Expat Living Singapore July 2011 - Issue 108

July 2011 Issue 108

Healthy EATING

Storage

STORAGE•SCHOOLS•INDIA, SRI LANKA & THE MALDIVES

S$6.50

MICA (P) : 082/02/2011

INDIA

SCHOOLS

HOMES

July 2011 The Referral Guide for SINGAPORE

NEWS WELCOME MAT

Editor's Letter

Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Bisset

As I munch on a Kit Kat that was made in Thailand, I remember why it’s important to go home every now and then.

Executive Editor Verne Maree

Not that I have a real home – I have always been a nomad. But I mean a place where the chocolate tastes like the kind of chocolate I like, where beer is cheap, and chips are chunky!

I’m being a little dramatic – there are some chocolates that are perfectly good here. But I’m not being dramatic about being a nomad. In fact, I was born in the land populated by Bedouin tribes, Southern Arabia. The Bedouins were nomadic for centuries but have now become more sedentary – a bit like me, finally.

When we moved to England, my teacher was very impressed when I told her I was born in a volcano. The harbour in Aden does actually lie in the crater of a volcano, though admittedly it’s extinct (not that I told that fact to the teacher!); I was born in a hospital nearby. Although there is still some quaking beneath the Earth’s crust, it’s not the kind of movement that is worrying the population of Yemen these days.

After a brief spell in England (even the chocolate wasn’t enough to keep my father there), we moved country roughly every six years. So, for many of you who are embarking on your first overseas stint with children, or are starting to raise children here, it’s okay – they will get through it. It’s a great attribute to be able to shift environments and social groups without too much trauma and I think expats tend not to fear change as much as others might.

I see the world as split into two types of people: the stayers and the goers. When you go back home for holidays you find that some of the stayers have absolutely no interest in where you have been or how you live your life. They’re still talking about the barbecue last month and how the price of milk has increased. The fact that you ran a marathon in Thailand or built houses in Cambodia doesn’t even register.

There are obviously benefits in belonging to each of these groups, but I am happy to have had exposure to different lifestyles, cuisines and cultures. What are your thoughts on expat life?

Let us know by email (contribute@expatlivingsingapore. com), at our blog page (blog.expatliving.sg) or via Twitter (twitter.com/ExpatLivingSg).

Meanwhile, enjoy the wonderful images of India, Sri Lanka and The Maldives in this issue, and a great renovation story on page 46.

next month LOOK OUT FOR

Kitchens & Bathrooms • Hair Care Australia Travel • Medical Reviews

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Expat Living magazine has been certified by the Audit Bureau of Circulations for a total average net circulation of 16,177 per monthly issue.

The audited circulation figures will be posted on www.abcsingapore.org

Editors Kate Mallord Monica Pitrelli Social Editor & Events Coordinator Beate Baldry Tel: +65 6478 7164 Online Team Katie Roberts Rene Yutiampo Client Services Manager, Production Leanda Rathmell Production Manager Omar Kassim Graphic Designers Michael Bernabe Sarah Salim Natasha Young Subscription & Circulation Anna Tserlingas Elizabeth Hall Tel: +65 6478 7153 Business Development Harsharan Kaur Tel: +65 6478 7151 Sales Team Singapore Karin Galley-Dick, Sarah Purchase, Danielle Rossetti, Lara Sage, Jacqui Young Tel: +65 6478 7151 Sales Team Hong Kong Tracie Pangrazio tracie@expatliving.hk Finance Norliza Mohd Karen Thomas Human Resource Juliet Keys ©Littleones photography

REBECCA BISSET Editor-in-Chief

Group Editor Shamus Sillar

Contributors Charlotte Colquhoun, Shelley von Strunckel, Hart Tan, Ella Sherman, Simon Ostheimer, Anita Williams, Kevin F. Cox, Annette Lang Published by Expat Living Publications Pte Ltd 38A Jalan Pemimpin #06-02 Wisdom Building Singapore 577179 Tel: +65 6259 0058 Fax: +65 6259 6076 info@expatliving.sg www.expatliving.sg Front Cover Table light by Cecile Manz, Danish Design Essay table by Cecile Manz, produced by Fritz Hansen Rebecca’s photograph by www.littleonesphotography.com Printed by Ho Printing Singapore Pte Ltd www.hoprinting.com

CONTENTS NEWS

46

HOME Showcase:

46

34

Design Ideas

60

40

Inside Story:

63

What’s New in Town

16

Dates for your Diary

24

Open House: Forum:

Seen around town Readers’ letters & competition winners

Turning a small house into a stunning home Bespoke furniture by Gorsia The right storage options for you

Centrespread:

68

124

Cupboards, shelves and more

Showcase:

76

Rosemary’s Story

Holland Grove home

Rescued from a puppy mill

LIFE & FAMILY

COMPETITIONS

News Notice Board:

88

Handbag Heroes:

92

Win a handbag and all its contents worth over $500 from Orchard Central!

94

Win Brunch at The Boathouse 120

Births, weddings and more

Open House: Events and openings

Inside Story:

119

101

Win Beauty Vouchers from Serenity Cove

122

110

Win an Entertaining Lunch with the Girls

124

Which school should you choose?

Education:

113

Mastering Mandarin

68

Expat Living Publications Pte. Ltd. has taken every reasonable care to ensure the accuracy and objectivity of the information contained in this publication, but accepts no responsibility for the content of advertisements published, and no liability for mistake, misprint, omission, typographical error, loss or damage suffered as a result of relying wholly or in part on the content of advertising or editorial published herein. Expat Living Publications reserves the right to refuse any advertisement or advertorial for any reason. All artwork designed by Expat Living Publications or any part of this publication may not be reproduced in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by means - graphical, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording, taping, etc, without prior permission in writing from the Publishers.

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CONTENTS FASHION Style News

ARTS & LEISURE 128

Blue Print:

130

The fashion tradeshow

A Day in the Life:

132

Nutri-Style's Aileen Lane

Home Help:

135

Expert dry-cleaning

Spotted:

PROPERTY 158

Music, theatre and art events

Tech News

76

Smart Moves:

172

Sentosa living

160

Bookcase

164

On the Couch

166

Music & Theatre

168

Street Talk:

182

Your neighbourhood

Hot Property:

187

What’s on the market?

Serviced Apartments:

193

Orchard and Robertson Quay

130

HAIR & BEAUTY

172

News

140

Tried & Tested:

146

Kniepp lotions and potions

New Hairdresser in Town

148

Tailor-made Skin Care

151

The Wellness Clinic

154

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CONTENTS

214

WINE & DINE News

252

Flavour of the Month

256

New & Notable

263

Foodwalker:

264

Little India

The Wine Pages

253

268

HEALTH & FITNESS TRAVEL Travel Focus:

197

Colours of Calcutta

198

Philanthropy:

207

India

An enriching experience for kids

India’s High Passes

214

The Maldives:

222

Sri Lanka:

234

News

241

Bali Villa:

245

A special celebration Cricket in Colombo

The Shamira

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News

272

Watch your Mouth!

274

Lady Bodybuilder

276

207

REGULARS Horoscopes

278

Get Connected:

280

Subscribe Now!

282

Advertiser List

284

Important Numbers

286

Parting Shot:

288

Shelley von Strunckel’s forecasts for July Diary of a single girl

276

Dieting secrets

What’s NEW

NEWS

in the

Moment Need to capture an important moment? Light Poet Photography is offering 15 percent off all wedding, family and individual portraits during July. Book soon, before the appointment diary fills up. Call 9222 4359 or visit www.lightpoetphotography.com.

Fully With its keyless entry, start-stop system, bi-xenon headlights and navigation system, the new Volkswagen Eos takes you from 0 to 100km/h in 7.8 seconds.

Plus, it’s sheer fun – the CSC roof offers three unique driving experiences: a sporty hardtop, a sliding panoramic sunroof and an open-top cabriolet. www.vw.com.sg

Best of

Both Like a mix of Asian and contemporary styles? Natural Living presents Galeri, an Asian-influenced collection by Box Furniture. Each piece is individually handcrafted from natural wood, so no two pieces are alike. Park Mall, 9 Penang Road #03-01. Call 6334 8928 or visit www.natural-living.com.sg.

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Summer Sale Receive 50 percent off selected items during Scandic Wonders’s summer sale. Choose from an array of Scandinavian candles and other home accessories. Sale ends 31 July. 163 Tanglin Road, #02-02 Tanglin Mall.

Call 6733 4583 or visit www.scandicwonders.com.

• Made to measure in 8 hours • Mail orders welcome • Alteration service provided

A Cut Above The Rest Established in 1971, Mohan’s is one of Singapore’s oldest and most reputable tailors.

Our made to measure suits and dresses can be ready for you in as few as 8 hours.

Our clients include diplomats, CEO’s and our quality workmanship makes us popular with locals and expatriates alike.

We also have offices in Britain, Germany, Scandanavia, and Florida, USA. We accept all major credit cards.

Specials for Shirts Pants Blouses Skirts Dresses Suits

$30 $45 $45 $55 $140 $180

#02-73 Far East Plaza. 14 Scotts Road, Singapore 228213 Fax: +65 6733 2535 Email: mohans.custom@pacific.net.sg Please call +65 6732 4936 or +65 6732 4936 for free transport to Mohan’s

Listed as one of the top 150 companies and awarded “The Best of Singapore in Service Excellence 2007” by Singapore Tourism Board.

Call 6732 4936 or 6732 3892

What’s NEW

NEWS

to Remember The theme of Month of Photography Asia 2011’s festival is “Memory”. Catch exhibitions such as Requiem, featuring over 250 photos taken by those who died in the Indochina Wars; Walls between Peoples, a glimpse into the lives of people affected by man-made divides; and Superhistory, a playful look at history through popular culture.

Venues vary. Until 13 August. For more information, check out the festival’s Facebook page by typing in “Month of Photography Asia”.

Grand Opening Steinway Gallery, Asia’s first official Steinway showroom, is now open in Palais Renaissance.

Test out the smallest Essex Upright, or a special-edition John Lennon Imagine series piano modelled after the white grand piano that he gave to Yoko Ono on her birthday. 390 Orchard Road #01-02. Call 6838 0525 or visit www.steinway-gallery.com.sg.

These fun and edgy T-shirts from LOVE SG are an alternative to the usual Singapore souvenir. Artistic types will love “Warhol Raffles”, while foodies can support the city with the “I Love Laksa” version. Notebooks and luggage tags are also available. www.lovesg.sg

Import

Do you have things back home waiting to be shipped to Singapore?

Speedpost Express Import offers you worldwide door-to-door pickup and delivery, providing fast and reliable service from over 100 countries and territories. And until 4 September 2011, you’ll get 50 percent off the first 5 kilograms! Call 1800 2225777 or visit www.speedpost.com.sg.

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What’s NEW

NEWS

Here Comes Wedding Parade, Singapore’s first six-star bridal show, features top wedding planners, bridal designers, cake chefs, international wedding entertainers and more. Catch runway models in designer bridal and evening wear accessorised with precious gems and metals. 27 to 31 July. Call 6842 7266 or visit www.wedding-travel.com.

Drive on Up

Hamilton Scotts, the region’s first and the world’s tallest residential block with en-suite elevated car porches, brings your parking space to your front door. A glass lift allows you to park your vehicle right outside your unit, regardless of which level you live on. Available for move-in later this year. 37 Scotts Road. www.hamiltonscotts.com

Classic Coupé This 1986 classic BMW 628 CSi comes with a fuel-injected 2.8L engine and $20,000 refurbishment job with genuine BMW parts.

EL readers can take it home today for just $48,000 ($5,500 off the original price). Dave Motor Trading Company, 400 Balestier Road, #02-12 Balestier Plaza. Call 9639 8818.

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What’s NEW

NEWS

Bright These gorgeous wooden veneer chandeliers, aptly named Grandeliers, are stylish and eco-friendly. Crafted from Tasmanian oak and blackwood, they’re available at www.asiandock.com.

Join the Clubs Ku Dé Ta is getting some competition this month.

Pangaea and Avalon, two of the hottest nightclub brands in the US and Europe, open at the Marina Bay Sands.

Together, they offer over 18,000 square feet of space – plenty of room to show off your best moves. www.marinabaysands.com

Going to the If wedding bells are in your future, consider saying “I do” inside the Chijmes Hall. This historic chapel has a new management team – Japan’s famed Watabe Wedding Group, whose legendary attention to detail takes care of everything from the gown to the guests.

Call 6336 5320 or visit www.watabe-wedding.com.sg.

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Mondi Lifestyle is introducing Mobella, an avant-garde collection of vibrant furniture by Thai designer Anupol Yooyuen. It’s entirely handmade and you can choose your fabric and colour. www.mondilifestyle.com.sg

NEWS

July CALENDAR 3 WORLD NETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS (3 – 10 JULY)

See world-class netball as 16 nations including Australia, South Africa and Singapore battle it out. Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tickets from Sistic. www.wnc2011.com

INDIGENOUS ART (3 JULY – 31 AUGUST) Indigenous Yulparija artists from Australia feature in the Paint, Pearl & Ilma Exhibition, courtesy of Aratong Galleries. Open weekdays 8.30am to 4.30pm. Atrium Gallery, Australian High Commission, 25 Napier Road.

FLYING HIGH (3 – 4 SEPTEMBER)

Terracotta kneeling archer

Dali: Dance of Time

The annual Kite Festival returns for a third time with soaring kites and related activities for the whole family. The Promontory @ Marina Bay. Call 6735 9986. www.act3international.com.sg

INTERMEDIATE COOKING CLASSES

1

(5 – 26 JULY)

TERRACOTTA WARRIORS

PHOTOGRAPHY MONTH

(1 JULY – 16 OCTOBER)

(1 JULY – 13 AUGUST)

Not to be missed! See the Chinese Terracotta Warriors from Xi’an – how they were discovered, and what mysteries remain buried underground. Mondays 1pm to 7pm, Tuesday to Sundays 9am to 7pm (9pm on Fridays). Asian Civilisations Museum. www.acm.org.sg

Thought-provoking images from top photographers in three exhibitions exploring themes such as war, death, division and popular culture. Showing at venues across Singapore. Check www.mopasia.com.sg for details.

This cooking course for helpers includes Asian, Middle Eastern, French and Italian dishes, and how to create dinner party menus. Tuesday 5, 12, 19, 26 July. $350 for four weeks includes lunch. 10am to 1pm, Expat Kitchen, 9 Norris Road. Call 6299 4221. www.expat-kitchen.com

VAN GOGH ALIVE (1 JULY – 6 NOVEMBER) SANSO MODERNO (1 – 13 JULY) An exhibition of the best works of inspirational Spanish artist Juvenal Sanso.

GJ Asian Art, The Regent Hotel, 1 Cuscaden Road. Call 6725 3113. www.gjasianart.com

DALI GENIUS (1 JULY – 30 OCTOBER) Enter the mind of Surrealist Salvador Dali; see over 250 of his artworks in all their glory.

Daily 10am to 10pm, last admission 9pm.

ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.

Call 6688 8826. www.marinabaysands. com/artsciencemuseum

LOOLA ADVENTURES (1 JULY – 12 AUGUST) Five-day, six-night summer camps for children aged eight to 13 at LooLa Adventure Resort on Bintan Island. Call 6764 6496 or 9116 2131. http://loola.net

A fusion of art and audiovisual technology brings the work of Vincent Van Gogh to life in this unique production. Daily 10am to 10pm, last admission 9pm. ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands. Call 6688 8826. www.marinabaysands.com/ artsciencemuseum

2 US INDEPENDENCE DAY The American Association is hosting a big day of activities, including live entertainment, delicious food, fireworks, bouncy castles and carnival games. Free. 4pm to 10pm. Terror Club Sports Complex, Sembawang. No parking; shuttle service from Sembawang MRT. www.aasingapore.com

FARMERS’ MARKET THE LION KING (1 JULY – 31 JULY) Seen by over 500 million people worldwide, the evocativve tale of Simba is now enchanting Singapore. Sands Theater at Marina Bay Sands. www.sistic.com.sg

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Talk to people who are passionate about food and produce; enjoy cooking demonstrations and wine talks. 8.30am to 2pm. Loewen Gardens, 75E Loewen Road. Call 6474 0441. www.thepantrycookeryschool.com

World Netball Championships

NEWS

July CALENDAR 9

6 BEAUTY KINGS (6 – 17 JULY) Something completely different: a bold new play about the secrets and scandals of male beauty pageants. 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays, 8pm from Tuesday to Sunday. Drama Centre Theatre, National Library. Tickets from Sistic.

7 ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER (7 – 17 JULY) The musical genius of Andrew Lloyd Webber is celebrated in a new production featuring hits from Evita, Cats, Phantom of the Opera and more. 7.30pm. Marina Bay Sands.

Tickets from Sistic.

KIDS’ OPEN HOUSE Head down to the first open house of MyLittleMuse.com and Kidsoncanvas.sg, with shopping, a play area and cake for all.

20 percent discount on orders over $100.

10am to 7pm, Clubhouse, 29 Orange Grove Road. Call 9788 5969 or email aye@MyLittleMuse.com.

ERIC CARLE FAVOURITES (9 – 17 JULY)

Children will love these three Eric Carle favourites: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Little Cloud and The Mixed-Up Chameleon; a feast of theatre, embellished puppets and enchanting music. Suitable for ages 3 to 6. Genexis Theatre, Fusionopolis. Tickets from Sistic.

10 WEDDING PLANNING Everything you need to know to put together a wedding: venues, food, fabulous gowns, jewellery and more. 3 to 7pm. The Jewel Box, Mount Faber. www.mountfaber.com.sg

RUN LIKE THE WIND Take part in the scenic 10km Jurong Lake Run around Jurong Lake Park and the Chinese and Japanese Gardens. 7.30am start. www.juronglakerun.com

RACE AGAINST CANCER Put your joggers on for this annual fun run, to show your support for cancer survivors and those who are battling the disease. 7am to 10am. Angsana Green, East Coast Park. Call 6421 5880. www.raceagainstcancer.org.sg

11 KIDS’ TIOMAN ADVENTURE (11 – 22 JULY)

Kids have all the fun at this outdoor adventure camp with kayaking, camping and drama trekking, all on beautiful Tioman Island, Malaysia. Leaves 6.30am from Singapore. $1,489. Visit www.ourlittleplanet.org or info@ourlittleplanet.org.

12 ROMANCING RUSSIA (12 – 15 JULY) Internationally acclaimed pianist Chisato Kusunoki performs a solo recital of music

by Russian composers Rachmaninoff, Lyadov and Medtner. Second show 15 July.

7.30pm. LASALLE College of the Arts, 1 McNally Street. Tickets from Sistic.

14 SPECIAL COFFEE MORNING Discover the benefits of Pilates with a free class at Powermoves, and find out how good it makes you feel. Limited places; refreshments provided. 11am to 12.30pm. PowerMoves, 6 Dempsey Road. Free.

RSVP to events@expatliving.sg.

Chisato Kusunoki

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NEWS

July CALENDAR 21

15 BALLET UNDER THE STARS (15 – 17 JULY)

Bring a picnic, spread a rug under the stars and delight in the dancers from the Singapore Dance Theatre. 7.30pm. Fort Canning Park.

Call 6338 0611. Tickets from Sistic.

VISION (15 – 24 JULY) Father and daughter illusionist duo Lawrence and Priscilla Khong make a dazzling return with a magical extravangaza. 8pm and weekend matinée. Esplanade Theatre.

Tickets from Sistic.

STYLE AND BEAUTY AFTERNOON TEA Get gorgeous! Up your beauty knowledge with talks about the latest aesthetic techniques for face and body. 3pm to 4.30pm.

Novena Medical Centre #08-23.

Free admission. RSVP to events@ expatliving.sg or call 6478 7156.

Vision

FOOD FESTIVAL (15 – 24 JULY) Take your taste buds on an exotic cultural food adventure at the annual Singapore Food Festival, one of the island’s hottest and spiciest events! www.singaporefoodfestival.com.sg

CELEBRATE HERITAGE (15 – 31 JULY) Singapore HeritageFest is on again, with lots of fun for everyone, around the theme Home – What We Love About It. http://heritagefest.sg/

16 CLASSICAL MUSIC Russian pianist Nikolai Demidenko plays Prokofiev’s epic Second Piano Concerto with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. 7.30pm.

Esplanade Concert Hall. Tickets from Sistic.

18 HELPERS’ SUMMER COURSE Need sweet suggestions for a gluten-free diet? This course teaches helpers to prepare delicious meals that will make the family smile. $120 includes lunch. 10am to 1pm, Expat Kitchen, 9 Norris Road. Call 6299 4221. www.expat-kitchen.com

19 LES MAINS EN L’AIR Give the Hollywood blockbusters a miss for once, in favour of this French film, meaning Hands Up, which has English sub-titles. 8pm.

Alliance Française Theatre. Tickets from Sistic.

20 RAINBOW FISH (20 JULY – 6 AUGUST) A new take on the classic tale with colourful puppet characters, a magical underwater world and valuable lessons for all. Check website for times. Singapore Airlines Theatre, LASALLE College of the Arts. Tickets from Sistic.

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Food Festival

NEWS

July CALENDAR 30 GRIMM TALES (21 – 23 JULY)

MELBOURNE COMEDY

KIWI BALL

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Laugh until you cry! This road show of comedians fresh from the Melbourne Comedy Festival features Fiona O’Louglin and Tom Gleeson. Check website for times.

DBS Arts Centre. Tickets from Sistic.

New Zealand’s expat community gets together at the Kia Kaha Charity Ball for a five-course dinner and top wines. Proceeds go to the Earthquake Appeal. 7pm to 1am.

Grand Copthorne Waterfront. www.nzchamber.org.sg

SCIENCE FEST (22 – 28 JULY)

NEWCOMERS’ LUNCH

PERFECT SMILES

These fairytales for adults are not for the fainthearted; this production is a dark and mischievous take on childhood favourites. www.srt.com.sg

Discover science with hands-on workshops, experiments and science shows at the Singapore Science Festival. 11am to 9pm daily. Free admission. Suntec Convention Hall 401. www.science.edu.sg

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(27 – 30 JULY)

Meet and greet other newcomers to Singapore in a relaxed, informal setting on the last Wednesday of every month. Hosted

by Expat Realtor. Au Petit Salut French restaurant, 40C Harding Road. To book, call 9171 3392.

HAIR FOR HOPE (23 – 24 JULY)

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Willing to go bald to show support for children with cancer? The organisers are aiming to raise $1.8 million from this head-shaving event.

VivoCity. www.ccf.org.sg

THE PARK FAIR

STEPHEN CLEOBURY The Philharmonic Chamber Choir collaborates with choral music giant, Stephen Cleobury, in a poetic journey of German Lutheran hymns and 20th-century British compositions. 7.30pm. Esplanade Concert Hall. Tickets from Sistic.

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The Fair for families. Shop, dine and catch up with friends while the kids are being entertained. 10am to 5pm. 7 Rochester Park. Call Christine on 9716 3463.

WHAT’S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT RUGBY? Kiwi comedian and actress Jackie Clarke hosts a four-course lunch for ladies in the lead-up to the Rugby World Cup. 12 noon.

Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. www.rugbyvillage2011.com

CYCLE FOR THE SICK (28 – 30 JULY)

SHIV-HARI IN CONCERT Classical, Bollywood and other popular Indian tunes with Shiv Kumar Sharma on the santoor and Haiprasad Chaurasia on flute. 7.30pm. Esplanade Concert Hall.

Tickets from Sistic.

Get those legs pumping on a ride from Malacca to Singapore. 167 experienced cyclists are needed to lend a helping leg in support of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital Community Charity Fund. www.ttshcharityride.com

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TWICE REMOVED (26 – 27 JULY)

INTO THE WOODS (29 JULY – 7 AUGUST)

A dramatised reading of the forthcoming play, followed by an open discussion forum. 8pm. Free. The Studios, Esplanade Theatre. Tickets from raw@esplanade.com.

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A funny, action-packed and visually stunning musical of fairytale characters looking for true happiness. 8pm and weekend matinées. Esplanade Theatre. www.showbizasia.com

ANZA EVENT

INDOOR FLYING (29 JULY – 7 AUGUST)

Mix high tea with stunning jewellery for a fun afternoon out at the Singapore International Jewellery Show. 1.30 to 3pm.

Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre.

Free admission. More information and registration at www.anza.org.sg.

Thought it was impossible? Let the experts entertain you with indoor kite-flying demonstrations, plus performances by stilt walkers, jugglers and magicians.

Shows at 5pm and 7pm. ION Orchard. act3international.com.sg/kitefest.htm

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Learn all about enhancing and maintaining those pearly whites at a seminar on dental health and aesthetics. 2pm to 5.30pm. Suntec Convention Centre Theatre. Tickets from Sistic. Email seminar@specialistdentalgroup.com or call 6733 7883.

NEWS

REMINDERS Important Dates

Calendar PLAN AHEAD AUGUST 3 – 21

18 – 8 September

Urgent, challenging and exciting, the Man Singapore Theatre Festival presents six plays about difficult issues, from racism to religion and homosexuality. Check website for times.

Drama Centre, National Library Building. www.wildrice.com.sg

Before the Beginning is an exhibition by artist Melanie McCollin-Walker.

Opening night 18 August. From 7.30 pm.

Australasian Arts Projects, 303 Tanglin Road.

1–5

DRUM TAO

CHALLENGING THEATRE

CHILD’S PLAY A 15-hour course over five days, covering children’s play, for maids and helpers who look after children aged up to eight years.

9.30am to 12.30. $425. Register at create@centre-stage.com.

4 – 10 September THE GREEN PLAY

Just A Dream is an eco-play that uses puppets and magical stage effects to tell the story of a young boy’s dream to protect the planet. Check the website for times. DBS Arts Centre. Tickets from Sistic.

Important Pages

ART EXHIBITION

1 – 3 September These explosive Japanese drummers have played their eclectic mix of drums and martial arts to audiences across the world.

Esplanade Theatre. www.drum-tao.com.

Book with Sistic.

29 September – 16 October DEALER’S CHOICE

An internationally acclaimed play about six men playing a game of poker; but it’s not as simple as it sounds. Drama Centre Theatre, National Library, Fort Canning. www.pangdemonium.com

12 – 14 JUMP!

A Korean comic martial arts performance combining stunning acrobatics and slapstick humour. Friday and Saturday at 8pm. Saturday and Sunday at 3pm.

Esplanade Theatre. Tickets from Sistic.

26 – 27

NIGHT FESTIVAL Art and culture will spill out onto the streets.

Expect theatre, music, dance, visual effects and free late-night admission to museums.

7pm to 2am. Bras Brasah precinct.

Drum Tao

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Scene Around Town

NEWS OPEN HOUSE

Hello to Harley

Great news for motorbike lovers: Harley-Davidson just opened their A s i a Pa c i f i c Regional HQ and Asia Direct Markets Office in Singapore.

Bike enthusiasts joined leatherclad models for a celebration party.

Fairwell

For vendors and shoppers alike, the last Shophouse Fair, after so many years, was a nostalgic event.

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NEWS

A Russian Romance

Guests at the solo exhibition of Russian art prodigy Anna Berezovskaya at REDSEA Gallery were wowed by the technical mastery and mature humour in the collection of the talented 24-year-old.

Photos by Richard Ticehurst

July11

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Scene Around Town

NEWS OPEN HOUSE

Back to School!

Everyone enthusiastically dressed in theme for the annual RDA Dinner and Dance on 14 May, which raised a whopping $250,000 for Riding for the Disabled. There were schoolgirls, professors, Pink Ladies and T-Birds, and even a group from the Singapore Reform School for Old Fart Offenders. www.rdasingapore.org

Three Cheers for the Volunteers!

Photos by Tony Evans

The Inaugural ANZA Volunteer of the Year Awards 2011 was held at the Australian High Commission on 12 May.

Above: Fiona Habben, Katie Marsden and Annette Tilbrook Left: Back Row: PJ Roberts, Corrina Ranger, Leon De La Cour, Penny de Jongh, Joe Keiser, Susan Irvine and Clive Tilbrook Front Row: Adele Newman, Sreyashi Sen, Jeanette Esser-Rath, HE Doug Chester, Antonia Kidman and Jacqui Caine

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Scene Around Town

NEWS OPEN HOUSE

The Wetter, the Better!

Rain did nothing to dampen the spirits of players at the eighth a n n u a l D e n i s M e ye r International Veterans Cricket Sixes, held at the Ceylon Sports Club & Indian Association grounds. The weekend witnessed some great cricket action and plenty of partying, too.

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LETTERS Just Ask!

Our new column, Diary of a SGLS (Single Girl Living in Singapore), is proving popular. Here’s one online response to the June issue, which featured Single Girl’s account of a particularly awkward blind date: I personally think we all think way too much about what some other person may have meant by what they did, said, didn’t do, didn’t say. If you really care, just ask … I think it is amusing how we try to interpret from limited facts and so often are about as wrong as it is possible to be in our guesses.

Keep up the entertaining posts!

John Ed: Thanks, John, and keep up the interesting comments!

For this month’s Diary of a SGLS, see page 280.

T BEtSter

Condoning Rudeness?

I was very disappointed to read the article on twins, titled Double Take, on page 151 of your May issue.

The tone of the article displayed rudeness towards Singaporeans – which I feel by publishing Expat Living condones. Everyone in Singapore who has a baby in a pram receives comments from aunties. Whether liked or disliked, it’s just part of the culture and given in a well-meaning (if annoying) manner. Come on, Expat Living – you can do better than to publish articles about people being rude because they can’t cope!

Katie Davies Ed: We’re sorry you were offended

by Deb Goldman’s humorous take on the sometimes unwanted attentions of old ladies when she or her husband take their twin babies out shopping. This kind of attention, of course, happens all over the world.

We thought the article was funny.

le

Best Letter We want to hear from you! Send us your thoughts on the magazine, or on any subject under the sun. For his comment on one of our articles, John wins a year’s subscription to Expat Living – and a bottle of Duval-Leroy champagne.

Better Late My friend Mattie lent me her Expat Living magazine and now I wonder how I managed to spend almost two years in Singapore without it! This is such a great magazine, full of good tips and interesting events, I just love it. Thank you for making our lives easier.

I’m a teacher in an international school and will spread the word around, as I’m sure a lot of other people will be interested in Expat Living.

Chloe Lapierre Ed: Better late than never! Subscribing is easy: either call our office on 6259 0058, subscribe securely online at www.expatliving.sg/eshop or go to the Subscriptions page in this issue: this month, it’s on page 282.

Email us at info@expatliving.sg

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Far from Home The recent suicide of Sulastri Wardyoyo, an Indonesian domestic worker who failed the Singapore entry test, reflects the tremendous pressure young women from poor villages in Southeast Asia face when they decide to work overseas, away from their families, neighbours and friends.

Faced with $1,000 deportation costs and possibly threats of reprisals from her agent and trainer, Sulastri took her own life. HOME’s social workers have seen more than one such case, and we appeal to all stakeholders to address the conditions of these vulnerable women and show them more compassion.

Bridget Tan Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics Ed: To read HOME’s full statement and suggestions, visit www.home.org.sg.

WINNERS Email us at info@expatliving.sg

Handbag Heroine

She Won an iPad! Congratulations to Yan Chui Ping, the lucky w i n n e r o f a n i Pa d from AXA Insurance.

The prize was part of AXA’s promotion of International Exclusive, a comprehensive healthcare plan with international coverage.

Ayuthaya Royal Thai Spa Gwendoline Sim (pictured) and Nicola Perry each won an 80-minute Thai Aroma Oil Massage, and Tang Pui Foong won a 60-minute Royal Thai Massage.

Lucky Mei Ying won a leather clutch stuffed with fabulous beauty goodies, worth over $500.

Yan Chui Ping receiving her prize from Stephen Chan, VP of AXA Insurance Singapore

The Body Firm Here are the five winners of $100 vouchers to spend on toning or other beauty treatments at The Body Firm: • Trish Connolly • Elaine Rateb • Suchin Lee Mueller • Vanessa Ong • Gina Fyffe

Jiang Nan Chun

Ni-Night and Galanga Living

The two winners of a tea-pairing dinner for two at Jian Nan Chun restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel were Heather Shillington and Lim Mao Sen Alex.

S. Haryanto and Si Jing Xiang each won a $250 voucher to spend at Ni-night or Galanga Living.

Privé IPL

Renique Treat

Three lucky people won an IPL face therapy session at Privé Clinic: • Joel N. Toh • Pascale Noel • Anna Law

The three winners of a Crystal Dermabrasion Facial at Renique are: • Simone Jackson • Jamie Feng • Dewi Miasari Singgih

Congratulations to our Winners!

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Home

Danish Designs

HOME SHOWCASE

Before

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Radical

Renovation Story by Katie Roberts, Photography by Hart Tan of Tomato Photo

T

he British TV programme Grand Designs is full of the unwelcome “surprises” that beset the amateur renovator. Renovation is not for the faint-hearted, no matter what country you live in, and drastic remodelling is even more of a challenge.

Mike and Caroline Riches, however, seem to thrive on the stress involved.

For the past three years, Caroline, Mike, Harvey (8) and Georgia (10) have lived comfortably and happily in the two-and-half-storey, semi-detached home in Jalan Seaview, a quiet street tucked off busy Tanjong Katong Road.

