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AND THE JAZZ LADY FINDS HER GROOVE

ISSUE NO. 1414

NOV 23–30

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8 Numbers 10 Soundbites 12 What’s Up With... 14 Scene & Heard 40 Movies 44 Site-seeing 46 Play/Plug/Read 89 TV 50 Eat 60 Shop 62 The Feelgood Page 64 What They Never Taught You In School 66 Money 68 Travel 72 Shirtless Guy of the Week 6 Go Social 73 First Person 74 My Word 75 Horoscope 78 Get Out 104 Last Page

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8 DAYS

NUMBERS

STORY

JASMINE TEO

Total duration of surveillance video footage used in Chinese film Dragonfly Eyes. All that was finally whittled down to 81 minutes — director Xu Bing edited footage from CCTVs around China, which is publicly accessible on the country’s cloud servers. The film tells the melodramatic story of a love lost and found, but is also intended as a social commentary on privacy. It’s one of the films screened at the 28th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) from Nov 23 to Dec 3.

No. of years that SGIFF was on hiatus before it was relaunched in 2014.

Over 1,700

No. of films submitted for this year’s fest. The panel of judges took five months to shortlist 112 films from 42 countries, in the final line-up.

151mins:

Duration of the longest film at this year’s SGIFF, The Brawler, an Indian film about a lower-caste boxer pursuing his boxing dream.

12 hrs How long it took for Josh Hartnett to binge-watch an entire season of BBC baking competition, The Great British Bake Off. Yup, that’s what the Pearl Harbor heartthrob has been up to since he abruptly left Hollywood in the early aughts. Kidding. The 39-year-old actor deliberately turned down blockbuster roles (including Batman) to star in a slew of indie films, including quirky Japanese film Oh Lucy!, which is part of this year’s SGIFF. Brush up on your knowledge of scones and Victorian sponge cakes ’cos Josh will be gracing the SGIFF red carpet on Nov 30.

10,000

12,000

No. of attendees at SGIFF 2015.

No. of people who attended the revamped festival in 2014.

8 DAYS

For more info about the SGIFF, go to http://sgiff.com. Tix from Sistic.

3mins:

Duration of this edition's shortest flick, Indonesian short film, Mirror.

13,000

No. of film-goers last year.

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SOUNDBITES

COMPILED BY

JONATHAN FAM

“I can’t wait to shove this up Adam’s a**.”

— Blake Shelton on being named 2017’s Sexiest Man Alive. His pal and fellow The Voice judge, Adam Levine, won the honour in 2013.

“You can’t be around Jason Momoa and not have sexual tension.” — Ben Afﬂeck (above; right) says what we all feel about his Justice League co-star (centre).

“I’m very grateful that my son is very sensible and that’s ’cos I spend a lot of time with him.” — Stefanie Sun (left) extolling the virtues of mother-son bonding time.

8 D DA DAYS AYS YS

“If they feel that it’s good, then I’m definitely okay.” — Lin Chiling’s mum on the model reconciling with ex-boyfriend Jerry Yan. She also told reporters that the actor used to “potter around our house a lot”. The couple were recently snapped hitting the gym together in KL, confirming the rumours that they have rekindled their love.

Get ready for the festive season G at two free workshops on fashion styling and home furnishing organised just for you. Hosted by YES 933 DJs, this two-day affair will arm you with valuable tips dispensed by industry experts. Each guest walks home with a goodie bag.

DATE

Dec 2 & 3,

TIME

3pm – 5pm

2017

VENUE

IMM, Level 2 Atrium (near lift lobby A)

FashiornksShtoylping Wo

nishing HomeoFrukrshop W SUN DEC 3

SAT DEC 2

Interior designer Fuji Quek

Fashion stylist Keith Png shares tips and tricks on how you can beef up your wardrobe, and helps you understand the styles and colours that work best for you.

talks about effective space management and design, current home and décor trends, and teaches you how a few simple touches can transform your personal space.

Redeem d a DIY music box with a minimum spending of $180* at any store in IMM ($160* if you are an American Express®CapitaCard member) or $240* at Giant Hypermarket. Get an additional $5 F&B voucher if one of your receipts is from an outlet store (minimum spend of $50 in a single receipt).

REGISTER NOW FOR FREE WORKSHOPS! Email mpbevents@mediacorp.com.sg with your name, IC and contact number for a pair of invites. Participants will be notified via e-mail. Closing date: Nov 29, 2017

*Valid till Dec 24. Limited to the ﬁrst 100 redemptions per day from Mon to Fri, and 150 redemptions per day on Sat and Sun. Restricted to a maximum of three combined same-day receipts. One redemption per shopper per day. Other terms and conditions apply.

WHAT‘S UP WITH... Johnny Lau 53

PHOTO:

N CHEE YA

The Singaporean artist on the return of his iconic creation, Mr Kiasu, the importance of kiasuism, and why he thinks the death of bookstores has been greatly exaggerated.

PHOTO: CH EE YAN

8 DAYS: You’re back with a new Mr Kiasu comic, Mr Kiasu: Everything Also Like Real. Why did you decide to revive him after an 18-year hiatus? JOHNNY LAU: In the last two decades, I’ve worked in Gallery Hotel as a creative director for six years and i’ve also done Chinese comics amongst other things. So, if you’d asked me this time last year whether I was going to revive Mr Kiasu, I would be looking at you and saying: “No, it won’t happen.” I thought it was good that we exited the industry while [the character] was at its peak as people always remember you in your heyday. However, less than

8 DAYS

STORY

JOCELY N LEE

a year ago, I met Bunsho Kajiya, the managing director Some people feel that kiasuism is an ugly of [publishing house] Shogakukan Asia, who read my old Singaporean trait. comic book, liked it and asked me to consider making a During my 10 years of creating the comic, people comeback. At the same time, I bumped into Melvin Ang, would queue up at autograph sessions just to tell me the Executive Director of [film company] MM2 Asia, who that I make Singaporeans look very bad in my books. told me he was interested in making a Mr Kiasu movie. Yes, being kiasu can be ugly, but you can also turn it I also met two founders from [toy and collectibles store] around and make it into a force that you can use for Action City, who claimed they were big fans of the comic, good. We just happen to have this word that describes and showed me a prototype of the Mr Kiasu figurine this behaviour and it has a negative connotation to it. that they wanted to make and sell. Everyone was really However, behind that, it’s about the drive of the nation. persistent even though I rejected them a few times. The glass is either always half-full or half-empty, it’s really Eventually, it was the publishing [proposal] up to you how you want to see it. which changed my mind ’cos Kajiya-san How kiasu are you then? told me that he could take No, not at all (laughs). I hate to queue. Sometimes I don’t my book to other parts understand why people like queuing up. It’s kind of ironic of the region, not ’cos people queue to get my autograph during book signing just Singapore. sessions. I would tell my fans: “Just buy the book lah, That made my don’t have to get it signed.” I’ve always been quite chill, heart jump a even during my school days. bit, and I agreed So, how much of you do we see in Mr Kiasu? (laughs). After all, I started Many people think that I’m Mr Kiasu. Sometimes that’s out in publishing almost true as I’m the one writing it, but it’s more about my two decades ago. So observation of the surroundings, and the behaviour of now, we have a comic people. I’m more like a medium as I look around, digest book, a figurine, and a movie what’s happening, and then put it in a way that’s easy for that’s in people to read. the pipeline. People are very into technology It’s funny how these days and they don’t read everything just books as much anymore. How are came together at you going to appeal to them? the same time. That’s right. I read something quite How has Mr Kiasu interesting early this year. In New York City, the character changed there’s a revival of independent bookshops over the years? and their buyers are all very young, about There’s always this 16 to 21 years old. When asked why they unspoken formula in were buying physical books instead of comics where you don’t e-books, they said that e-books are read alter the characters too much. When by their parents and that they are passé. that happens, fans don’t want to read it (Laughs) They are now discovering that books anymore. So when we were writing Mr Kiasu are so cool. Given that New York always sets Live-action: In 2001, for the first 10 years, he was always the trend first, it can happen everywhere Mr Kiasu was made into a Ch 5 sitcom starring Chew Chor Meng courting his long-time girlfriend Ai Swee. one year later. That’s good news for me. as Mr Kiasu and Daniel Ong as his So when people asked me if they would You talk about wanting to groom brother, Mr Kiasee. Creator Johnny get married in the reboot, I said I don’t the next generation of comic-book Lau retired the character shortly after the show came out. “We retired the know (laughs). The only big change in artists. character during its peak and it has this book is that I made him slightly My intention for returning to the industry proven the right move,” said Lau in a older, simply because it’s been such a is that I want to create a platform for Channel NewsAsia interview. “Since then, many people remember the long while. This is implied in the story by new and younger artists, and hopefully character with fondness and him getting retrenched. In all the previous in three years’ time, I can groom a new [longed] for his return.” books, he’s always working in the office and artist to work on Mr Kiasu instead of me. being kiasu (fear of losing). I would say that is It’s the same as Batman and Spiderman — the the biggest change. characters have become so iconic that there are so What do you think is the most kiasu trait of many different artists who’ve drawn them. That’s what I Singaporeans? want to do. I want to pass it on after two or three more It has changed somewhat. In the beginning, it’s always books so that we can bring in new talent and refresh the about being the best. There’re always rankings for ‘Best industry. City’, ‘Best Airport’ and what not. I would think that this Mr Kiasu is in all major bookstores now. The sitcom Mr Kiasu mentality is still there, although we don’t show it as much is on Toggle. There’s a casting call for the Mr Kiasu movie at Manekineko Karaoke, Cineleisure Orchard, Nov 25, 10am-5pm; now (laughs). e-mail castingsg@mm2entertainment.com for more info.

8 DAYS | 13

SCENE & HEARD

Crazy Rich Asians STARRING CONSTANCE WU, MICHELLE YEOH, HENRY GOLDING DIRECTED BY JON M CHU

WHY WATCH: It’s one of those rare Hollywood movies that features an Asian principal cast. (The last one was 2005’s Memoirs of a Geisha!) THE LOWDOWN: American-born Chinese university professor Rachel (Fresh Off the Boat’s Constance Wu) accompanies her Singaporean boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Unbeknownst to Rachel, Nick comes from a rich family. How rich? Crazy rich! But beware: Nick’s mum (Michelle Yeoh) doesn’t like Rachel. THE BUZZ: It’s the only ‘local’ celeb wedding next year everyone is invited to! Better yet, the ang pow will not cost you an arm and a leg. Kidding aside, we really can’t wait to see our homegrown actors (among them Pierre Png, Fiona Xie and Tan Kheng Hua) in a Hollywood rom-com — based on Kevin Kwan’s 2013 best-selling novel — that was partly shot here (and in Malaysia). For the thousands of actors from around the world who sent in their audition tapes but didn’t get the callback (hello, Nat Ho!), don’t fret. “I think we now have the deepest database of Asian actors that speak English in the world,” brags director Jon M Chu (Now You See Me 2) in Entertainment Weekly. “Any other studios that

8 DAYS

want to know who the best of the best [Asian actors] are, just call me! I will show it to you for ! I wish I could’ve Coupling: Henry Golding cast at least 25 [potential] and Constance Wu having a mega stars I saw that moment as Nick and Rachel. we couldn’t put in this “This [story] is about a girl going somewhere that’s foreign to her, movie.” Yes, twenty-ﬁve! to really find out who she is,” says Hire them for the Crazy Wu. “It’s just such a beautiful Rich Asians sequel, we story, to show an Asian-American immigrant going back to Asia and say. finding the things that overlap and connect us all, things like family, things like love.”

Going for Goh: Constance Wu (back facing) is warmly received by New York-based rapper Awkwafina, who plays Rachel’s college friend, Goh Peik Lin. Peik Lin’s father is played by Ken Jeong.

DOUG LAS TSENG

Here comes the bride: La La Land’s Sonoya Mizuno as Araminta Lee, the fiancée of Nick’s best friend. The movie also stars Ronnie Chieng (The Daily Show), Harry Shum Jr (Glee) and Gemma Chan (Humans).

8 DAYS | 15

SCENE & HEARD

fine Huan example Who knew CHEN XIUHUAN had so much to say about her love life? The former Ch 8 star drops several surprising bombshells about her life when we met her and her daughter SHALYNN TSAI for a chat recently. “I called off my wedding once in the past,” former Ch 8 actress Chen Xiuhuan, best known for her role as an alien in Star Maiden (1988), says right at the start of our two-hour interview with her and her 17-year-old daughter Shalynn Tsai. “I had quit showbiz at my peak to get married in 1997. The media found out about it and publicised it, so the pressure was too much for me. I had already registered for my marriage then, but I told my husband I couldn’t proceed with the wedding banquet. I was so overwhelmed that I thought about not showing up if we went ahead.” The 49-yearold is here for a shoot with Shalynn, who’s one of the stars of Ch 8 drama While We Are Young. The Raffles Institution student, together with the drama’s other second-generation stars Chantalle Ng, Chen Yixin and Calvert Tay are all are signed under celebrity hairstylist Addy Lee’s talent agency Starlist. “Wow, this is the first time I’m hearing this story,” interrupts Shalynn. “Mummy, you were so harsh to daddy!” Xiuhuan, who has two other daughters, Shanisse, 20, and Shavinne, 13, smiles: “I’m sorry that I treated your father like that. I feel so bad now.” The former bridal shop owner also goes on to regale us with tales of how her Taiwanese businessman then-boyfriend, whom she wants only to be known as Mr Tsai, had proposed to her seven times and that she only said yes after he gave her an ultimatum. “He was so hurt when I called off the wedding banquet that he flew back to Taiwan and we didn’t keep in touch after that.” It wasn’t until a life-threatening health scare in 1998 that Xiuhuan realised Mr Tsai was The

8 DAYS

STORY

One. “I got my medical report after a full body checkup and it wasn’t good. The doctor told me I had to go for treatment and that I should inform my family,” she says, declining to reveal what sickness she had, saying only that she has recovered fully. This is also the first time Xiuhuan is opening up about this part of her life to the public. “I was crying when [my now-husband] walked into my bridal shop on the same day that I got my medical report. I hadn’t seen him for a whole year but he came to look for me ’cos, as a married couple, we had to file our income tax together (laughs),” she says. “I showed him the report, hugged him and cried. He then told me he’d go through this darkest period of my life with me. After I recovered, I asked him if we could start afresh and he said yes. So we held a banquet at the end of that year.” She adds: “Without his patience and generosity, I wouldn’t have this beautiful family now! (Smiles)” Hearing this, Shalynn quips: “Wow, I need to go home and hug my dad tonight (laughs).” 8 DAYS: We have to say that we’re very surprised by that story. For everyone who watched Ch 8 in the ’80s and ’90s, you always seemed like the super-sweet girl-next-door. CHEN XIUHUAN: (Laughs) I used to be very unfriendly and difficult to get along with. I wouldn’t have taken the first step to reconcile [with my husband]. Even when he was wooing me, I’d slam the

JOCELY N LEE

PHOTOS

EALBERT HO

door in his face if I was very tired from filming. He’s been there for me through the lowest points of my life. Like when I injured my knee during filming and had to be in a wheelchair, he ferried me everywhere in his car. Who else can do that for me? (smiles) How did you get to know him? X: He was a good friend of [former actress] Cassandra See’s then-boyfriend and I’d see him at mahjong sessions or beach gatherings with Zoe Tay, Ivy Lee, Cassandra and their partners. Everyone had a boyfriend except me so I was often ‘paired up’ with him. I didn’t like him at all ’cos he’d carry this tiny white dog around, and I found it so annoying. When he eventually won me over with his persistence, Zoe was so shocked! (Laughs) You started acting in 1984 and left when your popularity was at its peak in ’97. Why? X: I had no choice. My then-boyfriend told me: “It’s either you quit or I quit.” I was nominated for the Best Actress and Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste categories in the Star Awards but had to pull out. It was a big decision. Giving up my job, which was practically my entire life, just to get married. My hands were shaking so badly when I signed on the dotted line. But I didn’t regret my decision to leave showbiz. I remember the night after

8 DAYS | 17

ON SHALYNN: WARDROBE: L’ZZIE/HAIR: JANE FROM MONSOON HAIR HOUSE/MAKE-UP: JOHN LEE @ FAC3INC USING YSL BEAUTY/ON CHEN XIUHUAN: WARDROBE: DUCHESS & CO/HAIR: GARY LOW FROM PASSION HAIR SALON/MAKE-UP: ANDY LEE

SCENE & HEARD I quit was the first time in a very long while that I had a really good sleep. If you found acting to be such a tough job, why did you still allow Shalynn to act? X: I was strongly against it initally! I was really angry ’cos I was shopping in Taiwan when Shalynn called to tell me she wanted to go to Shanghai with a few of the other kids in Addy’s company. I said it was impossible and scolded her. In the end, she called my husband and asked him to persuade me! (Laughs) I agreed to let her go eventually as I felt that it was just a holiday with her peers. Anyway, I won’t allow her to take on any acting gigs next year as she needs to focus on her A-Levels. SHALYNN TSAI: Actually my mum has nothing to worry about ’cos studies will always be more important to me. I’ll study hard and hopefully get into medicine school (chuckles). We’ve heard that you’re the ultimate Tiger Mum. X: Oh, when Shalynn got 97/100 for her tests in primary school, I’d cane her if I realised that those marks were lost due to carelessness. I would spend so many hours studying and going through their homework with them that I felt like I was the one sitting for the exams. Instead of toys, I’d buy them books. They couldn’t watch TV, so when Zoe or [Hong] Huifang visited us, my daughters didn’t know they were actresses (laughs). S: I was so scared of my mum. She was so fierce and so kiasu (laughs). Even when I watched cartoons, she would tell me that my brains would rot. I was finally allowed to watch TV in secondary school but I didn’t have time to ’cos I was too busy studying. She’s a lot more chill now that we’re older. However, I still don’t have a data plan for my phone — I’m using a pre-paid SIM card. Can you believe it? Doesn’t it sound

8 DAYS

like I live in some dystopian city? (Guffaws) But I’ve negotiated with her to let me get a data plan next year! What did your husband think of your Tiger Mum ways? X: My husband is less strict so if he knew I was going to cane them, he’d always rush home from work. I had an agreement with him that I could only cane them twice each time, and only on their butt, palm or calves. I also stopped caning them after they turned 12. But I would always explain why I did it. That’s why we are still so close now. My dad slapped me once when I was 12 in front of all my

neighbours for something I didn’t do. I never forgave him. I only said sorry to him when he was ill last year and I asked for his forgiveness for not talking to him for so long. He passed away at the age of 82 the same year. I’m glad I reached out to him. If not, I’ll never forgive myself. Did you visit Shalynn on set? X: Nope. I didn’t even send her to work. She’s the one who wanted to pursue acting so I made sure she knew how tough it was. She had to get there and come home on her own. I told her I’d teach her how to emote before she filmed a crying scene. But I went on a holiday and

when I got back, she had already filmed it! (Laughs) S: My mum was mostly overseas when I was filming, okay? She took my siblings to Japan! I had to wake up extra early, and on some days, I had to rush back to school after filming. But I guess I became a lot more independent. We guess Shalynn’s not allowed to date too? X: Of course not. But she is free to date once she enters university. I always tell my daughters that it’s okay if guys like them. When I was younger, I also had many guys wooing me (Guffaws). I remember there was this Eurasian boy who liked Shalynn and asked her out and I told her she could be friends with him. There’s no harm in making friends. S: I have many male friends and I treat all of them like bros. But my mum always tells me to have more female friends. She says if I’m attached in the future, my boyfriend won’t like it if I have too many male friends (laughs). X: It’s true! Next time when you get married, you need your girlfriends to be there for you! Anyway, she’s pretty so it’s natural that guys fall for her. When she was born, she was really dark and ugly, though! Her head was so big that I thought she looked a little abnormal. I even asked my husband why our daughter was so ugly! S: Do you know she took me to the doctor for a full body check-up when I was younger ’cos she felt that my head was way too big (chuckles)? X: Out of my three daughters, Shalynn was the ugliest when she was born. Thankfully, she grew up to be so pretty! (Smiles) While We Are Young is airing on Ch 8 at 9pm now.

SCENE & HEARD

for

fresh faces?

2018’s answer to F4 — remember them? — are the tallest, youngest (and, some say, hottest) version yet.

Has it really been 16 years since Jerry Yan and his follically-blessed buddies became Asia's biggest idols, thanks to their hit Taiwanese drama Meteor Garden? Its phenomenal success launched an idol drama wave, as well as South Korean and Japanese remakes. And now, the drama has come full circle with news of a Meteor Garden TV reboot slated for 2018. In case you didn’t know, the drama is based on the immenselypopular Japanese manga series Hana Yori Dango (or Boys Over Flowers).

The OG flower boys: (From left) Ken Chu, Jerry Yan, Vanness Wu and Vic Chou from the 2001 Taiwanese drama.

8 DAYS

Meet the new F4: (Clockwise; top right) Darren, Connor, Dylan and Caesar.

Fab four: (From left) Connor, Dylan, Darren and Caesar at the drama’s press con. Dylan revealed that he was only three years old when the original series aired, and that his mum even skipped cooking dinner to watch the drama. Darren said that he was still in kindergarten at the height of the 2001 drama’s popularity, and that he once formed an ‘F4’ with his pals during his younger days.

STORY

CHERY L ONG

And, of course, just like the original, there’s eye candy aplenty in this nostalgia-inducing reboot. Playing the school’s richest and most swoon-worthy boys, collectively known as F4, are Taiwanese actor Dylan Wang (Dao Ming Si, originally played by Jerry Yan), and Chinese stars Darren Chen (Hua Ze Lei aka Vic Zhou’s star-making role), Connor Leong (Mei Zuo, the Vanness Wu role) and Caesar Wu Flower oppas: The Korean remake, (Xi Men, who Ken Chu starred as). Fun fact: Boys Over Flowers, The boys are all 21 years old and boast starring (from left) an average height of 1.85m, which makes T-Max’s Kim Joon, Kim Bum, Lee Min them the tallest and youngest bunch of Ho and SS501’s Kim actors to play the iconic characters. Hyun Joong. Taking over Barbie Hsu to play spunky, whip-smart lass Shan Cai aka the girl Dao Ming Si and Hua Ze Lei fight over is 20-year-old rookie Chinese actress Shen Yue. The 48-ep remake, helmed by Angie Chai aka the same producer behind the original, has a production cost of NT$720 million (S$33 million). That’s a whopping 30 times more than the original! So will 2018’s Meteor Garden have the same iconic theme song as the original (don’t pretend you don’t know what song we’re talking about)? ’Cos it would be meteor-ific eor-ific if the answer is yes.

Manga mania: The Japanese remake, Hana Yori Dango, starring (from left) Shota Matsuda, Shun Oguri, Arashi’s Jun Matsumoto and Tsuyoshi Abe.

The original cast VS the new cast

From left: Jerry Yen, Vanness Wu, Barbie Hsu, Ken Chu and Vic Chou

From left: Caesar, Darren, Shen Yue, Connor and Dylan.

BARBIE HSU

JERRY YAN

DYLAN WANG

The original Dao Ming Si VS the new Dao Ming Si

VIC CHOU DARREN CHEN

The original Hua Ze Lei VS the new Hua Ze Lei

SHEN YUE

The original Shan Cai VS the new Shan Cai

VANNESS WU CONNOR LEONG

The original Mei Zuo VS the new Mei Zuo

KEN CHU

CAESAR WU

The original Xi Men VS the new Xi Men

8 DAYS | 21

SCENE & HEARD

STORY

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Great Ed-scape

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF AEG PRESENTS

ED SHEERAN is okay, guys. After breaking both his arms in a bike accident, the fullyrecovered singer (phew!) showed how arm-believably good a performer he is at his recent two-night gig here.

On the first night of Ed Sheeran’s two concerts e was at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, everyone just extra grateful to see him in the flesh. After all, uffolk, the 26-year-old British singer-songwriter from Suffolk, England almost didn’t make it here. Just a few weeks earlier, he had gotten into a bicycle accident and broken both his arms and a rib, forcing him to cancel the Taipei, Seoul, Hongkong and Jakarta stops of his Divide tour. “The thing is, when [the accident] happened, I got up and was like, ‘That hurt’ and then cycled to the pub. Went home, went to sleep and then woke up at five o’clock in the morning in a lot off pain. And went to the hospital,” he deadpanned d in an interview. More resilient than Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant, this one. Which

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explains how he managed to bring the house down at his two sold-out shows here — both arms playing wicked guitar riffs just fine. Here’s what happened on the first night:

10,000 fans: The Nov 11 show we attended at the Singapore Indoor Stadium was packed to the brim — even the nosebleed sections were full. The last-minute extra tickets released some three hours before the show were also promptly snapped up. Who knew the ginger-haired singer was this popular in Singapore?

0 outfit changes: Ed strolled onstage clad in a T-shirt from his hometown skate brand Hoax looking like an average Joe. But who needs fancy costumes when you have a voice that stunning? He does check out other people’s T-shirts, though. When he invited his pianist pal PJ Smith on stage to play for ‘How Would You Feel’, Ed remarked, “You always wear a fantastic T-shirt. Is that Pokémon?”

2 hours:

The duration of the gig, which included a rousing 30-minute opening set by American singer Lauv.

4 men arrested: They were caught for entering the concert venue using fake staff passes. We guess desperate times call for desperate measures when it comes to a sold-out gig?

6 weeks:

Amount of time Ed took to recover from his bike accident. “It was the most depressing six weeks of my life,” he told the crowd. “This is the first show that I’m doing after recovering. Cancelling shows is not something I like doing. Being on tour is one of my favourite things in the world!”

17 songs:

Ed’s setlist on the first night ran like an epic karaoke sesh. “It’s Saturday night and we don’t have to use our voices tomorrow, so let’s use our voices tonight!” Ed said, while everyone happily warbled along to hits like ‘Photograph’, ‘Thinking Out Loud’ and ‘Galway Girl’. “You sound beautiful, thank you so much,” he said appreciatively after ‘I See Fire’. Never mind his heavily-ridiculed Game of Thrones cameo. People adore Ed Sheeran when he is doing what he does best: making music.

