Upon entering into The Little Prince: Behind the Story exhibition, I was brought into another world (of fantasy, travel, adventure and writing), just as what the author, French aviator Antoine de Saint Exupery would want to open it to and share with his readers, whether you are a young child or an adult.

“One sees clearly only with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eye.”

I read this quote before, it’s famous and well-quoted. Now, I know where this quote comes from, it’s taken from one of the world’s most widely read books – “The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince)”, written by French aristocrat, writer, poet and pioneering aviator, Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 – 1944). As I entered into The Little Prince world at the Singapore Philatelic Museum, I became curious and wanted to know more about Antoine de Saint Exupery and his book “The Little Prince”. When I was a young kid, I love to read, I began to ask myself, where was this book when I was young? Would this book make an even greater impact on me as a traveler, photographer and writer?

During my research on Antoine de Saint-Exupery and on his book The Little Prince, I discovered that this book is the world’s most translated book (300 languages) and sold almost 200million copies worldwide since it was first published in 1943. This year 2018, marks the 75^thanniversary of this world famous French classic book and Singapore Philatelic Museum has a new exhibition dedicated to Antoine de Saint Exupery and his book The Little Prince in this exhibition titled “The Little Prince: Behind the Story”.

A really amazing exhibition presented by the Singapore Philatelic Museum that goes beyond stamps, philatelic materials and artefacts, the stories behind The Little Prince story are the ones that are invisible to the eye, yet can be felt when you visit, feel and connect with his works, travel and adventures, perfectly in tune with Antoine de Saint Exupery writings.

When I was chatting with Ms Tresnawati Prihadi, General Manager, Singapore Philatelic Museum, she highlighted to me on the number of institutions and organisations that were involved in making this exhibition so enriching and amazing, through the precious loan of items from their collection.

The Little Prince: Behind the Story exhibition highlights are from:

– Singapore Philatelic Museum Collection

– Foundation Latecoere

– Charles VII Museum

– Air France Musee

– D’Agay – Saint Exupery Estate

– Facsmiles from Archives Nationales

– The Morgan Library & Museum (New York)

– Arnaud Nazare-Aga

Well … It’s time for me to enter into the world of The Little Prince. He hails from Asteroid B-612, one day he leaves home and visit different planets, meeting different grown-ups who are very odd, before landing on planet Earth, The Little Prince is searching and seeking, what is he looking for all this while?

On planet Earth, The Little Prince meets a wise fox, attaining a precious secret from it …

“Goodbye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Thereafter, The Little Prince befriends a pilot who learns to understands him, on why and how he sees life/human beings/things in certain angles and perspectives.

Entering into the world of The Little Prince, this is like The Little Prince beckoning me to continue walking, “Come on in, don’t be shy!”. Walking through the history and real life stories of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, he is more than just amazing, he is an inspiration.

Entering into another world, probably the real world of the Little Prince, there is a garden of roses where we can meet the different types of grown-ups in The Little Prince world. This is probably the fictional and fantasy world that maybe every human being dreams of and wants to live in.

On a very personal basis, The Little Prince opened up my world of fantasy, reading, photography and travel writing into another dimension. The stories of Antoine de Saint-Exupery are an eye-opener, an inspiration to me, as a traveler, photographer and writer. He has also infused his teaching/quote inside my heart and soul, to see and feel with my heart, that I am unable to see through my eyes, something that I hope to apply them into my photography, travel and writing.

This June school holiday season, it’s Children Season! Parents, time to bring your children down to Singapore Philatelic Museum for an educational and fun time at the exhibitions. The Little Prince exhibition is perfect for the children to learn about world history, stamps, international airmail services, as well as to explore a world of their own, to be inspired in seeking and building their own journeys ahead, through universal themes of courage, dedication, love and hope. For this June school holidays, the Singapore Philatelic Museum has exciting programmes for young children, for more information and details, visit their website!

