VIP Singapore - July/August 2011

Ca t h erine L im , D anes h D ar y anani o n P o s t G e n e r a l E l e c t i o n s S c e n a r i o s

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OVIDIA YU Sleep Running A Short Story

Darryn johnston: The Sexually Accessible Wife

Nicholas Fang:

Social Media and Change

Brenton Wong:

Singapore Style, or Lack Thereof VIP INTERVIEW

DR WEN-SON HSIEH

JUL-AUG 2011 / S$9.90

DIAMOND LIFE DJ Diamond In All

Her Sparkling Glory

FEATURE

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FOR THE RECORDS

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editor’s notes

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playbill

Published authors, seasoned journalists, outstanding young talents make up this issue’s contributors

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after hours

Find answers to your intimate questions, mix an extraordinary aphrodisiac, plan your next sensual sojourn

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Dispatches

What goes on inside Jakarta’s infamous Stadium, which Shanghai hotel will you call home

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mantrack

Add extra zing to your home, stay connected with powerful, travelfriendly gadgets

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c o n t e n t s

view

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VIP interview

Dr Wen-son Hsieh

Active in the treatment of patients and development of novel cancer therapies, Dr Hsieh talks about molecularly targeted cancer therapies and immunotherapy, as well as his Christian faith and its impact on his practice Interview by Nick Leese

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feature

Credit Where It’s Due

It pays to be ultra-rich: credit card companies pamper them with more perks than the rest of plastic wielders.

From concierge service to privilege information – not to mention charging hundred-thousand-dollar items to your card – this cohort, apparently, has it all

By Jeremy Torr

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Playmate of the Month

This Diamond Is Forever

Nicole Connors, aka DJ Diamond, is as alluring and precious as the sparkling gem that she has chosen to be her namesake Story by Victor Chen Photography by Luke Elijah assisted by Nanda Kumar/Phocus Styling by Tinoq Russell Goh assisted by Dylan Chan

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FeaturE

In Plain View

Those in need of an art fix is never too far from real masterpieces in Singapore – where artworks hang not only in galleries, museums and private homes, but in malls and hotels

By TK Ang

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feature

Minding the Brueghel

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20Q

Christie’s Fine Art Storage Service irons out the kinks for art lovers-slash-globetrotters whose collections cross customs and timelines

By Li Haohan

Projected Values

Community volunteer and film project investor Gin Kai Chan reveals the formula behind his profitable ventures and why he puts money in horror flicks Interview by Li Haohan

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FEATURE

For The Records

From recording movie sountracks to launching silver screen idols and creating music for Youthquake, Singapore record music entrepreneurs displayed true understanding of the market

By Joseph Pereira

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Commentary

A Supreme Irony

The recently concluded General Elections in Singapore yielded several surprises, not least of which was the resignation of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. This essay, an excerpt from The Watershed Election, explores the possible scenarios that result from the political exercise

By Catherine Lim

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Commentary

Voice, Power and Responsibility

The General Elections ignited political discourse and turned netizens into political activists. But the power of expression – the newfound voice – must be handled with a sense of responsibility for it to become a positive force

By Danesh Daryanani

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Pictorial

The Girl In Black

Spanish model Carmen Solis dons black to express her inner passions Photography by Luke Elijah assisted by Nanda Kumar/Phocus Styling by Tinoq Russell Goh assisted by Dylan Chan

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Ficition

Sleep Running

One man’s tale of despair, love and redemption

By Ovidia Yu

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Forum

From Words To Action

Social media may be ubiquitous, but is it powerful enough to effect social change?

By Nicholas Fang

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Forum

Singapore Style: Urban Legend?

The key that unlocks the door to style is selfknowledge and self-acceptance

By Brenton Wong

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Forum

A Woman’s Duty?

The notion of the sexually accessible wife has raised more than eyebrows throughout Southeast Asia

By Darryn Johnston

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FEATURE

A Sentimental Journey

Sections of Geylang may have lost its comely, neighbourly face, but it hasn’t shed its allure especially amongst men

By Boas Villas

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Profile FLYBOY

Aerobatic pilot Hannes Arch talks about the commitment, discipline and rigorous preparation that each brief show flights require

By Jeremy Torr

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fashion

City Codes

Casuals with urban attitude Concept by Li Haohan Photography by Lionel Lai/Acepix Styling Siau Xindi assisted by Nicholas Ong

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Home Entertainment Picture This

Movie projectors find a place in private homes

By Danny Chaplin

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Bubble Baths

Champagnes remain the undisputed drink of choice for celebrations

By Li Haohan

104 motoring

Smash Hits!

Movie car chases drive audiences on the edge of their seats and ticket sales to stratosphere

By Mark Rivett-Carnac

By Li Haohan

108 travel

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Tales My Mother Told Me

A trip to Myanmar for a weeklong adventure is transformed into a deeply emotional journey

By Tara Rushton

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Pictorial

Monsoon – The Mechanics of Rain, Mobility and Intervention The force of Nature turns into a lyrical subject for a photographic essay Words and Photos by Sherman Ong

116 FOOD

Novus. No Kidding

Executive Chef Stephan Zoisl’s new menu for Novus is inspired by his sabbatical spent on travels and a stint at The Fat Duck

By Li Haohan

118 wine

Burgundy – Home of Pinot and Chardonnay

The foundation of the complex nature of Burgundy region and its wines

By Lim Hwee Peng

119 wine

FALLING FOR BURGUNDY

A discovery of charming people, culture and some of the world’s rarest and most expensive wines

By William Chong

123 wine

Fine Wine, An Alternative Investment

Limited supply, reputation and sheer quality have turned Australia’s fine wines into safer bet than shares and managed funds in recent history

By Danny Chaplin

125 VIP Scene

VIP takes readers from the formula car racetrack to ballroom and private exhibitions

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VIP SINGAPORE EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Marc Almagro Contributing art Director YH Han Contributors

TK Ang, Danny Chaplin, Victor Chen, William Chong, Danesh Daryanani, Katharina Diehl, Luke Elijah, Nicholas Fang, Tinoq Russell Goh, Stefanie Hauger, Darryn Johnston, Alex Lai, Lionel Lai, Nick Leese, Li Haohan, Catherine Lim, Lim Hwee Peng, Jamey Merkel, Joseph Pereira, Mark Rivett-Carnac, Tara Rushton, Xindi Siau, Cedric Tan, Jeremy Torr, Boas Villas, Ovidia Yu

CORPORATE Chairman Nick Leese

Chief Executive Officer/ publisher Raymond Khoo

issue

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Chief Operating Officer Ken Ho

SALES AND MARKETING Assistant Vice-President Samantha Tng

Assistant Vice-President Simon See

LAKE SHORE PRESS, INC.

Editor-in-Chief

Hugh M Hefner

Editorial director

Jimmy Jellinek

art director

Rob Wilson

EVP/Managing Director International Print/Digital

Markus Grindel

SVP/Publishing & Editorial Director

David Walker

Publishing Services Manager

Mary Nastos

Digital Asset Manager

Gabriela Cifuentes

Editorial Services Coordinator

William Ansell VIP is published by Luxury Media Inc. Pte Ltd, 46 Zion Road, Singapore 247777Tel (+65)6733 7117 Fax (+65) 6735 7117, under license from Lake Shore Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed by Times Printers Pte Ltd Enquiries: pr@luxurymediainc.com

Senior Administrative Assistant

Veronica Reyes

V I P , P la y m ate o f t h e M o n t h , R a b b it h ea d Desi g n a n d F e m li n are tra d e m ar k s o f a n d u se d u n d er li c e n se fr o m L a k e S h o re P ress , I n c .

VIP assumes no responsibility to return unsolicited editorial, graphic or other material. All rights in letters, unsolicited editorial, graphic or other material will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes, and materials will be subject to VIP’s unrestricted rights to edit and to comment editorially. Contents copyright 2011 by VIP, all rights reserved, otherwise stated. No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording means or otherwise without written permission of the publisher.

Any similarity between the people and places in the works of fiction or semi-fiction in this magazine and any real people and places is purely coincidental. The views and opinions expressed or implied in VIP are those of the authors or contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

MICA (P) 223/03/2011

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editor’s l e t t e r

LEADING LADIES I’m having very Costa-Gavras flashbacks lately, what with all the things I read on the Internet. One of them involves this: Give a child a hammer and he will discover that everything needs a good hammering. With this the colonial powers reduced the argument for the independence of colonies to dust. Hammer here is, obviously, a stand in for the push for independence and the child the young republic. Nothing to do with the foregoing, but I just need to get that out of the way.

DJ Diamond showed up on the dot at the studio where we were setting up her playmate pictorial. She knew her way around town and has remained acquainted with its pace, having played here at parties a few times before. Her driver deposited her at the door; someone unceremoniously let her in, and we all found her standing in the room with a battered suitcase filled, as it turned out, with shoes, lingerie, accessories and make-up, and holding a large Starbucks tumbler.

I met Diamond when she showed up at the F1 tracks for the formula drift race a couple of days earlier; it was 34 degrees in the shade and she had just endured a 16-hour flight, but she didn’t show any signs of fatigue. She seemed genuinely interested in what was going on and eager to help in any way she could. (She ended up handing out trophies to the winners.)

I’ve been going to a lot of pictorials lately but I have yet to see one of the women behaving badly. From Tara Rushton to Maria Eriksson and, now, Diamond, I saw nothing but professionals in control and in best behaviour. They were polite, enthusiastic about the collaboration and eager to do their part to make things work. No diva tantrums, no walks-outs and hysterical fits.

I take that as a sign that this issue filled with vital and substantial contributions from women was going to be smooth. And I am not disappointed.

I am very excited to obtain Catherine Lim’s permission to run one of her essays in this issue. The said essay, The GE 2011 Political Demise of Lee Kuan Yew, A Supreme Irony, went viral in the aftermath of the general elections and the announcement of former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s resignation. A friend sent me a link to the said essay and I read it intently. I found it to be powerful and at the same time elegant, just the kind of writing we don’t get much of these days. The allusions to history and to literature, the analyses and insights, the phrasing and pace were vintage Lim. Weeks prior to the elections – and weeks immediately after – the blogosphere was exploding with tremendous new information. Not all of them were lucid; in fact most of them were often tangled emotional gibberish and blunt, misdirected anger. Catherine’s essay was elegant, well-research, well-argued and generous with insights.

I simply have to share it with all of you. She asked me one favour: send her contributor’s fee to one of the charities that she has been supporting. Catherine’s new book, The Watershed Election, carries the said essay, is available in leading bookstores.

I didn’t have as easy a time with my friend Ovidia Yu, however. I had been courting her for a contribution, one of her short stories, of whatever length, on whatever subject, I’ll take anything, please – but she’s just been too busy with other commitments – a novel, a collection of short stories, perhaps – that she turned me down when I first asked. But I was persistent and in the end she relented. Her short story, Sleep Running, brims with affection and understanding that I feel it is well worth the wait. It is about a man seeing the light of love in a cosmic realisation and none too tarried redemption.

Other fine efforts by women are in this issue: Tara Rushton travelled to Myanmar to retrieve her mother’s obliterated memory of her homeland. She tells it in a bittersweet travel narrative.

Stefanie Hauger opens her column called ‘I covet...’ with a story about her encounter with a console in the Paris showroom of Herve van der Straeten; she was transported to design heaven. While you might think it doesn’t compare to other stories on my lineup, let me assure you that Stefanie is very knowledgeable and passionate about these things. That console may not change your life, but it would do your bachelor’s pad a world of good. So there.

Well then, enjoy the issue and thank all the women in your life. This is a damn great place because of them.

Marc Almagro, Editor-In-Chief 006 VIP

MAKING IT WORK

B e s i d e s writing ( e x c e e d ing ly w e l l ) , o u r c ontrib u tor s h a v e ot h e r c on s u ming pa s s ion s

Stefanie Hauger went to Central Saint Martins and now owns the luxury lifestyle emporium, Vanilla Home. She is also a painter. In this issue, Hauger talks about the designs of Herve van der Straeten, in particular the ConsolePsychose 340, which she declares a masterpiece. This is Hauger’s first piece for ‘I Covet...’, a regular column under ManTrack, through which she will share her fascination with exquisite objects.

Danny Chaplin is managing director at Chaplin

Public Relations. He is an accomplished guitar player. Chaplin interviewed Andrew Bassett, director of Singapore-based Australian Wine Index, about investing in Australian wines. He also writes a feature on top of the line home entertainment systems.

Darryn Johnston

Nicholas Fang Jeremy Torr is editorial director at Story Locker and former editor of Discovery Channel Magazine. He is an esteemed journalist and editor in Singapore. He spoke to credit card companies about products and services targeted at high net worth clients. He also profiles aerobatics pilot Hannes Arch.

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attended St Hugh’s College, Oxford. He is president of the Singapore Pentathlon Association. He was a newspaper journalist.

Fang has just attended the NATO conference and will write about it in the coming issues of VIP. In this issue, Fang discusses how social media can be an agent of social change.

graduated from the University of Canterbury and now works at In2 Marketing Consulting. He is also a journalist. Johnston’s impassioned reaction to the Obedient Wives’ Club, informed and well-argued, may be the last piece on the subject. Johnston will return with more essays in the coming issues of VIP.

Danesh Daryanani attended Indiana University and works as director at Shyalala (Singapore). He has written books on Singapore history. Daryanani writes a commentary about freedom and responsibility in reference to the recent Singapore GE and the open and popular discussions it has engendered.

Luke Elijah went to the Singapore Institute of Management and now runs lumiere Photography Studio.

He was previously a fashion designer. Elijah photographs VIP Playmate DJ Diamond and fashion model Carmen Solis in this issue – his first collaboration with VIP.

Alex Lai is a freelance

journalist from Hong Kong who writes in Cantonese and English.

He specialises in luxury lifestyle. A source of insider information on the Chinese luxury market, Lai shares new developments in Shanghai’s hospitality sector in this issue.

Jamey Merkel studied at the Marketing Institute of Singapore and works as chief mixologist at Beam Global Asia, where he also runs a brand education programme. His regular column, ‘The Gentleman’s Drink’, offers insights into popular cocktails as well as his original recipes. In this issue, he creates an aphrodisiac cocktail.

Joseph Clement Pereira

Ovidia Yu is an

award-winning writer whose works have been selected for various Asian and Southeast Asian literary anthologies. She writes Sleep Runner, a short story about one man’s love, despair and redemption.

studied at Stamford College and works as journalist and writer.

He has written books on Singapore popular music and has delivered several lectures on the subject. He talks about the beginnings of the Singapore recording industry in this issue.

Catherine Lim is a novelist and lecturer. Her works are required reading

in most Singapore schools. Her blogs on the Singapore general elections are amongst the most lucidly written and discussed. Her latest book, The Watershed Election, is now available in leading bookstores. She shares her analysis of LKY’s exit from politics, an excerpt from her book, in this issue.

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Personal Best Professional Advice on Health, Sex and Well-Being

TOYS ‘n’ US

Sex toys have become a big part of my sex life with my partner. We seldom have intercourse without the aid of some sex gadgets, most frequently on her. Is this healthy or normal? Should we focus on pleasuring each other without such aid?

A very good question and one that is perhaps tinged with guilt. It need not be. Many couples would routinely use sex aides or toys in their sexual relationship to spice things up. Let’s be honest, for most couples, the sex acts do get a bit predictable and monotonous after a while especially in a long term relationship. To keep things interesting many adventurous and inventive couples use aides and sometimes perform the deed in new and unfamiliar surroundings. This adds an element of freshness or a sense of danger to their relationship perhaps reminding them of the times during their teen years. There are certain things to be aware of with toys. Ensure they are of good quality and does not break or are used appropriately without causing bodily injuries. Also make sure they are cleaned properly and stayed hygienic. If toys are shared with other couples be mindful of spreading diseases. It is safer not to share.

FILE SHARING

My amorous encounters with my wife of ten years were getting stale until we fooled around with a videocam. We’ve had a few of those moments recorded and they keep us inspired to try out new things. My wife is thinking of sharing them with some intimate friends but I have so far put my foot down, fearing dire consequences. Am I right or am I depriving my wife of further pleasure?

Yes a very interesting situation indeed. If you are not comfortable to share the footages then I think you have the right to refuse. Sharing the footages outside your relationship may expose both of you to a few risks. It may have a negative impact on your relationship especially if you feel coerced into it. The footages may expose any insecurities that you may have of yourself and you could feel a sense of betrayal.

In the era of YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms, the footages may be subject to a much wider audience than you first intended if the people you share them with are unscrupulous.

Many embarrassing and compromising situations have been exposed this way. I would exercise caution.

FIT THE PILL

I rely on Viagra to give myself extra rigidity during intercourse, although I can usually perform without it.

What possible risks am I facing? Should I continue the practice or find other ways to keep me in top form for intercourse? Are there non-pharmaceutical alternatives?

Viagra or other similar drugs are medications and generally require a prescription by a qualified medical practitioner. Hence, it needs to be treated as a drug and be used appropriately. Men with heart conditions, previous history of stroke and on certain medications should not use this drug. Make sure you obtain the necessary advice from your doctor before using it. There are other innovative low-tech devices out there that you could try. Visit a good adult store. Check it out. You will be surprised!

This VIP column is powered by a panel of doctors from FlyFreeForHealth network, which include: Dr Wei Siang Yu aka Dr Love; Dr Kenneth Leong, OBGYN; Dr Suresh Nair, OBGYN; Dr Ivan R Sini, OBGYN; Dr Marco Faria-Correa, Cosmetic Surgeon; Dr Bernard Lee, Pain Specialist; Dr Lewis Liew, Urologist; Dr Kum Cheng Kiong, General Surgeon; Dr Dennis Leong, Dentist; Dr Ralph Stanley, ENT Surgeon; Dr Francis Wong, Orthopedic and Dr Hock Foong Lui, Liver Physician. For more info, visit www.flyfreeforhealth.com.

For any question on maintaining your personal best, please email PB@luxurymediainc.com.

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A F T E R H O U R S

The Gentleman’s Drink

by Jamey Merkel

While previously I have pontificated about classic cocktails, provided recipes and tips to make the drink historically accurate, this time I will share a personal creation: an aphrodisiac cocktail

I call this concoction The

Mighty Aphrodite, and it’s my tribute to the Greek goddess of love. Each ingredient I use in this cocktail is an homage to her: pomegranate is often depicted with her in relief carvings and so it is a logical choice for the fruit base. It is said that the act of feeding the pomegranate seeds to one’s lover is highly suggestive and is a metaphor for the sexual act. It is also a symbol of fertility to the Chinese and Hindus.

The second key component is chocolate, which enjoys a reputation as an aphrodisiac. Chocolate is native to meso-America and was a key crop to the Aztecs, who used it as a currency and basis of the beverage xocolātl. In the Mighty Aphrodite, I use chocolate in several ways. I infuse the flavour of white chocolate into Hornitos 100% Agave Tequila, and then apply a technique called fat-washing to remove the oils. I also combine fresh ginger and white chocolate in an espuma, or culinary foam, which I layer on the top of the cocktail. I use ginger to provide a spicy heat that in turn increases blood flow in the body. This espuma provides two essential elements to the drink – as garnish and flavouring ingredient.

On a side note, the Aztecs fermented the agave plant into a beverage called pulque, which was considered a sacred beverage attributed to the goddess Mayahuel, their maternal/fertility/agave goddess.

As the pulque gives us modern tequila, the ingredients fit well together in concepts, flavours and history – an astounding feat, if I may say so myself!

The final key ingredient is Champagne, the libation of celebration and love. What could be more fitting?

Champagne has contributed to more than one successful date and is added here to bring acidity and balance out the sweetness of the chocolate.

There are some wonderful flavour combinations in this drink that work very well together.

Tequila goes with pomegranate and chocolate; pomegranate works with white chocolate; ginger works with pomegranate and chocolate, and champagne is, well, champagne goes with everything. The key ingredients play nicely together to form a harmonious blend of flavours, mixed with enough alcohol to lower ones inhibitions sufficiently and produce a nice warm glow. The result: The Mighty Aphrodite.

Jamey Merkel has over 12 years in the international bar industry and is currently the Mixologist at Beam Global Asia.

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The Mighty Aphrodite 30ml White chocolate washed Hornitos Reposado 100% Agave Tequila 10ml Bols Cacao White Dash salted sugar syrup 45 ml Fresh pressed Pomegranate Juice Healthy Splash Brut Champagne Ginger Chocolate Foam Garnish with fresh cut pomegranate to feed to your lover.

As I leave you, I am reminded of the words of Raymond Chandler: “Alcohol is like love. The first kiss is magic, the second intimate, the third is routine. After that you just take the girl’s clothes off.” Appropriately politically incorrect, I’m sure.

Remember to drink safe. Cheers!

hotspot

b y C e d r i c Ta n

Images courtesy of Aman Summer Palace, Beijing

Perfect Trysting Locales

for barely The Chinese have purportedly produced

the first sexual manuals some 5,000 years ago but over the successive millennia that ancient spur had inspired neither flair nor favour for eroticism in the most populous nation on earth. Confucian pieties rang the death knell for any overt enthusiasm for sex throughout the ages (except for a glorious reprieve during the Tang Dynasty) and romance in Chinese records both historical and literary invariably served up yarns of tragedy.

The only man in the Middle Kingdom who had the unabashed rights to pleasurable sex was the Emperor, whose mandate to rule also came with the responsibility of procreation, for which he is entitled to a harem of thousands (there exist quite a few recorded casualties of exertion amongst them). While one isn’t entirely sure what goes on behind silken screens in the imperial palaces of yore, the stage to that sort of excess is now within reach for commoners with a penchant for a spot of royal traipsing in the sack.

Some years ago, Beijing wouldn’t even be considered remotely romantic on any counts, for where there are people, someone is bound to spit, yell, or shove. Years of cultural regression also meant that what was once resplendent and glorious is now mismanaged and overwrought. The good folks at Aman, however, are more sanguine about the Chinese connection to the past, and the revival they did brilliantly of the Summer Palace converted a handsome slab of the historic compound into a glorious pleasure palace of unmatched elegance.

Hurrah and raise the red lanterns for barely two years since its opening, the Aman Summer Palace has established

two years since its opening, the Aman Summer Palace has established itself as the hottest rooms of the city. itself as the hottest rooms of the city, a cocoon of complete indulgence where the level of service astounds as much as it delights. The courtyards that house the rooms and suites are secluded and atmospheric, where one’s script for amorous intentions can easily unfurl with a regal twist. A huge private cinema with first class seats screen movies from an extensive selection any hour of the day, but one really can’t be too obvious or imaginative with one’s prospects to score there. And the singular spa is the ultimate nest of sensuous pleasures, therapeutic beyond the flesh.

It’s a late start granted, but in the quest for amorous climaxes, a delayed gratification this long in the making is plainly a thrill not to be missed.

The Aman Summer Palace 1 Gongmenqian Street, Summer Palace Beijing, PRC 100091 For reservation and enquiries Amanresorts International Pte Ltd 1 Orchard Spring Lane #05-01 Tourism Court Tel: (65) 6883 2555 Fax: (65) 6883 0555 Email: info@amanresorts.com www.amanresorts.com

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Dispatches

Katharina Diehl

Braving

There are now many places in Jakarta where one can get a fix of exotic pleasures, but Stadium reigns as the one to beat

The Stadium b y K at h a r i n a D i e h l

Electronic beats pulsate through the spacious room with high

ceilings and wannabe-chic design, where a small crowd has started to dance and move their bodies to the rhythm of tunes that a lone DJ onstage puts on.

It is shortly after midnight, and I am somewhat disappointed.

I’m at Stadium, Jakarta’s most notorious night club located north of the city, but famous beyond the country’s borders. Even though I’ve been living in Jakarta for several years, I’ve never set foot into the four-storey building, which some of friends have described to me as “the gateway to hell,” or “dragon’s den.”

I’ve heard the most intriguing stories about this place.

“Everybody is high on Ecstacy in there,” one friend told me, “they all order water instead of other drinks to keep their energy level high and avoid dehydration. Some people go in there on Friday night, come out again on Monday morning and go directly to their office.”

“It is pitch dark, so don’t bother bringing friends along; you will lose them anyway after a couple of minutes,” said another.

Ignoring the warnings and curious to see with my own eyes what all the fuss is about, I convince a male and a female friend to join me on my maiden voyage to Stadium on a Wednesday night. The next day is a public holiday, so I expect it to be as crowded as on the weekends. We make our way to the fourth floor and paid Rp 60,000 cover charge that includes a free soft drink or beer.

As I stand close to the dance floor, observing the mostly Indonesian crowd – only a handful are foreigners – I can’t help but think there must be more to this

Following their stare,

place than just this. Judging by the faces of my two companions – yes, I can still see their faces – they seem to be at a loss too: this place doesn’t feel dangerous at all and so far failed our expectations.

We decide to explore the other floors by communicating through hand gestures. The music is too loud to allow a conversation without yelling.

On the third floor, we enter a room called ‘Live Music’. Much smaller than the main space we saw before, the room features a bar in the middle, and some sofas on either side. Groups of middle aged men occupy the tables, their eyes glued to the stage on the back of the room. Following their stare, I can see what has caught their undivided attention: four female dancers in black panties and high-heeled shoes are entertaining the guests.

I can see what has caught their undivided attention: four female dancers in black panties and high-heeled shoes are entertaining the guests.

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Photos courtesy of thibaud@jakarta100bars.com

Frankly, this scene is anything but satisfying: the dancers’ movements are stiff rather than sensual; their faces remain expressionless, if not bored. One of the girls keeps looking at her watch, probably thinking when her set will end. It is obvious that they don’t feel comfortable in their own skin, which makes me feel rather sorry for them more than anything else.

The spectacle lasts for another ten minutes, during which they fully undress and dance stark naked, before eventually leaving the stage to make way for a live band.

The vocal ability of the singers is acceptable at best, but I am most happy to hear some different music than the house, trance and techno beats that dominate Stadium.

“How come they have naked dancers here without the police showing up, what with the anti-pornography law and all?” I ask my friend.

She explains that Stadium is one of the few places around town that pays bribes in order to stay open. This club is wildly popular: pursuing prostitution and drugs at Stadium doesn’t have any consequences. Even though nobody offers me drugs, I’m sure I can get some if I asked.

Quite a number of new venues similar to Stadium have opened in the same area, including Malioboro Executive Club and Spa, Beverly Hills, and Emporium, some of which are said to offer ‘full service’ by both locals and foreign girls – Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Uzbek, you name it. I heard from friends that these strip clubs can definitely give Stadium a run for the money, but Stadium is the pioneer and remains the undisputed grande dame.

After lingering and listening to live music on the second floor, we decide to move on and find ourselves in a long corridor with doors labelled as Spa Rooms on wither side. I have a sneaky feeling that the services offered here spill beyond a straightforward massage, but as I try to take a sneak peek into one of the rooms, a security guard quickly comes over to stop me.