Countless:

Number of water breaks Ed took throughout the concert. When he guzzled water for the umpteenth time, the teenager seated behind us couldn’t contain herself and squealed, “So cute!”

SCENE & HEARD

COURTING controversy TV host LEE TENG was recently called to court as a witness in a case involving government fraud allegations amounting to $13.6mil. Here are four things you should know about the case.

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Rigged or not?: Lee Teng receiving the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes award at this year’s Star Awards.

for him to go online and repeatedly vote for himself. Lim also alleged that Lee Teng wanted him to get a cell phone for his maid to make hundreds of calls to vote for him. In response, Lee Teng said that what he did wasn’t fraud, but Court in session: Lee part of the voting process. Teng appearing He also denied asking his at the State friend to design said software. Courts on Nov 9. Instead, the host said that the other party had proposed going online to vote for him. Lee Teng added that Lim had suggested that the host make the calls

PHOTO: SINGAPORETONG

Lee Teng was accused of using dishonest means to get into the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artiste list at the 2015 Star Awards. It’s no secret that some stars vote for themselves when it comes to the popularity awards at the Star Awards. But now it seems Ch 8 host Lee Teng’s credibility has been dragged through the mud for doing just that. The actor, who has made the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes list five times, has been accused of rigging votes during the 2015 Star Awards. This revelation came to light during the trial of Lee Teng’s business partner, Lim Chit Foo, who is charged with cheating government subsidies amounting to $13.6mil of claims made under the Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) Scheme. He did so under the guise of buying software for his company Micbo Remix Jay Pte Ltd (MRJ). During the Nov 9 trial, when Lee Teng appeared in court as a police witness to be cross-examined by Lim’s lawyer, the defendant questioned the actor’s integrity. Lim revealed that in the lead up to the 2015 Star Awards, Lee Teng had asked his friend to design software

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himself, so the star arranged for his maid to do so on his behalf as he was too busy. Lee Teng also denied having asked Lim for a cell phone. When we called the 33-year-old host to ask about the allegations, he said, “Those are all false. I feel quite helpless at some media reports that are based on the defense lawyer’s allegations. But it’s inconvenient for me to say anything, as the trial is still ongoing.”

Lee Teng was asked to lie to the police by his business partner. Lim, a 34-year-old local businessman, was also charged for instigating four men and women, including Lee Teng, to bear false witness to the police with regards to the company’s application for government subsidies. Sometime between last Oct and Nov, Lim had reportedly asked Lee Teng to lie to the police that he had purchased a set of software relating to customer relationship management on behalf of MRJ, and to say that he had also personally seen the software being used in the company. During the trial, the prosecution asked Lee Teng to present his conversation with Lim on WeChat. The content revealed that after Lim

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was first called in by the e police for questioning, he hurriedly urged Lee Teng to call him back. Their chat also exposed that Lim instigated Lee Teng not to admit that HUAI he was the MRJ director.. YUAN S ZHANG Z Lim also sent Lee Teng a HENHUA N document about a software, asking Lee Teng to remember that this He said that Zhenhuan and Yuan was a product previously purchased Shuai needed the provident funds. by MRJ. Lee Teng recounted that So he proposed to Lim to let them it was his first time seeing the promote the company’s apparel. He software then. After that, during a said that thereafter, he left Lim to phone call with Lim, he recorded handle the case, and was unaware their conversation. Unbeknownst that Lim had registered both their to Lim, Lee Teng had already names under the company. been called in by the police for questioning. Lee Teng maintains he was clueless about Lim’s Ch 8 actors Zhang misdeeds. Zhenhuan and Yuan At the time of the incident, Lee Shuai are also involved Teng was the director of MRJ. But in the case. at present, he has no ties with During the trial, the defense the clothing company, and claims attorney accused Lee Teng of that he was unaware of any illegal having registered fellow Ch 8 actors activity. In response, Lim’s lawyer Zhang Zhenhuan and Yuan Shuai said that in the past, Lee Teng as MRJ employees and paid for successfully obtained government their Central Provident Fund (CPF) subsidies for MRJ and his other contributions, in order to raise apparel store Stage, and that part headcount to meet the condition for of the subsidies was applied online the subsidies. using Lee Teng’s Singpass. But Lee Lee Teng denied the accusation. Teng said that he didn’t apply for the subsidies, and that he doesn’t know who applied for them. The actor added that he had shared his Singpass details with Lim in the past for other matters. However, he wasn’t sure if it was Lim who Just to be clear: had used his Singpass to apply On Nov 11, Lee Teng for the subsidies. He said that he took to Instagram to only knew that Lim was going to clarify his involvement in the case, apply for the subsidies under the stating that he’s “only company’s name but he didn’t ask a police witness asfor further details. Lim holds half of sisting them in their investigations”. the shares in both MRJ and Stage. Many fans and fellow Lim faces a total of 39 charges, celebs expressed their support for him, including 24 counts of fraud, eight including his agency counts of holding forged documents Left Profile’s boss and seven counts of obstruction of Michelle Chong, who wrote: “You are too justice. If convicted, he could face nice and believe up to 10 years’ imprisonment, or a others too easily! This fine, or both. too shall pass!”

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SCENE & HEARD

Humanerror New Ch 8 drama My Friends from Afar is about aliens who relocate to Earth hoping to find a new home, only to discover the unpleasant side of humanity. We get the stars of the drama to tell us what kind of bad behaviour irks them the most.

ALOYSIUS PANG “I think people who are selfish and vent their anger on others should be more aware of their actions. [I see this] everywhere. You order food at a restaurant and the waitress can be really rude to you because she had a bad day. Even on set or in a meeting, someone can give you attitude because he is feeling unhappy. We should all be more considerate of one another’s feelings but I guess it’s easier said than done.”

PAIGE CHUA “Reading about violence in the world, especially the multiple terrorist acts, makes me really upset. I can never understand why a person would do that to another person. But of course, there is also generosity in humans, such as the Dalai Lama, who lives for the advancement of human kind. That’s something all of us should aspire to.”

WANG YUQING “I’ve never experienced this in real life but I don’t like it when someone uses money to have a power trip over other people. Money is important but it’s not everything. There is no need to throw your money in someone else’s face and be a show off. That’s very unlikable.”

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My Friends from Afar premieres on Dec 4 at 9pm.

CARRIE WONG “I used to really dislike rude people. But I realised that I could be rude to someone else too without knowing it. So now, instead of being angry with that person, I’d try to understand the reason behind his rudeness. It’s all about having better communication (smiles).”

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SHAUN CHEN “The scariest thing about people is their unpredictability (laughs). You never know what they will do next. We read news about evil people doing cruel things to animals, to the environment, and to each other. There’s a saying that goes: “Humans are scarier than ghosts.” I think it’s quite true! (Laughs)”

YAO WENLONG “I can’t stand it when people are self-centred, obnoxious or condescending. I think mutual respect for each other is very important. For example, in this day and age, there are still people on the bus who don’t give up their seats to the elderly, thinking that they are in the right. I don’t argue with them because there’s no point. If someone hurls insults at me for nothing, I shouldn’t pay it forward by doing the same to others. I try to let it go and move on so that the negativity doesn’t get passed on.”

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KELVIN CHIA

BRANDON WONG “I hate it when someone cuts in line without queuing up. In fact, this just happened over the weekend, which is why I’m getting so worked up talking about it. I was with my wife and our three kids waiting in line for a table at a Japanese restaurant when a young couple had the audacity to walk right in front of us and attempt to skip the queue! I was so angry I told the waitress that we’d been queuing for a long time and the couple had cut the line. Honestly, if everyone just waits in line, the world will be a much better place (laughs).”

B Y J O N AT H A N FA M

AND THE AZZ LADY FINDS HER GROOVE Before her stellar run on Sing! China, JOANNA DONG was just a talented jazz singer (and actress and host) living happily in her own “niche” world. Now, everywhere she goes, people are professing their love for her and telling her how she’s Singapore’s pride and joy. So why does she still say she doesn’t like herself very much?

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PHOTOG’S ASSISTANT: ALFIE PAN / ASSISTANT STYLISTS: SHANTAL CHAN & ADELE / MAKE-UP: BENO LIM USING DIOR / HAIR: MR YOU FROM ARX SALON

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t’s purely by chance that Joanna Dong and I are in a café along Thomson Road called Old School Delights. The hipster joint that we had originally planned to go to was closed for the day, and so we found ourselves walking along that stretch of Thomson Road eateries searching for a place to grab a bite and chat. “Or we can do this interview over beers! Then I’ll tell you everything!” Joanna says in a (we swear there’s no better adjective) sing-song voice. While that would have been beer-y awesome, the thought of ﬁlling our tummies with kueh pie tee, pulut and otak, just some of the things we drooled over while browsing through the café’s primary school jotter book-like menu, proved to be surprisingly more enticing.

The point I’m trying to make is this: It is serendipitous that we’ve ended up in a café called Old School Delights ’cos Joanna Dong is old school (and, yes, delightful). It’s the same term Harlem Yu used to describe her after their duet on Sing! China — we know it’s a compliment ’cos he went on to say that he too is old school. Jo’s love for jazz and her old-timey 1950s-era (full skirt, cinched waist, covered arms) style of dressing scream, or should we say, jazz scat old school. From certain angles, Joanna, 36, also bears more than a slight resemblance to a young Xiang Yun — and who else is more old school than Singapore’s very first TV star? By now every self-respecting Singaporean would have heard of Joanna Dong’s storybook ascent, which is often told in the form of several headline– friendly narratives. The Singapore Idol reject who finally found redemption 14 years later on a much, much bigger stage. The jazz singer who warbled her way to success in the mainstream music world she once eschewed. The struggling artiste who did Singapore proud. All true, well, except for the ‘struggling’ part. “I have to stress that I was not in any way a struggling or suffering artiste before this,” avers Joanna, who apart from singing at weddings and corporate events, is also a theatre and film

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actress and an infotainment programme host — she was last seen on TV hosting Channel NewsAsia’s City DNA early this year. In fact, by the time you read this: Jo would have embarked on a two-week trip around China ("From Shangri-La to Shanghai," says her manager) to film a travel web series for an online Chinese portal. One thing’s for certain: Her inspiring run on Sing! China where she came in third (“The show didn’t really say third but according to votes, yeah,” she says) made her not just a household name but a symbol of nationalistic pride, not unlike her predecessor Nathan Hartono and, to a certain extent, Joseph Schooling. “It’s one of those things that I feel super grateful for. ’Cos when I look at my friends from the competition who are from other cities in China or who are from other countries… they didn’t get the same level of support,” she says. While she appeared poised, restrained and reserved on Sing! China, in person, Joanna is quite the opposite. “It’s mainly ’cos I was afraid that [if I were to talk more on the show] I would go on a merry-go-round and waste everyone’s time,” she says, when we mention how she seems much more — for the lack of a better term — real now that she’s sitting opposite us sipping kopi peng siu dai. “Also in general, [the producers] wanted us to focus on singing and leave the talking to the mentors. So, if you notice, all the contestants don’t really speak that much.” The Raffles Girls School-Victoria Junior College alum (“I was borderline naughty but I always tried to be a good girl — I swear, up till JC I was still copying homework,” she laughs) is infectious, engaging and open. She also cracks a lot of jokes, mostly self-deprecating digs like how uncomfortable she is posing for photos (“How do models do this? My face is so cockanadan...”). She’s also cool enough to share embarrassing personal details. When asked to reveal a secret, Jo Dong, as she occasionally calls herself, giggles: “I sometimes pee in the pool and I’m

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TORY BURCH PRINTED DRESS. RINGS FROM SWAROVSKI.

somewhat ashamed of it”. And when she’s not talking or cracking jokes, she sings. A lot. During the shoot, Jo suddenly breaks into Minnie Riperton’s ‘Lovin’ You’ and we get goosebumps. The only child says her talent for singing comes from her dad, who sings classical music, which she used to mimic, and who has an ABRSM in singing. “I don’t even have that [cert]!” she laughs. But it was her mum, a former Chinese teacher who raised Joanna after divorcing Joanna’s dad, who nurtured it. “My mum is someone you would describe as tone deaf,” she laughs. “When I was a kid, like five or six, my mum would drag me along with her friends to the karaoke and say I was her representative. There were no private rooms then so you had to take a number and when it was your turn, you went up on stage and sang. That’s one way I got used to performing.” Joanna is married to theatre practitioner Zachary Ho, 39, who also teaches at SOTA. “We’ve been married for five years but we’ve been together for eight,” she beams. They met while working on local play Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral. She had just gotten out of a relationship then and was not looking to be in another one. “The training for [the play] was very physical, and it required us to be very open and to follow our organic impulse,” she says. “And the impulse came and we followed it.” Thanks to his wife’s newfound fame, Zachary, who was seen on camera gazing lovingly at Jo from the audience during the competition, has been thrust into the limelight too. After all, Jay Chou, Joanna’s mentor, did crack a joke about Zachary’s mustache on live TV. When the couple were in China, people on the streets would call out to Zachary as “Dong Zi Yan’s lao gong” before realising that she’s right next to him. “I think there’s something about me that makes it hard for people to recognise,” she laughs. She can’t be more wrong. As we devour the last morsels of our lunch — when I apologise for shoving an entire kueh pie tee in my mouth, Jo says, “But that’s the only way to eat it!” and proceeds to shove one into her mouth too — the lady boss of the café sidles over to our table and says: “Hi, are you Joanna Dong? I just want to say that we are all very proud of you for representing us. Here’s a piece of our homemade lemon cake on the house.” Joanna smiles and thanks the lady boss profusely. I glance at Jo and there’s a look of gratitude on her face. “I also have a favour to ask of you,” continues the lady boss. “I never take photos with stars even when some of them come here ’cos we are near [the old] MediaCorp [campus], but I want to take a pic with you.” Upon hearing this, a trio of twentysomethings seated a few tables away from us chirp, “Can we have a pic too?” “Oh my god, I chased every episode [of Sing! China] ’cos you were in it!” says one of them. “When I saw you sitting there, I was like ‘Is it really her?’ I really supported you!” I turn to look at Jo once more, and again there’s that look of gratitude. It’s funny how just four months ago, Jo Dong was someone people kinda knew but didn’t really know. Now she can’t even have her kopi and kueh pie tee in peace. And she’s totally fine with it.

OANNA DONG

8 DAYS: First thing we have to ask: Do you have Jay Chou’s number now? (Laughs) Noooo… He doesn’t even have WhatsApp so we can’t communicate with him directly. You know, as much as we like Jay Chou, we probably wouldn’t have picked him as mentor ’cos he’s probably too busy to devote that much time to his mentees. That’s a valid point and it’s true that ’cos he’s very busy, we don’t get as much time with him as compared to other teams and their mentors. But our team had the most number of duets with our mentor. So many times he invited us to sing with him on stage and that was where I learnt the most. You observe how chill he is, like, “Oh, so that’s what it takes to be at this level.” And it’s just shiok lah to sing with Jay

Chou (laughs). The gold standard for many local singers is to be like Stefanie Sun or JJ Lin. Is that the same for you? So my GP teacher in VJ recounts this story which I conveniently don’t remember (laughs). In one of our first classes together, he had asked each of us what we wanted to be when we left school. And apparently I said “superstar” quite unabashedly. I asked him if he thought I was damn annoying and a poseur and he said, “No, you had clarity of purpose (laughs). But I guess I did dream of that and I did look at them and think about what amazing careers they’ve had. But I also went through different phases. When I went into jazz and theatre, I felt like if I had gone down their path, I would not have the time to focus on jazz. So I told myself, it’s beautiful no matter how my life turned

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out. I think that’s why I joined [Sing! China]. It was not like I must win. The worst that could happen was that I come back to my life which is pretty awesome already. While watching your performances on Sing! China, I realised that the mentors and the panel of music industry insiders all called you ‘Dong xiao jie’. All my fellow contestants called me ‘Dong Jie Jie’. I kinda miss hearing someone call me that. It’s still hierarchical there. Age is… they still [respect that]. And I’m not like one or two years older, I’m like 20 years older than the youngest contestant in my team. It’s funny ’cos you’ve said that the ‘auntie’ comment from Florence Lian haunted you for years after Idol. You know what’s the worst thing? I always thought it was Dick Lee who said that (laughs). So for the longest time, I resented him wrongly. In a strange twist of fate, did you feel like a real auntie this time round? Totally! I embrace this older woman role. You call me jie jie or auntie, it doesn’t matter. I’m the one who if anyone needed any medication, I’d have it in my bag. Olinda [Cho] also. We were both typical aunties (laughs). Speaking of Olinda, the two of you performed a patriotic Chinese song with the other contestants on China’s National Day. Oh man, that was awkward. The song was like their version of ‘Chan Mali Chan’ or ‘Stand Up For Singapore’. It was one of those things that we couldn’t really say no to but we did raise it up that we are foreigners and that it’s strange to sing a song like that. Were the producers offended? No lah! They are very reasonable people. But they told us that it would be very weird if everyone sang it and the two of us didn’t. Plus it’s their National Day, so they told us to treat it like we’re singing a song to wish someone happy birthday. The song had words like ‘motherland’. I know. So what Oli and I did was when we sang that word, we would think of Singapore ’cos it applies too (laughs). You and Nathan Hartono both did very well in the competition… If you ask me, Nathan was probably Singapore’s best chance of getting champion. ... Are there any other local artistes who you think could also succeed on the show? After watching Nathan’s year, I realised that the direction [of the show] had veered from the stereotypical belters to people with distinctive style and I think we have a few very interesting voices here, like the lead singer of The Steve McQueens, Eugenia Yip. She has a vocal quality that’s so weird

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but so good. I’ve never heard her sing in Chinese but Nathan has already proven that doesn’t really matter. There’s another singer quite similar to me but more clearly defined. She’s called Miss Lou or Lou Peixin. She has the complete package and I

We live like there’s no tomorrow (laughs)… We pay our bills and try to do right by our families but we do treat ourselves well. think she would do very well. Are you going to tell them to join the competition? I won’t ’cos I don’t know what they want. People need to want it badly. It’s so not worth it if you don’t really want it. I had to give up four months of work. I had no income. And even when you get booted out, you still need to film stuff for it. I asked a producer if I got kicked out early, could I plan for work in October and they were, like, I think you should still keep your time free (laughs). Do you think more people recognise you in China now than in Singapore? Nooo… there are so many more people there. I think I would be very quickly forgotten if I don’t follow up with more performances soon. So what’s next for China? There’s the web series and we have a couple of inquiries for corporate engagements there, which has never happened before. We hear the pay scale there is amazing. I don’t know but we quote a lot ’cos now we have to fly people there. It’s a hefty sum I’m not used to quoting but we have to lah. This is all very new for us and we’re still trying to navigate it. Think you’ll shift base to China? It would be very hard ’cos of family. These few months have taught me that I really do miss Singapore when I’m away. So I’ll probably shuttle back and forth. I think that’s why a lot of people say older contestants are not as favoured ’cos if given the same opportunity, a younger contestant is more likely to do more with it. I’m more reluctant to spend that much time in China compared to a

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young unmarried competitor. But shouldn’t you be milking it for all it’s worth now? We are looking for partners in China ’cos my record label Red Roof is a very small one. The reality is that you need a network in China even if it’s a small tour. You need to know people who are trustworthy and who can help you set things up. Nathan started a Milo craze when he was in the competition. Why didn’t you do something similar? I was very envious ’cos I really like Milo (laughs). I was like, “He’s damn brilliant!” But I can’t come up with something to top that! (Laughs) And it has to be organic. If I go think about it and set it up… it’s going to be, yeah… (Scrunches her face up) You could have said jewellery. I should have said gold. Give me some Yusof Ishak! (laughs) Your popularity has skyrocketed. Do you think it proves the theory that for a Singaporean artiste to make it locally, she has to ﬁrst make it big overseas? It’s very petty [to say that] lah. I think it’s ’cos we have this self-awareness that we are a very small place. So even if you’re number one here, we often feel that it’s not something that’s worthy to be shouted about until you prove your mettle on a much bigger platform. It’s like if you are the top student in class compared to [being the] top student in school. But did you think: Where was all this support before the competition? No, ’cos I never felt like Singaporeans didn’t support me. It’s just that now the support has grown. It’s about visibility. Most people didn’t get the chance to see or know about me till I appeared on a bigger platform. So don’t blame them. And also when you think about it, I never pushed myself to this level of performance. I never spent weeks and months preparing for one song like I did for the blind auditions. Even people who know me have never seen me perform like that. I’m grateful that at least Singaporeans are very

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supportive when I went overseas and made it. It’s better than if you do that and people still don’t support you. Let’s talk about your years after Idol. How tough was it being a full-time singer in Singapore? I have to be honest and say that I never had it really tough. I know people who had it much tougher than I did. I think it’s ’cos I’m bilingual so I could do more gigs. And I didn’t just sing. I acted, hosted and all these things helped mitigate the erraticness of my income. I always had opportunities to try out a lot of stuff which I may not have gotten if I was born in another place. And the media would always support me whenever we called on them. I never felt like I was abandoned. But for a country our size, there aren’t

that many opportunities for artistes. Surely there would have been times when it was tough ﬁnancially. Yes, yes. I did graduate with honours in sociology from NUS and that’s pretty respectable. I would have gotten a fairly decent paying job. I remember one year the census said that the median income was like $4K. I was like, “I’m earning way below that!” For many years I was earning between $2-3K a month, which, by the way, is not bad at all. It was enough for me to lead a comfortable life. But not compared to my peers with the same paper qualifications. How long did you survive on that income for? The whole 10 years plus lor. I did ask myself: “How long more can I go on?” But I was very aware that I was not poor by any standard so I really had nothing to complain about. And I was doing something that I really enjoy. How many people can say that? So when my husband and I bought our own HDB [Ed: a four-room flat in Serangoon North] we were, like, we made it! It’s the Singaporean dream to own your own flat. I remember sitting on the floor ’cos our couch hadn’t arrived yet, trying to take it all in. Your hubby works in theatre so it’s safe to say that both of you are chasing your passions in life? Well, he’s teaching in SOTA and that’s a better paying and more stable job. But yeah, we are both romantics and idealists. But as our parents got older, the realities of adulthood kind of hit us so he had to make adjustments, like taking a full-time position. But he’s always been passionate about teaching so it’s not a sacrifice for him. Have you ever thought about getting an ofﬁce job? These thoughts are fleeting but I have done an office job before and I was decent at it. I was working at an online ad agency as a project executive. It was just after Idol ’cos I couldn’t sing for a couple of months due to contract stipulations. I enjoyed it but it was stressful ’cos of all the KPIs and deadlines (laughs). For me, those

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challenges were harder to cope with than those that come from being a performer. You speak beautiful Mandarin and you’re clearly very comfortable in front of the camera. Ever thought of being a Ch 8 actress? I’ve always felt like I wasn’t telegenic enough. But I also didn’t want to be a celebrity. I was keeping the mainstream audience at arm’s length ’cos I always felt like they wouldn’t like or get me and that I wouldn’t get them. But that has to do with my insecurities ’cos I don’t like myself. That’s a very strong statement to make. (Laughs) There are a lot of things I don’t like about myself. Feeling like other people don’t like me comes from me not liking myself. What don’t you like about yourself? Everything. Okay, not everything but a lot of things. Like sometimes I look at my videos and I go, “Eeee, how come so ugly?” [I get it when] people comment:

OANNA

DONG

“Why does she make all these weird expressions when she sings?” But I can’t help myself. Some people call it ugly singing, like ugly crying. I don’t know if there’s a name for it. I’m getting more conscious but if I need to make an ugly face to make a beautiful sound, I’ll do it. But yeah, I do look at myself and think, very superficially, that I’m not thin or pretty enough. Even though I know that as a self-respecting intelligent woman you should love your body and all that. But I still get swayed by the prevailing standards of beauty. You can sing, host, act, and dance the lindy hop. Is there anything artistic that you can’t do? I can’t play any instrument. That’s my Achilles heel. So every time I pose with an instrument, I always feel like a fraud! This is one of the things I struggled with in the last few years. There’s a rise in this whole singer-songwriter thing, and it came to a point where I was feeling very ashamed and inadequate. I tried

to learn [an instrument] but I felt like I wouldn’t be able to learn it fast enough to be happy [with the work I produce]. If I’m going to write a mediocre song just so I can apply the singer-songwriter label, it’s lame. And the last thing I want to be is mediocre. So yeah. Is this one of those things you don’t like about yourself too? Yeah. I often have these emo chats with my hubby. Why am I still singing? Maybe I should just focus on being a travel host, which seems to be in greater demand and people seem to recognise me more for that. It was heartbreaking ’cos I’ve always identified with being a singer. That’s why I also wanted to do Sing! China. There was hunger to remind people that Jo Dong is a singer.

you’re not just working at night, you have to spend time in the day practising and learning songs. But it’s not like you can’t survive… if you can land a regular gig. And the problem with economic recessions is that a lot of these places stop hiring or they do away with live entertainment. So that’s the pressure we’re all facing. There was an age where we had jazz divas like Claressa Monteiro and Jacintha, and they could command diva rates. But the time it got to my generation there was no such thing anymore. Then wouldn’t singing pop music make things easier for you? No, that’s also very competitive. You have to know all the hits. For [jazz singers] once you learn like 100 jazz songs,

I know that as a self-respecting intelligent woman you should love your body and all that. But I still get swayed by the prevailing standards of beauty. What did your husband say about your sudden growth in fame? He also didn’t see it coming (laughs). But he always had more faith in me than I did. Did he feel joining a singing competition was too mainstream? He’s not judgmental that way. But at some point I was. Arrogant and snooty. I thought of myself as more atas than the average Joe. I’m ashamed of that. What changed? Realising where it came from. I was very afraid of being judged, of the masses not liking me. I push you away first before you can reject me. I didn’t want to be mass. I wanted to be niche. I choose to be a niche artiste so that’s why I’m not popular. It was almost a bit vindictive. We watched you perform at Red Dot at Dempsey once. What’s singing at bars like? I love it. I love when you’re background music and people are just talking ’cos there’s no stress and I can just enjoy the interaction between me and my bandmates. Are such gigs lucrative? The rates have not increased since the ’80s according to my veteran musician friends. They were earning $120 to $150 a night for regular gigs, which means you sing two or three sets of 45 mins. And mind you, ’cos you sing late into the night, you’d still have to pay the midnight surcharge home. So once you defray all these costs, you’re not taking home much for your time. And

you probably can sing the 100 for the rest of your life (laughs). What creature comforts do you and your husband have to give up to pursue your passions? We’re terrible. We actually splurge. We live like there’s no tomorrow (laughs). I mean we pay our bills and try to do right by our families but we do treat ourselves well. That’s what we both believe in. We have nice dinners, nice drinks. We buy nice clothes but only on sale and never at full retail price. We can buy a really nice piece of clothing but we have to make sure that we get a lot of wear out of it. Never buy disposable fashion. That’s how we maintain a balance. That’s why I say my life is not difficult lah. I was not a struggling or suffering artiste before this. Have you guys thought about having kids? We don’t know. Mainly ’cos both our careers are peaking later in life so we want to continue working. Kids are a really big commitment. And we know we would give up everything so the kid can be well taken care of. And at this point, we’re honestly not ready to give everything up to take care of this other life. And we’ll probably be resentful. We don’t want to someday look at our kid and go, “’Cos of you, mama had to give up her beautiful singing career!” And the poor kid would be like, “I didn’t ask to be born!” (Laughs) We know that the window is closing but we are not desperate to have kids. Still, I would never rule out anything. Life has proven me wrong so many times that I don’t dare to say never already (laughs).

