National Museum Of Singapore -- Bilingual Museum Guide Training

Introduction
It is the oldest museum of Singapore with the youngest and most innovative soul. The museum was established in 1849 by the then Singapore Institution Committee. It was called the Raffles Library and Museum.

It is and iconic architecture bringing together the old and new on one single site-The National Museum Of Singapore. It was designed in Neo-Palladian and Renaissance style and consists of two rectangular parallel blocks, with a dome at the front of the building. Its architects were Henry McCallum who designed the original version and J.F. McNair who designed the scaled down version of the building.

To me, the most unique part of the building is the Rotunda Dome. On the exterior, the dome is made up of tiles that look like fish scales. It was popular in that era and therefore they used more than a thousand pieces of these tiles. It was there since 1887 when the dome was constructed. It is the same as the dome which is present in Calcutta, India. As for the interior, it is made up of 50 pieces of stained glass which marked the 50 year reign of Queen Victoria, Jubilee. It is a small dome which is 90 feet high from the ground floor.

This is just the introduction of the museum when the visitors just arrive. However, we must also introduce the History Gallery of Singapore. I am in charge of the 1st part which is the introduction to the visitor about the Singapore 360 degrees. There is a musical video below from YouTube and the emphasis is on the music, not on the surroundings.

Here is my speech for everyone's perusal:

Good afternoon to you. So now, we have just entered the gallery of Singapore’s history. Firstly, we have a short film about a day in Singapore. Can you hear that there is some background music? Yes, there is indeed a background music! This musical score was composed by a Russian composer – Vladmir Martynov. He stayed in Singapore for a short period of time and was especially impressed by the hustle and bustle of Singapore. Therefore, he composed this musical score for Singapore. This special piece of musical score embodies the quick pace and how fast Singaporeans rush about and lead their life.

Now, as we move downwards, on your left, you will see a magnificent building which consists of 72 floors. Can you guess what that building that is? That’s right! That is the Swissotel! It is the tallest building in Singapore. It holds the annual Vertical Marathon in which participants have to climb up the stairs from the ground floor to the rooftop. You will be appalled when I tell you the timing of both the male and female record holders of this annual event. The male record holder has a timing of 6 minutes whereas the female record holder has a timing of 7 minutes! Can you do that?

Now, on your left, there is an unusual art piece. It is named as “Transformation”. It was created and designed by a fulfilling and young artist, whose name is Tan Teng Kee. This art piece “Transformation” is made of flexible structures and the design of it is changed annually. From what I infer, this was probably made because of the cartoon called “Transformers”, as both can transform. What do all of you think?