The second floor follows the same concept as the third: one room that features a DJ and a dancing crowd, but it is pitch dark. When my eyes finally adjust to the darkness, I am amused to see that some of the people are actually wearing shades.

The floor also features karaoke rooms behind closed doors. I hear the same house music like anywhere else in this place, rather than guests trying their luck at singing.

We feel like little kids entering a new playground for the first time as we stroll around different floors, secretly hoping that nobody recognises us for what we are: Stadium rookies. But it seems that everyone here minds his own business and doesn’t really care about three newbies.

A while later we decide to take another look on the fourth floor but by now it is totally different from what it was just three hours earlier. It is packed that one can hardly walk. I see people dancing, beads of sweat running down their foreheads, couples making out in dark corners, and then, suddenly, a woman who walks up to my friend to offer an hour with a prostitute.

She points to a group of girls, all dressed in short skirts and revealing tops, and asks him to pick one. Out of curiosity, he asks about the price.

Rp 335,000 for one hour seems to be the common rate for locals, even though I am sure that foreigners would be asked to pay more. Add some Rp 30,000, the woman says, and he would get a VIP room.

When my friend politely declines, she urges him to reconsider – and when he doesn’t, she seems upset but quickly moves on to another guest.

The clock reads 4.30am and we decide to go home.

As we exit the building, I am amazed by the long queue of people still waiting to get in. Some guests lounge on chairs and sofas to take a break from the noise; others have a quick meal before returning upstairs.

As I sit in the car on my way home, thankful for the little peace and quiet, and reflect on my first visit to Stadium, I have mixed feelings. I am sure that many of the stories I have heard before are real, while others may have been exaggerated. It is somehow surreal, this place, it is sleazy and yet exciting, and has shown me a different side of Jakarta.

A side I always knew existed.

I’ll try to keep this dark side at bay.

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Dispatches

A l e x La i

SHANGHAI Addresses Te x t an d Ph otos by Ale x L ai

A string of big ticket international events has given Shanghai a bumper crop of world-class hotel facilities

Last year’s World Expo Shanghai may have

trained the spotlight on all the pushing and shoving at the pavilions, but in the aftermath it also left Shanghai with much better infrastructure, friendlier citizens and a hopped-up hospitality service.

Besides the exhibition precinct and the refurbished strip along The Bund, the hospitality sector in Shanghai also saw new development and, since then, robust business. Boutique hotel JIA Shanghai has set itself up in an exquisite 1920s building in the heart of Shanghai. The development appeals to its youngish clientele with its sense of playfulness, intimacy and theatricality.

PEI Mansion Hotel, meanwhile, capitalises on the City Heritage building – a mansion built in 1934 for the family of renowned architect I.M. Pei. – that houses it. The architectural gem is testament to the Pei family’s social standing and influence especially in its grandeur and incorporation of classical Chinese and European trends of the day.

Another hotel that proudly brandishes its Shanghainese heritage is the Fairmont Group-run Peace Hotel near the bank of the Huangpu River. The magnificently refurbished structure dates back to the 1930s, the city’s heyday, and was the residence of the powerful Sassoon family as well as the perch of well-known celebrities of the period. The Peace Hotel is also earning plaudits with its spa that features feng shui enhanced treatments.

Not all hotels in the city look back to its storied Shanghainese roots. Or traditional spa remedies. The RitzCarlton Pudong features some space-age design in its white treatment rooms that pull in natural lights to generate a peaceful setting. Over at ESPA at The Peninsula Shanghai, classic therapeutic massages are customised through meticulous consultation process.

Attractions are aplenty that they spill out of the suites. The rooftop bar Flair at the Ritz Carlton Pudong offers panoramic

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views of The Bund and a close-up view of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, best enjoyed with dim sums especially the shrimp dumplings with shredded bamboo shoots and pork oil created

by Cantonese Chef at Jin Xuan. If these get too rich for one’s taste, simply enjoy the sunset at the Puxi.

Another spot to check out is the Long Bar at the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai, long time watering hole of the city’s upper class, which has just reopened its doors in late April. A stay at the Presidential Suite is an exquisite way to pass the time in the establishment, but if that is not an option, there is at least the exquisite caviar at Sunday Brunch.

Like the Indigo under the InterContinental Hotel Group, Kerry Hotel – Shangri-La’s sister hotel – targets six or seven more lined up in the next five years around China. Its property in Shanghai boasts 574 rooms and suites, three dining outlets, an in-house brewery and the city’s largest hotel-based sports club, which overlooks the Century Park and the Regency Park.

The popular and trendy Xintiandi is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year and while its restaurants and fashion stores come and go unceremoniously, The Langham Xintiandi opened partially in last October with more rooms. The hotel is home to the Chuan Spa that offers Chinese-inspired spa therapies, as well as the xtd alfresco bar that offers vibrant city rhythms.

Andaz is slated to open in July or August, opposite to the Langham Xintiandi, and word on the street has it that members of the team are hired on the strength of their styles and character, not necessarily their knowledge of the hospitality business. It is an exciting bit of news that should excite even the jaded residents of city hotels.

Last but not least, if you are keen on embarking on a nice retreat out of the city, take a two-hour drive to Wuzhen for the beauty of an ancient water village. If you find bucolia a bit overwhelming, head back to your hotel in the city and spend the rest of your trip in the spa.

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400 Orchard Road, #02-30, Orchard Tower, Singapore 238875 Tel: 6235 2784 Fax: 6234 2570 Opening hours 12pm-6pm, Monday to Saturday.

M a n T r a c k

I

c o v e t

ConsolePsychose No. 340 The first time I laid eyes on this creation (it feels entirely inadequate to call it a mere piece of furniture), my jaw dropped, literally. I think ‘Wow’ was my first thought, followed by an expletive, and then a struggle to find words expressive enough to describe it properly.

Photo courtesy of Galerie Van Der Straeten

by S t e fa n i e H au g e r

Herve van der Straeten’s ConsolePsychose No. 340 is a masterpiece in so many ways.

I first came across van der Straeten’s work in a glossy some five years ago, followed soon after by the mention of his name by my close interior-designer friend Maud who was gushing about him. “Stefaniiii,” she said in a crisp French accent, “you must carry Herve van der Straeten at Vanilla Home; you absolutely must!” I couldn’t agree more, of course, and immediately approached Galerie van der Straeten with my proposal.

“Non!” 018 V I P

Monsieur van der Straeten does not exhibit his work anywhere but in his own Parisbased gallery. Only Ralph Pucci, of mannequin innovation fame, carries a small selection of his work in his spacious New York lofts.

I was massively disappointed but also all the more intrigued by this fierce protection of one’s work. On my next visit to Paris for the Maison et Objet fair that I attend twice a year, my to-see-list stated the inevitable visit to the gallery where I had made an appointment with the charming and handsome gate-keeper Benoit whose “Non” was still ringing in my ears and in whom I was determined to instill a change of heart.

One look around the gallery, however, made me realise that even with all the will in the world I would be fighting a losing battle. It became crystal clear that Vanilla Home’s positioning in Singapore was a major factor for their reluctance as copyright infringement is rife in Asia and van der Straeten’s creations would be copied ruthlessly (and incredibly badly).

ConsolePsychose No. 340

is a perfect example of his genius. Seen from afar it is like a mad scribble, Ferrari-red, glistening, beckoning.

As I wandered into the daylight-filled gallery, I found myself surrounded by furniture, lamps and objets d’art of such exquisite beauty and craftsmanship that I could barely contain my excitement and awe. As Benoit led me from piece to piece, describing most eloquently the divine finishes and opening up furniture pieces to reveal interiors that almost outdid the exteriors, I quickly ran out of suitable commentary to describe my admiration. A visual feast so sumptuous and constantly surprising, so utterly luxurious without being glitzy. I felt totally humbled in the presence of all this greatness.

“Is Monsieur van der Straeten in? Could I meet him?”

“Non, he is at the workshop.” (Van der Straeten personally oversees and works on all of his pieces, controlling every step of the process, from first creative flash to final finishing).

Benoit then showed me the rest of the limited-edition collections in catalogues – which took about an hour to give you an idea how huge is the body of work. But when asked randomly about whether this or that piece was still available, ‘Non’ was often the answer. Van der Straeten’s work is highly coveted by the true cognoscenti in this world and his editions are small, an indicator of his enormous creative capacity and his constant striving for something new.

Bronze, wood, marble, crystal, stainless steel, lacquer, gold leaf and parchment are some of the dominant materials and finishes used. Van der Straeten manages to make them dance and sing on his multi-faceted, undulating, insanely erratic and avant-garde innovations. So many of his pieces seem to want to explode, to start laughing hysterically, to parade like a peacock around the room because they know full well they are divine and imbued with a magical energy.

ConsolePsychose No. 340 is a perfect example, in my opinion, of his genius. Seen from afar it is like a mad scribble, Ferrari-red, glistening, beckoning. The threedimensional form captures your attention as you try to figure out where it begins and where it ends. Its impossible sculptural engineering takes your breath away and your hand cannot help but touch and explore it, all of its lacquered, gorgeous being!

There is so much sex-appeal in this console that you covet it instantly and wish you didn’t have to look at the price tag.

But, alas, there is a price tag and a hefty one at that: Eur26,760. Limited to 20 editions in this colourway.

In van der Straeten’s own words: “I created several pieces to explore the idea of ultimate movement. This console is like the paroxysm of it. It’s a mix of undulation and vibration, worked in a very dynamic and sensual way. It’s a bold piece, dynamic, with a lot of power yet a confusing design. When you look at it, you might think you are hallucinating, hence the name, which means psychosis or mental disorder.

It’s like an object caught in high speed.

To achieve this almost natural-looking piece took a lot of study. It is in fact a mathematic and geometric shape with a lot of precision.”

You had me at bonjour, Herve!

Benoit takes me to a secret back room to view a few more pieces and then leaves me to myself for a little longer to admire and desire. He thanks me for my visit and sends me on my way – without a deal, of course. (There have been many others before me).

I walk back into the bustling, honking streets of Paris, dizzied and fulfilled (if only I could have told van der Straeten personally). It is so rare to witness true alchemy in everyday life!

Herve van der Straeten started out as a fine artist and then jewellery designer for luminaries such as Christian Lacroix as well as under his own name. In 1999, he opened his own gallery in Paris and since then has constantly explored a graphic purity in his work, making radical choices in terms of movement, elegance and unconventional, unexpected expression.

Many of his pieces take months to complete, so be prepared to wait up to six months for an order.

He was awarded the Living Heritage Company by the French Ministry of Culture this year as well as the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, an official state honour for outstanding achievement in the arts. His work can be found in the homes of great collectors all over the world.

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M a n T r a c k

g a d g e t s

HANDY TABLETS

by Gadjo Cardenas Sevill a

apple’s iPad may be the current king of the tablets

with sales of 25 million units in 14 months, but the tablet wars are just hotting up. The 10.1-inch form seems to be the dominant size to which models from Motorola, Samsung and HP conform.

Some manufacturers are carving out a compelling niche with equally capable tablets that come in smaller sizes. These microtablets are vastly more portable, can fit inside jacket pockets or small purses, and carry all the features of their larger siblings.

These devices are powered by the latest Google Android smartphone operating systems, as well as BlackBerry’s new PlayBook OS. The Android devices have the advantage of a robust application market while the PlayBook is just catching up.

While smaller, the 7-inch and 8.9-inch models aren’t much cheaper than larger tablets, but are great for one-handed operation that’s better for reading eBooks, mobile gaming, watching quick videos and getting the most out of a video chat.

We look at BlackBerry’s corporate oriented PlayBook and HTC’s sleek pen-enabled Flyer as well as Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Tab 8.9-inch slate.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9-inch – Portable Powerhouse

HTC Flyer

– Pen enabled Android Tablet

We like 7-inch tablets’ portability and its innocuous nature that doesn’t call attention to itself the same way a 10.1inch tablet would.

The HTC Flyer’s (US$500) build quality and design is beautiful and unique that it feels well balanced to hold and use. It comes with an ample 1.5Ghz processor, 1GB RAM, and 16GB memory that is expandable up to 32GB via microSD cards and WiFi connectivity.

Functionality is surprisingly good thanks to excellent battery life and HTC’s Sense overlay. The digital pen input capability adds to the multitouch element and allows various writing and drawing applications that give the Flyer a creative edge.

Accompanying the new 10.1-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab, the 8.9-inch version has all the major features of its larger brother such as a dual-core 1GHz processor, 16GB of RAM in an incredible 8.6mm thin form factor.

Great for video playback, mobile web surfing and communications, the Galaxy Tab 8.9-inch also records HD video in 720p resolution and features dual cameras for video chatting. There will be two different models, one with WiFi and one with WiFi and HSPA+.

Unlike the HTC Flyer, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9-inch runs the tablet-specific Honeycomb version of the Google Android operating system designed around larger tablet screens instead of smartphones.

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BlackBerry PlayBook

– The Corporate Slate

A 7-inch screen connected tablet is just the right size to use in crowded trains or a pub. It makes a great eBook reader that you can use in one hand; it also does a fairly decent job of managing e-mails and light web surfing. You do need a recent BlackBerry smartphone to provide 3G data connectivity outside of Wi-Fi, which might limit its appeal to non-BlackBerry users.

In style and design, the stark rubberand glass-clad PlayBook looks serious but elegant. Its lack of buttons on the screen surface makes it a better multiorientation device than other tablets in the market. It can be comfortably used in landscape and portrait modes.

Sony Ericsson LiveView

The digerati who constantly check their smartphones for incoming emails, messages, tweets or pokes can now offload notifications to the slick Sony Ericsson LiveView accessory.

Designed to connect with Android smartphones via Bluetooth, the LiveView looks like a retro digital watch but actually acts like a remote control that keeps you updated as you manage your music playlists and, yes, tell the time.

The 7-inch tablet would be powered by a dualcore TI OMAP 4430 processor, 1GB of RAM and would be made available in 16GB (US$500), 32GB (US$700) capacities. It runs on the newly acquired QNX OS that is a rock-solid UNIX core operating system famed for its stability and robustness.

One of PlayBook’s key features is full-multitasking in a desktop sense: it can manage multiple applications running at the same time while allowing for instantaneous application switching, which has been one of the challenges faced by mobile operating systems.

Aside from this, the PlayBook also offers full 1080p HD video playback (and recording), stereo speakers, front-facing camera and 5-Megapixel rear camera all in a compact device. RIM, it seems, was smart enough not to challenge the iPad and jump into the melee of 10.1-inch tablets hoping to grab a slice of Apple’s dominant market share.

Hot accessories Victorinox Flash Alox 32GB Flash Drive

The Victorinox Flash Flight Alox is incredibly small, extremely well-built and surprisingly large in terms of capacity.

From the outside, it looks like a small Swiss knife, great for camping or travel when travel was, shall we say, less restrictive.

Encased in colourful yet durable aluminium, one would never guess that it houses a neatly concealed USB drive.

Once you pop out the actual memory portion of the device and stick it in your USB port, you realise just how crazy thin and light this device is. You can also get the same sexy aluminium body with 2, 4, 8 and 16GB capacities and in a variety of colours.

Victorinox has found a great way to reinvent itself and merge its historical product design with a critical and useful tool for anyone who needs to constantly shuffle large amounts of data around in a small package.

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VIP July Ccover.indd 1

6/29/11 11:02 PM

Concept by Han Yew Hock

forum • vip interview • fiction • features • 20Q

V I P I N T E R vie w

Dr Wen-son Hsieh

THE HOPE

CRUSADER I n t e r v i e w b y Ni c k L e e s e

Dr Wen Son Hsieh’s descent into the dark depths of cancer to look for a cure is steeled by his faith in God and compassion for fellow human beings Dr Wen-son Hsieh is a medical oncologist, visiting consultant at the National University Hospital and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is the medical director of International Cancer Specialists at Paragon Medical Centre.

Dr Hsieh got involved in cancer research when he realised that there were a number of basic issues about the disease that nobody understood and that the understanding of these could help in the prevention and treatment of cancer.

“I became particularly interested in nose cancer (nasopharyngeal cancer or NPC), which runs in my family,” Dr Hsieh shares. NPC is very rare in the west, he elucidates, but in Asia it’s a huge problem with over 600 million people of Southern Chinese descent at a particularly heightened risk. There is also a fascinating interplay associated with NPC between a virus called Epstein-Barr and genetics.

Epstein-Barr virus is also linked to a number of other cancers such as lymphomas and gastric cancers. “Genetics is also very important; if NPC runs in one’s family, the chances of contracting the disease are 30 time higher. The good news is that with early diagnosis and treatment, it’s curable,” he adds.

Dr Hsieh came to Singapore so he could continue to be a medical oncologist while pursuing his research for a cure for NPC. Dr Hsieh, you started your academic career as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University reading philosophy. Why philosophy, and why the move into medical oncology?

I’ve always been interested in the foundations of knowledge and the basic questions which surround the field of philosophy: Why are we here? Why do we have knowledge

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that allows us to understand the world around us? What is the purpose of this knowledge? I guess everything that is summed up in the famous Latin phrase pendeo ergo sum.

After two years at Oxford, I began to yearn for a career that allowed for the practical application of knowledge and skills in a field that had direct benefit for humanity. I was drawn to the field of cancer treatment and research because as Siddharta Mukherjee so brilliantly explains in his wonderful book The Emperor of All Maladies, “Cancer is an expansionist disease... It lives desperately, inventively, fiercely, territorially, cannily, and defensively – at time as if teaching us how to survive. To confront cancer is to encounter a parallel species, one perhaps more adapted to survival than we are.”

Another factor that drew me to the world of cancer is that it is a branch of medicine where scientific discovery and application are the most closely linked.

Let’s talk about the practical side of treatment for a moment. If I’ve been diagnosed with cancer what should I do?

First and most critically, you should find an oncologist who specialises in the type of cancer you have. The field of oncology today is so wide and the options for treatment as broad that you need someone who sees a lot of the particular cancer you may be suffering from. Never be shy about asking your doctor how many cases of your cancer he or she has treated in the last five years. Secondly, always try and seek a second opinion as there is variability in the approaches that doctors take to treating a particular problem and everyone has a right to know if there are more than one approach to the problem.

What about the financial worries associated with cancer treatment, should I discuss that upfront with my oncologist?

Of course, many cancer treatments today are very expensive and this can become a real issue. Ask your doctor up front about the likely costs of treatment; a good doctor will work with you to look at different options for containing costs.

But money still talks when it comes to the best available treatment. Does that worry you?

Yes, it does. Universal access to all medicine has to be the ultimate goal, but here the conundrum research is super expensive so the cost of many of the latest ‘designer’ drugs designed to target cancers in a more specific fashion have to reflect the money that big pharmaceutical companies spend in bringing a new cancer drug to the market. Often that can be hundreds of millions of dollars. The good news is that generics quickly play catch up and, in a few years, prices start to come down considerably.

How do I ask my doctor for access for drugs that are still on clinical trials?

The good news is that here in Singapore we have ready access to drugs that are still on clinical trials. Ask your doctor for details. He should be able to help or at the very least know of another doctor who can help. The rule is this never ever be

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shy to ask your doctor about any aspect of your treatment he’s giving you – whether it’s why he’s using certain drugs, the risks, the cost of treatment if he wont discuss these with you in detail walk away he’s the wrong doctor for you its your body and doctors have no right to play God.

What happens if I have the money and the desire to get treated at one of the world’s leading centres of cancer excellence, say, in the USA? There is certainly a number of great cancer centres in the US and in Europe. Once again it all comes down to specialisation because of their size they see an awful lot of different cancers and this allows them to specialise. My advice is twofold: first, go on the web research the leading cancer treatment centres worldwide especially those that specialise in their particular problem. If you do opt to travel to the States for a second opinion make your trip worthwhile by trying to visit more than one centre. Secondly, as your Singapore oncologist whether or not they have links with American cancer treatment centres. A lot of us do, so we can help you choose the right one to visit and as a first step before even incurring all the costs of a trip overseas arrange to get opinions by email or tele-conference from our clinics here in Singapore with the overseas specialist.

One of the things people most fear about cancer treatment is the side-effects of chemotherapy such as nausea

Dr Wen-son Hsieh

VIP INTERVIEW

whether it’s why

he’s using certain drugs, the risks, the cost of treatment if he wont discuss these with you in detail walk away he’s the wrong doctor for you its your body and doctors have no right to play God. and vomiting and the long-term effects of radiation therapy.

Here I’m very happy to say the news is universally good.

We’ve made huge strides in being able to govern and control the unpleasant side effects of chemo treatment. Now I’m not for a moment suggesting that having chemotherapy is fun, but the old horror stories are happily by and large a thing of the past. New anti-cancer medications more precisely target cancer cells and cause less side effects. In addition, we have more effective medications which ameliorate the side effects of traditional chemotherapies when they are needed.

Likewise, with radiation therapy, the new machines are much more precise and accurate that oftentimes patients are able to receive a radiation dose and get on with their normal everyday lives without a problem. Again, it boils down to this: talk freely to your doctor if you feel any side effects from your treatment – nausea, pain, depression, loss of sexual interest – discuss it with him immediately as today we have an arsenal of treatments which are better than ever.

What do you think of alternative therapy?

Our treatments are driven by empirical data, which makes alternative treatments difficult because they are almost never validated by systematic studies. But I don’t stop my patients from seeking alternative therapies unless I really feel that they are going to have a detrimental effect. Occasionally, I’ve seen beneficial results that I can’t explain, frankly. But that is why we keep an open mind. However, I think that it would be a mistake for for patients to opt for unproven alternative treatments if there are proven conventional treatments that offer significant benefits, such as a cure for cancer.

Certainly, there are some natural products such as certain classes of vitamins – like Vitamin D – which have proven benefit in terms of reducing the risk of developing certain types of cancer. But I would always urge a patient to talk to his oncologist first as there are instances where vitamins and other natural products can interact adversely with conventional treatment.

Let’s return for a moment to Singapore: you are an American doctor but you practice here. How do you view Singapore’s position as the cancer treatment centre of choice in Southeast Asia and the Middle East?

I think Singapore offers first rate cancer treatment; however, it can’t afford to rest on its laurels. Regionally, Thailand and Malaysia are aggressively competing in the oncology field with Singapore today. Certain hospitals in Taiwan and South Korea have become world-class. Medical travellers are becoming much better informed and the web allows them to check on a host of different treatment options. Also, I think Singapore has allowed the cost of treatment in certain areas to have risen far too high. A lot of people simply won’t come here anymore when they discover that they can find equivalent options in the region at lower price.

But we are thinking ahead by watching our costs and grouping ourselves into bigger practices that will allow for the specialisation that so many of our patients are looking for today. Also, of course, the two new private hospitals up and coming will add a welcome boost in both capacity and additional capabilities. We also need to continue to expand our research work here in the field of oncology to allow us to stay at the cutting edge of treatment, which is something that many of my patients cite as reason for choosing Singapore as their preferred destination for treatment.

What are your views on annual cancer screenings?

I think they are very important and I do a lot of them. If you catch a cancer early, your chances of a cure are massively increased. It’s as simple as that. Certainly, cancers that run in families such as breast cancer, stomach cancer, and colon cancer require that family members must have regular screenings. But everyone needs to bear in mind that different tests have different levels of accuracy. Again, ask your doctor to explain each of the tests he’s proposing to give you; find out its cost and how specific it is and relevant to your age, sex and family history.

You read horrors stories these days of people being tested and then, because the risk of cancer is so high, electing to have their organs at risk – breasts, ovaries or colons – removed to prevent the development of cancer in the future.

Yes, I am afraid that this is a very difficult area which I fear is going to get wider as better and better tests come onto the market allowing doctors to peer into the future and see disease conditions that may come about even if they haven’t manifested themselves yet.

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V I P I N T E R vie w

Dr Wen-son Hsieh

People who have inherited genetic mutations confer such a high risk of cancer in the future that prophylactic removal of the organs at risk can be considered. There’s no easy answer if you are unfortunate enough ever to be in this position except find the best specialists and always get a second and third opinion and to understand all of your options.

Tell me your views of hospice care.

Palliative care is a very important part of oncology. We try to cure people of their cancers whenever we can but if it is not possible our goal is to extend life as much as possible while maintaining a good quality of life. Hospices can be a very important part of that care. In the past, people used to die at home surrounded by their families, which I guess in the minds of many is still the best and preferred way of passing on. However, caring for a dying person can be physically and emotionally difficult for a family member; hospices have become a vital part in the total continuum of care. Hospices provide an oasis of peace and love. The nurses who work in them are very dedicated and have immense experience at dealing with their families. Also, because of the nature of their work, they have special skills in areas such as pain management. Pain and suffering associated with cancer can be well controlled with drugs and technologies that we have at our disposal.

You probably see a lot of death in a year more than most people in their lifetime. How do you cope?

I have my own belief that this life is not the end but merely a bridge whereby we move on to something better. I find that most people don’t fear death per se, but the suffering, pain and loss of dignity that preceded it. And this is an area where, thank God, medicine has made advances.

You’re a committed Christian. But what about people without faith?

First, those with faith, I urge them to seek spiritual counselling from within whatever religious structure of which they are a part. For those without any form of religious faith, I try to get them to draw comfort from the significance of their lives, the legacy they will be leaving behind – children, a business, a happy marriage – whatever that makes them feel that their lives were ‘of worth’. I also try and get people to step back and see that death is woven into our very own existence and as such is as much a part of life as sleeping or eating.

I’m interested C S Lewis wrote about the problem of pain. As a Christian, how do you handle that aspect of your work?

I guess I believe that there is a greater purpose to all the things that happen to us. How often in our lives do things happen which we thought was wrong or unfair but

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when we look back we see that they actually happened for a host of reasons? I guess for me that’s the microcosm of our lives; we are just at this point in time when we are unable to understand everything. Life, I believe, can be seen as a series of lessons of which pain is a necessary and not always a wholly bad element. Think for a minute of a life without pain – it would mean that the physical world as we know it, where we live today, would not exist. Pain might vanish but so would joy, love and fulfilment.

On a very personal note, my Christian faith allows me to feel the underlying love of God even in the most difficult of times.

I know you’ve been asked this question a hundred times, are we ever going to cure cancer?

I think that question has two parts: Can we cure certain cancers in some patients? Yes, we are able to do that right now in a number of cancers using a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The rates of cure are increasing because of improvements in surgical techniques, radiotherapy technology, and new and better chemotherapeutic and targeted drugs. These advances have largely made possible by our improved understanding of the basic biology of cancer cell. We now have a much better understanding of what makes a cancer cell different from a normal cell. Essentially, cancer cells arise in our bodies because the basic instructions or programming that controls the growth and death of cells have become corrupted. This leads to uncontrolled cell growth and the spread of malignant cell to other organs, both hallmarks of cancer. Our understanding of these deranged cellular processes allows us to design better drugs to target these weaknesses of the cancer cell. These ‘targeted’ treatments allow us to cure and control cancer with much less side effects. This understanding also allows us to develop better tests to predict the outcome of treatments and to determine the need for particular treatment. This is the do-called ‘individualised medicine’, which is the holy grail of 21st century medical treatment.