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MOVIES

Coco

DOUG LAS TSENG

(PG)

STARRING the voices of Anthony Gonzales, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt DIRECTED BY Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina

Animation titan Pixar has hit another home run, this time with a ghost story! The studio’s 19th movie — co-directed by Toy Story 3’s Lee Unkrich — is set around Dia de los Muertos, aka Day of the Dead, the Mexican holiday honouring the dearly departed. On that day, aspiring guitarist Miguel (newcomer Anthony Gonzales) magically crosses over to the Land of the Dead, a bustling afterlife metropolis where everyone is a skeleton. There, he meets his music-hating ancestors, a musical idol (Benjamin Bratt) who may or may not be a long-lost kin, and a chatty trickster-cum-guide named Hector (Gael García Bernal). Revisiting familiar Pixar themes of family, tradition, loss and reconciliation, this great-beyond adventure is emotional, exhilarating and visually sumptuous — picture a Latino take on Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away by way of Monster Inc. and Inside Out. Long after the

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A gentle reminder: Be sure you’re punctual for Coco or else you’ll miss Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, the short film preceding the main feature.

credits have ended, two things will continue to haunt you: the melancholy lullaby ‘Remember Me’ by ‘Let It Go’ scribes Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and the question, can a spirit live forever? Have fun explaining it to the kids. RATING

DOUG LAS TSENG

Manhunt (TBA) STARRING Zhang Hanyu, Masaharu Fukuyama, Ha JiWon DIRECTED BY John Woo

Hongkong legend John Woo’s first contemporary action flick produced in Asia (since 1992’s Hardboiled) is a colossal facepalm. The PanAsian production — a remake of a 1976 Ken Takakura– starring thriller of the same name — sees a corporate lawyer (Zhang Hanyu) and a tough cop (Masaharu Fukuyama) entangled in the shady dealings of a pharmaceutical company. The enervating story is credited to seven writers, and you can tell: It’s overcooked and messy, packed with cringe-inducing dialogue (a large part of the script is in English, which felt like it was written using Google Translate) and scattershot backstories (there’s a puzzling subplot involving two female assassins, played by Ha Ji-Won and Angeles Woo, John’s daughter, that belongs in another movie). Even the action sequences are disappointing; more confusing than exciting, they are copies of copies of the director’s best works. Come to think of it, did John Woo really make this? So whoever made this, who are you and what have you done to the real John Woo? By the way, there are too many pigeons in this movie.

Back to Burgundy (M18) STARRING Pio Marmaï, Ana Girardot, François Civil DIRECTED BY Cédric Klapisch

Wind River (M18) STARRING Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen DIRECTED BY Taylor Sheridan

The Spanish Apartment helmer Cédric Klapisch’s latest is about a prodigal son (Pio Marmaï) returning to his family’s vineyard in Burgundy. There, he broods over personal commitments and his stormy relationship with pops, and squabbles with his estranged siblings (Ana Girardot and François Civil) over their winery’s future — tedious family stuff. What the film truly excels in is how it hypnotically captures the lush, rustic countryside. Sometimes I wonder if my time is better spent on a documentary just about winemaking instead? (Pssst, watch Somm: Into the Bottle on Netflix.) In French with English subtitles.

The Avengers’ Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen reunite for this elegiac whodunit written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, the Oscar-nominated scribe of the drug cartel thriller Sicario and heist yarn Hell or High Water. Renner is a wildlife tracker (badass and bereft), and Olsen, a Clarice Starling-type newbie FBI agent (a lamentably underwritten part), both investigating a teenager’s rape-murder in the titular Indian Reservation in Wyoming. The movie starts off as a social commentary on the plight of the Native Americans but ends up as a more traditional action/ revenge picture, replete with a brutal Mexican stand-off.

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MOVIES

DOUG LAS TSENG

Questio

naire

Justice League

(PG)

STARRING Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher DIRECTED BY Zack Snyder

1. What was your overall reaction to the movie? Excellent Good Very Good Fair Poor 2. Would you recommend this movie to your friends? Yes, definitely No, probably not Yes, probably No, definitely not 3. Would you watch it again? Yes No If yes, how soon again? I’d watch it again if I’d missed the two post-credits stingers the first time. 4. Which of the following words or phrases best describe the movie? Entertaining

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Boring/Dull Dramatic Powerful Fun Scary Interesting Uplifting Innovative Done before Intense Confusing Has a good story Not my type of movie Too predictable Interesting characters Lacks compelling characters Sympathetic characters Thought-provoking Migraine-inducing Emotionally satisfying Tonally uneven Well-paced Too slow in spots Too fast in spots Too video gamey Good music Good special effects

Unnecessarily presented in 3D Too long 5. Would you tell your friends about this movie? Not just whether you liked it or not, but how would you describe it to them in less than 100 words? While DC may have finally caught up with Marvel in launching its own all-star gathering, it still struggles with getting its tone right. Justice League isn’t as reassured as The Avengers, but it’s the most fun DC Extended Universe movie so far (we have to thank Joss Whedon for tinkering with the script). The bad news is, it’s also oddly forgettable, entertaining without being really exciting. (Superman’s resurrection could use a little more oomph.) It’s a crowded story but there are enough moments for Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher (as Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg, respectively) to strut their stuff.

It’s Showtime!

DOUG LAS TSENG

OTHER NEW OPENINGS Battle of the Sexes (M18) Starring Emma Stone, Steve Carell | Directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris

The directors of Little Miss Sunshine pairs Emma Stone and Steve Carell as tennis champs Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, respectively, facing off against each other in a historic 1973 TV match.

The Mother of all local film festivals is back! The 28th Singapore International Film Festival unspools Nov 23. With over 100 movies, where does one begin? Let’s start with these three...

The Golden Monk (TBA) Starring Zheng Kai, Zhang Yu Qi, Evonne Hiseh | Directed by Wong Jing & Billy Chung

Diamond Dogs (Singapore)

Special effectsheavy fantasy inspired by Ji Gong, the Mad Monk of Wealth. Caution: It’s directed by Wong Jing, the Master of Crass.

Sunny Pang plays a dying man who joins an underground fight club-cum-twisted science experiment run by the rich. Andie Chen co-stars as a very bad guy. Nov 28, 9.30pm; National Museum of Singapore

Pokémon The Movie: I Choose You! (PG) Starring the voices of Sarah Natochenny, Rodgers Parsons, Carter Cathcart | Directed by Kunihiko Yuyama

If you’re still playing Pokémon Go (no shame in admitting — no one will judge you), then this anime movie has your name on it. In English with Chinese subtitles.

It Comes At Night (USA) Post-apocalyptic chiller about a family man (Joel Edgerton) trying to decide whether it’s safe to let strangers into his home. Don’t do it, buddy… Nov 24, 11.55pm, Filmgarde Bugis+

(MAR 9-12) NOV 9-12

Mayhem (USA) The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun is back, this time as a lawyer battling his colleagues who have been infected by a viral outbreak. The man just can’t catch a break, can he? Dec 2, 11.55pm, Filmgarde Bugis+ For more selections and ticketing info, visit sgiff.com.

11 22 33 44 55 66 77 88 99 10 10

Ah Boys to Men 4 Thor: Ragnarok My Little Pony Jigsaw Victoria & Abdul Always Be With You A Bad Moms Christmas Suburbicon Happy Death Day Geostorm

(MAR 10-12) NOV 10-12

1 2 3 4 5 6 77 88 99 10 10

Thor: Ragnarok Kong: Skull Island Daddy’s Logan Home 2 Murder on the Orient Express Get Out A The Bad Shack Moms Christmas Jigsaw The LEGO Batman Movie Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Before I Fall Halloween Hidden Figures Geostorm JohnRunner Wick: Chapter Blade 2049 2 La LaDeath Land Day Happy FiftyBird Shades Darker Lady

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FRUIT LOOPS Search: Samsung mocks Apple and the iPhone

The rivalry between tech giants Samsung and Apple continues. This brutal ad sees the former poking fun at the new iPhone X in a series of flashback sequences, reminding viewers that Samsung has always been one step ahead of Apple. Poor Appleholics. The truth must be hard to bear.

UNCOMMON ACCORD Search: Used car commercial â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1996 Honda Accord One man created a high-end car ad to help his girlfriend sell her well-loved 1996 Honda Accord. The cheeky video shows his girlfriend cruising with her cat and a pot of coffee as a voiceover extols the merits of the old clunker. So far, the gambit has paid off. The car, which is worth US$1,500, has since fetched bids of up to US$30,000.

DELIVERY BOY Search: Your wishes delivered: Driver for a Day When freight company UPS heard about a four-year-old whose dream was to be a UPS driver, they delivered and made him part of the team for a day. Much to the tykeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s delight, the gig came with a miniature UPS truck, brown uniform, packages and customers. Cool.

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STORY

CHERY L ONG & KI’ERN TAN

UBER TRA-RRIFIC Search: Let’s Unlock Singapore We all know the pain of being stuck in peak hour traffic. Ride-sharing company Uber hilariously drives home the message of fewer and fuller cars on the road to curb congestion with this ad shot in Bangkok, as part

COST IN TRANSLATION https://inkiﬁ.com/earnings-on-instagram In this day and #insta-age where more brands are jumping on the influencer marketing bandwagon — even micro-influencers rake in neat profits via sponsored posts — your IG could be a potential money tree. Find out your Insta-worth on this site

of their Unlocking Cities campaign. It shows people cruising traffic-clogged streets in cardboard boxes, which are meant to be cars. What ensues is road rage and complete chaos that climaxes in total anarchy. Still think COE is a bane?

which works out the monetary value of your posts to brands based on your follower count. According to this online generator, a single post on Jeanette Aw’s IG (@jeanetteaw; 353.6K followers) is worth $2K while Qi Yuwu (@qiyuwu; 82.6K followers) could earn some diaper money through the social media site with each of his IG posts pegged at $465. #Instakaching!

PICTURE PERFECT P https://peoplematchingartworks.tumblr.com A Austrian artist Stefan Draschan spent three years trawling museums in Europe to snap unsuspecting art lovers blending in with the exhibits. The E result is a trippy work of art aptly titled People Matching Artworks. Sure gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘thinking out of the box’.

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PLAY | PLUG | READ

Peddy Price: US$280 (S$380)

This interactive robot dogsitter, currently being crowdfunded, is designed to feed, exercise and

STORY S TORY

KI’ERN TAN

entertain your furkid. (By the way, Peddy is a portmanteau word of ‘buddy’ and ‘pet’.) There’s also a two-way video call that lets you communicate with your lonely pooch. Yes, videoconferencing with your dog isn’t weird at all. From peddylook.com.

EMBER CERAMIC MUG Price: US$80 (S$108) Here’s a smart mug that looks just like, well, a regular mug. Except it has a heating system which can be controlled remotely by an app. It comes with a matching coaster/ charger, which flashes when the coffee/tea reaches your preferred temperature (between 49°C-62°C). From ember.com.

INTELLITOUCH+ THE SMART SCREEN PROTECTOR Price: US$15 (S$20) This smart iPhone screen protector, currently being crowdfunded, has two embedded touch-sensitive action keys — located on either side of the phone’s ‘Home’ button — which makes it easier to toggle back and forth functions/ apps. Good news for those with clumsy fingers. From nombiss.com.

APP OF THE WEEK RUYA Price: $1.48

There’s plenty to like about this Zen-like puzzle game (iOS & Android). The game has a dreamy soundtrack, tranquil nature sounds, surreal graphics and a soothing colour palate — all designed to help you relax while you crack on at matching cute characters. There’s also no time limit so you can clear all 64 levels at your own pace. Now, inhale, exhale and say, Goosfraba...

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Specially for Hallyu fans, this week-long event features the best of Korea, from K-Food and K-Lifestyle to K-Travel and more!

Date Nov 20 – 26, 2017 (Mon – Sun) Venue Waterway Point, Level 1, Village Square Atrium Time 11am – 9pm daily

CHECK OUT ATTRACTIVE DEALS! • Snag your fave K-Foods! Take your pick from over 150 items from SL Foods, including fresh produce, ice-cream, drinks, ready-to-eat meals and instant ramen! Plus, have a go at the Spin & Win wheel with min. $30 spent. • Get organised with Korea’s top-selling storage brand, Lock & Lock. Buy boxes in various sizes at special prices! • Attractive Korea travel packages from Asia Global Vacation.

Come meet radio DJs from YES 933, LOVE 972 and CAPITAL 958 on weekends, 3pm – 5pm, for these exciting activities: • Cooking demos on traditional Korean dishes. • Appearance by Ch 8 mascots Fan Fan & Chop Chop for photo opps and games. • Taekwondo demo on Fri & Sat, 7.30pm • K-pop cover dance showcase • Korea travel talks

BoyzBe

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Health â&#x20AC;˘ Beauty â&#x20AC;˘ Wellness

BodySOS Out Now! Only $4.50

All-in-one bundle that packs in health and wellness tips, medical features, beauty news, and more!

Available at major newsstands, bookstores and convenience stores!

C R

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60 Shop 62 The Feelgood Page 64 What They Never Taught You In School 66 Money 68 Travel 72 Shirtless Guy of the Week 73 First Person 74 My Word 75 Horoscope 78 Get Out

E EAT

p50

EAT

Sourfuss BY

ANNETTE TAN

Local bakers are turning to tradition and making excellent sourdough breads. Here are three places to get your fix.

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Left to right: Seeded Loaf, Country Loaf, Light Rye Loaf

These days, at many bakeries, cafes and restaurants in Singapore, the best thing since sliced bread may just be… well, sliced bread. But we’re talking thick slabs of sourdough, the kind of bread made from wild yeast that pre-dates most foods. Sourdough is essentially bread made from naturally occurring yeast and bacteria in flour. It's typically made with just three ingredients: sourdough starter (a mix of flour and water that’s left out to ferment, and which gives the resulting bread its characteristic tang), salt and flour — which means this is as natural as bread gets. There is minimal kneading and no mixing in machines. Sourdough is all about patience and letting nature take its course. Like others here, the following sourdough purveyors are reviving interest in bread made the time-honoured way.

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The Bakery By Woodlands Sourdough #01-05 SERENE CENTRE, 10 JLN SERENE, S528748. Open Wed-Sun 8.30am-6pm. Closed Mon-Tues. Last orders: when they run out. woodlandssourdough.bigcartel.com

Husband and wife Chalith Kariyawasam, 36, and Nurhasanah Johari, 39, started this bijou bakery in November last year after three years of experimenting with making their own sourdough loaves. The former engineers are self-taught and draw inspiration and advice from

the American bakers that they follow (and admire) on Instagram, including Seven Star ar Bakery (@backdoorbread), Josey Baker (@ joseybakerbread), and Tartine Bakery in San an Francisco (@tartinebakery). Their loaves are so popular, they usuallyy sell out just after lunch. Chalith explains that Nurhasanah single-handedly bakes 80 0 loaves daily on weekdays and 100 loaves per day on weekends. The loaves are baked in n four batches throughout the day, so if you find yourself at the bakery between batches, you’ll ou’ll just have to wait until the next one comes out of the oven. Their customers are mostly residents from the surrounding Bukit Timah area, who start streaming in from 8am. Once the crowd clears, the couple starts working on the next day’s bakes — mixing, stretching, folding

Seeded Loaf $7, Country Loaf $6, and Light Rye Loaf $7 The basic Country Loaf, made with THE Australian stone-ground organic flour, BREADS is the mainstay of the offerings here. This bread is as tart as they come, with a distinct tang and a dense, very moist crumb. The Seeded Loaf is essentially a fibre-amped Country Loaf enriched with sunflower, flax and sesame seeds. Meanwhile, the Light Rye has a more complex, nutty flavour thanks to its mix of wholegrain rye and wheat, and is lovely toasted and slathered with good butter.

and shaping s the dough before leaving it to a slow rise overnight. They start baking at 7am the next o morning, so that the first batch comes out of morn the oven in time for when their customers begin o pouring in. pou A third business partner, Bridget Chen, 43, makes the bakery’s vegetarian sandwiches and ma cold-pressed juices. Chalith, meanwhile, bakes col sweet bars and cakes like brownies and sw blondies using flours such as spelt and rye. blo Customers can buy whole loaves to take home or order ord from the eat-in Toast Bar, which offers bagels, cookies and thick slices of Country Loaf b l cakes, k toast slathered with made-from-scratch toppings such as Nut Butter, Honey & Sea Salt; and Hummus, Za’atar & Chilli Oil. Seating is limited to just a few tables outside the shop and on the grass patch outside the shopping centre though.

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Nut Butter, Honey & Sea Salt Toast $4 We love the neat presentation of this wholesome semisweet treat. The textures and flavours come together in rounded perfection: think a lightly toasted slice with a perfect crisp frill around the edges; creamy, lush, almost savoury nut butter; and a steady-handed drizzle of honey to imbue it with just the right amount of sweetness. Hummus, Za’atar & Chilli Oil Toast $4 Savoury and spicy, this comforting slice benefits from a lush spread of housemade hummus flecked with the nutty flavour of za’atar, a Middle Eastern spice mix redolent of ground sumac. The tangy sumac tempers the bread’s sour edge, while the drizzle of chilli oil hits it with a whisper of spice to brighten all those warm flavours.

Bagel $3, with Blueberry Cream Cheese Schmear or Lemon & Dill Schmear $2 each These slightly skinny bagels with a tightly packed crumb are tinged with a distinct sourdough tang. The schmears, or cream cheese spreads, are well-made and fresh. The lemon and dill one has a lovely lemony lilt, even if the flavour of dill is barely perceptible. The blueberry cream cheese is lush, fruity and not too sweet. VERDICT: Great if you like San Francisco-style sourdough — dense and tangy, with a thicker crust. We like that they constantly experiment with using different flours to develop deeper, more nuanced flavours in their breads.

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EAT

The Glasshouse: Specialty Coffee & Toast Bar #01-K11 CHIJMES, 30 VICTORIA STREET, S187996. TEL: 97930234. Open Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat-Sun 8am-6pm. Last orders at closing. www.facebook.com/theglasshousesg

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always a bonus when an establishment offers not just good food and coffee, but a set-up practically designed for Instagramming too. So it is at this literal glass house tucked away in bucolic Chijmes, with a selection of toasts so pretty, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but gasp when they come to the table. Hell, everything about this place is gorgeous, from the natural light that streams through the glass walls, to the grey and blonde Scandi-chic furnishings and perfectly placed potted plants. Owner Yeo Qing He, 26, is a former motion designer who fell in love with coffee four years ago. After two years of dedicating his weekends to gaining more F&B knowledge by helping out at cafes, he gave up his motion design job to work full-time at Common Man Coffee Roasters. In September last year, he opened The Glasshouse with two silent partners. While coffee is the heart of this establishment (he serves a fortnightly rotation of beans from various roasters), Qing He also offers a compact menu of beautifully presented open-faced sandwiches made with loaves from The Bakery By Woodlands Sourdough. A small selection of pastries and cakes is available as well.

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Avocado & Dukkah $7 This slice is so beautifully presented, you could dare someone not to ‘gram it — and win. We love the dusting of coriander seed-flecked dukkah, which lends an earthy astringency to the creamy avocado and hummus beneath. Our only gripe? One is not enough.

THE TOAST & COFFEE

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8 DAYS PICK Classic Salmon $8 Beneath the coral-hued slivers of silky smoked salmon is a swathe of herby cream cheese and crunchy discs of sliced cucumber. Honestly, we can’t believe we’re raving about what is essentially smoked salmon and cream cheese on toast, but the deft sprinkling of salt and pepper, and the balance of textures — fresh crunch; creamy cheese; lush, salty fish — all come together to yield an open-faced sandwich that tastes as good as it looks.

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Filter Coffee $7

When we visited, they were serving single origin Ethiopia Danbi Uddo beans roasted by Homeground Coffee Roasters, and boy, was it good coffee. Wonderfully clean with hauntingly toasty end notes, the coffee’s quiet flavours give way to the barest whisper of tropical fruit.

Seed & Nut Butter $6 This treat of house-made seed and nut butter on toast topped with caramelised bananas tastes like warm pudding. The flavours are comforting, the textures creamy. It’s like a sweet hug. We can’t believe we just said that either…

White Coffee $4 Made using the Lucky Basterd blend of beans from Brazil and Ethiopia roasted by Common Man Coffee Roasters, this cup is immensely smooth and mellow, with a hint of milk chocolate and a lovely, nutty aftertaste. VERDICT: A rare gem that has as much style as it does substance. And everyone can afford their own Instagram moment here since nothing is priced above $8.

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Mr Kneady’s #02-24 THE BEDOK MARKETPLACE, 348 BEDOK RD. TEL: 9815-5025. Open Tue-Sun 11am-9.30pm. Closed Mon. Last orders 9.20pm. www.facebook.com/mr.kneadys

Life was a bit of a whirlwind for 28-year-old Lionel Hor before he opened this sourdough bakery in June on the second floor of a hipster hawker centre in Simpang Bedok. He cut his teeth as a baker at Maison Kayser in Singapore in 2012, went on to work in a bakery in Queenstown, New Zealand in 2014, then moved to New York City half a year later to take a sous chef job at Maison Kayser’s Bryant Park branch — all while coping with a flour allergy. In the Big Apple, “the head baker quit to pursue his engineering studies. I got lucky — they pushed me up to the head baker position”, he says. New York’s frenetic pace, however, was not his cup of tea. A year later, Lionel packed up to volunteer at a bakery called Sandholt in Reykjavik, Iceland. He loved the work and the place so much, he returned the next summer. Soon after, he received a job offer from a German flour company for a regional technical advisor position. “They flew me to Germany for training and on

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that first day, I got fired [because of how severely my allergy flared up],” he says with a laugh. It turns out being in a flour factory was just too much for his allergy, which he usually circumvents by wearing a mask in the kitchen. “That was a turning point for me,” Lionel recalls. “I had to decide if I wanted to stay in this industry or move on. So I decided to take a shot at setting up my own place. At the end of the day, it’s what I enjoy doing and it’s what I’m good at. So I took my chances.” Last May, Lionel set up Mr Kneady’s with a $60,000 loan from his father. On any given day, he bakes a selection of White, Whole Wheat, Cranberry Turmeric, Walnut, Pumpkin Seed, and Danish-style Rugbrod loaves. The 250-gram loaves are the perfect size — small enough to finish in a day so they don’t sit around in our unforgiving humidity. The stall also offers some excellent sourdough pizzas, which are available after 6pm. For now, Lionel runs the stall single-handedly and gets help from good friends during the weekends. He hopes to open a bakery bar in three to five years. “A place where people can enjoy bread-based dishes with a good selection of beer,” he says, before running off to shape his next batch of loaves.

EAT Rugbrod $12 A nod to his time at Sandholt bakery in Iceland, this loaf — made from a mix of 80 percent rye and 20 percent white THE flours — is studded with sunflower, BREADS pumpkin and flax seeds, and crowned with a light crust dusted with sesame seeds. Somehow, despite the heft of those seeds and rye, the loaf is relatively light, with a distinctly nutty flavour.

Arlandria $12 A simple pie topped with tomato sauce, smoked and regular mozzarella, brie and Gruyere that could give any established pizza joint a run for their money. Made from wholewheat flour, the not-too-thin sourdough crust has a pleasant chew and a lovely, toasty flavour. We like that Lionel has paid attention to making a deeply flavoured tomato sauce from scratch by cooking down tinned tomatoes, oregano, salt and sugar. Cranberry Turmeric $3.50 The most popular offering here, this pillowy white loaf is suffused with ground turmeric and studded with dried cranberries. But a heavy hand with the spice makes it too pungent for our liking, even if it is gently offset by the sweet fruit. Art Of War $12 Crème fraiche, bananas, blueberries, streusel and white chocolate chips should not a good pizza make. Yet when we bite into this, we find ourselves wide-eyed with surprise at how incredibly yummy it is. It tastes like a breakfast soft cookie, with the warm sweet fruit countered by crisp streusel (think of something akin to crumbled vanilla cookie dough). We never thought we’d say this, but we’d order it again. VERDICT: Lionel’s passion is evident in the loaves and pizzas here. His breads are generally light and well-flavoured, with a crisp crust, and on par with big-name bakeries. The pizzas are the best you’ll find in the area too.

