More News, Not Much of a Review & A Little Something on D.E.A.R. Prince Caspian

Now, where to begin? Hmm…

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Let’s leave the beleaguered Prince for later, shall we?

NLB’s Spanking New Tri-Web

Well then, if you’ve been surfing to the old National Library Board’s website over the past month, you’ll realise things are looking pretty different. Fret not, this is just part of the Library’s attempt to update ourselves and make our services more relevant and user-friendly to YOU, our customers :)

Ivan, the Ramblin’ Librarian, has a post on this, so head over here to read more about the differences among the 3 new sites. For what’s worth, here’s my skinny on things:

1. If you want the regular stuff you’re used to getting from the old site, just go to Public Library, Singapore (www.pl.sg).
   Looks better with a space, don’t you think?
2. For in-depth content specific to Singapore and legal deposit matters, visit National Library, Singapore (www.nl.sg).
   Looks better with a space, don’t you think?
3. With the above two, I don’t think you need the third.
   Looks better with a space, don’t you think?
4. By the by, the Open Navigation at the top right corner of this blog is a quick way for you to snoop around NLB’s blogosphere, so click on it and er… snoop away!

SMS and E-mail Reminder Service

You’ll prolly agree when I say a fine mailer’s not a pretty present, so to help you avoid finding this unpleasant surprise in your letterbox, do sign up for our new SMS and E-mail Reminder Service! I use it myself (yah, I get overdue fines too, you know :) and personally find it extremely useful in keeping track of the due dates of the stuff I’m holding on to. Without it, a chunk of my salary would probably have gone towards paying fines, haha.

“Oh sure,” you’re gonna say, “He’s just saying it cos he works for the L-I-B-R-A-R-Y.”

Well, to that, I say, “Duh.”

So I’ll leave it to Hui Yie, one of them teen bloggers over at Y.O!, to convince you that this is a really, really good thing to sign up for. She’s helped to write a nifty intro to the service, so go on and read all about it!

D.E.A.R. Prince Caspian

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is roaring into local theatres from 29 May 2008, and library@esplanade is holding a loan promotion in anticipation of its grand opening! Simply borrow 8 items from the library, drop your receipts into the contest box and stand a chance to win exclusive Narnia* goodies! Contest ends on 30 May 2008, so hurry!

Besides, with the Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) campaign back in tandem with the June holidays, there’s no easier way to get 8 items! In fact, why not get 16**? Double your loan quota, double your chances of winning something! As I said before, good things come in pairs and more!

For starters, consider refreshing yourself on the series by borrowing The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Call No.: 791.4372 LIO) from the Film Village, library@esplanade!

* Prince Caspian goodies kindly sponsored by Buena Vista International. 

** During D.E.A.R. campaign, Basic members get to borrow up to 8 items, Premium members up to 16. Find out more about Premium Membership, here.

Chocolate

Just wanted to highlight this Asian feature amidst the Hollywood blockbuster season.

If you wanna get a taste of some white-knuckle tension, you might wish to check out Chocolate. No, not the Juliette Binoche-Johnny Depp vehicle, Chocolat (791.4372 CHO, Film Village, library@esplanade), but the latest Thai stunt-fest from Prachya Pinkaew.

Filled with moments of humour, melodrama and elaborate stunt setpieces galore, the show is over-the-top fun and goodness. The stunts clearly look choreographed at times, but there’s real tension watching the stuntmen and women take those crazy bumps in the name of making a movie.

Don’t be surprised to catch yourself saying “Owwuch!” several times, especially during that battle royale of a finale fought out on tiny ledges three or four-storeys high, with people dropping like flies all the way down with nothing but concrete to break their bones falls! Owwuch!

If you’re tired of all the CGI and empty loud bangs from the summer Hollywood blockbusters, catch Chocolate and re-discover the cinematic magic of stuntwork in its purest glory.

Asides:

• Well, not much of a review as I said, but if you want something meatier, head on to Stefan S’s review of the movie. Stefan’s A Nutshell Review blog is an amazing piece of work and in my opinion, fully deserves its sub-title: “Probably Singapore’s #1 Movie Review Blog”.

• I caught the movie under the Singapore Film Society’s (SFS) Core Screening for Members. Kudos for all the fine work the SFS has done over the years, and long may it continue. And if you haven’t realised, their revamped blog has been up and running for a while now, so do visit to find out what the good folks are lining up to promote the love and appreciation of film in Singapore.

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And here is where we come to the end. For Aslan!