Moving On: library@orchard in transit

Way hilarious - Check out this video of a musical in a library - Reading on a Dream. heh…
Warning: don’t try this in your library.

(Thanks to Coleman for sharing this video)

library@orchard is celebrating it’s birthday throughout this month, and we’ve been giving out free stuff during our weekend Happy Hours of 2-6pm. This includes free Cathay movie vouchers to our fellow October babies - we will be giving out 3 movie vouchers this coming Saturday and 7 on Sunday!

If you’re not an October baby, don’t despair. There are still free gifts to be redeemed when you show your loan receipt. Many exciting programmes happening this weekend as well, including our birthday bash on the 21st!

Beautiful Genie comes to the library on Saturday (20th Oct) and makes all your Wishes Come True with her performance.

If you’re a foodie (like us), it’s all about food, glorious food, on Sunday (21st Oct) as we celebrate our 8th Anniversary. If you want to know how we made our fast and easy Ondeh-Ondeh, Ashiah will be reprising her role as Supreme Instructor with a hands-on demonstration open to the public.

Local food bloggers, like thebakerwhocooks, will also be joining us for a Flog Flight on Sunday as well. Watch them duke it out at our programme zone ala Celebrity Death Match! Just kidding

On a more serious note though, did you know that the World Health Organisation estimates that more than 50% of all migrants (that’s half of 200 million people) experience some form of mental health problems? They don’t get to stay in their own country with their family and a place to call home, complete with our favourite hawker food stall just below our block, like us.

Silver Ribbon (Singapore), together with HOME, will be presenting a talk on how we can help promote positive mental health among migrants (that includes your maid and the construction worker you see along the streets) at library@orchard on Friday (19 Oct), 7-9pm.  

- Posed by Lynn

p/s: Continue to leave your birthday wishes for us in the previous post! 

of our programmes this weekend…

Before that though, we do have a business programme tomorrow (Thursday, 10 Oct) on Managing and Growing Your Business (click on the link for a full sypnosis) from 7.15-8.30pm.  If you’re an entrepreneur or are going to become your own boss, this would be a good talk to attend.

Saturday (13 Oct) is a public holiday so the library is closed. Selamat Hari Raya!

We’ll be back on Sunday (14 Oct), it’s business as usual and we’re having a talk by the Vegetarian Society (Singapore) - Why Eating Less Meat is  a Bright Green Idea at 3pm. The talk is not on vegetarianism per se, but more on how eating meat actually contributes to a whole host of environmental problems like greenhouse gas.

Same rules apply - programmes are at the programme zone and it’s free admission for all!

I do want to talk more about vegetarianism because these wellness talks we’ve been having have all got me thinking about it. There is a whole plethora of reasons to go veg to choose from - amongst them, health reasons, animal rights, environmental issues, etc. I’m a meat-eater and like most children, I don’t really like to eat my vegs. But looking through the VSS website, and reading about the things that happen to make cooked meat appear on our table, well…

I’m actually in the midst of a Pod and Vodcasting course right now, so this will have to remain a short update. Do you think we should put up a podcast on our blog? We could be Ms Black and Ms Sukiyaki (in the vein of the fabulous and funny Mr. Brown and Mr. Miyagi).

- Posted by Lynn

Yes indeedy, October is our birthday month. library@orchard was officially opened on the 21st of Oct 1999. Way back then, I was still a struggling undergraduate majoring in (of all things) civil engineering. Now, I’m a struggling librarian! ;p

So what’s up this October? Afterall, birthdays are supposed to be fun, even though it’s our last one in Ngee Ann City.

Loads of stuff to win:
Currently, we’re running promos where you could win an Insight Guides Goodie Bundle. But coming soon (in abt a week) will be opportunities to win stuff from Penguin Books & tix to Singapore Repertory Theatre’s The Pillowman.