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WHERE TO EAT Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory JAPANESE #B1-73 RAFFLES CITY SHOPPING CENTRE, 252 NORTH BRIDGE RD, S179103. TEL: 9248-8476. OPEN DAILY 11AM-9.30PM. LAST ORDERS AT CLOSING. WWW.TOKYOMILKCHEESESG. COM.

This Japanese snack brand is popular for its cheese-based tidbits, and now you no longer have to travel to Tokyo for it. The folks behind fellow Japanese cheese snack brand LeTao and local dessert store Once Upon A Milkshake have brought in the ‘Factory’ as a standalone kiosk. It sells the same range of snacks that you can get from Japan, such as the signature Cheese Cookies in three flavours including Honey & Gorgonzola ($14 a box). There is also a Strawberry Milk Roll ($24) stuffed with strawberry cream and jam made from Fukuoka’s Amaou strawberries and Hokkaido condensed milk. If you like ice cream, go for the soft-serve sold under the Factory’s adorably named Cow Cow Ice line, like a Cheese Soft Serve ($4) made with gouda and Hokkaido cream cheese. Add $1 for a house-made cheddar cheese cone, or spring for the Cow Cow Ice Sundae ($8.50) topped with a slice of milk cheesecake and a salt and camembert cookie.

UNI BOMB

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STRAWBERRY MILK ROLL

Uni Gallery JAPANESE #B1-310 THE PLAZA, 7500A BEACH RD, S199591. TEL: 9838-8209. OPEN DAILY 11.30AM-2.30PM; 6PM10PM. LAST ORDERS AT 9.30PM. WWW. FACEBOOK.COM/UNIGALLERYSG.

Online seafood and sashimi grocer Oosterbay opens its own uni (Japanese for sea urchin)-centric casual restaurant. The 40-seater serves uni-infused dishes such as Uni Aglio Olio ($28), Uni Oyster Shot ($25) and the decadent Uni Bomb ($99) that has four types of seasonal uni paired with a shot of Japanese gin or sake. You can also order uni ala carte, including the usual Bafun and Murasaki varieties ($30 a portion), or have it sashimi platter-style with the Uni Tokusen Sashimi (from $38), a selection of Canadian Aka uni and six types of sashimi like otoro (tuna belly) and botan shrimp. Uni supplies are flown in from Japan, US and Canada every two to three days.

ARCADIA

Morozoff JAPANESE #01-61 PLAZA SINGAPURA, 68 ORCHARD RD, S238839. TEL: 6341-9967. OPEN DAILY 10.30AM-9.30PM. LAST ORDERS AT CLOSING. WWW.MOROZOFF. CO.JP

This popular Japanese luxury confectionary maker that’s almost a century old makes a return to our shores, after its shop in Daimaru shuttered in 2003 (together with the department store). Interestingly, it's now been brought in by local electronics company Uptron (which distributes the Sony Playstation in Southeast Asia). On offer will be almost all the brand's offerings, including chocolates, cookies and packaged baked goods such as madeleines. Bestsellers include the Arcadia (from $15 for 90g), an aromatic, light aro and delicate cookie made co with wi egg whites baked to a crisp ba and a packed full of o roasted nuts.

STORY

Y IP JIEY ING & SOF IA BENING

OKONOMIYAKI

aROMA Gelato ITALIAN #B1-32 PLAZA SINGAPURA, 68 ORCHARD RD, S238839. OPEN DAILY 11AM-10PM. LAST ORDERS AT CLOSING. WWW.AROMASG.COM

It’s only been a couple of weeks since aROMA debuted in Singapore with a takeaway outlet at Arab Street, but the Jakarta brand has quickly followed that up with this dine-in cafe starring gelato made fresh in-house. At the 20-seater, you can lap up crowd-pleasing flavours such as Vanilla, Tiramisu and Chocolate with Hazelnut, along with more interesting options like Lemon with Basil, Watermelon and Chocolate Chili. Choose from four serving sizes: Bambino (one flavour, $3.90), Piccolo (two flavours, $5.90), Medio (three flavours, $7.90) and Grande (five flavours, $10.90). Bored of cups and cones? Try the Affogato ($5.50), a single scoop of ice cream with a shot of espresso, or the gelato-topped Waffle ($6.90 for a single stack; $8.90 for a double). CHOCOLATE WITH HAZELNUT IN MEDIO CUP

Tsuruhashi Fugetsu JAPANESE #03-316 SUNTEC CITY NORTH

WING (SKY GARDEN), 3 TEMASEK BLVD, S038983. OPEN DAILY 11.30AM-3PM; 5.30PM10.30PM. LAST ORDERS AT 2PM & 9.30PM. TEL: 6560-0290. WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ TSURUHASHI-FUGETSU-SINGAPORE

This 56-seat restaurant famous for its okonomiyaki hails from Osaka. Here, Japanese chefs transplanted from the original outlet man six open teppan counters, where they griddle your pancakes with fresh cabbage, yakisoba (fried egg noodles) and an assortment of panfried meat and seafood. Besides

the classic version ($10.80), other variations include the CheetamaButa-Tama (S$14.80), featuring stringy cheese, egg and pork. Pair your pancake with the Fried Buta Kimchi (S$9.80), a spicy offering showcasing stir-fried pork with the Korean side-dish staple.

Christmas Cause

Yuletide is about feasting and giving, so why not go for FULLERTON HOTEL’s do-good buffet dinner, which benefits the President’s Challenge charity? Christmas comes early at Fullerton Hotel’s Town Restaurant with the Fullerton Charity Cook-Off Buffet Dinner ($98 per pax). At this one-night event, $25 from each diner's ticket will be donated to the President’s Challenge to help the underprivileged. To ramp up the fun, the dinner will see a MasterChefstyle 'Mystery Box' cooking challenge led by the hotel's general manager. Vote for your favourite dish or just busy yourself with the buffet, which will include goodies such as Champagne Ham with Spiced Pineapple Chutney, and Traditional Turkey with Yorkshire Pudding. Fullerton Charity Cook-Off Buffet Dinner, Nov 24, 6pm, Town Restaurant at Fullerton Hotel, 1 Fullerton Square, S049178. For reservations, call 6877-8989. www.fullertonhotels.com. Catch the President’s Star Charity 2017 show live on Dec 10, Ch 5, 7.30pm.

8 DAYS | 59

SHOP

Do You Need a

$1,650 tin can from TIFFANY & CO? Hello, things you never knew you needed.

Triangle, US$400 For kids born with a silver spoon in their mouths, but who will also need a silver protractor triangle to solve Math problems.

Gotta love Tiffany & Co.’s sense of humour. A tin can, paper plate, pencil sharpener and other everyday objects repurposed into luxury gift items glistening with wit and class? Love it. The storied jeweller’s new Home & Accessories collection is a “take on modern life where creativity and wit collide with the finest materials.” And while no one needs a sterling silver tin can that costs upwards of a thousand bucks, we’re sure plenty of people would want one. Not all of the items in the collection are available in Singapore, but there’s surely a way to get your paws on your heart’s desire, if your heart so desires a ball of yarn made of silver. y

Paper plate, US$950 Just don don’tt forget and throw this away after the party. In sterling silver.

First aid box, x, US$600 Your plasters will live ve in ver with style. In sterling silver Tiffany Blue enamell accent.

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STORY

Ball of yarn, US$900 We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think this ball of yarn will be getting knit into a sterling silver jacket anytime soon. But it sure is pretty.

CELINE TAN

Tin can, $1,650 Not your average kopitiam condensed milk tin can, okay? For starters, this isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t actually made of tin, but sterling silver and vermeil with Tiffany Blue enamel accent. Use as a vase, pencil holder or to store condensed milk.

Crazy straws, US$250 to $350

Corkscrew, US$450

Because straight sterling silver straws are so boring. In yellow and rose gold vermeil and sterling silver.

Reserved erved for opening rare ages only. In sterling silver. vintages

Pencil sharpener, US$275 Wish we had one of these when we were kids. Would have made colouring so much more posh. In sterling silver and crystal glass.

Table tennis paddles, US$650 Because everyone needs ping pong rackets in leather, walnut and silver.

Paper P cups, US$95 for set of two Finally, something we can maybe afford! The paper cups used to serve coffee in Tiffany & Co stores are reimagined in bone china. Rad!

8 DAYS | 61

THE FEELGOOD PAGE

Of millennials

mindfulness

The good-looking folks behind new local skincare brand Re:erth want you to really think about your skincare.

Maybe it’s youthful glow, or maybe it’s the skincare: The founders of new skincare label Re:erth, who are in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties, bonded over a serum that uses Japanese White Turmeric, as well as their belief in the concept of mindful beauty. They are, from left: COO Toh Ziling, Compliance Director Celestine Koh, CEO Shinji Yamasaki, Marketing Director Winnie Lim and Design Director Keith Cheong.

Mindfulness. It’s a buzzword you’re probably hearing a lot these days. Be mindful. Be in the moment. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Okay, we get it. Put down the smartphone and be in the present. And now, there’s mindful beauty — new skincare label Re:erth is built on the premise of mindfulness. But what is it, really? Ohm-ing while you lovingly apply your moisturiser? Using only products with natural

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ingredients? Or is it simply being in the moment while you take care of your skin? In a way, it’s all of the above. We chat with Japanese CEO Shinji Yamasaki, 32, and Singaporean COO Toh Ziling, 28, about Re:erth (an abbreviation of “Re-encountering Earth”), a skincare label that advocates mindfulness, pared-down minimalism and embracing the beautifying powers of nature.

STORY

CELINE TAN

8 DAYS: Why build the idea of mindfulness into your skincare brand? TOH ZILING: The mind is more powerful than the body, in a sense. Whatever you think, you become. We wanted that to be a focus. We want people to focus on skin health and positive attributes, instead of scrutinising themselves so critically, For me, when you feel more confident and use nature-derived formulas, your skin is just gonna glow. SHINJI YAMASAKI: Beauty products are usually marketed as a cure for certain things, whether it’s anti-wrinkle or anti-acne. But our products are not antianything. It’s about having healthy skin. And as a result of that, you get fewer wrinkles and blemishes. Because you are regenerating your skin from the inside, it’s naturally becoming more luminous, healthier and smoother.

your skincare routine as well, you start to notice things, like I have a dry patch here, let’s put a bit more moisturiser. It’s having that me time and knowing what you’re doing. Our products have very good texture, so that’s how we increase the mindful experience as well, with that sensorial experience. They are non-greasy and absorb quickly. You’re not just nourishing your skin, but yourself as well. Is it a case of, like, your skin knows when you’re treating it well, and it reciprocates? It’s like talking to plants and then your plants will thrive. Z: (Laughs) Yeah, it’s not slapping skincare on and just rushing off. Just naturally taking your time is good. The product line [for Re:erth] is short and paredElixir of youth? down, but it’s power-packed. In Re:erth’s Clarifying Cleanser ($87), Calming five to 10 mins, you’re done with Toner ($87), Hydrating Gel your skincare and can do other Moisturizer ($106) and its things, but it’s about being in the star product, the Multipresent in the time you have for Targeted Elixir ($135; in brown bottle). your skincare routine. Walk us through how you mindfully apply skincare. Z: I use our liquid cleanser, and then apply our serum. There’s no ringing of a bell or anything like that, but maybe I’ll put on some songs. I’d smell the product first, just taking my time. It smells great and very relaxing, the smell of the turmeric, which is our signature ingredient. That’s how I feel connected to nature as well, like I’m part of a bigger thing. But we’re guessing that no matter how mindfully you apply your skincare, it’s useless if the products aren’t good, right? S: Yes, so our products are very simple but have great stuff in them. A lot of products are Z: I feel that as busy urbanites, we are always either very natural and organic, or highly scientific. criticising ourselves. If you have a pimple, you feel But our products take the best of both worlds — we terrible and don’t wanna go out. But what matters make sure our active ingredients are effective and we as well is what’s within. We wanted to go against back things up scientifically as well. We use Japanese the messages of perfection and focus on doing what White Turmeric, which have been proven to slow down makes you happy. the breakdown of hyaluronic acid in the skin, while So what is mindfulness to you? stimulating cellular activity and collagen production. S: It’s a bit of an inside joke for us, but mindfulness to The turmeric is grown exclusively on farms in the me is taking a shower, shaving and using deodorant. Kyushu region, and we have an exclusive patent on the (Laughs) It’s being mindful of what others smell about plant — no one else in the world can use it. you! But in terms of skincare, mindful beauty for me How do you practise mindfulness in your daily is having healthy skin. That is the key. And you can life? get that through getting enough sleep and the right Z: I drink tea in the morning and listen to music. nutrients, and then having [a product] that will help you S: For Ziling, when she uses skincare, it’s her time get clear, healthy skin. to relax and connect with nature, but for me, when I Z: Mindfulness is your mind and body being together at use our star product serum [the Multi-Targeted Elixir], the same place at the same time, and being present while in a very non-judgmental state. It's about focusing it’s quite the opposite. I put it on, and I’m like, (claps hands) “Okay, let’s go.” It’s like, “I’ve got the whole on what you’re doing. When you’re eating something, world behind me, and nature is backing me up right you understand the experience and feel the textures now.” And when I’m in the gym, lifting weights, that’s and tastes, and focus on that, instead of thinking my me time. That’s my meditation. about other things. And when you’re fully present in

Re:erth products are available at www.reerth.com.

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WHAT THEY NEVER TAUGHT YOU IN SCHOOL

All about

#Female Empowerment

From President Halimah Yacob to Ch 8 actress Xiang Yun, the voices of 17 diverse multihyphenate women are heard in LORETTA CHEN’s new book. WHO IS SHE? Loretta Chen, 41. The Hawaiibased adjunct professor, whom Singaporeans best remember as a theatre director and the younger sister of actor Edmund Chen, recently released a book called Madonnas and Mavericks: Power Women in Singapore. The book profiles 17 local women in diverse fields who have contributed to the growth of our nation, including President Halimah Yacob, Paralympic medalist Theresa Goh, and Loretta’s own sister-in-law Xiang Yun. The bubbly and outspoken author, who met a Korean architect in Hawaii and married him two years ago, released her first tell-all autobiography Women On Top in 2014. She shares: “I got quite excited when I wrote my first book. I felt like a mum when I held a copy of it, it was like my new baby. After I moved to Hawaii, I wanted to still stay connected to Singapore, and one option to do that was through writing.” She adds: “I thought it would be interesting to work on another book where I tell the stories of these strong Singaporean women — their failures, successes, and life lessons learnt. I wanted to feel inspired myself too, and that was why I embarked on this second book.”

8 DAYS: Congrats on your new book. How did you shortlist the 17 women, who are from vastly different backgrounds, ranging from fashion and media to sports and politics? LORETTA CHEN: Shortlisting took some time and effort but one of my criteria was that the list had to be as diverse as possible, [and span] race, religion, age, industries and

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sexuality. The only thing in common was that they are Singaporeans and women. Were there any women who were offended that they didn’t make the cut? If there were women who were offended, I don’t know about it yet! I will know after your article comes out. Let me know if you get any hate mail (laughs). You spoke to Halimah Yacob before she became President. Did you get a chance to visit the nowfamous Yistana, her jumbo ﬂat in Yishun Ave 4? (Laughs) No, I visited her at her office in Parliament when she was still Speaker of Parliament. Her story left a very deep impression on me. She shared with me how her mother passed away on Polling Day during the General Elections in 2015, and what it was like growing up as one of six children to a single mum. She’s really people-centered and she wanted her chapter in the book to be named ‘The Servant Leader’. It just shows what kind of person she is, and how she’s really someone who puts duty above all else. In the end, I named her chapter ‘The People’s Advocate’. She struck me as a very humble and real person who’s always fighting for people in the working class.

J O C ELYN LEE

P H OTO S

A IK C HEN

You also interviewed your own sister-in-law, Xiang Yun, for the book. (Guffaws) Yeah, it felt really weird. It was interesting because the interview was held at home. What was more interesting was what was left unsaid. There are so many things shared between us that I don’t even really need to interview her but we have to pretend that the readers don’t know some things, so I had to ask some blatantly obvious questions (laughs). I knew her so intimately as my sister-in-law in a familiar setting, but during the interview, she also gave me a lot of insight into how the media landscape has radically changed over the years. Listening to her, I was reminded of how humility has served her well, how she has no scandals and is so well-liked by everyone in showbiz. It’s not easy, especially in this industry. Your book is about allowing the voices of women to be heard, which is sort of related to the Harvey Weinstein saga in Hollywood. Have you ever experienced sexual harassment? In fact, I have. It’s so much easier to talk about it now as it happened 17 years ago. I was a young professor at 24 years old, and working in a polytechnic here. This professor in his 30s would hit on me, and often make lewd sexual comments about me or other women, discussing women’s breasts openly. When I raised it to my female boss then, she said it was impossible and that it could never happen just ’cos I was dating a woman at that time. I’m married now, but can you imagine how vulnerable I felt then? I didn’t know who to tell. That’s also one of the reasons I decided to dedicate my life to being an educator. I want to be an informed, wise and compassionate educator, and watch out for my staff and students. There are many T-shirts with feminist slogans on them. What do you think of this fad? Any kind of visibility is always great. When you put issues out there in public, it does generate some sort of awareness and it does give a voice to those who are disenfranchised. Social media is powerful in that messages reach us in a way that they couldn’t in the past. On the other hand, yes, I still worry that sometimes things can be politicised, aggravated and exaggerated. But in general, if it achieves some of its objectives for the victims who first spoke out, I think it’s successful in that regard. What’s one thing you learnt on the job that they never taught in school? It’s that you have to always take accountability for your actions. What others do to you is their karma, but what you do to others is your own. You can’t change anyone else, but you can certainly create change in yourself. It’s often so easy to put the blame on someone else, but we have every responsibility to choose wisely, and make wise decisions based on what we know.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF DISNEY JUNIOR TODAY! ISSUE 121 IS ON SALE NOW! AT ONLY S$6.20 (incl. GST)

STORY

FREE

STICKER! Disney Junior Magazine is available at selected bookstores, convenience stores, supermarkets and leading newsstands. For subscriptions, please e-mail magsubscription@jsimeducation.com.sg or call 6646-6216 (Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm). Published by Mediacorp Pte Ltd

Madonnas and Mavericks: Power Women in Singapore is out in all major bookstores.

MONEY

Got $820,000 to spare? Splash it on this 5.5-carat solitaire ring from Poh Heng’s Trust Diamond line. Contrary to popular belief, the cut of a diamond does not refer merely to its shape. The cut is graded by how well the diamond’s facets interact with light to produce that magical sparkle.

HOW TO BUY

DIAMONDS

LIKE AN EXPERT

Dazzled by all the information out there on b bling-buying? Here’s a crash course, courtesy of diamond expert SEUNG-HAE MOON.

WHO IS SHE? SeungHae Moon, in her 60s. The Korean managing director for Asia Pacific at non-profit gemology research facility Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The diamond expert has nearly four decades of experience and was recently in town for the launch of Trust Diamond by Poh Heng, a new brand of solitaire diamonds by the local jeweller.

8 DAYS: What is the biggest misconception people have about diamonds? SEUNG-HAE MOON: That the bigger the diamond, the better it is. When someone announces their engagement, the first question everybody asks is: “So how big is your diamond?” (Laughs) Some people go for bargain diamonds. Every diamond has its own unique value, so watch out when a seller tells you, “I’m selling this diamond to you at a loss.” Always buy from a reputable jeweller with a long history and heritage. Their staff should be well-trained and can show you whether the diamond you are buying tallies with its GIA report [which details the assessment of a diamond].

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Diamond-buying guides usually tell us to look out for the 4Cs — cut, clarity, colour and carat weight. But which ‘C’ is the most important? To me, any colour is fine and you don’t need a diamond with high clarity ’cos you can only tell the difference if you are a specialist with a microscope. Cut is more important. A well-cut diamond will always look brilliant and sparkly. Diamonds which are graded as having excellent or very good cuts are considered good quality. You can see the difference with your naked eye by comparing it with a diamond [of an inferior cut]. There are also synthetic diamonds made in a factory, and cubic zirconia, which is very similar to diamonds. They are less expensive than the real deal, but they also lose their brilliance over time and get dirty easily. Do diamonds depreciate in value the moment you buy them, like a car? I don’t think so. The prices may go down on the wholesale supply side if the economy is not good, but [prices are stable] on the retail side. You may not be able to [flip a diamond for a profit] the very next year after you buy it, but in the long term, their prices always increase. Do people invest in diamonds? Well, some banks have a diamond portfolio. But to me, diamonds have more of an emotional value. People always ask me [how they can make money off diamonds]. I told them, “If I knew, I wouldn’t be here!”

STORY

Y I P J IEYING

SE L E CT P H OTO S

A IK C HEN

DANGLE THAT

CARAT

Lessons to learn from celebs’ diamond engagement rings. What: Rapper Cardi B’s 8-carat bauble from rapper Offset ($750,000) “Big diamonds sit too high on the finger if they have a round cut, so usually they come in an emerald or pear shape [like Cardi B’s ring]. Pear-shaped diamonds became very popular after Richard Burton gave Elizabeth Taylor [the Taylor-Burton diamond]. People love pear-shaped diamonds ’cos it makes their fingers look slimmer.” What: Lady Gaga’s 6-carat bling from ex-ﬁance, actor Taylor Kinney ($681,000) “I have heard that people who like heart- or pearshaped diamonds are very artistic and like to be different. Very apt for Lady Gaga!” What: Kim Kardashian’s 20-carat diamond from Kanye West ($6.1mil) “Celebrities tend to choose emerald cut for their diamonds ’cos it shows off the colour of the larger rocks well. The biggest diamond [in existence] is 100-carat and can only be worn as a pendant ’cos it’s too big.” What: Game of Thrones actress Rose Leslie’s estimated 2.5-carat ring from reel- and real-life beau, Kit Harington (price unknown) “This looks like an [antique] ring with a cushion cut diamond. Some people like a yellow gold band, but diamonds look better on 18K white gold.”

TRAVEL

Why you should

check in early at the new T4 Get sloshed for free and watch a Benjamin Kheng ‘musical’ when you fly from the new Changi Airport Terminal 4.

Check in super early and grab a free cocktail or three. Changi Airport's spanking new T4 just started operations, and let's just say it's nothing like the Budget Terminal, which previously stood in the same place. For one, it's luxe, luxe, luxe — without being intimidating, of course. After all, it still services low-cost carriers such as the Air Asia group (of four airlines), as well as Cathay Pacific, Cebu Pacific, Korean Air, Spring Airlines and Vietnam Airlines. If you're travelling on any of these nine airlines, you're in for a treat. Check in way before your flight to partake in all of the new terminal's delights, especially the alcohol sampling at three experiential zones. These two barkeeps in the pic above greet you at

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the entrance of the departure duty-free area, at The Cocktail Bar at DFS Wines & Spirits, and if you ask nicely, they'll make you a mini version of your fave cocktail, for free.

Security screening will never be the same again. The magic begins the moment you plonk down your carry-on bags at the centralised security screening area. The usually-sterile and possibly stressful experience is made way more palatable with a panoramic Immersive Wall, which screens whimsically-cute clips and fun imagery of Singapore's skyline and landmarks. Just don't get so engrossed that you forget to pick up your barang barang from the conveyor belt.

STORY

CELINE TAN

PHOTOS

CHEE YAN

terminals have several outlets. At T4, there are no duplicate shops, and it makes up for its shorter 'street' with larger and higher facades â&#x20AC;&#x201D; stores have 11-m high double-volume facades, making for more visually impressive shops with super high ceilings. There are local brands you know and love such as Charles & Keith and Pazzion, as well as international brands like Pandora, Swarovski and Kate Spade. Expect affordable luxury over designer labels. Also, a new-to-Singapore pharmacy, Airport Pharmacy, brings Aussie brands such as Swisse and Lucas Paw Paw.

Double the shopping fun. What's a departure experience without blowing some cash? As a terminal that's smaller than the other terminals, T4 boasts a "single street," where you can cover all the shops and F&B outlets in the departure area by walking down a single street, as opposed to the bigger terminals, where depending on where your gate is, you only have time to turn left or right and head towards your gate, possibly missing some shops, although many of the brands in the bigger

Drinking on the fly. Expect experiences over hurried retail at T4, as well as beautifully-designed areas, such as The Cocktail Bar by DFS Wines & Spirits. Try a cocktail or two, and if you like, buy and fly.

Whisky me away. More complimentary alcohol is available at The Whisky House, where you can perch on a bar stool and sample a wide assortment of whiskies.

Hera she comes.

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SELECTED PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHANGI AIRPORT GROUP

The peeps at T4 are especially proud of what they call a seamless shopping experience, where you can now pay for your cosmetics and perfumes (operated by The Shilla Duty Free) and liquor and tobacco (operated by DFS) in one transaction. Previously, you had to pay for them separately. There are also new-to-Singapore brands here, such as Korean make-up brand Hera.

TRAVEL Perana-drunk. From now till the end of the ye find this cute little Peranakanyear, th themed drinks cart (which usually operates at peak times) and ask for op a complimentary cocktail infused w local flavours. There's Coco with G Gnac, a blend of coconut milk, ka pineapple juice and cognac; kaya, Fl Fluffy Pandan, which has pandan ca foam and gin; and Suka Suka cake M Melaka, a concoction inspired by gu melaka (and whisky). gula

Where there’s a will, there’s a kueh. You can also taste nine-layer kueh at the drinks cart. We tried the Fluffy Pandan cocktail, and let’s just say it's a bigger glass and stronger cocktail than expected.

Pull us another one. Between this, the cocktail bar, the whisky bar and the local cocktail cart, it's entirely possible to get sloshed without paying a single cent in T4.

I t’s always Beer o’clock. Wait, there's more. Alcohol, we mean. At the Craft Beer zone, you can sample little cups of freshlypulled beer.

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Welcome to Tea-minal 4. Meet the eye-popping 11m high tea wall at TWG Tea’s gorgeous T4 boutique, which boasts 2,000 tea tins filled with over 800 varieties of loose leaf teas.