The second question is, Will we have universal cure for cancer? Probably not in this lifetime. Cancer is a heterogeneous disease that is constantly adapting and evolving. It is not one disease; it’s not even one disease in the same tumour and that makes it such a difficult foe.

But we are making progress and cancers will become in most instances a chronic, manageable disease similar to diabetes in our lifetime. The so-called ‘magic bullets’ that attack cancer without harming the rest of the body are growing in number as, of course, are treatments personalised for particular individual’s unique body and cell structure. There is a welcome move with new drugs away from intravenous to oral medications and huge advances in diagnostics.

Can you give some examples?

Absolutely! There are numerous examples at this point and the numbers are growing constantly. A very good example is a blood cancer called chronic myelogenous leukemia. Research over the last 40 years has identified the genetic abnormality in the cell. Before these medications were available, chronic myelogenous leukemia was largely incurable and the minority of patients who were cured had to undergo a risky and painful procedure known as bone marrow transplant. These new medications can cure the majority of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia with little side effects. Other examples include oral medications with which we can target a mutation that occurs in 60 per cent of patients with a type of lung cancer, the effects of which is significant prolongation of life.

The list goes on and on. With respect to diagnostics, a new range of molecular-based diagnostic test are allowing us to detect disease far earlier with a much greater degree of accuracy than ever before. They also allow us to predict and monitor the effects of treatment with much greater accuracy then before.

So never give up hope.

Absolutely. So much work is going on worldwide in the field of cancer with different treatments appearing almost every month. Never give up the fight.

Finally, what does your work mean to you? How do you make sense of all these triumphs against cancer and the deaths that you witness?

God is my creator and loving Father who has saved me through my faith in Jesus Christ. As described in the Everlasting Man by GK Chesterton as a permanent empirical bridge between the physical and the divine. God is also the perfect father who manifests his love so that we may grow spiritually through lessons that we might see at the time as punishments.

We’ve become so materialistic that even some churches seem to equate God’s reward as being earthly riches. I can’t buy into that at all. God is spirit and his riches are spiritual riches. Which may not immediately manifest themselves but they are timeless and universal.

I have my own

belief that this life is not the end but merely a bridge whereby we move on to something better.

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FEATURE

CREDIT CARDS

Credit Where

It’s Due

Carrying a credit card means you can spend more than you have. But if you already have more than you can spend, what kind of plastic do you carry? Jeremy Torr applies for some exclusive cards (and gets turned down)

Back in the old days when a gentleman needed new tweeds, or a lady’s

hatpin was looking a little last year, they could simply stroll into their tailor or milliner, order the latest fashion and get the sales-flunky to “charge it to the account”.

As a system, foolproof. Only the wealthy could afford an account; they were all known by name so the merchant would always be paid. This approach worked because the people with the money were all known to the shopkeepers.

Fast forward a few hundred years, and the situation today is very different.

A millionaire from Cairo is as likely to walk into a Saville Row tailors as a Shanghainese tai-tai into a Prague jewellers. They both have more than enough means to buy anything on show – but don’t carry that kind of cash. Enter everybody’s flexible friend, the one you should never leave home without, the priceless asset, the one that lets you just Go. The credit card.

Of course, everybody has one – but the millionaire and the tai-tai would prefer their cards to give the retailer a discreet signal as they flip the plastic. A signal that says these high net-worth individuals (HNWIs) don’t actually need credit, just a convenient method of payment. It’s the latest evolution of the ‘account’; the prestige credit card.

“With Singapore becoming a hub for Asia and the world’s finest events,” asserts Ooi Huey Tyng, Senior Vice President & Head, Cards and Unsecured Loans, DBS Bank, “(these cards) . . speak to sophisticated needs.” According to Ooi, cardholders are using top DBS cards for down-payments on cars, luxury travel and high-class items – with an impressive US$400,000+ the highest transaction so far on its Insignia Infinite.

Although Ooi and her counterparts in other banks are understandably coy (some

are totally-zip-lipped, in fact) about revealing precise spending habits of top prestige card holders, there is no doubt the number of holders is increasing.

The reason is not the extra credit these cards offer – but the exclusivity and prestige they confer. This means that there is a solid, and expanding, market for prestige cards.

This makes issuing banks very happy. Not because of large amount of interest the holders pay on six-figure purchases (most holders pay them off each month with no interest due) but because of the extra merchant fees and overall increase in business. DBS says its billings for its high-end Altitude card have jumped dramatically in the last year. “We have seen an increase of 70 percent in the billings for the card since its re-launch in mid-2010,” notes DBS’s Ooi. So it seems everybody wants in on the prestige card action – let’s have a look what would fit nicely in your wallet.

the one you should

never leave home without, the priceless asset, the one that lets you just Go: The credit card.

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P l a s t i c F a n ta s t i c

The choice of card comes down, if you really are a prestige user, not to what you want but what you are invited to have.

Truly exclusive cards – American Express Centurion and Coutts World, Krungthai Master and Dubai First Royale - can only slip into your Gucci leather if you have been selected by the card-issuers as being worthy of the honour. You don’t do anything common like apply.

Visa is also keen to shout (discreetly) about its flagship plastic. According to Hope Ewing, Director, Corporate Relations, Southeast Asia for Visa Worldwide, the most highly regarded HNWI cards are Visa Signature and Infinite.

“Visa Infinite offers exceptional spending power, a high level of rewards, priority customer service and exclusive privileges,” she notes. But if you want the ultimate in exclusivity, then it has to be Visa Signature. “This,” says Ewing, “is a ‘by invitation only’ card.” Enough said. According to her it offers excellent spending power, personalised privileges, rewards and service.

Holders will obviously only be invited to get one of these super-privilege cards if they have the readies to make sure they don’t do a Bernie Madoff; but it’s not about money. It’s about the perceived value of the card.

All of the above give you access to almost unlimited transaction value (new A380, anyone?) but just as important they open doors and make the experience of spending lots of money lots more pleasant, plus of course the chance to network with other high flyers.

have struck exclusive deals with high-end luxury stores to guarantee they will open their doors after normal shopping hours – just so you can shop without distraction. Outlets like Bulgari, Ermenegildo Zegna, Gucci, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Neiman Marcus and Gucci all have special access arrangements for most prestige card holders.

Or, if you don’t have the time to rush out and buy that last minute gift for someone special, cards like Visa Black offer a personal concierge service to help locate and organise delivery of the perfect gift to wherever you want it sent. And should the goods you bought with the card turn out to be unsatisfactory or be stolen, you take advantage of several thousand dollars worth of purchase protection. So you can use the card to buy a replacement.

The top cards

have struck exclusive deals with high end luxury stores to guarantee they will open their doors after normal shopping hours.

T r av e l , S h o p – d o n ’ t S t o p

Visa Signature cardholders get to go on exclusive travel trips to exotic destinations like the Egyptian pyramids or topend French vineyards. Others, like Visa Black, offer more immediate pleasures in the form of exclusive invites to what DBS calls “the most happening parties at the city’s coolest rooftop lounges and fashion previews.” And in case that’s not enough Black owners get the chance to score a gratis black Aston Martin DBS. Using the Krungthai Master card ensures that every time you board a Thai Airways flight you will immediately be ushered into the First Class cabin, and that should you develop a nasty cough as you travel you will be ensured personal medical assistance. Admittedly, you would expect that from a card that boasts a real gold border plus a few tastefully embedded diamonds as well as your embossed name. And Visa Speedpass, bundled into their prestige cards, allows you to waft through fast track immigration at most international airports.

Bank of America sweetens the appeal of its Accolades card by offering a second travel ticket at discounted price whenever you book with it – but that is outdone by Amex Centurion which generously throws in one extra full fare Business or First ticket with each ticket you buy.

And then there is the shopping. All of the top cards

V I P 031

FEATURE

CREDIT CARDS

T w o - W ay Sp e n d

The other requirement – apart from having lots of money – that privilege cardholders need to satisfy is they should be happy to spend their money.

It seems they are. DBS’s Ooi says the market is expanding, with more offerings catering to the needs of the rising affluent. “Earlier this year, we launched the DBS Insignia Visa Infinite Card,” she says. “This is the first card in Singapore to start with a credit limit of SGD1 million.” Which is nice to have, but as ever there is no such thing as a free canapés and champers.

For example, the Amex Criterion requires that you pay a US$2,500 annual fee. Sure, it’s made of titanium, but it’s not that expensive to make. There is no monthly charge unless you forget to pay, but the expected spend on the card should be US$20-30,000 each month. Less and you may be asked to downgrade to mere Platinum.

DBS’s Insignia Infinite costs an eye-watering S$2,000 a year to hold on to, and demands that you earn at least half a million a year. Likewise, the Coutts World card (Queen Elizabeth is rumoured to keep one tucked in her purse) requires that its owners have a cool half million pounds (US$800,000+) in their bank account. It is said that Coutts has only ever issued 100 or so of these cards, with a US$500 annual fee. But if you have half a mill in disposable, we assume you can afford that.

On the other hand, some prestige cards are offered with no joining fee, no annual fee, and yet you still get all the perks. How? Easy - if you do forget to pay, expect a higher than usual interest rate on outstanding monies. To the tune of up to 30%, like that of some bank’s Visa Infinite. Some issuing banks state a minimum credit limit of around US$20,000 - so if you have been buying bigticket items that can make a big interest bill.

Likewise, although prestige cards like the Visa Black only costs US$495 a year annual fee and offers an attractive first six months of interest-free shopping, it has a second tier of pricing. After the six month honeymoon period it’s back to standard prime rate plus 10 percent.

R a r i t y Va l u e

Still, the customers keep coming. In Dubai, the only place that issues the First Royale Master, the craftsmen are happy to turn out nine handcrafted prestige cards a day and stud them with gold and diamonds. So that the owners can spend big, but just as importantly, call their personal relationship manager any time of day or night, have 24/7 access to luxury retailers, drop into golf and polo clubs, eat at exclusive restaurants and shop anywhere in the world.

In short, the people who own these cards don’t want them simply for a high spend limit. “Visa Infinite and Signature cards are a gateway to unique experiences and privileged services,” points out Ewing. “They deliver service and privileges not available to other card types.” Exactly. It’s not just the card, it’s the ability to make it known you can do what the tweedy gent could do – simply walk in to a retailer and take what you like. Without having to worry about the money.

It’s about recognition, about belonging to an exclusive club, a network of people who live in their world and want to go and do things people like themselves do. “The Insignia Visa Infinite card,” says DBS’s Ooi, “bears the member’s insignia on its face and is designed to draw instant recognition to their name.”

Just like the tweedy gent whose namecard got him a new suit. Some things never change; just the credit limits.

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Credit rating • Amex Centurion (Black). No limit.

Super exclusive. Still “the one”. Titanium.

• Visa Black.

Snapping at the heels of the Centurion.

Graphite/Carbon.

• Visa DBS Insignia Infinite. $1million limit. Chic metal membrane.

• Visa Stratus. Very Exclusive. Very white.

Very cool.

• Dubai Royale Master. Ultra exclusive, ultra bling. Only for Dubai residents.

• Krungthai Master. Thai Bank.

Degree of rarity. Nicely showy.

• Coutts World Master. Don’t bother unless you know HRH. • AMEX RED. Celebrity favourite. Offers inviteonly events from Bono to help stop AIDS.

Would you credit it?

The first ever non-money bank card, named “Charg-It,” was introduced in 1946 by a banker in Brooklyn. It only applied to local people, who knew the bank, and the person using it. It was a credit card, but only an extension of the “account” system. In 1949, so folklore has it, a diner in New York found he’d forgotten his wallet when the bill came. Convinced he was not the only one in this situation that night, he and a partner devised a wallet-sized cardboard card that promised to pay the bill as long as the folk eating signed a chit to prove they were creditworthy. It was called the Diners Club Card. It started an unimaginable revolution in the way people bought things. Soon it was being used for travel and hotels too, and American Express (previously a credit exchange company) joined in the game with a spanking new plastic card in 1959 which has been echoed millions if not billions of times worldwide ever since. Welcome to the world of credit.

Image Soure: Creditcollectibles.com

From packed dance clubs to overflowing city squares, DJ Diamond always sparkles playing for her audience

THIS

DIAMOND IS FOREVER

by Vi c to r C h en

Vintage diamantĂŠ choker, necklaces and pendants and bangles and bracelets and Faux black fox stole from Secret Garden Owl

Lace corsets and panties, suede ankle boots, her own

Nicole Connors was a little girl when

she first stepped on stage as an assistant in her father’s magic show. But that was enough to lure her to the bright lights that in school she dabbled in theatre, slowing down only when she entered college to pursue a degree in Sports Medicine.

Nicole did her best to resist the call of the theatre, focusing on her studies and the prospects of a medical career. Ironically, it was a job at a health facility in Manchester, England that reconnected her to her passion.

“The nightlife scene then was so strong and the music was intoxicating. I was hooked,” she remarks. Her talent in dance, knack for entertainment and love for the stage prompted her to buy a turntable and some vinyl records. She knew instinctively she wanted to be a DJ. “I knew this would bring more happiness to my life than working in a clinic day in and out,” she says.

There were few female DJs when she started out and getting into the business proved difficult. “No guy wanted to really help out a beginning female DJ; I was completely selftaught. (But) I tackled it and was very dedicated.”

Thus DJ Diamond was born. “I knew I found my calling,” she enthuses.

“My first big gig was for a huge outdoor festival called Nocturnal Wonderland in 2001 where I played for 10,000 people. There’s nothing like playing music for people and seeing them dance and have a wonderful, fun time!” She has since played in some of the biggest clubs in over 35 countries.

“I absolutely love what I do for a living and wouldn’t trade it for any profession. I have always wanted to do something that would make me happy for the rest of my life. Knowing that I could bring joy to people around the world through music is my main motivation. I love to travel and experience different cultures. I’m always inspired by all the people around me and other DJs I meet in the world. I look for inspiration in all positive places.”

Her parents remain her biggest fans, having witnessed how happy their little girl had always been performing before an audience. “When I made the decision to leave Sports Medicine

and become a DJ, my parents were very supportive. ‘It totally fits you’, they told me.”

Whether she’s playing for celebrities at very exclusive parties, like she did on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island for an entire week, or getting a massive crowd on their feet and dancing to her music, DJ Diamond gets off on the audiences’ positive response. In South Africa, she got over 15,000 people dancing for hours at an outdoor event. “The energy coming off the crowd could have powered a city,” DJ Diamond recalls with astonishment. “I’m happiest when I’m in front of a crowd, whether it’s one hundred people or 50,000.

As long as they are having a good time dancing, I’m on top of the world having a blast!”

Life on the road, for all its challenges and endless demands, suits her; although she admits she misses being home every now and then, she has learned to make herself comfortable in almost every situation. For this pictorial, DJ Diamond was surprisingly the source of energy for the entire team – making everyone feel at ease with her music and laughter, helping them get the shots right, volunteering her personal wardrobe. In a roomful of professionals, she was the true diva – not because she was domineering, but because she was the real star.

DJ Diamond has learned never to take her commitments for granted. “It has never been about the size for me; I think of every job as important – for me, for my client and for the people who come to have a good time. I treat my job with utmost respect. I never come late or unprepared and I always keep a level head.”

DJ Diamond foresees doing exactly what she’s doing now in the years to come. “I hope to be able to DJ around the world for as long as I can get jobs.” With her great talent and work ethics, her wish will surely come true. She is currently working on the production of her new tracks. Her legions of fans keep track of her gigs and download her recent mixes from her website, www.dj-diamond.com, or relive the moments on youtube and Facebook. “I hope to create music that people around the world would love to dance to.”

passion

“Keep the for work alive and never give

up.”

Vintage knitted poncho and orange orchids hair piece from Secret Garden Owl

Makeup: Camille Dievart/Make Up For Ever Academy and Tinoq Russell Goh 34

VIP

34

VIP

Vintage flowers from Secret Garden Owl

VIP

35

Nicole Connors, aka, DJ Diamond 36D 28 36

March 2 (Pisces)

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

To bring happiness to people around the world through my music.

Positive energy, kindness, generous of self, a great sense of humour and compassion

Negative energy, meanness, arrogance, prejudice, impatience and bad breath

The love of my life because he has all my

“turn ons� stated above, he is one of the kindest people I know Lady Gaga as a musical performer, DJ Paul Van Dyk as a DJ

Sunset picnics with a bottle of good Malbec DJing for 15,000 people in South

Africa: as I looked out to the crowed and saw all those smiling faces as well as hands up in the air I knew they were having a blast with

the music I was playing and connecting with me on the highest level of pure fun! Unforgettable!

VIP

35

Vintage gold necklaces and bangles from Secret Garden Owl Panty, her own

“Dedicate yourself to learning your craft.

Practice, practice, practice.�

See-through red chiffon kimono with flowers embellishment from Secret Garden Owl

Red beads necklace from Secret Garden Owl

Makeup: Camille Dievart/Make Up For Ever Academy and Tinoq Russell Goh

Purple net stockings and vintage bangles from Secret Garden Owl

“Never be afraid

to ask questions

and take every opportunity that you can.�

Photography: Luke Elijah assisted by Nanda Kumar/Phocus Styling: Tinoq Russell Goh assisted by Dylan Chan Makeup: Tinoq Russell Goh using M.A.C. (9816 2149) Hair: Vicky Chua/X’PECT Studio

“Love what you do!”

FEATURE

art in unusual places

IN PLAIN VIEW Dubbed as the only shopping mall ever admitted to the United Nations, Singapore is home to million-dollar works of art that hang in unimaginable places

by TK Ang

Is there a more prominent

contemporary artist than Banksy? From the West Bank wall in Israel to the fashion-forward walls of the Saatchi Gallery in London, you will find the British graffiti artist’s grungy, politically influenced works.

If anything, his career is a lesson in this: Art can be found in the strangest of places.

That’s a lesson that Singapore has picked up quickly. For although the government would not urge you to head to the nearest wall with your spray paint cans, art is sprouting up in unusual places.

Since we’re in a country that’s been dubbed as the only shopping mall ever admitted to the United Nations, it’s not that surprising to find that you may be strolling past million-dollar works of art on your Sunday retail jaunt. This is particularly so if you’re at the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, where Israeli-American architect Moshe Safdie has integrated an Art Path into the US$5.7 billion development.

The collection of 10 art pieces by a coterie of international artists runs along a trail that stretches across the retail and hotel sections of the Sands. The most eyecatching of these works is the Rain Occulus, a 90-tonne structure by American artist Ned Kahn. Located at the intersection of the Shoppes, as the retail hub is called, and the waterfront promenade, the Occulus is a 22-metre acrylic ring held to the roof by a stainless steel construction. Thousands of gallons of water rush through the ring every minute to simulate the appearance of a whirlpool. It’s fearsome stuff from the experimental artist.

A more private experience can be had at the same location if you head to the VIP lounge at Chanel’s duplex boutique. The boutique was designed by architect Peter Marino to replicate Chanel’s original atelier at 31 rue Cambon in Paris, and the intent shows. While the ivory fabric-clothed armchairs and bespoke beige wallpapers are interior magazine-feature worthy, the art piece of note is Me and You, a 34 by 34-inch oil painting by New York City-based artist Greene.

The 2004 abstract painting is adorned primarily with minimalist hues of

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Clockwise: Marina Bay Sand; Rain Occulus; Chanel’s duplex boutique

beige and black. It is said that House of Chanel picked this particular painting

by Greene, who learned his craft at the Pratt Institute, because the colours are reminiscent of the company’s subtle design tastes. Looking at how well it sits in Chanel’s serene lounge, you might be inclined to agree.

Clockwise FROM LEFT: Four Season Hotel; Screen-print of Mick Jagger; St. Regis Hotel; Warhol’s Campbell Soup; Warhol’s Coca Cola bottles screen-print

Tucked away from plain view at the link way between the Hilton Hotel and the Club 21 gallery at the Four Seasons Hotel is a trove of art treasures: a selection of works by pop art legend Andy Warhol. It’s easy to ignore the significance of what you’re passing by. After all, it was Warhol who made everyday objects like Campbell Soup cans and Coca Cola bottles into art.

You might, however, take notice if you knew the prices of the goods on display.

While the laymen art lovers would be most familiar with Warhol’s Campbell Soup recreations, the most expensive work on display is a screen-print of Mick Jagger which dates back to 1975. Only 250 of these screen prints, which feature the Rolling Stones front man and his trademark sneer, have been created. The price of this 43.5 by 29 inch creation, which comes from the inventory of local gallery Collectors Contemporary, is a cool $104,000.

Slightly further down the road, at the St. Regis Hotel, are over 80 pieces curated

by Cecilia Kwek, the wife of owner Kwek Beng Leng. The works are popular enough with visitors for the St. Regis to have trained its staff to be able to offer impromptu art tours, which can take up to 45 minutes.

it was Warhol

who made everyday objects like Campbell Soup cans and Coca Cola bottles into art.

V I P 043

Like in Marina Bay Sands, the art pieces at the St. Regis are spread out across the property. The most prominent name on display is Pablo Picasso, whose 1960-dated Toros series of paintings is hung in the Astor Bar. The bar is a replica of the New York establishment where the Bloody Mary was invented and it’s fittingly decked out with luxurious wooden trappings and lavish leather armchairs that reflect the taste of John Jacob Astor IV, who founded the St. Regis in 1904.

The series is centred on the theme of bullfighting, which followed closely behind women and alcohol in the list of things the Spanish painter was fond of. The ink on paper lithographs feature scenes of bulls charging at toreros (bullfighters) or being lanced by them. It’s very much an apt environment to savour your Bloody Mary.

That’s not to say that all the paintings at the august hotel are resplendent with

blood and gore. Take for instance, Li Chen’s Float to Sukhavati, which is located by the decidedly tranquil surroundings of the pool. The structure features a charcoal-coloured Buddha lying on a cloud and is part of a series of Buddhist-inspired pieces that the Taiwanese sculptor has made throughout his career. Others, like those of a Bodhisattva mounting a dragon, are also dotted across the hotel’s premises.

The most prominent name

on display is Pablo Picasso, whose 1960-dated Toros series of paintings is hung in the Astor Bar.

Clockwise from left: St. Regis Astor Bar; Pablo Picasso Toros series; Li Chen’s Float to Sukhavati; Toros series; Bodhisattva mounting a dragon

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art in unusual places

FEATURE

Clockwise from left: New Majestic Hotel; Hotel Fort Canning

Hotel Fort Canning

built in 1926, has built 4 glass-covered pits in its lobby to showcase artefacts dug out from its grounds.

Located in another hotel is a collection of art that might cause purists to shake their heads. That doesn’t make hotelier Loh Lik Peng’s selection of chairs any less worthy. Loh, a serial chair collector, placed his chairs in the lobbies of the hotels he owns around the world because he didn’t have enough space in his home. But they’re not just run-of-the-mill seats that you can get from your local furniture store. In the New Majestic Hotel’s lobby for instance, is a version of Danish designer Verner Panton’s heart cone chair that was redesigned by his wife. The heart-shaped chair, upholstered in the colour of military fatigues, is accompanied in the lobby by a 1958 piece built by Arne Jacobsen, the legendary Danish furniture architect.

Yet, just because Singapore is fast rivalling Hong Kong for the title of Asia’s art capital doesn’t mean that indigenous works have to be thrown to the wayside.

Indeed, Hotel Fort Canning is using its provenance to market itself. Thus it’s only right that the hotel, which was restored from a British military building built in 1926, has four glass-covered pits in its lobby to showcase artefacts (literally) dug out from its grounds.

The pieces were selected by John Miksic, a Southeast Asian Studies professor at the National University of Singapore, and portray objects from specific periods in Singapore’s history. Perhaps most interesting are the (still intact) beer bottles and children’s toys brought by the British to Singapore in the 19th century, when Fort Canning used to house colonial governors. Also noteworthy are kitchen utensils such as cooking pots, which are said to have been used by the Javanese nobles who reigned in Singapore in the 14th century.

Much more futuristic is the art at Standing Sushi Bar, a two-outlet chain

selling handmade-sushi created by entrepreneur Howard Lo. Given that one of his outlets is based within the Singapore Contemporary Art Museum, it’s no surprise to find that art abounds at his restaurants. Lo worked with illustrator Adeline Tan to create two series of Japaninfluenced prints. This means that as you tuck into your don buri, you can admire prints of Japanese salarymen slaving at their computers by day and then playing pachinko while cross-dressed in schoolgirl outfits by night. Lo admits that it’s particularly risqué, given that one of his bars is in the financial district, but the best art is always controversial.

Banksy once explained that art gallery-goers were merely “tourist(s) looking at the trophy cabinet of a few millionaires.” Even though graffiti here might still land you with a cane stroke rather than an award, Singapore has gone some way in proving him wrong.

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FEATURE

C h r i s t i e ’ s A r t S t o r a g e F ac i l i t y

MANAGING THE BRUEGHEL

A Christie’s facility in Singapore provides the best storage service imaginable

by Li Haohan

Anyone who is saddled with the dreaded responsibility of looking after a family heirloom, a Brueghel, say, will find comfort in Christie’s Fine Art Storage Service facility next to the Changi International Airport. Within the premises, he can show off the piece to friends, get it appraised for use as collateral or sale, or even view it privately online. If he decides to bring it back to the family home in Europe for the summer, where better to store it than at CFASS, where he can pick it up and board the PJ within minutes?

CFASS has been an object of curiosity to those of us who were told about its launch a couple of years ago, but without any valuable that requires such high level of security, I had no reason to visit.

This time, after a brief exchange of emails, Billie Soh agrees to give me a walking tour of CFASS. Soh is a vice-president at Christie’s who has worked in its various departments; she and her lean team run the facility, one of three in the world, the other two being in London and New York. The Singapore facility is a 6,000sqm infrastructure.

Housed in a modern edifice, together with a few other high security repositories, the facility is expectedly well-secured and surprisingly well-designed. I expected a hulking, cement Fort Knox, nondescript, forbidding and impenetrable, but I find before me instead an architectural gem: a solitary concrete block softened with what appears to be metallic mesh cladding.

046 V I P

At the gate, I identify myself and give details of my appointment; security promptly buzzes me in. To get inside the building, I pass through a glass vestibule, like one of those teleporters in sci-fi movies, and once inside, I wait for Soh to bring me up on a private lift. This is standard procedure for every client or guest at the facility. The lift runs on biometric readers and requires unique identification code from the staff.