Weekend Happy Hours:
Every Sat & Sun, hang out at the library@orchard between 2-6pm to grab some freebies instantly. You could design your very own button badge, receive an exclusive library@orchard pen (not the el cheapo 30 cents sort ok?) or grab a balloon or two (no age restrictions!).

Also, if you’re also an October baby, you might walk away with movie vouchers if you’re around during our random announcement.

Programmes Galore: 
Check out Lynn’s previous water fountain post for details on our progs this weekend.

While you’re around, also check out the exhibition on Mexican cultural sites, betcha didn’t know Mexico’s full of places that are listed in the World Heritage List.

OK, we’ll update more on other upcoming programmes next time, but the next time you drop by the library@orchard, do wish us a Happy 8th Birthday!

Btw, I’m a Libran too! Hands up all ye other Librans!

- Posted by Jillian

Having the ole’ Monday blues? We’re here to commiserate.

(My brain kinda froze up after that sentence, because I, like you, am also suffering from the blues and lack of sleep.)

It’s OK if you’re reading this at work, we forgive you. We totally understand how hard it is to start work on a cold and dreary Monday morning.

Here’s a funny snippet encountered at library@esplanade:

Tourist (visiting the esplanade and who stepped into the library) to library staff: “Excuse me, where is the water fountain?”

Library staff (thinking for a while - what water fountain? - and realising they were near Suntec’s Fountain of Wealth): “Oh, it’s at Suntec City, you will have to walk about 10 to 15 minutes past the MRT station.”

Tourist (with a frown): “What? You mean I have to walk for 10 minutes just to get a drink?!”

(Thanks to Hazriq for sharing this - it actually happened to him)

Water fountain = Water cooler in some countries. Geddit?

Well, if that wasn’t enough to brighten your day, we are here to be your light at the end of the tunnel. (Actually, have you heard the version where the light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train?)

But the important thing is we’re here! (Until the 30th of Nov in any case.) We want to give you something to look forward to to get through the week - our weekend programmes!

(more…)

Upcoming programmes this weekend! 

Check out our Happenings page for the programmes coming up this weekend.

Hope to see you at the library! Say Hi! if you see us k? Jillian will be hanging around the library soaking up some good old rock n’ roll on Saturday, and Lynn will be lurking around the Taiji talk on Sunday. (Believe me, Taiji is not as easy as you think!) 

- Posted by Lynn

Hey, does Friday evening after work count as a ‘weekend’?

Because we have a programme lined-up for tomorrow (that’s Friday!) too. If you’re in the area, come join us for some before-drinks entertainment at the library! The library@orchard is very near to the Emerald Hill stretch of pubs (my personal fave is Ice Cold Beer at no. 9 Emerald Hill - try the prawn paste wings.)

If you’re not a fan of fermented wheat/rice/barley or any other forms of alchohol, come on down to the library for coffee and non-alchoholic drinks (and perhaps dinner too) at our cafe.  

Why? Because we have our very own ‘in-house’ jazz band Radical Context playing tomorrow evening. 7.30-8.30pm right smack in town. No cover charge. Radical Context have played for us a couple of times now, and if you’ve missed the previous performances, do come down tomorrow to check them out. They are good! Money-back-guaranteed good (though considering there’s no charge…) Check out their MySpace page, read those rave reviews and listen to samples of their music.

And after listening to them, you decide you want to brush up on those piano-playing skills, or learn how to play the saxaphone, well, you have a handy library just by the side! 

- Posted by Lynn

We’ll be having something on every weekend (and some weekdays too!) for our remaining “tenure”. So what’s up at the library@orchard this weekend?

This Sat (22nd Sep, 3.00-4.00pm), we’re having a local author over. Betty Khoo-Kingsley was the former editor of Her World magazine and is now a holistic health researcher & writer, a passionate environmentalist and biodynamic gardener. She has recently written Cancer Cured Naturally, a book about natural strategies to manage and prevent cancer. This book is available at the libraries, under the Singapore section (SING), Call No.: 616.99406 KHO. Check our catalogue for where you can find it.