Tea-tasting, anyone? It’s TWG’s first tea-tasting counter. How posh is this?

These shophouses are so tricky. At the end of the terminal is the Heritage Zone, where you can find Peranakan shophouses. On the first storey are the stores of heritage brands like Bee Cheng Hiang, Bengawan Solo and Eu Yan Sang. Most of the shophouse facades are just facades, except for two tricky houses, which are actually LED screens that burst into a six-minute mini-theatre show. Look out for familiar local theatre names in this Dick Lee-helmed special.

It’s a six-minute short film that feels damn real. Benjamin Kheng and Vanessa Vanderstraaten play next-door neighbours who fall in love and (spoiler alert!) get married in this immersive mini-musical that plays out on a giant screen. Created by Dick Lee for T4, it’s called Peranakan Love Story, and provides for wonderful entertainment while you wait for your flight. We can’t wait to book our next holiday out of T4, and we’ll be checking in, like, five hours before take-off.

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SHIRTLESS GUY OF THE WEEK

RAFI MAJID AGE: 37 HE’S THE CHAMPION: Rafi made history in February as the first local male fighter to win a pro boxing title belt in a fight organised by the Universal Boxing Organisation (UBO). The 1.79m-tall, 76kg super middleweight pugilist from Juggernaut Fight Club recalls: “My Thai opponent was a veteran with 64 fights behind him and I was only on my fourth. But I planned my game, heeded my coaches’ advice and knocked him out in the first round.” While he says he’s not superstitious about pre-fight rituals, Rafi always wraps his right hand and put on his right glove first. “Some footballers always wear the same underwear before a big match but I don’t do that. I just take a moment to calm myself,” he laughs.

WATER YOU DOING?

STORY

Y IP JIEY ING

FOOD FIGHT

This self-professed foodie finds it hard to stick to a clean diet, though he tries his best: “I do a lot of salads and substitute carbs with protein shakes. At my age, my metabolism rate is not as good, so being disciplined is very important. My mind is telling me to eat that nasi briyani, but I have to force myself not to!”

Other than pro boxing, Rafi also runs his own scuba diving shop called The Dive Company. The avid diver has explored the waters in exotic locales like the Maldives, Komodo Island and Fiji. “I’ve seen manta rays and all kinds of sharks — sharks are actually quite shy so when they see you, they swim away from you!” he shares. “I do my boxing training at least five days a week, usually before I open my shop or during lunchtime and after closing hours. I also teach diving. My body gets used to this [hectic] schedule.”

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P HOTO

CHEE YAN

FIRST PERSON

ost people have a number that means something to them. It could be their birthdate, their anniversary, the address of their first home, or the age they were when they first fell in love. Or, in the case of my Aunt Jane, the day she got an eightfigure divorce settlement after a bitter three-year court battle. “So worth it!” I remember her saying to her sisters later that evening at a celebratory dinner at the Summer Palace that included lobster noodles and Monk Jumping Over the Wall. Over at the children’s table, my brother Jack looked up from his bowl of soup and turned to me to whisper, “What is in this?” “I have no idea,” I murmured out of the corner of my mouth. “But it’s like $80 a bowl, which means it’s probably got at least seven endangered species in it…” For some reason, I had learnt the word ‘endangered’ at school that week and I so loved the sound of it that I used it at every given opportunity. This dinner was a tailor-made occasion for me to show off my precocious vocabulary. Michelle, meanwhile, aged 12, had quietly deposited most of her soup contents into the giant pot plant behind her seat. “Oh my God,” Jack sighed as he stared at the unidentifiable bits lurking beneath the clear golden broth. That was the evening he became a fully-fledged vegan. “Really, you children are a disgrace,” our mother told us in the car driving home after dinner. “Delicacies are just wasted on you lot! Such an expensive dish and you fed it to the palm! Next time, we’ll just leave you at home and you can eat McDonald’s!” “Those poor cows!” Jack said, and burst into tears. “What is wrong with your children?” Mother said to Father,

STORY

who wisely kept his eyes on the road and didn’t reply. Despite her sisters’ best efforts, Auntie Jane never did reveal how much she extracted out of Uncle Mok, but we did notice that from that dinner onwards, she was never seen in public again with anything less than 50 carats on her. “I just don’t understand why anyone would feed children expensive soups like that,” Amanda said the other day. “It was a celebration,” I pointed out. “Yes, but still. In my limited experience, if you give children a plate of anything fried, they’d

JASON HAHN

first time, her tenuous grasp of the price of basic consumer goods. “But I so want it! It’s so beautiful!” “You just got the iPhone 8,” I pointed out. “Yes, but really, it’s exactly the same as the 7! And the 10 can do all these fabulous things! I love how it unlocks just by you looking at it!” Amanda said how wonderful it would be if you could do the same thing with men, which only served to make Saffy more morose — her boyfriend Bradley still showing no inclination to propose marriage. “$1,648!” she told Sharyn the next day at the office. “I can’t get over how expensive it is! For a phone!”

But it’s like $80 a bowl, which means

it’s probably got at least seven endangered species in it… consider that a great day!” From the depths of the sofa, Saffy looked up from her iPad. “I wonder if I’ll ever get a huge divorce settlement.” “You’d need to get married first before you can get divorced, so… baby steps, okay?” Amanda said. Saffy pursed her lips with dissatisfaction as she turned her attention back to her iPad. “I really want to get the new iPhone X…” She trailed off. Amanda looked up from her new issue of Vogue. “And…” “And it starts at $1,648!” Saffy’s bosom inflated at the sheer implausibility of that kind of money. Even Amanda, who considers a $550 Balenciaga T-shirt cheap, hesitated. Saffy noticed the reaction. “It’s expensive, right? That’s practically a down-payment on a car!” she said, demonstrating, not for the

Sharyn blinked owlishly, as her tongue moved restlessly inside her mouth trying to dislodge some food stuck from lunch. “Aiyah. Air-ree year at dis time is the same. You want a new Apple phone. Your drawer or-redi got eight phone. What for you keep changing? A phone is a phone. As long as I can call you and you can call me, what for you need the iPhone Ex?” “It’s pronounced ‘ten’!” “Issit? Ex is ten meh?” “In Latin, it is.” “Wah, Apple so cheem now.” “And it unlocks if you just look at the screen! It’s fabulous!” “Aiyoh, you so lazy, you cannot even press a button, issit? And then after how? Must still use finger to operate, right? Not worth it lah!” “You are seriously killing my buzz, Shazz!”

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MY WORD

truly envy those people who have the ability to speak different languages fluently. In Europe, it is common to find people who switch effortlessly from English to French to Spanish and German and even Italian. Speaking the same language as someone else breaks down the barriers of formality, fosters communication and makes strangers feel closer and more initimate with one another. I notice this whenever I present at international meetings. A French surgeon can speak to an Italian in French for half a conversation and then switch to Italian for the other half. Both will understand perfectly what the other is saying. I can only look on in amazement, painfully aware that my mastery of a monolanguage, English, has made

I can only speak a few random sentences in the different languages but it’s not enough to strike up a meaningful conversation. That’s a bit of a shame as growing up in London in the sixties, French was my second language. Today I can’t speak it at all. In Singapore, it is impressive to hear individuals who not only speak Mandarin but also the regional subdialects of Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, Hakka and Hainanese. I am told that although the dialects are different phonically, the written language is more or less the same, common to all dialects, thus making it easy for people to switch from one dialect to the other. It means of course you must be literate in Chinese, able to read and write fluently in either Mandarin or one of the dialects.

I could learn some of these languages but I just have no language skills whatsoever... What I learn today, I forget tomorrow. me less of the global person I would like to be. Don't get me wrong. English has served me well in my studies and career and enabled me to convey my ideas to others effectively. I speak it well. That is probably why I have some success as a speaker around the world. But by the same token, it does not necessarily endear you to local communities that you travel to. They can all understand me since English, as a lingua franca, is learnt by everyone. But the minute they start talking in their own languages, I am excluded and left out in the cold. I could learn some of these languages but I just have no language skills whatsoever. After 57 years I now know that to be true. Through the years I have tried my utmost to master something other than English but have failed time and time again. What I learn today, I forget tomorrow. It’s frustrating.

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Quite often it is members of a minority group like Hakkas, Hockchews and Hainanese who pick up the major dialects easily and therefore have a wider armamentarium of linguistic skills. You are more likely to meet a Hainanese individual like Leong my barber, who speaks Hainanese, Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, Mandarin, and of course, English than to meet a Hokkien who speaks Cantonese, Hakka or Hainanese unless they happened to have been adopted into those families. My maternal grandparents, the Ongs and Lims, were good examples of this. Both were Hokkiens, their parents hailing from different parts of the Fujian province in the 1880s. Neither of them were able to pick up Mandarin or any other dialect fluently. My grandpa as a policeman would have had more need to be able to converse in different dialects since his job brought him

WOF F LES WU

into contact with a wide variety of people. If he had learnt any of these dialects, I was not aware of it. At home they would converse in English (to me) Hokkien (to my mother) or in Malay as they had many close Malay friends. My grandma had been given to a Malay family at birth as her horoscope unfortunately clashed with that of her mother. Great-grandpa, who was the patriarch of the family, asked his best friend, the penghulu (Malay leader) of Kampong Amber in Katong where they all lived, to care for her which they did lovingly and she was only formally returned to her Chinese family when she was 12. Due to some superstition, grandma couldn't call her mother “mother” till she was that age. Her Malay parents gave her the name Bongsoo which means ‘youngest child’ in Malay and she retained that name throughout her life. Strangely, it was not an unhappy separation as both families lived next to each other and were in and out of each other’s house on a daily basis. My grandma therefore played with her siblings and their natural mother every day but would go next door to her Malay mother’s house to sleep. As a result she spoke perfect Malay, wore the sarong kebaya, and learnt many of their genteel customs. During the Second World War, my grandparents and mother lived in a huge house along Mountbatten Road together with another Malay family whose father had worked for my great-grandpa before the war. My mother grew up with their children (who were about the same age as she) and therefore learnt to speak fluent Malay too. It was therefore natural that when I came back from London at the age of 11 to join the tail end of Primary 4 in St Andrew’s School, that I would take Malay as my second language. There was no way I could learn Mandarin sufficiently to pass my Primary School Leaving Exams (PSLE) in barely two years’ time. I always wished I had been forced to take Mandarin but then my life would have been very different as I probably wouldn't have made it to secondary school, let alone medical school. (to be continued)

Check out Wofﬂes Wu’s instagram account @wofﬂeswu for photos relating to this weekly column.

HOROSCOPE

libra

Sagittarius

(sept. 24 - oct. 23)

Nov 23 – Dec 22

The Sagittarian is complicated, combining instinct with spirit. The sign’s great strength is its optimism and enthusiasm, its weakness is impracticality. If the Sagittarian’s faith is strong enough, the lack of material success will prove to be no problem.

If it’s your birthday (For week starting Nov 20) You’ve been pulled in two directions, unsure whether to press ahead or to hold back. According to indications, these pressures are now lifting, and you should be free to make your own choices. Today highlights emotional security and family contacts.

aries

cancer

(mar 21 - apr. 20)

(june 22 - july 23)

The right moves will let you protect all you hold dear. You will find it easier to make financial decisions in the future. It’s a fine time to embark on extra spending plans.

Not only are your financial prospects looking up, you are now entering a new cycle of hope and optimism. Jupiter is about to work its magic again.

taurus

leo

(apr. 21 - may 21)

(july 24 - aug. 23)

You know very well what must be done. You will be far better able to make yourself understood and persuade others that you are right. Travel stars are looking good.

Could it be that you have been pushing yourself too hard lately? Or that you are beginning to feel worn out? Is it time to shed a number of commitments? I think it is!

gemini

virgo

(may 22 - june 21)

(aug. 24 - sept. 23)

This is still a secretive period, although you will be happier than before to let partners know about some of your plans. Drop your guard and allow other people to charm you.

NICHOLAS CAMPION

One thing stopping you from making the most of yourself has been a fear of taking risks. You should have overcome such inhibitions and will face the future with optimism.

Take greater notice of partners’ needs and wants, and family members’ desires. There is a great deal of affection coming your way. Open yourself up to the love.

scorpio (oct. 24 - nov. 22)

It will take a good deal of courage to swallow your pride and admit you should change your plans. Ensure that close partners are reassured and reconciled.

sagittarius (nov. 23 - dec. 22)

You have exactly the right touch, especially for getting people at work to buck up. You may have to knock heads together. Venus brings excellent romantic developments.

capricorn (dec. 23 - jan. 20)

A series of extraordinary events will make the next week livelier. If you are in tune with the mood, you will get both the best out of opportunities.

aquarius (jan. 21 - feb. 19)

It’s time to show your serious face. If you are careful now you will be in a much better position to take advantage of bizarre events that are due to happen very soon.

pisces (feb. 20 - mar 20)

Most Pisceans pride themselves on being compassionate and easy to get on with. Mars is making you feel unwilling to compromise but why don’t you take the lead in a new charitable enterprise?

8 DAYS | 75

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8 DAYS

SAMSUNG’S FESTIVE TEMPTATIONS The Korean smartphone giant rolls out gorgeous new colours just in time for Christmas. Samsung Galaxy S8 ($1,148) has a new Rose Pink variant while the Galaxy Note8 ($1,398) now also comes in cool Deepsea Blue. Key features on the S8 include a large 5.8-inch Infinity Display, enhanced front and rear cameras, strengthened security features, water- and dust-resistance, and fast wireless charging abilities while the Galaxy Note8 features a 6.3-inch Quad HD+ Super Amoled Infinity Display and two 12-megapixel rear cameras with Optical Image Stabilisation on both the wide-angle lens and the telephoto lens for sharper, clearer shots. It also comes with an enhanced S Pen that boasts improved pressure sensitivity and cool features that let you handwrite your messages, draw on photos, create your own GIFs and make notes without unlocking your phone. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S8/ S8+ or Galaxy Note8 on a two-year contract and get a free Samsung Wireless Charger Convertible (worth $118), or AKG Y50BT On-Ear Bluetooth Headphone by Harman (worth $249.90), respectively. Samsung will also be selling stylish designer covers from Tumi and Kate Spade (from $78) for the Galaxy Note8, available from Nov 18.

NOV

23 – 30 has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet young man from a normal family. Featuring established actor Cameron Blakely as Gomez Addams and Carrie Hope Fletcher as Wednesday Addams, enjoy a great performance with a fantastic musical score, big dance numbers and a fun-packed script.

THEATREE

Nov 23–25. Thur, Fri, 7.30pm; Sat, 2pm. Esplanade Theatre. Tix: $48–$188 from Sistic*. www.esplanade.com

The Addams Family The creators of the multi award-winning production Jersey Boys present this

MCINTYR

Till Dec 3. Tue–Fri, 8pm; Sat, Sun, 2.30pm, 8pm. MES Theatre at Mediacorp, 1 Stars Avenue. Tix: $65–$165 from Sistic*. www.vizpro.sg

HAEL EDIT: MIC PHOTO CR

The iconic samurai classic that brought the late theatre titan Yukio Ninagawa international recognition returns to Singapore after 25 years. It transposes Shakespeare’s tragic play about a powerhungry general to the wartorn world of 16th century Azuchi-Momoyama Japan, turning Scottish warriors into katana-wielding samurai, and the highland woods into a mesmerising cherry blossom forest. Led by a stellar cast featuring eminent actors Masachika Ichimura and Yuko Tanaka. Performed in Japanese with English surtitles.

Ninagawa Macbeth

The Sound of Music THEATRE

Michael McIntyre: Big World Tour Britain’s biggest comedian brings his globally successful tour to Singapore. McIntyre’s spot on observational comedy and trademark ability to turn everyday situations into master-classes of human exasperation have struck chords with millions of fans, cementing him as one of the UK’s most treasured comedy performers today. Advisory: 16 years & above. Nov 29. 8pm. The Star Theatre, Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green. Tix: $98–$178 from Sistic*.

musical comedy that will bring fun and laughter to the whole family. The Addams Family goes through a time of chaos as Wednesday Addams, the princess of darkness,

Hailing from the famous London Palladium, home of West End musical theatre, this dazzling production promises to touch the hearts of all ages with its uplifting true story of Maria, Captain Von Trapp, and his seven children. Sing along to memorable tunes such as ‘My Favourite Things’, ‘Sixteen Going on Seventeen’, ‘Edelweiss’ and its title song. Till Dec 3. Tue–Fri, 7.30pm; Sat, 2pm, 7.30pm; Sun, 1pm, 6pm. Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands. Tix: $65–$185 from Sistic*. www.baseentertainmentasia.com

Vir Das: Boarding Das World Tour Singapore 2017 In support of his one-hour Netflix comedy special

THEATRE

Mama White Snake Presented by W!ld Rice, this family musical written by Alfian Sa’at puts a cheeky, yet charming spin on the classic Chinese folk tale, Madam White Snake. It revolves around a young boy, who dreams of adventures beyond the Emei Mountain, which his mother and aunt have warned him against. He suffers an identity crisis when he finds out that his mother and aunt are the magical White Snake and Green Snake of legend. Directed by Pam Oei and stars Glen Goei, Ivan Heng, Siti Khalijah Zainal and Andrew Marko. Nov 24–Dec 16. Tue–Sun, 7.30pm; Sat, Sun, 2.30pm. Drama Centre Theatre, National Library Building. Tix: $45 (Preview)–$80 from Sistic*. www.wildrice.com.sg

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COMPILED BY

PEG G Y F ONG

Abroad Understanding, rising actor and stand-up comedian Vir Das presents this world tour where he will share a relatable comedy perspective to audiences. Rating: R18. Nov 25. 8.30pm. Capitol Theatre, 17 Stamford Road. Tix: $48–$128 from Sistic*.

Alex in Wonderland

Nov 25. 3pm, 7pm. Sota

PHOTO: MADS PERCH

Presented by Evam, South India’s comedic sensation, Alexander the Comedian, present his first solo stand-up special. A former software engineer turned yoga instructor, he brings a distinct style of comedy and hilarious tales from everyday life. Expect rib-tickling comedy and plenty of music as he connects you with your own Wonderland. Performed in English and Tamil. For ages 16 and above.

(School of the Arts) Studio Theatre, 1 Zubir Said Drive. Tix: $40. www.evam.in

My Love is Blind Musical Theatre Limited presents an inspirational story based on Tan Guan Heng’s own life, about a young man who loses his sight, and struggles against the odds to achieve success. It stars actor Benjamin Chow alongside visually handicapped performers. Nov 23–26. Thur–Sat, 8pm; Sat, Sun, 3pm. Sota (School of the Arts) Drama Theatre, 1 Zubir Said Drive. Tix: $40–$80 from Sistic*. www.facebook. com/MusicalTheatreLive

Chicken Little Presented by the Singapore Repertory Theatre, Chicken Little is a fun new musical that tells the tale of a timid chicken who believes that

alt-J “Live” in Singapore The British indie rock trio behind critically acclaimed track ‘An Awesome Wave’ returns to Singapore. They released their bold and exhilarating new record Relaxer in June, which secured the band a spot in the 2017 Mercury Prize shortlist. Nov 29. 8.30pm. Esplanade Theatre. Tix: $88–$148 from www.apactix.com.

the sky is falling. However, when no one heeds her warning, she goes on a journey to alert the one person who will lend her his ear: the King. Featuring songs from the writers of SRT’s Red Riding Hood and Treasure Island. Till Dec 8. Mon–Fri, 10am; Sat, Sun, 11am, 2pm. KC Arts Centre, 20 Merbau Road, Robertson Quay. Tix: $25–$48 from Sistic*. www.srt.com.sg

Cantonese Opera Quintessence Relish a visual and aural treat as the Chinese Opera Society (Singapore) presents classic excerpts and arias of Cantonese opera, featuring well-known artistes from China like Peng Chiquan and Bai Yanfei and Chen Shaorong. Nov 24–25. 7pm. Gateway Theatre, 3615 Jalan Bukit Merah. Tix: $20–$60 from www. quintessence.peatix.com.

THEATRE

Blame it on Bianca Queen of Mean, Bianca Del Rio, comes to Singapore for the first time as part of her Blame it on Bianca world tour. Since winning the RuPaul’s Drag Race season 6, she has seen global success over the years, including her own film called Hurricane Bianca and a sold-out world tour in 2016. For ages 18 and above. Nov 26. 8pm. Shine Auditorium, 03-01 Shaw Tower, 100 Beach Road. Tix: $78–$248 from Sistic*.

Harry Styles “Live” on Tour 2017 The former One Directioner comes to Singapore for the first time as part of his worldwide tour. Expect hits from his eponymous debut album such as ‘Sign of the 8 DAYS | 79

NOV Times’ and ‘Two Ghosts’. Nov 23. 8pm. The Star Theatre, Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green. Tix sold out at press time. www.apactix. com

Pond with Special Guest The Analog Girl “Live” in Singapore Perth psychedelic rock band Pond comes to Singapore as part of The Esplanade’s ‘Rising Star Series’. They have performed at Coachella and South by Southwest, and their seventh album The Weather has received rave reviews. The Analog Girl, one of Singapore’s pioneers of bedroom electronic pop, joins Pond as a special guest.

LED L E C CAN

Nov 23. 8pm. Esplanade Annexe Studio. Tix: $78, $118 from Sistic*.

23 – 30 0

China Philharmonic Orchestra and Paloma So Conducted by maestro Long Yu and featuring 12-year-old violin prodigy Paloma So, this concert will present pieces like Richard Strauss’ ‘Im Abendrot, aus Vier Letzten’, Saint-Saens’ ‘Violin Concerto No.3’ and Tchaikovsky’s ‘Symphony No.6’, as well as a special encore. Nov 26. 8pm. Esplanade Concert Hall. Tix: $78–$288 from Sistic*.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

DEC VIXX Shangri-La in Singapore The K-boyband’s latest album, Shangri-La, was fourth on Billboard’s world albums chart. Catch them at this gig as they perform hits like ‘Black Out’ and ‘Voodoo Doll’.

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Dec 2. 7pm. Zepp@BigBox, 1 Venture Avenue. Tix: $108– $288 from www.apactix.com.

SSO Gala: Yefim Bronfman · Beethoven & Bartok. In this gala doublebill of piano concertos, distinguished pianist

Eason Says C’mon In~ Tour in Singapore

Hyukoh “Live” in Singapore This South Korean indie band has played at major festivals like the Seoul Jazz festival, and will be performing hits such as ‘Tokyo Inn’, ‘TOMBOY’ and ‘Leather Jacket’ from their latest album, 23, at this concert. Nov 24. 8pm. Zepp@Bigbox, 1 Venture Avenue. Tix: $98 from www.apactix.com, $120 at the door.

After a three-year hiatus, the Hong Kong singer returns with a highly anticipated album, C’mon In~. Anticipate a spectacular show as he performs old hits and songs from his new album, like ‘Relax’, ‘Soar’ and ‘Sigh’. Dec 3. 8pm. Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tix sold out at press time. www.facebook.com/ OneProductionSingapore

Sole Mate A joint production by ETCeteras and Ocean Butterflies, Sole Mate is a play that aims to get the audience thinking about marriage and friendship, focusing on the pain, desires and struggles hidden beneath the pretty soles of three women. Featuring Apple Hong, Lorraine Tan, Tay Sia Yeun and Brian Ng. Performed in Mandarin. Dec 8–9. Fri, 8pm; Sat, 3pm, 8pm. Victoria Theatre. Tix: $55–$85 from Sistic*.

Flying Through Time Renowned director Choi Chul Ki makes a comeback

8 DA D DAYS YS

with this new non-verbal action comedy featuring an international cast, including home-grown actor Joshua Tan and starlet Melody Low, who will perform alongside martial artists and gymnasts from China, Mongolia, Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia for a night of jaw-dropping stunts, comedy and romance. Dec 9–Jan 21, 2018. Thur, Fri, 8pm; Sat, 2pm, 8pm; Sun, 2pm; Jan 1, 2pm. Resorts World Theatre, Resorts World Sentosa. Tix: $38–$118 from Sistic*. www. rwsentosa.com

Bee Gees Gold Relive the glory days of the Bee Gees with the ultimate tribute band from Las Vegas. Expect hits like ‘I Started a Joke’ and disco anthems such as ‘Stayin’ Alive’. Dec 15–16. 8pm. Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands. Tix: $65–$125 from Sistic*.

The Best of West End: Encore! Following last year’s hugely successful production featuring Broadway and West End star Earl Carpenter, this encore production will star original Mamma Mia! cast member, Annette Yeo, and veteran West End performer, Kieran Brown, who was recently seen in Three Phantoms, and local a cappella group, The Notes. Join them for an enchanting evening of music as they share stories and perform songs from Mamma Mia!, The Sound of Music and Les Miserables. Dec 20. 7.30pm. Esplanade Recital Studio. Tix: $68–$88 from Sistic*.

Kitaro: Kojiki & The Universe Grammy and Golden Globe Award-winning Japanese recording artiste Kitaro presents a unique and spectacular visual experience, merging music

and dance as the renowned pioneer of the New Age genre performs a dance routine as well as his greatest hits like ‘Matsuri’, ‘Silk Road’ and ‘Oasis’. Dec 22. 8pm. Grand Theatre, Marina Bay Sands. Tix: $88– $238 from Sistic*.

Siloso Beach Party 2017 Singapore’s only beach countdown party presents revellers with another night of non-stop music and captivating fireworks as they ring in 2018. Enjoy 12 hours of continuous beats from DJ Kaylova, Caden and Ollie Des. For ages 18 and above. Dec 31. 6pm–6am. Siloso Beach, Sentosa. Early bird tix: $38 via PouchNation until Nov 30. www.sentosa.com.sg/ silosobeachparty

JAN 2018 “The Invincible 2” Jay Chou Concert Tour 2018 Asia’s reigning king of Mandopop returns to Singapore in the first leg of his tour. Supported by a strong team of talented musicians and dancers, the concert will showcase many of Jay Chou’s classic and new hits, such as ‘Chrysanthemum Terrace’, ‘The Longest Movie’ and ‘Love Confession’.