The lift opens to a small receiving room from which a small office, a meeting room and a powder room are accessed. A double door leads to the storage and exhibition facilities – a warren of individual units designed and built to store specific objects from art works to jewellery and wine bottles.

Contrabands, Soh assures me, are not allowed within the premises. Wads of cash lining an almost precious Ming censer are not to be found here.

Storage units line the walls of the facility, doors closed, a light indicating if it is occupied. They range of 25 to 70sqm; larger units, if required, can be customised. Inside are shelving units and all forms of cushioning and packing materials to secure the objects. Wine vaults, meanwhile, are kept at 13°C (55°F) or 10°C (50°F), according to client preference, with 60 percent humidity. Jewellery vaults are equipped with dual lock security systems.

The entire facility is

protected by cutting-edge security technologies from biometric readers to motion detectors, infrared video cameras and motion-activated monitors.

Exhibition areas with padded or ‘industrial’ cement walls, some with high ceilings to accommodate huge works, relieve the long array of storage spaces.

The entire facility is protected by cuttingedge security technologies from biometric readers to motion detectors, infrared video cameras and motion-activated monitors, thermal insulation and sun-powered cooling technology that maintains interior temperatures at 18°C (64°F). None of these is immediately visible and Soh has to point them out to me. Invisible laser beams surround the facility; detection systems monitor smoke, heat and water. Thomas Crown might find the level of security here alluring, but it will doubtless challenge his skills.

Privacy often attends the transfer of valuable property and simplified customs procedures ensure this. CFASS’s perfect location also assured the ease of their transport and transfer – the facility has direct access from the runway. Inside CFASS, security works 24/7, and the staff, trained in handling such valuables, can pack and

ship property on notice.

On top of these, clients do not pay local taxes on any transaction within the premises of the free port; bond securities are not required for the import of property and direct access to property from airplanes. CFASS can also help secure insurance for property stored in the facility, arrange private viewings and sales, and manage properties used as loan collaterals.

If one were not inclined to visit CFASS, he can manage all these online.

The Brueghel and its owner might be hundreds of miles apart, but with this level of service, the former might as well be resting on the latter’s lap.

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20Q

Gin Kai Chan

PROJECTED VALUES Gin Kai Chan keeps an eye on the bottomline and another on the story line

By Li Haohan

Q01

What prepared you for this business?

I studied Pure Science in Secondary School, did Arts in Junior College, then studied Accounting, and finally completed a Masters in Technology Management. I never knew what I really wanted, but I’m glad I’ve now found a business that allows me to use a great deal of what I’ve learned.

Q02 Were you in related businesses prior to funding

film ventures?

I used to be a partner in Upside Down Concepts. Last year, I sold my shares to the two remaining partners and now I focus mainly on international co-productions and joint investment projects. I still work closely with UDC in some alliances.

Q03 Why the film industry – Are you keen on funding other ventures or projects besides films?

I love listening to and telling stories. Every film project is different and the process of seeing a project from conception to its birth is a very fulfilling experience.

I look at commercial viability; if a commercially enticing non-film project comes along, I’ll always be interested to explore.

A film venture makes more commercial sense than, say, an Internet or a biotech start-up. If a biotech start-up fails, zero revenue is made. A very bad film that has failed still makes some money from the box office, DVD and TV sales.

It is better to fail in a venture where we still get some money back, but of course we all invest with the aim to succeed.

Q04

What do you look for in a film venture before you make any funding commitments?

I look for three things: story, commercial viability, and message of the story.

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I must enjoy story and, more importantly, it should also appeal to a wide range of audiences – a key element affecting the commercial viability of the venture.

The media is very powerful in influencing individuals and shaping society. Silver Media Group believes in creating films that can impart positive values. Thus the message of the story is important, as we want to contribute towards making the world a better place.

Q05

What should a film company or venture possess in order to secure funding?

Film budgets vary from a million dollars for local films, to hundreds of millions for Hollywood films. The genre, storyline and actors all contribute to the variance. I examine the budgets presented by the creators/producers of the venture to gauge if it is reasonable and realistic.

Strong actor and director attachment, interest from distributors, good sales projections, commitment from other investors and an established production team are good to have.

Q06 What are key steps in raising funds for film

projects? Do you have a set of investors that you turn to regularly?

I currently represent a fund in China and in Singapore, and some individual investors who invest in films. They have certain requirements for their monies to be utilised as well as different investment objectives. When I assess a project, I see if they match the requirements of the monies.

I am always on the look out for new investors who are interested in the film industry. Many investors are interested in commercial potential of media investment; others dabble in films for the ‘glam factor’. Some want to have tea with a starlet, more than tea with a starlet, or even launder money. I always turn down the last two.

Q07 Which film genres are the most profitable?

Horror, action and thriller are generally the most profitable genres. They transcend borders, cultures and languages.

Most audiences simply want to unwind and be entertained.

Heavy dramas are not as popular. Comedies are unique because they require an understanding of cultural context.

Hollywood comedies work well because American culture is popular. Most other comedies do well in their countries, but have limited box office success overseas.

Q08 Where does most of the money go in a film

production?

Film credit titles tell you how many people are involved in the production. Human resources are certainly the biggest expense item. Other like equipment, props, sets, etc., are all relatively smaller. If a film has A-list actors, they will certainly form the costliest part of the budget.

Q09 Do low-budget films stand any chance in the box

office?

Every year a couple of low-budget films turns out to be surprise box-office hits. The key to this is the strength of the story.

High budget films generally reap bigger box office revenue, but that does not necessarily translate into profits because of higher costs required to make them. I do not gauge the box office success of a film on the absolute box office amount, but on the box office relative to the film budget. An investor’s goal is not high revenues, but high profits.

Q10

Have you invested in a film venture that is not like the rest that you have been invested?

I’ve always preferred international co-productions, as they open up more markets, and increase the chances of profitability.

Recently, I was presented with a fully local Mandarinlanguage dark comedy, Red Numbers; ’ it’s the first time I’ve invested in a project that does not have an overseas partner/co-investor. Although it is a local production, the story has universal themes and fun elements that will appeal to audiences outside Singapore. I am very glad that my assessment is turning out to be quite accurate so far; the film has already attracted distributor interest in Malaysia and Taiwan although we’ve not even actively marketed it yet.

I can’t wait for the post production of the film to be over so that we can really start selling it.

Q11 What is your batting average now?

I’ve been very fortunate to have more hits than misses.

There’s only one project that has not turned a profit yet. I used the word ‘yet’ because film projects have what we call a ‘long tail’. Typically, a film is sold to the cinema, DVDs, pay-per-view, cable, free-to-air TV, online and to inflight entertainment. And revenues can still come in for years after its release.

Q12

How would you describe the Singapore film industry? What will ensure its profitability in the long run?

The Singapore film industry, very sadly, has very limited potential. A Korean producer of a Korean language film only needs to compete with the other Korean films (and the same goes to any other countries with unique national language). They will always have a domestic audience, and very few producers will produce a film in their language. They have a natural barrier and protection. In Singapore, if we produce an English language film, we’ll be competing against Hollywood, UK and Australia. If we produce Chinese films, our rivals are China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Local audiences will compare our local films with the foreign ones, and we’re at a huge disadvantage in terms of film budgets and filmmaking experience.

Our filmmakers have to stop making films for local audiences and focus on making films that and can travel beyond borders. This is where other Singapore industries have excelled in.

Q13 If profit were not the only motive in investment,

what type of movies would you be interested to invest in?

I will still be investing in thrillers. I invest in films that I love to watch, and I’ll always enjoy a thriller that sets the pulse racing and has a good twist, or a heist movie with an intelligent plot. It just happens that these kinds of films are the most commercially viable ones too.

Q14

What is your wish for the Singapore film industry?

Most film producers here wish for more government support from the Media Development Authority, but I feel otherwise.

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20Q

Gin Kai Chan

The MDA gives more support to our media industry than most other countries’ governments give to theirs. Locally, the local media industry also gets more government support than most of our other local industries too.

What our Singapore film industry lacks is business minds that are required for businesses to work. Creativity should be exercised towards driving the business. If we want to build a creative community, we can create art for art’s sake. But if we want build a creative industry, then creating business is paramount.

Q15 Are you also involved in funding films in other

markets?

I prefer funding co-productions, which have two or more markets. I have funded one project that does not involve a foreign partner. I accepted the project because it has the potential to travel. I foresee myself investing in more fully local films as more Singapore producers create stories that appeal to international audiences.

I have also recently invested in an Australia-Singapore co-production, Decadence, a feature-length documentary.

We have just finished post production. We’ve already got commitments from Australian cinemas and some countries in Europe. I will be approaching Singapore cinemas with the film soon.

Q16

Have there been very profitable but low budget ventures?

The budget does play a part in quality, but the real key to quality is the expertise and professionalism of the key personnel involved in the project. Some low budget films achieve very high standards because the personnel find alternatives to achieve quality without the cost.

Q17

What developments do you anticipate to happen in the Singapore movie industry for it to take off?

The CEO of one of Japan’s top animation companies told me that their staff salaries are lower than their Singapore counterparts. He was talking about Japan, the mother of anime! Our staff costs are significantly higher than those around the region. At the risk of offending local film professionals, I would add that the technical skills and even work attitude of film professionals in our neighbouring countries are stronger than ours. We cannot compete in these same areas.

Singapore’s strength lies in our wide international exposure and understanding of various markets, just like how other Singapore industries have successfully capitalised on these strengths to become a hub for the region; our media industry can become an Asian media hub.

The MDA has supported Singapore’s growth in this strategic direction. Many local filmmakers are now shifting their focus from production model to creation model, which is higher up the value chain and where money is made in the ownership of valuable intellectual properties.

Q18 If you were given the chance to be involved in the

creative aspects of filmmaking, what would it be?

I’ve been involved in creating and developing new stories, and I’ve been told that I am quite good at it. But I’ve only written the stories, never the scripts, which are handed to someone else. I’d love to take a holiday in Bali for three months and churn out a feature length script.

Q19 Are prospects bright enough for you to stick to

the industry in the long haul?

The insatiable demand for media content worldwide just keeps growing. But the advent of new technologies has made almost everyone with a smart phone a content producer. The development of new content delivery platforms have also revolutionised the content distribution and broadcast models.

The industry will remain bright as there will always be a demand for quality professionally made content. But the technological developments require a hard rethink of strategies and business models.

Q20

What is your personal definition of a good movie?

For me the Japanese film Departures is one of the best. It made me laugh and cry at the same time, scared me yet comforted me. It addresses a big universal theme through the stories of small individuals and in the end delivers an inspiring message that changes our perception of what mankind fear the most.

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FOR THE RECORDS

FEATURE

FOR THE RECORDS From recording movie soundtracks to launching silver screen idols and creating music for the Youthquake, Singapore recorded music entrepreneurs displayed true understanding of their market.

By Joseph Pereir a

IN THE 1930S HMV FIRST ESTABLISHED the link

between music and films when it asked Bangsawan star Fatima Benti Jasman to record songs for Leila Majnun, a costume picture directed by B S Rajhans, under one of its labels. Film was a popular new medium and having songs recorded especially for them by the stars of Malay opera made them even more memorable for audiences.

From the late 1930s to the early 1940s, Shaw Brothers recruited Bangsawan actors and actresses such as Tina, Habsah, Putek Lawak, Aman Belon and Adi Teruna – some of whom have recorded songs for HMV labels Columbia and Pathe. By then, HMV was maintaining a stable of major artistes including Julia, A Rahman, Lena, Marsita, S Nor, P Ramlee, and R Azmi who recorded songs with Momo Karim for such films as Juita Ku, Cinta Berahi, Para Siswa, and Harapan Bahagia. Adek Hasnah, Almah, Cik, Delia, Dinah, Dolmat and Dara were amongst others who signed up with the major record company. HMV cashed in on the popularity of Malay movies in the Fifties and turned some of their singing talents into silverscreen idols, boosting record sales throughout the decade.

The pioneering work of both big and small record companies helped turn recorded music into a major form of entertainment in Singapore and Malaya.

Among them was family-run Ngee Fatt Brothers which began selling sheet music and 78s in the late Forties. Years later, the five brothers created their own label recording Chinese songs on 78s, 33s, 45s and eventually EPs, and expanded their operations from their flagship store at 227 Arab Street to two branches in Happy World.

clockwise from LEFT: Browers at Cosdel; Officers and staffs take five at Ngee Fat Gramophone House; a trio of Youthquake hits from Singapore

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FEATURE

FOR THE RECORDS

From TOP: Record company officers at a mixer; Pat Boone on promotional tour of Asia; Hits from the group The Mysterians, The Quest and Trailers’

Buoyed by this

success, Philips set up operations in Singapore and absorbed Fajar Records. They signed acts in the English, Malay and Chinese with a vengeance.

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The popularity of Malay pop music, Pop Yeh Yeh, amongst young Malays encouraged Ngee Fatt to move into that market. Using its subsidiary, Playboy, as the main platform for its Malay musicians, Ngee Fatt produced the famed 5000 Series. Amongst the first acts on the series was The Cliffters, winner of the Rolling Stones of Singapore contest in 1965. Ngee Fatt also set up branch offices in Malaysia in order to tap rising Malaysian talents and the bigger market. They signed on Malaysian artistes and even indicated their town of origin on record covers – doubtless a move to inspire hometown loyalties.

Another music stalwart was Henry Foo, a professional singer who was plucked from a school choir for proper voice training. He started his musical career in 1943 and continued until after the war, when he decided to represent other singers as talent agent. He returned to singing as both recording artiste and impresario, eventually becoming managing director of Far East Recording Company, director at Cosdel Singapore where he served alongside G Cole and S P Sim, and finally Artistes and Repertoire Director of the Mandarin catalogue for EMI Singapore. He also cut albums at EMI regularly.

S P Sim started his career in publishing in the early Fifties when the Singapore Jewish community dominated publishing and selling of sheet music. With his knowledge of the music industry, through the sheet music business, he set up Cosdel to represent American labels in Singapore. In 1966, Cosdel launched its music recording arm that ran successfully alongside its distribution business.

Amongst the first acts to sign up with the label were the bands Trailers and Mysterians whose sophomore single releases in English hit the charts in Singapore. Cosdel then turned to the Chinese market with Lara Tan, who was introduced to the label by Henry Foo, for its first act. With Trailers as her backup, Tan released a series of EPs – Mandarin covers of English songs on the Singapore hit parade.

The label also launched Leroy Lindsay, a British serviceman of Jamaican origin, who recorded and performed with Mysterians across the island. With Impian Bateks joining the label, Cosdel began building up its Malay fan base in Singapore and Malaysia.

Major labels Philips and EMI in Singapore also had passionate, driven staff that sought the best talents for their respective labels.

In 1964, EMI signed on The Quests after an audition. Daisy Devan, who was in charge of EMI’s Artists and Repertoire, told the band that the first release had to be originals – a tall order for a local band to come out with two originals on first attempt. But the band worked hard and bass player Henry Chua, came out with Shanty, a jaunty instrumental number with a distinctive Oriental flavor. The flipside was Gallopin, composed by lead guitarist Reggie Verghese. The single was a hit, eventually knocking off The Beatles’ I Should Have Known Better from the top spot.

Devan, a secretary at EMI before she was she was promoted to the newly created position of Artistes and Repertoire Executive in charge of developing talent for the English language market, worked hard at scouring the island for talent. After the success of The Quests, Devan landed other acts such as Surfers, Rita Chao, D’Starlights, Anita Sarawak, The Antartics, The McCoys, Straydogs, Saloma, Jetliners, Brown Boys, The Guys, Keith Locke, Pietro and The Warlocks, Cynthia Lau, Sakura, Julie Sudiro, Fatimah Ismail and Rusty Nails. Many of these acts recorded hits in Singapore and the region.

EMI’s Malay catalogue made the biggest impact through the efforts of arranger Kassim Masdor and lyricist Yusnor Ef. They had hitmakers like Saloma, Julie Sudiro and Kartinah Dahari. Devan attracted a stellar team with Reggie Verghese who, after success with The Quests as their lead guitarist, joined EMI and became a producer of their three language catalogues.

They had musicians of the order of guitarist Martin Pereira, bass player Patrick Seet, keyboard player Jimmy Chan (a former Quest) and drummer Tony Zee, formerly of The Trailers.

Their main rival in Singapore, Philips, had not been off the mark either. It had early success with The Crescendos, who were initially represented in Singapore by Lee Hung King’s Fajar Records. The band saw their first two releases top the charts in Singapore.

Buoyed by this success, Philips set up operations in Singapore and absorbed Fajar Records. They signed acts in the English, Malay and Chinese with a vengeance. Their earliest releases in Singapore after The Crescendos were the Reyes Sisters, Wilson David and The Jumping Jupiters.

In early 1965, they signed and released records by acts such as Naomi and The Boys, The Thunderbirds, Shirley Nair and The Silver Strings, and The Jets as

well as off the wall acts like Mike and Herb, The Dee Tees, Denni Wilson and The Comancheros, Stevie Lorraine, The Clansmen and Cells Unlimited.

They had a long run as an English language act but continued even longer as Malay language performers.

Record label professionals and the companies they worked for believed in what they were doing. From HMV to EMI and Philips, labels were interested in discovering and nurturing fresh talents. Henry Foo, S P Sim, the Ngee Fatt Brothers, Lee Hung King and Daisy Devan were first and foremost music fans. Faith in music and musical talents were their reasons for being in the business.

From TOP: SP Sim at work in his office; Straydogs, Mike & Herb, The Silver Strings, The Jets and The Clansmen were amongst local rock ‘n’ roll stars

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post ge 2011 scenario

A Supreme Irony The announcement of MM’s resignation was so unexpected and shocking that I had to sit down, gather my thoughts into a coherent, cohesive whole, and come up with a proper, detailed analysis of the whys, wherefores and what-nows of what must be the greatest surprise of GE 2011

One of the greatest surprises of GE 2011 was the people’s unequivocal rejection of the PAP style of government. But none could have imagined that the biggest casualty would be Lee Kuan Yew, one of the founders of the PAP, Singapore’s first prime minister and subsequently, de facto Chief despite holding only an advisory role as Minister Mentor.

Indeed, the nations’ shock on 14 May, just a week after the election, at the resignation of MM from the cabinet (together with Mr Goh Chok Tong, Senior Minister) could only be described as seismic in the Singapore political landscape. It reflected the uniquely powerful position of the father of modern Singapore, presumably the only political leader in the world whose name was synonymous with the party he founded, whose name, in turn, was synonymous with the country it rules.

The equation Lee Kuan Yew = PAP = Singapore had scrolled across the collective consciousness of the society for nearly half a century.

He was once compared to the immense banyan tree in whose shade only puny little saplings could grow. He was once the mighty Colossus in whose shadow little people cowered.

Was. Had scrolled. Once. Cowered.

It gives one a feeling of surreality to

© Edwin Koo 2011

b y C at h e r i n e L i m p h o t o s b y e d w i n k o o *

write about Lee Kuan Yew’s influence in the past tense. But that is exactly how it is going to be from now onwardsIt gives one a feeling of surreality to write about Lee Kuan Yew’s influence in the past tense. But that is exactly how it is going to be from now onwards, judging from the various public statements made by the prime minister, MM himself, Mr Goh and other PAP leaders, following the announcement of the resignation. Almost in one voice, they spoke about the need for the party to move on, to respond to the needs and

aspirations of the people, so painfully made clear to them in GE 2011. The courteous, deferential tone called for by the occasion masked the urgency of the message: the prime minister must be free to act on his own without any interference from the overpowering MM who is also his father.

Perhaps the announcement of MM’s exit should not have been so unexpected, as it had been preceded by a clear harbinger. For midway through the campaigning, when the PAP had already sensed an impending loss of the Aljunied

This essay also appears in The Watershed Election (2011) by Catherine Lim 054 V I P

The decision to go into the obscurity of virtual retirement after decades of high political visibility both at home and abroad, must have been most wrenching. choice, or he had a genuine commitment to the well-being of the society, that was above self-interest. In either case, the decision to go into the obscurity of virtual retirement after decades of high political visibility both at home and abroad, must have been most wrenching.

The extent of the personal sacrifice can be gauged by the single fact that politics was his one overriding, exclusive passion upon which he had brought to bear all his special resources of intellect, temperament and personality. He had made himself the ultimate conviction politician with an unrelentingly logical and rationalistic approach to dealing with problems, dismissing all that stood in its way, especially sentiment and emotion. He had developed a purely quantitative paradigm where the only things that mattered were those that were measurable, calculable, easily reduced to digits and hardware, whether they had to do with getting Singaporeans to have fewer or more babies, getting people to keep the streets litter-free,

getting children in school to learn the mother tongue. It prescribed a mode of governance that relied heavily on the use of the stick.

The related irony of course was that a man of admirable sharpness of mind, keenness of foresight and strength of purpose had failed to understand, until it was too late, the irrelevance of this paradigm to a new generation of better-educated, more exposed and sophisticated Singaporeans. The supreme irony of Lee Kuan Yew’s political demise was that the paradigm which had resulted in his most spectacular achievements as a leader taking his tiny resource-scarce country into the ranks of the world’s most successful economies, was the very one that caused his downfall. The related irony of course was that a man of admirable sharpness of mind, keenness of foresight and strength of purpose had failed to understand, until it was too late, the irrelevance of this paradigm to a new generation of better-educated, more exposed and sophisticated Singaporeans.

© Edwin Koo 2011

GRC whom earlier MM had offended with his ‘live and repent’ threat, PM had hurriedly called a press interview in which he gently, but firmly, dissociated himself from MM, and assured the people that he was the one in charge.

The necessary follow-up action for this public repudiation had obviously been part of the promised post-election ‘soulsearching’, which must have concluded that indeed MM must go.

Despite MM’s assertion, in the joint statement with Mr Goh, that the resignation was voluntary, in order ‘to give PM and his team the room to break from the past,’ doubts about his willingness will be around for a while. For right through the election campaigning he was in upbeat mood, declaring his fitness at age 87, his readiness to serve the people for another 5 years, and roundly scolding the younger generation for forgetting where they came from. Moreover, he had, amidst the gloom of the PAP campaign, confidently stated that the loss of the one Aljunied GRC would be no big deal, and contended, a day after the election, that his blunt, controversial remarks about the Malay-Muslim community, had not really affected the votes. In short, he was expecting to stay on, his accustomed ways of dealing with people, unchanged.

And then came the shock announcement of his resignation from the cabinet, and an uncharacteristic affirmation of the need for change.

That Lee Kuan Yew was prepared to do a drastic about-turn, so at odds with a lifetime’s habit of acting on his convictions, must have been due to one of two causes—either he had been driven into a corner and simply had no

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There is no simple explanation for such a paradoxical disconnect between a man’s massive intellectual powers on the one hand and his poor understanding of reality, on the other (complacency perhaps? political blindsight? political sclerosis?)

A detailed analysis of the irony, substantiated with examples over more than four decades of Lee Kuan Yew’s leadership of Singapore will be instructive for understanding this unique personage.

Even a cursory review of the history of Singapore will show that it was Lee’s actions, driven by the passion of his convictions, that had saved the nation, at various stages in its struggle for survival in a volatile, unpredictable, often unfriendly world. With his characteristic strongman’s ruthlessness, he cleaned up the mess caused by Communists, communalists, unruly trade unionists, defiant students and secret society gangsters plaguing the young Singapore. Within a generation, he had created an environment where Singaporeans could live safely, earn a living, live in government-subsidised flats with modern sanitation. Ever conscious of Singapore’s vulnerability, he was ever on the alert to smack down its enemies and, even more importantly, to seize opportunities to raise its standard of living.

A special achievement showing Lee Kuan Yew’s foresight, boldness and determination in his espousal of the economic imperative deserves more detailed treatment. In the 60s, he foresaw the dominant role of the English language for international trade, business, scientific technology and research, and made an all-out effort to promote the language in the schools, as well as make it the language of public administration. This meant in effect distancing Singapore from the other newly independent nations such as India, Malaysia and some African nations which, in their nationalistic fervour, were kicking out the English language together with the British flag.

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Even when Singapore joined Malaysia and Malay became the official language, Lee Kuan Yew quietly continued the promotion of English, so that after separation in 1965, it reemerged, as strong as ever. The result was the creation of an English-speaking environment that was very conducive to international business, attracting huge corporations such as Shell and Esso.

Through the decades that followed, the economic success of his policies was replicated, to put Singapore on a rising trajectory of stunning development.

Singapore’s remarkable development under Lee Kuan Yew, using the hard indicators of home ownership, level of education, degree of technological advancement, extent of foreign investments, etc, has seen few parallels, making it a poster child for economic progress in the developing world.

Consistently ranked among the top three in international surveys on bestperforming airports, sea-ports, world’s most livable cities, best infrastructure, etc, Singapore receives the most enthusiastic accolades from foreign visitors instantly impressed by the cleanliness, orderliness and gleaming appearance of the city state.

How could such a brilliant paradigm, a model of classic realpolitik, be the cause of the GE 2011 political demise of Lee Kuan Yew? The answer: mainly because it had no place for human values. It was a model of governance where, if there had ever been a conflict of Head vs Heart, IQ vs EQ, Hardware vs Heartware, it had been resolved long ago in the defeat of presumably worthless human emotions.

Once I was giving a talk to a group of British businessmen, on my favourite subject of civic liberties – or lack of them – in Singapore. During question and answer time, one of the businessmen raised his hand and said politely, ‘I have a question or rather, a suggestion. Could we please have your Lee Kuan Yew, and we’ll give you our Tony Blair, with Cherie Blair thrown in?’ Amidst laughter, I said, ‘Our Mr Lee won’t like your noisy,

Singapore receives the most enthusiastic accolades from foreign visitors instantly impressed by the cleanliness, orderliness and gleaming appearance of the city state. messy, rambunctious democracy,’ and he replied, ‘No matter,’ and went on to pay MM the ultimate compliment. He said, ‘You know, if there were but five Lee Kuan Yews scattered throughout Africa, the continent wouldn’t be in such a direful state today!’

The material prosperity that he had given Singapore, which many world leaders could never match, was no longer enough compensation to Singaporeans for the soullessness that was beginning to show in the society This light-hearted little anecdote is meant to provide a probable reason, though in a rather circuitous manner, for MM’s ironic downfall: the material prosperity that he had given Singapore, which many world leaders could never match, was no longer enough compensation to Singaporeans for the soullessness that was beginning to show in the society. For the fear that his strongman approach had instilled in them for so long, denying them the fundamental democratic liberties of open debate, public criticism and an independent media, that are taken for granted in practising democracies, had

© Edwin Koo 2011

post ge 2011 scenario

made them mere cogs in the machinery of a vast capitalist enterprise.

