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A big Marimo in a glass vessel (left) decorated with small shells. [Image source: Etsy.com]

Mostly found in Lake Akan (Japan) and Lake Mývatn (Iceland), the number of Marimos has been decreasing rapidly. As such, they are declared protected species in Japan and Iceland. Japan has also declared Marimo its national treasure in 1921, and thereafter “special national treasure” in 1952.

Find out more about this ultra-cute ball of moss!  Read more »

Far Eastern Tourist Agency (1911). Information for Travellers Landing at Singapore

Long before Lonely Planet guides, tourist agencies and enterprising local residents already began publishing travel guides and handbooks for visitors to Singapore. Even in the absence of the Merlion, Integrated Resorts or even our beloved Zoo, there was plenty for visitors to see and do! Read more »

Sadly (for some), the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix has come to a close. However, with the extension of the city’s contract to host the F1 Championships for another 5 years, fans of the races can look forward to another few years of heart-pumping circuit action.

Since conversations about F1 are far from over, we are happy to present you with Five Facts You Might Not Have Known about Singapore Grand Prix. If nothing else, we’re happy to help you sound like an expert during the many Grand Prix discussions. 

No. 1.   Prior to the revival of Formula One in 2008, Singapore has held its inaugural Grand Prix 47 years ago, on 16 September 1961. It was called the Orient Year Grand Prix back then.

 No. 2.   The 1^st winner of the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix was Ian Barnwell, a rubber planter from Pahang. He took the event in his Aston Martin, in 1961.

A racing car display at the Mandarin Gallery

Read more »

It’s September and Singapore can, once again, start counting down to the Singapore Grand Prix, Formula One’s first and only night race. Fans of motorsport can look forward to 3 days of high-speed, adrenaline pumping action, held from the 21st to 23rd of September. Singapore hosted the first night race in 2008, and this year marks the fifth and final year that Singapore will be organising the event.

With the night Races coming to an end, and the next Olympic Games a distant 4 years away, what else can we look forward to for that heart-stopping adrenalin rush?

Here at AskBlog, we’ve compiled a list of some of the strangest sporting events that take place around the world. They may not be as exhilarating as F1, but hopefully will come in handy for anyone seeking to fuel their need for speed.
Read more »

So what’s the deal with Gardens by the Bay?
The Gardens by the Bay are three public gardens with a total land area of 1,010,000 m2 in Marina Bay. Built on reclaimed land, the three gardens of Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central are managed by the National Parks Board (NParks). Bay East (open as an interim garden) and Bay Central remain in development.

Bay South, the largest of the three gardens at 540,000 m2, was the first to open to the public on 29 June 2012. The garden showcases tropical blooms and colourful foliage, and is home to the showpiece Supertrees. Inspired by the giant trees of the rainforest, each of the 18 steel-framed, concrete structures is covered with nearly 163,000 plants of more than 200 species and varieties, including bromeliads, orchids and tropical flowering climbers.

Are you thinking of visiting the Gardens? Find out more about the newly opened Gardens at the Gardens By the Bay website or have a look at the Infopedia page

If you’ve fallen in love with gardens, garlands and all things green, read on to learn more about other famous gardens in history and around the world:
Read more »

Source: How To Make A Terrarium: http://www.katyelliott.com

Source: Paperus, The Bottle Garden Specialists: http://www.paperus.com.sg

A terrarium is a minature garden of small plants that is grown in a closed or partially open container. It has made a comeback as a fuss free gardening project for urban dwellers since its popularity in the 1970s and 1980s and you can buy a ready made one or purchase a starter kit at the Singapore Garden Festival! It is a convenient solution for busy office workers and people who do not have green thumbs as a terrarium is a self sufficient ecosystem that requires little care. All you need to do is to water it every few weeks depending on the size of the terrarium. Not only will making a terrarium spruce up your living space with little effort, it will also help to recycle your unused transparent jars and containers!

How do you create a terrarium? All you need is to place stones, or gravel, charcoal ( to provide drainage for the plants), small plants in a transparent bottle and voila! You’ve got your own minature garden in a bottle or container!

For more information on the steps needed to create your own terrarium, do check out these useful sites!
1) The Garden Management System Gardening Software: Terrariums

http://www.hmk.on.ca/terrarium.html

2) National Geographic Kids: Grow Your Own Minature Garden

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

3) Paperus: The Bottle Garden Specialist: What is a Paperus Bottle Garden?http://www.paperus.com.sg
4) Katy Elliott: Home, Art And Food: How To Make A Terrarium

http://www.katyelliott.com/

Also, do check out the books that are available in the library for creating your own terrarium!

All Rights Reserved, Hockessin, Del. : Mitchell Lane Publishers
A Kid’s Guide To Making A Terrarium by Stephanie Bearce
Call Number: J English 635 BEA
Publisher: Hockessin, Del. : Mitchell Lane Publishers, c2010
View item availability here

All Rights Reserved, North Adams, Mass. : Storey Publishers
Tabletop gardens : 40 stylish plantscapes for counters and shelves, desktops and windowsills by Rosemary McCreary
Call Number: English 635.965 MAC -[HOM]
Publisher: North Adams, Mass. : Storey Pub., c2006
View item availability here

Posted By:

Ms Chen Wanying
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

The World Cup is soccer’s biggest event and it is held once every four years. The first World Cup was held in Uruguay in July 1930. Only thirteen teams from North America, South America and Europe participated in the event. Back then, the teams travelled by sea and some teams even travelled on the same ship to Uruguay. In the final match, the host nation defeated Argentina 4–2 in front of a crowd of 93000 people and became the first country to win the World Cup.