DEC

Culture Club “Live” in Singapore One of the most influential and iconic new wave groups of the ’80s, the Grammy Award-winning band Culture Club comes to Singapore with their original line-up, including famous frontman Boy George. They will perform beloved hits like ‘Karma Chameleon’, ‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me’ and ‘I’ll Tumble 4 Ya’. Dec 11. 8pm. The Star Theatre, The Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green. Tix: $98–$248 from Sistic*.

with the number one album Smoke + Mirrors and smash hits like ‘Radioactive’, ‘It’s Time’ and ‘Believer’. Jan 7. 8pm. Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tix: $98–$228 from Sport Hub Tix* & www.apactix. com.

Jan 6. 8pm. National Stadium. Limited tix: $98–$348 from Sports Hub Tix*.

One OK Rock: Ambitions Asia Tour 2018

Imagine Dragons Evolve World Tour “Live” in Singapore

Japanese rock titans One OK Rock are back for their biggest show in Singapore yet. Earlier this year, the band released their acclaimed album Ambitions, which soared to the top of the global album chart and features the singles ‘We Are’, ‘Taking Off’ and ‘I Was King’. Fans can expect a smashing performance by one of Japan’s most iconic rock outfits.

Grammy Award-winning alternative rock band Imagine Dragons return to Singapore in a world tour to support their third album, Evolve. Since the band’s inception in 2009, they have become one of the most successful rock acts in recent years,

Jan 20. 8pm. Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tix: $98–$228 from Sports Hub Tix*.

St Jerome’s Laneway Festival Singapore 2018 Laneway Festival is back for the eighth time, and as with previous years, it promises to be an unforgettable experience for music fans that focuses on the best new and established “live” Indie acts in the industry. This year’s illustrious line-up includes Grammy-nominated band The Internet, rising star Aldous Harding and electrifying alt-rock outfit Wolf Alice. Jan 27. 10am. The Meadow, Gardens by the Bay. Tix: $158, $200 (Event Day) from www. apactix.com. www.lanewayfestival.com

ELLE Inspires with Jessica Cox ELLE Singapore launches ELLE Inspires, a new initiative to celebrate and empower women. Catch American motivational speaker Jessica Cox as she shares her message of overcoming the odds despite being born without arms due to a genetic birth defect. The 34-yearold holds the Guinness World Record for being the first armless person to own a pilot’s license. She also has a black belt in taekwondo, and can play the piano and drive a car. Jan 27. 7.30pm. The Star Theatre, Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green. Tix: $38–$148 from Sistic*. www. facebook.com/ELLEsingaporeofficial

FEB Evita Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical Evita remains one of the world’s most beloved musicals — it has won more than 20 major awards. Helmed by legendary director Hal Prince, the original Broadway and West End production comes to Singapore, featuring songs

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NOV like ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentia’ and ‘Oh What a Circus’. Evita, which tells the story of Eva Peron, wife of former Argentine dictator Juan Peron, promises to be an unforgettable experience for musical theatre fans. Feb 23–Mar 4. Tue–Fri, 8pm; Sat, 2pm. 8pm; Sun, 1pm, 6pm. Grand Theatre, Marina Bay Sands. Tix: $55–$185 from Sistic*.

Chris Botti The best-selling American instrumental artiste and Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter returns to perform in his unique style that transcends the boundaries of jazz and other genres. With four number one jazz albums under his belt, Chris Botti has shared the stage with music industry icons, including Barbra Streisand, Paul Simon, Andrea Bocelli and Frank Sinatra. Feb 26. 7.30pm. Esplanade Concert Hall. Tix: $48–$118 from Sistic*. www.esplanade. com

MAR Duet with Power Station ‘20’ World Tour in Singapore Taiwanese male rock duo Power Station is marking their 20th anniversary with a performance celebrating their greatest hits like ‘When’, ‘Impulse’ and the award-winning Chinese version of ‘Takie Tango’ by Bufra Suflera. There will be a special segment where Power Station will banter with the audience and take song requests. Mar 17. 8pm. The Star Theatre, Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green. Tix: $88–$198 from Sistic*. www. vizpro.sg

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National Theatre’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime For the first time, London’s National Theatre comes to Singapore to stage its production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, winner of five Tony Awards and seven Olivier Awards. The play, based on Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel of the same name, has been hailed all around the world as a theatrical experience that’s not to be missed. Mar 29–Apr 8. Tue–Fri, 8pm; Sat, 3pm, 8pm; Sun, 2pm, 7pm. Esplanade Theatre. Tix: $48–$138 from www.esplanade.com/events/2018/national-theatre-curious-incident.

MAY Harry Styles “Live” On Tour 2018 Harry Styles returns to Singapore for a second show date due to international overwhelming response to his first worldwide tour. He will be joined by special guests, American indie rock band Warpaint. May 3. 8pm. Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tix: $98–$888 from Sports Hub Tix*.

Bruno Mars 24K Magic World Tour Grammy Award-winning singer and global sensation Bruno Mars returns to Singapore for the second time as part of his massive world tour, in support of his latest chart-topping album, 24K Magic. The album spawned the singles ‘24K Magic’, ‘Versace on the Floor’ as well as Mars’ seventh number one single, ‘That’s What I Like’. May 6–7. Sun, 7pm; Mon, 8pm. Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tix sold out at press time. www.sportshub.com.sg

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Yefim Bronfman performs Bartok ‘Piano Concerto No.2’, notorious for testing even the greatest pianists to their limits; and Beethoven’s ‘Piano Concerto No.4’ alongside Rossini’s ‘The Thieving Magpie’ overture. Nov 30. 7.30pm. Esplanade Concert Hall. Tix: $25–$98.

SSO Babies’ Proms. Introduce your little ones to the world of classical music concerts led by conductor Peter Moore. Pre-concert activities will be held half an hour before each show. Nov 25–26. 2pm, 4pm. Victoria Concert Hall. Tix: $32, $40. Tix from Sistic*. www.sso. org.sg

$30–$70 from Sistic*. www. sco.com.sg

Overture to Holidays Soprano Sérine de Labaume, together with violinist Siew Yi Li and pianist Beatrice Lin, will take you on a musical journey in their trio of voice, string and piano. Expect music from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, from the intense and erudite compositions of Camille Saint-Saens and Frank Bridge to more popular approaches by Luigi Denza and Eldo di Lazzaro. Nov 28. 7.30pm. Esplanade Recital Studio. Tix: $25 from Sistic*.

SLO Gala Concert: Unrequited Love In this annual concert conducted by Jason Lai, be drawn into a heart-stirring evening of passion from opera classics such as Mozart’s ‘Così fan tutte’, and Verdi’s ‘Aida’. The line-up includes renowned singers like Jessica Chen and Kee Loiseng, mezzo-soprano Samantha Ying-zing Chong (Malaysia) and soprano Pham Khanh Ngoc (Vietnam). Also featuring rising stars from the SLO-Leow Siak Fah Artists Programme, the SLO Chorus and the SLO Children’s Choir. Nov 23. 7.30pm. Esplanade Concert Hall. Tix: $$40–$65 from Sistic*. www.singaporeopera.com.sg

Portraits of Taiwan Taiwanese conductor Liu Chiang-pin helms the Singapore Chinese Orchestra with a programme comprising Chinese composer Sui Li Jun’s ‘The Wind City Overture’ and Su Wen Qing’s ‘Courtyard After the Rain’, where Taiwanese liuqin virtuoso Chen I-chien will perform with the SCO for the first time. Nov 25. 8pm. Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Auditorium, 1 Straits Boulevard. Tix:

Lahari: The Divine Journey Based on excerpts of Kaaladi Shri Aadhi Shankaracharya, a philosopher and theologian of the eighth century, this dance and music showcase presented by the Bharata Natyam Dancers from Singapore and Malaysia, shares the concept of oneness and unity about life, spirituality and divinity. Nov 26. 2pm, 7.30pm. The Singapore Airlines Theatre, LaSalle College of the Arts, 1 McNally Street. Tix: $35, $45 from Sistic*. www.facebook. com/laharithedivinejourney

National Gallery Singapore The museum oversees the largest public collection of modern art in Singapore and South East Asia. Between Worlds: Raden

Saleh and Juan Luna. Features the works of Indonesian artist Raden Saleh (c.1811–1880) and Filipino artist Juan Luna (1857–1899). It explores how both artists developed their work living between two diverse cultures and societies, and how their European experiences shaped the region’s art history.

Treasures of the Natural World This exhibition features over 200 pieces from London’s prestigious Natural History Museum, including scientific specimens of animals and insects, works of art, gems and minerals, and artefacts belonging to some of the world’s greatest scientists, including Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace.

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Till Mar 11, 2018.

Colours of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musée D’orsay. Features over 60 masterpieces from the renowned collection of the Musée d’Orsay, Paris. From the deep blacks of Manet’s Spanish-influenced paintings to the green and blue landscapes that Cézanne painted outdoors, the exhibition traces the importance of colour to the Impressionists’ reshaping of painting in the 19th century. Till Mar 11, 2018.

Rediscovering Treasures: Ink Art from the Xiu Hai Lou Collection. The largest and most established private collection of Chinese painting and calligraphy in Singapore. Founded by the late Mr Yeo Khee Lim, it draws on close to 100 works to offer visitors a rare insight into the evolution of modern Chinese painting, featuring masterpieces

Nov 25–Apr 29, 2018. 10am–7pm (last admission 6pm). ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands. Tix: $17 adult, $12 senior citizen/student/child; except for locals, $13.60 & $9.60 respectively from Marina Bay Sands ticketing portal & Sistic*. Visit www.marinabaysands. com/artsciencemuseum for updates. CURSED AMETHYST

by prominent artists such as Xu Beihong and Zhang Daqian. Till Apr 22, 2018.

Strokes of Life: The Art of Chen Chong Swee. Chen Chong Swee was an important early Singapore artist and educator who made significant contributions to the development of the Singapore and Malaya art scenes. This showcase features key works from his six decade-long career.

String a Legacy This benefit concert will see homegrown renowned violinist Min Lee and her 12-yearold protege Samuel Tan performing pieces like Mendelssohn’s ‘Violin Concerto’ and Wieniawski’s ‘Fantasia on Themes from Gounod’s Faust’. Japanese mezzo soprano Seia Lee will also be singing operatic favourites from Bizet’s Carmen, presented alongside the Wolfgang Sinfonietta Orchestra. Nov 27. 8pm. Esplanade Concert Hall. Tix: $25–$200 from Sistic*.

Till May 20, 2018.

Wu Guanzhong: A Walk Through Nature. This exhibition explores 16 works which Wu painted of China from the 1960s until the 2000s. Join Wu on his search for beauty — not only via the landscape, but also within the painted forms in his work. Till Apr 22, 2018.

Listening to Architecture: The Gallery’s Histories

and Transformations. Spanning two galleries and a connecting walkway, the inaugural exhibition offers insights into the histories and architectural designs of the two national monuments and their transformations into a home for Southeast Asian art. It also features neverbefore-seen artefacts excavated from the Gallery’s grounds. Ongoing. Daily. Sat–Thur, 10am–7pm; Fri, 10am–9pm. PH/Eve of PH will follow the operating hours of the day it falls on. National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew’s Road. General admission: $20; free for Singaporeans/PRs. Additional entrance fees apply to special exhibitions. www.nationalgallery.sg

The Substation: Discipline the City Singapore’s first and oldest independent art space examines complex cultural issues with the last act of this three-part exhibition about punk subculture. It

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also includes a punk-inresidence programme titled A Manifesto for Space. This month’s punks are bandmates Hafiz and Izzad from Daily Ritual. Till Nov 26. Wed–Sun, noon– 8pm. The Substation, 45 Armenian Street. Free. www. disciplinethecity.sg.

Two People Through images that focus on the relationship between his parents, Singaporean photographer Sean Lee explores the larger themes of love, interdependency and sacrifice. Nov 23–Jan 24, 2018. 10am–10pm. Print and Film Gallery, The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane. Free. www. theartshouse.sg

Pierre Matter: Beyond Boundaries Known as the ‘Scrapmetal sculptor’, the French artist’s sculptures integrate

THE WHITE GIRL

mechanical and organic elements seamlessly into a single being. His work contemplates the influence of technology on human existence and shows audiences the harmony that exists between humans and materials. Nov 24–Dec 14. Mon–Fri, 11am–-8pm; Sat, Sun, 10am–

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Etsy Made Local Market With more than 40 local Etsy sellers featured, shop from a variety of products ranging from jewellery and apparels, to paintings and stationery at this weekend market. Nov 25–26. Noon–9pm. Capitol Piazza, Outdoor Plaza, L1, 13 Stamford Road. Free entry. www.facebook.com/EtsyCraftivistSg

28th Singapore International Film Festival The largest and longest-running international film platform in Southeast Asia returns to celebrate the stories of the world through film screenings, masterclasses and post-show discussions with filmmakers. Catch the opening film Angels Wear White by Vivian Qu or the special presentation which showcases films like The Song of Scorpions by Anup Singh, Oh Lucy! by Atsuko Hirayanagi and The White Girl, from newcomer Jenny Suen and renowned cinematographer Christopher Doyle. Nov 23–Dec 3. Various times & venues. Tix from Sistic*. www.sgiff.com

8pm. Opera Gallery Singapore, #02-16 Ion Orchard. Free. www. operagallery.com

Cinerama: Art and the Moving Image in Southeast Asia

Allegories & Identities

This exhibition brings together 10 artists and collectives across Southeast Asia who work through the medium of the moving image, featuring works like hand-drawn animation to immersive video installations. It also examines issues of individual and collective memory, identity and politics, and offers insights into what the future of the realm of moving images may come to be.

STPI’s first Indonesian group show uncovers the spirited expressions and unconventional modes of three prominent artists Eko Nugroho, Entang Wiharso and Heri Dono. Using flying horses and faceless men, their works echo of whimsical theatricality built upon alter-realities and imaginative personas. Till Dec 23. Mon–-Fri, 10am– 7pm; Sat, 9am–6pm. Closed Sun & PH. STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, 41 Robertson Quay. www.stpi.com.sg AMI HAVEN

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Till Mar 18, 2018. Mon–Sun, 10am–7pm; Fri, 10am–9pm. SAM at 8Q, 8 Queen Street. www.singaporeartmuseum.sg

Witness to War: Remembering 1942 Seventy-five years after the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in World War Two, rediscover the watershed event through this special international exhibition. Experience the past through first-hand accounts from ordinary men and women whose lives were overturned by the outbreak of hostilities in Singapore in 1942, and artefacts from 10 overseas museums such as the Australian War Memorial and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Till Mar 25, 2018. 10am– 7pm (last admission 6.30pm). National Museum of Singapore. Tix: $18 adult, $14 student/ senior citizen. Free for Singaporeans/PRs. www.nationalmuseum.sg

Red Dot Design Museum Having just reopened its doors along the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade, this is the only museum in Singapore which opens past

SHIENA NISHIZAWA

C3 Anime Festival Asia 2017 Asia’s largest Japanese pop culture event returns with highlights like a celebrity cosplayers’ event, special screenings, anime showcases and artiste appearances, and catch the Idol Showcase of Japanese girl group Nogizaka46, in their first Singapore performance. The I Love Anisong Concert features artistes like Shiena Nishizawa, FLOW and May’n. Nov 24–26. Fri, Sat, 9.30am–8pm; Sun, 9.30am–7pm. Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, Level 3 & 4. Admission (Exhibition only): $13 at door. Tix: $428 (VIP 3-day package) from www.apactix.com. www.animefestival. asia/singapore17

midnight. It presents the world’s largest exhibition of contemporary design, where each exhibit is awarded the international Red Dot Design Award. Notable works include the &Y01, an electrical power-assisted wheelchair that plays music; and the KIN Wallet

from Singapore’s KIN Studio LLP, which is the world’s first wallet that sorts out notes from coins. Daily. 11am–2am. 11 Marina Boulevard. Admission: $6, except for Singapore Citizens, pay-as-you-wish. Free for children aged 6 & below. www. museum.red-dot.sg

Transitions Celebrated artist Kim Taeho has been the pioneer of Korean monochrome art since the 1970s. He’s known for his bold experimentation with textures and materials. His first solo exhibition in Singapore will showcase the progression of his four-decade-long career, from Form, the first of his series, to his most recent Internal Rhythm. Till Dec 3. Tue–Sat, 11am– 7pm; Sun, 11am–6pm. Mizuma Gallery, 22 Lock Road #01-34 Gillman Barracks. Free. www. mizuma.sg

ONE Championship: Immortal Pursuit Watch ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren battle former ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki, who is driven to reclaim the title. Meanwhile, Singapore’s very own Amir Khan is also set to roar in the co-main event against the tough Adrian Pang. Nov 24. 7pm (Doors open 6pm). Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tix: $28–$1,588 from Sports Hub Tix*. www.onefc.com

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Singapore Philatelic Museum Anime X Stamps. Experience your favourite anime series and characters through stamps. Discover the origins of anime and chart the rise of this versatile and pervasive medium as you relive beloved classics such as Astro Boy, Doraemon and gems from Studio Ghibli; as well as current hot favourites such as One Piece, Dragon Ball and Pokemon through more than 700 stamps from Japan. Also, be treated to limited-edition collectibles and one-of-a-kind original production artwork. Till April 2018.

150th Anniversary of First Postage Stamp Issued in Singapore Exhibition. This exhibition commemorates the 150th anniversary of the first postage stamps issued in Singapore, which played an integral role as a postal and communications hub for states and countries in Southeast Asia during the 19th century. View rare and valuable philatelic items from private collectors and the Singapore Philatelic Museum Collection. Till Jan 1, 2018.

Abode of Peace and the Lion City: A BruneiSingapore Exhibition. This exhibition celebrates the close friendship and diplomatic relationship between Singapore and Brunei, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the unique currency interchangeability agreement. Learn about the close links between Singapore and Brunei and uncover the treasures of the Brunei Sultanate, one of the oldest unbroken reigning dynasties in the world. Till Feb 28, 2018. Daily. 10am–7pm (last admis-

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Whisky Live Singapore 2017 Southeast Asia’s premier whisky and spirits show returns for its eighth edition. Besides sampling over hundreds of whiskies and spirits at the tasting hall, visitors can look forward to an art exhibition and a food and cocktail trail at Caseen Street. For ages 18 and above. Nov 25–26. 1.30pm–8.30pm. TheatreWorks, STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, and Caseen Street. Tix: $99, $189 (VIP) from www.peatix.com/event/287326. www.whiskylive.sg

sion 6.30pm). Singapore Philatelic Museum, 23-B Coleman Street. General admission: $8 adult, $6 child. Free for Singaporeans/PRs. www.spm. org.sg

Till Mar 4, 2018. 10am–5pm. Closed Mon. Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, 12 Tai Gin Road. Tix: $6 adult, $4 student/ senior citizen. Free for Singaporeans & PRs. sysnmh.org.sg

Stitches of Love: Hidden Blessings in Children’s Clothing and Accessories In ancient Chinese culture, children’s clothing and accessories represented hopes and blessings for their young wearers. Co-presented by Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and the Memorial Museum of Generalissimo Sun Yat-sen’s Mansion from Guangzhou, China, this exhibition features close to 100 clothing and accessory items from the late Qing to early Republican period, such as hats and shoes, in addition to archival images.

interactive activities. Also, be entertained by music performances, a movie screening, and even a colouring workshop just for grandparents. Nov 25. 1pm–6pm. National Museum of Singapore. Free admission. www.familiesforlife.sg

Singapore Media Festival The fourth edition of Southeast Asia’s leading international media event returns. Catch outdoor screenings, performances and immersive media demonstrations at the main Festival Village in Clarke Quay (Nov 25–26). Running Man star Kim Jong-kook and local songbird Joanna Dong will perform at the 22nd Asian Television Awards. Nov 23–Dec 3. Various times & venues. www.sgmediafestival.com

Families for Life Life: rent’s Day Grandparent’s Take a walk down memory lane with your grandparents and revisit milestones of Singapore’s history in the museum’s permanent galleries and blockbuster exhibition, Witness to War: Remembering 1942, which includes a family activity space A Child’s Perspective that allows visitors to experience what war was like through

Christmas on a Great Street 2017 Themed ‘Endless Wonder’, this festive season will see Orchard Road illuminated with mesmerising lights and curated experiences. Visit the Christmas Village (Nov 25–Dec 25), where you can feast on festive delights and ride the Great Carousel. Till Jan 1, 2018. Various times & venues along Orchard Road. www.orchardroad.org/christmas

Circus! Science Under the Big Top This exhibition offers a hands-on experience for visitors to learn how science has always had an important role to play in the circus. Learn the science by performing, examining and watching the art in interactive highlights like Contortionist, which explores the art of getting into small spaces, and Elastic Acrobatics, where visitors can perform tricks in mid-air. Till Mar 18. 10am–6pm (last admission 5.30pm). The Annexe, Science Centre Singapore. Tix: $15–$52 from Sistic*. www.science.edu.sg

Arts in Your Neighbourhood Organised by the National Arts Council, the arts initiative returns for its ninth edition with a town focus on Jurong. Cultivate a fresh perspective of the town widely recognised for its industrial development, as well as other towns like Ang Mo Kio and Yishun, and take part in over 40 arts activities. Highlights include a visual arts discovery trail of Jurong; and Play With Bamboo!, a music performance featuring Ding Yi Music

Company and an angklung kulintang ensemble led by De Silva Alicia Joyce. Till Nov 26. Various times. Island-wide. Free, registration is required for selected events. artsforall.sg/initiatives/arts-inyour-neighbourhood/arts-in-yourneighbourhood.aspx

New Zealand, United States and Italy. Nov 25. 1pm–6pm. Esplanade Annexe Studio. Tix: $60 from www.pinotpalooza.sg/tickets-2017.

Dreamseeds Arts Fest 2017

This 10-day festival celebrates Indian arts during the festive period of Deepavali by presenting a selection of classical and contemporary performances by acclaimed Indian artistes from Singapore and beyond. This week’s highlights include The Platform by Raka Maitra’s Chowk Productions; and sevenman carnatic rock outfit Agam.

This initiative by Club Rainbow is a multiexperiential arts festival headlined by the nonprofit organisation’s beneficiaries. This open-to-public inclusive arts platform offers beneficiaries the opportunity to realise their creative potential and connect with a greater audience through art. The festival includes five key events — a visual arts exhibition, performing arts concert, film screening, creative workshops and an arts market.

Till Nov 26. Various times & venues around Esplanade. Free & ticketed. Tix from Sistic*. www.esplanade.com

Till Nov 25. Various times. *Scape, 2 Orchard Link. Free. www.facebook.com/dreamseedsfest

Pinot Palooza

The Mediacorp Experience

Kalaa Utsavam: Indian Festival of Arts

Australia’s largest pinot noir and music festival, which made its debut in Melbourne in 2013, is the world’s first touring pinot noir festival. This first edition in Singapore will showcase the best vino from more than 40 wineries from Australia,

The latest attraction in One-North gives visitors a chance to experience the magic of the media. Take a glimpse at behindthe-scene moments and learn about the history and future of broadcasting in Singapore. For 90

minutes, visitors will be immersed in an interactive journey through space and time. They can see how a shophouse set is made, take part in a TV production like The Little Nyonya, have a go at being a newscaster in a mock-up Channel NewsAsia studio, or glam up to be ‘featured’ on the cover of 8 DAYS magazine. Ongoing. Available for group bookings of minimum 25 guests per group from now till Dec 31. Mon–Fri, 10am– 5.30pm (last tour 4pm); Sat, 10am–3.30pm (last tour 2pm). Closed Sun, Eve of PH & PH. Mediacorp Campus, 1 Stars Avenue. Tix: $16 adult, $13 concession. www.mediacorp. sg/experience

Shopping Mall Events City Square Mall. This yuletide season, space explorers young and old will be transported to Cybertron to witness Transformers come to “live” on stage and have the chance to come up close and personal with Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. Conditions apply. Till Dec 17. Tue–Fri, 2pm, 7pm; Sat, Sun, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm. Level 1 Stage. www. citysquaremall.com.sg

TICKETING VENUES SISTIC* Operating hours: 10am– 8pm; Sun & PH: noon–8pm. Phone bookings: 63485555 (only credit cards accepted) Online: www.sistic.com. sg; www.facebook.com/ SISTICsingapore. Also available on Sistic Mobile & iNETS mobile apps. Ticketing Outlets 112 Katong 313@somerset

Alliance Francaise Anchorpoint Bedok Mall Bishan Junction 8 Bugis+ Bukit Panjang Plaza Capitol Changi Airport Chinatown Point City Square Mall Esplanade Hougang Mall IMM Ion Orchard JCube Jem Jurong Point Shopping Centre KC Arts Centre – Home of SRT Liang Court Lot One Marina Bay Link Mall Marina Bay Sands (selected shows) Millenia Walk Nex Pop@Central (Bras Basah) Parkway Parade Plaza Singapura Counter 2 Sembawang Shopping Centre Singapore Symphony Orchestra Singapore Vistor

Centre Suntec City Mall Tampines Mall The Centrepoint The Star Performing Arts Centre Tiong Bahru Plaza VeloCity VivoCity Westgate White Sands Wisma Atria.

SPORTS HUB TIX* Operating hours: 10am–8pm; Sun & PH: noon–8pm. Phone bookings: 3158-7888 (only credit cards accepted) Online: www.sportshubtix.sg

Ticketing Outlets Singapore Indoor Stadium All SingPost outlets.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR GIG! If it’s fab and fun, 8 DAYS wants to know about it: Concerts, events, weekend markets... Please e-mail peggy_fong@mediacorp.com. sg brief, essential info and hi-res pix. All materials, which we may use or edit as we deem fit, to reach her three weeks before publication date. (Peg can also be reached at 6357-5117.)