There are enough examples, going back to the early years of Lee Kuan Yew’s rule, of draconian measures of control, that had created this fear and its inevitable product, resentment. The most egregious instances include the higher accouchement hospital fees for a woman having a third child in defiance of the ‘stop at two’ population control measures, and the sterilisation policy, which had a particularly vile moral odour, for it required the woman wanting to get her child into the school of her choice, to produce a sterilisation certificate.

Years later when the demographic trend reversed, and more births were

necessary to form the necessary future pool of expertise for the country’s industrial needs, the PAP government started a matchmaking unit, called The Social Development Unit, to enable single Singaporeans to meet, fall in love, get married and produce children.

It singled out graduate women for favoured treatment, because Lee Kuan Yew believed that only highly educated mothers produced the quality offspring he wanted for the society, alienating many with the noxious eugenics.

By the 70s and into the 80s, Singaporeans were already waking up to the hard truth of the high human cost, in terms of the need for self-respect, identity and dignity, that they were paying for the material prosperity, and

Commentary

worrying about the creation of a society in complete and fearful subjugation to the powerful PAP government. Over the years, it became increasingly clear that the leaders, flushed with success and confidence, and following Lee Kuan Yew’s example, were developing an arrogant, highhanded, peremptory style that had zero tolerance for political dissidents, publicly castigating them or, worse, incarcerating them for years, bankrupting them through defamation suits or forcing them to flee into exile. Lee Kuan Yew had consistently maintained that the fact that the PAP was regularly and convincingly returned to power at each election over forty years meant that the people acknowledged the government was doing the right thing.

By the time of GE 2011, it would appear that the PAP leaders had reached the peak of hubris, making decisions with little regard for the people’s needs and sensitivities—increasing ministerial salaries, bringing in world-class casinos to attract tourists, engaging in blatant gerrymandering prior to elections. Then there were the policies that had created special hardships for the struggling wage earner, such as the increasing cost of living, the unaffordability of housing, the competition for jobs with a large number of foreign workers who, moreover, caused overcrowding in public transport.

There are enough examples, going back to the early years of Lee Kuan Yew’s rule, of draconian measures of control, that had created this fear and its inevitable product, resentment.

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Commentary p o s t g e 2 0 1 1 s c e n a r i o

The rise of a younger, more articulate electorate, the power of the Internet and the social media, which allowed free discussion on usually censored topics, and perhaps, most significantly, the emergence of a newly strengthened opposition who were able to present candidates matching the best in the PAP team.

The decision that had created most resentment was the one which enabled the PAP ministers to pay themselves incredibly high salaries, Lee Kuan Yew’s argument being that this was the only way to get quality people into government. (Resentful Singaporeans invariably point out that the Prime Minister of tiny Singapore gets about five times the salary of the most powerful man in the world, the President of the United States) Priding themselves on their intelligence, competence and efficiency, the PAP leadership nevertheless made huge losses on investments with public money, and glossed over

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the scandalous prison escape of a top terrorist, made possible by an unbelievably lax security system. In the eyes of the people, they had lost the moral authority to govern.

That the people’s anger broke out only in GE 2011 and not earlier was due to a confluence of forces, interacting with and reinforcing each other, to provide the most unexpected momentum and impact. These included the rise of a younger, more articulate electorate, the power of the Internet and the social media, which allowed free discussion on usually censored topics, and perhaps, most significantly, the emergence of a newly strengthened

opposition who were able to present candidates matching the best in the PAP team. Or it was a simple case of the people waking up one morning and saying, ‘Enough is enough.’ The PAP were caught off guard.

Lee Kuan Yew stood firm on his convictions till the very end, clearly preferring to resign rather than to say ‘Sorry’. That word had never been in his vocabulary.While they were prepared to make conciliatory gestures and promises to stem the rising hostility during the election campaign, Lee Kuan Yew stood firm on his convictions till the very end, clearly preferring to resign rather than to say ‘Sorry’. That word had

Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy is so mixed that even his greatest detractor must acknowledge his very substantial achievements for Singapore, and even his greatest admirer must admit that along the way, alas, he lost touch with the ground. possible events, when he will experience that Coffin Moment, each posing a threat to what seems to be his greatest concerns for Singapore: 1) when the strong ties between the government and the unions that he had assiduously helped to build for nearly fifty years, are in danger of being broken 2) when the nation’s vast reserves, protected by a law he had carefully devised to allow only the president of Singapore to unlock, are about to be foolishly squandered 3) when the PAP leadership is in danger of being dominated by those same young Singaporeans whom he had regularly chastised for being selfish, thoughtless and heedless and for whom he had specially written his last book on hard truths about Singapore’s

future. In the event of a threat to any of these concerns, his old passion is likely to be fired up once more to make him come out of the coffin to do battle.

Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy is so mixed that even his greatest detractor must acknowledge his very substantial achievements for Singapore, and even his greatest admirer must admit that along the way, alas, he lost touch with the ground. He puts one in mind of the great hero of epic tragedy, who is caught in a maelstrom of forces beyond his control, that destroy him in the end by working, ironically, upon a single tragic flaw in his character. Alone and lost, unbowed and defiant, he still cuts an impressive figure, still able to tell the world, ‘I am me.’

*Edwin Koo’s photo exhibition, Notes from a Singapore Son, is going on at School of Photography (SOP) 98A Tanjong Pagar Road, from 3 to 30 July. Admission is free. For more information, please visit http://edwinkoo.photoshelter.com/page1

© Edwin Koo 2011

never been in his vocabulary. When he had to apologise to the Malay-Muslim community for disparaging remarks made months earlier, clearly because of some pressure from his PAP colleagues alarmed by the community’s rising anger, he could only manage a terse ‘I stand corrected.’

He is likely to carry this stance to his grave, believing till the end in his own misfortune of having an ungrateful people incapable of understanding him and appreciating all that he had done for them. Outwardly chastened but inwardly disillusioned, he must be particularly disappointed with his own PAP colleagues, for their failure to share his passionate belief that his was the right and proven way to achieve the well-being of the society.

It is not so much megalomania as the sheer inflexibility that convictions sometimes harden into, something that will probably continue to give him a completely different interpretation of the devastation of GE 2011.

This kind of intransigence, for all its reprehensibility, can, rather oddly, have a commendable side. Years ago, on an official visit to Australia and taken on a sightseeing tour, he suddenly fell into a mood of somber introspection, turned to his Australian host and said, ‘Your country will be around in 100 years, but I’m not sure of mine.’ The same absolutism that had produced the unshakeable sense of his infallibility, had also produced an unqualified purity, selflessness and strength of his dedication to the well-being of Singapore, well beyond his earthly life, investing it with the touching anxiety of a caring parent.

In the event of a threat to any of these concerns, his old passion is likely to be fired up once more to make him come out of the coffin to do battle.When he made the famous pronouncement that even when lying inside his coffin , he would rise to meet any threat to Singapore’s security, he meant every word of it. In political limbo now, will he ever feel that need? I can think of three

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Commentary

Partisan dialogue

Voice, Power and Responsibility b y D a n e s h D a r ya n a n i

In 1965, Lee Kuan Yew became the Prime Minister of independent Singapore; the very same year Ferdinand Marcos became the President of the Philippines. Power in their respective countries rested squarely on these two men and their closest associates.

In February 2011, the Philippines celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the EDSA Revolution or what is more popularly referred to as the People Power Revolution, which saw the common people rise and unite, ultimately forcing Mr. Marcos and family to flee from the Malacañang to Hawaii, ending his 20-year regime.

In May 2011, Singapore held it’s 12th parliamentary general election since gaining independence.

Immediately post election there was a dramatic change in leadership with significant cabinet resignations,

including that of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, where he has held a post since independence in 1965. Significantly, the PAP has noticeably adopted a different tone of voice and immediately addressed hot-button issues of the citizens – issues such as housing, immigration and public transportation.

To be sure the Singapore General Elections 2011 was not as dramatic as the People Power Revolution of the Philippines but it’s just as significant.

Like the 1986 revolution in the Philippines, the general election saw power shifting back to the people.

So what was so significant about GE 2011? PAP did win 60% of the popular vote and though that percentage was the lowest since independence, it took 81 out of the possible 87 seats in parliament. It was significant because the PAP’s mandate of 60% was the lowest since independence and the

people, the citizens of Singapore, found out for the first time, that they had a voice and that collectively, they have power, and they could make a difference in the way that the country is run.

Many Singaporeans were unhappy with the way the country was governed both in style and substance. The topics of substance were publicly debated – housing, public transportation, jobs, distribution of wealth. In style, there were many who thought the PAP was “arrogant”, “highhanded”, and did not listen to the people. No one can deny the good job the PAP did in the early years, but this electorate was different.

History meant little to them. They had pressing issues that affected their dayto-day lives. They wanted to be heard, and not only heard – they wanted to be listened to. This need was the most obvious among netizens.

It was significant because the PAP’s mandate of 60% was the lowest since independence and the people, the citizens of Singapore, found out for the first time, that they had a voice and that collectively, they have power, and they could make a difference in the way that the country is run.

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This election, especially online, was characterized by heated discussions. Quietly staunch PAP stalwarts came to the blazing defense of their party, while the opposition crusaders engaged in debate who in the past would have been cowered into silence.

The Internet has given these people a voice. Discontent with the government has been in the background since the 1980s. However, these conversations were among small groups and invariably “hush-hush” due to fear of being carted away under the Internal Security Act (ISA) or being denied some privileges.

Whether right or wrong, there was this underlying fear of speaking against the government. In the last general election in 2006, podcasting on political rallies, parties and advertising were disallowed during the campaigning period. There was also an announcement that blogs that “persistently propagate promote or circulate political issues to Singapore” were required to register with the Media Development Authority (MDA).

The Parliamentary Election Act was amended in 2001 to allow political parties to advertise on the Internet. In 2011, political discourse was given free reign in the digital realm.

A striking feature of the recent GE was heightened emotions. In the past, political discussions in Singapore were mere party talk, not many believing they would be heard or that public political discourse would make a difference. This election, especially online, was characterized by heated discussions. Quietly staunch PAP stalwarts came to the blazing defense of their party, while the opposition crusaders engaged in debate who in

the past would have been cowered into silence. Suddenly, we have real political discourse. But what were these choices, these partisan alliances made upon? Did they read the manifestos of the respective parties, understood the policies that they purportedly would implement and then ponder upon their ramifications? Or were their choices made on emotions, the heart, and very little head? Unfortunately, what we saw was that many criticisms, especially leveled towards the PAP, were based on repressed frustrations that suddenly

were given an outlet.

Another interesting observation is the number of netizens who have moved from being political commentators to political activists. Rather than being content with observing, analyzing and presenting their case, we see more wanting to affect real change. Not that activism works in Singapore just yet – it didn’t work in trying to get Tin Pei Ling out of parliament or Lina Chiam into parliament. But this could only be a matter of time. Political activism is a dangerous thing, and we as a people must collectively be vigilant and quash any self-serving, emotion driven activism.

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Power is a dangerous thing. Think with me. It doesn’t matter where this power lies. If this power is in one hand, the possible outcome is dictatorship. If this power is in the masses, the possible outcome is a revolution.

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What the people may not have fully realized is that with this newfound “power”, there is responsibility. Power is a dangerous thing. Think with me. It doesn’t matter where this power lies. If this power is in one hand, the possible outcome is dictatorship. If this power is in the masses, the possible outcome is a revolution. In the early years post independence, our leaders used this power responsibly, which cannot be said of all countries.

In a simple analogy, through this general election, the people of Singapore have been given their first driver’s license. Will they drive responsibly?

There are already indications that some are starting to abuse this newfound voice. Take the Temasek Review Emeritus. Their website states that “The Temasek Review Emeritus is an internet socio-political blog which aims to provide an independent, balanced and unbiased coverage on socio-political affairs in Singapore”.

Many who follow The Temasek Review will readily state that their coverage is anything but “balanced and unbiased”. This is a case of a teenager, having found some freedom, becomes

rebellious. He’s got his drivers license and he’s driving recklessly. This is a shame. If they used their voice responsibly, they could have emerged as a credible, alternative voice to the mainstream media.

Yet, the danger is that The Temasek Review Emeritus has followers. And if these followers do not engage their mind and think critically, they will be influenced by emotion. Nothing is more dangerous than a group of unthinking, emotionally stirred individuals.

Yes, we the citizens of Singapore now have a voice, and with that voice, power. What is needed now are rational non-partisan voices that will logically analyze the partisan policies and present them to the electorate who will hopefully have the maturity and discipline to process and make the right choices rather than vote on the basis of “I don’t like the PAP” because they are “arrogant” or “I don’t like the opposition” because they are “troublemakers”, or even, “I want Tin Pei Ling out because she posed with a Kate Spade bag”.

These elections saw the start of polarization, or at least a publicly visible polarization. The confidence of the people that they can actually make a difference will increase steadily as we move towards the next GE, which will be held within the next 5 years.

What are the potential scenarios?

The best-case scenario is that over the next 5 years, we have a healthy debate. If we, as an electorate put rigor in our decision making process and intelligently scrutinize public policies, this will force the candidates, whether PAP or opposition to deliberate, scrutinize, form and articulate their policies with the same rigor.

Partisan dialogue

We have about 5 years until the next elections.

Will we use this freedom responsibly to become mature adults, or will be like those who leave home, go away to university and act recklessly like a prodigal son?

The worse case scenario is that if a popular member of the opposition, with superior oratory skills, stirs up a militant activist group based on the strength of his or her personality as opposed to the clarity of thought and the sincerity of intention for the best of the country.

There has been a mini-revolution of sorts. The people have spoken. The government has listened. The difference between a dictatorship and our government is that the PAP has listened.

They have made changes, unpopular ministers have resigned, apologies have been made, and initial steps have been taken. An immature electorate will smell blood and go for the kill. A more mature electorate will stop, evaluate, study and make their decision in due course based on personal values, the good of the country, and rational thought.

When we were younger, our government talked to us as children.

We listened, and when we didn’t, we were punished. If we were angry, we’d

Commentary

grumble among our friends. We’ve grown up under the government’s eyes without them knowing it. However, they have now realized that we are now a teenager and like any parent, the government will have to let us have some freedoms that they would not let us have as a child. We have about 5 years until the next elections.

Will we use this freedom responsibly to become mature adults, or will be like those who leave home, go away to university and act recklessly like a prodigal son? While the power may rest collectively with the people, much also depends upon how those who have been elected lead the flock.

It’s a new era for Singapore. The voice of tomorrow will not remember the struggles of early nationhood.

They know that they have a voice.

They know how to organize and act collectively. They know how to harness power. The question is, will they use it responsibly?

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Lace corset, panty, girdler and sheer legging from Simply Intimate Hair piece and fur coat from Secret Garden Owl

by V ict o r C hen

THE GIRL

IN BLACK

All the mystery she holds is conveyed by one thing: black. What she kept from you, what she hid from others, resides in her dark, opaque signature style. Yes, she calls it her signature style, but you know better...

Photography: Luke Elijah assisted by Nanda Kumar/Phocus Styling & Makeup: Tinoq Russell Goh using M.A.C. (9816 2149) assisted by Dylan Chan Hair: Vicky/X’PECT Studio Model: Carmen Solis/Diva Models Singapore Shot on location at New Majestic Hotel

Diamond studded bra from Simply Intimate Heels and panty, model’s own Silk flower, can can skirt from Secret Garden Owl

She came dressed in black

Panty from Simply Intimate Feather robe from Secret Garden Owl

Her crimson lips the counterpoint

Dress and purple Hair piece from Secret Garden Owl

Sequin Corset and panty from Simply Intimate Feather collar from Secret Garden Owl

What she does not show through her sombre clothes, she reveals to you and you alone

Sequin Corset and panty from Simply Intimate Feather collar from Secret Garden Owl

Let the night embrace you

Lethidetheyoudarkness in its shadows Panty from Simply Intimate Heels, model’s own Bangles, bracelet, beaded cape from Secret Garden Owl

Fiction

SLEEP RUNNING

Sleep

Running

He could not say what had made him go down to the track. He had only meant to get away from the crying and the shouting inside the semidetached he now hated but had mortgaged his life and soul to pay for

Sto ry by Ovi d ia Y u

He had not got much

sleep the night before, but that was usual now. The baby had cried. His wife had grumbled and called him names and finally cried, shouting and calling him selfish (though he had done nothing, said nothing) and finally told him to get out if he wasn’t going to help. His mother-in-law who was supposed to be there in his house temporarily to help with things seemed to have moved herself in permanently and was doing everything she could to make things worse.

She was evil, that was the only way he could honestly describe the old woman. But then he had never had much to do with her until now. What really shocked him was that sometimes when he was not looking at them he could not tell his wife’s voice from her mother’s. And even more terrifying – sometimes when he looked into the malicious grimacing face of his mother-in-law he knew he could be looking at his wife – twenty, thirty years into the future, this was the monster he would be married to.

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Later he could not say what had made him go down to the track. He had only meant to get away from the crying and the shouting inside the semi-detached he now hated but had mortgaged his life and soul to pay for. It was still dark outside, apart from the street-lamps.

The birds had not yet woken and the only sound came from the early buses and taxis on the main road. The lights in the Clementi Stadium were not on yet–it was not yet 6am.

He was a grudging runner, barely fit enough to pass IPPT since the alternative was sacrificed weekends. Now he found himself walking down Jalan Mas Puteh to the side entrance to the stadium grounds that was never locked. Once on the track he started running. No warming up, no gentle jog to ease into the first exercise he had taken in months. He welcomed the pain in his ankles, in his knees and in his chest. This was real pain his body could recognise, not the endless dragging daily drudgery. He had chosen it for himself. He had thought he could do it, this job he hated. He had thought it would be worth it, being bored to death by a job that would pay for the little house – landed property! – for his new wife and new baby. The new wife and new baby he was running circles in the dark to avoid being in the house with.

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He had had such dreams. He would just go on running, he thought. Anything, as long as he did not have to go back. Other dark shapes were starting to show up on the track. He thought he saw an old woman shuffling along with a walking aid.

She reminded him of his mother-in-law and he felt an instant distaste for her as she started to walk slowly down the track. He passed her, running hard, speeding up to show off his speed and his power and – it hit him with such impact that for a moment he thought he had run full speed into a wall. He felt as though he had been thrown backwards, the pain in his head and the pain in his chest burning so hard there was no way he could get a breath into his chest. But then just as suddenly he was outside of himself, watching the pain and watching himself writhing on the track.

“You wanted to die, you said.”

It was a young woman. She bobbed and bounced on her toes as she spoke, as though trying to keep up her heart rate while talking to him. Yellow and white track shoes, he noted. Yellow and white track suit. Good for road running in the dark.

“I didn’t say that.” He could talk then, even though he couldn’t breathe. Was he having a heart attack? Why couldn’t she see he was having a heart attack. He felt angry with her. The same anger he nursed against his boss, his colleagues, his wife, that damned crying baby found a new target and examined it for flaws to sneer at. Unfortunately she was slim, fit, trim and she was saying, “You wanted to end it all. You don’t want to go back to her, to them, to your job, you hate it all.”

He could not see her face clearly in the half light. For some reason it did not seem strange that she could put his thoughts so much more clearly than he had seen them. As he listened to her the pain seemed to fade into the distance.

“I don’t want to die,” he said. And as he spoke he knew that was true. “I just want to go away. From all this. I hate them. I hate myself when I’m with them.”

Somewhere inside him the daring passionate young man had not yet died, was not willing to die just yet.

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SLEEP RUNNING

This was not how his life was supposed to turn out. He knew that if he did nothing, said nothing now it would only get worse. Because it would become a habit, a routine.

The daily drag and daily drudge.

Somewhere inside him the daring passionate young man had not yet died, was not willing to die just yet.

He had been the responsible son all his life, never gone through a wild phase, never given his parents any serious worries – he was not yet ready to be transformed into the responsible father and tied into that role for the rest of his life.

“I could just leave,” he said. “I could leave with you. I would be good to you.

You don’t know what I’m like when I’m not under pressure like this. People say I’m fun to be with. I’m hard-working, dependable,” he didn’t have to tell her people also said he was good looking.

She could see that for herself. Though people had not been saying that to him

Fiction

for some time now.

“You would just leave me. Once you get into the habit you won’t be able to stop. And you would leave the next one too. And the one after that. And you’ll end up with a whole string of children and we’ll all hate you. And a string of ex-wives draining you...”

He saw it as she spoke it. Maybe she was right then. It would be better for him to die there and then, given the alternatives. But something she said struck him. “What do you mean you’ll all hate me?” She ignored or didn’t hear him.

“Yes, of course you can die now if you want to,” the young woman said.

It hurt him that she didn’t even try to argue him out of it.

“I’m not a bad person,” he said defensively.

“Who said you were?”

His wife had said it. Had screamed it at him in fact.

“Why?”

All he wanted was some appreciation – or just some acknowledgement for how hard he worked.

It was not fair. All he wanted was some appreciation – or just some acknowledgement for how hard he worked.

Instead she seemed to blame him for being able to escape to the office. It struck him then that perhaps his wife hated the house, the baby, being shut in all day with her knowit-all old mother too. And the old woman? Did she mind giving up her own flat and whatever she did in it all day?

He had no idea what his mother-in-law did with his life.

“You are comparing your insides to her outside,” the woman said, seeming to sense the shift in his mood.

“That’s not fair. Try and see it from their point of view.”

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Fiction

SLEEP RUNNING

Before he got a chance to ask her what she meant by that he found himself flat on his back, on the grass on the side of the track. Someone was nudging him. He opened his eyes to see the old woman poking at him with the foot of her walker. To his surprise the pain was gone.

“I think I had a heart attack,” he said faintly. He wondered if she spoke English, if he could get her to call him an ambulance, ask her to tell his wife that he loved her and remind her that his life insurance papers were in the box file in the store room underneath the spare diapers.

“I think you fell asleep,” the old woman said in perfect English.

“I could have died,” he said.

“You didn’t.” She told him firmly.

He sat up. There didn’t seem to be any lasting damage. The old woman was slowly, laboriously turning her walking aid around to return to her slow track.

“You need all the sleep you can get with a new baby in the house,” He saw she was wearing white and yellow sneakers, beneath a yellow kebaya top and white pants.

Something about the colours struck him but he could not say what. “Go home, young man. They need you there,” the old woman said.

He had not felt like a young man in a long time but suddenly he felt young again. He was walking on his own, for one thing. Something big struggled just behind his conscious mind–but then again it might just have been the nap on the grass. By now the birds were awake and school buses were on the roads of the housing estate collecting sleepy children from tired maids. He went home.

But he did not go straight home.

He stopped by the shophouses and bought breakfast. Nasi lemak for his wife and his mother-in-law. And he bought flowers–bunches of yellow and white chrysanthemums because they made him think of his companions on the track.

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“For you,” he said to his wife.

“Thank you for my beautiful daughter.”

The baby, taken aback by the change in the adult atmosphere, stopped crying.

“And for you,” he said to his shocked mother-in-law. “Thank you for your beautiful daughter.”

The baby might have stopped crying but his wife had tears smeared on her face as she hugged him hard.

“I thought you weren’t coming back,” she said.

“I told her the baby would bring you back,” his mother-in-law said almost pleasantly. She had picked up the baby and was holding her in front of the flowers.

“Look at how she’s smiling now.

You can see how much she likes yellow and white.”

He had not felt like a young man in a long time but suddenly he felt young again. He was walking on his own, for one thing. Something big struggled just behind his conscious mind– but then again it might just have been the nap on the grass. By now the birds were awake and school buses were on the roads of the housing estate collecting sleepy children from tired maids. He went home.

Personal Data Name Age

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35

Forum

S o c i a l M e d i a & P u b l i c Op i n i o n

from words to action Can Social Media Shift Public Opinion in the Virtual World to Effect Real-World Change?

by N i c h o l a s Fa n g

Recent events around the

world have showcased the growing power and formidable influence of the phenomenon that is social media. The so-called Arab Spring spreading across North Africa and the Middle East has seen citizen-led protests leveraging on key digital tools to effect dramatic change. Closer to home, the recent General Elections in Singapore also saw large sections of society, and even the candidates themselves, engaging and sharing perspectives on social networking sites and other new media outlets along with more traditional,

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mainstream media. Bouquets and brickbats for candidates’ latest coups or boo-boos were circulated all over the Internet, and updates on activities and results were provided almost instantaneously online.

While it would be a stretch to say that social media in Singapore played a major role in swaying the votes in favour of the opposition, which enjoyed it’s most successful elections ever, it definitely took on a greater significance in this era of greater online awareness and interconnectedness.

Technology’s role in effecting social

change is not new. As far back as 2001, protests during the impeachment trial of former Philippine president Joseph Estrada were organised via text messaging. A total of seven million text messages were sent in in a oneweek period. Other protests, such as those seen in Spain in 2004, were also organised by text messaging and, led to, the ouster of prime minister Jose Maria Aznar. And the Moldovan Communist Party lost power in 2009 when massive protests were organised and coordinated in part by text message, Facebook and Twitter.

Since the Internet boom in the early 1990s, the world’s networked population has grown from the low millions to the low billions. Social media, which includes text messaging, email, photo sharing, social networking and the like, has since become a fact of life for most actors in civil society.

It leverages on web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue. A common thread running though most definitions of social media is the blending of technology and social interaction to create value for users.

Experts say that social media is an ideal tool for connecting disparate networks of association, bringing individuals and groups together to support a common cause. Social networking and micro-blogging site Twitter allows stories to be told around the world in short, succinct messages that are a boon to media and interested parties in terms of receiving the latest information from the stakeholders on the ground. Facebook on the other hand allows the organisation of promotion of activities and events and creates a sense of community and solidarity among those who share the same views and objectives.

Observers are now asking if social media is able to in fact shape and influence public opinion, and to even give such opinion more teeth to effect change throughout the world.

In the case of the Arab Spring, digital tools brought together remote and disparate groups, and were also able to create channels to bypass traditional state control of the media so the outside world could bear witness to the events.

As one Cairo activist succinctly put it, “We use Facebook to schedule the protests, Twitter to coordinate, and YouTube to tell the world.”

Social media was also a key component of the 2008 US Presidential Election, and, many argue, the reason Barack Obama won. Obama had a presence on over 15 online communities. Data has shown that

on MyBarackObama.com, Obama’s own social network, two million profiles were created and more than 35,000 volunteer groups were set up.

Conversely, McCain’s campaign had a minimal social media presence.

Statistics are showing that many people are receiving a bulk of their information via the social networks. For example, a recent Pew Research report showed that 75 percent of Americans who get news online get it through social networks and email. With more than 500 million active users on Facebook and over 140 million tweets sent in an average day, social media is clearly a force to be reckoned with.

But at the same time, skeptics doubt that social media can actually have a tangible long-term impact on society, given its raw, uncontrollable nature.

