Tomorrow marks the opening of the inaugural Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. Of course, this would be incomplete without an opening ceremony.

Just like how a hundredth of a second determines whether an athlete is first an Olympic event, it is important to whip out one’s camera within a split-second to photograph that split-second moment. A sudden burst of fireworks inserted at the end of each segment. The appearance of performers at every corner of The Float@Marina Bay. To prepare for the unpredictable sequence of events, I was at the Combined Rehearsal last Saturday to find out where the surprises are inserted.

In order to keep the suspense for the two billion viewers worldwide, this post shall summarise the sequence of events. The opening ceremony starts at 1930 hours with a preshow segment to liven up the crowd. At 2000 hours, the live telecast will be shown to the world. Ten minutes later marks the countdown to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

Bright beams emerge from skyscrapers in the background, including the Central Business District. Of course, there are some special effects over at Marina Bay Sands which will attract the attention of everyone passing by. This is followed by several performances divided into various chapters. We’ll leave that to tomorrow for you to find out.

Next is the traditional Parade of Nations, during which the athletes would march into the stadium according to their country. As with all other Olympic Games, Greece marches into the stadium first, while the host country Singapore enters last. Following which, speeches are made to declare the Games open. The Olympic flag is subsequently brought into the stadium and raised as the Olympic Anthem is played.

The athletes will then gather around a rostrum, where a representative from the athletes, judges and coaches each, will take the Olympic Oath. The finale segment, entitled Blazing the Trail, is where the Torch is brought into the stadium. The details of this segment are kept secret and were undisclosed during the combined rehearsal.

At the end of the event, spectators continued snapping photographs before leaving the grandstand. A final note to those who are attending the Opening Ceremony tomorrow – arrive early to get a good view, especially since is a free-seating event.

International Museum Day (IMD) falls around 18 May each year and is celebrated worldwide since 1977. This year’s theme is ‘museums for social harmony’. Today, a number of museums in Singapore are having an open house, i.e. free museum admission. In addition, family-friendly activities and interactive programmes are organised. Since 2006, the National Heritage Board has celebrated IMD in Singapore to foster a museum-going culture among members of the public.

Participating museums include Asian Civilisations Museum, Hua Song Museum, Land Transport Gallery, Malay Heritage Centre, Marina Barrage, Memories at Old Ford Factory, National Library Singapore, National Museum of Singapore, NEWater Visitor Centre, NUS Museum, Peranakan Museum, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, Reflections at Bukit Chandu, Singapore Air Force Museum, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore Coins and Notes Museum, Singapore Philatelic Museum, red dot design museum, SGH Museum and the Youth Olympic Games Learning Centre.

I would be heading down to the Singapore Coins and Notes Museum (SCNM) for the first time. This museum was recently opened on Wednesday, 1 July 2009. Located in a restored shophouse in Chinatown, this museum is conveniently located near the train station. For those who are interested in going down, its address is 2 Trengganu Street.

The Singapore Coins and Notes Museum is the first and only museum in Singapore dedicated to showcasing currency. Visitors to the museum are brought on a journey through a world of coins and banknotes, ranging from the earliest objects used for barter trade to the modern polymer banknotes. In addition, one of the collections allows visitors to learn how local currency made its way into Singapore during her early nation building days.

This museum aims to create an awareness of Singapore’s history by taking visitors through the evolution of the Singapore currency over the years. In addition, through interactive activities and themed galleries, SCNM aims to develop interest in coin and banknote collection amongst the younger generation.

Interactive displays are found throughout the museum, where visitors can learn about the commonly used metals in the production of coins. Rare objects from pre-independence Singapore can be found within the galleries. Visitors can also make coin rubbings to take home as souvenirs.

Earlier this year, the Youth Olympic Games Learning Centre invited collectors to display their Olympic collection at a temporary exhibition. Located at 1 Kay Siang Road (off Tanglin Road), the two-storey Youth Olympic Games Learning Centre attracts students from primary and secondary schools around Singapore.

Part of my Olympic stamp collection was on display, including a specially picked selection of international stamps from the first few Olympic Games, limited edition Olympic souvenirs, as well as out-of-print philatelic catalogues.

Being one of the participating exhibitors, I was invited to the 99-Day Countdown event at Scape last Friday. Beijing Olympic collector Dr Yeo Seem Huat also displayed his poster collection and limited edition Olympic souvenirs at the event.

Today, I was invited to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games 99-day countdown celebration. The event started at 7 pm this evening, attracting thousands of visitors. A queue for security clearance to enter the celebration ground did not deter visitors to the once-in-a-lifetime event.

There were performances by celebrities such as Hady Mirza and Electrico, as well as dance performances by groups of students. At 7.56 pm, the Runway Singapore 2010 presented, for the very first time, the official apparel for staff, volunteers and participants of the Youth Olympic Games.

At 2010 hours today, the VIPs crossed out the giant numeral 99, signifying the number of days left to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.  This is followed by three minutes of fireworks.

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A 99-Day commemorative collar pin was given to invited guests. Limited edition wristbands of different colours were issued to the various groups of guests.

At the end of the event, guests were invited into the Warehouse for reception. Being the sponsors for the Youth Olympic Games, Mcdonald’s and Old Chang Kee served food to the guests while they interacted with one another.

On 17 April 2010, eleven new MRT stations along the Circle Line (CCL) will be open for revenue service. They include Dhoby Ghaut, Bras Basah, Esplanade, Promenade, Nicoll Highway, Stadium, Mountbatten, Dakota, Paya Lebar, MacPherson and Tai Seng. The Circle Line is a fully automated underground train system passing through Bishan, Serangoon, Paya Lebar and Holland Village. When it is completely opened in 2011, the 33.3-kilometre line will be the world’s longest fully automated line.

This change will be reflected on the updated pocket-sized system maps, available at all MRT stations from 17 April onwards. However, these maps have made their way to the hands of collectors since early April. Just like the map released last April, this map will soon be replaced with another updated version once the Circle Line is fully operational.

If you would like a copy of the new pocket-sized system map, just leave a comment below. Remember to include your name and email address as I would be asking for your mailing address via email. Postage is free. In the event of an overwhelming response, a ballot will be conducted. As the map can be picked up at any MRT station from 17 April, we would only send to foreign addresses. Thank you for your understanding.