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THE GOOD DOCTOR FRI | FOXLIFE | SINGTEL TV CH 301 & STARHUB CH 501 | 10PM

Let’s scrub in: Antonia Thomas and Freddie Highmore have a dress-code debate.

Freddie Highmore checks out of Bates Motel and into The Good Doctor as Dr Shaun Murphy, a brilliant surgeon with autism and savant syndrome. Even though Murphy comes highly recommended, his colleagues (including Pretty Little Liars’ Nicholas Gonzales and Lovesick’s Antonia Thomas) are less welcoming, seeing him more as a liability than an asset (do you want him with a scalpel?). A hit in the US, The Good Doctor is executiveproduced by Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-O) and David Shore (House), and is a remake of the 2013 Korean drama of the same name. — DOUGLAS TSENG

NOV OV 23 – 3 30 0 NOV 24 | FRI

THE SINNER BINGE-WATCH! NETFLIX | STREAMING

Eight-part drama starring Bill Pullman as a detective looking into the motive behind a fatal stabbing committed by a young mother (Jessica Biel).

NOV 25 | SAT

SATURDAY 3 NIGHT LIVE 43 COMEDY CENTRAL | SINGTEL TV CH 324 & STARHUB CH 516| 10PM M

Chance the Rapper makes his guest-host debut.

NOV 26 | SUN

NOV 23 | THUR

GODLESS NETFLIX |STREAMING

Seven-part Western — from producer Steven Soderbergh— starring Jeff Daniels as an outlaw searching for a backstabbing partner (Unbroken’s Jack O’Connell) who has taken refuge in a town run by women (led by Michelle Dockery). — including our rep, 24-year-old artist Manuela Bruntraeger — vie for the crown at Las Vegas' The Axis.

band, but a group of teens whose parents are super-villains. New episode every Wednesday.

WASTED BINGE WATCH! BBC PLAYER | STREAMING

Sitcom about a failed DJ (Dylan Edwards) who returns to his hometown where he kills time with his slacker pals — and Sean Bean (as himself in his Game of Thrones garb) as his spirit guide.

THE 21ST CENTURY RACE FOR SPACE NEW SERIES!

BBC EARTH | STARHUB CH 407 | 10.30PM

Physicist Brian Cox explores the past, present and future of space travel. Also on BBC Player.

NOV 28 | TUE

STARHUB CH 422 | 9PM

BBC LIFE | STARHUB CH 432 | 9.15PM

Does anyone know where Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar stashed his fortune?

Check into five-starred Royal Mansour in Marrakech, Morocco. (One night is going to cost you at least $1,759. Start saving.)

NOV 27 | MON

MISS UNIVERSE 2017 LIVE!

NOV 29 | WED

MARVEL’S RUNAWAYS

FOXLIFE | SINGTEL TV CH 301 & STARHUB CH 501 | 8AM & 6PM (ENCORE)

NEW SERIES!

Beauties from more than 80 countries

This isn’t about Joan Jett’s old

8 DAYS

HOOQ | STREAMING

NEW SERIES!

SONY CHANNEL | SINGTEL TV CH 316 & STARHUB CH 510 | 8.30PM

Tina Fey executive-produced this sitcom about an intern working in a TV newsroom. Did I forget to mention that the intern is the news producer’s mother?

VICTORIA’S SECRET FASHION SHOW 2017 SAME DAY AS US!

FOXLIFE | SINGTEL TV CH 301 & STARHUB CH 501 | 11PM

The sexy underwear event will take place in Asia for the first time — in Shanghai.

NOV 30 | MON

RIVERDALE NETFLIX |STREAMING

The Black Hood killer threatens to strike again if Riverdale residents don’t stay sin-free for 48 hours.

PHOTOS: DISNEY, BBC EARTH, NETFLIX, TPG NEWS/CLICK PHOTOS

FINDING ESCOBAR’S AMAZING HOTELS: LIFE BEYOND THE MILLIONS DISCOVERY CHANNEL | SINGTEL TV CH 202 & LOBBY

GREAT NEWS

JASON GODFREY BY

DOUG LAS TSENG

M Y T V D I E T:

The Canadian-Filipino star of BRA, 40, dreams of channelling his inner Heisenberg. How many hours I spend watching TV Depends how busy I am. If I’m bingeing on a show, could be five hours; if not, zero. The TV show I watch ﬁrst thing in the morning [Anything on] BBC. Exciting. The TV show I watch before going to bed Anything on Discovery or National Geographic Channel puts me to sleep.

PHOTO: NETFL IX

The TV show that deﬁned my childhood Tour of Duty! It's a show about the In the trenches: American war in Vietnam. It was The Emmy-winning hopelessly cheesy but at the time it Vietnam War series Tour of Duty which was incredible. ran from 1987 to The last TV show I binged on 1990. Ozark! The TV show everyone's talking about but I haven't seen yet Narcos. The most unforgettable TV moment The time the reality TV star and billionaire guy was elected President of the United States. The TV show I'm too embarrassed to tell everyone that I'm watching In deep trouble: Outlander. It's so cheesy but my girlfriend Laura Linney and loves it. So I’m stuck watching Scottish Jason Bateman romance at its best. have money problems in The TV show that inspired what I am doing Ozark. now Breaking Bad. I loved that show. And it really inspired me to write something as dark and entertaining. Which is what I'm currently trying to do. Jason Momoa, Jason Isaacs, or Jason Bateman? I don't like Aquaman, don't know who Jason Isaacs is, but I like understated, so Bateman all the way. BRA is streaming on Toggle.

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BOOS & BRAVOS

DOUG LAS TSENG

PHOTO: NETFLIX

BOO

BRAVO

PHOTO: FOX

to Fire Chasers (Netflix), the stunning four-part Leonardo DiCaprio-produced docu-series about California’s wildfire fighters. Featuring scary footage captured on helmet cams, the show follows the courageous men and women of Cal Fire and the Los Angeles County Fire Department (as well as inmates enlisted in a prisoner firefighter programme) as they race against time to put out the raging infernos threatening to destroy the homes of thousands of folks during the wildfire season. (The fire spreads fast — it can wipe out a 25km stretch of land in one afternoon.) If you enjoyed the Josh Brolinstarring firefighter drama Only the Brave, you’re going to love this show, which does a much better job of telling us what a day in the life of a firefighter is like.

to Wisdom of the Crowd (Wed, Singtel TV Ch 330 & StarHub Ch 505; Fox+), the lacklustre procedural starring Jeremy Piven as a Silicon Valley mogul who starts a crowd-sourced crime-fighting app to solve his daughter’s murder. Basically, the show is a bland rehash of Person of Interest and the short-lived APB, an earlier series about a tech tycoon offering his wealth and expertise to law enforcement authorities following a personal tragedy. (Dear Hollywood, can we have a hero whose altruism isn’t homicide-inspired?) Dull and derivative aside, I also don’t buy into the premise that Netizen participation can be trusted to replace good old-fashioned detective work. Let’s face it, the public can be more of a hindrance than help. Can someone say ‘digital mob justice’? Have a think about it.

BOO

PHOTO: DISNEY

to Marvel’s Inhumans (HOOQ). Yes, I’ve boo-ed this show before, but that was judgment based on watching the first two eps. Since then, it’s been on my hate-watch list because the optimist in me said that I should give it a few more weeks before writing it off completely. But guess what? The Inhumans, about superpowered alienhybrids hiding on the moon, never recovered from the missteps — it went from bad to worse, and, by the end of its (thankfully brief) eight-ep run, deteriorated to ‘Life Support’ status. From the painful dire-logue to the cheesy sets to the medicore special effects, it’s like a high-school play version of Thor: Ragnarok, not unlike the one staged on The Late Late Show with James Corden recently. The only difference? The Inhumans is unintentionally funny.

8 DAYS

STARS Xiang Yun (Wu Xiaoqiao), Chen Liping (Chen Feng), Romeo Tan (Chen Yalong), Felicia Chin (Jelly Lin Shuqi), Ian Fang (Li Ziyang), Jeffrey Xu (Tom Xu Tao), Bonnie Loo (Zhang Qiyuan), Jayley Woo (Liang Wenjie), Rayson Tan (Wu Dazhi), Guo Liang (Song Jueming), Cynthia Koh (Zhang Ruoyun), Bernard Tan (Li Zhengye), Aileen Tan (Lv Xiuqin), Suhaimi Yusof (Rashid Bin Mohamed), Lyn Oh (Liew Aisha), Jin Yinji (Liu Lianhua) and Adele Wong (Winky

his family and was charged with rape. He declares he will fly there to find out more. Ruoyun tries to pay his fee but he refuses to accept the money. Xiaoqiao and Zhengye are taking an evening stroll in a park. Zhengye drops his bracelet unknowingly, and looks frantically for it. Early in the morning, Xiaoqiao goes again to the park to look for the bracelet. She spots it in a drain. In tr ying to fish it out, she loses her balance. Zhengye catches hold of her, just in time.

STARS Zoe Tay ( Fa n g T i n g ) , Rebecca Lim (Zhong Ai), Zhang Zhenhuan (Tang Yiwei), Terence Cao (Bai Jinshun), Calvert Tay (Tang Yijie), Denise Camillia Tan (Zheng Jiayi), Zong Zijie (Yang Xiaoshuai), Chantalle Ng (Bai Yun), Marcus Guo (Kang Lele), Joanna Theng (Zhou Xuanxuan), Shalynn Tsai (Luo Yiling), Cassandra See (Mary), Gary Tan (Lin Junkai) and Chen Yixin (Hong Nuannuan).

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Wang Xueling).

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Xiaoqiao develops a cold. However, noticing that the bracelet strap has come off, she offers to accompany Zhengye to get it repaired. He is concerned about her health and takes her home. Guangzong keeps extor ting money from Ruoyun, claiming he needs to bribe the prison officers to help Ziyang. She has no more cash and panics. Xu Tao receives an offer to play the lead role in a new movie. Max, who happens to be the movie’s investor, rescinds the offer when he finds out Xu Tao is Shuqi’s boyfriend. Unable to get Max to

D e s p i t e h i s l e g i n j u r y, Xiaoshuai comes in first in the swimming preliminaries. E v e r y o n e i s h a p py f o r him. Yijie is impressed b y X i a o s h u a i ’s s h e e r determination, and their relationship improves. Bai Yun tells Fang Ting about the hidden pinhole camera. Fang Ting zeroes in on Jinshun and interrogates him, refusing to give him a chance to explain himself. Bai Yun moves into Fang Ting’s house. Fang Ting apologises to her for trusting Jinshun. Youwan goes missing. Bai Yun and Xuanxuan find her in her own house, hiding in a cupboard, hurting herself. Xuanxuan suggests Bai Yun should inform Fang Ting. However, Fang Ting is unwell and in a foul mood, and Bai Yun decides not to say anything. A friend of Tiancai’s badgers him to reveal his mother’s bank account number and become a money launderer. Tempted by the commission offered, he agrees. Mary sends a thumbdrive containing nude photos of Xiaoshuai to his house. He is disturbed by it. Fa n g T i n g p l a n s t o visit an ailing friend in KL.

LIFE LESS ORDINARY A pair of best friends who are also neighbours become enemies over a man, and their animosity spills over into the workplace.

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Ruoyun attempts to find Fuhua’s address through a TCM clinic but to no avail. Zheng Guangzong, a private investigator who claims to be a retired police officer, persuades her to hire him to look for her son. Zhengye comes across an accessories stall and is attracted to a handmade bracelet. Back at home, he takes out the bracelet Ruoyun had made for him as their love token and recalls their vows to each other. Guangzong claims Ziyang migrated to Vietnam with

Finally seeing eye to eye? Xiaoqiao is just as startled as Zhengye when he rescues her.

8 DAYS

WHILE WE ARE YOUNG Academic and emotional issues faced by Gen Z teenagers are explored in this star-studded drama.

CH U CH 5

Jinshun intercepts her at the airport to explain himself. She demands he find the homeowner and investigate before he talks to her.

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Yiwei fires Jiayi despite her pleas. He is adamant that she leave. In addition, he wants her to admit to Zhong Ai that she had framed him. Zhong Ai reconciles with Yiwei. During dinner, Bai Yun reveals that Youwan has a habit of self-mutilation. Zhong Ai visits Youwan and Li Xue, and advises Youwan to see a doctor. She suspects Youwan has depression. Mary appears at X i a o s h u a i ’s s w i m m i n g training. She threatens to publicise photos of him fully nude unless he does her bidding. Bai Yun discovers Xiaoshuai is being blackmailed. She wants to approach Fang Ting and Zhong Ai for advice, but he rejects the idea. He insists he will settle the matter himself. Zhong Ai tries to give Yiling some encouragement. It dawns on her that Yiling had attempted suicide because Yijie insulted her and rejected her love. She wants him to apologise to Yiling. Yijie sends Yiling a text message with just a word: “Sorr y.” She refuses to accept this as an apology. Storming over to his house, she demands he apologise in person. Exasperated, he brushes her off. Xiaoshuai defends Yijie and drives her away. U p s e t , Y i l i n g t r aw l s the Internet for photos of Xiaoshuai and schemes to get back at him. Jiayi appears at Fang Ting’s house. She gives Zhong Ai a slap.

WED NOV 29 9pm Episode 18/20

Yiwei drives Jiayi away, and

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Journey’s over: Jiayi pleads with Yiwei for another chance.

she wells up with indignation and hatred. Presuming it was Zhong Ai who forced Yiwei to fire her, she swears revenge. Yiwei worries Jiayi will do something extreme, and decides to take turns with Xiaoshuai and Yijie to protect Zhong Ai. Xiaoshuai meets a wellknown swimmer at the pool. The swimmer lauds Xiaoshuai as a talent and gives him words of encouragement. Overjoyed, Xiaoshuai poses for a photo with him. Zhong Ai and Xiaoshuai go ice-skating. Jiayi has been following Zhong Ai, awaiting the chance to attack her. After some investigation, Jinshun clears the homeowner of suspicion and centres his attention on the property agent as possibly the person who installed the pin-hole camera. Jinshun sets a trap to expose him. The property agent goes to Bai Yun’s room to retrieve the pinhole camera and is caught. Mary uploads a photo of Xiaoshuai in the nude. However, the face is blurred. To stall for time, he accepts her request to keep a group of rich women company, on condition she take down the photo. A n I n t e r n e t u s e r, YP99, has been attacking Xiaoshuai with vicious

comments. He shifts his attention to Yijie. Acting on Jinshun’s advice, a police report is made. The cyber bully turns out to be Yiling. Meanwhile, Jiayi files a police report. Zhong Ai, Yiwei and Xiaoshuai are summoned for questioning.

THUR NOV 30 9pm Episode 19/20

Zhong Ai, Yiwei and Xiaoshuai deny hurting Jiayi. Yiwei is incensed by the allegations. Fang Ting returns from KL. She sees a string of messages from Jinshun, infor ming her that the pinhole camera culprit has been caught. She decides to visit Jinshun at the cafe to

have a talk with him. Yiwei notices the newspaper ar ticle on a JC teacher colluding with students and attacking a defenceless woman. He realises Jiayi has gone to the media with fake news. Jiayi posts a video on the Internet, portraying herself as a victim. Yiwei is so angry that he decides to confront her. Fang Ting persuades him not to, as it could be a trap. Zhong Ai and Yiwei notice Fang Ting’s erratic behaviour. They suspect she is having menopause issues. Fang Ting defends Zhong Ai in front of other teachers when they gossip about Zhong Ai being the alleged assailant in the news report. Zhong Ai is touched. Bai Yun discovers a video in her handphone that can prove Zhong Ai’s innocence. Fang Ting faints. The doctor informs her family that she has a tumour in her neck.

FRI DEC 1 9pm Last episode

Fang Ting is discharged from the hospital. Everyone advises her to go for a biopsy but she refuses. Xiaoshuai receives a call from Mary, who asks him to entertain a group of rich

PEG G Y F ONG

women the next day. Bai Yun overhears the conversation. Yijie receives a love letter from a classmate. Remembering his previous experience, he handles the situation tactfully. Bai Yun accompanies Xiaoshuai to his appointment, and informs Zhong Ai and Yiwei. They arrive in time and take Xiaoshuai away. Mary is upset. Jinshun and Fang Ting take a stroll along the beach. He promises to fulfil her wish as written in a love letter to him when she was a teenager. Mar y continues to upload media on Xiaoshuai. Fortunately, Zhong Ai and Yiwei have already filed a police report and her video is quickly taken down, but not before many people have watched it. Zhong Ai announces she will be transferred to another school. A farewell par ty is held for her, and she is moved to tears. Fang Ting and family learn Jiayi has been arrested for making a false police report. Xiaoshuai prepares to leave the countr y for swimming training. Fang Ting finally agrees to have a biopsy done on the tumour in her neck.

Reconciled: Xiaoshuai leaves knowing things are well between him and Fang Ting, Yijie and Bai Yun.

8 DAYS | 95

LEE’S FAMILY REUNION Problems arise for the Xiaos when everyone vies for control of the family’s century-old biscuit business.

Red alert: Shuqi is forced to celebrate Max’s birthday with him.

change his mind, Xu Tao goes binge drinking and almost gets into a fight. Shuqi begs Max to give Xu Tao a chance. Max agrees, on condition she keep him company.

STARS Eric Huang (Xiao Tiancheng), Zhang Fengshu (Xia Yongzhen), June Liu Yue (Li Huixin/Li Wenfang), Angus Xie (Xiao Hansheng), Joanne Lian (Li Zhengnan/Chen Yijing), Ding Guolin (Qiu Jinlan), Chen Guanlin (Fang Xiaozu/Chen Jiabao), Chen Peiqi (Lin Ailin), Vicky Zeng (Lin Aiting), Miao Keli (Chen Liyun), Huang Yurong (Li Wenxing), Sunny Li (Fang Xiaowen), Chen Ting (Li Zaixing), Jiang Guobin (Lin Hongshan), Li Yan (Fang Xiaofei), Jian Chang (Lin Shuibo), Wang Hao (Xiao Hongshuai), Lin Youxing (Lin Jianhua), Duan Xinghui (Ye Yimei), Yi Zheng (David Xu Jian’an), Xia Jingting (Fang Heilong), Ji Liangzhu (Jiang Xiaocao), Angela Yeh (Minmin) and Ding Liqi (Lin Feihu).

To get into his role, Xu Tao meets with Diya to learn about Indian culture. Xiuqin reminds Shuqi to keep an eye on her boyfriend. Shuqi receives a call from Max.

Diya. Qiyuan advises her to emphasise to Diya that Xu Tao is her b oy f r i e n d . T h u s , S h u q i deliberately wears a T-shirt with a we-fie print of herself with Xu Tao. Diya is dumbfounded.

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THUR NOV 30

FRI DEC 1

7pm Episodes 605 & 606

Xu Tao is unable to get over the loss of the lead role. Despondent, he stays in bed. He doesn’t want to face his colleagues at the hamper factory as he had told them he would be taking three months off to film a movie. Unexpectedly, Xu Tao receives an offer for the role again. He is overjoyed. Meanwhile, Shuqi lives in fear that Max will call her any time to fulfil her part of their deal. Zhengye tries in vain to get the accessories stall owner to mend the broken bracelet. The owner says it’s too old to be fixed. When Xiaoqiao pleads, on account of its sentimental value, the owner relents. Zhengye and Xiaoqiao are mistaken for a mar ried couple and he does not protest. Xiaoqiao is secretly pleased, and nur tures hope for their relationship.

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Max wants Shuqi to c e l e b r a t e h i s b i r t h d ay w i t h h i m . U n e a s y, s h e calls Yalong. When Max attempts to take advantage of her, Yalong barges in to save her. Back at home, Shuqi is infuriated that Xu Tao did not return for the night. The next morning, he explains that he was with Diya to learn more about Indian culture. He assures Shuqi that Diya is his first fan, and he only has Shuqi in his heart. She doubts his sincerity. The accessories stallowner sends the broken bracelet to Ruoyun, who recognises it. She assumes Zhengye has remarried, and only hopes to reconcile with her son via the bracelet. Ruoyun suddenly feels unwell but does not tell Qiyuan. Shuqi is troubled that Xu Tao is constantly with

Diya thinks Shuqi is also a fan of Xu Tao’s. Xu Tao is unhappy about Shuqi’s act; he worries her gesture might affect his new movie. Xiuqin defends Shuqi and ends up quarrelling with him. Diya clarifies that she is just a fan, and Shuqi is relieved. O n L i a n h u a ’s 7 0 t h b i r t h d ay, X i a o q i a o a n d the rest of the family prepare a steamboat spread for the celebration. Yuxin’s innocent words cause Lianhua to recall her grief over her second daughter. Acting on tips from Max, Dazhi sustains heavy losses on the stock market. He does not dare tell his family. Xueling has her eye on an expensive sofa, and Dazhi is unable to talk her out of buying it. X u Ta o i s i n f u r i a t e d when he learns Shuqi had gone drinking with Max. He confronts Max in a rage.

Minmin is surprised to see Feihu at the bridal shop. He claims he had promised Xiaozu he would take care of Ailin, on condition the Lins bow out of the town project. Minmin is sure he would never do anything to harm her. Minmin is happy when Xiaozu assures her that he will make her the CEO if the funds are transferred before the press conference is held. Letian praises Minmin and plots to take away all the assets from the Fang and Jiang families. She is clearly puzzled, and he (Jian’an) lies that he does not want the Jiangs’ assets to go to Yongzhen or Jinlan. Jack suspects Minmin is not carrying Xiaozu’s baby. Jinlan has her suspicions as well. Jinlan is forced to hand the money over to Tiancheng, as she needs his signature. Ailin is grieved when told Xiaozu is marrying Minmin. Heilong is incensed by

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Xiaozu’s decisions. Xiaozu a s s u r e s X i a o we n t h a t everything will be fine after the press conference. Shuibo rushes to the press conference after learning Xiaozu will kick the Lins out of the project. Heilong turns up at the venue too, and tells the reporters he does not know Minmin at all. He tells her off for wanting to be his daughter-in-law when he does not get along with Jiang Yong and Jinlan. Jinlan retorts that the marriage was Xiaozu’s idea. Xiaowen and Wenxing also do not believe Xiaozu would fall for someone like Minmin. Shuibo makes a fuss a b o u t t h e i nv e s t m e n t . Meanwhile, Tiancheng refuses to sign the documents for Jinlan. Xiaozu completes the documentation and introduces Minmin as the future CEO of the town project. He also announces that he has only five months left to live and will leave everything to her. A jubilant Minmin is rejoicing when she discovers the document is actually the medical report she had swopped. Xiaozu reprimands her openly, and Xiaowen gives her a slap. Minmin asks Jinlan for help, but Jinlan tells her off for humiliating the Jiang family.

Infuriated, Heilong resolves to teach Minmin a lesson. Wenxing reminds him that Minmin could be carrying a Fang descendent. Xiaozu apologises to Ailin and promises to make amends. He does not mind about what happened between Ailin and Feihu. He also believes Minmin is lying about being pregnant with his baby. Xiaozu is on his way to marry Ailin when Wenxing knocks him out and puts him on a plane. Xiaowen is worried Xiaozu will be very unhappy when he discovers Heilong is the person preventing him from marrying Ailin. Heilong does not like Minmin, but wants to keep her baby. Feihu saves Wuxiong from a fight and takes him to the hospital. Wuxiong discovers Feihu is the Lins’ real grandson. He plots to expose Jinlan in front of Letian and gain Letian’s favour. Letian is stunned to learn Xiaocao is also Jiang Yong’s child. Pretending to be grateful to Wuxiong, he promises to treat him well. He then spikes Wuxiong’s drink and takes him to a golf course. At the golf course, Letian removes his mask to show his true face. He asserts

that he wants to avenge his dead father. Wuxiong claims he had acted under Jiang Yong’s orders. Jinlan and Jack (Jieke) stop Letian (Jian’an) from seeking revenge on Wuxiong, as they are shorthanded and may need Wuxiong’s help. To save himself, Wuxiong reveals Feihu is Shuibo’s grandson. He relates how Jiang Yong had sent him to the orphanage to get the Lins’ grandchild. Letian wants to avenge Minmin. He is incensed that she was insulted at the press conference. Feihu leaves the Jiang family and bids Yongzhen goodbye. She urges him to call on her if he needs help. Jinlan gets Wuxiong to capture Feihu. Haohao tips Tiancheng off about Feihu’s kidnap. Hansheng wants Shuibo to save Feihu, as Feihu was the one who helped resolve the misunderstanding between Xiaozu and Ailin. Shuibo advises Hansheng and Tiancheng not to meddle in the Fang or Jiang affairs. Hansheng and Tiancheng rush to Feihu’s rescue. They realise he is a good man who was manipulated by Minmin. Jinlan sneers at Minmin for getting so close to Letian. Minmin sees Feihu at the

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godown. He is flabbergasted that Wuxiong is now on Jinlan’s side. Minmin admonishes Feihu for betraying her and making her a laughing-stock. He regrets treating her as An’an’s substitute. Minmin sneers at him for being incapable and asserts that someone like him has no right to be with her. Letian beats Feihu up and claims he knows it was Minmin who caused his fall but has decided to forgive her. Hansheng, Tiancheng and Shuibo arrive in time to save Feihu. Feihu is ashamed when he learns it was Haohao who saved him; he remembers that he had once nearly caused Haohao to die. Beibei saves Xiaocao from being bullied by Tu.

SAVE THE FAMILY A story depicting a threegenerational family braving obstacles and testing the depths of their kinship. STARS Jae Hee (Zheng Yuzhen/Jung Woo-jin), Kang Byul (Li Haixiu/Lee Hae-soo), Jung Hye-in (Gao Yiyuan/ Ko Ye-won), Choi Il-hwa (Zheng Wancai/Jung Man-jae), Lee Wheehyang (Fu Xiuzi/Bok Soo-ja), Shin Seung-hwan (Zheng Taizhen/Jung Ta e - j i n ) , K i m D o n g - y o o n ( C u i Yuncan/Choi Yoon-chan), Lim Chaewon (Cui Yunjing/Choi Yoon-jung), Lee Yeol-eum (Wu Shimei/Oh Semi), Romina (Meina/Mi-na) and Byun Hee-bong (Zheng Zhufeng/ Jung Soo-bong).

