Consumer IT SHOW
6-9 March 2008
Suntec Exhibition Hall

Singapore hosts 4 regular IT shows a year, spaced out at quarterly intervals. The IT show is a MEGA event with participation from almost all major computer and electronic storage products, as well as camera manufacturers, TV and Video and home consumer products.
Singaporeans can sniff out a good bargain very quickly, and judging by the huge crowds at these IT shows (>1/2 million attendees over the 4 day period of the show), there are lots of great bargains available.
You can get discounted memory cards from scandisk, wireless routers from Linksystems, and laptops from all major vendors including Sony, Apple, Toshiba and many others. Larger bulky items at steeply discounted prices include all-in-one printers, and full HD LCD and plasma televisions. Other products include mobile phones, digital cameras, headphones, ipod accessories, and even camera lens.
Remember to get tax rebates on purchases of more than $300 on a single receipt (tax rebate forms must be filled by the seller at point of purchase, in order to rebates to be obtained at airport upon departure).

How to negotiate the IT show
The IT show occupies levels 2,3,4 and 6 of Suntec city, and tends to get crowded towards the end of the week, particularly on Saturday and Sunday. The best times to avoid the crowds would therefore be on Thursdays and Fridays. It is also best to attend particularly just after the show opens in the mornings. The elevators and lifts can get crowded on the weekend afternoons, so it is best to use the stairways at these times.
Getting a taxi can also be a challenge at Suntec city, particularly on Saturday and Sunday, when crowds tend to be large. Walking out of Suntec to the north bridge road or connaught drive (next to Westin hotel) might be one way to beat the taxi line.
Although Singapore is a safe place, it is always prudent to watch your wallet and handbag especially in crowded areas.
Website:http://www.itshow.com.sg/

MOSAIC MUSIC FESTIVAL
07 – 16 MARCH 2008
Esplanade Theatres on the Bay

Singapore's Mosaic Music Festival showcases the best in jazz, world music, soul, electroclash and hip-hop. International, homegrown and regional artists join up-and-coming musicians in an eclectic ten-day programme at Esplanade. During the Mosaic Music Festival 2008, the Concourse transforms into The Living Room! An intimate arena open to all, The Living Room showcases exciting and emerging musicians and singers from Singapore and elsewhere each evening in performances of music such as swing, jazz, R&B, indie-pop, folk, pop and world music.

Kick-starting Mosaic Music Festival 2008 with impressive jazz-rooted piano workouts, impassioned vocals and big-band blasts from his latest album Oh, My NOLA (My New Orleans) is Harry Connick Jr. This multi-talented superstar with album sales of over 25 million, three Grammy® awards, an Emmy and Tony nominations is revered around the world as a brilliant performer who is unique in the world of contemporary entertainment.

In this concert, celebrate, with Harry Connick Jr. and his band, the colour, vibrance, idiosyncrasies and heart of his beloved New Orleans where the music culture is second to none! Hear him put a New Orleans groove on Jambalaya, swing Careless Love big-band-style, pay rambunctious tribute to his Uncle Ray with Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey and to Louis Armstrong with Hello Dolly, serenade us with We Make a Lot of Love, look forward to the future with Yes, We Can, reprise vintage R&B with Working in a Coal Mine, and roll out a rollicking Basin Street Blues, among others tweaked to evoke the Big Easy.
Website:http://www.mosaicmusicfestival.com/

On The Nalanda Trail: Buddhism in India, China and Southeast Asia
02 Nov 2007 - 23 Mar 2008
Special Exhibitions Gallery, ACM Empress Place

This exhibition will highlight some of the significant landmarks in Buddhist history, through the travel records of the monks Faxian, Xuanzang, Yijing and the spread of Buddhism at centres of higher learning such as Nalanda in eastern India which was visited by many students from all over the Asian world. The exhibition will be illustrated and accompanied by a display of Buddhist art and artefacts borrowed from museums in India and Southeast Asia and will include some objects from the ACM’s own collection.
Website:http://www.acm.org.sg/exhibitions/eventdetail.asp?eventID=186

The Big Picture Show
14 September 2007 to 23 March 2008
Singapore Art Museum

In planning for The Big Picture Show, SAM has taken the opportunity to bring together for display some of the largest treasures in its collection. A few of these works, such as Charlie Co’s Carosa Sang MGA Espiritu, are firm favourites with museum goers, while others like Pacita Abad’s Marcos and His Cronies will be displayed for the first time since its acquisition. In handling the works, it became obvious to the museum team working on the exhibition that the treatment of big artworks often differed from other works of more moderate proportions. Their transportation and storage need special attention and simple duties such as moving one work from floor to floor can easily become complex tasks of navigation. The journey towards fruition of this exhibition has been a challenging one for the museum.