The same features that have allowed it to become such a powerful conduit of opinion – its wide reach and complete accessibility by all users – means that its power is unbridled, and that it can be unreliable at times in terms of the veracity of information being posted and uploaded.

New York University Professor of New Media Clay Shirky wrote recently in Foreign Affairs that there are two arguments against the idea that social media will be able to make a concrete difference in issues such as national politics. The first, that social media tools are ineffective, centres around the idea of “slacktivism”, where casual participants seek social change through low-cost activities such as joining groups on Facebook, things that are long on sentiment and short on realworld usefulness. But Prof. Shirky says this obscures the fact that social media can and has proven to be effective in coordinating real-world action, not replacing it. “The adoption of these tools, especially cell phones, as a way to co-ordinate and document realworld action is so ubiquitous that it will probably be a part of all future political movements,” he writes.

The second argument is more serious and pertains to the ability

what is clear is that the power

of social media to impact public opinion in the virtual world, and allow users to co-ordinate, plan and effect far-reaching change in the real world is undeniable. of other actors such as the state to monitor, interdict or co-opt new media tools. Governments in places such as China, Bahrain, Iran and Thailand, have taken action in the past few years to control and filter Internet traffic, shut down communication grids and punish those to seek to leverage on social media tools to effect what they perceive as undesired change.

The jury is still out on what the long-term future of social media will be, and how it will overcome these and other challenges that are being posed. But what is clear is that the power of social media to impact public opinion in the virtual world, and allow users to coordinate, plan and effect far-reaching change in the real world is undeniable. As new technology and platforms continue to be developed and rolled out to a tech-hungry public, this trend is one that looks set to continue for decades to come.

Nicholas Fang is the director of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs and a former journalist.

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Forum

Singapore style

Singapore Style: Urban Legend? by b r ento n wo n g

The essence of style is hard

to distill – and harder yet to define.

Just recently, another fashion festival has ended in Singapore. Looking at the fashion fans air-kissing themselves and blogging about the shows they attended, and even before the last confetti fell on the catwalk... I had to ask myself – is there such a thing as Singapore style?

Sartorially speaking, can we define what a Singapore style is? And let’s not confuse fashion with style. Fashion speaks of current trends and styles that are popular. In other words, they come and go. Style, on the other hand, is more than a person’s outer appearance.

It’s supposed to evoke that person’s sense of being, aesthetics, emotions, thoughts and values. In short, it’s a visual form of self-expression.

Legendary couturier Yves St Laurent had pronounced: “Fashions fade, style is eternal.”

I used to bemoan the appalling merchandise choices in our shops and boutiques. They would reflect the safest choices, some not even showcasing the fashion-forward items of the season. If you compared the merchandise from an international label in Singapore and those in Japan and Europe, you will see that the local buyer would have brought in the most boring and bland

Style is more than

styles of the season, playing safe. I would blame the merchandisers. But after much thought, it would seem to reflect the buying choice of the public.

Singaporeans want safe, boring, bland and predictable fashion, it seems. That’s what they buy.

Have we been socially engineered into blandness? After years of being told what to do and how to do it, have most of us lost that spark of creative individuality to dress with style? Are the denizens of Singapore streets distinctive enough in their visual self-expression to be able to let an onlooker know he or she is exhibiting a Singapore style? I don’t think so.

a person’s outer appearance. It’s supposed to evoke that person’s sense of being, aesthetics, emotions, thoughts and values.

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we are a country with

Singapore Style

Go to Shenton Way, the centre of the city’s financial hub, and all you see are uniforms – men in starched shirt and tie ensembles, women dressed in dress suits usually in black. If you scour the campuses hoping to see some youthful spark of creativity, you will be confronted with crumpled tee-shirts, bermudas, shorts and the omnipresent flip-flop. Even at social galas, one is usually confronted with pretty but boring gowns from international labels, or their knock-offs or mutated versions from local tailors.

If asked to describe what a Singapore style was, at best I would only be able to muster one word – “casual”. The tropical climate we live in has forced many a Singaporean to make a choice, it seems. And they have chosen comfort above all else. Coupled with this is our relatively socially flat landscape – we are a country with a majority of middle-class people – no distinct class divisions as there is no royalty. So dress, which distinguishes between the classes, does not play a significant role here. Casual is the operative word. We don’t dress for concerts, for a dinner, or sometimes even for a gala event – if you go to a black tie event, more than half the men will not be in black tie, I warrant you.

So in the absence of class, money comes into play. It helps define social hierarchy somewhat. And unfortunately, sometimes money hinders style. Being dressed head to toe in Chanel is not style. Laying your hands on a Birkin bag does not imbue you with flair. At best, they just mean you can afford it – and at worse, you are letting the clothes and accessories wear you instead of the other way around. So while our streets may be awash with people brandishing luxury brands, and even though each season the fashion crowd rushes to get the next “It” bag like a flock of sheep – we are still bereft of style.

a majority of middleclass people. So dress, which distinguishes between the classes, does not play a significant role here.

I suppose it takes time as a nation to build on its culture and heritage to develop a distinct voice where fashion is concerned. It takes time to fuse a country’s ethos, vision and fashion. The French have their distinctive bon vivant approach – and their style icons like Coco Chanel and Catherine Deneuve have helped shaped what is considered chic, the epitome of French style. Lord knows it took centuries to attain that.

Look at the Americans and you think clean-cut, healthy and sporty – and their style icon Jacqueline Kennedy embodied all this, and more. And for Singapore?

We have yet to give birth to a style icon of that ilk. In addition, the language used to describe what is stylish is also quite telling – ‘stylo-mylo’ has been bantered as a Singlish phrase to describe a person who is in vogue – and it can be used sarcastically as well. The phrase amuses with its rhyming patois, but it also hints a little of parochialism, harking at our kampong roots.

Maybe we should start there, then – the kampong, to get that ethos and distill a style that is distinctively Singaporean... make a statement. So, the next time you see me, don’t be surprised if I am lounging in my batik sarong.

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Forum

Obedient Wives Club

A woman’s

duty

by Dar ry n J o h n sto n

I can recall reading a parody

written in the 1950s “How to be a Good Wife”. It included such gems as “Welcome your husband home with a cold drink’ and ‘make him comfortable in his favourite chair’. With recent comments, it seems that independent lawmaker Ibrahim Ali is looking to add to the list.

According to the Malaysian MP, “men have affairs because wives neglect their duty in bed.

He went on to justify his comments by saying that “In Islam, wives are supposed to stop everything to fulfil their husband’s demands”.

Yep, that’s right, women must fulfil the demands of men, and it’s a woman’s duty to be on call for sex.

One can’t help but wonder how long Amelia Earhart’s many record breaking flights would have taken if she stopped to fulfill her husband’s demands.

Alternatively I wonder if Britain’s longest serving Prime Minister since universal suffrage (Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher) could have told Mahathir during their arms deal negotiations in KL in 1988 “Hold on a moment Tungku, my husband is horny”.

Mind you, the United States and Britain are hardly paragons of virtue when it comes to treatment of women.

Up until 1993, in the US a husband could take sex from his wife whenever he wanted it – it was legal for a husband to rape his wife.

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Israel did much better in this regard, the Israeli Supreme Court affirmed that marital rape is a crime in a 1980 decision, citing law based on the Talmud. However even here, there is hardly room for them to metaphorically throw the first stone considering that the conservative Hasidic paper Der Tzitung lied and changed history by editing Hillary Clinton out of the famous situation room photo – claiming that a picture of possibly the world’s most powerful woman, sitting at a desk, is “sexually suggestive”.

Reading through Mr Ali’s comments it is difficult to decide what is more offensive: Is it his characterisation of women as being little more than chattels, there only to serve the sexual needs of men? Or is it his characterisation of men as inarticulate beasts that cannot control themselves? He claimed “Husbands

driving home after work see things that are sexually arousing and go to their wives to ease their urges,” and that if these “urges” are left unfulfilled men will go to private places to find satisfaction.

In other words, any time a Malaysian man is on a business trip without his wife, he can’t help but visit prostitutes.

Way to go Mr Ibrahim Ali, you’ve just classified 50% of the Malaysian population as being weak willed, stupid and having less control over their impulses than the average five-year-old.

I really hope that works out well for you coming the next election. But perhaps you will get re-elected. After all, I am sure that there are tens of thousands of Malaysian women that are just waiting to be told by their fathers, husbands, boyfriends and brothers how they should vote. We couldn’t trust a woman to make such an important decision by herself, could we?

Is it his characterisation

of women as being little more than chattels, there only to serve the sexual needs of men? Or is it his characterisation of men as inarticulate beasts that cannot control themselves?

if you need to look

outside your marriage because you have “uncontrollable sexual urges” it is more a reflection of your failure as an intelligent man than anything that your wife has (or hasn’t) done.

On the same theme, one can’t help but wonder if Nurul Izzah binti Anwar, current member of parliament for Lembah Pantai checks with her husband before she votes on a bill.

I also wonder if perhaps Mr Ali should introduce a bill into parliament legalising “sex leave”. Ladies could be given maybe 12 days leave a year to “service” their husbands. Mind you, it might be cheaper for the country to just issue each man with a blow up sex doll.

But does Mr Ali have a point? Do men cheat because they don’t get enough sex at home? Here the issue becomes rather muddy. But what should be noted upfront is that cheating in marriage is not as prevalent as many would have us believe. According to research, 25% of men have experienced extramarital intercourse. Don’t be smug though, ladies – 15% of women also admit to cheating on their husbands.

According to psychologists that have studied the issue, the sex itself is not the major motivator for a cheating spouse.

Rather, it is the excitement, the thrill and the rush of doing something new. Of the forbidden nature of the crime.

For a significant number of cheats, it is the sense of affirmation they get.

When cheating they feel wanted and attractive – a feeling that helps to bolster their poor self esteem.

For the cheats amongst you there would be two messages that I would like to deliver. Firstly, while the prevalence of cheating has remained largely unchanged over the last 30 years, with an increasingly connected world your chances of being caught have gone up dramatically.

And secondly, if you need to look outside your marriage because you have “uncontrollable sexual urges” it is more a reflection of your failure as an intelligent man than anything that your wife has (or hasn’t) done.

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FEATURE

SEXY TIME SINGAPORE

A SENTIMENTAL

JOURNEY

The Geylang of old where we grew up has long given up its wholesome, neighbourly character

by Boas Vill as

10:00pm: I had arranged to meet an old friend – let’s call him Renton – at a car park in one of the odd-numbered lorongs. The common notion is that the Geylang flesh trade flourishes only around even-numbered streets, but the truth is a number of working women loiter around the narrow one-way street that leads to the car park. These women operate under the shadow of ‘temple houses’ whose frightful idols and eerie red lanterns accentuate the uneasiness of the car park. That is enough to make me fear for the safety of my vehicle.

Affable and unassuming, Renton looks as likely as you and I have been former gang members. I remember remorsefully showing Renton my first police warning letter back when we were teens. With his ever jovial demeanour, he consoled me by opening his drawer to reveal a trove of warning letters and summonses, which spilled to the back of the drawer as he attempted to close it.

Renton has never been incarcerated; he keeps all these as reminders of how close he had come to crossing the line. Renton, having made better choices, now holds a white collar job with an average pay but keeps his old ties with the underground.

Renton went to a neighbourhood school, while I attended an SEP school. Noticing that he was falling in with bad company, his parents urged him to sign up with a lion dance troupe, which only served to exacerbate his situation.

Renton and I are no strangers to vice, perhaps him more than I. We grew up in a shady neighbour which everyone refers to as “the second Geylang”. Majority of Upper Serangoon’s residents are upper middle-class Chinese who live on an otherwise pleasant patch marred only by a wart that is the Upper Serangoon 084 V I P

Shopping Centre. The dilapidated mall is a rare gem whose architecture hinted at the better times it had seen in the 1970s, maybe earlier. Cramped with vacant units, karaoke bars and massage parlours, including curiously named Hougang De Sauna, the building is playground to scantily clad ladies in night makeup whose workplace is perhaps the next-door neighbours Hotel 81 and Fragrance Hotel.

“They sell cough syrup here these days,” he gestures to the Geylang Lorong 13 street sign.

Although Malay hooligans have been known to turn to sizzurp, more and more Chinese youths from well-to-do families are turning to dextromethorphan for its kick. I have a feeling that Renton’s knowledge and insights are going to make this guided tour a ‘worthwhile’ trip.

“It’s still a little early,” he says, and with that we head to Lorong 9 for beef kway teow.

11:00pm: The kway teow place affords an excellent view of the goings-on at Lorong 12, which, come nightfall, slips out of its modest eveningwear into something more sensual. The number of the suggestively clad and lavishly made-up women gradually increases amongst the fold, our cue to pay for our meal and embark on our sentimental journey.

We take Geylang’s iconic overhead bridge and cross over to the even-numbered territory, the vice quadrants. The bridge peers at arm’s length into the dense and filthy low-rise apartments that serve as foreign workers’ dormitories. Homeless people littered on the bridge getting some shut eye are sad memes of how migrants’ living conditions have hardly improved.

The bridge descends facing another Geylang landmark – the petrol kiosk where contraband cigarettes are being peddled. I know Renton would have the lowdown: “You see that open space beside the coffeeshop that looks like a small parade square? They bring their goods in from across the causeway and sell them to passing cars. They stash them in that dustbin over there.”

Men approach us one by one as we turn into Lorong 6. Renton says hello and makes small talk with those who still recognise him. Amongst the indecent offers they make, the one which particularly stands out, is “girl or child”.

Does Geylang really peddle children? I turn to Renton. “It’s not true,” he assures me. They are well above the age of consent, he continues, but are just touted as such to excite those with peculiar tastes.

Lorong 6 is probably the most exotic. Amongst its streetwalkers, I make out some Middle Eastern women whose features are a dead giveaway. There is a small group of Kazakhs – blondes with Oriental features and Aryans with ebony hair.

Two tall, blue-eyed Russians stand brazenly at the street corner, seemingly ‘selfemployed’, with no pimps lurking behind them. Playing the stereotypical bold Russian woman, I’ve heard that some of them travel the world plying their ancient trade. Amongst the heavy traffic, we rub shoulders with the occasional transvestite, whose mere presence surprises me in a market overflowing with men in search of intimacies with the fairer sex.

1 1 : 3 0 p m : A back alley is a hive of activities, almost seemingly contrived, and, given the late hour, still teeming with people. A street hawker sells otah and a game of dice is in progress on makeshift gambling tables. Small crowds flock the Indians shaking the dice; foreigners, they look to me. Croupiers who man tables with spinning tops yell at people to place their bets on where their tops will drop. The excited players tiptoe around the children’s toys, reciprocating in sporadic, excited shouts.

Does Geylang

really peddle children? To my dismay, I turn to Renton. “It’s not true,” he assures me.

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FEATURE

SEXY TIME SINGAPORE

The alley that skewers the lorongs tapers as it ascends in number. Slender Chinese and South-East Asian streetwalkers line the walkways that give way to an increasing number of tubby South Indian women who remind me of those who hang around Tekka Market. I spy some policemen checking the licences of pimps stationed at the end of the alley. As I turn around I see that all the ad-hoc gambling tables have vanished into thin air. We trace back our steps and find just the otah hawker; there isn’t a trace of ‘little casinos’. How and where they disappeared so fast is unknown.

I spot fellow ‘sightseers’ – a pack of young boys who not old enough to be patrons. They raise giggles from the workers. A hand from huddled women suddenly reaches grasps one of the young boys’ arms.

“Thambi,” she coaxes teasingly as the boy struggles to to pull away, “sex venu, thambi?” The boy finally frees himself and the women break into raucous laughter.

1 2 : 0 0 m n : Those with a taste for Asian exotica head for what I call ASEAN

Boulevard: Talma Road that intersects Lorong 12 and Lorong 14 and forms a U bend that is lined from end to end with every Southeast Asian nationality. The Golden Mile Complex and Lucky Plaza combined do not hold a candle to this stretch. The ladies parade in outlandish outfits; some are dressed like Sailor Moon, others carry bags marked with familiar Gucci logos and Burberry checks. Between every two or three girls stands a man, immobile and pensive. If anyone messes around with the girls, the man and his gang will put him in his place. A hotel billboard beckons from a distance: Room rates: $7 per hour. Why not?

A doorman who doubtless moonlights as pimp ushers us to lift lobby. On the top floor its doors open a series of rooms. Through half open doors we see a bevy of half-naked beauties, doing their nails and watching television, for us to choose from.

We politely refuse our host who escorts us downstairs.

Outside, the streets are still packed. We head to a few more ‘fish tanks’. Renton brags that they are ranked number one in the world. I’m sceptical, but then again, who would verify such claims in the first place? Each doorway is waited upon by a kindly looking gentleman. Polite, not in the least bit coarse or covered with tattoos, they seem more like mild-mannered taxi drivers or one’s retiring family member.

Each of them subtly persuades us to have a look inside.

We settle for one. The room overflows with beauty. The ladies do not look miserable; one of them sits in a corner, facing a laptop.

1 : 0 0 a m : I debate the morality of being with a woman whose embraces have

a price tag. But I take heart that the flesh trade is providing each of them with a livelihood. As we take leave I ask Renton about where I can get a ‘clean’ fix for my aching back, and he leads me to the outskirts of the vice district. “It’s hard to find a place that won’t pull a fast one on you,” he cautions.

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the ladies parade in

in outlandish outfits; some are dressed like Sailor Moon, while others spot bags drenched in Gucci logos and Burberry checks.

The masseuse does well to relieve my tight muscles. She makes small talk in mainland Mandarin as she kneads the tension from my body. I am rather impressed by her skills and demeanour until her hand travelled to my privates.

“Do you want the special treatment,” she enquired.

Don’t judge me, I’m only a man.

motoring • food & wine • fashion • home entertainment

Concept by Han Yew Hock

Bottled Treasure: A Wine Investment Primer Burgundy’s Enduring Treasures Fast Forward: Best Movie Car Chases Tara Rushton In Myanmar Hannes Arch Airborne

verve

profile

Hannes Arch

FLYBOY

Some people don’t like heights; some people are scared of flying. Hannes Arch is different; he likes flying his acrobatic plane just metres above obstacles like city centre buildings, river bridges and desert dunes

By J er em y To r r

It’s as if Hannes Arch was

born with a wish to defy gravity. He is a paraglider, aerobatic plane and helicopter pilot. Born in Styria, in Austria, he passed the exacting exam to qualify as a mountain guide while still a teenager. To keep himself busy in his spare time, he also took and passed his pilot’s licence at 16. He was also the first person to BASEjump off the north face of the Eiger in Switzerland and won the Swiss Championship Aerobatics (Advanced) in 2001 – as a novice. Next he became European Freestyle Aerobatics Champion in 2006. To top that, he became Air Race World Champion in 2008.

Deciding to take it easy, he has throttled back and is now merely engaging himself with trifles like the Red Bull X-Alps Endurance Challenge.

This requires entrants to run and fly paragliders day and night across Europe’s highest mountain ranges between Salzburg to Monaco – some 1,000km of 24/7 physical abuse. But despite his obvious ability to push himself to the limit, Arch says he is not a gym-nut.

“I don’t like gym training at all,” he admits. “I prefer jogging – four runs of 1.5 hours a week – and climbing.”

Arch says these both help to coordinate muscle action and oxygen retention, very necessary skills as an extreme pilot. In air races, Arch can fly his Edge Zivko 540 acro plane at speeds of up to 370 kph just a few metres above the water, and then pull forces of 12G in turns and loops. To say the least, this tests the pilot’s speed, precision and reflexes.

Manoeuvres include turns, rolls, inverted loops and knife-edge passes – all over a tightly marked course under pressure of time. ”Before every race, I calculate the complete course; it’s very mathematical, but it’s also very real. I have to be able to visualise the entire course before I start,” he explains. As well as being physically fit, Arch has a mental trainer to help him calibrate himself before each round of the Air Race series. “This gives me the ability to be one step ahead during every manoeuvre.”

Arch says his knack for applying absolute maximum concentration and

focus is one of the things that helped him clinch the World Champion title.

“My secret is that I can focus so well. My level of concentration and focus is 100 times higher than normal, especially during a race. For one and a half minutes, my motivation is at an absolute maximum,” he says. Learning to think before you do something and to take decisions in a split second is an absolute requirement, he adds. “When you’re up in the air you can’t afford to stop and think, not like in a car.”

The consequences of stopping to think, inverted, 15m above the water at over 350kph don’t bear thinking about, so the obvious question is, does he ever get worried or scared? The answer is as uncompromising as his approach to the skills he relies on.

“The only problems I have ever had in a plane have been on the way to air shows. Those were never technical problems, but due to poor weather conditions,” he answers matter-of-factly.

He doesn’t talk about the danger, only the need for concentration and as much comfort as possible.

Daniel Grund/Red Bull Photofiles

My level of concentration

and focus is 100 times higher than normal, especially during a race.

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Joerg MItter/Red Bull Photofiles

to keep his G-force retention up. “In a race I might pull up to 10G, so I have to practise big G-loads. If I don’t, I can pass out in the race.” Not a good thing to do.

But once he is out of the cockpit, Arch is like any other fit and capable person. He enjoys going out with friends, listening to music, and just hanging out. “Music is very important to me,” he says. He also spends a lot of time surfing in Hawaii, and enjoying the hills and mountains of his native Austria as an antidote to all that adrenaline action.

“Twenty years of extreme sports widens your horizon in a big way,” he grins. “You stop seeing things so seriously and can laugh about things that might seem very important to others.”

“I think (doing things like this) you learn to appreciate life more and to live each second more intensely.”

Sergio Martinez Nicolas

Bernhard Spöttel/Red Bull Photofiles

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images for Red Bull Air Race

“The way the G-forces make my head bang around on the edges of the cockpit and canopy can be very uncomfortable. That’s why I wear a helmet,” he says. He opts for soft Puma shoes for comfort, and a single golf glove to keep a firm and sweat-free grip on the joystick. And a parachute, although that’s unlikely to open in time at the heights he flies at. Of course the pilots all strap on a bottle with two minutes of oxygen in case they crash (all the Air Race courses are over water).

Before any race is when the jitters can hit even the most experienced racer, so Arch has his own techniques prior to climbing into the cockpit and strapping in. He spends 30 seconds before each session exercising, to make sure he is 100 percent in the zone. “I have to,” he explains. “Once I take off, I don’t feel anything; I just do the job.”

Some job. He has to train all year

FAST FACTS

Top speed of Arch’s Edge Zivko 540 acro plane: 426 kph Flight suit: Lightweight, race-car-style fire protective Left hand: Ungloved for maximum sensitivity on throttle, radio buttons and other controls Helmet: Carbon-fibre lightweight (1kg) with built-in visor Hook knife: To cut harness free in case of crash Watch: Suunto BASEjump model

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He cuts across the city sharp as a razor.

The sweltering heat does nothing to him. Inside he is calm and collected Black Cardigan by Zadig n Voltaire Brown linen pants, leather digit bracelet and sunglasses by Louis Vuitton

Concept by Li Haohan Photography by Lionel Lai/Acepix Styling by Siau Xindi assisted by Nicholas Ong Makeup by Laura Tait/Make Up For Ever Shot on location at Klapsons, The Boutique Hotel

Blue blazer suit and shirt by Dunhill

Urban legend – an apocryphal story that appears mysteriously and spreads spontaneously involving incidents

Printed cotton Shirt by Louis Vuitton Faded denim Jeans by Fendi Sunglasses by Zadig n Voltaire

often including elements of humor and horror, that spreads spontaneously, usually false, but popularly believed to be true

Light blue suit by Fendi Navy shirt by Zadig n Voltaire Tambour regatta navy Watch by Louis Vuitton

Urban legend – an apocryphal story that appears mysteriously and spreads spontaneously

White suit and blue cotton shirt by Fendi

Brown jacket, inner brown cotton shirt and brown linen pants

by Louis Vuitton

H O M E e n t e r a i n me n t

movie projector

PICTURE this!

When it comes to setting up a home theatre screen, the eyes have it

By DAN N Y CHAPLI N

AT THE CENTRE OF ANY LUXURY home entertainment system lies the visual

element, for without it your system is merely an expensive hi-fi, great for listening to Pavarotti but what if you want to actually see him belt out his lungs live in concert?

In Singapore, the use of wide screen plasma and LCD TV screens to enhance the experience of movies and television is fairly common. But although often technically advanced they fail to reproduce a truly immersive, authentic cinematic experience in one’s very own home. And because they are active illuminated screen technologies, they can tire the eyes and rob you of the immersive experience that is imperative with a home cinema – that’s why they’re called that.

A projection screen on the other hand employs passive screen illumination, much like a movie theatre system. This makes for more comfortable viewing of long movies or multiple screenings and is better for your eyes too when viewing in low light conditions.

Projectors can be installed so as to lower into place when in use and fold back into the ceiling again when not. This enables you to use the room for other things aside from movie viewing, and also protects the projector from dust and other hazards.

Some of the newer more expensive projectors with a higher level of performance can be quite large.

Working out the correct size of projection screen is definitely a job for the experts since understanding the projector specifications, quality of light in the room and matching it up with the perfect screen material, room size and optimal seating arrangements can be quite complicated. Soon Ong from Clarity AV Pte Ltd, Singapore’s longest established experts in high-end private cinemas, advises that “bigger is not always better”.

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Clarity AV is a leader in advanced, stylish and user-friendly home entertainment systems. It brings to Asian customers some of the leading international brand names in hi-fi and Home Entertainment, including: Kaleidescape, DreamVision, Mark Levinson, Lexicon, REVEL, Wisdom Audio, Transparent Cable, Stealth Acoustics, Speaker Craft and JBL Synthesis. These fine products are designed to blend perfectly into luxurious homes while bringing owners a level of musical and movie enjoyment that is truly life-like, outstanding and unforgettable.

“Don’t always go for the largest projection screen you can find, particularly when your room is modest in size – remember why those front row seats in cinemas are frequently unoccupied! Sitting too close to a screen is often uncomfortable and you find yourself moving your head left and right in order to follow the action”.

Having too large a screen for the room size will rob your eyes of the comfort you deserve, while too small a screen will defeat the purpose of having a projection system. Today, many movies are shot in the 2.35 aspect ratio and a good projection system is able to adopt this format without compromise and essentially eliminating the black borders on the top and bottom that waste almost thirty per cent of your projector potential. Some screens also need to be curved in shape so as to accommodate for this format. This is called a CinemaScope screen that is imperative when using a widescreen lens with your projector to enhance the performance of your system. This is absolutely crucial in home theatres today, since most of the movies are filmed in this aspect ratio.

An experienced home theatre consultant like Soon will advise you on all these issues.