So pop by on Sat and pick up some tips on healthy eating, stress management and physical/mental techniques that can be used to boost your immune system, as well as inspiring stories of those who fought with cancer, and survived.

Next, on Sun (23nd Sep, 3.00-4.30pm), we have another wellness event. Our speaker, Sim Pern Yiau, is a graded Senior Instructor and Researcher of Taiji Gong at the World Nam Wah Taiji Gong Association. The Association teaches undiluted and traditional Taiji Gong from the direct lineage of Grandmaster Wu Tu Nan of Beijing.

Feel that you’re always rushing about and being blown from one thing to another? Pern Yiau will presenting a session entitled “The Eye and the Hurricane: Tackling Your Daily Rush From a Strong Centre”, where participants will be able find out how Taiji principles and techniques can help us cope in a fast-paced, multi-tasking world.

Wellness is one of the core concepts at library@orchard, and we’ve consistently tried to build up a substantial Health & Fitness collection (ie the books tagged with the -[HEA] suffix). So join us this weekend for a toast to your health!

-Posted by Jillian

BookCross@SG  is holding its first social event for its BookCrossers (not crossdressers) at library@orchard! (We have Synergy - we both have an @ in our names!) If you don’t know what BookCrossing is all about, check out their site.

They have very kindly extended an invitation to You, the readers of Moving On: library@orchard in transit. Because they love us, and we love you!

It will be an eventful night packed with fun programmes. Come by and have a laugh and mingle with like-minded people who love books - enough to set them free.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve participated in BookCrossing before, or if you don’t even know what it’s about. This is your chance to find out more and have a free dinner to boot. You can even bring along a friend!

Important details to note before you come:

1. Price of admission per person - One book to Set Free. 
This means that you bring along a book you found interesting and would like to share with everyone. It will then be marked as a BookCross book and “released” into the Singapore population to be read and passed on in a never-ending cycle. You can even track the movement of your book - who has picked it up and read it, and what they thought of it. It has to be an English Fiction book in good condition (it does not have to be brand new). In other words, books that you’ll like to pick up too! (You cannot bring along an existing BookCross book that you picked up at one of the hotspots ok? Just so we’re clear.)

2. RSVP to bookcross@nlb.gov.sg by Monday, 3rd Sept 2007.
They will then send you an invitation to bring along when you come for the Social. (Let them know also if you’re bringing a friend so there’s enough food to go around.)

3. Check out BookCross@SG for more details on the Social.

And before I forget, the very first BookCross@SG Social will be held at the Programme Zone of library@orchard on Saturday, 8th September 2007, from 6pm-9pm. We’ll see you there!

- posted by Lynn

The first session of our Jazz Up Your Nights series is happening this Friday, 17 Aug, 7.30-8.30pm, at the Programme Zone, library@orchard.

Join us on Friday for a special jazz session with local jazz band Radical Context. Enjoy a cuppa and let their dreamy tunes and quick rhythms sweep you away. They play seriously soulful music that will just blow you away. This is just what the doctor ordered after a long week at work. Come with friends!

In addition, we also have our monthly Hullabaloo@the library as up-and-coming local bands rock the library. Come to the library on Saturday, 18 Aug, 3.00-4.30pm, Programme Zone, library@orchard, and make some noise! Our collaborators Music for Good have been supporting us all this while, including three more Hullabaloo sessions in the coming months - Thank You

This is a really exciting time at library@orchard. Our programme calender is jam-packed with tons of programmes for you! We literally have something going on every weekend! For the remainder of the months, we have a business programme next Wednesday and a travel talk next Friday. More updates on those to come so check back regularly! 

- posted by Lynn

Some pics of our current exhibition (circa2007) snapped by Mr Chris Yap, chief mastermind of the whole thingy. Photography is also the current display theme at library@orchard.

Babe in arms = A budding photographer? Well, it’s never too early…

Btw, we’re still awaiting your submissions, so send us your stuff!
- Posted by Jillian