.: 448.242 BAR

3. French phrase book and dictionary

Call no.: 448.342 FRE

 To check availability of titles, please use our online catalogue.

Originally answered by Ms Farah Adillah, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

 Posted by Yen Yen Toh, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment

In recent times, the price of petrol has been going anywhere except down. If you are a driver and/or motorcyclist especially, you would have felt the pinch definately. For the driver, what used to be a $60 full-tank top-up in early last year may instead cost your wallet now $80 perhaps.

From the papers reported, the upward spiral in the petrol costs seemed to be attributed to a couple of reasons: Impending United States recession (question-mark), weakening of the greenback currency, speculative trading that pushes up the costs of the petrol, reluctance of the oil-rich countries to release their oil output, fast developing countries consuming more petrol increasingly etc.

** To retrieve past newspaper articles on the related topic, you can access the electronic database “Factiva” at terminals in NLB Library branches or also remotely from home. (Select the header “eResources” and the option “eDatabases” from NLB’s homepage)

In view of such difficult times for the average motorist, one must learn to how to stretch that dollar of petrol pumped into our vehicles as much as possible. Some good fuel-saving tips can be found at OneMotoring Singapore website and Automobile Association of Singapore website.

Recently, I came across a good website PetrolWatch Singapore. Not only this website provides a real time up-to-date information on the petrol costs by the various petrol companies in Singapore, it also has a blog as well as a forum for vehicle and petrol-related discussion for Singaporeans. Most useful indeed!!

** All websites were last accessed on 26 May 2008. Please check the websites’ homepages for the terms and conditions of use.

Anyway let’s keep our fingers crossed and just hope for the best soon!! I would shudder at the thought of paying for a litre of petrol at the cost of my favourite bowl of Yong Tau Hu though…

If you have any enquiries or comments, please drop us an email at ask@nlb.gov.sg and we will reply within 3 working days.

Posted by
Mr Justin Tan
Librarian
Adult and Young People’s Services

ASK! about Family and Parenting 

When do you celebrate Mother’s Day? It was done on 11 May in Singapore this year, but if you know the ‘politically correct’ answer (of course you do), we should celebrate our Mother’s love everyday (like Valentine’s Day). Here are some little known facts about mothers and Mother’s Day:

How did Mother’s Day begin?
In the United States, the first known suggestion for Mother’s Day was made by Julia Ward Howe in 1872.

Nation-wide observance of Mother’s Day started with Anna Jarvis in 1907. She promoted celebration of the second Sunday of May for mothers, and churches in several areas soon followed suit thereafter. Anna Jarvis is recognised as the originator of Mother’s Day.

On 9 May 1914, the day was given official recognition by President Woodrow Wilson.

Flowers for Mother’s Day
Anna Jarvis wore a white carnation during her mother’s memorial service on 12 May 1907; thus started the association of carnations with Mother’s Day. White carnations signify that one’s mother has deceased. Coloured carnations mean that the bearer’s mother is still living.

When is Mother’s Day?
Mother’s Day is celebrated in USA , Australia, and Canada on the second Sunday of May.  In UK, it is called Mothering Day and falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

What does M-O-T-H-E-R mean?

A 1915 tune by Theodore Morse and Howard Johnson explained “mother” in their first verse as:

M “is for the million things she gave me”
O “means only that she’s growing old”
T “is for the tears were shed to save me”
H “is for her heart of purest gold”
E “is for her eyes, with love-light shining”
R “means right, and right she’ll always be”

Reference:
- World book encyclopedia v20, Chicago: Field Enterprises Educational Corp., 1917-
- “Mother’s Day”, Encyclopaedia Brittanica’s Guide to Women’s History, http://search.eb.com/women, 21 May 08, http://search.eb.com/women/article-9389227
- The new Penguin encyclopedia, London : Penguin Books, 2002.
- Newman, S. and Fittipaldi, H., 15,003 answers: the ultimate trivia encyclopedia, New York: Random House Reference, c2007.

