museum fun

Here we go!

Yeah, we actually have a Philatelic Museum -- an entire building dedicated to stamps.

Posing in front of the talking Penny Black. Yeah, it actually moves and talks -- pretty neat eh. Did you know that the Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp? Yeah, cool stamp-y history!

A dragon stamp from Poland. I'd love to make him into a softie.

Getting into the spirit of a 19th-century trading junk. This was part of an exhibition about the spice trade and colonisation.

The Heritage Room is done up like a 19th-century shophouse. We call these red wooden clogs cha kiak; they were commonly used way back when, and there still are people who use them today (like my kids!!), but the making of them is a dying art. The clogs are designed to keep the feet dry and are surprisingly non-slip; they make this distinctive clackety sound when you walk in them, which immediately brings you back to the 1950s.

B posing in front of some traditional Peranakan nyonya kebaya. Peranakan is a Malay word meaning "those born here". From about the 15th century, intermarriages between Chinese traders and local Malays created the Chinese Peranakan culture, which is a unique integration of the Chinese and Malay/Indonesian cultures. A large part of my family is Peranakan, and everyone busts out their kebayas at important dos like weddings. You can read more about kebayas here.

An old photograph of a Peranakan family. From the 1930s, I think. This was at the Peranakan Museum, which was just down the road from the philatelic one. The kids themselves were keen to go, and I thought, "Great!". I love old photographs; I imagine the sitters getting up after having their picture taken, and what they did next.

A Peranakan wedding. Children in old photographs always tend to look so mature I feel. That little girl next to the bride was a sweetie though.

Peranakans of the Straits Chinese Society Association, circa 1930. I think they all went to a tea party after this.

A New Testament Bible in Baba Malay, from 1950. Baba Malay is spoken by the Peranakan community.

A Peranakan bridal chamber.

The museum mascot. I love the way the sculptor captured the cat's natural form and grace. The plaque above him reads, "In memory of the cat that adopted this building and became the museum's mascot, 1998-1999". Well, one thing's for sure, never underestimate the enjoyment you -- and the kids! -- can get out of visiting a local museum. See more pictures here.