Towering condos are rising along the East Coast, but this little area is a pocket of lowrise homes.

“We’ve lived on the East Coast since we moved to Singapore six years ago,” says Caroline. “When we arrived, the agents were constantly trying to show us properties in District 10, but we were adamant that we wanted to be near the beach and the airport.”

sigeR naitsirhC ©

HOME SHOWCASE

Dreams and Plans

The decision to buy and renovate a property came after about a year of renting. With no desire to move back to the UK, or anywhere else, Mike and Caroline purchased the property in January 2007 and construction work began that October.

“We used the existing slab and load-bearing walls as the skeleton for the house. The alternative was to demolish, but this would have meant sinking very deep pilings, which would have been expensive and time-consuming,” Mike explains.

They originally wanted a full three storeys, but structural issues limited them to “two and a half plus a terrace area that we are yet to develop into its full glory”.

Mike says the only mistake they made in the planning process was spending too much time on it. “We were too particular

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with the plans – being insistent on getting them right, when in fact much of the detail had to be worked out on the go, according to what we found after the knock-down.”

Still, the family moved in July 2008, and they say there is little they would change. “It’s arguably better than we expected,” says Mike. “There were only a few alterations that had to be made. For example Georgia’s room [a cute nook off the mezzanine level bedroom] wasn’t in the original plan, and we have covered the outdoor utility areas to make them all-weather”.

They are quick to praise their architect Stan Li from ZA Architects, who they say was gracious and accommodating throughout the process.

HOME SHOWCASE

Deceptively Spacious

From the street, it’s difficult to gauge just how big the house is. The block is only 3,600 square feet, but with clever planning they have managed to squeeze in a seven-metre covered pool and a small grass area (appreciated by Tom, the cat).

In addition to an open-plan living and dining area, they have an enclosed kitchen, a study with a small gym attached to it, and utility areas.

A spacious, light and airy feeling comes from the central stairwell, which features a sloped glass ceiling and glass

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railings. On a clear blue day it is stunning; and on a wet day, the rain beating down on it creates a soothing effect. On a more practical note, Mike says it only needs cleaning once every quarter.

Leading off the second floor landing is a guest bedroom, the children’s bedroom and the master bathroom, each with its own en suite. At first glance it appears labyrinthine, but two additional staircases rise to a mezzanine level to give access to the children’s bedroom and the master bedroom. Georgia’s bedroom is brightly decorated with hot pink butterflies.

HOME SHOWCASE

The stunning master bathroom has built-in wardrobes, a freestanding bath and a mosaictiled walk-in shower with two showerheads. Mike says Caroline took the lead in designing it: with a ceiling height of one and a half storeys, and an internal staircase up to the master bedroom, it’s a dramatic space.

“Georgia loves to lie in the bath watching TV, and there is plenty of room for me to dress around her if I’m heading out,” says Caroline. With wonderful artwork adorning the walls, it’s a far cry from the “regimented changing room” effect she says she was desperate to avoid.

HOME SHOWCASE

Collection of Memories

Throughout the house is evidence of the Riches’ love of art, antiques and curios. Many of the pieces were collected on trips around the region; some were purchased locally. A sculpture bought in Chiang Mai for Mike’s birthday is a favourite, as is the 300-year-old Indian spice-grinder, found in a dusty Dempsey shop under a pile of bikes.

Georgia’s brush with fame is revealed in a boxed basketball – a gift from the Harlem Globetrotters when they visited Singapore recently. “Georgia was one of several schoolchildren picked from the crowd to play against the team in some fun games, and she won,” recounts Mike. “They signed the ball for her.”

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HOME SHOWCASE

The Good Life

Caroline and Mike rave about the lifestyle on the East Coast, which they feel has a slower pace – both for locals and expats – and is more relaxed than much of Singapore. Their location helps them make the most of their leisure time. Keen golfers, the family are members of the Laguna Club; they also enjoy cycling together.

They both comment on how small the expat community is in Singapore, and after six years here there is none of the anonymity of living in a big city like London. Not that they miss the anonymity: “You always bump into people you know at Cold Storage or at the airport; it even happened to us in Thailand and, funnily enough, on an isolated beach in Margaret River in Western Australia!” laughs Caroline. Mike interjects: “It’s an expat thing. People are more open and they make a bit more effort, so it’s easy to make friends quickly.

But the negative aspect is that people do go, and it’s sad to watch close friends leave.”

The entire family has established solid roots here. Caroline, a school teacher, works part-time at Chatsworth East International School, where the children first started school; they have since moved across town to Tanglin Trust. Mike, who works in entertainment and sports sponsorship, says there is nowhere else he’d rather work and live.

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HOME SHOWCASE

“I couldn’t rate Singapore higher in terms of livability. It’s cosmopolitan, and though many criticise it for its cultural weaknesses, I think these have improved in six years.

“Our friends back in the UK tease us about our tropical lifestyle. But really, the mundane stuff like school and work is still there. What the climate does mean is that we can do whatever we want on evenings and weekends.”

Enjoying Singapore as much as they do, the Riches are keen to move onto another project. They are actively looking for “rundown landed properties” on which to work their magic. “We want to find a house in this area to renovate, one on a bigger plot of land. But the prices have gone up so much, it’s a tough search,” says Mike.

The team at Expat Living will be watching their progress; who knows, maybe we’ll have the opportunity to cover their next home in a future issue! eL

Caroline & Mike's Recommendations Flutes at the Fort Fort Canning | 6338 8700 L’Angelus Restaurant 85 Club Street | 6225 6897 Hua Yu Wee (for Chinese seafood) 462 Upper East Coast Road | 6442 9313 Just Anthony (for Chinese furniture) 379 Upper Paya Lebar Road | 6283 4782 Song Lang Gardens Nursery 378 Tanjong Katong Road | 6344 3232 T3 Bike Gears 79 Upper East Coast Road | 6441 6828 Pan West (for golf gear) www.pan-west.com

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Bespoke After studying architecture at New York’s prestigious Pratt University, and subsequently working for design firms in the US, it was a natural progression for Jay Gorsia to design his own collection of furniture.

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orsia Luxury Furniture was founded in 1990 and the company has been producing high-end furniture with an artistic edge ever since. Jay Gorsia’s architectural background is evident in the precise proportions of the pieces, for instance in the polished, laser-cut steel coffee tables.

The choice of materials is undeniably luxe: intricate motherof-pearl inlays embellish exotic plantation wood, while highgloss lacquer adds a gleaming finish.

The Singapore showroom is part of an international operation with clients in New Yo r k , H awa i i , London and India. Although the 5,000-square-foot space houses a wide selection of bedroom, living and dining room furniture, the entire range is in fact customisable in a multitude of finishes. The team can advise on each piece; it then gets crafted in-house at Gorsia’s manufacturing facilities.

Although the company declines to reveal its client list, out of respect for confidentiality, you can be sure it’s fairly star-studded. The painstakingly finished pieces wouldn’t look out of place in a mansion or an ultra-exclusive hotel.

Perhaps signalling a return to the founder’s architectural roots is Gorsia’s extension into the world of windows. Believing that even the most flawless interior decoration can be let down by poor quality windows and doors, the company has launched a range aimed at high-end residential and commercial projects.

While the windows have clearly been designed with aesthetics in mind, considerable importance is also placed on functionality; the range is manufactured to EU standards, with custom-cut frames available in a multitude of different colour finishes, low-E glass (for improved thermal insulation) and durable latch-work. eL 33 Ubi Avenue 3 #01-34 Vertex Building contact@jsm.com.sg By appointment: 6634 1633

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HOME

&

STORED SORTED No matter how big or small your home is, adequate storage space is a must to keep it clean and uncluttered.

Whether you’re designing your own kitchen, transforming a garage into a home office, or simply looking for a beautiful cabinet to hold anything from crockery and linen to shoes, toys or books, there’s a solution for every storage need – and plenty of friendly experts out there to help you find it.

Blum 150 Ubi Avenue 4 #02-00 Ubi Biz-Hub 6547 1760 | connect.blum.com We heard about Blum from a friend; he used their fittings systems in his kitchen, and we really liked the quality, functionality and design. He recommended us a carpenter who uses Blum products to build kitchen storage wardrobes, TV cabinets and wardrobes. Then we checked the internet and saw Blum’s very well-designed website where you can get a great impression of the products on offer and how they work.

We used Blum for the wet and dry kitchens in our new house. Our kitchen cabinets use a variety of Blum systems: the Blumotion clip-top hinge system, the Tandembox dividers for drawers, the Aventos lift system, and more.

We also used a Blum drawer system for the cupboard where we

keep our shoes, and the TV cabinet where we store the DVD, remote controls and so on. The Servodrive system allows us to open the cabinets with just a light touch.

The products are very userfriendly and ergonomic, and allow for an optimal use of space.

The entire contents can be seen at once and easily accessed.

Drawers are stable and secure, and run smoothly even when fully loaded; doors close silently. You also receive a 20-year warranty on the products.

The service was very good.

The showroom is perfect as you can see the products and how they work. Everything is easy to use. We’ve recommended Blum several times already. The company is innovative, and the quality, design and functionality of their products fit our needs.

Susanne Hentschel, Germany

HOME

Design Intervention 75E Loewen Road Tanglin Village 6506 0920 www.designintervention.com.sg I have used Design Intervention several times over the last four or five years. They designed bedrooms for my two daughters – a tricky proposition as the rooms are very small and we needed to use the space effectively. So, they were the obvious choice for me when I was looking to create a home office out of what used to be the garage.

I wanted to create a clean and well-designed space that fulfilled a number of criteria: somewhere I could work from home, somewhere I could relax in peace – my own space – with a sofa, a TV, and ample storage for keeping all the home admin organised.

The room has been completely transformed. I love the colour palette: grey, highlighted with light blue and green. The atmosphere is calm and welcoming, just what I wanted.

Working with Nindy Patel was really easy. She came up with a number of alternative options for me to consider and was even kind enough to bring her designs to my office. Once we had agreed on design, Nindy took care of everything, and the room was completed very quickly.

I would definitely recommend Design Intervention. Nindy was receptive to what I wanted to create for my home office, and great to work with. I’m thrilled with the result – sadly my children are too, so the ‘my own space’ aspect of the room is still a work in progress!

Fairprice Antique 315 Outram Road #01-10, Tan Boon Liat Building 6270 2544 | www.fairpriceantique.com

Annabel Moore, UK

I think I saw Fairprice Antique in Expat Living some time ago when I was looking for a daybed. (I ended up buying two matching ones from them.) Their furniture is a mix of antique and reproduction Chinese, much of it painted in contemporary colours and then distressed.

Over time, I have bought quite a few pieces of furniture and accessories from them, including a lovely chest of drawers for one of my daughters’ bedrooms.

It is the most wonderful bright blue (pink is no longer her favourite colour, so this colour was perfect), and its distressed edges make it even more ideal for the amount of times it gets opened and closed during the day! It is also large enough to store all her clothes and is the perfect height to keep Barbie’s wedding carriage well above the reach of the inquisitive baby sister.

The service at Fairprice Antique is excellent: they are organised, helpful and really friendly, and because you can view all their products and prices online, it’s all the more tempting to visit their shop to see the items up close. You can park right outside and the shop itself is really nicely laid out, with furniture, accessories such as marble Buddha heads and fabulously colourful Chinese lanterns – I just want to take it all home!

I’m always recommending Fairprice Antique to people and I’m definitely going back to them again soon.

Susan Maher, UK

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Grafunkt 85 Playfair Road #02-01 Tong Yuan Industrial Building 6281 8465 | www.grafunkt.com After arriving in Singapore with only our suitcases, we went looking for Singaporean furniture designers; first I checked in local design magazines, where we found a press release that led us to Park Mall, where Grafunkt’s Nathan Yong was exhibiting some pieces. Later, we went to the Grafunkt showroom and gallery, and the Zen atmosphere perfectly reflected the company’s creative work and talent.

We purchased a sofa made to measure, with very nice fabric and colour, some amazing outdoor furniture, a 1950s-style wooden desk, a wooden TV console, two coffee tables and some smaller items. In fact, we furnished nearly our entire apartment with their creations.

To me, this is real design; efficient, with pure lines, superb craftsmanship, locally produced and very innovative. Just splendid! I even caught one of my neighbours taking pictures of the outdoor furniture from his balcony instead of asking me who the designer was.

I would have loved the chance to answer.

Grafunkt’s service was excellent: Nathan was very helpful in the decision-making process. The follow-up was great, too; we even received our sofa before the deadline.

I strongly recommend Grafunkt: they are young, talented local designers who deserve the best for the future. Bonne chance!

Frederique & Bruno Vinay-Boussard, France

HOME

Journey East Multiple Locations 6273 1693 | www.journeyeast.com A few years ago, I was looking to update my dark, heavy teak furniture with a fresher and more contemporary feel. I think I visited every store in Singapore to see what was available!

I was immediately impressed with Journey East’s range and variety, and the beautiful clean and contemporary lines of their furniture. I especially loved seeing vintage items alongside recycled teak.

I had recently moved house and I wanted a cabinet to anchor the back of my sofa, which would be exposed in our new living area. I thought this piece would be a lovely alternative to a closed cupboard, as the exposed shelves would give me an opportunity to display the books I love to collect and a few other personal effects such as my Mongolian saddle.

I’m quite an impatient shopper, and find it hard to wait six weeks for something; Journey East had this cabinet in stock and delivered it straightaway. I love the texture of the wood, the rawness – whenever I walk past, I have to touch it!

They also took the time to show me several similar styles, to ensure I was 100-percent happy with my decision. And they offered me options to customise the piece if it didn’t fit where I wanted to put it.

I would definitely recommend Journey East to anyone who loves beautiful, well-designed pieces, or vintage and Art Deco furniture.

Often I will pop in, just to see what new pieces they have, even when I’m not in the market to purchase something new.

Joelle Brittain, Australia

Just Anthony 379 Upper Paya Lebar Road 6283 4782 | www.justanthony.com Our first move after five years in Singapore encouraged us to venture a bit farther from town to explore antique shops and furniture haunts. After tearing out a Just Anthony ad in Expat Living, we decided it was time to make a visit to the Paya Lebar showroom.

Furnishing our home is an ongoing labour of love which makes us consider carefully the pieces we add, so we were surprised when we found two pieces that would suit our new dining room perfectly: a long sideboard and matching cabinet. Danielle at Just Anthony spoke our language when she also offered to deliver a third piece, which we were taken by but not quite sure about. When they unwrapped the large kitchen cabinet, it was perfect.

We instantly said we’d keep it.

The open design allows you to see our china collection and boxes on display, while also providing drawers for napkin rings and tablemats – a perfect storage solution in a dining room with no builtin space. The carved doors and sliding wooden panels make everything very accessible. And the intricate woodcarving takes the eye away from the practicality of the cabinet as a storage solution. Danielle told us that the cabinet was designed to hold chickens, but for us it’s the perfect china cabinet!

We’ve already been back to Just Anthony, and we came home with two more pieces, one a rare Victorian vanity that takes care of some much-needed storage space in the master bedroom. Just Anthony is furniture shopping at its best!

Danielle Warner, UK

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eL

Taylor B. FINE DESIGN GROUP

maintaining one of singapore’s largest inventories of home furnishings. wholesale warehouse by appointment only:

& design source

9651-0700

oR

9177-0004

HOME

eL

Glass-topped storage unit, $9,115, can be customised, Danish Design, 100E Pasir Panjang Road, #08-01 Century Warehouse, 6270 8483, www.danishdesignco.com.

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1 1 Outdoor wicker cabinet, 2010 Lifestyle, 7500D Beach Road, #03-03A, 6298 1523, www.2010lifestyle.com.sg. 2 Corner unit, $920, Grafunkt, 9 Penang Road, #B1-21 Park Mall, 6338 3248, www.grafunkt.com. 3 Fido ladder shelving, Gallery 278, 278 River Valley Road, 6737 2322, www.gallery278.com. 3 Light teak bookcase, Originals, 896 Dunearn Road, #02-03 Sime Darby Centre, 6471 9918, www.originals.com.sg. 4 Synthetic wicker storage trunk, from $842, Prinz, 6742 9360, 32 Punggol East Unit 4, www.prinz.com.sg. 5 Maritime storage chest $1,495, Teak & Mahogany, 100E Pasir Panjang Road, #07-02/03/04 Century Warehouse, 6273 8116, www.teakandmahogany.com.

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6 Divano & Fraser blanket chest, Gallery 278. 7 Oak shelves, $3,557, Whitewoods, Penang Road #02-23 Park Mall, 6336 9003/9, www.whitewoodsliving.com. 8 Light teak bookcase, Originals, 896 Dunearn Road, #02-03 Sime Darby Centre, 6471 9918, www.originals.com.sg. 9 Teak bedroom dresser, Originals.

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10 Recycled teak shoecabinet, $1,819, Journey East. 11 Pine cabinet, approximately 80 years old from Shanxi Province, $2,800, Fairprice Antique, 315 Outram Road, #01-10 Tan Boon Liat Building, 6 2 7 0 2 5 4 4 , w w w. fairpriceantique.com. 12 Painted Elmwood medicine cabinet, Woody Antique House, #01-05 Block 13 Dempsey Road, 6471 1770. 13 One-of-a-kind Shanxi cabinet in elm and fir, Just Anthony, 379 Upper Paya Lebar Road, 6283 4782, www.justanthony. com. 14 Medicine cabinet, OriginAsia, 372/ 372A River Valley Road, 6733 7384, www.originasia.net.

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17 18 15 Kelly Hoppen tall leather trunk, $3,530, Curio Home Accents, 14C Dempsey Road, 6479 7619, www.curio-home.com. 16 Sideboard, Design Intervention, 75E Loewen Road, 6506 0920, www. designintervention.com.sg. 17 Stacked storage trunks, Tatty Marsh, Tanglin Mall #02- 38, 6887 4225, www.tattymarsh.com. 18 Kelly Hoppen leather drawers, $4,450, Curio Home Accents.

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19 Madera chest of drawers in walnut wood, Finezza, 9 Penang Road, #02-27/28 Park Mall, 6334 9972, www.finezza.com. sg. 20 Black lacquer and golden walnut veneer bar cabinet, now 40% off at $12,500, Gorsia Luxury Furniture, 33 Ubi Avenue 3, #01-34 Vertex Building, 6634 1633. 21 Dutch colonial satinwood and ebony storage trunk, The Past Perfect Collection, 480 River Valley Road, 6737 3078, www. pastperfect.sg. 22 Multi-drawer cabinet, $2,507, Grafunkt.

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s i e g a r o t S

’ Piccolo House helps create imaginative yet practical bedrooms for youngsters.

Here are some brilliant storage ideas to help tame the clutter that busy kids collect around them.

1. Daisy Hanger

A handy, space-saving way to hang stuff that needs to be easily accessible – ideal for a girl who loves pretty pink.

2. Georgie Bookshelf

This three-tiered unit has plenty of space for all sorts of playthings.

3. Georgie Wardrobe

Kids need lots of storage space, and that’s what you get here – shelves, a hanging compartment and a roomy bottom drawer, perfect for both boys and girls.

4. Dollhouse

With any luck, keeping this dollhouse tidy will encourage good habits in the rest of the room!

5. Construction Toy Chest

This is a great box where he can store his toys, books and teddy bears – and he can sit on it, too!

Piccolo House 10 Ubi Crescent #01-63 (Lobby D) Ubi Techpark 6743 8884 www.piccolo-house.com

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The expat lifestyle is often described as a dose of the surreal. But 17-year expat Susan Sadler, who hails from the original La-La Land – Los Angeles – takes it all in her stride. With a warm smile, this quintessential California girl welcomed us into her Holland Grove home to talk about long distance relationships, home renovations and why every woman needs at least one chandelier in the bathroom.

I

Primitive

&PROPER

By Monica Pitrelli; Photography by Hart Tan of Tomato Photo

ring the bell and white-painted iron gates at the entrance to the driveway slowly open. I amble past the beautifully manicured lawn (not a rooftop garden, but an actual yard, sigh), past Scout – ferociously vicious guard-dogturned-cuddly-dud with a few loving pats to the head – and up to the glass-plated front door.

Susan welcomes me with an amused glint in her eye. “Did you see the butterflies on your way in?” she inquires.

Butterflies? Why no, I didn’t, but I certainly saw the palms and beautiful flowers, I explain. Susan laughs, interjecting, “No, on the sidewalks! It was election time last month. And, to keep the constituents happy, they painted flowers and other pictures on all of the sidewalks in the area. It just so happens that my street got butterflies!”

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As we joke about the effect on the housing market of the neighbourhood’s newest art installations, Susan says she has learned to just go with the flow. She’s going on for her 15th year in Singapore (with an additional two in Jakarta), after all.

What brought her to the region? Why, the noblest reason of all – love. In the mid 1990s, Susan was building a successful advertising career in L.A. when she met her now-husband, Ed, on a ski trip in Aspen, Colorado. “Ed was living in Singapore at the time, so my friends on the trip kept asking me, ‘Why are you wasting your time with this guy?’”

Ed and Susan’s second date was sealed through another ski trip – this time to Verbier, Switzerland (accompanied

by Ed’s entire family, no less) – and a third date in Tokyo followed not long thereafter.

“When we got engaged, we calculated that we had only spent 32 days together. And, this was before the days of email. During our first month of dating, my telephone bill was over US$1,000. We would fax notes to each another, which we thought was really high tech!”

The Sadlers have lived in six different homes since moving to Singapore. (“We moved every two years, whether we wanted to or not.”) After the birth of twin sons, they quickly outgrew their first apartment on Cairnhill Road and spent the next six years in three different condos along Bukit Timah Road. They bought and sold a house not far from where they live today, before finally settling into their current three-storey home on Holland Grove View in 2008.

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When they moved in, Susan’s initial plan was to duplicate the look of her former home. Then a friend recommended that she give Wendy Smith from Design Intervention a call.

“When Wendy saw this house, she had so many new ideas – ones that I never would have thought of,” says Susan. “Plus, she is excellent about mixing Asian and contemporary furniture, which is the style that Ed and I like.”

The living room is a combination of custom furniture from Design Intervention and primitive pieces from central Java.

One of Susan’s favourite items – a large, wooden Indonesian cabinet by the front door – goes beautifully alongside contemporary couches. A step chest from Jane’s Arts & Craft houses a robust collection of dishware – “Dishes are almost a sickness of mine! I like to entertain” – and the walls display paintings from Nairobi and a tetraptych Buddha face, a birthday present from Ed.

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“We redid a few portions of the house,” says Susan. “The guest bathroom was huge, while the kitchen was small, which didn’t make any sense to us. So we knocked that entire section out. As a family of four with two teenage boys, we need kitchen space.”

The kitchen has sleek custom cabinetry and granite countertops, and there’s a striking black-and-white motif in the new guest bathroom. A black chandelier dangles elegantly over the throne, a suggestion by Wendy to liven up the small space.

“I never would have thought of this, but Wendy says that every woman needs at least one chandelier in the bathroom!” says Susan.

From the kitchen, we descend to the basement. Formerly one large room, this space was remodelled to create separate areas for Ed’s office, a wine cellar, a storage area and a helper’s room. Ed’s office, or “the cave”, is an exercise in masculinity with dark leather couches, a large wooden desk and the male toy du jour – an Xbox. And, exercise is the applicable word here – the room is adorned with medals and mementos from Ed’s numerous triathlons and Ironman races.

Susan says that while Ed is happy down in his cave, she required more space in order to run her executive coaching business from home. Once leery contractors were assured that, yes, her office was to be double the size of Ed’s cave, Susan’s office was created by adding a new room above the living room. Two-storey windows that begin downstairs in the living room extend across the lower half of

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the office’s front wall, allowing for art to hang on the upper half – an interesting idea.

The office is decorated with regional pieces that she learned about while giving tours as a docent at the Asian Civilisations Museum, a role she has played for the past ten years. Indonesian shadow puppets, Thai offering bowls and nostalgic black-andwhite photographs snapped by her father add personality and history to the room.

The master bedroom, located on the third floor, was completely renovated, giving Susan “the most organised closet that I have ever had”. The dark, sensual interior features striking floral wallpaper, matching curtains and a reversible comforter, all by Design Intervention. Indonesian “eternal couple” lamps flank the bed.

The inspiration for the master bathroom is based on tiling that reminded Susan of Middle Eastern calligraphy on display in the ACM’s West Asia Gallery. The tiling extends across the floor and up the wall, raising the eye to – what else? – a chandelier above the spa tub.

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Back downstairs, we chat about Susan’s children and family ski trips before finally saying our goodbyes.

Though this is my first time in the neighbourhood, finding a taxi isn’t too difficult. Per Susan’s instructions, I just follow the butterflies one block, make a left at the buttercups and trail the tulips back to the main road. eL

HOME

Susan's

“Best of” List Interior design Design Intervention 75 E Loewen Road, 6506 0920 Landscaping Hawaii Landscape 559 Thomson Road, Plot 7 Local antiques Jane’s Art & Craft 75 Hillcrest Road, 6469 5920 Florist Veronica’s Florist & Gifts Tanglin Mall #B1-06, 6737 1877 Lunch spots Original Sin, Holland Village P.S. Café, Palais Renaissance Project Café, Paragon Cocktails The Espresso Martini at Wolfgang Puck’s Cut The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Italian food Mozza Osteria The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Japanese yakitori Kazu Sumiyaki, Cuppage Plaza #04-05 Framing Chong Hwa Arts & Frame Makers Block 106 Clementi Street 12 #02-48 Hair “I’ve tried just about every type of hair salon in Singapore from ‘name’ ones with multiple locations, to very expensive, to cheap and cheerful in Orchard Towers! These are the ones that I keep going back to.”

Wash and blow dry Exquisite by Salon 916 (Orchard Parade Hotel) Cut Casey’s (Palais Renaissance – ask for Edwin) Colouring Toni & Guy (Holland Village – ask for Tess) Facial A Confidence (“tiny, funky location – been going there for 10 years”) 180 Albert Street, 9787 7886, by appointment only

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Life & Family www.littleonesphotography.com

What’s NEW

LIFE&FAMILY

Kneeker Needs Kneekers, or sneakers for the knees, are the perfect way to protect against scrapes and scratches while baby is transitioning from crawling to walking. Buy in July or August and receive 10 percent off by entering the code “ELKNEE” at checkout. Available at www.pupsikstudio.com.

Helping Hands

Interested in helping out in the animal kingdom?

ACRES is looking for volunteers for its Wildlife Guardians Programme to prepare food, clean enclosures and give guided tours to visitors.

Those with a green thumb can help maintain the butterfly gardens and ponds. You need to be 17 or older. www.acres.org.sg/volunteer/jobs.html

Get Outand Gogh

The popular Children’s Season returns to the museums of Singapore. Check out the list of programmes and activities, including Art Garden at the Singapore Art Museum and Adventures with Mulan at the Asian Civilisations Museum. www.museums.com.sg/cs11

Leader of the Pack

The Australian International School has appointed a new principal, Dr Nick Miller.

Formerly principal of the YMCA Hong Kong Christian College, Dr Miller will start his new role in January 2012. Call 6883 5155 or visit www.ais.com.sg.

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Talking Points EtonHouse International School is introducing a bilingual international primary programme, the first of its kind in Singapore.

With both an English and a Mandarin teacher in the classroom at all times, ch i l d r e n c a n a c q u i r e Mandarin language skills in an easier and more natural way. Call 6346 6922 or visit www.etonhouse.com.sg.

What’s NEW

LIFE&FAMILY

Facebook

ie b e e r F

Win a free photo session and two free prints with Gronow Photography this month. Simply “Like” the Gronow Facebook Page and vote for your favourite portrait in the July Competition Album. One winner will be selected at random from those who have voted. www.gronow.com

School Savings

History & Heritage The theme for Singapore HeritageFest 2011 is “Home – What We Love About It”. To learn how the food, culture and landscape of Singapore have changed over the years, join one of the many scheduled activities, from the kickoff festival in Ang Mo Kio to the Festival Finale at Velocity @ Novena Square. 15 to 31 July. www.heritagefest.sg

Enrol at a MindChamps PreSchool centre before 31 July and receive 10 percent off school fees for three months, $200 off the registration fee and one free uniform. Enrol at either of the branches listed here and receive a free bedding bag, too. Call 6260 0531 (Tampines Point) or 6834 4388 (City Square Mall).

Hair for

HOPE The Children’s Cancer Foundation is hosting Hair for Hope, a head-shaving event, to raise funds for ch i l d r e n w i t h c a n c e r.

Come along to show your support, or sign up to be a shavee! 23 and 24 July.

VivoCity Central Court.

Call 6593 6470 or visit www.hairforhope.org.sg.

OrganicAccessories Baby La Terra e L’Albero (The Earth and The Tree) introduces to Singapore baby accessories made in Italy, including breast-feeding pillows, cushions, mattresses and slings in spelt husk (also a natural mite-repellent and thermo-regulator).

The healthy and natural features of these products are just what babies up to 36 months need for their sensitive skin. Available at all leading department stores, toy stores and organic shops or from www.laterraelalbero.com.

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NOTICE BOARD

Ayesha Azhar and Kamran Siddiqui announce the safe arrival of Aalia. Born on 19 January, 2011, she is a sister to Mehrunnisa.

Maayan Hazama was born on 22 March 2011 to proud parents Shelley and Hay. She loves to smile and talk to her grandparents through Skype.

Piper Nina Rose LauĂŠ was born at Thomson Medical Centre on 7 April 2011 to the delight of big brother Zac and parents Emma and Mike.

Big sisters Jaclyn and Tricia have a new playmate, Sophia Lee born on 9 April 2011.

Parents Lenny Lee and Karen Lew are thrilled with their third daughter.

Just had a baby? Newly married? Recently engaged? Moved back to Singapore and want to let people know you’re back in town? Trying to get rid of excess stuff before you leave the country? Looking for a job?

Whatever your announcement, we will get the message out - FOR FREE!

Email us at noticeboard@expatliving.sg

All readers whose babies are featured on this page will receive a photo-shoot and print worth $450 from Tomato Photo | www.tomato.sg. So keep those birth announcements coming!

FOR SALE

Kids

Paintings Original Burmese oil painting of three women in a brown wooden frame. Measures 82cm x 47cm.

Asking $95.

■ Original Burmese oil painting in a black wooden frame of women crossing a bridge. Measures 48cm x 38 cm. Asking $75.

■ Antique metal Lever & Sons Sunlight Soap sign from Burma. A collector’s piece that dates back to British colonial times. Measures 66cm x 52cm. Asking $450. Interested? Email shalua@hotmail.com.

■

Motorcycle Triumph Tiger 1050cc motorcycle for sale. 2007 model, 37,000km. Only two in Singapore. Asking $24,500.

Interested? Email mark.philpott@humaneity.com

Peg Perego Primo Viaggio car seat. Suitable from birth.

Comes with Isofix in-car base. Asking $120.

Kettler double trike, perfect for two toddlers; one steers and the other brakes. Can convert into a single trike.

Pick up at Shelford Road.

Asking $70. Interested?

Call 9108 2242.

Wheelchair Trident reclining wheelchair with seatbelt and foldable frame. Up to 100 kg. Less than a year old. Asking $450.

Air purifier, brand new, AQM (KJ25FE-H1) HEPA filter.

Improves air quality and removes odours. Asking $300.

Interested? Email jl_1944@yahoo.com for info.

Real Estate, Austalia Apartment in Perth CBD for sale. Move in or rent.

Asking A$699K, negotiable. Interested? Phone Ally on 8509 9672 or Raymond on +61 8 432 624 120.

Furniture Deck out your nursery with Prenatal brand furniture: cot, chest of drawers and wardrobe.

Asking $600 neg. Teak corner cabinet with two shelves and glass door with key. Measures 90cm wide x 50cm deep x 175cm high. As new. Asking $350 neg.

All items to be collected from East Coast. Interested? Call Nellie on 9752 1254.

Elmwood coffee table with glass top.

Measures 120cm square. Asking $1,200.

Round teak table. Measures 90cm diagonally.

Asking $500.

Interested? Call Ann on 9011 9500.

Adopt a Pet Happy Gender Male Breed Wirehaired Jack Russell terrier cross Age One year Happy is not called happy for nothing! A fun-loving animal with loads of enthusiasm, he’s fun to have around.

Pia Gender Female Breed Siamese cross Age Two years Pia has gorgeous, skyblue eyes, and loves talking and just hanging out!

Moving Sale Antique 1714 Swiss hand-painted “Truhe” chest. Asking $3,999. Havana maple and walnut kingsize bed. Asking $1,199. Matching nightstands. Asking $399 (pair). Pottery Barn console side table. Asking $699.

Interested? Email sentosa.yardsale@gmail.com for pictures and more items.

For more, go to www.expatliving.sg and click Notice Board.

LOOKING FOR A JOB? Check our new listing, www.expatliving.sg/all_joblistings

Interested in adopting Happy or Pia? Call the SPCA adoption hotline at 6287 5355 (ext. 24) or visit the SPCA at 31 Mount Vernon Road. Check the website for opening hours. If Happy or Pia have been adopted, go to www.spca.org.sg to see other animals that need kind homes.