Details of The Little Prince: Behind the Story

Venue: Singapore Philatelic Museum, 23-B Coleman Street, Singapore 179807

Date: 8^th June 2018 to 17^th March 2019

Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday, 10am – 7pm

Admission Charges:

– Free admission for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents

– Adult $8

– Child (3 – 12 years) $6

Telephone: 63373888

Website: www.spm.org.sg

Official hashtags: #littleprinceSPM #singaporephilatelicmuseum

The post The Little Prince is now in Singapore! appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Organised by the Preservation of Sites and Monuments (PSM) division of the National Heritage Board (NHB), this is part of the PSM’s efforts to raise awareness of Singapore’s buildings history and heritage, using Lego bricks and blocks, to learn and deepen understanding of Singapore’s buildings and architecture, in a fun, yet educational and accessible platform to all.

Let me introduce my Lego minifigures explorers, they would be bringing you on a new and unique heritage exploration adventure in Singapore! Follow their adventures and discoveries here on my Instagram!

First and foremost, let’s go and explore eight National Monuments in Singapore inside this exhibition, namely:

Central Fire Station

Built: 1909

Gazetted: 18^thDecember 1998

Former Nanyang University Library and Administration Building

Built: 1955

Gazetted: 18^thDecember 1998

Former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

Built: 1931

Gazetted: 8^thApril 2011

Jurong Town Hall

Built: 1974

Gazetted: 2^ndJune 2015

National Museum of Singapore

Built: 1887

Gazetted: 14^thFebruary 1992

St. Andrew’s Cathedral

Built: 1861

Gazetted: 28^thJune 1973

Sultan Mosque

Built: 1932

Gazetted:8^thMarch 1975

Thian Hock Keng

Built: 1842

Gazetted: 28^thJune 1973

Observe the architecture, observe the details and designs of each of the eight monuments. How close and accurate are they to the actual monument sites, considering that the exhibits are make up of Lego bricks and blocks? Given the constraints of the Lego bricks and blocks, the Little Brick Shop did an excellent job in designing and building those eight Singapore National Monuments on display! Great job My Little Brick Shop, well done!

Which Singapore Lego monuments is/are your favourite?

I am very impressed with Thian Hock Keng, Sultan Mosque and St. Andrew’s Cathedral Lego monuments models! The Former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station is amazing too, I really like it, brought back many memories when I was documenting and photographing the Green Corridor and former KTM Railway line!

Frommy Flickr photograph album dedicated to this exhibition, you can spot the intrigue details that the Little Brick Shop designed and built inside the Singapore National Monuments Lego models.

Lego unites both children and adults, this exhibition is perfect for parents to bring their children to the library during this June school holiday, visit and explore Singapore’s National Monuments, their history and heritage through Lego bricks and blocks.  Each and every Singapore Lego monuments have their own history and heritage story. Remember to read and learn about them at the exhibition!

Beyond the Singapore Lego monuments, for parents, why not bring your children to visit some of the National Monuments in Singapore? Bring along your Lego minifigures and take photos at the actual Singapore National Monuments sites! This is going to be great fun and educational exploration and outing for you and your family!

“How Many Bricks?” Contest on Social Media

From 7^thto 30^thJune, when you visit  Building History: Monuments in Bricks and Blocks at the Central Public Library, remember to visit the largest monument model, the Sultan Mosque. Make a guess, how many bricks were used to build this?

In order to participate, you can upload a photo of the Sultan Mosque model with their answer on your personal Facebook or Instagram accounts with the hashtags #BuildingHistorySG and #librarysg.

The three closest guesses will win LEGO models, while the next 10 closest guesses will win a unique children’s storybook on National Monuments.

Building History: Monuments in Bricks and Blocks Traveling Exhibition

Starting Venue: Central Public Library, National Library Building, Basement 1

Duration: 7^thto 30^thJune 2018

Opening Hours: 10am to 9pm (Daily, except on Public Holidays)

Admission: Free

General enquiries: NHB_NationalMonuments@nhb.gov.sg

Traveling Exhibition Schedule

The post Explore Singapore’s National Monuments through Lego bricks and blocks appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.