7pm Episodes 607 to 609

Jinlan wants to throw Minmin out of the Jiang family. Letian intervenes and raps Jinlan for taking things into her own hands when he is the real master of the Jiang family. Letian assumes the Jiangs are still in charge of the town project. Hansheng and Tiancheng fork out 30 billion won to help Xiaozu gain full control of the project. Jinlan is livid.

MON NOV 27 7pm Episodes 59 & 60

Evenly matched? Letian and Jinlan are gripped by adversarial tensions.

Yiyuan pays Haixiu’s father a visit to try to persuade him to sign the franchise contract. He is unmoved. She calls Haixiu, and flies into a rage that she is not at the cafeteria during working hours. Yuzhen snatches the phone and berates Yiyuan for demeaning Haixiu. Yiyuan becomes agitated and faints.

8 DAYS | 97

might not have a place to stay. Zhufeng accuses Xiuzi of being so greedy as to turn the helpless children away. Yuzhen finds that Haixiu has left the cafeteria too, and has changed her phone number. Yuncan loiters outside Xiuzi’s house, hoping to see Tongbai. He bumps into Xizhen instead.

TUE NOV 28 7pm Episodes 61 & 62

Wake-up call: Yiyuan’s father is overwhelmed when she finally does come round.

Yuzhen rushes to the h o s p i t a l . Tr a n q u i l i s e r s are found in Yiyuan’s bag. Yuzhen is unhappy Yiyuan’s parents are keeping her medical condition a secret. Y i y u a n ’s f a t h e r i s informed that Yiyuan has been admitted to the hospital. He is told she does not have external injuries but lost consciousness unexplainably. He finally confesses to Yuzhen that she has a panic disorder. She was traumatised at a young age when she witnessed her biological mother dying in a traffic accident. Yunjing tells Meina she doesn’t have to rely on men, and can instead be successful in her own right by pursuing a singing career. S h e a d d s t h a t Yu n c a n wouldn’t marry a woman he doesn’t love, just because of a child. Meina insists her daughter must meet Yuncan so she is aware who her father is. Yu z h e n r e m a i n s b y Yiyuan’s bedside. He says he is sorry he wasn’t aware of her condition. Haixiu watches sadly. Yiyuan wakes up and insists on being discharged; she wants to go back to work. Her mother wants her to remain in the hospital for treatment. Yiyuan accuses

8 DAYS

her of looking for an opportunity to let Zhiyuan replace her. Yiyuan’s father cries that she could have died. He tells her that he will accept Yuzhen for her sake, as nothing matters more than her well-being. Yunjing and Zhengshu meet with Meina. Zhengshu gives Meina two options: Leave the child with her, or take the child away in return for compensation. She adds that Meina can never use the child as an excuse to tie Yuncan down. Meina accuses Zhengshu of going too far. Zhengshu reiterates that she will never accept Meina. She advises her to think the matter over carefully and get back to her. Tearfully, Meina recounts to Haixiu her meeting with Zhengshu. Haixiu comforts her and advises her to forget everything and start afresh. Haocai and Ailan are fired for being slack at work. Riled up, Haocai vows to ruin their business by telling Yiyuan to open a restaurant opposite theirs. Haixiu moves out of Xiuzi’s house discreetly with the children. Yuzhen returns at night to find them gone. He suspects Xiuzi has sent them away, and worries they

Wancai is ill at ease about Yuzhen’s reaction to them driving Haixiu away. Xiuzi assures him that time will heal; she isn’t afraid to be a bad mother in view of his future. Yiyuan’s mother tells Zhiyuan he is his father’s only son and has to inherit One’s. However, Zhiyuan feels otherwise. He declares a daughter can be a successor too. Yiyuan tells Yuzhen her father now approves of their relationship. He advises her to concentrate on getting well and not to worry about other things. Haixiu rents a shop and opens an eatery. Yunjing has lost contact with Meina. Tongbai has transferred to another kindergar ten. Xiubin hopes to find her, to give her the certificate for winning the first prize in a drawing competition. To n g b a i ’s w i n n i n g drawing is a portrait of her father, whom she looks up to as an angel. Yuncan takes the drawing into his room and weeps. He laments that he is not fit to be her father. Ailan urges Xiuzi to introduce Haocai to Yiyuan, so that she can help him star t a business. Xiuzi flares up and berates them for constantly relying on other people. Ailan starts tearing up and bemoans their difficult life since being made bankrupt. Rongxin’s

heart softens, and she asks them to move back. Yuzhen finds Haixiu’s mother’s address on a slip of paper ; it is the piece of paper given by Haixiu’s father. He decides to look for her to ask if she knows where Haixiu is. Yuzhen locates Haixiu’s m o t h e r, Wu S h a ny i n g . She asks if anything has happened to her daughter. Yuzhen says he is dating Haixiu but his family disapproves of their relationship. He leaves his business card and asks to be informed if Haixiu contacts her. Haixiu chances upon Zhufeng, who has lost his way. She brings him to her eater y. The children are happy to see him. Haixiu asks him not to reveal her location to Yuzhen, otherwise she will have to move again. Zhiyuan and Shengxian visit Yiyuan at the hospital. Yiyuan flies into a rage and orders Shengxian to leave. Taizhen sees Tongbai’s drawing in Yuncan’s room and suspects she is Yuncan’s daughter. Drunk, Yuzhen asks Xiuzi if she really cannot accept Haixiu. Xiuzi maintains that Haixiu is not suitable for him. He insists he likes Haixiu a lot and they are happy together, and Xiuzi is being cruel. He adds that he will fulfil his duty as a son but she will lose him eventually. Yiyuan tells Yuzhen that she lost her mother at a young age. Since then, she has suffered a panic attack whenever someone dear leaves her. Haocai and Ailan move into Xiuzi’s house. Xiuzi demands a deposit and rent from them. When Rongxin shows her displeasure, Xiuzi argues that they have pilfered 300 million won and should pay the rent as interest.

WED NOV 29 7pm Episodes 63 & 64

Xiz hen is d u e to me e t Yuncan’s family the next day. Excited, she helps Xiuzi make the necessary preparations. Xiuzi voices her concern that Haocai may try to make use of Yuzhen’s relationship with Yiyuan for his benefit. While out grocer y shopping, Xizhen and Xiuzi bump into the Masked Singer, who happens to be Wancai, and his manager at an eatery. Wancai panics when he sees Xiuzi, but she is thrilled to be meeting a celebrity. Xiuzi doesn’t recognise the masked Wancai, but Xizhen thinks he looks like her father. Xiuzi retorts that the Masked Singer is 30 times better than Wancai. Yuncan admits to Taizhen that Tongbai is his daughter. He begs Taizhen not to tell Xizhen. Taizhen lambastes him for being a liar, and is adamant that his sister should not be cheated. Devastated when Taizhen tells her Yuncan has a child, Xizhen breaks down. Yuncan sends her a text message to apologise, and asserts that his feelings for her are genuine. A f t e r s o m e

consideration, Xizhen keeps the appointment for her family to meet Yuncan’s. Later, she forces Yuncan to go on his knees and demands he submit to her for the rest of his life, if they marry. Yiyuan hopes to star t anew with Yuzhen. However, the memories of happy times with Haixiu fill Yuzhen’s mind. Zhiyuan asks Shimei out for a drink. Shimei claims she doesn’t drink and hates people drinking. Shanying chances upon Yiyuan’s mother and calls out to her. Startled, Yiyuan’s mother pretends not to know her and runs away. It turns out that Yiyuan’s mother had cheated Shanying of money 20 years ago and was kicked out of the family by her husband. Although a police repor t was made, Yiyuan’s mother disappeared with the money. Yiyuan apologises to Haixiu’s father. She asks him to reconsider signing the contract with One’s. She also hopes to get in touch with Haixiu and apologise to her. S h a ny i n g v i s i t s h e r former husband. She is not pleased to learn that Haixiu

Happy reunion: Yuncan and Tongbai get along very well.

moved out and stayed alone after she graduated from high school. Haixiu’s father accuses her of abandoning the family and daughter after taking away all his money. Xizhen tells Yuncan she won’t be preparing a dowry since she is marr ying a man who has a child. She wants him to transfer the owner ship of their new house in Gangnam to her before their marriage. Yu z h e n m a n a g e s t o locate Haixiu. He gives her Shanying’s number. Haixiu thanks him and tells him not to look for her again. He is greatly disheartened.

THUR NOV 30 7pm Episodes 65 & 66

Wancai receives a call from his manager and goes out in a hurry. Ailan remarks that of late, he seems to love to dress up and wear perfume. She suggests Xiuzi keep an eye on him. We a r i n g a d i s g u i s e , Xiuzi follows Wancai. She discovers he is the Masked Singer and reproaches herself for not recognising him. Yiyuan recognises S h a ny i n g a n d g o e s u p t o g r e e t h e r. S h a ny i n g

introduces herself as Haixiu’s mother, and asks if Yiyuan knows Haixiu’s number. Yiyuan promises to give it to her if she has it. Zhiyuan offers to give Shimei free tuition, to help her get into university. Later, at home, Shimei laments that she doesn’t have the grades nor the money to get into a university. Haixiu encourages her to work harder, and tells her not to worry about the school fees. W h e n To n g b a i c a l l s Xiubin, Zhengshu quickly tells Xiubin to ask where she has moved to and where her kindergarten is. Yu z h e n r e s o r t s t o drinking heavily. He initiates a marriage with Yiyuan for business’ sake. Yiyuan sends him home, and tells Xiuzi happily that he has proposed. Xiuzi is glad Yuzhen has listened to her and believes he will gain happiness. Yiyuan announces she is marrying Yuzhen. Her mother warns that Shengxian won’t let her off for breaking their engagement. Zhengshu goes to the kindergar ten to look for Tongbai. She introduces h e r s e l f a s X i u b i n ’s grandmother. She notices how Tongbai resembles Yuncan and grows fond of her. Alar med to see Zhengshu, Meina quickly takes her daughter away. A disillusioned Xizhen becomes suspicious of Yuncan’s every move and starts to tail him. Taizhen tells her not to marry Yuncan if she has no confidence in him. Haixiu calls her mother and arranges to meet. At the appointed venue, Shanying mistakes another person for Haixiu. Incensed her own mother doesn’t recognise her, Haixiu demands she apologise for abandoning her.

8 DAYS | 99

Z h u f e n g ’s d e m e n t i a gets worse. When he sees Yiyuan, he keeps asking about Haixiu, making everyone feel awkward. Xiuzi overhears Yiyuan telling Yuzhen to move into her house after marriage. She is disappointed. Yuzhen is shocked to learn Yiyuan’s mother is the person Shanying has been looking for all these years. Xiuzi asks Yuzhen if he really wants to move into Yiyuan’s house. He replies that he had said she would lose a son if he married Yiyuan.

FRI DEC 1 7pm Episodes 67 & 68

Yuzhen tells Yiyuan’s mother that Wu Shanying is looking for her. Yiyuan’s mother tells him not to reveal her whereabouts. Zhiyuan comments that he didn’t realise Yiyuan believes in love. Yiyuan’s mother scoffs, saying Yiyuan chose Yuzhen as a business strategy. Wa n c a i l e t s Yu z h e n take a look at Zhufeng’s medicine. Yuzhen informs him that it’s prescribed for dementia patients. Distressed he was unaware, Wancai pleads with Yuzhen to cure Zhufeng. Meina takes Tongbai to see Yuncan and tells her that he is her father. Tongbai greets him happily. Tearing up, he hugs her tightly. He apologises, and Tongbai accepts his apology. Haocai visits Yiyuan. He tells her that he used to own a trading company but is now taking a break due to the economic downturn. He asks her about opening a restaurant. After he leaves, she is scornful and notes he has wasted no time in seeking financial support. Yiyuan’s mother calls on Shanying and throws an envelope of money at her as compensation. Infuriated,

100

8 DAYS

GOBLIN A fantasy tale about a goblin who needs a mortal bride to end his cursed immortal life. STARS Gong Yoo (Jin Xin/Kim Shin), Lee Dong-wook (Grim Reaper), Kim Go-eun (Chi Enzhuo/Ji Eun-tak), Yoo In-na (Sunny), Yook Sung-jae (Liu Dehua/Yoo Duk-hwa), Kim Sungkyum (Chairman Liu Xinyu/Yoo Shinwoo), Park Hee-von (Chi Lianxi/Ji Yeon-hee), Lee El (Samshin), Jo Woo-jin (Secretary Kim) and Kim Byung-chul (Pu Zhongyuan/Park Joong-hun).

MON NOV 27 10pm Episode 1

A person’s soul, dwelling in an ancient sword smeared with blood from countless battles, has been turned into a goblin. To end his uneasy immortality, he needs a bride to pull out the sword from his chest. Chi Lianxi bursts out laughing when an old grandmother tells her immortal goblins roam the world. The old woman gives her a piece of advice: If she should be in a life-or-death situation, she must pray earnestly, as a soft-hearted god may be listening to her pleas. Centuries ago, Jin Xin was a ferocious general, labelled a hero by the people. The young king viewed Jin Xin’s increasing popularity and power as a threat and ordered he be put to death as a rebel. Jin Xin’s sister, the queen, was shot dead by an arrow. Jin Xin was slashed across his back and forced to his knees. He ordered his subordinate to end his life with his sword. With breath still in his body, Jin Xin was thrown out into the fields, his sword sticking out of his chest. He was left to die. It’s 1998 in Seoul. A dead woman’s body is found in the trunk of a car. Dressed in a black suit and a black hat,

the Grim Reaper appears. He takes the soul of the dead woman to his tea room. A cup of oblivion tea is given to the soul, to make her forget her life in this world. Jin Xin returns to his residence in Seoul. Chairman Liu takes his grandson, Liu Dehua, to greet him. Chairman Liu and his ancestors have been Jin Xin’s servants since Jin Xin was granted immortality as punishment by a god. The pregnant Lianxi is hit by a car. The driver drives off, leaving her bleeding in the snow. She begs for help for her unborn baby. Jin Xin hears her cries. Lianxi’s daughter, Chi Enzhuo, is born. Able to see spirits, Enzhuo is destined to be the goblin’s bride. Lianxi dies in a car accident when Enzhuo turns nine.

TUE NOV 28 10pm Episode 2

Lianxi’s spirit visits the old grandmother, who happens to be Samshin, goddess of birth and fate. After asking Samshin to check on Enzhuo from time to time, she bids the old woman farewell and vanishes. Enzhuo bumps into the Grim Reaper outside her house and talks to him. Surprised the little girl can see him, he claims she should have died in the accident with her mother nine years ago. Before the Grim Reaper c a n r e c t i f y t h e e r r o r, Samshin arrives and tells him to leave Enzhuo alone. She reasons that he doesn’t have Enzhuo’s name on his death list and thus has no right to take her away. Ten years pass. Enzhuo is ostracised by her classmates for being able to see ghosts. She lives with her aunt, who has been eyeing Lianxi’s insurance payout from her death.

Enzhuo has no idea where the money is. Enzhuo celebrates her birthday alone with a cake, by the sea. She makes a few wishes, including the wish to get out of her current misery. After she blows the candles, Jin Xin appears before her. Jin Xin is confused about how and why he has been summoned. Nonetheless, he tells Enzhuo he grant wishes sometimes. Jin Xin is star tled to find the Grim Reaper at his mansion. Dehua explains he has rented out the place to earn money, as Jin Xin will be going overseas for 20 years. Jin Xin protests, but the Grim Reaper declares he has already signed the lease. Enzhuo figures she can summon Jin Xin by diminishing a flame. She even installs a candleblowing app on her phone, so that she can summon him any time. Enzhuo informs Jin Xin ghosts have been telling her she is the goblin’s bride because of the birthmark on her neck. Jin Xin refutes her theory, and does not admit he is a goblin. Enzhuo follows him out of the door angrily, and finds herself in Canada. Jin Xin is stunned she can use the same portal he does.

WED NOV 29 10pm Episode 3

The Grim Reaper is discussing the Enzhuo case with his junior. He laments the amount of paperwork involved for filing a missing soul report. A man and a woman have just died in a car accident. The woman accuses the man of knocking her down. The Grim Reaper takes them to his tea room and offers the oblivion tea to the woman. The man asks for his tea, but is refused. The Grim Reaper says the man has to

recount all the bad deeds he has ever committed. This is not the first time he has run over someone. He was the hit-and-run driver who killed Lianxi. The Grim Reaper describes the pain the man is going to endure when he serves his punishment in hell for his sins. The man goes down on his knees and begs for forgiveness. However, the Grim Reaper claims it’s out of his hands. Jin Xin is cursed with the same fate of living with the memories of his past largely intact. He suffers the agony of seeing people beside him die, one by one. He attempts to pull out the sword that has remained lodged in his heart and thus end his life, but fails. Enzhuo applies for a part-time job at an empty fried chicken shop. The owner, Sunny, can’t seem to remember the last time she had a customer. Enzhuo is hired. Overjoyed, she summons Jin Xin to share the good news. Jin Xin appears in a casual outfit, with a steak on a fork. Sunny goes to a fortuneteller, who says she is an orphan with no luck, and warns her against a man in a black hat.

THUR NOV 30 10pm Episode 4

Enzhuo laminates the maple leaf she had picked in Quebec, hoping to give it to Jin Xin in appreciation for getting her a job. She summons Jin Xin but the Grim Reaper appears instead. The Grim Reaper claims he has been looking for Enzhuo for the past 10 years. Jin Xin arrives and forbids the Grim Reaper to take his bride away. Infuriated Jin Xin has been lying that he is not a goblin, Enzhuo declares she is not seriously intending to

Myths and mystery: A Goblin seeks marriage for his own dark ends in this fantasy romance.

be his bride anyway. The Grim Reaper tries to look again for Enzhuo at her house. However, she has gone to stay at the fried chicken shop. Suddenly remembering something, Enzhuo runs out in search of the ghost who had called her the goblin’s bride and asks how she knew. Another ghost tells Enzhuo about the night the goblin had saved her and her mother. Meanwhile, Jin Xin watches over Enzhuo the whole night, but keeps his distance. The loansharks go after Enzhuo’s aunt for debt repayment. The aunt swears Enzhuo inherited the hefty insurance payout from her mother’s death, but she doesn’t know where Enzhuo is hiding the money. The loansharks kidnap Enzhuo and search through her belongings, looking for her bankbook. Jin Xin senses she is in danger and appears with the Grim Reaper to save her. A c t i n g o n J i n X i n ’s instructions, Dehua finds out Enzhuo’s aunt and cousins

have been mistreating her for years. The aunt is only keeping Enzhuo for the insurance money. Jin Xin gets Dehua to give two gold bars to the aunt as punishment.

FRI DEC 1 10pm Episode 5

Enzhuo reminisces about her encounters with Jin Xin. Meantime, Jin Xin is also thinking about Enzhuo. He can’t forget their shared moments. Enzhuo goes to the bookstore to retrieve the maple leaf she had stuck in a book in a fit of anger. Dehua happens to have bought the book and is demanding a refund from the staff. She offers to buy the book from him. Dehua is stunned to see his grandfather at the mansion with the Grim Reaper. He heaves a sigh of relief when he senses that Chairman Liu doesn’t know the place has been rented out. Enzhuo accidentally summons Jin Xin. To find out if she can see anything unusual on his body, he buys

her lunch. Out of curiosity, Dehua asks Jin Xin about the possibility of becoming a reaper after he dies. Jin Xin says a big sin has to be committed in the past life to become a reaper. He then realises Dehua knows the Grim Reaper’s real identity. The next day, Dehua appears outside Sunny’s fried chicken shop. He tells Secretary Kim he had received the building on his eighth birthday, and intends to sell it for cash. However, Secretar y Kim reminds him that he is working for Chairman Liu, not him. The Grim Reaper comes across Samshin, who’s selling women’s accessories on a bridge. She has transformed into a young lady. She urges the Grim Reaper to buy a hairpin for his girlfriend. A jade ring catches the Grim Reaper’s eye. He reaches for it, but Sunny grabs it first. Instinctively, a tear falls down his face when he sees her. Enzhuo goes back to her aunt’s house, only to find she has moved out.

8 DAYS | 101

CO MP I L E D BY

Shanying demands she kneel before Haixiu for forgiveness. Shanying gives the money to Haixiu’s father. She says she has been looking for the woman to get the money back and has finally found her. Haixiu’s father wants her to take back the money and use it on herself and Haixiu. Shanying declines. Shanying goes to Haixiu’s eatery to look for her. Haixiu reacts coldly. Yu n c a n g o e s t o t h e kindergar ten to pick Tongbai up. Xizhen, who happens to be in the vicinity, witnesses Yuncan carrying a child who calls him, “Daddy”. Stunned, she calls Taizhen. Zhengshu and Yunjing are discussing registering To n g b a i a s Yu n c a n ’s daughter. Angrily, Taizhen c o n f r o n t s Yu n j i n g a n d reveals that Xizhen saw Yuncan with his daughter. Yunjing tells Taizhen there is nothing wrong in Yuncan seeing his daughter, and wants Xizhen to accept the child. Y i y u a n ’s m o t h e r threatens to reveal Yiyuan’s medical condition to the board of directors if she insists on marrying Yuzhen. Yiyuan retor ts that her father won’t allow her to carr y out her threat. He may even divorce her if she proceeds. Xiuzi tells Yiyuan forthrightly that she won’t let Yuzhen move into the Gao home. She insists he should live with his own mother for the rest of her life. Shanying gives Haixiu a bottle of soy sauce that she has made herself. She hopes to work at the eatery and teach Haixiu how to make the special sauce. She shares that she could have sold the secret recipe, but kept it just for her daughter.

102

8 DAYS

NGU I KIM M UI

TANGLIN The series chronicles the lives of four families who live in the Tanglin neighbourhood: the Tongs, Rahmans, Bhaskars and Lims. STARS Nat Ho (Jay Lim), Constance Song (Lim Xue Ling), Margaret Lim (Lim Bee Li), Richard Low (Lim Kwong San), Adam Chen (Adam Tong), Darryl Yong (Ben Tong), Wee Soon Hui (Tong Li Yan), Laurence Pang (Tong Ah Biao), Taufik Batisah (Khairul Anuar), Mastura Ahmad (Salmah Bte Samsudin), Mathialagan (Bhaskar Ram), Yuvina Malathi Ram (Meera Bhaskar), Jae Liew (Diana Tong), Charlie Goh (Eddie Tong), Eden Ang (Michael Tong), Valere Ng (Melissa Tong), Elfa (Nadiah Bte Abdul Rahman), Syirah Jusni (Norleena Bte Abdul Rahman), Fauzie Laily (Sulaiman Bin Hassan), James Kumar s/o Chandran (Arjun), Eswari d/o Gunasagar (Shruti), Gayle Nerva (Suzanne Monteiro), Hatta Said (Wafiq Fayad), Aleeyah Nabilah (Kalila Bte Wafiq), Kimberley Chia (Lauren), Rosalind Pho (Vanessa), James Seah (Christopher Tong), Kayly Loh (Felicia Ng), Tay Ping Hui (Peter Tay), Mike Kasem (Jamie) and Lok Meng Chue (Li Ting).

MON NOV 27 8.30pm Episode 613/698

Chris has a surprise for Suzanne on their first wedding anniversary.

Feeling left out, now that Firdaus and Pam are dating , Shr uti finds an unexpected friend to keep her company. B e e L i t a ke s t h i n g s into her own hands and decides to set a wedding date for Jay and Diana, and Diana is not happy about this.

TUE NOV 28 8.30pm Episode 614/698

Ever yone is ner vous as Melissa and Kalila collect their PSLE results. While the Lims celebrate, Wafiq worries about his daughter. Diana confronts Bee Li about the wedding. Suzanne wonders where Chris is getting all that extra money from and decides to question him.

WED NOV 29 8.30pm Episode 615/698

At Life Feed, Chris continues keeping Sheila at bay while Khairul investigates her. Mrs Pereira is annoyed Ah Biao didn’t tell her about his knee injury, and nags him to see a doctor. Mark decides to return to his old part-time job for

financial security.

THUR NOV 30 8.30pm Episode 616/698

Adam seeks professional help from a psychiatrist and a therapist. Ah Biao finally goes to see Bhaskar about his knee, and is disappointed when he learns he will have to stay off the roads for a while. With Sheila’s help, Jay realises Khairul appears to be bearing some kind of grudge against his family.

FRI DEC 1 8.30pm Episode 617/698

Tanya finally meets Nevin, Dr Raja’s son. As Tanya’s relationship with Dr Raja deepens, her bond with Joy deteriorates. Diana is troubled when she learns Jay and Sheila have teamed up to poach Life Feed’s potential investor. Murugan loses his job, and Lathika is forced to choose between love and her loyalty to the Bhaskars. ALL SYNOPSES AND DATES OF TELECAST ARE CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINTING. HOWEVER, OCCASIONAL ADJUSTMENTS MAY BE MADE BY MEDIACORP TV.

Fodder for thought: Sheila and Jay make their own plans on the sideline.

THE LAST PAGE

COLIN G OH

01 Ladies, we’re sorry. The wave of sexual harassment cases really confirms how awful men can be. The world would clearly be a much better place if men didn’t exist… or would it?

WHAT WOULD

THE WORLD

BE LIKE IF MEN DIDN‘T EX ST?

Centuries-old artforms such as fartlighting and power burping are gone forever.

Whole cities are deserted because there was nobody around to kill the cockroaches.

HELL YEAH!

ILLUSTRATION: PYRON TAN

10 04

8 DAYS

03 04 05 06 07

Nobody to blame for sudden eggy smells in lifts. Nobody manufactures toilets with liftable seats anymore. Lots and lots and lots of unopened jars everywhere. Humankind lives in peace — but only for one generation. Finally, an end to the Ah Boys to Men franchise.