Posted by Ang Mei Jun,

Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

ASK! about Anything & Everything

( ASK! editor speaks: This enquiry answered by my colleague, Peck Keong, piqued my interest. I love watching Miami Ink on cable TV!)

Books about tattoos:

Title The world of tattoo: an illustrated history

Author Maarten Hesselt van Dinter

Call no.: R 391.6509 DIN - (CUS)

Title: Written in the body : the tattoo in European and American history

Editor: Jane Caplan

Call no.: 391.6509 WRI - (CUS)

Title: Body Piercings and Tattoos

Editor: J.D.Lloyd

Call no.: Y STU 391.65 BOD

Title: Tattoos and body piercing

Author: Leanne K. Currie-McGhee

Call no.: Y 391.65 CUR

 Websites:

http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/miami-ink/miami-ink.html: all about the tv show, Miami Ink, and a gallery of the tattoos that they have done inked.

http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/gallery/tattoos/: a fun little quiz matching the tattoos to the correct celebrity.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/tattoos/: Interesting look at the different purposes of tattoos around the world.

(All websites were last accessed on 18 May 2008)

Orignially answered by Goh Peck Keong, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

(Peck Keong is also the resident blogger over at library@esplanade)

 Posted by Yen Yen Toh, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment

Although Singapore lies outside the earthquake zone, an earthquake in the region may cause tremors to be felt in some parts of the island. According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), knowing these precautions to take when a tremor occurs can help to avoid unnecessary anxiety or injury:

• When tremor occurs:
- keep calm and take cover under a desk, table or against interior walls. Stay away from windows, outside doors or walls, display shelves and anything that can fall and hurt you, such as lighting, furniture or fixtures;
- Do not rush for the exit which may start a stampede;
- If you are outdoors, stay away from buildings and overhead electrical cables. Remain in the open until the tremor stops;
- Do not use candles, matches or other naked flames during and after the tremor, as there might be a gas leak; and
- If driving, stop quickly and safely and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under trees, buildings, bridges, overpasses or overhead electrical cables.

• After vibrations have stopped:
- Do not touch any damaged electrical wiring. Report any gas leaks;
- Give help to those who are injured or who require assistance. Call the Police or SCDF if necessary; and
- Check your home for any structural defects and alert relevant authorities such as the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and HDB Essential Maintenance Service Unit.

(source: SCDF Civil Defence Emergency Handbook)

In addition, here are some more precautions culled from various websites:
• During an earthquake:
- The most important thing is to remain calm.
- If you are indoors, stand in a doorway or crouch under a desk or table, away from windows or glass fixtures.
- If you are outdoors, stay away from objects such as light poles, buildings, trees and telephone or electric wires which could fall and injure you.

• After an earthquake:
- Check for injuries in your family and in the neighbourhood. Seriously injured persons should not be moved unless they are in immediate danger of further injury. First-aid should be administered, but only by someone who is qualified or has a working knowledge of first-aid.
- Turn off appropriate utilities. Do not use matches, lighters or open flame, appliances or electrical switches until you are sure that there are no gas leaks.
- Keep battery-operated radios and listen for emergency bulletins.
- Be prepared for additional earthquake shocks.

Books on earthquakes can be found under the call number 551.22 in the library. For availability of book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Posted by Galvin Soh
Librarian
Children’s Services

Found this post interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.

If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Editor writes:  This interesting question with its corresponding answer will settle the honour of which is the largest airport in the world currently.   

There are three mega airports recently opened - Singapore’s Changi International Airport Terminal 3, Britain’s Heathrow Airport and China’s Beijing Capital International Airport.  Which is the biggest of them all? 

The answer: Beijing Capital International Airport. 

To understand the scale of this airport, the following information was taken from the article “Beijing opens world’s largest airport terminal”, The Press Trust of India Limited, dated 29 February 2008, extracted from the Factiva database:

China today unveiled the highly futuristic and world’s largest new airport terminal in the capital in preparation for a deluge of passengers for the Olympics and for meeting the country’s booming air traffic demand.