One of the masterpieces in The Big Picture Show will be the work by Nobel Prize Laurence in Literature Gao Xingjian “Day and Night”. Born in China in 1940 and a French citizen since 1998, Gao has been conferred many awards in France and Italy for his accomplishments in the literary, performing and visual arts. The piece was donated by Gao to the Singapore Art Museum this year. The show has been divided into four themes. They are: Imagined Spaces; Larger than Life; Horizon: Poetic Landscapes and finally Horizon: The Built Up City.
Website:http://www.nhb.gov.sg/SAM/Home/The+Big+Picture+Show.htm

Greek Masterpieces from the Louvre
09 Dec 2007 – 16 Mar 2008
National Museum of Singapore

Here’s a rare opportunity to view Classical Greek masterpieces from the renowned Louvre museum right here in Singapore! Presented for the first time in Southeast Asia, some 130 exquisite pieces of marble sculptures, vases, terracotta figurines and gold jewellery from the 5th to the 1st centuries BC will bring to life the story of Athens. Especially for those who’ve always been fascinated with Greek mythology and the lives of ancient Greeks, this exhibition of magnificent artworks, some as old as 2000 years, is not to be missed.
Website:http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/home.html

Masa Lalu – Masa Lupa (The Past – The Forgotten Time)
16 Jan 2008 – 23 Mar 2008
National Museum of Singapore

Featuring works from seven talented Indonesian artists such as Agus Suwage, Irwan Ahmett and Prilla Tania. This exhibition integrates creative work with the texts on history that is usually presented only in the academic world. Artists were encouraged to be critical in interpreting history, examine how the colonization had impacted the way state and identity are built and investigate how the social lifestyle has formed the city landscape.

Cemeti Art House initiated a long term project that focused on re-reading historical facts, hence the culmination in this project. One idea was to apply various curatorial process, the artists discussed and communicated with researchers, exchanged data and collaborated on ideas that examined the relationship between past events with what is happening recently.
Website:http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/home.html

Writing Songs Through Drawings
01 Mar 2008 – 06 April 2008
Esplanade Theatres on the Bay

Because our memory is fallible, we can more accurately document the past if we write about things as they happen. For this purpose, Jinchao “writes” through drawing. His work Writing Songs Through Drawings is an expression of a void, a nothingness unrelated to his surroundings and which cannot be filled.
Website: http://www.esplanade.com

Footwork: Dance Workshops
1, 2, 16, 22 & 23 Mar 2008
Esplanade Theatres on the Bay

Experience the joy of dance in Footwork, a series of introductory dance workshops designed for adults, youths and families. Whether you are just starting to take baby steps or have never whirled and twirled before, it's time to discover just how exhilarating dance is! Pick up new moves from a wide selection of social dance workshops. For mums and dads, share your love of dance with your kids in the fun-filled Parent-Child Workshops. In celebration of the Mosaic Music Festival (March), this series of dance workshops will feature a host of popular and fusion dances inspired by music. Experience high-energy moves to Latin rhythms, or a variety of slick styles to swinging jazz. Here’s an opportunity to be taught by top dance professionals and get the dance skills you've been dreaming of.
Website: http://www.esplanade.com

MOSAIC LIVING ROOM: MODERN JAZZ CLASSICS
The Half Past Late Organ Trio featuring Nico Maiofiss
7 Mar 2008
Esplanade Theatres on the Bay

With verve and a whole lot of talent, Singapore’s jazz trio, The Half Past Late Organ Trio delivers modern jazz classics and original compositions. The Trio is Singapore’s Chok Kerong on organ, local guitarist Andrew Lim and Singapore-based Australian drummer Darren Moore, together with gifted French violinist and composer Nico Maiofiss.
Website: http://www.esplanade.com

MOSAIC LIVING ROOM: AN EVENING OF JAZZ STANDARDS
Louis Soliano Quartet
8 Mar 2008
Esplanade Theatres on the Bay

Enjoy music from West Montgomery to jazz standards. The homegrown Louis Soliano Quartet is led by Louis Soliano (percussionist, drummer and vocalist), and also comprises Tay Cher Siang (piano), Andrew Lim (guitar) and Colin Yong (bass and flute). Louis, a recipient of the Compass Artistic Excellence, has performed in ensembles, toured the world, and collaborated with jazz luminaries such as Stan Getz, Sarah Vaughn and Buddy Rich.
Website: http://www.esplanade.com

Tango Nuevo by Salle Gaveau, Japan
9 Mar 2008
Esplanade Theatres on the Bay

Made up of founder Natsuki Kido (guitar), Naoki Kita (violin), Yoshiaki Sato (accordion), Keisuke Torigoe (double bass) and Masaki Hayashi (piano), Salle Gaveau's archetype tango sound takes its cue from the music of Astor Piazzolla…as well as that of many other genres! Its members come from a spectrum of professional musical backgrounds including Argentinean tango, traditional tango, classical music, jazz, rock and progressive rock. And the results have been curiously intriguing! Through passages of musical dexterity and precision, these five top-class performers craft a fascinating  musical assemblage that has won acclaim all round. Since their first performance in Tokyo in 2003, they have gained international success with their astounding performance at the 2007 Rock In Opposition festival in France.
Website: http://www.esplanade.com