Scene Around Town

LIFE&FAMILY OPEN HOUSE

Little Horrors

Over 100 children – or “horrors”, in Hash-speak – turned out for the 700th Hash House Horrors on 29 May. The run, through the jungly shores of Upper Seletar Reservoir, saw plenty of mud, sweat and laughs.

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Scene Around Town

LIFE&FAMILY OPEN HOUSE

Say Cheese!

Cold Storage launched the deliciously creamy Dutch Beemster cheese at its Great World City branch on 10 June – much to the delight of all, it seems, including the Netherlands Ambassador, HE Johannes Jansing.

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Mini-Chefs Cook-Off

At The Pantry Cookery School’s very first Mini-Chef competition, on 11 June, six youngsters cooked up a storm. In the end, it was too close to call: Molly, Niklas, Clara and Ambika won joint third place, Brittney won second prize and Millie took first place with a chocolate cake that was to die for. Special thanks go to sponsors Fisher & Paykel, Harvey Norman, Kuhn Rikon and chief judge Ryan Sonson, Executive Chef at the Sentosa Resort & Spa. Lucky Millie will spend a day in his kitchen!

July11

Scene Around Town

LIFE&FAMILY OPEN HOUSE

SAIS Gets Together On 23 May, Stamford American International School’s PTA organised an evening at the St. Regis Ballroom to share exciting plans for the future of the school.

Jubilant Turks

Turkish Airlines’ gala dinner at Raffles City’s Stamford Ballroom to mark its silver jubilee – 25 years in Singapore – was graced by an elegant assortment of diplomats.

From Left: Gülden Gokturk, Ewa Dubaniowska, H.E. Safak Gokturk, Turkish Ambassador, and H.E. Waldermar Dubaniowski, Polish Ambassador; Cengiz Inceosman of Turkish Airlines, Asa Palomera and H.E. D. Federico Palomera Güez, Ambassador of Spain, Carlos Monterde, Angela Castaño of the Spanish Tourism Board and her husband Iñigo de Angulo

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LIFE&FAMILY

Compiled by Katie Roberts

Choosing the right school is a priority for parents, whether they’re new arrivals or have lived here for years.

Knowing that the selection process can be a challenge, we asked parents from ten schools how and why they made their decision – and what the children think of it!

When we arrived in Singapore at the end of 2001, we were looking for an international school that offered both preparatory and junior schooling for our two daughters Chelsea and Lauren (then aged six and three). We stayed here longer than originally envisaged, and our son Callum was born in 2004. The fact that AIS caters for children from preparatory through to high school has ensured a smooth transition for our children as they have progressed through each education phase.

Offering the Australian New South Wales school curriculum was a plus for us, as was the location. The Australian school environment helped the children integrate easily into a new school and a new country.

The children really enjoy their diverse group of friends, and remember fondly those who are no longer in Singapore. They’ve had wonderful opportunities to learn about the cultures and lifestyles of other countries and go on school camps to Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong. Both our daughters have

performed in school drama productions including Annie, Aladdin, The Mikado and Oliver!. They have also taken up the opportunity to learn regionally significant languages like Mandarin and Bahasa Indonesia.

Simon Mansfield, Australia 1 Lorong Chuan 6883 5155 | www.ais.com.sg

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When we arrived here and started visiting schools, we were looking for a place where both the students and teachers were happy. I believe that if this is the case, then learning will follow. We were seeking a school with well trained teachers who understood the process of teaching and learning and, of course, understood children themselves.

In Avondale we found all of these things. Our children feel a sense of belonging, and a pride in themselves and the school. In such an environment, their learning has exploded! Avondale has a low ratio of students to teachers, and the teachers have the resources they need to implement the curriculum and get on with the job they have been trained to do.

It has been an added bonus for us to discover that not only are the children

learning the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, but they also have the chance to grow into ‘all-round’ people. They have been involved in public speaking, drama, sports events, music and family concerts, to name just a few.

The children say the best part of school is their friends! They also like discovering new things, learning the piano and quoting their teachers. The most recent was, ‘Miss Wood says a day without learning is a day wasted.’

Megan Andrew, New Zealand Phoenix Park, 318 Tanglin Rd 6258 8544 | www.avondalegs.com.sg

When we moved here five years ago, we looked for a school that welcomed all the energy, individuality and natural curiosity that kids bring. We feel that CIS does this exceptionally well. The programme hits all the academic marks while encouraging a strong sense of self, community and a love of learning that prepares kids for a limitless future.

Our decision was based on many factors, including the high academic standards, strong administration, highly qualified teaching staff and warm sense of community with the students and their families. There are approximately 60 nationalities at CIS, so the children are part of a multicultural community where they learn about other cultures and diversity in a meaningful way.

CIS also offers exciting ways for children of different ages to learn from one another. For example, older students help younger students with ideas for writing projects. In these situations, all the students are engaged and feel valued for their ideas and contributions.

My two sons (Grades 2 and 5) both say the staff and teachers are their favourite things about the school. When our children feel cared for in their learning environment, and are excited about going to school because of the learning opportunities that are provided, we know we have made the right educational choice.

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Toh Tuck Campus 5 Toh Tuck Road | 6467 1732 Jurong East Campus 61 Jurong East Street 24 | 6323 0208 Tanjong Katong Campus 371 Tanjong Katong Road | 6345 1573

LIFE&FAMILY

We wanted a predominantly British education and were attracted to Dover Court for its curriculum, size and reputation.

We were also looking for a school that had a wide range of nationalities and cultures so that it would feel truly international.

Dover Court offered the environment that we were looking for: the campus is spacious, has good sports facilities, but is not so huge as to feel daunting. Three years on and we’re very glad we chose it. We’ve watched our children thrive. Our daughter Hannah was five and extremely shy when we arrived; however, her self-confidence grew and a year later she sang solo in front of a packed hall of parents.

Our children enjoy many things about the school, but top of the list has to be the teachers – they’ve liked every single teacher that they’ve had. Adam (11) loves the whole environment; he enjoys learning and feels the school atmosphere really encourages him. He likes the feeling of responsibility that the senior school has given him, and the school residential trips are a firm favourite. Both children say they never want to leave!

Rachel Landau, UK Dover Road | 65775 7664 www.dovercourt.edu.sg

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When we moved to Singapore, our main goal was that our daughters would be able to continue the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme. The girls attended an IB school in Denmark for four years, and this programme really suited their interests and capabilities.

We preferred a smaller school, with small classes, where the girls would receive more attention and we, as parents, could get to know the other children, parents, teachers and staff. It’s also important to us that GESS is a not-for-profit school. We feel this guarantees that school fees are used for the development of the school and that parental involvement is more appreciated.

With our European background, we felt our girls would fit in well, and the fact that European norms and values are pursued was a bonus we hadn’t counted on. The school also offers Dutch language and culture as part of the curriculum, so the girls don’t have to go to separate Dutch lessons in their precious spare time.

Emily (Grade 6) loves being part of the buddy system, whereby new kids are assigned a buddy who helps them find their way around. Sofie (Grade 8) enjoys working in multicultural groups on teamwork projects. Claire (Grade 9) feels that it’s important that the teachers are involved, considerate and responsive.

Marianne Prahl, Denmark 72 Bukit Tinggi Road 6469 1131 | www.gess.sg

While searching on the internet, not for a school but for a small miracle, my prayers were answered when I serendipitously chanced upon Insworld Institute. My two sons both have Attention Deficit Disorder which, in short, means they find it very difficult to remain focused on a task long enough to complete it.

With this in mind, I needed a school where they could study in a very small group of up to six or seven students. We also needed patient, understanding and flexible teachers.

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Being British, the curriculum at Insworld Institute suited us as it follows the British GCSE and A Level programme. At first glance, it seemed this school offered what we needed, but it all sounded rather too good to be true. Headmaster Mr Cole was not at all fazed by our requirements, and one of my sons, Stefan, took up his offer of a couple of trial days before deciding whether to register.

One day was enough for him to realise it was the place for him. He aced his subjects!

My younger son, Calum, is currently sitting for his GCSEs. He told me without hesitation that the three things he likes most about his school are his teachers, the individualised timetable and the relaxed environment. For the first time in his secondary school life he is achieving success and is happy. There is no more that a parent can ask.

Mary Kozma, UK 2 Serangoon Road | The Verge #03-18 6732 1728 | www.insworldsch.com

LIFE&FAMILY

Initially, we were looking for a school with good facilities and excellent staff to continue our daughters’ British education. What happened in reality was completely different from what we expected.

Our older daughter, Joanne (17), was only interested in completing her A Levels, so we enrolled her in one of the top schools teaching the British curriculum. Jessica (14) thought it was too big and did not feel it was for her. As we wanted to keep our children happy, we ended up with one daughter in one school being taught the British curriculum, and the other one in ISS being taught the International Baccalaureate (IB).

As it turned out, Joanne was not happy with her choice, and after a year she told us that she wanted to leave. We did not want her to give up on her education. Because Jessica was really happy at ISS, we contacted their admissions team to see if Joanne

We wanted an all-encompassing curriculum, not something country-specific. It had be a fun approach to education that encouraged creativity in the areas of art, music, drama and sports, with an emphasis on fitness, rather than being too competitive.

could go there. She sat an admissions test and within a couple of days she started school.

Joanne is a changed girl. She went from being unhappy and not succeeding in one school to being very happy and doing very well at ISS. Both girls like the small school community and the friendly teachers.

Denise Collyer, UK 25 Paterson Road 6235 5844 | www.iss.edu.sg

We had heard very good things from friends who had their children in NPS. But the clincher for us was a long discussion with principal Nithya Sundaram and resident director Alamelu Balasubramanian. They were warm, forthcoming, honest and their commitment shone through.

The kids have bonded very well with their teachers. We have found that the NPS teachers make the extra effort necessary to understand each child individually. Indeed, each year the children are reluctant to change classes because they will miss their favourite teachers. The children love the stage and enjoy performing when they are given the chance. Every child gets to participate in every event. That to me says a lot about the commitment of the school and the staff.

At NPS, my children learn in a wholesome environment with experiences such as school trips, productions, projects, a buddy learning programme, show and tell and student-led conferences.

Learning is very tangible and their growth as individuals is pleasingly obvious.

Meenakshi Dahiya, India

10 and 12 Chai Chee Lane 6294 2400 www.npsinternational.com.sg

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We had two main priorities when we moved to Singapore in 2005. Firstly, we wanted a smaller school that had the personal touch, one where the children were valued as individuals and not as commodities.

With individual attention we knew they would settle easily, find it less stressful and that it would be a good learning environment. Secondly, we wanted to live close to the school.

On an initial visit to One World, we were struck by the overall atmosphere of warmth and the relationships between the children, their class teachers and the other members of staff. One World teaches the International Baccalaureate (IB), which suited us, but we needed a school that would suit all three of our children (aged eight, 10 and 11) who had very different approaches to learning and varying abilities. The teaching approach certainly suited our children, as they’ve gone from strength to strength.

The school also offered, as part of the daily class schedule, Mandarin classes, dance classes – and a barbecue every Friday lunchtime, which tipped the scales! Lowri (11) enjoys going to a smaller school where all the children know each other and play together. Angharad (10) loves the art classes and playtime because she has made really good friends.

For Archie (8), playing football with his friends and hiding amongst the playground trees is a high point of the day!

Kate Turner-Ricketts, UK 696 Upper Changi Road East 6542 2285 | www.oneworldinternational.org

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Our two children, now aged nine and 12, attended international schools in Hong Kong and Japan before we moved to Singapore in 2009. We looked for a school that had a smaller academic environment and offered an American-based curriculum like the one they had attended in Japan. It was very important to find a school close to where we live.

SAIS offers small class sizes, where individual attention for young ones can be expected.

More importantly, the school showed us that a strong, long-term academic commitment (which involved our family as part of the growth process) would ultimately benefit our kids. We wanted a consistent learning environment, as we plan to stay in Singapore until they both finish high school.

They both love their music class and are learning to play musical instruments. Also, the school cafeteria offers a good and diverse lunch menu and is a hit with them! eL Hee Suk and Kim Mijin Noh, Korea 11 Lorong Chuan 6602 7247 | www.sais.edu.sg

LIFE&FAMILY

VERONIQUE BYRNE has been learning Mandarin for 18 months: for a year here in Singapore, and for six months when she lived in Hong Kong. Her daughters, MELISSA (12) and JULIETTE (9), started a year ago, and despite their mother’s head start are rapidly closing the gap!

My husband is Irish and I am French, so we speak English and French at home. Now that we live in Asia, I feel it would be a shame to miss out on the

opportunity to learn Mandarin. It’s a language I’ve wanted to speak from a very young age when I became fascinated with China and Chinese culture. As expats, we might one day have to work in China, and English would not be enough, so it would be nice to have a grounding in Chinese.

When I started enquiring about lessons, I looked online and found there were many language schools to choose from. It was important for me to learn how to read and write the characters, which is something not all schools offer. In the end it was my neighbour’s recommendation that

the foundation tte have competed Melissa and Julie tio ersa nal level. w doing the conv course and are no e characters me text in Chines so ad re w no n ““We ca elissa. aracters,” says M and write with ch it is like doing little characters; to me g.

“I like writing with she prefers speakin iette; Melissa says d an e, lif in drawings,” says Jul er lat e will be useful es in Ch k in th ls Both gir find a better “It might help me d: ea ah g kin in th er Juliette is about their teach say the best thing r ve ne he job one day.” They “S d an their home, to es m co e sh at Yanni is th very patient!” gets cross and is

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led me to Academ-Asia. For me, word of mouth is the best recommendation, as I know people are unbiased and not trying to sell me something. I was green with envy when I found out that she could understand the Chinese subtitles on TV! Within a few days I started my lessons with Yanni, one-on-one at home. I’ve completed the foundation level, am now studying the conversational level and will proceed to the intermediate level soon. The first level concentrated on learning how to correctly pronounce the Pinyin (transcription of the Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet) using the four different tones; learning vocabulary around different themes; absorbing some basic grammar; and learning to write the Chinese characters.

I feel that speaking the language without understanding the people and their way of thinking is pointless. I often ask Yanni for more information to help me understand life in China and Chinese customs. She is very patient and a great motivator.

Academ-Asia has nearly 100 students learning Chinese and English in a range of different courses. Students aged from nine to 65 hail from more than 20 countries, including the US, Australia and various European countries. The school specialises in teaching Chinese language and culture to expats, including beginners and those with varying levels of proficiency. eL Call Academ-Asia School of Language on 6734 9962 or visit www.academasia.com.

LIFE&FAMILY

A TRUE TALE OF A SURVIVOR OF SINGAPORE’S PUPPY MILLS

By Ella Sherman, SPCA Volunteer & Management Committee Member

T

his (above) is my girl Rosemary, a Pomeranian, on the day I first set eyes on her at Madam Wong’s Animal Rescue Shelter at Pasir Ris Farmway. I’d never seen a dog in such an appalling condition and with such sad eyes. It was a miracle that she was alive.

Rosemary had spent the first 10 years of her life in a puppy mill at Pasir Ris Farmway. There, she would have given birth to hundreds of puppies while being kept in a tiny cage that she couldn’t even stretch out in; she had developed disfigured “cage feet”; she had never been walked – probably never seen the sky or sniffed the grass or never known human kindness.

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How puppy mills work Having worked at the animal shelter rescuing puppy mill dogs, I know firsthand that many breeding dogs lead the most awful life. And once they’re no longer useful to the puppy mill – once their pelvises have broken from giving birth too many times – they are not even given the dignity of a quick and painless death: often, they are drowned or given rat poison. This is all happening in a developed country with more millionaires per square capita than anywhere in the world.

Puppy mill dogs are essentially living in a death camp, where they are abused, malnourished, raped and murdered.

When I first saw Rosemary, I couldn’t stop crying for 20 minutes.

I was so sad and disgusted that humans could treat an animal like this. It is ironic that on one side of the Pasir Ris Farmway fence you find the most wonderful caring people, the animal shelter volunteers who work tirelessly and dedicate so much of their time and money to helping animals, and on the other side what can only be described as pure evil.

Homecoming Rosemary came home with me. I simply couldn’t leave her behind, despite being “full at the inn” myself, as I knew she would die. Even after several baths she absolutely stank; it was a rotten smell, one that filled every room in my apartment.

I’ll never forget the first morning she woke up after a good night’s sleep – she stretched and gave me the most beautiful, lopsided, toothy smile! The vet told me to put her down and not waste my money on her, but I felt Rosemary’s many problems

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could be managed with a bit of investment in healthcare and nutrition, and an abundance of tender love. I strongly felt this dog should know some love and joy in life before passing on, since she had only known wretched suffering and sadness.

Rosemary’s transformation was miraculous. Within just a few weeks she looked a million times happier and healthier. Her eyes looked alive again, her hair started to grow.

Rosemary today Today, as you can see, Rosemary has a new lease on life. Whenever I feel down, I look at her amazing enthusiasm for life and her loving gentleness, and I feel better. You’d think she’d hate people for what they put her through, but she is the sweetest thing, truly an inspiration. Rosemary has since had cancer of the paw caused by an infection from the puppy mill’s squalid dirty conditions, and had to have a few toes removed. But she bounced back in no time. She even wanted to go on her walk the day after the operation, though the vet said it would take a week or two! The operation was a success and she is now cancer-free.

Rosemary goes on three walks a day, eats the finest food known to dog-kind, is preened and pampered, kissed and cuddled, given endless tummy tickles – and she thoroughly enjoys life. I wish I could help all the abused dogs out there in this way.

People walk by and pat her, commenting on what a sweet, friendly dog she is; they have no idea that she’s been to hell and back at a puppy mill. She’s 12 now, in the winter of her years, but she acts like a youngster a third of her age. It’s as though she’s been given a new chance at life and is making the most of every second of it.

Those left behind Rosemary is one of very few puppy mill dogs with a happy ending. Many dogs that are rescued go on to die – they’re just too weak and too sick. The animal rescue volunteers work tirelessly looking for good homes for the survivors. Singapore has an amazing network of volunteers who receive little or no credit.

I remember families viewing the survivors and turning up their noses, one woman saying to me: “But they’re all so ugly!” (The same could be said about her children, though I refrained from telling her that.) Rupert, a puppy Pomeranian from SPCA, recently joined our canine family, and Rosemary has thrown herself into mothering him. The two are inseparable.

It’s a delight to watch, especially knowing that Rosemary has had so many of her children taken away from her. I hope Rosemary lives a long, healthy life to make up for the time she lost in the puppy mill.

It’s high time puppy mills were banned here. While there are so many wonderful pets in animal rescue shelters, it’s nonsensical that puppy mills and pet shops that sell animals even exist. Singapore is a small, highly efficient country – a few simple changes to current practices would make a huge difference and set a great example to the rest of the world. eL

www.spca.org.sg http://sgpuppies.com

Š Elenat | Dreamstime.com

Compet it ions

WOHAIR&BEAUTY RTH FIX IT OVER

$700

Handbag HEROES

This fun, chameleon of a shoulder bag can be whatever you need it to be: a day bag, a city bag, a beach bag or even a baby bag. Plus, it comes full of beauty goodies to complement your daily regime.

DERMOLOGICA

DKNY

Ultracalming Relief Masque, $119 and Barrier Repair, $92 Two great products from the Ultracalming range that work below the skin to calm and cool redness; no artificial fragrance or colour. www.dermalogica.com

Women Energizing Eau de Toilette, $62 “I wanted to be the person who bottled the energy of New York City.” – Donna Karan. Available at Tangs, Robinsons and Isetan.

DEMANO Sarria L, $129 This unique shoulder bag is made from a banner that was used to promote a music event in Barcelona. If you’re not lucky enough to win it, don’t fret. Readers who present this page to Simply Living can get 10 percent off all Demano products. Simply Living, 238 River Valley Road. simplylivinglifeshop.com

L’OCCITANE Sun Verbena Milky Fragrance Mist, $43 Spray this all over your décolletage and body for a light, fresh scent that lingers on your skin. www.loccitane.com.sg

CLINELLE MOLTON BROWN Collection of four products, $200 Treat your skin with Travel-reviving Cempaka Bath & Shower gel, Travel-reviving Cempaka Body Lotion, and Radiant Lili-pili Shampoo and Conditioner. www.moltonbrown.com

Brightening Serum, $35.90 and Blackhead Control, $25.90 Both of these products are free from artificial colours, fragrance and lanolin, and work to keep skin blemish-free. www.clinelle.com

To win everything on the page, go to www.expatliving.sg/competitions

! n i w Sunday Brunch at the

Boathouse Worth $256!

One lucky reader will win Sunday Bistro Brunch with Champagne for two (valued at $128 each) and another lucky reader will win Sunday Bistro Brunch for two (valued at $48 each).

Happy Birthday to the Boathouse!

The stunning Boathouse restaurant, located within the heritage building of The Fullerton Waterboat House, celebrates its first anniversary with new, multi-course menus that feature modern European creations and quality seafood.

Besides the business set lunch at $32, you can indulge in a three-course dinner Menu Inspiration ($68) or an eight-course Menu Gourmand ($128). Savour the likes of Norwegian scallops with saucisson in saffron emulsion, and a tender Australian Waygu cap of ribeye with sauce aigre douce.

The French-style Sunday bistro brunch offers an à la carte brunch selection of French fines de claire oysters, pressed foie gras terrine, fresh burrata cheese, eggs Benedict, Grand Marnier soufflé, pear tarte Tatin, and sweet or savoury pancakes. The Boathouse brunch set ($48++) comprises a French bread basket and pastries with homemade jam, a choice of soup or petite salad, choice of eggs or pancakes, and desserts or the cheese trolley. A free flow of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne is a steal at an additional $80 for two hours.

Reservations are necessary for this intimate, stylish 45-seater restaurant.

To enter, go to www.expatliving.sg/competitions Entries close 31 July 2011

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! n i w Beauty vouchers from

Serenity Cove Worth $120!

Five super-lucky winners will each receive three gift vouchers from Serenity Cove in Holland Village, for: ■ a full-body massage worth $60 ■ a manicure worth $25, and ■ a pedicure worth $35.

About Serenity Cove

Serenity Cove in Holland Village is a friendly spa that, over a period of more than 11 years, has grown from strength to strength while building up a reputation for warm and personalised service.

It prides itself on the excellence of its nail, massage and facial services, and on having a team of beauty therapists who always work to the best of their ability.

They also pride themselves on maintaining the strictest levels of hygiene and the cleanliness of their equipment, as they want you to feel safe and comfortable. Serenity Cove says that its top priorities are its customers’ happiness and the quality of the service it provides.

Serenity Cove is at Holland Village Shopping Centre.

You’ll need to book at this busy salon: call 6466 6335.

To enter, go to www.expatliving.sg/competitions Entries close 31 July 2011

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! n i w with Jackie Clarke

Four lucky readers will each win a pair of tickets worth $300 to a lunch at the Copthorne Waterfront Hotel at 12 noon on 28 July, hosted by New Zealand comic genius Jackie Clarke.

Worth $300

The event is part of Rugby Village 2011, a series of occasions aimed at building up global rugby fever in the lead-up to this year’s World Cup in New Zealand.

According to the organisers, this is the ladies’ chance to find out what all the fuss is about.

As your host, comedian, actress and singer Jackie Clarke will be taking a light-hearted look at the world of business and sport. Jackie is famous in New Zealand for her role as a judge on NZ Idol and her many stage and TV performances. An all-round talent, she combines humour with glamour.

Booking is open for this sumptuous four-course lunch with fine wines and other beverages. Single tickets cost $150, or you can book a table for ten at $1,400.

For more information, to buy tickets and to stay updated on the countdown to the launch of the Rugby World Cup on 9 September, visit www.rugbyvillage2011.com.

To enter, go to www.expatliving.sg/competitions Entries close 15th July 2011

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Dorothy Perkins

Fashion

FASHION

Blocking Gucci led the colour-blocking trend with its 2011 Spring/Summer collection and celebs like Cheryl Cole followed. Luckily, Dorothy Perkins has made a wallet-friendly version for us mere mortals. Pair this coral top ($79) and belt ($26) with the jade capri pants ($79), or team them with wardrobe essentials like black trousers and white T-shirts. www.dorothyperkins.com

Save Japan What do Lady Gaga, Orlando Bloom and Karl Lagerfeld have in common? No, this isn’t the start of a bad joke. All three (plus seven other prominent celebs) have designed T-shirts for Uniqlo’s Save Japan campaign. The Japanese clothing company plans to donate 100 million yen from the sale of the shirts to the Japanese Red Cross Society, to back recovery efforts in northeastern Japan. The 10 variations cost $24.90 each and range from extra small to extra large. www.uniqlo.com/sg/

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Charmed, I’m Sure Put your hand up (and shake your wrist) if you thought the charm bracelet fad had passed. Well, you’re wrong. Queen Victoria started the trend, and sales have never really waned. We can’t get enough of collecting cute little objects to dangle off bracelets and necklaces, and now countryspecific charms have hit the market.

Australian accessories company Mimco is celebrating its 15-year anniversary with 15 charms that include the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and a four-leaf clover.

They start from $50 and will be available in the new Mimco

boutique, opening in August at ION. Or you can buy them online at www.mimco.com.au.

To commemorate your stay in Singapore, why not buy a durian charm from RISIS? This local jeweller has introduced 55 new dangles that represent Asian culture.

Our favourites are the Hong Kong junk boat, the Sri Lankan elephant and the Malaysian trishaw. Charms range from $60 to $95 and can be bought at any RISIS store or on their website, www.risis.com.

FASHION

STYLEHUNTER Forget the catwalk, the shop windows and the fashion-bloggers. Sometimes, the best place for style inspiration is out on the streets. Our Style Hunter roams the island, camera-in-hand, ready to snap expats who exude individuality and a style of their own.

Name: Judy Blyth Job: Chairman of The British Association of Singapore From: The UK

Earrings and necklace Embrace Fine Contemporary Jewellery, Kai Life, Holland Village Shopping Centre, $120

Dress Phase Eight, £95 (S$192)

Bag Furla (bought in a sale, price unknown)

Shoes Everbest, $129

I tend to go for quite simple and classic clothes, but with a contemporary twist. I buy things that look stylish but aren’t necessarily from the top designers – that way I can buy more! I don’t like to have to think too hard about what to wear, although I do want to be dressed appropriately for the occasion.

WHY IT WORKS: Floral patterns are big this year, and Judy effortlessly incorporates the trend into her own style. She tones down the dress with a neutral bag and shoes, making the outfit fashionable but age-appropriate.

Beate Baldry

Even though Singapore is such a small island, it’s still a real pain to have to cross it several times just to visit the few shops you know you like. That’s why we’ve put together a series of handy sartorial guides to shopping by area. Novena is the first – watch out for future instalments on Bugis, the CBD, Holland Village and more.

NOVENA (within a 10-minute walk of the MRT station)

Staples Staples are the kinds of clothes that hit the washing basket at least once a week. We wear them without thinking, but miss them a lot when we don’t have them. Velocity Novena has a few staples shops that won’t break the bank. Cotton On (#01-48), Levi’s (#01-23), Esprit (#01-35), Charles Keith (#01-35) for accessories, and if you must, Giordano (#01-13).

Dresses If you don’t mind hunting, Novena Square 2 has quite a few local boutique shops with the odd gem. There are 28 of these petite fashion dens selling mostly one-off Korean imports in mini-sizes and a few that stock a UK 14 (US 12, Australian 16 and French 42).

For cocktail dresses and accessories, head to Ns’ Boutique (#01-168) and for something more cutesy (think Peter Pan collars, lace and cotton umbrellas) try Tara (#01-42) or neighbouring store Lemode (#01-01-43). Z.O.E.O (#01-141) has a more Western approach to tailoring, with wrap dresses.

Sportswear Velocity Novena is the home of sportswear, with 19 sports shops selling everything from workout wear to swimming and mountain-climbing gear. You’ll find big brands like Nike (#01-69), Puma (#02-56) and New Balance (#01-39) as well as multi-brand stores such as World of Sports (#02-68) and Outdoor Life (#02-60).

Our favourite has to be Adidas Outlet (#02-30), which stocks the full range of Stella McCartney sportswear.

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From morning “mamtra” to bedtime story, AILEEN LANE talks us through her day as a nutritionist, image consultant and mum.

A Day in the Life 6.30am

My day usually starts to chants of “Mama, Mama” – that’s Jack, my two-year-old, proclaiming to the world that he is awake and good to go.

Collect Jack, feed him lunch and put him down for his nap.

Breakfast, a quick shower and playtime.

Drop Jack at playschool.

Luckily, his school is only a threeminute walk away.

Start work. Answer emails and post a blog post or two up on my website.

I usually see my image service clients in the afternoon. I offer a number of different image services, from colour analysis, figure and style analysis, makeup and grooming to shopping and wardrobe management. I also train image consultants, which works well with my life as a working mum because I can schedule classes around Jack’s nap times. This is my favourite part of the job.

Grab some lunch and head on a play date with Jack.

Time for my first client appointment.

This is usually a nutritional client; they come to see me once a week for ten weeks for a weigh-in and a lesson in nutrition. I emphasise the importance of a plant-based diet in long-term weight maintenance and health. This teaches people to change their eating habits so they choose healthier options in the long run. I have had excellent success; clients lose between six to 12kg over the 10-week course. It feels great helping clients to feel great.

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Family time with my husband and Jack. I am ever thankful that I have a supportive husband and an excellent helper, which allows me to have a career I love as well as spend time with Jack.

Dinner If I’m not too wrecked, I’ll go for a run.

Read a bit and then head to bed.

People often ask me what I’d be if I wasn’t an image consultant, but I can’t imagine being anything else. I truly love this career, as I get to help women become more confident and feel better about themselves every day.

What could be better?

FASHION

Career Guide:

Image Consultant Qualifications: While there are no regulations governing minimum requirements to be an image consultant, most credible consultants train to conduct colour analysis, figure and style analysis, makeup and grooming, wardrobe and shopping services for a client. Being certified by a professional body such as AICI (Association of Image Consultants International) will add credibility to you as an image consultant. NutriStyle provides colour, figure and style training for consultants, and some of its courses are accredited by AICI for CEUs (Continuing Education Units).

Working Hours: Most image consultants work for themselves, so working hours can be flexible. When Aileen set up Nutri-Style she worked more than 13 hours a day to get the business off the ground. “Now,” says Aileen, “I’m very happy to be able to set my own hours so that I can spend time with my family.”

Salary: Wages vary hugely, depending on the amount of time you put in and what kind of services you provide. Working as an image consultant for corporations tends to be the most profitable.

However, Aileen says, “I make as much now working for myself as I did when working for a multi-national corporation, without having to sacrifice family life.”

To find out more about becoming an image consultant with Nutri-Style, call 6887 5220 or visit www.nutri-style.com. eL

FASHION

Few things are more frustrating than spilling laksa on a fresh, white shirt or finding a large red wine stain on your favourite dress as you peel it off the floor after a boozy night. It’s even more depressing when a sworn home remedy is no more effective at removing the stain than yelling at it. Here is a handy guide to the right way to get rid of four common stains at home.

Myth: Pour white wine over a red wine stain.

It may be a good excuse to open another bottle, but it won’t stop the spill dyeing your clothes.

Home remedy: Immediately soak the area in a basin of cold water for about 30 minutes.

You can also put salt or soda water (or just plain water) on the stain, as both will lift the stain and stop it from setting.

Myth: Cover the stain in milk.

Not only will this fix the stain forever, but it’ll also make the fabric smell of baby puke for the rest of time.

Home remedy: First, soak a pinch of cotton wool in alcohol (isopropyl or white spirits) and put it under the stain. Then place another piece of clean cotton wool on top and dab it. The stain should start to transfer to the cotton wool on top. If that doesn’t work, you can try rubbing shaving cream into the stain. As a last resort, try spraying hairspray onto the stain and dabbing it off, but bear in mind that some hairsprays can damage fabric.

Myth: Clean with antiseptic cream.

This might work well for human cuts and scrapes, but it only makes clothes dirtier.

Home remedy: Hydrogen peroxide (laundry bleach) can be used to remove both dried and fresh bloodstains. If the blood has dried, brush off any surface deposits first. Use a tiny amount to test the fabric in a discreet place first, as the bleach may cause the colour to fade. Apply the peroxide using an eye-dropper, and then soak the fabric in cold water. Never use hot water, because that will set the stain.

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Myth: Rush to the bathroom to douse it in cold water and then dry it with a hairdryer.

That's about the worst thing you can do. Dabbing water onto an oily stain will push the oil into the fabric.

Home remedy: Immediately sprinkle something absorbent on the stain such as cornflour, talcum powder or salt and leave it overnight. Brush off the powder in the morning, and if the stain is still there apply a small amount of dishwashing detergent to it. Test it on a small area first, as dishwashing detergent can fade colours or damage wools, silks and nylons. For oily stains, the best option is dry-cleaning.

Pressto’s Tips for Stain Removal 1. Deal with stained clothes as soon as possible.

Stains left unattended may damage the fabric.

2. Never rub stains. Blot them with a white, absorbent paper towel by putting one piece in front of the stain and one behind it. Rubbing at wool, silk, or linen may result in permanent removal of the dye.

