Date: 28 February 2010 (Sunday), 2.30pm -4.00pm

Venue: Jurong Regional Library, 1st floor
Programme Zone 21 Jurong East Central 1 Singapore 609732

Synopsis: What do you look for in a marriage? Are you aware of the marital needs of your spouse? Men and women may have similar needs, but their priorities are worlds apart.

Discover how identifying and meeting your most important needs will deepen your love and desire for your spouse. Learn how to become irresistible to your spouse and to have a happy and successful marriage.

Whether you’re planning to get married, or are already in marital bliss, this talk is bound to delight you and your special someone.

Speaker: Simon Sim, a well-known Family Life Coach, has enthralled thousands with his brand of “edutainment” – providing humorous yet honest insights about life, love, marriage and parenting. Simon has addressed staff of numerous ministries, statutory boards and corporations, as well as parents in various schools. Simon is also the author of “The Family CEO: Building a Happy and Successful Family”.

Fee: Free
The first 50 to sign up stands to receive an early bird exclusive gift.

Organised by: Marriage Central and the National Library Board.
For more information, visit www.marriagecentral.sg, or contact 6354 8949.

Islam, Trade and Culture: The Roles of the Arabs in Southeast Asia
10 & 11 April 2010, National Library Building

Two centuries ago, Arab settlers travelled thousands of miles from the Arabian peninsular to Southeast Asia. They settled permanently throughout the region, particularly in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, where they played important roles in the political, economic, cultural and religious life of these countries. Today, as Singapore embraces the Middle East and the larger Arab world as one of its key trading partners, it is fitting to reflect on the influence of the Arab community of Southeast Asia. The conference is co-organised by the National Library Singapore and the National University of Singapore.

Register before 15 February 2010 to enjoy the early bird discount! Closing date for registration is 31 March 2010. Visit http://rihlah.nl.sg for more details.

Aspiring Singaporean filmmakers will stand a chance to showcase their work on BBC World News as part of a global multimedia initiative, My World, which aims to build a unique picture of people’s lives around the globe via user-generated content.

Audiences worldwide are invited to shoot a two-minute mini-documentary with the theme of ‘My World’, using any kind of camera available to them – from a mobile phone to a digital camera. Clips can be submitted on the competition webpage www.bbc.com/superpower.

The project aims to find original stories from each continent, with compelling personal narratives. A shortlist will be made comprising the most original, ambitious and thematically important pieces. The best material from each continent will then be assembled into sequences of ten films by guest curators; these will be shown on BBC World News and entrants interviewed as part of The Strand on BBC World Service. Finally, a single film will be chosen by the curators and awarded the prize of a semi-professional camcorder.

The chosen documentaries will air on BBC World News and on BBC World Service. The Strand will carry interviews about the project from now until March 2010.

The contest opens for uploading at 6.00pm on 25 January 2010 and closes at 12.00am on 6 March 2010.

For each continent, a well-respected documentary professional will curate and judge the entries. These include Emmy award winning producer Cara Mertes for the Americas, Academy Award winning producer Greg Sanderson for Europe, Director of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival Fujioka Asako for Asia and Director of the Encounters Documentary Festival in South Africa, Mandisa Zitha for Africa.

Simon Pitts, Executive Producer, says: “My World will allow people around the world to share their stories, and show people what matters to them. With the help of our excellent curators, the BBC’s international news services will be able to create a vivid and compelling picture of life today on each continent through this unique project.”

To enter your own documentary clips please go to: www.bbc.com/superpower.

4 February – 4 May 2010

10.00 am – 9.00 pm daily (except Public Holidays)

Promenade, Level 10,

National Library Building

100 Victoria Street

One of Singapore’s foremost visionaries, S. Rajaratnam (1915-2006), the ‘Ideas Man’, was best known for bringing visions to reality. A founding member of the People’s Action Party, Singapore’s first Minister for Culture and the first Minister for Foreign Affairs, he took office during a tumultuous period in Singapore’s history. His contributions, such as shaping a national identity and putting Singapore on the world map, continue to exert concrete influence in Singapore today. Bringing together materials from various agencies, this exhibition aims to provide a clearer glimpse into one of Singapore’s most monumental figures.

This exhibition is organised by the National Library of Singapore in conjunction with the launch of The Singapore Lion: A Biography of S. Rajaratnam by Member of Parliament (Tampines GRC), Irene Ng, and with the strong support from Singapore Press Holdings Limited, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, National Archives of Singapore, National Museum of Singapore and MediaCorp Pte Ltd.

Visit http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg for more programmes and exhibitions.