Call me silly, but I never knew that a groundbreaking ceremony actually referred to a formal proceeding signifying the start of a construction project.

I attended such a ceremony for The National Art Gallery, Singapore on Thursday.

Having missed the invite due to an untimely bout of flu, I was blissfully unaware of the “primary colours” dress code.

Why primary colours, you ask? Well, this was in line with the day’s theme – Painting the Future, which I felt was quite apt for the upcoming Gallery.

As I sat there listening to the speeches by the VIPs, including the Guest of Honour, Minister for MICA, Mr Lui Tuck Yew, I could not help but be roused by their words.

“Historical landmarks in the hearts and minds of Singaporeans”

“Combining history and modernity”

“The people’s museum”

“State of the art visual arts institution”

These were just some of the words that I heard and that struck a chord with me. I could not help but try to visualise how The National Art Gallery, Singapore would look like once its doors open in 2014.

Imagine, the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings, both over 80 years old (wow!), filled with amazing visual arts content from Singapore, Southeast Asia as well as the world.

Things to look forward to would be the free admission to its Singapore Gallery, Children’s Gallery and Building History Gallery. The latter will tell the fascinating stories behind the City Hall and former Supreme Court buildings.

There’ll even be an open rooftop plaza with a garden which promises to give a spectacular view of the city (and potential hangout area for youths).

I can see myself already, trying to soak in the awesome art, getting lost in the halls. No seriously, I think I would get lost in the halls. 60,000 square meters sounds huge, don’t you think?

Now that’s what I’d call groundbreaking.