3. Don’t try to remove stains from dry-cleanonly fabrics. Attempting to remove the stain yourself can cause irreversible damage.

4. Always tell your dry-cleaner what caused the stain and what you have done in your attempt to remove it.

5. Nearly all stains can be removed by a good dry-cleaner. The most common cause of a stain becoming permanent is someone trying to remove it at home. Using the wrong domestic treatment or home remedy can cause a chemical reaction resulting in a stain that can’t be removed.

GRACE CHOONG from Pressto tells us what to look for in a dry-cleaner.

• When you take a garment to a good dry-cleaner, a trained assistant should immediately inspect it for stain and irregularities.

At Pressto, specialists meticulously identify the stain and select one of 16 spotting treatments that can lift everything, from ink to food stains, from cottons, wools and silks. A stain should be treated twice, but it can be treated repeatedly until the stain is removed, without damaging the garment.

• This should be followed by a drycleaning programme chosen according to fabric, colour and embellishment.

Even the most delicate garments such as evening gowns, wedding gowns and lingerie can be dry-cleaned.

• When you collect your garments, give them a once-over in the shop. If your whites look a little grey, it means that the old, dirty liquid is not being properly washed out of the dry-cleaning machine.

• Your garments should have been pressed.

This can be done on an ironing board, but some garments are better dried and pressed on a mannequin to recover their original shape without damaging the fibre. Check that ironing creases are where and how you like them.

If the environmental impact of drycleaning is a concern for you, one of the three Pressto dry-cleaners may be a good option, as they all use non-toxic and biodegradable cleaning products. Pressto also offers next-day collection, an advanced stain-removal process, pressing and antibacterial cleaning. Expat Living readers can have two suits or two evening gowns dry-cleaned for just $10 until 31 August this year. eL

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Pressto is located at 619C Bukit Timah Road (6466 8612), 169 Goldhill Centre (6352 8742) and #0210 Holland Village (6314 4840). www.pressto.com

Trimmings @ Loewen

Hair & Beaut y

What’s NEW

HAIR&BEAUTY

Apply this creamy and aromatic mask from Molton Brown to towel-dried hair once a week and you’ll have glossy, TVad hair in no time. It’s made with sugar beet and seaweed extracts that moisturise and condition, making your hair stronger and healthier. A pot of Reawakening Mer-rouge Hair Hydramasque costs $66. Call 6339 9697 or visit the Molton Brown counter at Tangs, Orchard Road.

Hair Removal for All Traditional IPL does not work for everyone, especially those with darker skins. Now Aesthetic Works has added Sciton’s ClearScan YAG treatment to its menu. The procedure is effective on all skin tones and types, including sensitive areas. Bigger areas can be treated at a time, too, so that each appointment results in significant hair reduction. A package costs $200. Aesthetic Works Medical Associates, #05-06/07 Parkway Parade. Call 6493 3678.

The Loyalty Card Heat turns the face red, that’s why the Cooling Jade Facial avoids it, using low temperatures and jade crystals to purify and de-puff your face and eyes. Two masques and a gentle peel are cool to the touch, and an oxygen serum (rather than steam) is used to gently open the pores for extraction. You leave looking fresh and invigorated, not with a red, blotchy “post-facial” face. A paraffin treatment for the hands and feet plus a back and scalp rub turn this facial into a head-to-toe treat. It costs $260 (or $380 for facial, reflexology and three-course lunch) at Remède Spa. Call 6506 6896 or email spa.singapore@stregis.com.

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Some women wear only one or two fragrances in their lifetime, so family and friends forever associate that gorgeous scent with them. To recognise this identification with its fragrances, Chloé Parfums has introduced a loyalty card that rewards customers with gifts. To sign up and claim a full-sized Chloé deodorant or shower gel, head to any Chloé Parfums Counter and purchase $200 worth of perfume. Members receive gifts, information on new launches and invitations to events. Call 6738 4567 or visit Chloé Parfums at Tangs, Orchard Road.

What’s NEW

HAIR&BEAUTY

Get Bag Beauty fads come and go, but few products have managed to replace Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Éclat in our makeup bags. However, Estée Lauder’s Cooling Eye Illuminator might just mean you’ll never need the little gold pen again.

The cream is touted to reduce puffiness and dark circles in eight weeks. It costs $90 and is available at all Estée Lauder counters. www.esteelauder.com

Vintage Candles Fragrance connoisseurs Escentials has added Le Labo to its collection of scents in all forms – from spritzers and home sprays to gels, creams and candles. Vintage candles ($94) are housed in a distressed tin, burn for 50 hours and are available in five scents. Call 6737 2478 or visit #B1-142 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

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Straight!

Purity Organic Hair Salon introduces the Brazilian Keratin Blowout. It’s a treatment that not only softens, shines and straightens hair, but also repairs it, coating each individual strand to prevent further damage. The result is smooth, silky and straight hair. It’s nothing like the Japanese straightening treatment, rebonding.

Instead of waiting for the effect of the harsh chemicals to grow out, the Brazilian method fades over time and encourages hair growth. Present this page when you book your treatment and get $98 off the price, which starts at $390 and goes up according to length. Call 6887 4542 or visit www.puritysalon.com.

What’s NEW

HAIR&BEAUTY

Visage has something new and special: the Acai Brazilian Blowout (from $450), now the gentlest way to smooth, straight hair. Like its predecessor, it creates a protective layer around each individual hair shaft, actually improving the health and strength of your hair. And like other protein-based smoothing systems, it is activated by being blow-dried and then flat-ironed into your hair.

Here’s the difference: it’s a gentler formula with far fewer fumes. Even better, you don’t have to hang around with sticky

hair for 48 hours: the lotion can be washed out before you sashay out of the salon with straight, shiny, swinging locks.

How long does it last? Up to 12 weeks, while the effect gradually wears off – nearly three months of freedom from sweaty blowdrying and harsh flat-irons. We love it!

Visage The Salon is at #02-12/14 Delfi Orchard, 402 Orchard Road.

Call 6733 0933.

Top Treat

Book yourself into Auriga Spa at Sentosa’s stunning Capella Hotel for its Beauty Inside and Out package: a 30-minute full-body sea salt exfoliation, a full-body massage using rare organic oils to tone and firm the skin, a collagen-boosting anti-ageing facial and a mani and pedi. It includes a spa meal at Cassia restaurant and costs $499+.

We loved therapist JJ’s native Thai touch, gently stretching the joints to open them up, and applying expert pressure to release muscle tension. Come an hour early to make the most of the amazing wet spa facilities: a huge hydrotherapy pool, a crushed-ice bath and two specialised showers; after your treatment, you won’t want to wash off the gorgeous products.

1 The Knolls, Sentosa Island. Call 6591 5023.

Hair Do you have more face to wash each morning? The Hair & Laser Clinic has a whole arsenal of ways to halt the premature retreat of your hairline, from topical and laser treatments to hair transplants.

In just one seven-to-eight-our session, Dr Tyng Tan and her team will harvest a strip of hair from the back of your head, where the hair is naturally resistant to balding, split it into follicular units and replant them where needed to restore your hairline.

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A sleeping tablet and local anaesthesia is all you’ll need, and there will be no pain afterwards. Depending on the degree of hair-loss, you may need two or even three sessions. The look is amazingly natural, and the hairline scar at the back of your head will be virtually invisible, even to your hairdresser.

More good news: women with skimpy eyebrows can have them filled out in the same way – for good. #08-04 Ngee Ann City Tower B. Call 6235 0010. www.hairandlaserclinic.com

HAIR&BEAUTY

Living in Singapore means exposing our skin to different micro-climates throughout the day. We might sleep in air-conditioning, head outside to high humidity and then back to air-conditioning again. Kneipp products are designed to moisturise and protect the skin from various environmental stresses, so we asked four readers to try them out.

WANTS HELP FOR DRY HANDS

WANTS TO KEEP LEGS LOOKING GOOD

Treatment Tested: Kneipp Body Oil (For Dry and Sensitive Skin), $28.90

Treatment Tested: Kneipp Body Massage Oil (for Anti-Cellulite), $28.90

This product contains o r g a n i c s a f f l o w e r, olive oil and grapefruit oil. For tunately, the citrus disguises the other two so it smells very pleasant. I have never tried anything with grapefruit oil in it before, but a quick Google search revealed it to be one of the lesser known oils, well liked by children for its gentle properties.

After a week of using it on my left hand, there was a very visible change in my skin. It’s become much softer and seems more elastic.

Though Kneipp recommends applying the oil twice a day, I decided to use it once a day and was very happy with the results. The oil blends into the skin very quickly and leaves a nice, shiny surface without being too oily.

This oil is 100 percent natural and organic, so the packaging looks a little too healthy; but don’t let that deter you from buying this wonderful product.

The packaging is simple and doesn’t jump off the shelf. But this is the kind of product that is bought not because of the labelling on the outside, but the product that is inside.

I t c o n t a in s n a t u r a l ingredient s such as grapeseed oil and has a ge nt le s an dalwo o d scent. The oil is good for dry skin, and gives legs a lovely glow. But I think it is better for dry, cooler climates; in Singapore’s humidity, I tend to prefer water-based creams rather than oils.

However it’s still a treat to massage Kniepp’s Body Oil into tired muscles after a bath and before bed. To be honest, I don’t buy into the “firming and toning” promises that are made on behalf of the product, because from my experience the only way to effectively reduce cellulite is through a healthy diet and regular exercise.

If you’re tired of baby oil and want something that feels more natural, then Kneipp Body Massage Oil is good product to try.

Karen Thomas, Australia; Accounts Assistant

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Alexandra Booth, US; Manager of Sustainability

HAIR&BEAUTY

NEEDS TO REHYDRATE SKIN

LONGS TO SOOTHE TIRED MUSCLES

Treatment tested: Kneipp Organic Body Oil (Improves Scars and Stretch Marks), $28.90

Treatment tested: Kneipp Warming Massage Oil (Joint and Muscle Relief), $28.90

The packaging was a bit uninspiring, and not something that would normally catch my eye, but I decided not to judge Kneipp by its cover. The product is excellent and, as long as it is thoroughly rubbed into the skin, it’s not nearly as greasy as I expected.

Unfor tunately the information contained within the box didn’t give any indication as to how much body oil to apply for optimum effect. I guessed, and am happy with the result.

I generally find that my skin tends to feel very dry after sitting in an air-conditioned office all day, but using the body oil after my shower in the morning meant my skin still felt soft and supple by the end of the day. It has a pleasant scent without being over-perfumed, and I like the fact that the smell doesn’t linger too long on the skin. I would certainly consider buying this product again.

Having recently ramped up my workout routine, I’ve been suffering from a few more aches and pains than normal, so I was excited to test out Kneipp’s massage oil.

I usually choose lavenderscented oils, so when I opened the bottle to the scent of arnica and hints of ginger it was a nice change. The packaging claims that the oil is warming, which I did not find to be particularly true. Most massage oils take on a nice warmth once you start massaging, and this wasn’t any warmer than other oils.

I used the oil every day for three weeks and have definitely noticed a change in my skin. It’s not too oily, and it feels silky smooth.

It is a great oil, but sadly it does not seem to have medicinal or magical powers to relieve joint and muscle pain. However, I am a convert and I will buy it again.

Margaret Marshall, US; Marketing & Sales Director

Edwina Palmer, UK; Lawyer

Kneipp products are available at all Watson outlets island-wide: www.kneipp.com.

Join Our Panel

If you would like to be on the Tried and Tested reader panel, send an email to contribute@ expatlivingsingapore.com. Write TRIED & TESTED in the subject line, tell us your beauty problem, include your age and occupation and attach a picture of yourself.

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HAIR&BEAUTY

! z i h W e Ge From Singapore to New York and back again – the new stylist at Trimmings @ Loewen talks about her Big Apple experiences and her approach to styling hair.

F

or over a year now, I have been a regular at Trimmings. It’s right next to my gym, so I can quickly get a great wash and blow-dry after a workout (and a mani-pedi, if time permits). While I’m happy to go to any of the stylists there for this, Alvin has been doing my highlights just right, so I’ve been sticking around.

There’s now a new face in the team, so I found out about her while she styled my hair recently. Gee is Singaporean, and initially trained with an English

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stylist who ran a small and exclusive hairdressing school here. (It closed down a while ago.) She had always known she wanted to be a hairdresser, so she didn’t even look at other options.

Bitten by the travel bug, Gee moved ten years ago to Kuala Lumpur, where she ran a salon in an area near the British and American schools. Her training came into good use with all the expat mums.

After several years, Gee decided to try the Big Apple, since it seemed so “on the front line” of style and fashion.

In New York, she had to go back to school to get a US qualification to be able to work, so she took six months to do a concentrated course at the Empire Beauty School. “Working in NY was so cool. People changed styles and colours each season.” Gee says that people in Singapore and Malaysia seem more inclined to stick to the same styles and colours. “I don’t think clients here are confident that what they communicate will be carried out correctly.”

I want to know what else Gee learnt from the States. “Well, I learnt to speak better English and enunciate – the Singlish had to go so people would understand me!”

Feeling she needed to spend time with her family after being away so long, Gee moved back here in February, though she knew that it would be hard not to constantly compare Singapore with New York.

She also knew that her experiences made her crave a workplace that was a bit different, and when she saw the pink line around the advertisement for this particular job, she knew it was the one. Seeing the salon in the green and peaceful Loewen Gardens sealed the deal immediately.

I am impressed with Gee’s work; she doesn’t like to use spray or mousse unless you need lots of volume for an event – she feels it doesn’t last, and I share her sentiments exactly. What are her favourite aspects of hairdressing? She can’t answer that. She feels she is good in all areas, and she’s certainly passionate about making someone look their best.

In New York, they usually separate stylists into colour and cutting, but the salon couldn’t decide which she was best at so it let her do both. I think that says it all. eL

By Rebecca Bisset

Trimmings@Loewen 75E Loewen Road 6471 1922 www.trimmings.com.sg

HAIR&BEAUTY

By Rebecca Bisset

T

hey met while training to be pharmacists in Melbourne, and now husband-and-wife team Min-Tsek and Mei Hui have used their combined skills to set up the first boutique skincare pharmacy in Singapore – called simply Skin Pharmacy.

Min-Tsek’s family has owned a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Singapore for the past 40 years, and over the past ten years, this factory had been increasingly catering to the needs of Singapore doctors venturing into the aesthetic industry.

Understanding that everyone’s skin is so different, the couple wanted to create products that cater for the individual. The idea was to develop an off-the-shelf range that could be adapted to suit individual needs.

Before opening in NEX at Serangoon last year, they had a

pilot store in City Square Mall.

“We chose City Square Mall as our first outlet as it’s regarded as the eco-friendly mall – very much in line with our way of thinking.

We try as much as possible to use natural and biodegradable ingredients.

“Our products contain no parabens, no sulphates, no artificial preservatives – instead, for example, we use grapefruit seed extract, an effective but completely natural preservative.

All ingredients are clearly stated on the packaging, together with the date of manufacture and a code that indicates how natural it is: the more green leaves you see, the more natural it is.

“We source the ingredients from all over the world, but everything is made and bottled here. And it’s all suited to the Singapore climate and adaptable for individual skins. For example,

we can add moisturising agents until we reach the right level for you – and whatever we do is recorded for your next visit.”

The range includes sun blocks, a real passion of Mei Hui’s – and when I see the results of the skin analysis I undergo, I can see why.

I know I already have sun damage in the form of age spots or solar lentigines, and have previously had laser treatments that have removed some of these.

What I didn’t realise, until now, is that all those “whitening products” out there, including the ones from Skin Pharmacy, are designed to lighten just the areas of dark pigmentation in order to even out your skin tone, not to make your entire face white!

Mulberry is a great ingredient for naturally treating pigmentation spots in this way.

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Skin Pharmacy’s speciality is serums. Mei Hui loves them, as they are so well absorbed by the skin. She admits it may take a while to see results, though.

C o m p o s e d o f wa t e r- b a s e d hyaluronic acid, they are a great way of getting moisture right into the dermis. More than 20 types of serum are available, all containing different active ingredients such as Vitamin C, retinol and arbutin, to treat specific conditions like fine lines and wrinkles, redness and inflammation, or uneven pigmentation. I bought the volumising lip serum – watch out, Angelina Jolie!

The range includes some wonderful cleansers and scrubs that are 100-percent natural. The Amino range is soap-free and fragrance-free, so as to cause

sensitive skin the least possible irritation. Skin Pharmacy is having great success with its acne solutions for teenagers, providing consultations and a computerised analysis of the skin’s progress.

Expats love their essential oils, as there aren’t many places in Singapore where you can find completely natural ones.

These are also used in the highly concentrated range of perfume oils.

For $20, which is deductible from any products you may buy, you can undergo an analysis that compares your skin with others of the same age. I did it, got my results and bought some goodies – and I’ll be back in a couple of months to see the changes! eL

Skin Pharmacy #01-22 City Square Mall, 180 Kitchener Road | 6509 8469 #B1-69 NEX, 23 Serangoon Central | 6634 7855 www.the-skin-pharmacy.com

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By Verne Maree

The Wellness Clinic opened only this February, but the softly spoken and friendly DR RAM NATH is no newcomer to aesthetics – he has been practising in Singapore for a good ten years.

How would you describe your approach?

My preference is for gentle, safe, low-risk, non-invasive, non-aggressive procedures that involve minimal down-time.

This approach suits my personality: I cater to patients who want to enhance their looks without having to submit to invasive surgery.

What most interests you?

Facial remodelling is of huge interest to me because of the artistry that is involved. Unlike hair-removal with IPL, for example, remodelling with Botox and fillers is an art, and the results are so very dependent on the doctor’s style and experience. As with learning to sketch a portrait, at first, you consciously apply the rule of thirds, perhaps using a grid, but later you have the confidence and artistry to achieve pleasingly natural proportions freehand. The trick is often to concentrate on enhancing good features, rather than correcting less attractive ones. And the number of referrals I get from my patients reassures me that I’m on the right track.

Remodelling used to be the sole preserve of plastic surgeons. If I hated my nose, could you help?

It would depend what you wanted changed. If you had an unsightly bump, instead of getting in there with a saw to level it, I might be able to inject a tiny amount of filler above and below the bump to even things out.

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© Valua Vitaly | Dreamstime.com

Do you have a typical patient?

Actually, they fall into two categories. The first group is younger, from teens to early twenties, who come to me for acne and complexion issues that respond very well to laser.

The second comprises patients in their thirties and forties who come for fillers and Botox; I seem to be doing a lot of that!

Fillers are being widely used on women over the age of 40, to make naso-labial folds disappear and to plump out droopy jowls. Sometimes, I fear that we’re starting to look like hamsters – what do you think?

Nasolabial lines can be effectively treated with filler, but it shouldn’t end there – we should also be looking at the support structures under the skin. Drooping jowls have a lot to do with the cheeks losing volume and starting to sag. To physically lift and tighten them would require surgery; but we can correct slightly overhanging jowls simply by restoring lost volume in the cheeks.

Rather than skin-tightening, volume restoration is the trend. It looks more natural.

In addition, restoring volume makes the face look more radiant, because smoother, fuller contours reflect light better. Another aspect is the quality of the skin’s surface: removing the accumulation of dead skin cells – by microdermabrasion, skin peeling or both – reduces lines, smoothens a crepey texture and allows light to be reflected better.

HAIR&BEAUTY

TRIPLE TREATMENT Dr Nath has developed his own 3-D or threedimensional approach: he believes in combining two or three different procedure at a time, each treating a different level of the skin. Each one is individually mild and gentle, and so does no harm; and done at a mild and comfortable level, they work together in a complementary way to achieve a very good result.

“It has taken me a while to develop this concept,” he tells me. “You don’t learn these things in a workshop; instead, you formulate your own approach through long experience.”

Before we start, assistant Rochelle applies a thick layer of topical anaesthetic to my face – a stronger formulation and more effective than I’ve had before – and I recline in a comfy massage chair for 20 minutes with my iPhone email to entertain me.

Step One: Microdermabrasion This is something we should ideally have done every month. Rochelle moves the diamond-tipped head of the appliance steadily across my face for about ten minutes, using a strong suction to vacuum off the build-up of dead skin cells and expose the fresh new skin that lies underneath it.

Step Two: Laser The long-pulse NdYAG laser closes pores, refines skin texture, diminishes fine lines and stimulates collagen formation. My eyes are protected with a shield as Dr Nath applies the laser to the rest of my face. It feels warm, and sometimes there’s a slight stinging sensation that is quite bearable.

Step Three: Skin Peel Dr Nath applies a mild fruit acid peel to my face with great care, concentrating more on areas such as the T-zone that are thicker, oilier and more prone to building up a thick layer of dead skin.

I’m going straight out to an event, but makeup perfectly covers any redness. After three days, my face peels a bit, but not much. After a week, I can see a brighter, lighter, more radiant complexion – just as promised. eL The Wellness Clinic #03-07/08 Camden Medical Centre One Orchard Boulevard 6887 3073 | www.wellnessclinic.sg

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r u o Y READ US

referral guide

Got friends moving to Singapore who need ideas about life in the tropics? Point them to our online magazine so they can read stories and tips about property, lifestyle, regional travel, health matters, schools, things to do and more – all from the comfort of their sofa.

Going on holiday? Download the new-look online version of Expat Living to your laptop or iPad and read at your leisure.

Out and about and can’t remember an address of a shop you’ve seen in the mag? Search our directory on your phone for the details. www.expatliving.sg/online-magazine

What to do?

STUCK FOR SOMETHING TO DO? CONSULT OUR EVENTS CALENDAR FOR INSPIRATION! www.expatliving.sg/events

Blog Comment on our Blog A QUIRKY TAKE ON THE ISSUES THAT TICKLE OUR FANCY. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK. http://blog.expatliving.sg

www.expatliving.sg

The Glee Project â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SingTel mio TV

Art s & Leisure

Scene Around Town

ARTS&LEISURE

All Buddies

Guests at Eden Hall, the residence of the British High Commissioner, had the opportunity to meet the cast of award-winning musical Buddy vs The Killer, on 2 May.

From top: • Laurance and David Hard; The cast; Auy Julidato, Anil and Conie Thadani, Ekaterena Nushtaseua and Cecelia Faulkner • Stella Mak, Wendy Teoh, Julie Sherborn and Pierre Perret; Ron and Janet Stride, Shery and Michael Collin

Living the Dream

More than 200 guests attended the opening of portrait artist Andy Cunningham and photographer Kate Curtis-Evans’ joint exhibition, Living the Dream, at the new Singapore Art Garret Gallery at 9a Kerbau Road in Little India on 25 May.

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ARTS&LEISURE

Going Dutch

On 12 May, the Netherlands Ambassador was guest of honour at the launch of Dutch Artists in Singapore (DAiS), at design store Going Dutch.

From top: • Olaf and Deusa Bluemke with Huub and Ilse Bergmans • Gerard Veneman, Liesbeth de Vegt and Jannie Loman; Caroline Mars, H.E. Johannes W.G. Jansing, Frances Alleblas, Marcel Heijnen and Monica Winnubst • Frank Pellens and Anneke Bramer; Sandra Heijnen, Karin van Vliet, Robert Sunderman, Jana Kadlecova and Kim van der Heeden

Concert for Japan

Over 4,000 people enjoyed Italian pianist Julian Gargiulo’s return concert at the Botanic Gardens on 28 May, co-sponsored by the Polish Embassy and Italian Cultural Institute. Proceeds went to the tsunami victims of Japan.

From left: • Zong Hon, Alec, Alexander and Amin • Tsukamoto Yasuyo, Yamamoto Mina and Yasushi with children, enjoying a picnic

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TECHpage

ARTS&LEISURE

p u d l o Camera F

The new Logitech C525 works like any other good HD webcam, but once you’ve finished with it you can fold it up and pack it away. The 8-megapixel camera can rotate 360 degrees when clipped onto your computer, but in its slim, protective case the C525 slides easily into the side-pocket of a laptop bag. It costs $69 and is available at all major consumer electronics stores.

Tuneable Earphones It makes sense that different types of music should require different earphones: the dulcet thump of an electronica bass is very different from a ragtime jazz trumpet riff. Clef-p Sound Tuning earphones come pretuned to cater to your musical preference. Choose from three different models: Vocal Tuning is best for jazz, acoustic or pop music, Live Tuning is designed for rock and Latin music, and Mega Bass adds bass to hip hop and electronica. They cost $49.90 a pair and you can get them at Courts, Harvey Norman and Challenger.

An Ounce of Precaution The ultimate fear for all iPhone users – the lost or stolen phone – need not be so scary after all. The Iomega SuperHero Backup and Charger backs up your contact details and photos every time you charge your phone, no computer required. It’s small and a cinch to use: simply mount your phone, and let it work its magic. If disaster strikes, pop your new phone into the charger and all your precious info will be restored. It supports iPod Touch (4th generation), iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G, and costs $99 with a 4GB SD card. Available at all major consumer electronics stores.

Second Coat If you’ve already got an iPad 2, you’ll want this cover from Belkin to keep it safe. As well as offering protection, the Flip Folio props up your pad to make it easier to read, video call or play games.

It comes in black, red and purple, costs $49 and is available from EpiCentre (www.epicentreorchard.com).

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TECHpage

ARTS&LEISURE

Open

Tab

Another

Meet HTC’s first seven-inch android tablet. The Flyer comes with a computer pen that imitates hand drawing and writing on paper. It costs $899 in The Great Singapore Sale and is available from the HTC Concept store, #03-26 nex.

Nanowatch

Don’t hold on to your wallet Not content with replacing search as a verb, Google is about to replace your wallet too. Google Wallet is a free app that stores a virtual version of your credit card on your phone. This means you’ll be able to pay for items by waving your mobile in front of a scanner, as you can already do with NETS Flashpay. It’s set to be rolled out in the US over the next couple of months, and if you sign up you’ll also be notified of discounts and offers relevant to your current location. Google’s not stopping at credit cards: it hopes that “eventually your loyalty cards, gift cards, receipts, boarding passes, tickets, even your keys will be seamlessly synced to your Google Wallet”. www.google. com/wallet

What We're Watching …

Our regular column devoted to our favourite online videos doing the rounds at EL HQ.

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Strap

Get one of these nifty straps from NanoWatch.dk and you can start wearing your iPod nano as a watch. Kablam! Your watch not only tells the time – it plays music, you can listen to the radio, and if you’ve got a Nike ID it records your running statistics. The straps come in six colours (grey, dark grey, green, yellow, pink and blue) and cost €16.20 (about $28) plus delivery. www.nanowatch.dk

Japanese Sport: Botaoshi Pit 75 military cadets against another 75 military cadets in a game where hooliganism is rife and kicking is a must, and you’ve got Botaoshi. The Japanese sport is similar to Capture the Flag (only set in a high security prison), as the aim of the game is to lower the other team’s pole by all means possible.

Each round lasts two or three minutes.

This is one the weirdest Japanese games we’ve seen so far, and that includes a host of insane TV shows.

Search for "botaoshi" at YouTube.com

Books ARTS&LEISURE

Holiday Reads

With the holidays approaching, here are three page-turners to read on the plane, by the pool or on the beach.

Solar

The Slap

Ian McEwan Jonathan Cape | 283 pages

Christos Tsiolkas Penguin | 482 pages

Michael Beard is a microcosm for a world that is unable to deny itself anything or forgo any pleasure, no matter how ultimately destructive.

Eddies of misery from a string of failed marriages marked by compulsive infidelity widen around him.

In the course of the story’s ten-year span – 2000 to 2010 – his increasingly indiscriminate consumption of alcohol and addiction to perniciously greasy fried food makes him ever more flabby, weak and toxic. A metaphor for mankind, he is bloated by greed, materialism and rampant over-consumption.

The brilliant McEwan makes Beard a Nobel Laureate who has been coasting along nicely on the laurels of early, easily won fame. Now, in the milieu of frenzied research into global warming, he takes opportunistic advantage of a brilliant young scientist’s work on artificial photosynthesis.

What will bring about the downfall of Michael Beard: the people damaged by his lack of both personal and academic ethics, the clogged arteries of his abused heart – or the deadly melanoma growing on his right hand?

The Brightest Star in the Sky Marian Keyes Penguin | 612 pages This is sterling stuff from Marian Keyes, author of a series of chick-lit best-sellers such as Sushi for Beginners and Anybody out There? The inspiration for this compulsively readable novel is that before we are conceived, our souls come to earth to choose their parents.

It’s set in 66 Star Street, Dublin, a subdivided house that is home to a clutch of very different characters: a 40-ish music exec called Kate, two sexy Polish guys bursting with testosterone, Lydia the acerbic cabbie, Fionn the gorgeous gardener who is about to get his own TV show, and loving couple Matt and Maeve, who share a burden that’s too hard to bear.

As the characters fall in and out of lust and love, master-storyteller Keyes surely weaves their tales together into a satisfying whole with an optimistic conclusion. This will put a big smile on your face.

It’s an interesting premise: at a barbecue in a suburb of Melbourne, an out-of-control threeyear-old is slapped by a man who is not his father. The outrage sparked by this event when the case goes to court puts pressure on family relationships and long-standing friendships, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Telling the story in eight chapters, each from the viewpoint of a different character, the author is able to give an idea of the melting-pot of sub-cultures, race and religion that is Australian suburbia. Fascinating glimpses into the dynamics of this intricate community make for an irresistible story, one that raises multiple moral issues and social questions around drugs, sexuality, and the rights versus the responsibilities of the individual.

How true is the picture of life it presents? Well, the Australian members of my book club assure me that it’s fully authentic: Melburnian teacher Julie Catalano, who is of the same generation as the author and has similarly Greek-immigrant origins, says she loved the book and fully identified with it. So did Clara McGrath, whose Hungarian parents brought her up in a roughly equivalent Sydney suburb. That’s good enough for me!

Verne Maree

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ARTS&LEISURE

Bali with Kids Laetitia Knight & Philippe Pero Avenir | 223 pages Having recently visited Bali without this book, I can now thoroughly recommend it as a must-pack item. I was 99-percent won over by the author’s philosophy when I read on the front cover: “Happy kids make happy parents”. Hear, hear!

Billed as a family guidebook for babies to teenagers, Bali with Kids is full of useful information split into handy categories and helpfully indexed with price range symbols and age guidelines. For those whose children celebrate a birthday in Bali, there is even a section on arranging parties, and lists of good places for singing Happy Birthday!

This book has been thoughtfully put together, and aside from extensive listings contains a treasure trove of cultural tips and facts. Don’t leave home without it.

Katie Roberts

The Story of Harry’s Mohan Mulani Mohan Mulani and Marshall Cavendish | 168 pages When Jim Gelpi opened a Louisiana-style bar with live jazz in 1992, together with 13 other investors, Boat Quay was a rundown row of riverside warehouses.

Two years later, Mohan Mulani got involved and was soon sole shareholder. In this tale, he weaves his own colourful story into that of the growth of Harry’s the bar into Harry’s the brand.

With disarming honesty, he describes the devastating effect on him of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, his crushing debt and the anguish of losing much of what he had worked for. Harry’s remained resilient, and was the springboard from which he paid his debts and launched a growing chain of Harry’s bars across Singapore, plus various other hospitality outlets and other endeavours under the Harry’s Group.

The book pays tribute to the men and women who contributed to Harry’s success over the past 19 years, and also contains Mohan’s Top Ten Business Lessons – a salutary compendium from someone who has been through the mill.

It’s a great read.

Vanessa Harvey

ARTS&LEISURE

On the

couch

Welcome to On The Couch, a roundup of reviews and readers’ opinions about TV and film. Have your say by emailing us at contribute@expatliving.sg.

TV

What we watched on the big screen last month SingTel mio TV July highlights

Paul A great portrayal of two best friends who travel to America’s UFO heartland. What starts off as a geeky road trip turns into an onthe-run adventure after they agree to help Paul, an alien who likes nothing better than a drink and a smoke. There are some quality cross-genre references and the supporting cast all add value. Seth Rogen’s voice is perfect for Paul. If you like Simon Pegg’s other films, don’t miss this. For me, one of the best comedies of the year so far.

Ollie Jones

Kung Fu Panda 2 This may sound like a movie only for children, but just as much laughter in the cinema was coming from the adults.

Jack Black’s voice was a perfect fit for the accident-prone and completely lovable panda. Not the world’s best date movie, but certainly a film anyone can enjoy.

Grace Mills What we watched at home

E! Entertainment • If you have anything like my embarrassing obsession with reality TV, especially when it comes to Hollywood’s A list, then brand new drama Khloe and Lamar is perfect. A spin-off of Keeping up with the Kardashians, it features newlyweds Khloe Kardashian and hunk husband Lamar Odom tackling all the everyday issues that life – and mother Kris Kardashian – has to throw at them. A very entertaining half an hour that you can completely zone out to. Tuesday, 9pm • Fashion Police is a fashionista panel together with Joan Rivers, who is known for her brash manner and sidesplitting humour, and they hold nothing back as they discuss the dos and don’ts of celebrity fashion, be it the Grammies, the Oscars or the Billboard awards.