Today, 204 teams partipate in the tournament and 32 teams were shortlisted after gruelling matches in the qualifying rounds. Since 1930, the 16 tournaments have seen only seven different winners with Brazil leading the pack, having won the World Cup five times. The World Cup is now the most watched sporting event with millions of supporters from all over the world.

(Source: www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/index.html
Last accessed: 17/6/2010)

(All Rights Reserved, Haynes, 2010)

World Cup Football
by Jason Ludditch
Call Number: J English 796.334 LUD
Click here to check for item availability.

(All Rights Reserved, Scholastic Children’s Books, 2010)

Wicked World Cup
by Michael Coleman
Call Number: J English 796.334 COL
Click here to check for item availability.

(All Rights Reserved, Heinemann Library, 2010)

World of Football
by Michael Hurley
Call Number: J English 796.334 HUR
Click here to check for item availability.

Originally answered by Rosjihanah Mon
Associate Librarian, Children’s Services

Have you ever felt that Singapore is so small that you have run out of things to do?
Try exploring Pulau Ubin with your family and friends!

Pulau Ubin is a great place for outdoor activities such as cycling, walking, fishing and camping. According to the website below, walking around in Ubin is a wonderful way to explore and soak up the beautiful views. You can also explore Ubin through cycling and there are bicycles for rent if you find it a hassle to bring your own.

Another interesting activity that you can do is stargazing. Pulau Ubin has been cited as one of the best places in Singapore for stargazing.

Source: wildsingapore.com/ubin/index.html (Last Accessed: 29/08/2009)

If you are interested to find out about the history of Pulau Ubin, you can refer to the following website: infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_219_2004-12-13.html
(Last Accessed: 29/08/2009)

You may also wish to refer to the following books on Pulau Ubin.

1. Pulau Ubin : Ours to treasure by Chua Ee Kiam
Call no: SING English 333.78095957 CHU

All Rights Reserved, Simply Green, 2000

2. A guide to Pulau Ubin [written by Lim Kim Keang ; and illustrated by Kelvin Lim ... et al.].
Call No.: RSING English 333.78095957 LIM

3. Chek Jawa guidebook / project editors, Ria Tan and Alan Yeo in association with The Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, The National University of Singapore ; photographs, Alan Yeo
Call No.: SING English 333.91716 CHE

All Rights Reserved, Simply Green, 2003

4. Chek Jawa : discovering Singapore’s biodiversity / Chua Ee Kiam
Call No.: SING English 333.91716 CHU

All Rights Reserved, Simply Green, 2002

To check the availabilities and locations, please use our online catalogue at http://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/

Originally answered by Aslin Harminah
Associate Librarian
Children’s Services

Singapore Idol 2009 has yet again taken the nation by storm. Once again, hundreds of Singaporeans are glued to the telly, be they couch critics, supporters or participants.
Among the chosen ones this year, two of them come from Republic Polytechnic — Tabitha Nauser and Farhan Shah. http://weblog.rp.sg/

Republic Polytenic has been rallying support for them and we all hope that they will do their school proud as well.

How do these participants develop such strong good vocals? Besides having a pleasant voice, the vocal cords need to be stretched and developed in order to become performance worthy.

For those of us who are aspiring to take part in the next Singapore Idol and who can essentially hold a tune, or for those who are already participating in Singapore Idol, here are some resources that may help you become more successful in attaining your dreams of becoming a really good singer!

A fanatic’s guide to ear training and sight seeing. Volume one / by Bruce Arnold
Call Number: English 781.424 ARN -[ART]

Voice lessons to go[sound recording] / lessons by Ariella Vaccarino
Call Number: English 783.04071 VAC -[ART]

The right way to sing /by Linda Marquart and Lea Salonga
Call Number: English 782.042 MAR -[ART]

Vocal technique[videorecording] : developing your voice for performance / by Craig Reed
Call Number: English 783.043 VOC -[ART]

Posted By:

Chen Wanying
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

No one can say precisely when, how or even why the game of football, or soccer, developed. Games resembling soccer can be traced back as far as the ancient Chinese, Greek, and Roman civilizations. However, the rules of these games differed widely – from the number of players, to the handling of the ball, and the size of the goal.

A standard set of rules was needed, and eventually the English took on the job. In 1863, the English Football Association was formed and it published the “Laws of the Game.” This meant that every team could play by the sames rules, creating the foundation for the way soccer is played today, all over the world.

(Source: Soccer : the ultimate guide by Martin Cloake … [et al.].
Publisher: New York : DK Pub, 2008.
Call no: J 796.334 SOC)

All Rights Reserved, DK Pub; 2008

For more information on soccer, check out the following books:

Football by Clive Gifford
London : Wayland, 2008
J 796.334 GIF

All Rights Reserved, Wayland; 2008

The Bootiful Game by Michael Coleman
London : Scholastic Children’s Books, 2009
Call No.: J 796.334 COL

All Rights Reserved, Scholastic Children’s Books; 2009

Footballers by Liz Gogerly
London : Wayland, 2007
Call No.: J 796.334 GOG

All Rights Reserved, Wayland; 2007

Originally answered by Lynn Ang
Librarian
Children’s Services