When it comes to the correct way to light your home theatre den, you need to take into account the fact that the great enemy of projection screen systems is of course bright, direct light, and in Singapore bright tropical daytime light can effectively wash out any image from even the brightest projector. So consider opting for blackout curtains or heavy duty blinds that retain and enhance the acoustic qualities of the room, not rob them, especially if you’re installing the theatre in your living room or a spare bedroom for instance.

UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE

These fine products are designed to blend perfectly into luxurious homes while bringing owners a level of musical and movie enjoyment that is truly life-like, outstanding and unforgettable.

Opt for blackout curtains or heavy duty blinds that retain and enhance the acoustic qualities of the room

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If you have one, a basement is often the best option for a home cinema for precisely this reason – zero natural light. This allows you to create and sculpt the exact lighting that you require to optimise the projection system’s performance. A controlled lighting environment can make or break a home theatre room. However, having a totally dark room isn’t always a good idea, advises Soon. “One-hundred per cent darkness isn’t always ideal – you could be tipping over a glass of water if you’re trying to get a drink or tripping over furniture. I usually design the lighting environment to be comfortable enough to find your way around in your

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entertainment room without compromising on the picture. Light is fine, but the keyword here is a ‘controlled light environment’. But consider not making lighting too dim or subdued because this will interfere with your ability to see remote control units or even find your way to the light switch.”

The more sophisticated home systems now incorporate room lighting into the master remote control itself to get around these problems. Clarity AV Pte Ltd is actually one of the few companies in Singapore able to provide this level of master control integration.

These days, high-end home theatre systems are able to load your entire movie collection of hundreds or even thousands of movies onto a centrally located server.

This means that you can toggle between shows at the flick of your remote. You can also bypass those annoying menu screens at the beginning of DVDs. Also bear in mind scalability and whether your system can be upgraded as new technologies emerge. Imagine the magic of enjoying the same movie over many rooms in the home, all different movies, or any combination of the two – particularly useful if you often move from room to room attending to chores.

Blu-ray or regular DVD? If you’ve already begun upgrading your DVD collection

movie projector

to Blu-ray, of course you can benefit from the enhanced picture in the new media. Nevertheless, you may be surprised to learn that even regular DVDs look surprisingly good on high-end projection screen systems, and are at least equivalent to the experience of watching a movie in the public cinema. So if economising is your thing then spend the extra money on a top-end system rather than converting your old-fashioned discs into the very latest format.

Entry-level, projection-based home theatre systems can be installed for as little as S$20,000. At the higher end, you can spend as much as S$1 million or more on the most advanced, well-integrated and fully functioning systems and technology. The cutting edge projector units can cost up to a quarter of a million for the very latest kit.

As with anything in life, you get what you pay for and the higher end set-ups will give you an experience that you’d never dreamed of before. So what are you waiting for? Take that plunge and enjoy your DVD collection in a way you’ve never done before!

H O M E e n t e r a i n me n t

TAKE THAT PLUNGE

As with anything in life, you get what you pay for and the higher end set-ups will give you an experience that you’d never dreamed of before.

BELOW: A projection screen employs passive screen illumination that makes for more comfortable viewing

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VIP BAR

Champagnes

BUBBLE BATHS The potion of celebration is also the elixir of mirth

By Vi c to r C h en

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Used in the anointment

of French kings, champagne has been enjoying a solid reputation as a celebration drink. Yes, you can drown your sorrow and misery in other alcoholic beverages, but if you must make merry, make sure it’s a bubbly. Its effervescent quality, taste, colour and even the mere pop of its cork have somehow been embedded in our consciousness as signs that a celebration is afoot.

Champagnes have three important and basic ingredients: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. A blend of these wines, or cuvee, determine the structure, character and taste of champagne. Changing the ratio of these ingredients yields markedly different results.

The bubbles represent carbonation that result from secondary fermentation that takes

place in the bottle. Champagnes are produced only in the Champagne region of France, hence its name. Elsewhere in the world, winemakers who adopt the methode champegnoise have to be content with the less sparkling, generic moniker ‘sparkling wine’.

Gentlemen are said to have drunk champagne from ladies’ slippers, particularly those belonging to some legendary divas of the theatre, but it is ideally served in flutes – those thin-bodied stemware that ably sustain the effervescence and temperature of the liquid. Before flutes became popular, however, everyone sipped it from a stemware whose cup was supposed to have been moulded from the breast of Venus – a highly likely apocryphal but still a very entertaining little story.

“Twenty years of extreme sports widens your horizon in a big way,” he grins. “You stop seeing things so seriously and can laugh about thing that might seem very important to others.”

“I think (doing things like this) you learn to appreciate life more and to live each second more intensely.”

Champagnes from Beam Global Asia Pte Ltd (Nicolas Feuillatte and Champagne Jacquesson ranges); and Pernod Ricard Singapore Pte Ltd (Mumm range).

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Motoring

MOVIE car-chases

SMASH HIT!

You’re on the edge of your seat, teeth clenched, breath on hold, hands in fists and feet firmly on the pedal.

Yep, great movie car-chases can eclipse even the most brilliant plots

B y M a r k R i v e t t- C a r n a c

Drafting a list of the best car

Bullitt

It’s on top of every best car chase list to date and it will probably be on top of every list to come. It’s a chase so good that nothing new needs to be said about it.

The chase starts slow with San Francisco detective Bullitt , played by Steve McQueen, trailing two murder suspects in his Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 CID Fastback. When the two hit-men start to feel Bullitt’s heat, they peel off in their sinister looking black 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum. What ensues is a relentless, ten-minute chase through the steep streets of downtown San Francisco. There are probably more clips of leaping cars, smoking tyres and Steve McQueen looking deadly cool than there are clips in the rest of the chases on list this combined. The chase helped earn Bullitt its induction into the Library of Congress.

But even this chase has to come to an end. After the cars take to the foothills surrounding the city, they enter close combat battle that culminates in Bullitt’s Mustang driving the Charger off the highway, into a gas station and the subsequent explosion.

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Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Image courtesy of Dimension Films

Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Image courtesy of Dimension Films

Image courtesy of Warner Bros.-Seven Arts

chases in cinematic history is strenuous task involving rating two passions that inflame obsession: cars and movies. One might choose to keep the automotive fans happy by featuring stunning cars and forgetting the films altogether.

For example, you might go with the scene from Against All Odds in which Jeff Bridges driving a Porsche 911 SC Cabrio takes on Jeff Woods in a Ferrari 308 QV, in an impromptu race of macho one-upmanship. It sounds entertaining, but is phenomenally not. Or one could choose loyalty to film buffs and pick chase scenes for their cinematic virtue.

For example, the chase from Bourne Supremacy is on many top ten lists, but Matt Damon as Jason Bourne drives a bog-standard Russian taxi.

I’ve decided to make the usually fatal mistake of trying to satisfy everyone. So of the following five chases some feature amazing vehicles and others better scenes. A select few have both.

Clockwise from left: Bullitt; Death Proof; The Seven Ups; Death Proof; Vanishing Point

Images courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Q uantu m of Sol ace

Aston Martins fitted with elaborate gadgetry make all of Bond’s car chases – in the very least – faultlessly entertaining. But it is the pursuit in the pre-title sequence of Quantum of Solace that features the consummate fast paced, gritty, no-holds-barred car chase of a summer blockbuster.

The film opens straight onto Bond’s grey Aston Martin DBS V12 ripping through a narrow, mountainous road on the banks of Lake Granada. Following close behind are two Alfa Romeo 159s fitted with henchmen unloading rounds of bullets at a fantastic rate. The tight road and stream of cars racing in the opposite direction leads Bond and villains into many impressive swerves. At one point the DBS spins a 360 across lanes, leaving the Alfa behind to speed into a truck loaded with bricks.

With one baddy left, Bond turns off-road into a rock quarry where they vie for space on the steep, gravel bends. It all ends when he gets off a round from his automatic machine gun, and sends the last Alfa careening over the cliff – his face set all the while in an icy stare.

This chase is more aggressive than those from earlier, somewhat fluffier Bonds, and the choice of cars only make it more vicious. A stationary DBS is enough to make your hair stand on end, and it still looks good after receiving a relentless stream of bullets and the forced removal of a door. The Alfa does an admirable job of holding its own. Its mix of serious performance and sharp Italian looks makes it

Images courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

There is a reason why big American muscle cars are used in this and so many other exemplary car-chases. They look hard, have loud engines kicking out high horsepower, and, most importantly, can take a beating while driving fast. (Three others notable examples are: Death Proof, The Seven-Ups and Vanishing Point.) As it turns out this toughness is a vital quality, because if Bullitt teaches you one thing, it is that you crash a lot in a chase.

Behind these cars was a team with distinguished pedigree. The producer, Philip D’Antoni, and stunt coordinator, Bill Hickman, crafted many of Hollywood’s most famous chases, including the one from The French Connection . And McQueen was himself an avid and sometime professional racer. This experience comes through in the cool demeanor he keeps throughout the chase. An impressive performance considering they filmed at speeds over 100mph.

Clockwise from left: Quantum of Solace; Ronin

the exact car a European businessman turned villain would keep in his fleet.

If you want to see the goofiest Bond chase watch Roger Moore use a burnt out double decker bus to evade capture in Live and Let Die. I will spoil the ending and tell you that he downs the final villains by driving the bus through a low bridge, knocking the upper deck onto their car. Queue Bond theme music.

Ronin

John Frankenheimer, a master of the thriller and a one-time amateur racer, directed not one, but two, remarkable chases in his 1998 thriller Ronin. He accomplished this notably without a second unit team, and thus on location, often driving along with the whole shoot. The first of the two twists through Nice, and it’d be the feature of this list had second not occurred.

Going through the intricacies of the plot twists and double crosses that lead to the second chase would take far too much time. Just know that towards the end of the film, Sam, an ex-intelligence agent played by Robert De Niro, finds himself in a Peugeot 406 chasing rogue IRA members driving a BMW M5. (The 406 also appears, albeit with extensive modifications, in the French flick Taxi.)

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Images courtesy of Warner

The chase starts in Paris where dense traffic and wandering pedestrians provoke frenetic driving. It spills into a tunnel, where low front angle shots capture stunning views of the cars and highlight the speed of the chase. Watch for the innovative use of the BMW’s headlights flickering through the dark tunnel to build suspense.

Meanwhile, the best example of headlights used to build tension is from Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. Roger O. Thronhill, played by Cary Grant, is forced to drink a bottle of bourbon and then drive the beautiful 1959 MercedesBenz 220 SE along a road tracing the edge of a rocky cliff. The scene cuts between Thornhill’s ridiculously drunk face and his point-of-view – two tight spots through which cars, trees and other fatal obstacles suddenly appear and disappear. It’s a scene of brilliant levity and relentless tension in a way only Hitchcock could capture.

Back to the film, one tunnel scene usually makes a chase. But in this case it’s a warm-up act. The cars continue onto a slip road by the Seine, veer into a single lane under a railroad and then dip down another tunnel, this time against traffic. Savor each of the ensuing crashes. Frankenheimer, a famous stickler for realism, shot the seven-minute chase with a non-digital.

He went so far as to demand the actors be in the cars during high-speed filming to capture authentic reactions for the close up shots. It seems to have worked: De Niro’s face is pulled into a permanent double chin.

A Peugeot 406 and BMW M5 are hardly glamorous, or even intriguing cars in comparison to the likes of a Mustang or Aston Martin DBS, but on reflection they are a prime choice for a high-speed chase. Consider that the Mustang would’ve crashed on its first turn in downtown Paris, and the DBS is far too eye-catching for an elusive tail. On the other hand, the Peugeot and BMW are small, agile and seriously

from left: Taxi; North by Northwest

sporty cars. In its heyday, the BMW M5 was considered one of the best sport cars available. What you’d want for a car chase is exactly what Ronin give you.

T h e Fa s t a n d t h e F u r i o u s

Not the first of the Paul Walker and Vin Diesel drifting in neon cars series. This version bought the title, but not the story rights to the 1955 version. The two have little in common outside the name. It is a slower 1950s film that makes up for much less burning rubber by featuring a car that far surpasses any that turns up in the recent F&Fs – a white Jaguar XK 120. Not only was this the fastest standard production car of its time – a top speed just over 120 MPH, hence the name 120 – but its long body, slow curves and spoke wheels makes it a supreme looker too.

In the film, Jeremy Ireland plays Frank Webster, a man wrongly accused of murder, who breaks out of prison and kidnaps beautiful society girl Connie Adair, played by Dorothy Malone, along with her Jaguar XK120. His plan is to reach freedom the only way he knows how: a long drive to Mexico.

It is on all accounts a B-racing movie that is at times neither fast nor furious, but a few saving graces make it worthy of this list. Firstly, it’s a treat to watch Dorothy Malone cruise around southern California in a Jaguar roadster for an hour and a bit.

And secondly, in a somewhat dubious plot twist, Webster enrolls in a cross-country race. Unbelievable as this may be, having the rebel-protagonist simultaneously run from the cops and compete in a race demands a sizable number of driving shots.

To deal with this demand the ending is spliced with authentic footage of a Jaguar Open Sports car race in Monterey. Although there are no pile-ups or explosions, the catalogue of classic cars that race at high-speeds through the windy coastal ridges is impressive. Over fifty unique models of classic cars appear throughout this movie.

A Peugeot 406 & BMW M5

are hardly glamorous, or even intriguing cars in comparison to the likes of a Mustang or Aston Martin DBS, but on reflection they are a prime choice for a high-speed chase.

MOVIE car-chases

Motoring

The Marseille Contract

T h e I ta l i a n J o b

Images courtesy of AIP

This film answers the questions, where has the chase not gone? Well, first to Turin, Italy where Charlie Croker, played by Michael Caine, and his team of British thieves swipe a few million in gold bullion from the city centre. Their escape plan is simple: freeze the city into an impassable gridlock and sneak out in three plucky Mini Coopers – one in red, the second white and the last blue. ( The Marseille Contract features another memorable Caine chase: driving an Alfa Romeo Montreal down a winding mountainous road after the beautiful Maureen Kerwin in a Porsche 911. It is less chase and more automotive mating dance as the two weave around each other, showing off impressive manoeuvres.)

The roaming

Images courtesy of Universal Studios

Images courtesy of Paramount

locations show the Mini off as a car with a lively sprit. A quality amplified by the roaring theme tune, Getta Bloomin’ Move On.

from top: The Italian Job; The Fast & The Furious

They get right into it, dashing down the steps of an Italian villa and into a shopping arcade where one driver, cheekily leaning out of his window, nicks a sandwich out of a passerby’s hands. The three Minis then dart down more steps and into an underpass, and then down even more steps to pass a wedding ceremony leaving a cathedral. After a ride around a rooftop racetrack, a tremendous jump between buildings, and a jaunt through the city’s sewers they join a highway where the Minis drive up a ramp and into a moving bus and out of the Turin. As if to add insult to injury, English fans dressed in red, white and blue cheer the whole chase on as they wander the city celebrating England’s victory over Italy in football.

The roaming locations show the Mini off as a car with a lively sprit. A quality amplified by the roaring theme tune, Getta Bloomin’ Move On, that was performed by the cast and produced by Quincy Jones.

It stands out as the charming automotive double of Caine’s quintessential British character. But even before the chase this movie features two other cars representing stylish Britannia – an Aston Martin DB4 and two Jaguar E-Types. (Times have changed since this film was shot. Jaguar is now owned by Tata and Mini by BMW.) Unfortunately, the Italian mob wasn’t too happy with Croker’s sly plans, so they smashed his cars with an orange front loader and dumped them into a valley. Croker, surrounded by scores of mobsters in black suits standing in the hills, watch the cars tumble. I don’t think Caine is acting when he looked troubled.

While the fiery endings of the four previous chases might dissuade you from reckless driving, The Italian Job makes travelling at high-speeds through unusual locations seem like the only reasonable way to spend your time.

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Travel

my mother’s myanmar

TALES

The crossing to my mother’s homeland was a journey I had anticipated for years. The feeling that weighed upon me the most was the responsibility I felt: I was coming home for my mother T e x t & p h o t o s B y Ta r a R u s h t o n

MY MOTHER TOLD ME I.

“I was born in Rangoon, Burma during the 1950s; recalling details in my memory stretching back that far is difficult. It was such a long time ago – I was only a child. I can’t remember all of the intricacies... maybe I blocked them out? What do I remember? I remember the bus trips to school each day, playing with my friends on the roadside beside our family home, collecting and swapping cards and bottle tops, the scent of white jasmines, visits to the cinema with Mum and Dad, and adoring celebrities like Win Oo (the Elvis of Burma). I lived an existence that seemed incredibly normal... I remember feeling free.”

I’m sitting across the table from my mother. For the first time in over 20 years I’m engaging in a conversation with her like never before. In the past I had only swept over the surface of my mother’s stories from Burma and her early memories.

I know the basics: what school she went to, who her friends were, what she liked, her age when she immigrated, and her early life in Australia. I know the ‘story light’, you could say – I had received the synopsis but now it was time to read to book.

I wondered how her life as child was different from mine growing up. Did we like the same things? Would we have been friends? My curiosity and yearning to know more about my histories had lived inside me since I was a young girl; it always felt Spires of pagodas spread over Bagan

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like there were pages missing from my book. Growing up in Victoria, in a suburb 70 kilometres away from the City, as a mixed Burmese/Australian girl, was always a cause for curiosity. Why did I look different? Where was I from? Where was my mother from? I was sometimes coined ‘exotic’, most times ‘different.’

Just over a month ago I returned to Singapore from Myanmar (Burma). The crossing to my mother’s homeland was a journey I had anticipated for years. I was nervous and anxious, of course excited, but the feeling that weighed upon me the most was the responsibility I felt – the responsibility that I was coming home for my mother.

One of the four standing Buddhas inside the Ananda Pagoda

Kuthodaw Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda

Reclining Buddha at Chaukhtatgyi Paya in Yangon

II.

Throughout the years, the media had informed me of the political unrest that existed in Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi rallying for Democracy and freedom for the Burmese people, the military junta fighting to remain in control with an oppressive regime.

Countries such as Australia and the United States had placed economic and tourist sanctions against Burma. The message that I grew up hearing was: if you visit Burma you fuel the government’s regime. Living in Singapore brought me too close to a country that I was aching to explore. It was finally time to take the road that was less travelled.

I didn’t purchase a guidebook in preparation for my travels; instead I trawled through numerous blogs. I arrived in Burma armed with a host of warnings from my mother. Don’t drink the water, don’t eat street food, be careful with your money, don’t wear too revealing clothes, or too much jewellery. But they were the usual motherly precautions I am given even when I travel to Thailand.

I spent my days in Myanmar wandering the streets, drifting in and out of pagodas in the heart of the city, inhaling scents of chilli, ginger and fish sauce by the roadside. I dodged languid bodies of the elderly and the young who snooze upon longyis in remnants of a shade, and paused to lay my hand in that of a palm reader who loitered on the outskirts of the Schwedagon Pagoda.

People did not stare or follow me or hassled me as I wandered market stalls. Instead they acknowledged me with a look of innocence and curiosity that I will never forget. I felt like people questioned whether I was with them or against them.

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What struck me as I explored the streets of Myanmar was how the city felt as though it has been frozen in time. Large colonial buildings with stunning colonnades and buttresses are now abandoned. These former spectacular buildings now sport broken windows and an exterior of thick foliage suffocating them. The streets were lined with buildings like these – permanent reminders of a government that had once lived and breathed there - but had since gone freezing in time the locations they once inhabited even in the capital city.

What was noticeably absent from the Burmese cityscape, apart from skyscrapers, evidence of construction work, shiny, flashy shopping malls, were neon signs of fast food chains, American sodas, new cars and Westerners. During my stay in Burma I was able to count on both hands the foreigners I encountered. From what I have read, it became clear that the tourist trade wasn’t a booming – the lack of infrastructure to support the industry was very apparent.

Moneychangers are non-existent – only US dollars could only be exchanged to Burmese Kyat and the bills have to be in pristine condition, not folded, crumpled, torn or stained in any way. Money was exchanged behind the mask of a carpet or lacquerware stores hidden in the labyrinth of alleys at Aung San Bogyoke Market.

Transportation in Burma is primitive. Taxis are plentiful if basic, and are the easiest way to get around – no meters, no upholstered, cushioned seat, wind down windows or door locks. The absence of Western influence is slightly refreshing – the lack of the ‘shiny and new’ added to the charm of Myanmar and gave me a sense that I was encountering unencompassed territory on a daily basis.

Bago Kanbawza Thardi Palace

The absence of Western influence is

slightly refreshing – the lack of the ‘shiny and new’ added to the charm of Myanmar and gave me a sense that I was encountering unencompassed territory on a daily basis.

III.

When I was a child my grandmother often told me stories of a magical place near Mandalay where temples and pagodas littered the earth like freckles on one’s cheeks... My imagination often ran away, filling my head with images of blindingly golden structures encrusted with jewels that spanned the landscape as far as the eye could see, their tips so high the clouds concealed them. I wondered if this place truly existed as it did in my imagination.

When I finally reached Myanmar, I knew that I had to visit these magical places. Standing upon the dry, sandy landscape in the centre of Bagan, I automatically felt that I had been transported back in time where there were no cement roads or cars. I was alone and surrounded by religious structures, stray goats crossing the plain and the scorching sun which beat down on me. It was overwhelming for my eyes and so breathtakingly beautiful that words failed to describe the landscape of Bagan.

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The facades of temples and pagodas were intricately carved; each one unique in size, stature and design. It is known that once upon a time, more than 13,000 temples, pagodas and other religious structures rose there. Today, seven centuries later, over 2,000 remain standing. My grandmother had been telling me the truth after all.

As I stood on the peak of Mount Kyaiktiyo staring at Kyaiktiyo Pagoda – the Golden Rock Pagoda – one of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Myanmar, I looked down across the Eastern Yoma Mountains below and was overcome by the feeling that I had come home. There I stood close to the heavens in a place that lived in the stories and in the hearts of Buddhist monk’s many years before me, and now I joined them creating my very own history.

my mother’s myanmar

travel

I looked down

across the Eastern Yoma Mountains and was overcome by the feeling that I had come home

Kyaiktiyo Pagoda

I journeyed through Myanmar hiking intense mountain peaks in crushing humidity, balancing on back trays of cargo trucks, catching rides inside makeshift taxis, and adorning longyis as I walked across the marble floors of the pagodas. On each step of my journey I couldn’t help but feel that I was experiencing a piece of the world that only a select few had ever seen.

This feeling of experiencing the uncharted filled my heart with immense joy that was tinged with a deep sadness. I was saddened that the beauty of this country and its people had been shrouded and concealed from the rest of the world because of political disharmony. The country’s portrayal of the country tarnished its beauty.

I know that in the years since my mother had left Burma changes have taken place and that saddened her. I know that she wanted to remember the untainted Rangoon she lived in as a child – a place of happiness and freedom.

My mother and I pored over the photos I had taken when I returned to Australia and we sat and exchanged stories about the food, the people, the sites and adventures I encountered during my travel. I wondered what my mother thought of my trip and whether or not she wanted to visit her birthplace.

“I don’t need to go, because you went for me,” she said when I asked her.

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Monsoon – The Mechanics of

Rain, Mobility and Intervention

Heavy rains, strong winds, loud thunder and dramatic lightning. And if we are really lucky, some hailstones will fall. I curl up in bed under a warm blanket Wo r ds an d Ph otos by S h er man O n g

When I was growing up in

Malaysia, the northeast monsoon, which normally takes place from late October to late February, would bring a lot of rain to the peninsula. This period also coincides with the examinations for primary and secondary schools in Malaysia. Most of us students would hope that the monsoon would bring heavy rain to flood parts of the county so that the exams would be postponed and we would have more time to study.

But in actuality, we would just play

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around in the flood waters and forget about the exams. For me, the monsoon always brings certain freshness to the surroundings, especially after a heavy downpour.

I was in Hanoi for my artist residency under the Goethe Institut Art Connexions project. I had already started work on a visual haiku series, HanoiHaiku, when the Monsoon series came to me during a hailstorm one afternoon in Hanoi. On that day, the sky was very dark. I was in a van when suddenly I heard very loud

banging on the roof of the van. I saw the hailstones falling like rocks on the bonnet of the van. It was my first time experiencing a hailstorm.

I was in awe of its sheer power and intensity. Large pieces of ice came crashing on to the van and other vehicles on the road. The pieces of ice were quite big and people were just running helter-skelter for protection.

The hailstorm lasted for about five minutes and was followed by blistering rain.

I saw the hailstones falling like rocks on the bonnet of the van. It was my first time experiencing a hailstorm.

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I wanted to capture the mood of the monsoon and how it affects human mobility and the surrounding urban environment.

When the rain came, some people decided to carry on with their journey through the blanket of water. The rain was so heavy that I was looking at the scene through a sheet of water. I wanted to capture the mood of the monsoon and how it affects human mobility and the surrounding urban environment. For me, the intervention of the monsoon on the landscape and the body underscore the relationship between Nature and Man within a constructed urban setting.�

Award-winning filmmaker, photographer and visual artist Sherman Ong won the inaugural ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu in 2010, an award that recognises creative excellence in fine art photography.

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LIFESTYLE

FOOD

NOVUS. NO KIDDING

Novus is sadly overlooked in the flurry of new restaurant openings, especially of the international-brand variety. With self-proclaimed foodies rushing to experience the new and fashionable eateries so that they could inflict them upon the blogosphere – ay, there’s the rub! – the four-year old may seem like a forgotten old haunt.

And this isn’t fair because Novus has strong kitchen and front of house teams – something that many other establishments will have difficulty claiming. On top of this, the 48-seat restaurant has remained elegant and pristine – again, a crucial yet often overlooked element that even younger restaurants can’t brandish with a straight face. It is still a beautiful place where the great bones of the old National Museum of Singapore – think soaring ceilings and well-proportioned French windows – are echoed and played up with modern touches, including designer furnishings.

When it opened in 2007, almost everybody wanted to get in. Reviews have been even and fair, but inevitably included praises for the interior decoration as much as for food and service. It is a dress-up place, and thank heavens for that. Restaurant director Ying Ong comes from the same family that owns Proof Living and a finessed interior, the least she can do, is a matter of public expectation.

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The configuration of the space makes it seem larger than it actually is a 3,100-square metre hall. The single venue is divided into two areas – and establishments, i.e., a restaurant and a bar/cafe – by a 14-foot bar. Both look out to pleasant views of a landscaped garden strewn with artworks on the restaurant side and an interior courtyard on the bar side. Window tables are obviously popular, but there’s enough pretty things to look at from whatever angle.

As I remember, there were early problems with limited parking when it first opened – which has since been resolved – as well as with museum crowds milling at the lobby. But, wait, this is Singapore – how big can that museum-going legion be?

I guess opening up a restaurant next to a museum is tricky business.

Like it or not, you can become a side show or an also-ran as the museum is obviously the main draw. Listless browsers would probably pop by for a latte or, worse, move as fast and as far away as possible to a livelier place.