An interesting way to see current fashion trends, while secretly enjoying watching Joan tear apart a celeb’s extortionately priced outfit. Sunday, 9pm Laila Shahrokhshahi

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I Am Number Four (Exclusive TV Premiere) Premieres 15 July, Video On Demand (Latest Blockbusters) Three are dead. Who is Number Four?

D.J. Caruso helms an action-packed thriller about an extraordinary teen, John Smith, who is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him.

In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events.

Torchwood: Miracle Day (Exclusive TV Premiere) Premieres 8 July, British TV (Video On Demand) When convicted child-killer Oswald Danes miraculously survives his own execution, the footage holds America transfixed. At the same time, people all over the world stop dying. Day after day, the phenomenon continues, resulting in a population boom. A secret British institution, Torchwood, seems to hold the answers.

TRIVIA: “Torchwood” is an anagram of Doctor Who.

The Glee Project Anytime On Demand, Season Pass (mio TV Ch 581); new episode every Tuesday The Glee Project finds and trains a group of 12 extraordinarily talented performers to compete for a seven-episode guest-starring role on Glee. The hopefuls are eliminated through intensive rounds of workshops, singing, dancing and acting-based assignments to determine the next new faces on the award-winning show.

Come Fly With Me (HD) British TV (Video On Demand), Anytime On Demand Little Britain’s Matt Lucas and David Walliams play almost 50 characters between them in this eagerly anticipated return to television screens: a hilarious mock-documentary series set in an airport terminal.

TRIVIA: David Williams changed to David Walliams because an existing member of the Equity Acting Association was already registered with his original name.

ARTS&LEISURE

Last month:

This Month:

Cirque Éloize iD

The Music Of Andrew Lloyd Webber

The city was treated to a splash of contemporary circus entertainment last month. Involving the multidisciplinary talents of acrobats, break-dancers and contortionists, Cirque Éloize iD combines the circus arts with music, dance, theatre and a huge amount of energy, adrenaline and magic, and is enjoyed by children and adults alike. Here’s a mini review from Expat Living’s own Anna Tserlingas: “This was a refreshing, modern day hip-hop circus that kept us on the edge of our seats; a fantastic show, with each performer showcasing their individual and truly amazing talent. My 12-year-old, who learnt hip-hop dance just six months ago, was truly inspired and enjoyed every second of it. With such dramatic and mind-blowing visual effects, we could not help but feel drawn in.”

For the musical-starved, here comes an extra large serving of Lloyd Webber – 14 classics crammed into one night! For over 40 years, his music has been delighting audiences in umpteen languages in countries all over the world, while winning awards left, right and centre. Key moments from classics such as Evita, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Sunset Boulevard and Woman in White will be performed for just one dazzling night by the talented cast, many of whom have starred in recent productions of Cats, West Side Story and Mamma Mia! 7 to 17 July | Tickets from www.sistic.com.sg.

Hurry to See:

The Bar at Buena Vista Ah, the romance of old Havana! Legendary grandfathers of Cuban music will be giving us a taste of Cuba and have us dancing in the aisles for five memorable nights, here in Singapore as part of their much-heralded world tour. The Bar at Buena Vista brings together four living legends, led by the magical vocals of 94-year-old Reynaldo Creagh, father of the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon.

Get your dancing shoes on and pass the cigars.

29 June to 3 July Tickets from www.sistic.com.sg.

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Ballet Under The Stars by Singapore Dance Theatre BUTS is an annual excuse (weather permitting!) to dust off your picnic blanket, stock up on your favourite deli treats and picnic under the stars in beautiful Fort Canning Park. Settle down to what promises to be wonderful performance of ballet set to music by Tchaikovsky, including Swan Lake Act II and choreographer George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante and Serenade. This year’s production also showcases Ballet Manila.

15 to 17 July | Tickets from www.sistic.com.sg. eL

Propert y Tanjong Katong house, by Hart Tan

e d i s a e S PROPERTY

Rendezvous

By Verne Maree

A

s we walk out onto the terrace, the Chinese junk Admiral Ho – no doubt full of tourists – is returning from an afternoon pleasure cruise, crossing wakes with a tugboat on more serious business. On the eighth floor, the Swaines’ penthouse apartment probably has the best sea view of all the apartments at The Coast @ Sentosa Cove.

“Our first apartment when we moved to Singapore from Melbourne in 2002 was at The Trevose, and had no balcony off the living area, so we lived in constant air-conditioning,” says Michelle. “Our second place was in Regency Park, which had lovely semi-circular balconies, so we’d leave the doors open most of the day to enjoy the breeze.

For the next four years, we lived in a landed property in Narooma Road, off Kheam Hock. And in December 2009, after the children had both graduated from school and left home, we decided to downsize to an apartment.”

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Of the 3,000 square feet, a good proportion has been allocated to living and outdoor areas. That it has plenty of public space was part of the apartment’s attraction, but it does mean having a small guest room. There’s a study, too, with a splendid view back across Sentosa to the city skyline. And in case you were wondering, the maid’s quarters in these new developments are just as cramped as they are in most Singapore condos.

To create more storage space, Michelle had a brainwave and requested that the stairwell be enclosed; everyone needs a place to stash essential odds and ends – generally known as “stuff” – out of sight.

Singapore Roots It was Garry’s job that brought the family here, but you could say that it was the children’s school that kept them here. Both Adrian (now 21) and Eloise (20) went to UWCSEA, explains Michelle, and the fact that Adrian in particular so loved the school and was reluctant to leave it was a big part of their decision to stay.

Now at university in Melbourne, the two younger Swaines enjoy coming back to Singapore to meet up with their friends. “One of the many things they miss is the local food, especially chicken rice!”

Apart from school and friends, Adrian and Eloise have another compelling reason to feel attached to Singapore. Michelle is half-Chinese from her father’s side, and her dad was born here. She tells me the story.

“He was a teacher, and the family of a student he was tutoring paid his passage to accompany their son to Australia for the purpose of helping him get into medical school. As it turned out, the student didn’t make the grade, but my dad did!

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“After he’d qualified as a doctor and was working at an Australian hospital, he met my mother there; she was a nurse. Now 83, he still goes to work every day.

“So yes, our roots are deep in Singapore and the kids love that connection. Dad has shown me the spot in Roberts Street, next to Mustapha’s in Little India, where he used to sell newspapers when he was young. ”

The Island Life Sure, Singapore is an island, too, but it’s a very busy and crowded one where the traffic can be horrendous.

There’s no denying the suburban attraction of this sleepy neighbourhood, where dog-walkers, prampushers and cyclists stroll past pristine waterways and manicured lawns.

To get to and from his HarbourFront office, Garry uses the free shuttle bus that Sentosa Cove provides for residents. It takes a little longer than you might think, says his wife, but they’re both relieved that they no longer have deal with the congestion and unpleasantness of Bukit Timah Road every day.

“It was a step away from the hustle and craziness of Singapore,” says Michelle. “It feels more like home, rather like a Queensland resort development.” It’s a good place for dogs, too, in this case the friendly 12-year-old English cocker spaniel who came with them from Melbourne.

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”What I like most is going with Coco for our 5pm walk along the water to catch the cool breeze – especially on weekends, when there’s no construction work going on.

Sometimes, Garry and I take our bikes to Coastes for a margarita.”

Another favourite is Suburbia, a wine and dine venue established by the owners of Wine Network at Dempsey.

“I had a ‘big’ birthday party there last year, and it was great! If you’re having a function and are looking for a live band, I recommend Band on the Run.”

Grand Tour As you’d expect, their mix of contemporary and Asian furniture has been gathered over the years – “There’s not much left of the ‘original’ stuff we brought in.”

Michelle is a big fan of Jane’s Art & Crafts, describing the ladies there as very sweet and helpful, and the stock as great value. That’s where she found two painted cabinets for the living room, a couple of shoe cabinets, side-tables and several bamboo bird-cages.

“When we finally go home, I want to keep this Asiancontemporary look,” she muses; “I might paint the bird cages red.” If she did, it would go perfectly with the little red hall-table, also from Jane’s, that sits on the stairwell.

On a number of girls’ trips to Bangkok’s enormous Chattuchak Market, Michelle has found various items and had them shipped home to Singapore. These include the six saffron-robed mendicant monks that line the corridor to the study, and the smaller ones that stand on the treads of the stairs to the upper level. Hung behind the dining

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table is a striking modern artwork from the same market. “It has a big art section,” says Michelle, “but as it becomes more popular, it’s naturally becoming more expensive.”

The monk theme persists in a painting, bought from Framing Angie, of a young monk running up monastery stairs; that’s also where she found the one depicting Vietnamese women working in a field, white ao dais splashed against a crimson background.

The teak-and-wicker dining suite came from Pasardina in Dempsey, as did the master bed.

The Swaines have known Suzan and Kristian Jensen from Teak & Mahogany for many years, as their children were great friends at school. “Our outdoor furniture is from there; the quality is great, and the Sunbrella fabric used for the cushions really is water-repellent; rain forms little globules on it that you simply shake off,” says Michelle.

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Penthouse Style What really makes this a penthouse, of course, is the enviably huge terrace off the master bedroom upstairs. What I thought was a plunge pool is actually a spa pool, where one can bubble dreamily while taking in the tranquil ocean view. I find myself drooling.

“This is where I like to cool off after tennis or the gym,” Michelle tells me. She plays at the British Club, where as members she and Garry spend a lot of time.

For various reasons – such as its relative distance, especially for those who have school-going children, and the high price of buying or renting property here – the Sentosa Cove lifestyle may not suit everyone. But having lived on this serene seafront with unspoilt views into a blue infinity, it might be hard to contemplate moving anywhere else in Singapore. eL

PROPERTY

Recommendat ions

Michelle’s

Alexandre Casta de Paris (Stefan, for hair) 32 Aliwal Street 6333 4922

Pasardina 13 Dempsey Road 64720228

Band on the Run (for live bands and DJs) 9784 9515

Prime Society 10 Dempsey Road 6474 7427

The British Club 73 Bukit Tinggi Road 6467 4311

Serenity (nail salon) #03-37 Holland Village Shopping Centre 6468 6826

CM-PB (restaurant and bar) Block 7, #01-05 Dempsey Road 6475 0105

Le St Julien’s (fine dining) The Fullerton Water Boat House 6534 5947

Flair Nails 18 Holland Grove Road 6468 3989

Suburbia 30 Allenbrooke Road 6376 5938

Jane’s Art & Crafts 75-77 Hillcrest Road 6469 5920

Ubin Seafood 12 Greenwood Avenue 6469 7677

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Cairnill Circle

Name: Galena Binder From: US Occupation: Senior Business Analyst and Wanderluster

The Specifics:

Photos by Lyan Bernales, all taken around Cairnhilll Circle.

What street do you live on?

Cairnhill Circle.

How do locals pronounce it?

Canheel.

Exact words you tell a taxi driver to get home?

Uncle, Cairnhill Circle, please. You know, Canheel, behind Paragon? PA-RA-GON. What’s the name of your neighbourhood?

Orchard.

Closest MRT station?

Cairnhill Circle is virtually equidistant from Newton, Somerset and Orchard. When giving directions, I tailor to the audience. When looking to impress out-oftowners: “Take Orchard exit. Turn left at Chanel and pass Gucci.” For practical locals: “Exit at Somerset, pick up kaya at Ya Kun and cut through Cairnhill behind Heeren.” When trying to downplay our surreal life in Singers, I give directions from Newton: “Sorry about all the construction, it’s just something you live with.”

How long have you lived here?

About a year.

Why here?

So many reasons! Central location, gorgeous apartment, great views, desperate owner willing to accept our low-ball offer.

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The Scene:

PROPERTY

Uniquely Singaporean: Dainty locals in stilettos taking their Hermes for a walk, smartly suited Eurasians on their way to and from work, hip moms on their way to breakfast/brunch/lunch at Beviamo, fashionable Indonesian and Malaysian women adjusting their burkas as they jaywalk from Masjid Al-Falah Mosque to Paragon, petite Filipino helpers walking petite dogs, confused tourists looking for the Botanic Gardens.

When you walk out of your place, the first thing you see is: A neat row of construction workers ensuring job security by taking a break. The neighbouring developments were scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010, but here we are in mid-2011 …

The closest store to your front door is: A quaint shophouse with a sushi restaurant called EnoOka, and a respectable spa, My Cozy Room, upstairs.

If a celebrity moves in next door, it will most likely be: Someone with a suspended licence like Lindsey Lohan or George Michael would be comfortable here, since everything is within comfortable walking distance and taxies are plentiful.

When you’re in need a dose of culture, you: Visit Vue Privée or Art Forum, just two of several exciting galleries along Cairnhill Road. I am also looking forward to checking out the exhibition space at Marina Bay Sands, it’s such a fascinating structure!

If you’re missing home, you: Drive to Wheelock Place. They have really big parking spots.

A mandatory stop for all of your out-of-town guests is: Crystal Jade Palace on Level 5 of Paragon; their yusheng, a salad of raw salmon and shredded vegetables, is outstanding. Tossing the salad with your guests during Chinese New Year is part of the fun!

You’d swap houses in a second with: One of the renovated Peranakan shophouses along Cairnhill Road; they are full of character and are a delicious morsel of Singapore’s past in a neighbourhood that is undergoing a massive facelift.

A massive late-night rager on your street is likely to be: A Disney Princess party! True story – Singaporean children go to bed really late.

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WHAT'S THE WORD ON YOUR STREET? We want to know about where you live. Don’t be shy!

Email contribute@expatlivingsingapore.com with “Street Talk” in the subject line. Include your name and street, and we'll be in touch.

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Dream home FIND YOUR

• Specialists in property and relocation requirement of expatriates since 2002.

• Comprehensive advice and service for expat by expats.

• Listen carefully to your requirements and look after you throughout your lease.

• View our comprehensive photo database of homes online.

CALL IN FOR A CASUAL COFFEE AND AN INFORMAL DISCUSSION ON YOUR PROPERTY NEEDS!

6255 1027

www.expatrealtor.net

property@expatrealtor.net

Formerly known as Expat Rentals

Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm 38A Jalan Pemimpin #06-02 Wisdom Building Singapore 577179

Our relocation partner

H

PROPERTY ON THE MARKET

ot Property MARKET UPDATE

Singapore’s premier condos are pulling out all the stops to attract buyers. It’s interesting to see all the extras thrown in: Cartier watches, fridges full of drinks, baskets of cleaning equipment, club house and gym stocked with refreshments, magazines and daily newspapers on tap. Parcels are delivered, dry-cleaning arranged, functions organised. Concierge services are popping up everywhere, including our own; it’s all about giving that little bit more.

Something else that struck me this month was how easily and quickly buyers decide to purchase properties worth millions of dollars. I observed two people separately viewing a landed property for all of 15 minutes before committing themselves to it by writing cheques for around $50,000. Not even a second viewing.

On the other hand, a client who had already deposited the 1-percent option amount on an older condo wanted to bring in a surveyor to help assess the cost of renovations. But the seller refused to allow the inspection until after they had actually exercised their option to purchase, even though they would have forfeited their deposit if they had withdrawn.

As my grandfather would have said: “There’s nowt so strange as folks.”

DEBORAH LAW Executive Director, Expat Realtor

Popular Freehold

$1.67M SALE District: 16 Size: 1,470 sq. ft Bedrooms: 3+1 Type: Condominium

This freehold development built in 1994 is hugely popular with its residents, and once in, they hardly ever move elsewhere. Full facilities include tennis and squash courts, and it is close to feeder buses, local shops and restaurants and the East Coast Park. This rare garden unit is beautifully renovated, and white shutters give it a colonial feel. For sale with vacant possession.

To view properties, call Expat Realtor at 6255 1027.

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Modern and Tropical $12K RENT District: 10 Size: 2,604 sq. ft Bedrooms: 3+1 Type: Terrace Barker Terraces is located amongst quiet bungalows on high ground in the exclusive Bukit Timah area. It’s within walking distance of the Anglo Chinese Boys’ School and Singapore Chinese Girls’ School, and the Newton MRT station.

The 13 townhouses are designed in modern tropical style and have individual spa pools. Planters and walkways create interesting private areas leading to the lush common pool and deck.

Finished with limestone and solid teak floors, porcelain stone tiles, marble vanities and quality stainless-steel fittings, Barker Terraces exudes luxury.

Wooden louvres and frameless glass accents add to the timeless feel.

Designer features added by the present owner make this home stand out; and as a corner terrace, it has more privacy and space.

Upmarket Duplex

$2.3M SALE or $6.7K RENT District: 11 size: 1,410 sq. ft Bedrooms: 2 + Loft Type: Condominium

The Lincoln Modern is another classic from an award-winning architect. This freehold development is perfectly located within walking distance of Novena MRT station, close to Newton Circus and minutes from Orchard Road and the Tanglin and American clubs.

Restaurants and shops are in abundance at Novena Square and United Square. This immaculate upmarket duplex loft with a double ceiling and floor to ceiling windows, wooden floors and a state-of-the-art kitchen is the perfect choice for professionals. With two bedrooms downstairs, one with an ensuite, and a loft upstairs for a study, the overall feeling is one of spaciousness and ease.

To view properties, call Expat Realtor at 6255 1027.

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PROPERTY ON THE MARKET

Premium Location $4M SALE District: 10 Size: 1,604 sq. ft Bedrooms: 3 Type: Apartment This beautiful, almost new freehold apartment is on a high floor of one of the most sought-after addresses in Singapore.

It has unobstructed views of greenery and the city from one bedroom and from the huge, L-shaped balcony off the living and dining room.

This is a rare gem in the heart of Orchard, equipped with top quality fittings and fixtures, Gaggenau kitchen appliances and more. Within walking distance of international schools such as ISS, OFS, Chatsworth and EtonHouse; it is also close to Orchard MRT station and the shopping malls of Orchard Road.

Serene View $6.8K RENT District: 4 Size: 1,335 sq. ft Bedrooms: 3 + study Type: Condominium

Enjoy the serene waterway view from the balcony of your living room! This spacious three-bedroom unit has a lovely, homey feeling. Though itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s currently fully furnished, you also have the option of leasing it partially furnished.

To view properties, call Expat Realtor at 6255 1027.

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On the Move?

y a u Q n o ts r e b o R s. v d oa R Orchard

If you like to live smack in the middle of the action, then you’ve probably weighed the pros and cons of living on opulent Orchard Road versus residential Robertson Quay.

Here’s a quick comparison to help you figure out where to sign on the dotted line.

ad: Orchard RoFor fashionistas, shopaholics and city slickers The View: Bright lights, mega malls, luxury brands, The Great Singapore Sale, tourist dollars, Christmas décor galore and busker performances.

The Neighbourhood: Slap on your pedometer for a day of bargain hunting or head straight to the Botanic Gardens for a jog around Symphony Lake.

The Activities: Catch everything from fashion shows to cheerleading competitions under the big tent in front of Ngee Ann City. And, the Thai Embassy hosts festivals and events all year long.

The Place: Orchard Scotts is a luxury condo that boasts basketball courts, resort style pools, playgrounds, party pavilions and a wine cellar.

And, with apartments starting at 1,625 square feet, you’ll have more than enough space to store your shopping bounty. It’s a hop, skip and a jump from Newton MRT – perfect for those days when you want to pound the pavement on, and not to, Orchard Road.

Robertson Quay: For social butterflies, exercise enthusiasts and CBD commuters

The View: Sidewalk cafes, riverside romance, breezy brunches, boat rides, televised sport and happy-hour hang outs.

The Neighbourhood: Slip on your sneakers for a run along the river or meander through the quiet paths in nearby Fort Canning Park.

The Activities: Enjoy front-row seats at the Singapore River Festival or catch a theatre production at the DBS Arts Centre.

The Place: Located on the edge of the CBD, River Place gives you space to run and roam without being too far from the office. A rooftop tennis court, putting green, steam room, sauna and outdoor fitness corner make this the perfect locale for fitness gurus. Apartments range from 1,281 to 3,649 square feet and feature full-length glass windows, roof terraces and outdoor spa tubs, so you can soak in the Singapore River in style. eL

For more information about Orchard Scotts or River Place, or to arrange a viewing, call 6223 5223 or email lease_res@fareast.com.sg.

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The Away Spa, W Resort & Spa Maldives

Travel

TRAVEL

South Asia

South Asia, or Southern Asia, is made up of the sub-Himalayan region and the adjoining countries to the east and west. It is the most populous and densely populated geographical region in the world. (India alone has a whopping 17 percent of the world’s entire population!) Aside from an obvious diversity of peoples and cultures, South Asia is home to spectacular natural beauty, from grasslands to glaciers and the world’s highest mountains, and a climate that varies from tropical monsoons to bitter snowfalls. Tea and rice are grown over much of the area.

In this month’s Travel pages, we’re featuring three South Asian countries (details below). Others destinations within the region include Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Bhutan.

INDIA Population: 1.2 billion Capital: New Delhi Currency: Indian rupee Main languages: Hindi, English, and 20 other official languages Religion: 80% Hindu, 13% Muslim, plus Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and others SRI LANKA Population: 21 million Capital: Sri JayawardenapuraKotte Currency: Sri Lankan rupee Main languages: Sinhala, Tamil, English Religion: 70% Theravada Buddhist, 11% Hindu, plus Muslim, Christian and others THE MALDIVES Population: 400,000 Capital: Malé Currency: Rufiyaa Main language: Dhivehi Religion: 100% Sunni Muslim

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As SIMON OSTHEIMER discovers, once the gleaming capital of British India, the West Bengal metropolis still has much to offer the intrepid visitor – though there’s not a black hole in sight.

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M

ention the name Calcutta and you’ll most likely hear the words “black hole” in retort. This is a reference to when in 1756, allegedly, 123 British and Anglo-Indian soldiers and civilians died after troops of the local ruler threw them into a dungeon measuring 4.3m by 5.5m.

If you do the maths, it’s almost physically impossible to fit that many people into such a confined space, which is why many historians claim the figure was grossly exaggerated in order to be used as propaganda by the British.

But no matter what the facts are, it’s a tale that should be confined to the past, as this teeming metropolis of 20 million has many richer stories to tell, including a lengthy period as the capital of British India, and a reputation for excellence in both art and literature.

Exploring As with any city, on foot is the best way to discover Kolkata (the name of the West Bengal capital was changed in 2001 to reflect its original pronunciation). While it’s perfectly doable to see the sights by yourself with a map, a walking tour with a local company such as Calcutta Walks is a much better way to explore.

You don’t have a guide to lead you around town, but rather an “explorer” – we were fortunate to meet two of them, Malini and Manjit. Both of these Kolkata natives pride themselves on loving their hometown, with all its distinctive quirks.

As well as more conventional half- and full-day city tours, available by bike, car and coach, there are currently six walks on offer (more are being planned, and customised walks can be arranged), which explore areas such as the colonial-era Dalhousie Square, Kumartuli pottery village, the riverside flower market, and the once-glamorous entertainment row on Park Street.

On our first day, Malini took us around the city by car to allow us to see more in a shorter space of time; we listened raptly as John the organ player gave an impromptu performance in the church whose name he shared; we passed through the explosion of colour that is the flower market; took tea at the Indian Coffee House, where revolutionaries once plotted the downfall of the British; and purchased spices at the S.S. Hogg Market, built in 1874.

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Cultural Mix For our walk the next day with Explorer Manjit, we chose the Confluence of Cultures – Bow Barracks to Burra Bazar, a three-and-a-half-hour odyssey that took us from the former British army barracks to the oldest Christian church in the city, passing Chinese temples, Jewish synagogues and everything else in-between.

It’s hard to describe India to someone who hasn’t been there. Even if you’ve spent years in Asia, the subcontinent is an entirely different world. Life in Kolkata has the appearance of semi-organised chaos, a constant maelstrom of people and traffic interspersed by remarkable moments of spirituality and solitude.

It was apt, then, that our early morning start (“before the monster wakes up!”) began inside the serene courtyard of a Buddhist association, where we met a group of Burmese tourists on a pilgrimage.

Having first enjoyed a quick shot of masala chai tea, which comes served in tiny, handmade pottery cups that are smashed after drinking to stop the vendors reusing them, here we found ourselves to be the attraction.

After quickly snapping photos of the Buddha statue, we retired back to the street where Manjit’s introduction to the area was drowned out by the loud cries of two elderly Muslim beggars. Carrying a sheet between them, they were beseeching local residents to throw coins down from their windows – some of which landed near our feet.

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Through it all, we managed to discern that this area was Bow Barracks, a group of red brick buildings once home to British and Anglo-Indian soldiers, and now housing a multi-ethnic and multicultural mix of residents; one particular letterbox listed the names Moss, D’Souza and Chow.

As it turned out, this was Manjit’s neighbourhood – he lives and works in the area – which meant that we were greeted on every street corner, and stopped every five minutes to pick up another delicious snack. (While most street food is cooked and therefore safe to eat, it’s advisable to get your explorer’s okay before tucking in.) It had the wonderful effect of making us feel less like tourists and more like new arrivals.

As we made our way through the narrow alleys and crossed crowded streets – watching out for careening buses, taxis, rickshaws and trams – the story of a city of immigrants emerged. On top of a mix of Bengalis, Tamils, Punjabis, Assamese and dozens of other native Indian ethnicities, Kolkata was built and driven by a diverse influx of nationalities, such as the Armenians, the Portuguese, the Chinese, and of course the British.

It explains the proliferation of places of worship – on our short walk alone we passed a mosque, a synagogue, Parsee and Jain temples and Portuguese and Armenian churches.

TRAVEL

Queens & Mummies

Reflection

However, the largest monument in the city is devoted not to a religion, but rather to a single individual – the Empress of India. Determined to outdo the splendour of the Taj Mahal, the Victoria Memorial was constructed from 1906 to 1921 using “voluntary” donations from mostly native subjects.

Designed to symbolise the success of British rule, it’s ironic that Indian independence was achieved just 26 years later.

Surrounded by 64 acres of gardens, which fill up on weekends with courting couples and family picnics, Kolkata’s most recognised landmark still contains portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, with the addition of an absorbing gallery on the story of the city’s foundation and development.

If you can, visit on a weekday when it is much less crowded.

If natural history is more your thing, then head over to the Indian Museum on Chowringhee. Established in 1814, the large colonial building is the ninth-oldest such institute in the world and in dire need of an overhaul, but still worth visiting for the Egyptian mummy, a collection of dinosaur fossils, and an unsettling yet fascinating assemblage of animals and skeletons from around the world.

O u r f o u r d ay s i n Ko l k a t a w e r e a whirlwind – we saw so much and yet so little. At times the city was so overwhelming we were thankful to have our hotel room to retreat back to. At others, we couldn’t get enough of this incredible place, such as when a Chinese lion dance burst into the restaurant we were eating in (unexpectedly, Chinese restaurants are probably the most popular eating places in town); or when we watched a game of cricket on the Maidan (owned by the Indian army, this vast expanse of open fields is described as the “lungs of the city”); or the delight of riding in the back of an old Ambassador yellow taxi through the potholed streets.

Kolkata is much more than a history lesson – it changes the way you view life.

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EAT If you need a break from street food, head for the welcoming embrace of Flury’s (18 Park Street, www.flurysindia.com), a European tearoom built in 1927 and once said to serve the best cakes in all of Asia. For Indian Chinese, try nearby Tung Fong (25B Park Street) for its menu of localised items such as vegetable Manchurian and chilli chicken. Meanwhile, KhanaSutra (Chrome, 226 A.J.C. Bose Road, www.chromehotel.in) serves contemporary Indian cuisine in a cutting-edge setting, and La Terrasse (The Oberoi Grand, 15 Jawaharlal Nehru Road, www.oberoihotels.com) presents an array of international dishes in a charming Victorian-era building.

SHOP While a slew of mega-malls have began to rise on the outskirts of the city, with names such as Forum, City Centre and Metropolis, Kolkata’s retail heart remains the S.S. Hogg, or New Market (20 Lindsay Street; closed Sundays), located just a stone’s throw from Chowringhee, which is officially known as Jawaharlal Nehru Road. Built in 1874, it was designed to be a one-stop shopping destination for the ruling British, offering everything from spices to handicrafts to fashion. It still fulfills a similar role today, with residents and tourists alike thronging its aisles in search of a bargain. If you’re squeamish, you’d be advised to avoid the slaughterhouse in the centre.

WALK Calcutta Walks has a series of interesting walks around the city; half- and full-day city tours; more offbeat trips, such as to graveyards and the weavers’ village; home stays; river cruises; and the option of tailor-made tours. Contact the founder Ifte at explore@calcuttawalks.com. For more details, visit www. calcuttawalks.com. Prices range from INR 1,500 to INR 8,000.

STAY With its angular exterior and award-winning design, the futuristic-looking Chrome (226 A.J.C. Bose Road, www. chromehotel.in) is a five-star boutique property and member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Meanwhile, the historic Oberoi Grand (15 Jawaharlal Nehru Road, www. oberoihotels.com), has lorded it over Kolkata for more than 125 years, offering a convenient location opposite the fields of the Maidan and close to Park Street.

GETTING THERE Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com) flies four times a week to Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport for approximately $600 return. eL

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Brighter Futures in

ANITA WILLIAMS takes a family trip to view i-india projects in Jaipur

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ur involvement in i-india has become a big part of our children’s lives in Singapore.

They’ve often asked what life must be like for an i-india child. At last they were able to meet their “second family” of brothers and sisters on our recent trip to Jaipur.

An overnight flight to Mumbai and then a connecting flight meant we arrived early in the morning. Charlie’s reaction to seeing camels, elephants and pigs roaming freely on the streets was priceless. Our tiredness was replaced with an excited anticipation.

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A couple of hours later, we reached Bagrana village, a relocated community of rural and urban slum dwellers. The i-india founders, Prabhakar and Abha Goswami, were waiting for us with big smiles and hugs.

The families at Bagrana live in makeshift houses of mud, sticks and cloth, and survive as best they can. Through i-india, these communities are provided with education, medical attention, food and water.

When we arrived, school was in session in the newly built classroom (funded by a Singapore donor). Children of every age sat immersed in the lesson, eagerly responding to the teacher. After three hours, a hot meal of rice, dahl, vegetables and roti was served. The children sat quietly and waited while everyone was served, then closed their eyes in a prayer of thanks before eating.

Charlie fulfilled his dream of being the hose-holder on the truck and giving the 200 or so children an alfresco shower – the cool water was a welcome relief in the hot, dry desert.

Children with newly donated toothbrushes merrily cleaned their teeth – the not-so-lucky ones used their fingers. Our children were of great interest to the Bagrana community; despite limited English, they shared conversation, stares and smiles.

Ladli, which means “loving girl”, is a centre where girls and boys learn vocational skills in jewellery and tailoring. At the Ladli girls’ home, we were given a colourful welcome with rangoli (traditional decorative art) and garlands of rose petals, tikka and rice. The home is a haven from the streets – a place where each girl receives schooling as

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well as lessons in computing, dance, and health and hygiene.

All those who attend are paid for their work and receive a hot meal daily. In this environment, the girls begin to shine with hope and confidence.

Ingrid showed the girls how to make paper beads with glue and wire; the girls then taught her how to make jewellery. Later, they gave Ingrid a beautiful bracelet made from the paper beads as a thankyou gift, happy and grateful for a

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new skill learnt, and the afternoon was spent playing music and dancing to Bollywood tunes. I bought many lovely Ladli pieces to bring back to Singapore.

The Ladli boys’ Vocational Centre fit-out was funded by Tanglin Trust School. The Centre was in full swing when we arrived, with many boys from about 15 to 18 years of age industriously sewing bags, doonas (duvets), dressing gowns, purses and more.

They proudly showed us their

creations and were pleased to see I was in a purchasing mood.

(The sewing was perfect, though some of the colour combinations suggested that a bit more guidance is needed!)

We also spent a wonderful day at the Jhag Children’s Village.

There, over 225 children attend the Prem-Pathshala School, a project supported by i-india Project Australia (www.i-india.org.au). The students eagerly showed us their workbooks with their exercises in

Hindu, English and maths. Later, the “BPL” (below poverty line) children, with their neat hair and spotless uniforms, enjoyed a rare ice-cream treat; some of them wanted to take their ice creams back for their families!

After school, two buses (funded

by Singapore donors, Norton Rose and White Lodge Schools) were boarded with much waving and smiling. For most of these children, this education is all they have ever received, so it is joyfully embraced. Even some of the rich Jhag residents want to send their children to Prem-Pathshala School, but it is strictly for the most disadvantaged rural children.

After school in the boys’ home, Charlie took an art class with 54 shelter-home boys. They listened to the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire and later, when their art pieces were completed, they held up their creations while swinging and dancing to the music. Games of cricket and football erupted in the dusty dry sand outside.

At the girls’ home, over a hundred children from the four combined homes gathered to greet us. In Hindi, they sang a song: “Do good in life, and if you can’t do this do nothing bad.”

The girls, orphaned or unwanted, sang with passion, some with eyes closed, some maybe remembering their own personal experiences.

They laughed and squealed at the bubbles we blew; like a big family of sisters, the atmosphere was harmonious and happy.

Thanks to the i-india shelter home, children now have the safe and happy childhood that was previously denied to them.

They appear acutely aware and appreciative of this. We had so much fun, despite the language limitations.

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Currently, i-india has over 200 children in the homes. Another home is about to open in Jhag, also funded by Street Child Project Singapore. Money raised from “Ponzi for a Purpose” in Singapore will help to pay the running costs of the home; donations from Corazon Jewellery enabled the fit-out. The home will see an additional 52 girls taken in from the streets.

Umeesh, i-india’s counsellor and social worker, has been with the organisation for 18 years.

He gratefully acknowledged our collective efforts and expressed hope that one day i-india would have 500 shelter-home children – he believes they can manage this.

Later we visited the Gudri women’s community, waiting in bright saris under a tree and ready to show us the beautiful rugs they had made. These women hope to achieve self-sufficiency through selling their gudris in the market place – it’s a project funded by Singapore donor efforts.

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Meanwhile, their children sat in a colourful mud brick building listening to i-india school lessons, beautifully hopeful and happy, despite living in tents and wearing the only clothes they own. After class they finished with an interactive song.

The i-india’s School on Wheels buses reach out to over 600 children every day, providing a hot meal at the end of each lesson. It may seem that these children have very little, but compared to the abandoned millions of street children in India, they have it all. This is a country grappling with so much; it’s no surprise that every visitor leaves with overwhelming emotions.

Founded in 1993, i-india is an NGO based in Jaipur; initially there were three children; now, over 3,000 children are being helped in some way by the many i-india projects. Our support through Street Child Project and i-india Project Australia is directly making a tangible difference for many marginalised children. Through collective efforts, in an environment of trust with transparency, much can be achieved. eL

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LADAKH The Majesty of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s High Passes

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The road to real beauty is often a bumpy one, as Expat Living’s resident “Foodwalker” KEVIN F. COX discovers in Northern India.

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e inched left, our tyres somehow finding purchase on the loose scree that defined the edge of the abyss. The driver of the oncoming diesel-spewing truck was intent on squeezing by at the hairpin turn notched into the precipitous mountain slope. My guide rocked his head laterally, the corners of his mouth pulling downward; “Only sometimes do cars fall over the edge.”

We were heading to Khardung La in Ladakh, Northern India’s high mountain region of Jammu and Kashmir, often referred to as “Little Tibet”. At 5,460 metres, Khardung La is the highest spot on the highest roadway in the world.

Special authorisation is required to travel it, and it’s as spectacular a drive as one could experience. Definitely the wrong place to discover a fear of heights, though.

Twisting switchbacks wound forever upward on the stunning Ladakhi Range and at snowline the road deteriorated into dirt and icy ruts. At the ceiling of the motor world – 207 metres higher than Everest Base Camp – the wind whipped over the summit from both directions, snapping the countless prayer flags crisply in the thin, minusfive-degree air.

There, the highest “cafeteria” in the world served steaming chai masala in plastic cups. Continuing over the summit leads you down to the Nubra Valley, which offers overnight homestays in isolated Ladakhi farmhouses, and the pristine 130km Pangong Lake, so blue it appears artificial.

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Clockwise: A view of the High Passes Religion dictates life in Ladakh Nuts, dried fruit and spices are Ladakhi staples

The High Passes Ladakh is a hidden part of the subcontinent, home to highmountain desert and river valleys amid towering peaks and steep glaciers of numerous Himalayan ranges. The Indus Valley houses the majority of the Ladakhi people, who are an even mix of Buddhists and Muslims, both fiercely independent.

They need to be; the region is accessible to outsiders only from May to October, when the days are warm and the nights still chilly.

Tourism has hit here with just a yak-fleeced mitten, instead of the brass knuckles that have assailed some holiday destinations.

Before 1974, the region was not yet open to visitors, but even today tourism feels like an undeveloped concept. Leh, at 3,500 metres, is the centre of Ladakhi urbanisation. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a busy little town of mud-brick buildings and narrow streets leading to a small town centre. Farmers sit

by the curb, their goods laid out in small piles around them: cabbages, turnips, carrots, dried apricots, chipped yak cheese and raw spices.

Few speak English, but all are friendly, if a bit shy. Behind them, fabrics from Rajasthan hang in the dusty air and brass, wood and pewter artefacts are displayed in storefront windows.

A few trekking services are found on several corners, and even a couple of outfitters selling knockoff equipment in vivid colours. But, aside from local businesses catering to Ladakhis, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about all you find here; there are no T-shirt shops spilling out onto the sidewalks, no touts standing by tourist restaurants.

Not yet, and hopefully never.

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Sky-high Spirituality

Clockwise: Future Buddha in Thiksey Monastery: 12 metres (and two storeys) tall Thiksey Monastery Shanti Stupa, overlooking Leh

Ladakh is a religious place, with gompas (temples) found in unexpected corners. In Leh, countless prayer wheels festooned with flags dot the narrow, walled lanes.

Shanti is the most popular stupa, its whitewashed circular sides adorned with paintings and statues of Buddha; it can be seen from nearly any street.

From Shankar Gompa, just a kilometre’s walk from town, the Buddhist deity Chenresig beckons with a thousand arms and heads. While I relaxed at the

Even my guide marvelled at the contrast from the rest of India. ‘It’s like a different country,’ he said.

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Snow Lion Hotel, a low-pitched hum wafted over treeless hills: monks’ prayers that floated in the chilly morning air. Next door, an old man and two shaggy oxen worked a bare garden with a wooden hoe. He sang religious songs in a baritone voice and the cattle responded accordingly. A donkey brayed in the distance.

Even Jatender, my Luxe India guide, marvelled at the contrast with the rest of India. “It’s like a different country,” he said.

Heading out of Leh there is not a lot of traffic, especially in May, before festivals commence and tourists arrive. Driving through the dry, treeless high-plains desert of the Indus Valley – only 17 percent of Ladakh is cultivable – is like traversing an oddly beautiful moonscape. The road leads to a collection of ancient palaces, gompas and monasteries that one might only hope to see in National Geographic, much less wander through unattended.

We reached Shey Palace, the ancient capital of Ladakh, with its Victory Stupa topped with

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pure gold, and a 7-metre copper and brass statue of Sakyamuni Buddah studded with gold, silver and precious gems. Deeper in the valley, peaks which we had gazed across at from Khardung La now towered above us, bleeding down to ice, rocks and eventually the dirt of the Indus floor. Chorten – small monuments honouring ancestors and deities – dot the slopes leading up to ancient monasteries and palaces clinging impossibly to cliffs and ledges. Each one has a different history, often as a place of refuge for Ladakhi royalty over the centuries. Tensions

here continue, today as military imperatives with Pakistan and China. But in Hemis Monastery I had little sense of politics as I combed 17th-century buildings, mesmerised by the chanting of monks.

Thiksey Monastery is most impressive, rising out of a hillock like stone and whitewashed boxes fused together with mud and tumbling down all sides of the slope. Inside, the 12-metre-tall Future Buddha – intricately painted with gold and vivid colours – sits as if contemplating the addictive views of uninhabited valleys beyond the Ladakh and Stok ranges.

Above: Stok Palace in the Indus Valley Below: Typical prayer wheel; prayer flags at Khardung La

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Mountain Meal Near Stok Palace we drove up a narrow, rocky track between mud walls, until we abandoned the vehicle and walked the rest of the way to a local farm for authentic Ladakhi food. Inside a mud-brick house, old copper and brass pots, kettles and dishes lined wooden shelves in a lowceilinged communal room. Our cook sat on the floor beside a small, ornately decorated iron stove, making mok mok, traditional vegetable dumplings. While cooking, she churned salty butter tea and offered us sour barley beer, deceptively strong. The food was rich and hearty: vegetables, handmade pasta, yak cheese stew, dumplings and barley “bread” boiled into a dense loaf and doused with melted butter. Walking back to the car was a challenge.

In Ladakh, the sights and sounds are all authentic; nothing is contrived for the entertainment of tourists. Walking into one of the many gompas or monasteries, one immediately realises that they are still used as they have been for centuries.

The monks don’t seem to mind tourists creeping around their hallowed places. Visitors from afar just become part of the environment in this remote, spiritual place that the march of modern time has, until very recently, overlooked.e eL Clockwise: Ladakhi food is rich and hearty to keep out the cold weather Traditional butter tea, rich and salty Inside a Ladakhi farmhouse

Driver error is fatal on the road up to Khardung La

Getting There ■ Despite

its remoteness, Ladakh is surprisingly easy to get to from Singapore on Jet Airways, and you can even check your bags all the way through. Jet’s nonstop flight to Delhi is very pleasant, with excellent service, good entertainment and – it’s true! – exceptional food. In Delhi, you’ll easily connect to Jet’s very quick and astonishingly beautiful flight into Leh. For details see www.jetairways.com.

■ To get the most out of your Ladakhi experience you should rely on the experts.

Luxe India, perhaps the most respected high-end tour outfit throughout the subcontinent, will make all arrangements for an experience of a lifetime. They can also combine it with other amazing locations for a world-class Indian odyssey.

For details go to www.luxeindia.in.

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A

wintry jaunt to the Isle of Man after eloping to Gretna Green, just over the Scottish border with England, our first honeymoon was nothing like this.

There was sea, yes – the freezing Irish Sea. There was an island, sure; and a boat trip, too, a vomitorious ferry rolling around in hostile waves.

We did have luxury accommodation – a penthouse suite atop a grand hotel in the high street of Douglas, where I spent three days wracked not with passion

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but with a disastrous bout of flu. (You never saw such a snotty bride.) It rained, of course. That’s what it does there.

Roy booked that one, and to be fair, it could have been a fun and quirky destination if I hadn’t succumbed to the lergy. But it wasn’t exactly your obvious honeymoon destination – that would have to be the Maldives, and that’s where we are: on a second honeymoon timed to coincide with my husband’s big, big birthday.

By Verne Maree

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I ’ m g a z i n g o u t ove r t h e secluded deck of our ocean villa at the Sheraton Full Moon Resort and Spa, across the private plunge pool to the spring-tide waves thundering onto the rocks a couple of feet below. The corner of one eye registers the quick flash of a shark outlined against the translucent face of a wave, a split second before it crashes.

Not much more than two years has passed since the Sheraton name was added to the front of the Full Moon Resort and Spa, and the new owners have transformed it into a destination worthy of its five stars. Apart from sprucing up the public areas and guest rooms, they built 20 splendid ocean villas on the eastern side of the island.

Furanafushi Island is part of the North Malé Atoll, just 15 minutes by speedboat from the international airport on the capital island. At just under a kilometre at its widest point, it’s fairly large by Maldivian standards.

Our ocean villa is simply huge, perfectly secluded and has an uninterrupted view out over the Indian Ocean. Despite arriving so late at night, and the officially advanced years of my now sexagenarian husband – he’s having his big birthday tomorrow – we can’t resist a dip before bed.

Ten out of ten to the designers of these suites: absolute privacy means you can cavort naked if you like; an expansive deck with all the comforts, including a hammock; a big, comfortable

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bed; a massive bathroom with a deep bathtub and glass walls onto a private garden; an Illy capsule espresso machine; a DVD-player and TV for Roy to catch the Spanish F1 race on; and a state-of-the-art lighting system.

Lovely as the ocean villas are, they’re only one of the seven styles of accommodation available. The over-water villa decks have direct access to the warm waters that lap against their stilts. Compact and romantic, they’re very popular with Japanese and Korean guests, particularly honeymooners. For

safety reasons, children under 12 are not allowed in them.

Europeans tend to favour the 55 beachfront deluxe villas.

Deceptively large (76 square metres) and with dreamy semioutdoor bathrooms and open-air showers, they’d be our second choice. And if you can’t bribe someone to look after your offspring while you’re away, there’s a divan for one child and an extra bed can be brought in for a second. (At around US$400 per day, including breakfasts, that’s not bad for the Maldives.)

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All rates include breakfast, and the buffet at Feast is a good reflection of the mix of nationalities that the Sheraton attracts. Apart from the usual fruit, cereals, bangers, beans and bacon and an excellent e g g s t a t i o n , t h e r e ’s “ h a r d bread”, cheese and ham for the Scandinavians, sushi, soba and congee for the Asians, sugary mini-doughnuts for those who don’t plan on living long, and just about anything you could possibly fancy.

Resort meals tend to be expensive in the Maldives, so it’s a good idea to request a half-board package that gives you breakfast and dinner. In the evening, Feast has an extensive and varied dinner buffet; or you can choose to have a set dinner at the Sand Coast restaurant.

On our second night, Roy’s birthday, we join the fivecourse Thai feast on the beach, catered by Baan Thai restaurant.

A Maldivian drum-band does its thing, not forgetting to sing Happy Birthday. And when we get back to our splendid villa, someone has taken the trouble

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to strew blossoms across the bed and spell out a birthday message in strips of reed.

Sea Salt is the signature restaurant, and it’s really topnotch. Your choice from a buffet of live crabs and other recently live seafood, or a range of topgrade meat options, is grilled to order. The sides of fresh green asparagus, truffle-infused pureed potatoes, steamed veggies and more are all sublime.

Before or after dinner, or both, sip a cocktail on the Salt Bar’s expansive alfresco desk. More than a single margarita may bring on the need to prostrate yourself on one of the lazy daybeds that look out to sea.

Paddling through the shallows of the expansive lagoon, I’m charmed to see large shoals of tiny fish drifting in the shallows, intermittently breaking apart in a flurry of piscine panic at the incursions of little black-tipped sharks – about a foot long – and the occasional ray. Apart from that, there’s not much visible marine life in the lagoon, apart

from a couple of patches of branch coral that are reasonably snorkel-worthy at low tide.

Furanafushi does have a good house-reef, apparently, but in a bad location: a bit too far from the beach and – more importantly – made dangerous by strong currents. Surfers are in luck: there’s a decent wave to be had, but as it’s a reef-break, you need to be reasonably experienced to avoid being dashed on the rocks and cut to ribbons.

We joined the daily dhoni-trip (US$60 per person) to a very pretty reef some 25 minutes from our resort. Apart from the usual multitude of colourful beauties, I spotted a metre-long reef shark – harmless, I had to remind myself.

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(It’s also for whimsical, witty, wondrous, winning – and the wow factor.)

While we sip a post-prandial glass of wine under the stars on mattresses laid out on the beach and surrounded by a ring of flickering oil lamps, the house DJ is playing chill music from his station on the sand. When I ask Roy if this achingly hip place make him feel like a 60-year-old, he says no – it makes him feel like two 30-year-olds. I tell him he can’t have them, birthday or not.

A lot of clever marketing people have developed the “W” theme since the first hotel was conceived and built in New York in 1998.

The “whatever, whenever” promise reflects Manhattan’s “whateverwhenever-24/7” sensibility, appropriately adapted to the destination – in this case, a far-flung coral atoll in the Indian Ocean. It starts when you dial “0” and are greeted with: “What is your wish?”

Every hundred metres or so along the island paths and water-village walkways is a thatched “sweet spot” with towels, ice, a mini-freezer stocked with Magnum and Mövenpick ice-creams, and a fridge offering bottled water, soft drinks, Milo and Nescafe – all included in your rate.

Though I tend to ignore the complimentary toiletries in hotel rooms, nowadays – unless they’re Bulgari, of course – I loved the Bliss range in our W beach villa. It’s delightful stuff: from Lemon and Rosemary Soapy Sap and a Detangling Hair Rinse to whisper-light Body Butter, they’re almost good enough to eat.

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There’s more chill music – this time playing from the state-ofthe-art Bose sound system in our bedroom, bathroom, and in the shady area above our cottage where we relax on a swingbed and catch the afternoon breeze. Not only is it surprisingly un-annoying, but it can be turned off at will.

The same vibes emanate from scores of all-weather speakers installed at discreet intervals along the walkways. They’re all Bose; it’s the W brand standard, we’re told. And, in case you’re interested, the programming is by fashion music aficionado Michaelangelo L’Aqua, “discovered” by Tom Ford and appointed music director for Gucci and Yves St Laurent back in 1999.

The W has what is claimed to be the only nightclub in the Maldives, Fifteen Below. Conch-like spiral stairs wind down to a cool, low-lit subterranean space; you guessed it, 15 feet below sea level. The sheer scope of the drinks list is mindboggling, from my Fesdu Island Ice Tea to Roy’s cask-strength Caol Isla. We’re sticking to the island theme, you see.

Catchy place-names up the coolness quotient: you book diving excursions at Down Under, separate from the shack on the main beach where you go for windsurfers, kayaks and the like. Off that beach is a big lagoon – Lagoon? – where timid Japanese guests in Lycra from the ears down float around in life-jackets, and hardier souls use the prevailing winds to whizz back and forth across the wide stretch of water.

Apart from Fifteen Below, there’s the swim-up Wet bar at the pool, and another called Sip, next to Fire restaurant.

At Words, you can check your email, find a library book or choose a DVD. Sweat is the gym; I liked the free daily aqua-aerobics at 11.30am, and the 5.45pm yoga class on a spit of sand on the beach.

Breakfast is a sumptuous international buffet at Kitchen, which is open for lunch and dinner, too. The hot menu includes a delicious Maldivian chilli omelette served with a roti, fish curry and tuna sambal.

Our meal at Fish is amazing: from a buffet of fresh seafood, we point out what takes our fancy and they prepare it for us. After a platter of local reef fish sashimi, we struggle through an enormous lobster each: again a local variety, the flavourful painted lobster, simply grilled with rock salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Fire is a favourite of guests: seafood, meat and more cooked to order in theatrical style by various means. There’s a Mongolian grill doing brisk business with seafood and veggies, a charcoal grill crisping whole reef fish, a tandoori oven perfecting skewered prawns and chicken, and a spitroast on which a grinning pig slowly turns.

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Most of the accommodation is in 50 over-water villas that extend from one end of the island, but we’re in one of the 26 beach cottages. Big enough, with a lovely semioutdoor bathroom and shower, it opens onto a deck with a plunge-pool. You also have a barbecue where you can cook up a meal for yourself from ingredients supplied

by Kitchen. Roy shows no immediate enthusiasm for this idea, however.

A full wall of amber mirror serves as a sexy bed-head, and there’s a pillow menu for the pea-phobic princesses out there. The presence of Red Bull and other “energy drinks” in the fridge reflects the younger age group targeted, a n d t h e r e ’s a separate fridge just for a range of wines that includes Ve u v e C l i q u o t champagne.

Just beyond our deck is a perfect stretch of powdery white beach. It’s patrolled by a territorial heron – one of several on the island – that feast morning and evening on shoals of tiny fish that frequent the blood-warm shallows. I become quite obsessive about photographing these birds whenever I spot them.

We pull on fins and masks and head through a duo of buoys to snorkelling heaven. Within metres, the sea comes to life: colourful three-inch-long fish kissing the lens of your mask or nibbling your shoulder if you linger too long, beige-spotted ones blending in with the sand or shyly wriggling down under it.

The richness of the marine life, the plethora of fish species, the general awesomeness of the experience of floating above a tropical reef just where it drops off steeply into the vaguely terrifying ocean depths is difficult to describe adequately. Once experienced, it is never forgotten.

Early one morning, I spot my first turtle, a large hawksbill. Its head is buried in a bed of branched coral as it chomps off chunks of the stuff; I imagine that it’s sucking out the tender polyps like so many strands of breakfast mee.

When an afternoon of heavy rain sets in, I head for Away, the stunning spa built out over the sea just to the left of our beach. Each gorgeous treatment room is separate from the others, and has a large deck complete with big tub and outdoor shower facing out to sea.

Showers whip across the waves that pound just below us, but Balinese therapist Anggrey is anything but that; calm and sweet, she treats me to the blissful 60-minute Drift Away signature massage and a 30-minute Jet Away facial, using sublime Comfort Zone products.

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For a quick taste of W’s distinctive style, pop along to the W Sentosa.

Elsewhere in Asia, Seoul, Shanghai, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Koh Samui, Bali, Taipei and Guangzhou are also W cities. They’re on our list.

The 8.50pm Singapore Airline’s flight gets you to Malé in about four and a half hours; a three-hour time difference means you land around 10.30pm. From there, its 15 minutes by resort speedboat to the Sheraton on Furanafushi Island.

Getting around by seaplane is part of the fun. After three days at the Sheraton, we were taken back to Malé, this time to the Maldivian Air Taxi seaplane terminus for our 25-minute flight (between US$350 and $400 return) to the W Resort, Fesdu, where we spent a further three nights before returning to Malé to connect with an 11.25pm flight that touched down at 7am the next morning. eL www.starwoodhotels.com www.maldivianairtaxi.com

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Kangaroo Curry in Colombo Dewatagaha Mosque, Lipton’s Circus, Colombo

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y colleagues have written some rousing travel stories about Sri Lanka over the p a s t c o u p l e o f ye a r s , including a roundup of the country’s best boutique hotels, a description of the lush tea country of the Central Highlands, and an account of a family beach holiday to Galle and the south coast. (To read them online at www.expatliving.sg, enter “Sri Lanka” in the Search field.)

Each time I’ve read one of these articles, my desire to take a trip to the island nation off the southern tip of India has grown. Having said that – and, at the risk of being lynched when I’m next in the office – it wasn’t any of these articles that finally got me onto a plane. It was cricket. More specifically: the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

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In March and April this year, Sri Lanka co-hosted the World Cup with India and Bangladesh. When I ran my eye down the fixture list before the event, I spied Australia versus Pakistan on a Saturday night in Colombo. It seemed the perfect getaway from Singapore for a cricket nut like me.

Thanks to the sporting theme of the trip, obtaining the leave pass was easy. “Do you want to come to Sri Lanka,” I asked my wife after plying her with a couple of decent wines one evening, “to watch a game of cricket?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Okay. So ... I’ll go alone, then?”

“Looks like it.”

Words and photos by Shamus Sillar

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Do they even play cricket in Russia?

And that’s how I found myself sitting in a car in downtown Colombo at noon on a sultry day in March with a Sri Lankan nightclub owner called Thomas and two Russian girls who were employees at his club. (Let’s call them dancers.)

I’d been hanging around a mall called Liberty Plaza on game day, looking for a bus that would take me to the R. Premadasa International Stadium, when Thomas came up and asked if I wanted a lift.

Th e R u s s i a n s s p o k e n o English and seemed entirely unfamiliar with cricket, yet they were decked out in the team colours of Australia and Pakistan respectively, including painted faces and novelty wigs.

I generally don’t accept car rides from complete strangers in foreign countries, but if this was just a ruse to get money out of a tourist, Thomas and his female friends had gone to a great deal of effort.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!

Boy, oh, boy ...

Crowds were streaming into the stadium when we got there, including a handful of Australian fans. The look on their faces suggested a quiet lack of confidence. Rightly so. Sure, the Aussies were on a 34-0 winning streak at World Cups before this game, but they’d recently shown signs of disarray.

And so it proved on this day.

We made a dismal start: after just five overs (for the initiated, that’s about 30 minutes of playing

time), the writing was on the wall.

Being beaten by an Asian side in Asia has its advantages though.

It means the very biased home crowd will go berserk, thereby upping the entertainment factor considerably. I’m guessing that 95 percent of the sell-out crowd consisted of exuberant Pakistanis or Sri Lankans supporting Pakistan; every time an Aussie wicket fell, there was non-stop dancing in the aisles for ten minutes.

I enjoyed reading some of the crowd’s homemade banners, too. One showed the Pakistan captain sitting astride a cannon, shooting a cannonball into a kangaroo. Another (continuing the marsupial-bashing theme) was painted with the words, “KANGRO CURRY FOR DINNER!”

Clockwise from top: Australia takes on Pakistan at R Premadasa Stadium; Ricky Ponting’s poor form continues – out for 19; The Pakistan fans go nuts, again

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Mural in Colombo

Teetotally bad timing Speaking of curries, Sri Lanka is justly famous for them. So I was disappointed that the only fare available at the stadium was international fast food. The closest I came to a local delicacy was a KFC “Buriyani Meal” and some marsala-flavoured Lays chips.

Here’s a tip: bring a takeaway “lunch packet” from an outside restaurant.

And to wash it all down with?

I’d love to say a succession of frosty Lion beers, but the Australia versus Pakistan match fell on a Poya Day – a Buddhist fullmoon festival. Poya Days are dry days. No alcohol. What a different experience for this cricket-watcher: I’m used to

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seeing matches at the Gabba in Brisbane, where a new keg of beer gets tapped every seven seconds.

As respectful as the locals are on Poya Day, I did overhear a group of young Sri Lankan blokes discussing tactics for smuggling illicit alcohol into the ground, including the old standby of injecting vodka into watermelons. (A globally acknowledged stratagem, it would seem.)

Cricket-crazed Colombo So, Australia lost. Easily. Well, not easily – there was a fiveminute flutter in the middle where it looked like we might

edge our way back. But it wasn’t to be.

And then I was out on a dark street corner, facing the disconcerting prospect of haggling with a tuk-tuk driver to get back to my hotel. One thing about cricket, though: the enthusiasm for it in Colombo is at such a fever pitch, so long as you can string together a sentence about the game, everyone is your friend – even a late-night tuk-tuk driver.

In fact, being a cricket fan in this city is like being a gambler in Macau. From the massive billboards that greet you at the baggage carousel at the airport, to the countless impromptu games played on dirt fields, cricket is

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Clockwise from above: Viharamahadevi Park; Gangaramaya Temple; National Museum, old flag

omnipresent. All this is even more intense during the World Cup. I ran into famous cricketers at every turn: Tom Moody at the airport; Ian Chappell on the Galle Face Green; Pakistani pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar smoking cigarettes beside a hotel pool.

Things to do in Colombo when you lose Colombo isn’t the most highly rated city in Asia; some travellers bypass it completely. I quite like the place – sure, it’s hot, but the weather gives it a kind of soporific charm.

Here are some of the highlights for the day after the game (or the day of the game, if you choose to leave the stadium early because your team is being annihilated).

Gangaramaya Temple Visiting temples can be a repetitious experience: remove shoes, wander cautiously inside, stare with faux reverence at the main statue for five minutes (forgetting, briefly, the religion being worshipped), shyly take a few photographs, leave. At the Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple, I watched elephants chewing grass, listened to the chanting of hundreds of Sunday School children dressed in white, was given a free, impromptu tour of the relic chamber, and was quizzed about Singapore by a friendly gardener.

Fort & Pettah I’ll admit it. I only wandered through the Fort area to find the café where Duran Duran filmed parts of their hit single “Hungry Like The Wolf” in 1982. It was closed. But the architecture here makes it well worth a stroll in any case. Nearby Pettah is a bustling retail area, where colourful mosques and striking churches jostle with the noisy sales pitch of a million vendors.

National Museum A few dusty corners and some empty galleries suggest that this museum has lost a bit of its gloss; still, the collection of bronzes and other statues is eyecatching; I liked the old flags, too.

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stately white building (1877) and the massive banyan tree in the grounds are impressive enough on their own.

Galle Face Green To say that beachside parks don’t come nicer than the Galle Face Green would be a Bare Faced Lie. But this Padangstyle strip of grass has oodles of atmosphere in the late afternoon, and The Checkerboard Bar at the Galle Face Hotel is a justly famous place for a tipple.

Mount Lavinia An afternoon spent on the private beach of the Mount Lavinia Hotel (S$6 for non-hotel-guests) is entirely pleasant, but it’s getting there that’s the most fun: namely, via a twenty-minute, ten-cent train ride from the old station at Fort. The railway line literally hugs the dunes the whole way there, and you can hang out the open doors and feel the sea breeze.

Action Lanka This crew can hook you up with any adventure under the sun, including white-water rafting, scuba diving, kayaking and hiking.

I’m not an extreme-sports kind of guy, so I chose the civilised option and went mountain-biking along the mellow coastal road north of Negombo, about an hour out of Colombo – all rustic fishing villages and lolling palm trees. My Action Lanka guide was a champ, and the bike was top notch. www.actionlanka.com

Clockwise from below: Kingfisher on the beach; train from Mount Lavinia back to Colombo; Mount Lavinia Hotel; coastal bike ride near Negombo with Action Lanka

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St umped for Info?

Plan Ahead: Whether you’re going to Sri Lanka to watch cricket or do everything but, a great port of call before you go is Red Dot Tours: they can sort out your hotel bookings, arrange knowledgeable drivers, and make recommendations for everything under the sun. www.reddottours.com Upcoming Cricket Action: Sri Lanka is hosting next year’s World Twenty20 (dates to be confirmed), including plenty of games in Colombo. Ticket prices, by the way, are extraordinarily cheap: my upper-tier seat cost $3! Australia and Sri Lanka play a Test Match at R. Premadasa Stadium from 16 to 20 September this year.

Getting There: Colombo is a direct three-and-ahalf-hour flight from Changi.

Where to Stay: Though not in downtown Colombo, The Wallawwa (www.thewallawwa.com), 15 minutes from the international airport, is a gem of a boutique hotel. You should at least consider bookending your Sri Lanka trip with a stay here; the rooms are plush, the grounds are green and serene, the place feels like it’s steeped in history, and the food is some of the best in the country.

Red Dot Tours can help with bookings.

In the city, the Galle Face Hotel is the most famous accommodation. Fort has a cluster of international hotels. For the night of the cricket match, I stayed in a genial, newly renovated inn called Lake Lodge, the lake in question being Lake Beira, near Gangaramaya Temple.

From left: Heron at Lake Beira; young Pakistan fan; Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque in Pettah

Language: If you don’t know any Sinhala or Tamil, never fear: there’s a fair smattering of English spoken, in urban areas at least. And for those, like my wife, to whom cricket is a mystery, here’s a miniglossary of terms relating to Sri Lankan cricket that you can drop into any conversation to earn instant kudos from locals: “Murali”, “doosra”, “Darrell Hair”, “1996 World Cup”, “Slinga Malinga”, “Put a Mars Bar on a length”).

What to Read:

Chinaman Shehan Karunatilaka Random House India | 408 pages Nineteen out of twenty cricket books are either ghost-written autobiographies hastily released by players after retirement, or earnest yet tedious tomes by non-playing scribes.

Chinaman is extraordinarily different. Penned by a Sri Lankan who currently lives in Singapore (he’s an ad man), this rich and quirky novel not only won the prestigious Graetian Prize, but is highly rated by the likes of Michael Ondaatje (“a crazy, ambidextrous delight”).

It follows the travails of an ageing sportswriter in Sri Lanka who seeks to solve the mystery of Pradeep Mathew, a spin bowler who briefly showed unparallelled potential on the cricket field before disappearing with barely a trace.

If you’re not interested in cricket, Chinaman may be hard going: it’s densely packed with in-jokes about the sport. But the book isn’t just about boundaries, maidens and leg-before-wicket. It’s also a colourful insight into the Sri Lankan people, their sense of humour, the politics of the place, and more.

If you’re a cricket fan going to Colombo to watch a game, this is essential reading. eL

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What’s NEW

School’s

The long break from school is exciting enough for kids, but it means even more when they get the chance for a beach holiday. Sari Pacifica Resort & Spa is introducing exciting new school holiday packages for its resorts in Malaysia (Pulau Redang, Pulau Lang Tengah and Pulau Sibu). Prices for villas start from RM 698, including breakfasts and snorkelling. Visit the website for more information on special rates. www.saripacifica.com

S P P A NEW Chapman Freeborn, the world’s largest aircraft charter, has launched an iPhone application for private jet bookings, for quick and accurate “on-the-go” charter enquiries. The Private Jet app will give executive flyers instant access to thousands of private jets worldwide, including photographs and information such as flight times and fuel stops. Charter specialists in the Singapore office of Chapman Freeborn will handle regional enquiries made via the app. Private Jet is available as a free download at the Apple Store.

Facebook

Help for

Japan Worldhotels has announced a fundraising initiative for young victims of the Japanese tsunami disaster. Under the “Yokoso!

Japan” initiative, 100 yen from every reservation between now and the end of September will go towards Living Dreams, a children’s charity that helps orphans of the tsunami. Worldhotels comprises 450 unique, independent hotels in 65 countries.

It features a growing collection of nine hotels in Japan. www.worldhotels.com

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Hotels.com and Columbus Internet have launched a new Facebook app, “Hotels WithMe”, that enables friends, families and colleagues to collectively arrange trips on Facebook. Selected friends can be invited to join a “trip”, then they can search for hotels together, make a shortlist of potential places, use the integrated chat function, and keep track of prices and availability. If a price changes, an update is shown immediately in Singapore dollars. Once everyone agrees on details, clicking on the “book” button links to the Hotels.com booking page. http://www.facebook.com/ hotelscomASIA?sk=app_101184729938812

What’s NEW

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URES

NT AFRICA ADVE

Safari

TIME

If you’ve always wondered if the roar of a lion is as stirring in real life as it is in the movies; or if you’ve wondered if game drives are as exciting, photo opportunities as plentiful, fireside meals as exotic, skies as blue and horizons as wide, here’s your chance to find out that it’s all true. Singapore-based Excursions to Africa offers travel packages to Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and more. The company philosophy is to provide sound advice, quality safari itineraries and personal service – including tailored suggestions based on particular requests and budgets, with a view to bringing out the best of the African bush, including encounters with magnificent creatures and warm-hearted people. www.excursions2africa.com

Action aplenty

in Auckland

Amanjiwo From 23 to 29 September this year, Amanjiwo in Central Java will host its second annual meditation retreat, “Inward Journey”, featuring renowned meditation teachers. The resort is located in the lush countryside surrounding Borobudur, the world’s largest Buddhist monument. Customised itineraries are available, including three- and six-night retreats.