But that doesn’t seem to be what’s happening here: Novus has become a dining destination because of its general accessibility and prominent address and with the return of Executive chef Stephan Zoisl, food is once again the main thing here.

Executive Chef Stephan Zoisl’s new menu for Novus is inspired by his sabbatical spent on travels and a stint at The Fat Duck

By Li Haohan

Zoisl has previously worked at the Michelin-star kitchens of Steirereck in Vienna and Villa Joya in Portugal, but is also often remembered by the media, gushingly, for his three-year apprenticeship at the Grand Hotel Europe when he was just 15 years old.

And now the food. I was invited for a tasting by the restaurant on the occasion of Zoisl’s return to the establishment. After a two-year sabbatical, which included working with Chef Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck in Bray, UK, the young Austrian chef is finally ready with a new menu.

Anyone who dismisses his mantra, “Keep it pure and simple, and always use the freshest ingredients and produce”, as a PR-instigated blah, like I do, will have a change of heart as I did after I had lunch recently at Novus.

What chef worth his truffle salt will not keep it simple or use substandard ingredients?

Lunch began with an amuse bouche, the only memorable part of which was a piquant morsel of fish – tuna tartare with salmon roe. But when the beef carpaccio was set on the table, the serious business of eating commenced. Slices of Black Angus beef tenderloin and shavings of black summer truffles were seasoned with chives and parmesan. A runny poached egg spread over the dish turned it into a sensuous, rich mush.

“Keep it pure

and simple, and always use the freshest ingredients and produce.”

We were then served duck tea – duck consommé with quail egg, simmered with trumpet and brown enoki mushroom, smoked duck breast and black truffle salsa. The ‘tea’ is poured from a teapot. Expectedly woodsy and aromatic, it was nevertheless delicate and light with none of the complex-tasting ingredients overpowering the tea.

Chicken and truffle, and Berkshire pork belly and its cracker were offered as mains. I singled out the pork belly for its knockout richness and hint of sweetness balanced by slightly spiky Parmesan cheese. The dish also called for pata negra – pungent and tasting of old salt – Parmesan cheese, assorted mushrooms, potatoes, pork jus and garden cress.

I turned the chicken this way and that – thoroughly improperly – but I have always thought of chicken as an off-day alternative, something to have

Images courtesy of Novus Restaurant

Clockwise from left: Dining Hall; Chocolate Test; Duck Tea; Foie Gras Parfait Treated Like A Salad

when my palate isn’t doing a workout.

Zoisl’s chicken is organic and stuffed with truffle salsa en sus vide – not the most appetising sight one can find on a plate – crème of parsley, fried parsley, parsnip and carrot.

There was a choice of green tea crème brulee, which I thought was the most commonplace thing on any menu right now – the mango pudding, the cling peach in syrup, the glutinous rice with coconut cream – or Valrhona chocolate test. The second, which I preferred, was a stroll through chocolate intensities that ranged from 39 per cent in an espuma, 55 percent in a soufflé, 66 percent in a crème anglais, 72 percent in a truffle and 85 percent in a sorbet. I found the soufflé most agreeable owing perhaps to my liking for cloyingly sweet desserts, but that didn’t stop me from trying the other tidbits.

On the whole, Zoisl’s food triumphs not only because of the freshness of

ingredients but in his use of pure and simple cooking methods. “Cooking is a skill; fine dining is an art,” he said without an attempt at mystery when he joined our table after lunch. His food is frank and direct, reminding you why you like certain tastes and how your hierarchy of preferences was formed.

I booked a table for two for lunch the following Saturday just to see if such a pleasant meal can be repeated.

I lingered over dishes I waved aside during my first lunch. My verdict, the food was equally excellent and the service – only three other tables were occupied – impeccable. My companion and I had the most agreeable time.

Novus Restaurant

National Museum of Singapore 93 Stamford Road #01-02 Tel: 6336 8770 www.novus.sg

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lifestyle

WINE

by LIM HWEE PENG

The complex nature of the Burgundy region manifests itself at the heart of its wines a beautiful yet perceivably daunting wine region, Burgundy has always been a myth of sort especially for those who are both mesmerised by its wines, yet fearful of venturing forth to understand its complex nature. Nevertheless, testaments from many Burgundy wine lovers who confront such fear, have proven to be a rewarding effort and led to a better appreciation of the wine.

Geographical Information

In learning about a wine region, or even wines from a specific area, I have always regarded the understanding of its geographical location as fundamental yet paramount; this approach is especially critical in understanding a fragmented appellation such as Burgundy.

Within the stretches of Burgundy lies one important sub-region – Cote d’Or, which is further divided into Cote de Nuits in the north and Cote de Beaune in the south.

The former is known for producing incredibly delicate and complex red wines through Pinot Noir, while its southern neighbour is generally known for its longlived and mineral white wines made from Chardonnay.

Four other sub-regions, Chablis in the chilly far north (closer to Champagne), Côte Chalonnaise and Maconnais are the other sub-regions that form the rest of the Burgundy wine region.

Classifications of Burgundy Wines

Burgundy’s wine and vineyard hierarchies are complicated, and the fact that the various estates practice labelling with only name of producers and places where the grapes were grown causes further confusion to the uninitiated.

For Burgundy as a whole, the Grand and Premiers Cru account for about seventeen per cent of all the wine it produces. The Grand Cru vineyards, capable of producing the finest wines in Burgundy are situated only in Chablis and Côte d’Or. The Premier Cru designation may apply to wines from those two sub-regions, and also Côte Chalonnaise. Village wines accounted for thirty per cent. Village appellations are widely spread throughout Burgundy.

The simplest Burgundy wines, labeled ‘Bourgogne’, account for the bulk of the produce. The grapes for ordinary Bourgogne Rouge or Blanc can come from Pinot Noir or Chardonnay grapes grown anywhere in Burgundy (usually the grape varietal is reflected on the wine label).

Understanding the Wines

Burgundy reds and whites are usually made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, respectively, but to understand both red and white Burgundy wines demands beyond the appreciation of those two grape varietals.

Ask any serious Pinot Noir or Chardonnay wine lovers and they will share with you that Bourgogne Blanc and Rouge represent not just the grape’s personality but also one of those unique varietals that can reflect the terroir elements.

With Burgundy wine, it is difficult to generalise on their wine styles, as each area has distinct styles and characters. That uniqueness is not confined to only 118 V I P

red wines, for example, Chablis, a manifestation of Chardonnay grown in flinty soil in a much cooler climate, is a crisp wine, as compared to its southern neighbours, such as the much firmer, finer style of Meursault and Puligny (respectively), which were also made from the same white grape.

For wine lovers seeking good value Burgundy whites and reds, wines from Cote Chalonnaise and Mâconnais, the most southerly of Burgundy appellation, will be the areas to seek out. Majority of those wines can be enjoyed during its youth, with selected few that have medium ageing potential.

Hence, in appreciating Burgundy wines, it is almost impossible to generalise its quality; regardless it is a red or white wine.

A Final Word

For burgundy wine lover, one must be reminded that a Premier or Grand Cru Burgundy from a reputable producer would require a good five to eight years before the wine can truly unveil its quality. Anyone who rushes to drink those wines too soon will be disappointed and fail to enjoy the full potential of the wine.

After years of tasting wines, I must share that patience and knowledge are the essential elements to fully appreciate a Burgundy wine. If that is not your virtue, fret not, there are alternatives around; just look out for Pinot Noir from selected regions in America, Australia and New Zealand; ‘Pinotphiles’ will certainly not be disappointed with those New World Pinot Noir that are bursting with immediate pleasure.

WINE

FALLING FOR

Burgundy

by William Chong

In 2001, seven bottles of Montrachet 1978 from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti was auctioned off at US$167,500. In 2008, a Chinese businessman paid US$500,000 for 27 bottles of various Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wines. At these prices, it is easy to imagine Burgundy as high maintenance as a Paris Hilton or a Carla Bruni. Rest assured, however, that there are plenty of more attainable stars and starlets in Burgundy. Once you start tasting them, you cannot help but fall for their charms.

Consider yourselves warned!

N at u r e ’ s M a s t e r p i e c e

About 250 million years ago, Burgundy was a shallow sea teaming with shellfish, corals, starfish, algae and other forms of life. Over millions of years, their carcasses accumulated and were compressed into limestone. Thirty million years ago,

lifestyle

You might come to Burgundy as a tourist only to leave it feeling like you are going away from home. Its people are down-to-earth and sincere that it is easy to forget some of the world’s rarest and most expensive wines come from the place

a massive fracture in the Earth’s crust raised the seabed up to become the Burgundy vineyards of today. Testament to its origins – fossils of marine creatures – can be found all over Burgundy’s vineyards even today.

In these vineyards, the soils are typically composed of clay, marls and very old limestone at different depths. This makes the vineyards ideal for cultivating Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to produce wines with intense perfume and minerality. The different sub-regions of Burgundy have varying soil composition at different depths resulting in wines of different characters. Chablis, in the north, has 150 million-year-old Kimmeridgian limestone composed of small shells. The limestone in the Côte de Nuits is 175 million years old and closer to the surface, while the limestone in Côte de Beaune is slightly younger but buried deeper underground.

Mâconnais in the south has the oldest limestone in Burgundy.

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WINE

O f M on k s a n d N o b l e s

Burgundy was cultivated to vines by the Cistercian monks who, with their lay followers, spent decades mapping the vineyards into numerous named climats. A climat is a designated vineyard area which produces wines of a specific character.

With the arrival of the Nobles, some climats were renamed and walls erected around them. Many of these walls are still intact today forming walled-up vineyards. These names of these vineyards are prefixed with clos, meaning wall in French. For example, Clos des Lambrays is a walled-up Grand Cru climat in Morey-Saint-Denis.

Interestingly, some of the most prestigious and expensive vineyards have names that raise an eyebrow. The Grand Cru Montrachet, which means ‘Weak Mountain’, is named after the hill whose plateau is so infertile no crop would grow on it. Meanwhile, Grand Cru Bâtard-Montrachet, literally “Bastard (of the) Weak Mountain”, was supposedly named in honour of Lord Montrachet’s illegitimate son.

Then there is Grand Cru Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. Criots can be taken to mean the wails of a baby, and bienvenue means welcome. I’ll leave you to complete the sentences.

Lo c at i on , Lo c at i on

The classification of Burgundy wines is based on demarcated wine growing areas known as Appellations. Four levels are defined under the Appellation Origin Contrôlée (AOC) system for Burgundy: • Regional AOC covering a large area under a regional name, for example, Bourgogne and Bourgogne Haut-Cote-de-Nuits; • Village (or Communal) AOC covering a smaller area around a single village or commune, for example, Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny; • Premier Cru AOC covering choice climats within a village AOC. The premier cru climat can be named on the label (e.g. ClosSaint-Jacques) after the village name or omitted, for example, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos-Saint-Jacques and GevreyChambertin 1er Cru; • Grand Cru AOC covering the top climats, often on mid-slopes, within a village AOC. These vineyards bear their own name

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and represent the top 1.5 percent of wines produced in Burgundy. Examples are Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru and Montrachet Grand Cru.

Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards are some of the most sought after real estate in the world. These vineyards are rarely for sale, and when they are, prices are staggering.

However, vineyards do change hands through inheritance and the occasional sale so it is common for several producers to own vines within the same appellation. It is also common for a producer to make several wines from several appellations.

Because the Burgundy classification applies to the real estate, a producer can only make an appellation wine if he has grapes from that piece of land. This means that a producer cannot make a Musigny Grand Cru unless he has grapes grown within the 10.32 hectares of Musigny Grand Cru AOC. In comparison, the 1855 Classification of Medoc, that is the left bank Bordeaux, applies to producers rather than land. Chateau Latour, a Classified First Growth, can make wines from any of the 1,212-hectare Pauillac and label it ‘Premier Grand Cru Classé’.

Chateau Latour can also sell off all their vineyards and buy new ones within Pauillac and still make a ‘Premier Grand Cru Classé’. Bordeaux’s classifications are starkly different from Burgundy’s.

Respect and Hard Work

When it comes to winemaking, the dominant philosophy in Burgundy is “To respect each individual vineyard plot and coax out the best of what nature provides in any particular year”. The concept of terroir and respect for the land is stronger here than anywhere else in the world. For Burgundians, the climat represents the potential – a Grand Cru climat is capable of producing a great wine but it takes a talented grower and winemaker to realise it.

In the vineyards, diligent growers tend to their vines with minimal use of pesticides and chemical treatments.

Increasingly, growers are adopting organic and biodynamic farming methods. The vines are planted closely and trained relatively low near to the ground. Pruning and harvesting are back-breaking manual work. In recent years, some producers have gone back to using work horses to plough the vineyard, instead of tractors, so as to avoid compacting the soil and killing off flora and fauna in them. Growers also have to adjust to the often finicky weather that Mother Nature throws at them. This can mean >30C sunshine one day and hail the next. Such is Burgundy.

In the winery, great winemakers ironically don’t see their job as ‘making’ wine, but rather guiding the grapes to become the best wine they can be. Especially with the great Grand Cru and Premier Cru climats, they believe the wines are made in the vineyard and their job is not to mess up what nature has given them. This philosophy doesn’t mean that the winemakers are arcane or outdated – many employ modern equipment such as peristaltic pumps, gentle pneumatic presses and temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The overriding philosophy though is not to ‘overwork’ the wine or mask out its origins.

Because there are hundreds of decisions to make, there are different schools of thoughts on winemaking in Burgundy.

There is no commonly adopted “Burgundy Formula” and winemakers work more like chefs than engineers – adapting and adjusting to the different ingredients each vineyard and each vintage gives them.

E l e g a n t, P e r f u m e d a n d In t e n s e

The wines of Burgundy are predominantly made from Pinot Noir (red) and Chardonnay (white) but each wine is as different to the next as children are. This difference is attributed to the land (climat), weather during the growing season and the human factor (farming & winemaking).

Focusing on climat, Burgundy has 100 distinct AOC (Bordeaux has 42) some smaller than a football field, spread across the following sub-regions: Chablis in the north with its cooler weather and limestone soils produce mainly white wines form 100 percent Chardonnay that is often bright and mineral-infused, with a razor back of acidity. It is a mouthwatering drink that goes well with shellfish, seafood and lighter or deep-fried Asian

The overriding

philosophy though is not to ‘overwork’ the wine or mask out its origins.

food. While Petit Chablis and Chablis are good for early drinking, the Chablis Premier Crus and especially the Grand Crus of Chablis will benefit from years in the cellar.

Auxerrois, next to Chablis, is a region steeped in rich history. Sauvignon Blanc is planted to the white limestone soils in Saint Bris to produce a wine that is markedly more mineral than those from the Loire or New Zealand. A red known as Irancy is also produced from Pinot Noir, sometimes blended with small quantities of César and Tressot.

Côte de Nuits, between Marsannay (south of Dijon), to Corgoloin (north of Beaune): Many of the greatest red wines of Burgundy come from this very narrow strip of vineyards.

The great climats of Le Musigny, Le Chambertin and La Romanee Grand Cru are situated here, as are numerous excellent Grand Cru climats, Premier Cru climats and Village communes. Because of the complex limestone and shallow topsoil, the red wines possess both finesse and power often with very fine tannin structure unattainable anywhere else in the world. There are also very fine white wines produced here from Aligoté and Chardonnay, from regional to Grand Cru classification. Interestingly, there is a white Le Musigny Grand Cru but it is so rare that only a few have ever tasted one.

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WINE

Côte de Beaune between Ladoix (north of Beaune) and Santenay (northwest of Chagny): With more clay and limestone buried deeper in the ground, the vineyards are excellent for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The greatest white climats of Burgundy are here: Corton-Charlemagne, Le Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet, as are a slew of great Premier Crus and village communes. The whites show more power and intensity than in Chablis with the Premier and Grand Crus having the capacity to age for decades. The reds here can be very fine but the tannins tend to be broader than that of the Côte de Nuits. There is no red Grand Cru climat here but the numerous high quality Premier Cru climats makes up for this.

Côte Chalonnaise from Chagny extending south to beyond Montagny: Here red and white are made in a variety of styles matching the communes the vines are grown on. The commune names are rather unknown (Rully, anyone?) and so the wines sell on the basis of their quality rather than name. Here you will find wines honestly made by hardworking townsfolk, particularly in the communes of Givry, Mercurey and Rully.

Mâconnais from Tournus to the numerous towns west of Mâcon: With some of the oldest limestone in Burgundy and warmer weather, the Mâconnais is a paradise for Chardonnay. The wines and full and round, but retain the minerality imparted by the limestone. There are no Grand Cru or Premier Cru climats here but the wheels have been set in motion and Mâconnais will have classified Premier Crus climats in a few years’ time. This is one region to explore before it gets more expensive.

Focusing on the human factor, there two types of wineries in Burgundy: a domaine is one which owns (or rents) vineyards and produces wines from it themselves – from vineyard to bottle. A négociant, on the other hand, is one who buys grapes, juice or unfinished wines in barrels, completes the winemaking and bottles it.

Generally, the best-of-the-best domaines do produce more remarkable wine than négociants. However, don’t assume domaines are always better than négociants. Some quality-driven négociant are hands-on in their involvement in the vineyard and produce wines that rival the best. On the flip side, a domaine with lazy or incompetent owners has as much chance of making good wines as Tony Blair becoming the French president.

Lastly, each year’s growing season is different and that marks the wine in a way. In hot years like 2003 and 2009, the wines can be generous and opulent with an abundance of fruit flavours. In milder years like 2006 and 2008, the wines may be less showy but will be more vibrant and precise to its terroir. Ultimately, there is no ‘best’; it’s just how you like them.

There is much to discover in Burgundy you can spend a lifetime tasting the wines and you will still find some surprises in the next glass of good Burgundy. Be unafraid and try each wine and let yourself decide if you like it... and then try some more.

The best way to explore Burgundy is really to spend a week there in the vineyards, with the winemakers, tasting the wines and soaking up the culture. But be warned, it could be a one way trip so remember to say goodbye to your other wines.

The best way to explore Burgundy

is really to spend a week there in the vineyards, with the winemakers, tasting the wines and soaking up the culture.

The annual wine production is around 1.5 million hectoliters – Bordeaux produces around 6 million hectoliters – representing 6.6 percent of French Quality Wine (VQPRD) production. Sixty percent of production is still white wines or rosé. White wines are made of 100 percent Chardonnay except for Bourgogne Aligoté (Aligoté grape) and Saint Bris (Sauvignon grape). Thirty-two percent of production is red wines. These are made of 100 percent Pinot Noir except for Bourgogne Passe-ToutGrains and some red wines in Mâcon, which contains Gamay. Eight of production is sparkling wines made in the traditional method known as Crémant de Bourgogne.

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Alternative Investment

FINE WINE, An Alternative

WINE

In recent history, many of Australia’s fine wines have proved a far safer bet than shares and managed funds in recent history. Limited supply, reputation and sheer quality have thrust many of Australia’s best wines on to the world stage.

Investment

Fuelled by influential opinions of American

wine critics like Robert Parker Jr, the international wine market has embraced Australian cult wines with outstretched arms. As stock markets around the world increasingly resemble roller coasters, people are looking to alternative asset classes such as wine. In Australia, wine investment has boomed to a AUD30 million industry over the past two decades, and the secondary market has grown in popularity due to acclaimed brands like Penfolds and Henschke, and the emergence of newer cult wineries like Barossa Valley’s acclaimed Two Hands. VIP spoke to Andrew Bassett, director of Singapore-based Australian Wine Index (AWI), about this new and exciting form of asset class to arrive on Asian shores.

What are the benefits of adding wine investment to your portfolio?

Basically, the two major reasons people invest in wine are for future drinking, or strictly as a financial investment. Many of Australia’s fine wines have proved a far safer bet than shares and managed funds in recent history.

The Australian fine wine market has defied the global

by Dan ny Chapli n

downturn and shaky local share market to deliver strong returns over the past 24 months. According to the latest release of Langton’s Index of Australian Wines, which is compiled every two years, the secondary market value for top Australian collectables is up 64 percent, compared with a 39 percent decline in the value of the Australian Stock Exchange over the same period.

Does wine investing require much specialist technical knowledge?

Wine investing initially appeals to those people who already appreciate and have a nose for fine wines. These are your hard-core wine lovers and wine drinkers who understand the basics of wine growing, varietals, winemaking and production, and how to properly evaluate wines on the palate. These people are initially attracted to investing in wine since they naturally gravitate towards the best cru and speciality cult vineyards.

However, next to enter wine investment are the non-experts who perhaps do not have the same level of knowledge, but who are keen to learn. That’s fine because your wine broker can usually make up for this lack of specialist knowledge by advising you about the best wine picks and which are the cru to watch out for the best asset appreciation and future demand.

Are Australian vintages as bankable as their French counterparts?

Of course everyone’s heard of Petrus, Chateau Margaux and Mouton Rothschild, but Australia is also on the cusp of international recognition as a producer of ultra-fine wines.

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WINE

Alternative Investment

Australia’s quality wines have been well known at home for some years, but only by limited numbers of overseas wine enthusiasts and consumers. However, from being underrated in the past, Australian fine wines are fast showing clear direction and dynamism towards superb quality wine making and notable vintages. So good are they nowadays that many wine lovers experience an epiphany when they’ve tasted some of the finest wines Australia has to offer.

The general fine wine market will, at some stage in the not too distant future, see Australia as a producer of first growth and grand cru type wines. We are increasingly seeing real depth of quality in Australian wines, which is a far cry from the past perception of them as being “boring and not showing clear regional definition”. Limited supply, reputation and sheer quality have thrust many of Australia’s best wines on to the world stage.

Any particular vineyards or cru which show exceptional promise for investing?

Penfolds Grange, once the only serious investment wine, continues to lead a stellar list of Australian fine wines regularly traded for profit and pleasure.

The two most popular investment wines in Australia are led by the Australian Shiraz juggernauts Penfolds Grange and Henschke Hill of Grace. Both bottles routinely sell for hundreds of dollars and are very difficult to get your hands on unless you have personal relationship with the wineries.

Certain vintages of iconic-Australian wine Penfolds Grange that sold for less than AUD40 in the 1980s now sell for close to AUD600 a bottle. In wines, we are looking at holding periods of anywhere between three years to as much as 40 years in the lifespan of a wine.

What would be the average kind of outlay that a customer might invest in his wine portfolio?

Our customers might invest from anywhere between S$20,000 (approx. AUD15,300) to several hundred thousand dollars. The sky is the limit really. Smaller scale investors might want to go for a smaller quantity of the finest wines for instance, to make their portfolio really blue chip. They can then ‘scale up’ from there and grow their portfolio as their knowledge increases.

What are the exit strategies for when you wish to liquidate your wine portfolio?

Investors may offload their wines through a variety of specialist wholesale and investment auctions that occur throughout the region during the year. AWI has just signed a landmark agreement with Shanghai International Commodity Auction Co. Ltd., which will give us unprecedented access to the huge potential wine market of China. In fact, AWI will be the first company in history to hold fine wine auctions in mainland China; this will provide fine wine collectors in China both the venue and opportunity to start and profit from their wine collecting, and Singaporean investors will have access to this market to liquidate their portfolios as and when they need to.

Wine and whisky investment companies often joke that if you can’t sell your wines at your target price you could always drink them, which you can’t do with stocks and shares! We wouldn’t encourage investors to endanger their livers by drinking that much, but what I would say is that at least in wine speculation you have the opportunity of bringing your investment work home with you from time to time!

Andrew’s Top Australian Cru ‘Picks’ for VIP Readers Torbreck RunRig 2005

The flagship 2005 RunRig from the Barossa Valley is a continuation of the fine RunRig cru. The 2004 vintage was well received, being 96.5 per cent Shiraz and 3.5 per cent Viognier, with the Shiraz component aged for 30 months in a mixture of new and used French oak. Saturated opaque purple/black, the 2004 vintage had a remarkably kinky, exotic perfume of fresh asphalt, pencil lead, smoke, pepper, game, blueberry and black raspberry. Full-bodied and voluptuous in the mouth, the wine is dense and packed, with amazing purity, sweet tannins, and a complex collection of sensory stimuli. The wine demands 10 years of cellaring and will provide hedonistic delights through 2035 and beyond.

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Two Hands Ares Shiraz 2008

Two Hands Ares Shiraz 2008 is the flagship offering from a relatively new winery established by Michael Twelftree and Richard Mintz in 1999 with the clear objective of producing the best possible Shiraz-based wines. Starting with just 17 tonnes of fruit from the McLaren Vale and Padthaway wine regions, the vineyard soon earned the plaudits of acclaimed wine critic Robert M. Parker, who pronounced Two Hands as “the finest negociant operation south of the equator” and “a brilliant example of modern winemaking”.

Ares Shiraz 2008 has earned its spurs as a cru to watch out for. Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar described it as being “inky violet. Outrageously scented nose combines pungent floral, spice and mineral tones with kirsch, blackcurrant and blueberry aromas. Surprisingly zesty in the mouth, with vibrant red, black and blue fruit flavours sharpened by peppery minerality and sweetened by hints of floral pastille and mocha. There’s energy and cut here that reminded me of cabernet more than Shiraz. The incisive finish features a dark berry skin tone and a bright jolt of cracked pepper. Can you call it a finish when it doesn’t stop?”

Singapore Repertory Theatre

VIP SCENE

All The World’s A Stage attendees of The Theatre Ball 2011 by Singapore Repertory Theatre, held at the Fullerton Hotel, came as their favourite Shakespearean characters. Theatre Ball committee members Olga Iserlis, Shareen Khattar-Harrison, Shabnam Melwani-Reis, Claire Ngo, Trina Liang, Celeste Basapa, Dick Lee and SRT Artistic Director Gaurav Kripalani were on hand to welcomed guests.

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VIP SCENE

E S PN D r i f t R a c e

GET THE DRIFT

VIP Luxury INC, the presenting sponsor of this year’s ESPN Formula Drift Race, hosted an exclusive party at the F1 Pit Building. Guests were dazzled and entertained by musical talents, cast of the musical, Cold White Lies and Red Hot Scandals. The highlight of the event was the casting call for VIP Playmate.

VIP Luxury Inc transformed the venue into a swanky replica of the Playboy Mansion where international drift racers and invited guests mingled with Playboy Bunnies and costumed waitresses for a feast of aphrodisiac food and cocktails.�

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VIP SCENE

P r i n c e ss I r a v o n F u r s t e n b e r g

GLASS MENAGERIE Guests at an exclusive reception held at The Fullerton

Hotel’s The Governor Suite were dazzled by objets designed by Princess Ira von Furstenberg. Rock crystal dromedaries adorned with semiprecious stones, coconut trees bearing precious metal fruits, salt cellars and bowls with Classical and exotic themes made up the collection.

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