Prices start at US$2,100, including breakfast, transfers, accommodation and more. For information or to book a place, email reservations@amanresorts.com. www.amanresorts.com

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For Animal Planet and National Geographic junkies, Singita’s Pamushana Lodge is a godsend.

It is the only camp in the Malilangwe Reserve in southern Zimbabwe, so it’s as remote as things get. The Malilangwe Reserve is also where worldrenowned filmmaker Kim Wolhuter shoots his documentaries, including Stalking Leopards and Hyena Queen. But the best part may be its mission: Singita and Paul Tudor Jones run the Lodge as a non-profit business, so all net profits go to the Malilangwe Trust. Travellers can do daytrips to the Great Zimbabwe ruins or into adjoining Gonarezhou National Park. Other activities, aside from game drives, are walking safaris, visits to Bushman paintings (there are 105 sites on the property) and fly-camping. www.atoasafaris.com

There are lots of adrenalin-pumping activities in Auckland and its surrounds, if you’re looking for family fun; start your holiday with a Sky Jump, a cablecontrolled base jump of 192 metres from the Sky Tower in Auckland. The adventure continues in Rotorua, the thermal wonderland of New Zealand. Just three hours away by car, take your pick from activities like zorbing, indoor rock-climbing, white-water rafting or sledging.

Jetstar flies daily direct to Auckland with all-inclusive one-way fares starting from $448. www.jetstar.com

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Sliding into

By Katie Roberts

The third day of a holiday is the day of surrender. The mental distance from home has finally caught up with the physical distance, and thoughts of work and school disappear. A beer at lunchtime is not out of the question, and an afternoon nap is the natural thing to do – not an indulgent luxury. Even if you only have three days, you can achieve this state of bliss at The Shamira, a gorgeous villa in Bali.

T

his is our first trip to Bali. Friends have mentioned to us that the villas in Bali are enormous, but five four-poster beds? We’ve just arrived, and after a grand tour of the villa and a test of all the beds, we come to an agreement about sleeping arrangements. The kids are delighted – there are no single beds, so they score a four-poster each.

Trailing through the house after the kids head off to put on a CD, it’s obvious that we need another family to join us and really make the most of the space – and all those daybeds, sofas, dining tables and beds!

It’s impossible to resist the lure of the 12-metre pool, so we adjourn to the bale (a thatch-roofed daybed). The cool breeze and relatively low humidity revive us after the journey, and remind us what we’ve left behind: the oppressive heat of a Singapore summer.

We’ve also left behind the claustrophobia of living cheek-by-jowl with millions of others.

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The villa’s spaciousness and fabulous facilities are a reason to stay put and do as little as possible – and although we do make the effort to go on two excursions, we decide to avoid the crowds that we might find at Ubud or Kuta.

A morning’s sightseeing around the local area is perfect. The 17th-century Pura Taman

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Ayun temple, complete with moat, is worth a look; as is a ceramic and pottery workshop, tucked away in the rural village of Pejaten.

The friendly owner shows us around and lets the kids make moulded shapes with the clay, and we purchase a few of the distinctive pale-green pieces as souvenirs. The tourist circus that is Tanah Lot temple, perched on

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a craggy, windswept rock, is the last on our list. While it’s worth seeing, we’re glad to have avoided the sunset crowds that others have told us about.

With nothing to feel guilty about now (having ticked off the main tourist sites), we surrender to the comforts of the villa. The children have sorted through the large DVD

collection and are happily ensconced in front of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – giving Mum and Dad at least two hours of quiet time.

The only choices to make are: where to sit, what to read and what to drink. With numerous balconies, nooks and verandahs all furnished in comfortable Balinese shabby-chic style, these are the hardest decisions we make all day.

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As it is so easy (and economical), we elect to eat in and discover the talents of the delightful cook Wayan, who prepares home-style Western and local dishes. My daughter declares that Wayan’s lasagne is better than mine. After much coaxing, my son eventually tries the chicken curry and then proceeds to demolish it all. He even suggests we make it for him again. We all agree the chicken satay is the best we’ve ever eaten.

Throughout our stay, the staff pay particular attention to the children and delight in plaiting my daughter’s hair, Balinese-style. It’s this kind of personal interaction that makes a stay at The Shamira so memorable.

Having sunk happily into holiday mode and passed the wonderful third day of bliss, it’s tough to pack the bags and leave our Balinese hideaway.

The Shamira is in Canggu, 20 minutes north of Seminyak and an hour from the international airport. Prices start from US$500 per night. Call Private Homes and Villas at 6475 3121 or visit www.privatehomesandvillas.com. eL

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Six top things about • Step out on the verandah at night and you can see the Southern Cross, as Bali is located just south of the equator; this is a reassuring sight for Aussies.

• The enormous outdoor bathroom is perfect for rinsing off after a swim.

• There are rice paddies right outside the front door. Whether it’s sowing or harvesting time, there is always activity.

• An easy 10-minute stroll away is Echo Beach, a quiet area of restaurants and shops – great for a sunset beer, or a massage or beauty treatment at Gold Dust (362 6394).

• Enthusiastic driver Pak Nyoman is recommended by the villa, and can be engaged for day trips.

• The owners were involved in helping an Australian Bali bomb victim, Jodie O’Shea, who later died. This motivated them to do more for their community and they set up an orphanage in her name: visit www.careforkidsbali.com for more information.

Wine & Dine

The Boathouse Brunch

WINE&DINE

What’s NEW

Breakfast Bar If you thought Ku Dé Ta was only for night owls, think again. The popular restaurant and bar now serves breakfast. There’s a buffet selection of starters, a menu of hot dishes cooked to order and free-flow smoothies, milkshakes, coffee and tea. 7am to 11am daily. $42 for adults, $21 for children. Call 6688 7688 or email reservation@kudeta.com.sg.

Fourth of July hosts need not worry about barbecue space with the Cookaburra Onyx 5.

With five individual burners and a 1010mm x 495mm cooking area, everyone can eat at the same time. $1,988 at Outback BBQ. For locations, call 6473 5142 or visit www.cookaburra.com.sg.

The Fifth Element Sweet, sour, salty, bitter and – umami? Taste #5 Umami Paste captures the elusive “fifth taste” through the perfect combination of porcini mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, anchovies, black olives and balsamic vinegar. Add to stir fries, sauces, soups and dressings.

Available at Jones the Grocer.

You’ve eaten goat cheese, but have you ever poured yourself a refreshing glass of goat’s milk? The UK’s Delamere Dairy just launched a range of goat’s milk products, from cheese to whole and skimmed milk, butter and yogurt. Available in Cold Storage supermarkets. www.delameredairy.co.uk

Bastille Buffet Celebrate Bastille Day with a buffet dinner at Picotin. Unlimited platters of charcuterie and cheese, honey-glazed pork, flamegrilled tuna, and desserts such as croq en bouche and hazelnut bonbons, at just $50 per person. 6pm on 14 July. 100 Turf Club Road. Call 6877 1191 or visit www.picotin.com.sg.

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WINE&DINE

What’s NEW

Espresso, Latte or

BISTRO

BRUNCH

Do you have a favourite coffee shop in your neighbourhood?

We’re not talking big chains like Starbucks, but cafés with a special atmosphere and, of course, great coffee. In a new blog this month the Expat Living editors reveal their top places for a caffeine hit. If you have something to add, please let us know! http://blog.expatliving.sg/

of Food For Sunday brunch French bistro-style, try The Boathouse for its French fines de claire oysters, cured salmon quiche, Grand Marnier soufflés, fresh burrata, eggs Benedict, sweet or savoury pancakes and more. Pastries and the cheese trolley are de rigueur. $48, minimum two persons. Add $80 for free-flow Veuve Clicquot for two hours. The Waterboat House, 3 Fullerton Road #03-01. Call 6538 9038.

Ever wanted to make rendang for Hari Raya, eat from a tiffin carrier while cruising the Singapore River or grind your own spices in Little India? Now is your chance. The Singapore Food Festival is back from 15 to 24 July. For a list of events (and the location of the SFF Village with more than 60 food stalls), visit www.singaporefoodfestival.com.sg.

Original Sin Just when we thought Werther’s Originals couldn’t get any better, they’ve added chocolate to the mix. The new line-up includes three new chocolate treats, including the Original Caramel (shown here) – velvety European chocolate wrapped around a creamy caramel centre. $4.50 per pack. Available at major supermarkets.

Move over, dumplings and char kway teow. Urban Bites is a casual little eatery serving up amazingly delicious Mediterranean cuisine in the heart of Chinatown. The menu is huge, and the prices are easy on the wallet. Don’t miss the hummus shawarma ($10). 123 Telok Ayer Street. Call 6327 9460.

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F WINE&DINE

lavour of the month

Buyan Russian Haute Cuisine & Caviar Bar 9/10 Duxton Hill 6223 7008 | www.buyan.sg Rumours about a new Russian caviar bar began to swirl late last year. “Just vodka and caviar … it’s $800 just to sit down!” The rumours were only partially true, as it turns out. Buyan on Duxton Hill does serve caviar, but the borscht won’t break the bank.

It offers casual dining on the first and third floors of its shophouse location, and fine dining on the second. iPad menus are good fun and offer amazingly accurate food photos; soon you’ll be able to order and pay with them, too; receipts will be emailed.

Like any good Russian establishment, the vodka runs deep and the pours are mighty generous. Ask for a sample flight of four (around $20), and request the chilli infusion for local flair.

O

The food is authentically Russian, though USSR favourites such as Uzbek pork and Kiev chicken are included. We started with the layered salmon salad ($10), a light dish, by Russian standards, featuring eggs, cheese, butter and mayo. The pelmeni ($15), delicious dough pockets filled with mutton, beef and pork – the Russian version of dim sum dumplings – was spectacularly savoury.

Beef stroganoff ($30) is a must, and the trout ($18), a large portion of tender breaded fish with rich nut sauce, was equally satisfying. Sweet tooths shouldn’t dream of missing the blinis ($12), served with mixed berries, condensed milk and sour cream.

Drop by from 5pm to 7pm from Monday to Saturday for 20 percent off caviar and a free shot of vodka or Russian sparkling wine.

Monica Pitrelli

n the Bar

The Waterboat House Rooftop 3 Fullerton Road 6538 9038 Monday to Saturday, 3pm to late There is no better location than this. The heritage 1919 Waterboat House, which once provided fresh water to ships, is now quenching the thirst of a whole new era of customers. And the view from rooftop bar Prelude of the twilit skyline – the Flyer, Marina Bay Sands – is pure 21st-century Singapore.

This balmy Friday evening, a light breeze ruffles the potted plants, and the place is filling up with an elegant post-work crowd.

A recently revamped drinks list and food menu

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are equally interesting. If you like shochu, try the first cocktail on the list ($15 each): Afternoon Delight – it packs a decent punch. The Cucumber GT is another winner for those who prefer something dryer. Beerwise, there’s Stella Artois and Hoegaarden on tap, but more exotic is a selection of eight varieties from the artisanal Baird Brewing from Japan. We like the hoppiness of the Numazu lager ($13).

The influence of outstanding chef Jonathan Koh from the innovative restaurant Boathouse downstairs shows in the bar fare. After sharing a lobster and foie gras pizza ($58) from his new gourmet pizza range, we’re just about stuffed.

Also recommended by the staff are gourmet fish and chips ($25), and beef sliders ($13) – minihamburgers, a mouthful each.

With such stunning views and stylish food, it’s not surprising that Prelude is a popular venue for parties, especially on Saturday nights. From Thursday through to Sunday, it’s safest to book.

Verne Maree

WINE&DINE

In some ways, there’s no such thing as a “healthy restaurant”. Even a salad from a buffet can be high in fat and calories if you load your plate with ham, mayonnaise and croutons! Wherever you eat – barring yucky fast-food joints, of course – it’s generally possible to pick more nutritious dishes, avoiding saturated fat and choosing salads, vegetables, pulses and other highfibre, whole-food options. That said, here are some tips to make life easier for those who are trying to be good.

In the kitchen with Where does your interest in Mediterranean food come from?

My family migrated to Australia from Italy. Our obsession with using pure, fresh ingredients is something I have grown up with and am very thankful for.

Everything was fresh, and we never had leftovers for dinner.

Canned food was also unheard of in our family, and we kept only ice in our freezer. We also made our own tomato puree, olive oil and even wine!

What is the concept behind Original Sin? Although the concept is vegetarian, around 80 percent of our guests are not; they are just drawn to us in the search for an alternative to the mainstream choices. Most of our guests dine with us because they believe eating less meat and eating more vegetables is a healthier choice.

Vegetarian options at most r e s t a u ra n t s a r e l i m i t e d o r predictable; for example, one choice of pasta or pizza or grilled vegetables. At Original Sin we have been offering delicious and innovative alternatives for

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Marisa Bertocchi

the past 14 years, which is why people have been consistently coming back to us. We also try to accommodate individual dietary needs wherever possible.

What makes your food healthy?

Apart from being vegetarian, our food is cooked in the Mediterranean style, which is considered healthier than some of the local vegetarian food available; for example, glutenbased mock meat and oily, salty curries.

We prepare most of our dishes from scratch, choosing quality ingredients, and never use bulk premade sauces that are processed and generally contain a lot of salt or MSG. Our menu is created with the freshest possible ingredients; depending on how busy we are, our fresh produce arrives on an almost daily basis. Unlike meat and fish, most vegetables can’t be frozen.

We use olive oil in our cooking, and grill or bake our ingredients where possible, keeping deepfried and creamy dishes to a minimum.

Do you have a favourite dish on the menu?

Our Magic Mushroom has been on the menu since we opened, and it’s based on my aunt’s recipe for baked Portobello mushroom stuffed with spinach and ricotta. The Mezze Platter is also very popular.

At Original Sin, there is nothing I would not feed my own family; the food is prepared the way I would do it at home.

Original Sin 43 Jalan Merah Saga 6475 5605

WINE&DINE

Cross our Heart

Garden of Eden Rather than you having to scour the menu for waistfriendly options while your friends order deep-fried dishes and creamy pastas, The Garden makes it easy to be good. The menu is replete with superfoods – wolfberry chutney, organic quinoa, pumpkin seed oil – and items are clearly marked vegetarian, antioxidant-heavy, immunity-boosting, heart-healthy and low-cholesterol.

We were assured that butter and cream are scarce, and grape-seed and olive oils are used sparingly.

But the proof is in the pudding: I’ve had one too many cauliflower cups drowned in margarine. So, we open with a Shine salad ($20) with almond dukkha, golden California raisins and strawberries, spritzed at the table with a tahini citrus vinaigrette. The next course, citruscured mixed seafood tartar ($18), is the favourite of the evening. Flaxseed breadsticks are perfect for sopping up this dish’s mango wasabi and yuzu sorbet – when no one is looking, of course.

The main course is a beautifully presented plate of spicy chicken breast ($28) served with baby corn, warm tomato salsa and oven-baked potato topped with avocado. A subtly sweet soymilk panna cotta is outdone by its flavourful companion, the chocolate sorbet ($15), though both are light and enjoyable.

The Garden is a testament that eating healthily need not be bland, boring and self-sacrificial. Here, you can have your organic quark cheesecake and eat it too.

Monica Pitrelli

Taking a more flexible approach to healthy eating is Heart Bistro in Palais Renaissance, a smart place that serves food that is “good for you ... that nourishes the heart”. The menu has more of a male approach to healthy eating, so it’s not all about “rabbit food” – meaning salads.

And can that possibly be Nutella waffles and ice cream, albeit served with berry compote?

The $40 weekend brunch includes a glass of Prosecco or fresh juice, coffee or tea and three courses. You can choose to go all-brekkie, all-lunch or mix it up. The global menu has pan-Asian accents and where possible uses lighter cooking methods: braising, poaching and steaming.

There are plenty of salad options ($16 to $24) to keep things light, or try the tasty roasted black cod ($33) – moist and tender served with al dente vegetables in a soy and ginger broth; as well as meatier options like grilled kalua chicken burger with avocado ($20) or braised beef cheeks ($34).

Dessert, if you insist on staying with the healthy theme, has to be the fresh fruit confetti ($9) with deliciously refreshing sorbet and an interesting lemongrass jelly; or the less healthy but very tasty sticky date pudding with ice cream ($12).

A good place for light, girly options alongside more substantial food for boys.

Beate Baldry Pssst! At $7, the Juice Bar does the cheapest Botox in Singapore – a tasty concoction of watermelon, red grapes and mint.

Heart Bistro Palais Renaissance 390 Orchard Road 6737 2148

Spa Botanica at The Sentosa 2 Bukit Manis Road , Sentosa 6371 1130 | www.thesentosa.com July11

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Girly Feasts Eating out does not have to derail you off your healthyeating regimen. Restaurants such as Café 308 prove that nights out can be both healthy and satisfying. For a quick lunch after an invigorating Pilates session at Verita Wellness Centre, or a more leisurely dinner with your girlfriends, Café 308 has a casual-chic atmosphere where you can enjoy a guilt-free, bloat-free and (almost) fat-free meal out.

Its understated menu offers is an array of delicious favourites that are nevertheless fresh and nutritious, with a balanced ratio of vegetables, meat and low-fat carbs.

To start, we recommend the tangy Thai tofu salad ($12) with glass noodles or the stuffed Portobello mushroom ($12), plump with ricotta cheese, baby spinach and herbs. For a light yet satisfying lunch, follow your morning yoga session with the low-fat pleasure of Thai green curry ($14) or tandoori chicken ($16), both served with ample greens and organic brown rice.

Sweet treats aren’t sacrificed on the altar of health: innocent and gluten-free indulgence comes in the form of lemon cheesecake ($8) and warm chocolate walnut cake ($8).

Just peckish, or on the go? Try a superfood smoothie or shake: quick, easy and packed with goodness. I recommend the Green Acres ($8) for a refreshing lift, or the cacao chocolate shake ($8) for the sweet of tooth.

Leanda Rathmell Café 308 Verita Advanced Wellness 308 Tanglin Road, Phoenix Park 6737 2377

Gourmet Greens Build-your-own salad bars offer the best of both worlds – a healthy meal made exactly to your liking without any washing, chopping or cleaning involved. Much to our delight, salad shops are popping up all over town.

Here are a few of our favourites: Juiced Rawbars 9 Raffles Place #B1-08 Pick your lettuce, plus six ingredients, such as cut tofu and egg whites, for $8.50.

Mescluns 64 Circular Road | CityLink Mall #B1-26BC The signature salad comes with seven toppings, including Cajun prawns or smoked duck. From $10.50.

Fresh+ 39 Robinson Road #01-01 Choose up to six different ingredients, from raw veggies to roasted pumpkin, for $9.50.

Salad Stop Multiple locations Over 30 free ingredients, such as pomelo and soba noodles, are free of charge, while meat, falafel rounds and more are extra.

From $9.50.

Health Fuel Station 4 Marina Boulevard #01-31A Small and large salads come with your choice of five vegetables and one meat, including delicious tandoori chicken.

From $8.

Grand Salads Suntec City Mall, Tower 4 #B1-K09 Temasek Tower, 8 Shenton Way #B1-18 All salad toppings, including tuna and feta, are free, with the exception of avocado, chicken and beef ($2 each). From $8.50.

Munch Saladsmith 112 Robinson Road #01-01 Marina Bay Link Mall #B2-19 You don’t exactly create your own here, but pick up to five delicious creations, such as the chicken, grape and walnut salad or pumpkin spinach salad. Pick three for $9.30.

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Light & Local

Instead:

Light and Local

fried or deep-fried. A clear, light broth can be made delicious with a dash of soy sauce, a touch of searing chilli padi, a scattering of spring onion and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

■ First choice has to be the yong tau foo stand, where you select six or more items from a variety of leafy greens, bean sprouts and other items such as mushrooms, boiled eggs, bitter gourd, long chillies and yam, some stuffed with tofu or fish paste. If you order it without noodles and as a soup, it’s just 296 kcals per 131g serving and is full of fibre, protein and vitamins.

■ Seafood soup (210 kcals), fishball soup (105 kcals) and tom yam seafood soup (93 kcals) without noodles are good; load up on chilli and ask for extra veggies.

■ South Indian vegetarian curries are hearty and satisfying, often based on beans and lentils and bursting with flavour. But don’t think all veggie dishes are healthy: a portion of kang kong from a hawker stall, stir-fried with belachan, has 339 kcals and 31g of fat.

■ Try the immunity-boosting thunder tea rice at Maxwell Road (Stall 86) and Lau Pa Sat hawker centres; ask them to add less water to the green tea soup so it’s thicker, and have it on the side rather than pouring it over the rice.

I piled on the pounds during our first few months in Singapore. Besotted with the local fare, I unwisely took to heart the message on a billboard: “Who says a day has to have only three meals?”

Well, I do, now – especially when those meals consist of steaming bowls of creamy laksa from Prima Taste, aromatic chicken curry from Killiney Kopitiam sopped up with giant chunks of crusty baguette, or platters of greasy noodles topped with crunchy strips of pork belly – garnished, if you’re lucky, with token shreds of greenery.

Noticing that the belly-fat lost by those unfortunate porkers had moved directly to my own midriff, it was time to look for local dishes that are fairly healthy. Here’s what I found:

Avoid, or choose rarely:

■ Roti prata (209 kcals each): thick, flat rounds of dough made

from white flour, sugar and salt, fried in ghee and served with curry gravy. Even locals prefer to eat it in the morning, to give the body plenty of time to digest it!

■ The white rice of nasi lemak (494 kcals) and chicken rice (666 kcals, 466 from the rice alone), cooked in coconut milk and fatty chicken stock respectively.

■ Char kway teow (a whopping 744 kcals); this lard-heavy noodle dish with cockles is an acquired taste that is not worth acquiring.

From top: Yong tau foo; Vegetable curry

■ Choose soups rather than anything wok-

Keep it Light

■ Say “no oil” or “no milk” when ordering

soups for more vegetables ■ Ask for plain steamed rice rather than fried or lemak versions ■ Remove skin from chicken ■ Ask for less laksa gravy ■ Dig the sambal belachan (chilli and dried-prawn sauce) from the bottom, avoiding the layer of oil that float on top ■ Fill up on freshly cut fruit eL Verne Maree

© I359702, © Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime.com

■ Ask

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g n i k c i l l o R Good Fun WINE&DINE

By Katie Roberts

T

he last time I saw waiters doing the Village People’s YMCA dance moves was in a backpacker’s hostel in a rainforest in far north Queensland, Australia. Fast-forward 20 years, and on a busy Friday night the Tawandang Microbrewery at Suntec is jiving with a live band.

At least 12 waiters are up front and encouraging us to dance to that infamous song.

The German beer brewed by the microbrewery is certainly adding to the fun. It’s ferried by said waiters at breakneck speed in two-litre towers ($54), onelitre jugs ($28) or glasses ($12).

There are three choices: the bestselling lager, the dark dunkel, and the weizen, made from malted barley and hops. The lager is probably the smoothest of the three, but all are very drinkable and go well with the food.

The menu is a mix of traditional Thai and what can best be described

as German-Thai fusion. Most dishes come on platters, so it’s easy to order a few to share. The spicy tom yum soup ($30) with tender prawns is a good place to start: it’s less spicy than usual, and surprisingly tangy and sweet.

The signature dish, deepfried pork knuckle ($36), comes with a spicy sauce, potato mash and sauerkraut. The crackling is deliciously crunchy, and the tender, juicy meat falls off the bone. Perfect! Deep-fried sea bass ($34.90), which can alternatively be ordered grilled, is covered in “three tastes”, a sweet, salty and spicy sauce. Accompanying the fish is morning glory ($18): delicious, lightly sautéed greens in garlic and chilli; and fiery papaya salad ($14).

Although it’s decorated in a modern Thai style, Tawandang has

the comfortable atmosphere of a noisy Munich beer hall (it seats 500 people). Large groups are talking, laughing and toasting one another.

There’s a simultaneous birthday celebration for five separate diners, each of whom receives a cake and birthday song from the entire crowd. Their names are flashed up on a large electronic screen, so there’s no hiding!

Th o r o u g h l y a m u s e d a n d entertained, we decide to linger for dessert and more beer. The sticky rice and mango ($10) is the only carbohydrate we’ve eaten all night – unless you count the beer – and is a simple ending to a hearty meal.

Wonderful for groups and celebrations, Tawandang is a rowdy, fun place for a meal or just for a drink, with a live band playing most evenings. eL

Tawandang Microbrewery is at Suntec, 1 Raffles Boulevard. Book a table at 6243 2291 and check out the menu at www.tawandang.com.

A sister venue is located at Dempsey.

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(foodwalker ) Little India Getting lost in

Whether you buy it from a street-vendor, a hawker centre or a restaurant, the food in Singapore’s Little India is as authentic as it you’ll find anywhere.

Begin your three-hour foodwalk at the Little India MRT and head into Tekka Market for roast duck from Heng Gi Goose & Duck (stall #01-335).

They’ve been serving up Teochew braised waterfowl for nearly 50 years. Combined with foie-gras, homemade tofu and crunchy duck foot, it’s a full-flavour study in control and balance. But share it with a friend or two, because there is some good food in your foodwalking future.

Walk up Buffalo Road, past fruit and vegetables spilling from storefronts onto the sidewalks until you reach Serangoon. Cross the road, turn left and head north to the corner of Norris Road, to Azmi Restaurant (also known

as Norris Road Chapati; 168 Serangoon Road). Its slogan, “Secret of good mood: taste of Azim’s food”, is hard to argue with. The menu is old-school, and they’ve been cooking it from scratch since 1944 in the tiny kitchen out back. The specialties – simple wholewheat chapattis – are cooked on a round iron griddle by a guy in an izaar wrap standing barefoot on a sheet of cardboard. He’s been making chapattis there since 1956, when the British still ruled Singapore. To understand just how good this place is, order two chapattis and the mutton keema – savoury minced meat, peas, potatoes and spices slow-cooked into a mélange of magnificence. Brighten the deep, earthy flavours with a side of shaved onions, crisp cucumber and a squirt of calamansi. Then scoop up gobbets with torn ribbons of warm chapatti and fight to restrain your whimpers of jubilation.

Just a few doors down is Valli Flower Mill (174 Serangoon Road), one of the few remaining hand spice-grinding and roasting operations in Singapore. Between running spice rakes though the raw umber powder, barefoot men still grind spices in the 100-yearold mills. The air wafts a smoky perfume of the cumin, chilli, garlic, cinnamon, turmeric and other blended spices that are dry-roasting gently in a large trough.

Continue along Serangoon, ducking under low-hanging awnings and crowded stores selling clothes, jewellery and food. Turn right at Desker Road, and walk to Lembu Road and the unassuming Bangla Square, also known as Lembu Road Open Space. Tall trees shade this brick-paved plaza, whose perimeter is lined with local shops selling Bangladeshi snacks, folded betel nut leaves and delicious sweets. Cool off with a refreshment at one of the tables while watching young men playing carom, a sort of table-top snooker with discs that

Story and photography by Kevin F. Cox

Azmi Restaurant, for the best chapattis this side of India since 1944.

Grinding spices at Valli Flower Mill, one of the last hand-ground spice mills on the island.

The little-known Bangla Square, an oasis in the middle of densely populated Little India.

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Ornate Hindu statues adorn the many temples in Little India.

The tower of Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, Singapore’s best-known Hindu temple.

Delicious mutton masala served on a banana leaf at Chettinadu New Restaurant.

slide on the powdered surface and knock the opponent’s discs away.

From Bangla Square, stroll past Desker’s brightly coloured shophouses and then turn right along Kampong Kapor Road. When you get to Rowell Road, make a left and head up this former “lane of waiting ladies” until you reach the Museum of Shanghai Toys (MOST; 83 Rowell Road). The world’s first vintage Oriental toy exhibition, it has a whimsical collection dating back to 1910.

Retrace your steps back to Kampong Kapor and continue left, passing the colonial architecture of the Straits Chinese Kampong Kapor Methodist Church (3 Kampong Kapur Road) with its Romanesque styling and towering Dutch façade, built in 1930. At Upper Weld Road, hang a right and head to Tim Sim

Coffee Shop (40 Clive Street) on the triangular intersection of Upper Weld, Dickson and Clive Streets.

You may not even recognise the wall-less, tin-roofed corner of the street as a coffee shop at all. But it’s been there for nearly 100 years, purportedly the oldest remaining kopitiam in Singapore – according to the brewer who, by the looks of him, may have celebrated the grand opening. The coffee, too, is old Singaporean: margarine-roasted, dark and very strong.

From Upper Weld Road continue toward Serangoon. Cross the road and stroll down Kerbau Street, following it to the left where it becomes Belilios Lane. At the end of the lane you reach one side of the amazingly ornate Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple (141 Serangoon Road). If it’s open, go

in and have a look at this amazing temple and enclosed courtyard with shrines to Hindu deities. Then retrace your path down Belilios Road and follow it the short block to Chander Road.

Directly across from you is the tiny Cettinadu New Restaurant (41 Chander Road). A waiter will ladle from steel pots raita, stewed greens, spiced potato and a dollop of chutney “pickle” onto your banana leaf plate. Order the classic Chettinad chicken curry or mutton masala and dive in – with your bare right hand. But keep a watchful eye on the waiter; he will keep giving you refills of the side dishes until you beg him to stop. When you’re done, simply fold your leaf in half and wait for the (very small) bill.

Turn right upon exiting the restaurant and head down Chander

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Road to where it bends right into Kerbau Road. On the corner is North Indian Sri Lakshminarayan Temple (5 Chander Road), with its red, beehive-shaped amalaka domes. Across the street, set back on the corner, is one of the few outdoor laundromats in the area; and in the courtyard beyond, small snack joints offer tasty curry puffs, sweets and fresh pani puri.

Across the courtyard is the ornately painted Tan Tang Niah shophouse (37 Kerbau Road).

Built in 1900, it had a colourful history before being restored by the government and designated a conservation building in 1990.

From here you can pass through narrow, shaded vegetable stalls between the buildings leading to Buffalo Road and the end of our foodwalk. Turn right a few meters to Race Course Road and the MRT station.

If you reflect on what you’ve just seen and tasted, you’ll realise that old Singapore is still alive in Little India; it’s utterly accessible and the food is downright delicious. If you enjoy Indian colours, culture and cuisine, you’ll fall in love with this neighbourhood. And if you’re timid about trying Indian food, here’s the good news: there’s no better place on the planet to discover it than right here. eL

Tan Tang Niah Shophouse, a Little India landmark.

Chillies are a staple flavouring ingredient in South Indian cuisine.

A kaleidoscope of flowers and religious items are sold along Little India streets.

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Parking in Little India can be a challenge, but the MRT station is right at Tekka Market. Or park in the lower level of Tekka Market – take Serangoon Road from Dunearn and turn right onto Buffalo Road. The lot is near the end of the orange market on the left.

e n i W WINE&DINE

The

PAGES

Wine from Kiwifruit

Lots More Bottles

Wholesaler and retailer Bottles & Bottles has five handy outlets and a delivery service, and can be relied on for providing both wine and spirits for every conceivable occasion – from weddings to corporate events. Here are just two of their winners.

Try kiwifruit wine for your health … and your vinous pleasure! A standard 150ml glass provides about 68mg of Vitamin C, most of the recommended daily intake of either 45mg or 95mg, depending on your preferred health agency.

It’s an appetising and refreshing alternative to grape wine, has a hint of sweetness, is low in alcohol (9.5%) and is perfect served chilled at lunchtime or as an aperitif. In blind tastings, most people would pick kiwifruit wine to be a fruitforward chardonnay or, because of its fresh acidity, a sauvignon blanc. So have some fun: serve it at your next function, hide the label and wait for the comments.

A member of the New Zealand Wine Club, Preston’s Kiwifruit Wine is New Zealand’s most consistent gold medal winner and current holder of the NZ Champion Fruit Wine Trophy. $28 per bottle or $168 per case www.nzwineclub.co.nz

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Peter Lehmann, The Mentor Cabernet Sauvignon $68 Colour: deep, with a dense centre Nose: inviting aromas of classical Barossa Cabernet blackcurrant, hints of mint and cedar box Palate: defined Cabernet cassis flavour, a touch of chocolate & vanilla, and shows a superb integration of oak and fruit Awards: Gold at the 2007 and 2010 Barossa Wine Shows; Silver at the 2006 and 2007 Melbourne Wine Shows and the 2009 Barossa Wine Show Peter Lehmann, Eight Songs Shiraz $68 Colour: beautiful dark cherry with a rich garnet rim Nose: deep chocolate, plum fruits and notes of cedar Palate: richly opulent, beautifully structured with layered, fully integrated tannins supporting the depth of primary fruit characters and spicy overtones Newest outlet at Suntec City Mall (opposite Carrefour) 6338 1911 Parkway Parade 6348 2847 Vivo City 6376 9759 Tampines 1 6782 8998 Tudor Court 6735 5163 www.bottlesandbottles.com.sg

WINE&DINE

Wine Trivia When referring to wine, what are the “legs”?

Swirl the wine in your glass, raise it towards the light and look out for the long streaks of wine that slowly run down the inside of the glass and disappear into the wine. These are the legs, or tears, as the French call them.

One of the greatest misconceptions about wine is that the more legs it has, the higher its quality. That is a myth. The appearance of the legs has more to do with the wine’s surface tension and its sugar and alcohol content, than its actual quality.

The more viscous the wine, the more pronounced the legs – due to a higher sugar and alcohol content.

Fortified dessert wines have some serious legs! Wine legs

can be influenced by other things, too, such as the concentration of dissolved compounds, which is why big, dark, heavily extracted red wines tend to have longer legs than lighter wines.

Now you’ll be able to swirl your wine with gusto and eye those legs with a knowledgeable air!

Aroma Identification Kits Le Nez Du Vin Wine Aroma Kit helps you identify the aromas in different wines with a set of extracted essences and an accompanying guide book. For the beginner, the smaller kit has six key aromas, while for the real wine buff the master kit holds 54 aromas to get your nose around.

Makes scents to us!

Available in Singapore only at The Straits Wine Company. www.lenezduvin.fr eL

Healt h & Fit ness

What’s NEW

HEALTH&FITNESS

Teeth School

Youyi

Games

Watch China take on Australia at basketball on 26 June at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, as part of the Youyi Games. It’s a great opportunity to see some of the world’s best players dribble, dodge and hoop.

Visit www.youyigames.com.

A team from Specialist Dental Group is hosting a seminar about the latest innovations in dental health and aesthetics. Find out how good oral health relates to your overall wellbeing and the many ways to that perfect smile. Head to Level 2, Suntec Convention Centre Theatre on Saturday 30 July at 2pm.

Call 6733 7883 or visit www.specialistdentalgroup.com.

Weight No Longer!

JOLLY HOCKEY STICKS The largest expat hockey club in Singapore, Tornados Hockey Club, wants you! Join its 150 players (from 15 countries) of all skill levels for an exciting new season. The club has four men’s and two women’s teams, and a strong social scene. To find out more, visit www.tornadoshockey.org.sg.

Calling Rugby Fans

The Rugby World Cup 2011 is nearly with us, so gather all fellow fans, whether they be Springbok, Wallaby, Lion or All Black, and make for Rugby Village. It’s not an actual place but a website that lists all the venues to watch the matches, shout at the screen, discuss tactics and drink beer. www.rugbyvillage2011.com

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©Rugby World Cup 2011

ReVeal, by Verita Advanced Wellness, is a new weightmanagement programme guided by a team of naturopaths who provide tools and support to deliver sustainable results. It’s not a quick fix, but an integrated solution based on your individual metabolic profile. One-onone consultations, nutritional guidance, homeopathic remedies and customised aroma blends are all included. Call 6737 2377 or email reveal@ veritaadvancedwellness.com.

HEALTH&FITNESS

Don’t ignore that squiffy tooth, dull ache or yellowing smile any longer. Use this guide to dental treatments, and you’ll feel more at ease about saying “Cheese!”.

Invisalign What is it?

Invisalign is the invisible way to straighten teeth. Instead of metal braces, it uses a series of clear, removable aligners (similar to mouth guards, but medical-grade) to incrementally straighten teeth. Each aligner is worn for about two weeks, then replaced by the next in the series until the final position is achieved. The length of treatment depends on the severity of the case. Treatment varies from six months to two years; the average treatment takes from 12 to 14 months.

Who can have it?

Anyone with wonky teeth. Invisalign has proven to be as effective at straightening teeth as traditional braces, in most cases.

However, some severe dental problems may require treatment using Invisalign together with another teeth-straightening technique.

Benefits over traditional “train tracks”?

Invisalign is nearly invisible, so you can straighten your teeth without anyone knowing. The aligner is removable, so you can eat and drink whatever you like during the treatment period. You can also brush and floss normally to maintain good oral hygiene.

There are no metal brackets or wires to cause mouth irritation, so it’s more comfortable too.

Contact: To find out more and to schedule an appointment with orthodontist Dr Vic Pearly Wong, contact Smilefocus on 6834 0877 or visit www.smilefocus.com.sg. Smilefocus Family Dentistry, #14-02 Camden Medical Centre.

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Paediatric Dentists What are they?

Paediatric dentists deal with oral health and dental needs from birth to adolescence. They are trained in child development, psychology and behaviour management and can also look after special needs patients including those with significant medical, physical or mental disabilities.

Why go to one?

Paediatric dental clinics have been specially designed for children. This teaches young people to trust their dentist and to look after their teeth as they grow up. The dentists use both verbal and non-verbal communication, and emphasise the importance of maintaining the primary teeth to prevent tooth decay. In addition, they monitor the growth and development of your children’s teeth and jaws.

The role of the paediatric dentist changes when the child enters adolescence. Recognising the importance of appearance and self image, the paediatric dentist addresses dental issues such as the consumption of unhealthy snacks and drinks, aesthetic restorations, teeth guidance, wisdom teeth, sports injuries to the oral area, oral piercings and smoking.

How much?

A paediatric dentistry consultation ranges from about $140 to $250 and may include a consultation, an examination and x-rays.

Contact: Specialist Dental Group has recently added Dr Elizabeth Tan to its team. She has over 20 years of experience of working with children.

To book an appointment, call 6733 7883 or visit www.specialistdentalgroup.com.

Specialist Dental Group, #08-03 Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre.

Waterlase Treatment What is it?

Waterlase is a form of dental treatment that treats tooth decay using a laser and water and is a painless alternative to using a dental drill. It can also be used to sterilise infection, trim gums and cure tooth sensitivity for good.

The treatment uses energised water droplets to gently remove tooth decay and prepare cavities and crowns, without the need for other cutting tools such as dental drills and scalpels. A laser of a different frequency is used to reduce bacterial counts in the area of work.

What are the benefits?

Waterlase requires fewer injections and less use of dental drills, scalpels and anaesthesia. In root-canal work, dentists usually need to drill into the root and insert an antibiotic dressing that may need to be left for several weeks before the root can be

filled. Using the laser treatment, they can cut the cavity, disinfect the root and fill it in a single session.

Though there are still a few procedures that require the d r i l l , Wa t e r l a s e can reduce patient anxiety by minimising pain and trauma.

How much?

You are charged an additional $10 to $80 per procedure for the use of Waterlase.

Contact: To find out more or to book an appointment contact GPA Dental Services on 6732 1020 or visit www.gpadental.com. GPA Dental, #14-04/05 Parkview.

Spawhite Teeth Whitening What is it?

As you get older, stains start to accumulate on your teeth, so by the time you reach your thirties and forties your teeth can start to look yellow. Teeth whitening can help to return your teeth back to their original bright white condition; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also known as teeth bleaching. Spawhite Teeth Whitening takes 30 minutes, using a customised formula from the US that whitens your teeth faster than other systems in the market.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, it has a low risk of posttreatment teeth sensitivity.

Who can have it?

Almost everybody can have their teeth whitened, after a proper consultation and examination by a cosmetic dentist. Before administering the procedure, the dentist will make sure that your gums are healthy and that your teeth donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any crack lines, leaky fillings, decay or exposed dentine.

How long does it last?

The effects are immediate and results usually last for about two years. But smoking, tea, coffee and red wine can cause the colour of your teeth to dull more quickly.

Contact: To book a consultation or make enquiries, call 6438 3811 or visit www.aesthetesmilestudio.com.

Aesthete Smilestudio, #02-04 Clifford Centre. eL

How much?

The charge of $1,680 includes a maintenance kit.

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By Leslie Lancaster

S

ome phone calls you never forget. One such call came from Terry R o b a ck e r, P r e s i d e n t of the Singapore Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (SFBF), in January.

“Would you consider representing Singapore in the bikini category at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, on March 6?” he asked.

Without a second thought, the instantaneous answer from me was a resounding, “Yes!” After hanging up, my first emotions were of shock and excitement as I did a happy dance in my family room, jumping and screaming, well aware that my children and husband were looking at me like I had lost my mind. Momentarily, perhaps I had.

Here I was, a mother of two being asked to represent Singapore at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s competition, the largest multisport event in the United States.

What an honour and a privilege!

And, just as quickly as the thrill of it all hit me, I felt a shocking dose of reality sweep over me.

In eight short weeks, could I be ready to step on stage amongst 150 other women, most of whom had never had kids, and represent Singapore?

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Fr o m p a s t c o m p e t i t i o n experience, I understood how changes in nutrition combined with weight lifting and cardio could totally transform my body in weeks. With this knowledge and the guidance of my personal trainer, I was confident that with hard work and dedication I would be ready.

And so my journey began. To prepare, I trained six days a week in the gym with heavy weights, performed cardio five times a week and followed a nutrition plan that was so precise, I was weighing and measuring all my food and eating five times a day. I was on a mission, and my vision was clear.

The weeks of training and dieting flew by. Before I knew it, I along with five others, including Sasi Zura, Mr Singapore 2007, were US-bound.

I placed 16th out of the 41 competitors in my category. Today, I continue to work out six days a week. I keep my nutrition clean and stay focused on my fitness goals. As a mom who was once out of shape and flabby with absolutely no muscle tone, I feel a sense of accomplishment at the improvements I’ve made in my physique over the years. When I step on stage, I can see all my hard work come to fruition, and the joy

that brings me is worth more than any trophy I could receive.

Today, my mission is to help other moms. As a personal trainer, I teach outdoor group exercise classes for women and train clients one-onone. I truly believe, despite what others say, that becoming a mom does not mean life imprisonment in an out-of-shape body. eL For more information, call Leslie at 9632 7142 or visit www.momsandfitness.com.

ART/PHOTOGRAPHY/TRAVEL

REGULARS HOROSCOPES

STARS

FOR THE MONTH

June 21 - July 22 After struggling to keep certain elements of your life going, the pivotal Cancer eclipsed New Moon on 1 July alters your perspective or circumstances. Suddenly you’re reconsidering your activities, relationships and goals. Sometimes it’s about demanding something better but, equally, you could undertake pivotal changes. While challenging, you’re confident something better is coming. You’re right. Keep any arrangements loose, because the powerful Mars’ move into your sign, in early August, boosts your ego and brings the courage necessary to demand what you deserve or desire.

September 23 – October 22 There’s a difference between knowing you’ll soon have to make pivotal decisions and rushing into them.

Because June’s two eclipses and the solar eclipse on 1 July shake up both your thinking and actual situations, it’s unclear what’s best. So instead of worrying, explore absolutely everything, including what seems worryingly disruptive. As the dust settles, these may prove the best option. As important, you’ll soon find you’ve the courage to defy partners, at work or at home, and put your interests first.

July 23 - August 22 True, things are going wonderfully in many areas of your life. But that doesn’t mean the decisions you’re currently making are up to you. Irritating as leaving these crucial matters to others is, they’re either better informed or more imaginative than you are. Besides, their decisions are broadening your horizons – and in wonderful ways. Thus, by the Leo New Moon on 30 July, which constitutes a sort of personal new year, you’re evaluating options that, only recently, you simply wouldn’t have considered.

October 23 – November 21 In the past your suspicions about unrealistic ideas or offers may have been justified. But judging by early July’s stunning aspect between bountiful Jupiter and your ruler Pluto, things could actually be better than they seem. True, this means making changes while short of facts or trusting those you don’t really know.

With things so new, even in-depth questioning achieves nothing, so your time’s best devoted to learning from experience. Ignore doubts. The results will more than justify the chances you take.

August 23 – September 22 Ordinarily, you’d never agree to anything you don’t fully understand.

But with things moving so swiftly and facts in short supply, you’ve no option.

Actually, judging by the stunning planetary activity of July’s first half, concern is unnecessary. Enjoy what you can and learn from the rest. Since many of the minor errors triggered by your ruler Mercury’s retrograde cycle, from August 3 to 26, will reveal the nature of problems, there’s no urgency to take action. Do what you can now.

Mostly, simply enjoy life’s bounty.

November 22 – December 21 While you’re unlikely to have a moment’s hesitation about the sudden dazzling developments of July’s first half, others need to be convinced.

Discuss both your views and intentions once. Then plunge in and allow events to convince those who still question their promise. If there’s any challenge, it’s that in several situations others’ cooperation is essential. Where that’s true, combine whatever facts you know with charm. This should achieve an accord, at least until they can be won over by events.

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REGULARS HOROSCOPES

Do you want to know more about who you are and what you’re meant to be doing? The answer is to have your personal year and chart done.

Visit www.shelleyvonstrunckel.com for more information.

BY SHELLEY VON STRUNCKEL December 22 – January 19 Over the past months you’ve managed to walk that fine line between making potentially unsettling changes and keeping disruption to a minimum. And where others have complained, you’ve pacified them. Thus you know exactly how to handle the exciting, if somewhat chaotic, events of July’s first half.

However, when the emotionally intense Capricorn Full Moon on the 15th brings certain unspoken issues to a head, discussion becomes essential. While this proves unexpectedly challenging, what you learn about your feelings clarifies certain pivotal decisions.

March 20 - April 19 The year’s first half was as thrilling as it was disruptive. Consequently you’ve devoted the past several months to trying to regain control.

Just as you achieve this, yet more promising but unsettling events arise. Hopefully, this time, instead of disputing changes or battling to seize the reins, you’ll allow things to unfold as they must. Be flexible and by midmonth you’ll recognise just how much even completely unexpected developments will add to your life, personally, domestically and in terms of achievement.

January 20 – February 18 Usually, you’re the first to spot trends.

At the moment, however, it’s best to regard events and, often, others’ decisions, as part of a large puzzle.

True, you’ve been gathering and assembling pieces, but the full picture remains unclear. Also, because these involve changes beyond anything you’ve previously experienced, mysteries are inevitable. Forget analysis and enjoy the process. Once you’ve adopted this easygoing approach, you’ll enjoy what and whom you’re discovering. Ideally, you’ll keep things loose until midAugust’s pivotal Aquarius Full Moon.

April 20 - May 20 Having spent months strategising ways to avoid unsettling changes, early July’s amazing, if unexpected, events or exciting offers shift your perspective, virtually overnight. This may be due to happy developments in the circumstances of personal or professional partners or offers you can’t refuse. If there’s any challenge, it’s that the swift pace means making a move – and possibly commitments – before you’re sure of your facts. Go for it. Experience will prove far more informative than all the questions you could ask.

February 19 – March 19 Many of July’s pivotal decisions will be based entirely in your intuition. In the past you’ve relied on those instincts in many areas of your life. But you’ve rarely taken the kind of chances you are now. While not everything works, a lot will, and spectacularly enough to both free you of past burdens and launch exciting new ventures and, perhaps, alliances. True, some arrangements may raise questions or worry, or take until next year to come good. Still, ultimately, your instincts can be trusted.

May 21 - June 20 Disruptive as the events triggered by June’s two eclipses were, you’re already recognising the breakthroughs they’ve introduced. Tempting as it is to organise things swiftly, July’s about investing time in exploring your options and considering ways to make the best of what’s arisen. The resulting valuable insights, about both situations and the individuals involved, shift your focus to aiming higher. Keep any arrangements loose, so as circumstances and your perspective evolve, you can easily turn what’s already good into something wonderful.

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© Zulla | Dreamstime.com

REGULARS

Living in Singapore

t of our The third instalmen follows new diary which d laughs the highs, lows an love in of trying to find th, SGLS Sing city. This mon and his meets an Italian Mamma.

I’ve met someone. “Wahooo!” and “eeeek” at the same time. It’s probably far too early to be writing about it, but seeing as he’s still learning English and doesn’t consider himself an expat, I think I’m safe. He’s an Italian studying for an MBA and he thinks that being a student and an expat are mutually exclusive. (I’m far too infatuated to argue differently.)

I met him at Morton’s bar a few Fridays ago, and despite telling myself to be cool, calm and mysterious, I’ve spent most of the last few weeks blushing like a teenager and re-reading his messages on my BlackBerry. I’ve laughed out loud and beamed at his replies so often I’m surprised my phone hasn’t vomited. Or used what’s left of its battery life to zap me with an electric charge before passing over to mobile phone heaven – a place free from zealous scrolling and constant checking.

I’m also ashamed to say I’ve broken every single-girl-rule in the book. I’ve stayed over far more times 280

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than is appropriate for a three-week courtship, I’ve left stuff at his, I’ve spoken to his mum (impossibly hard to avoid when he speaks to his “Mamma” almost daily on speakerphone) – and then there’s the really shameful thing.

I ditched my girlfriends at the last minute in favour of home-cooked feta rav-i-O-li and a night watching some Italian movie.

That was a big mistake. I didn’t understand the film, despite it having more hand gestures than a signlanguage convention. Plus, I’m in desperate need of a full-throttle-bottle girlie gossip session, the first item on the agenda being why Italians hate the word “to” and hilariously massacre vowels. As in “Can you explain me?” or “Pass the shit [sheet]” – he only looked hurt when I tried to explain what was funny about that one.

Most importantly, I need to discuss the Italian way of dating. It doesn’t follow the normal courtship game of “What’s the time, Mr Wolf?” Instead of carefully tiptoeing up to the point of expressing how you feel (making sure not to get too close in case one of you turns and runs), the Italian way is a cascade of compliments and sweet nothings. I’ve been swept off my feet in waves of sentimentality, and it’s nowhere near as romantic as I’d thought it’d be. I feel like I’m drowning in a corny rom-com and it’s actually pretty scary.

So I’m in desperate need of a girlie night, if only to gasp in lungfuls of cynical air and light-hearted banter.

I’ve learnt my lesson; it’s “hos before mos” from here on in. But I’m sticking with the Italian, as it’s doing my ego wonders. I’ve been grinning so much that a colleague asked me if the wind changed while I was reading some unfortunate news about the cheating ex-boyfriend.

Client gripes are no longer a problem; I have a bounce in my step (partly to do with the blister I got from the precariously high heels I bought on impulse after the first date) and the sky seems bluer. And even if it’s cloudy and grey, I’ll still be beaming – because I’ll be cuddled up on the sofa watching another film in a language I don’t understand.

Check back next month to find out how our single girl has been getting on.

Looking for love?

Why not try Expat Living’s new free dating service? It takes five minutes, and nobody has to know!

Email editorial@expatliving.sg with your 40-word personal ad and it’ll appear on these pages. Don’t forget to include a personal email address (an alias will do) and a description of the type of person you’d like to meet. Visit www.expatliving.sg for more information.

FAMILY & EDUCATION

REGULARS SUBSCRIPTION

Subscribe The first 50 readers to book a two-year subscription will each receive our two newly published coffee table books, worth $140, free!

Expat Living magazine has featured a stunning array of shophouses and colonial homes over the years. To do this, we have personally visited the expats who have been fortunate enough to live in these heritage properties, interviewed them and photographed their homes.

In these two hardcover books – Blackand-White Houses of Singapore and Shophouses and Traditional Terrace Homes of Singapore – we present some of the highlights. Aside from being a visual feast, the books will provide inspiration for your own interior design and homefurnishing ideas.

They also make the perfect gift for anyone who loves distinctive homes and interiors or has an interest in Singapore’s architectural history. * Gifts issued on a first-come-firstserved basis and while stocks last. Not applicable to overseas subscriptions.

Available for purchase online at www.expatliving.sg/elshop, or call 6259 0058.

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ADVERTISER LIST Aesthetics & Beauty Alison Kerlin Hair Design 267 Amaris B.Face & Body Shaping Clinic 243 Chez Belle 257 Clariancy Aesthetic Clinic 210 Diana King 244 Dr Valentin Low Aesthetic & Laser Clinic 11 Face Bistro 287 OPI Nail Colour 179 Spaboutique 227 Summer Haven 216 Trimmings @ Loewen Gardens 191 Visage The Salon 227 & 241

Art Art Glass Solutions Galerie Joaquin Living Portraits Ode to Art REDSEA Gallery

277 216 277 2&3 IFC & 1

161 165

Finance

243

169

Carpets Hassan’s Carpets Hedger’s Carpet Gallery Jehan Gallery Lotto Carpets The Orientalist

137 100 134 150 OBC

Family & Education Australian International School 153 Avondale Grammar School 89 BCAS 118 Bouncy Castles 281 Canadian International School 175 EBAB International 281 EtonHouse 218 ESPZEN 249 Excelsior International School 230 German European School Singapore 194 Go-Go Bambini 281 Insworld Institute 192 International School Singapore 206 Las Lilas School 257 Learn Different Academy 111 Little Newton 281

Legend: (*) IFC - Inside Front Cover

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Fashion Brands Fever EGG Maternity Konplott Mohan’s Custom Tailors Nutri-Style Pressto Sam’s Custom Tailors

Arts & Leisure The Park Fair ArtScience Museum - Dalí Exhibition The Substation - Comedy Festival Roadshow Wild R!ce - Man Singapore Theatre Festival

Marsden Swim School 281 New Concept Mandarin 285 NPS International School 177 Odyssey 75 One World International School 163 Pet Loss Support Group 244 Stamford American International School 21 Swallows and Amazons 253 Tanglin Arts Studio 281 The Children’s Showcase 270 The Talent HQ 281 The Wright Gift 84 Trampolines Asia 281 United World College of South East Asia 191 White Lodge Education Group Services 86

133 267 253 17 267 243 185

Chartwell Associates 249 Consilium Law Corporation 267 Expat Insurance 44 HSBC 27 Joseph Manuel CPA 285 OCBC 103 SMATS (Australian Taxation Services) 189

Food & Beverage Boathouse Chit’s Bar & Restaurant Farmers’ Market Jack’s Place Lemon Zest Lenard’s Mandarin Orchard Natural Springs New Zealand Natural Pasta Fresca Da Salvatore Emmanuel Stroobant Group Serenity Spanish Bar & Restaurant Singapore Dine The Butcher The Pantry Cookery School

269 255 121 109 249 213 62 262 196 210 97 37 179 253 241

Furniture & Home Décor Centrepiece Furnishing

IBC - Inside Back Cover

230

Danish Design Danovel Design Intervention Gallery 278L Gorsia Design Grafunkt John Erdos Home Journey East Le Mercier’s My Home Natural Living Ni-Night OHMM Originals Outback BBQ Prinz Enterprise Scandic Wonders Taylor B Fine Design Group Teak & Mahogany The Shophouse The V Furniture Verandah Living Whitewoods Window to the Past Woody Antique House

IBC 126 25 61 247 31 13 52 39 58 9 270 125 23 244 115 99 67 105 15 33 65 29 170 250

Health & Fitness Andrea’s Digestive, Colon, Liver And Gallblader Clinic 233 Body Temple 262 Cambridge Weight Plan 273 Cutis Medical Laser Clinics 145 David Forrest Destiny Match 83 Evolve Mixed Martial Arts 123 Focus Pilates 194 GynaeMD Women’s & Rejuvenation Clinic 141 Hypnae Center 244 Innate 112 Karosi Tennis Academy 257 Mount Elizabeth Orthodontic Clinic 192 Neuro Spine and Pain Centre 149 Osteopathic Treatment Centre 270 Parkway Cancer Centre 107 PhysioAesthetics 149 Privé Clinic 116 Regional Hypnosis Center 249 Singapore Vein Centre 143 Smile Focus 189 Smile Inc. Dental Surgeons 6&7 Specialist Dental Group 209 SW Yung Orthopaedics 218 The Counselling Place 257 The Makeover Bootcamp 196 The Skin Pharmacy 213 The Vein Clinic 19

OBC - Outside Back Cover

(L) Also has leasing options

The Wellness Clinic Tirisula Yoga Vista Medicare

138 287 225

Home Services A-Team Amahs & Cleaners Feng Shui Focus Hyperlink Services K9kulture Mrs Sparkles Outback BBQ Packeverything Pet Mobile Petscity Singapore Post SingBound SingTel

287 262 287 285 227 244 287 287 287 91 270 95

Motoring Services Audi Dave Motor Evergreen Rent A Car Expat Motor Singapore

43 287 233 202

Mah Presto Expat Motoring Services Regal Raptor Volkswagen Wearnes Automotive

227 170 287 81 57

Orchard Scotts Commercial Guru Riverplace Scotts Residence Singapore Service Residence Your Property Club

255 202 201 273

Travel & Leisure

49 225 41 49 177 175

Movers Geometra Worldwide Movers Relocasia SIR Move Services Vanpac International

Photography Brilliant Prints Gronow Photography Kids Pictures Light Poet Photography Zosia Zacharia Photography Zurina Bryant Photography

262 277 277 277 277 277

Property Capella Singapore Expat Realtor

51 186

&Beyond Alam Bali Villa Asia to Africa Safaris Bali Dream Villas Bintan Resorts International Excursions to Africa Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives KLM Neptune Group Sing Bound Sari Pacifica Hotel & Resorts WWF

167 185 243 277 4&5 253 209 54 206 270 201 250

IMPORTANT NUMBERS Emergency • Ambulance Service 995 • Ambulance Service (non-emergency) 1777 • Civil Ambulance 6333 3000 • Fire 995 • Green Crescent Ambulance Service 6788 8911 • Police 999 • Police Hotline 1800 353 0000 • Traffic Police 6547 1818 • 24-hr Emergency Road Service 6748 9911 • 24-hr Sewerage Services 1800 282 4336 • 24-hr Water (Pipes) Services 1800 284 6600 Hospitals

Public: • KK Women & Children’s • National University (NUH) • Singapore General (SGH) Private: • East Shore • Gleneagles • Mt Alvernia • Mt Elizabeth • Raffles Hospital • Thomson Medical Centre Churches • Danish Seaman's • International Baptist • St Andrew’s Cathedral (Anglican) • St Bernadette (Catholic) • St George’s (Anglican) • St Ignatius (Catholic) Postal Enquiries • SingPost Customer Service

6293 4044 6772 5000 6222 3322 6340 8666 6473 2222 6347 6210 6737 2666 6311 1555 6350 8812 6274 6344 6466 4911 6337 6104 6737 3529 6473 2877 6466 3225 1605

Associations & Organisations • Africa Society 9677 1042 • American Assoc. of Singapore 6738 0371 • American Women’s Assoc.

6733 6170 • Amitabha Buddhist Centre 6745 8547 • ANZA 6733 1215 • British Association 6339 8229 • Canadian Association 6734 5954 • Career Resource Centre (CRCE) 6733 4257 • Consumer Associations (CASE) 6463 1811 • French Association www.afsingapour.com • German Association 6467 8802 • PrimeTime Business & Professional Women’s Assoc. 6234 0973 • Protea Group of South Africa 6465 6908 • SACAC Counselling 6733 9249 • Scandinavian Women’s Assoc. 6468 0568 • Singapore Oilwomen's Club 6365 2096 • Spanish Speaking Women’s Assoc.

6254 7843 • St Patrick’s Society 6466 6758 • Swiss Association www.swiss-sg.org • Friends of the Museum 6337 3685 Business & Trade • AmCham • Association of Dutch Businessmen • AustCham • Belgium & Luxembourg Business Association • BritCham • CanCham • Danish Business Association • EuroCham

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6235 0077 6263 4600 6738 7917 6324 4271 6222 3552 6734 5954 6318 3557 6532 5746

• Finnish Business Council 6322 2451 • French Business Assoc. (FBA) 6895 8188 • German Business Assoc. (GBA) 6235 3733 • Irish Business Association 6534 5100 • Italian Chamber of Commerce 6223 0356 • Japanese Chamber of Commerce 6221 0541 • New Zealand Chamber of Commerce 6235 7119 • Portuguese Business Representative 6334 1231 • Spanish Business Representative 6224 2707 • Swedish Business Association 6423 0610 • Swiss Business Association 6415 3812 Taxis • Comfort & City Cab • Comfort & City Cab Limo Cab Service • SMRT Taxis • Silver Cab • Singapore Explorer

6552 1111 6552 2828 6555 8888 6363 6888 6339 6833

Transportation • Bintan Resort Ferries • Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal • Harbour Front Info Services

6542 4369 6545 2123 6377 6311

Volunteer Organisations • Business Coalition on Aids • Dover Park Hospice • Green Volunteer Network • Kids’ Nature Society • National Volunteer Centre

6737 5451 6355 8200 6337 6062 6741 2036 6325 0955

• Riding for the Disabled (RDA) 6251 7020 • SPCA 6287 5355 Charity & Donation Outlets • East Coast Care Centre • Salvation Army • New2U Thrift Shop Flight Enquiries • Changi Airport • Departures & Arrivals • Seletar Airport Entertainment • SISTIC • Ticket Charge • The Esplanade Theatres

6241 8539 6555 0188 6837 0611 6542 1122 1800 542 4422 6481 0017 6348 5555 6296 2929 6828 8222

Help Lines & Support Groups • Acres Wildlife 9783 7782 www.acres.org.sg • Alcoholics Anonymous 6475 0890 • Anti-Narcotics Association 1800 733 4444 • AWARE 6779 7137 • Drug & Poison Information Centre 6423 9119 • New Mothers Support Group (NMSG) www.nmsg-singapore.com • Samaritans of Singapore 6221 2122 • SOS Hotline 1 800 221 4444 Property • Expat Realtor 6255 1027

www.expatrealtor.net • Property Guru www.propertyguru.com.sg

WEBSITES Entertainment • www.eventshub.sg - Information on cultural and entertainment events • www.sistic.com.sg or www.ticketcharge.com.sg - Online bookings for events • www.gv.com.sg or www.cathay.com.sg - Online movie bookings Food & Groceries • www.coldstorage.com.sg • www.e-mart.com.sg • www.fairprice.com.sg • www.theorganicgrocer.com.sg Information • www.angloinfo.com - Online information and free interaction • www.can.com.sg - Local search engine •www.expatliving.sg - Online magazine, years of useful archive material, facts about the magazine, unique content •www.expatrealtor.net - Properties for sale and rent - previously Expat Rentals • www.google.com.sg - Singapore-specific search engine portal • www.hardwarezone.com.sg - Up-to-date computer prices in Singapore • www.gov.sg - For official matters pertaining to the government • www.primetime.org.sg - Meeting the networking needs of professional women • www.sg - An extensive site about Singapore services and what’s available • www.singaporefairs.com - Forthcoming fairs and bazaars • www.singapore-forum.com - A useful expat message board • www.singpost.com - Have you got the right postcode for your mail?

• www.singtel.com - Directory of phone numbers and addresses • www.stb.com.sg - The Singapore Tourism Board • www.singaporeair.com - Flight information on SIA and Silk Air

HEALTH & BEAUTY/SERVICES

PARTING SHOT

L

et’s face it: we love eating the wrong foods. But they affect some of us more than others.

There’s always that Skinny Bitch at the next table stuffing hot chips and dessert down her throat, washing it down with full-cream coffee, soft drinks and wine. She’s wearing tight jeans and a tube top, and to make matters worse she is five years older than you.

But do you really think anyone can eat like that all the time and stay slim?

The truth is, no. Back in our teens and even our twenties it might have been possible; eventually, though, it catches up with us.

So, how does Skinny Bitch maintain her hot bod? Here’s the likely truth: one night a week, she allows herself all the fried food, dessert and wine she wants.

The rest of the week? She watches everything that goes past her lips, but she doesn’t compromise on taste – she still keeps her food exciting.

How? Her food management starts with some basic choices. Skinny Bitch eats carbs at every meal, but never more than one cup at one sitting and never white bread, rice or pasta – oh no, she chooses only low-GI and highfibre whole-wheat bread, brown rice, wholemeal pasta.

She uses only polyunsaturated or

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monounsaturated fats, and knows that saturated fat is found in animal foods like meat, milk, butter, ghee, most yellow cheese, lard, cream and margarine. It’s also in vegetable fats like palm oil – found in most candy bars and snack foods – and in coconut products.

Yes, I know. It’s all the stuff we love.

Before you despair, though, read this guide to how Skinny Bitch manages to pull it off. Maybe it’s not so difficult after all.

She avoids: ■ Pastries,

cakes, puddings and cream biscuits ■ Processed deli meats and sausages ■ Deep-fried, battered or crumbed foods

She chooses: ■ Skim milk instead of full-cream milk

in her coffee oil or canola spreads instead of butter or margarine on her toast ■ Cottage cheese or ricotta rather than yellow cheese on her sandwiches ■ Low-fat natural yogurt instead of sour cream on tacos and burritos, and – for dessert – fruit with low-fat yogurt or sorbet instead of ice cream ■ Olive

© Tea | Dreamstime.com

Skinny Bitch is a bestselling diet book by former modelling agent Rory Freedman and model Kim Barnouin. Here, ANNETTE LANG of Expat Kitchen gives us her own take on eating well and still looking good.

■ Home-baked

low-fat muesli bars and snack bars using apple sauce for sweetness ■ For a chocolate fix, two pieces only of good quality, dark (75 percent or higher) chocolate ■ Dry-roasting, grilling, barbecuing or steaming, or stir-frying with little or no oil ■ Tomato-based rather than creamy sauces ■ Sunflower, safflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed, grape seed, canola, sesame and olive oils ■ Oily fish such as herring, mackerel, sardine, salmon and tuna, three times a week ■ Avocados, seeds and nuts in moderation ■ White meat, like skinless chicken breasts and fish ■ Beans and lentils to fill her tummy up Oh, yeah, and Skinny Bitch exercises at least three times a week. Sorry, I can’t help you in that department. www.expat-kitchen.com