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E N T E R TA I N ME N T & L IF E S T Y L E M AG A Z IN E OF T HE Y E A R 2016

OTHER BEEFCAKES TO CHECK OUT!

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Hot SEA Games athletes

GAZINE A M L L OVERAE YEAR 2016 OF TH

CHOW DOWN ON

9 YUMMY BEEF… BOWLS

N° 1403 SEP 7, 2017

PPS 1284/06/2013 (022968)

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S$2.00 (INCL. GST) RM6.00

THIS IS 5

“I’m just an old man who exercises & takes care of himself,” says Internet sensation CHUANDO (But what about his “crazy” eating habits?)

5D4 N

Penang & Phuket X’mas X’capade

on Mariner of the Seas With Mediacorp Artiste Chen Han Wei Sailing: Special

Sail into the festive mood for an early Christmas celebration on Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas! Join in the merriment and find a host of activities lined up for you and your family! Feast on the cosmopolitan array of cuisines on the ship, or head ashore to feast on local Penang and Phuket delights. Participate in the “Where’s Han Wei?” quest and spot Han Wei along the way to win attractive prizes.

Dec 16

Mini Golf Course

such as a heritage tour or a walking tour of colourful Georgetown.

DAY 3 PENANG – PHUKET

DAY 1 SINGAPORE – PENANG

(Meals On Board) This morning, arrive in Phuket and disembark for your optional activities such as a sightseeing tour of the island’s landmarks or elephant riding. This evening, be enthralled by an array of entertaining performances and funfilled activities onboard, or sing and dance the night away.

(Meals On Board) Head to Marina Bay Cruise Centre for embarkation from 11am. Join a meet and greet session with Mediacorp Artiste Chen Han Wei for an up close and personal photo opportunity. Throughout the programme, spot Chen Han Wei at designated locations DAY 4 CRUISING both on-board and on shore in the “Where’s Han Wei?” Quest, and stand (Meals On Board) Today, enjoy a X’mas X’capade singto win attractive prizes. a-long session with Chen Han Wei. DAY 2 PENANG Participate in fun games and activities (Meals On Board) such as vying for the title of “Best dressed Today, invigorate your senses with Christmas star”, plus stand a chance a variety of culinary experiences, to win a cruise vacation for 2 and an adrenaline-pumping activities, exclusive dinner date with the celebrity. relaxing spa indulgences and DAY 5 SINGAPORE duty-free shopping onboard. This (Meals On Board) afternoon, arrive in Penang and Organiser disembark for your optional activities Disembark in the morning at 8am. Remarks: Sequence of itinerary is subject to weather conditions and change without prior notice.

Ice-skating Rink

5D4N

PENANG & PHUKET X’MAS X’CAPADE ON MARINER OF THE SEAS WITH MEDIACORP ARTISTE CHEN HAN WEI From $739 PLUS $50 OFF Per Cabin* *Excludes associated taxes and surcharges of $152, correct at time of print and subject to change. Conditions apply.

Chan Brothers Worldwide Cruise Centre

6212 9944 150 South Bridge Road #07-01 Fook Hai Building www.ChanBrothersCruises.com Official Travel Partners

ISSUE NO. 1403

TELL ME WHEN WILL YOU BE MINE? TELL ME CHUANDO, CHUANDO, CHUANDO

SEP 7–SEP 14

PHOTOS: FREY OW

GU THE GALAXY

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 68 Money 70 Travel 72 Shirtless Guy of the Week 6 Mail 73 First Person 74 My Word 75 Horoscope 78 Get Out 104 Last Page

Visit us at: 8days.sg HEAD

DEBRA SOON

EDITORIAL CHIEF EDITOR

LAU KUAN WEI lau_kuan_wei@mediacorp.com.sg

DEPUTY EDITOR CELINE TAN

SENIOR EDITOR FLORENCE FONG

celine_tan@mediacorp.com.sg EDITORS

SENIOR WRITER WRITERS

SENIOR DESIGNERS CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER EXECUTIVE PHOTOGRAPHER SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER PHOTOGRAPHERS ASST MGR, EDITORIAL ADMIN CONTRIBUTORS

florence_fong@mediacorp.com.sg DOUGLAS TSENG douglas_tseng@mediacorp.com.sg JONATHAN FAM jonathan_fam@mediacorp.com.sg JASMINE TEO jasmine_teo@mediacorp.com.sg JOCELYN LEE jocelynlee@mediacorp.com.sg YIP JIEYING yipjieying@mediacorp.com.sg CHERYL ONG cherylongml@mediacorp.com.sg WEETEE NEU WeeTee.Neu@mediacorp.com.sg FLORENCE NYO/PYRON TAN AIK CHEN EALBERT HO KELVIN CHIA CHEE YAN/MARK LEE PEGGY FONG JASON HAHN/EMILYN TAN/COLIN GOH/WOFFLES WU/ KI’ERN TAN/CLAUDIA NG/JOEL TAN/GINA ANG

CREATIVE SERVICES EDITOR EXECUTIVE CREATIVE PRODUCER SENIOR CREATIVE PRODUCER

JULIAN TAN DARIUS LEE DOROTHY TAN

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KEVIN CHUM FELICIA NORFOR

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E NQU I R I E S: Subscription: magsubscription@jsimeducation.com.sg Advertising: 6333-9888 e-mail: MAE@mediacorp.com.sg 8 DAYS is published by Mediacorp Pte Ltd, 1 Stars Avenue, Singapore 138507. MCI (P) 161/12/2016. Copyright © is held by the publisher. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Distributed by Pansing Distribution Pte Ltd. Printed by Times Printers Pte Ltd. Mediacorp Pte Ltd also publishes I-WEEKLY, STYLE: WEDDINGS, BODY SOS, SMARTPARENT BABIES, SMARTPARENTS JUNIOR and ELLE SINGAPORE under licence from Hachette Filipacchi Presse S.A.

Just do it

I may not be a fan of Julie Tan, but I admire her spunk, as displayed in last week's cover interview. Quitting school just before her O-levels, jetting off to New York to enroll in an acting school when her career was on a high and leaving Mediacorp to get out of her comfort zone are things that an ajumma like me would never have dreamt of doing when I was her age. I have always gone down the safe, conventional path. Perhaps it's time for me to take a leaf out of her book and live a little recklessly with no regrets. Sometimes, the young can certainly teach us older ones a thing or two! — Yolo

later came over to perform some religious rituals. After that, the strange happenings diminished but did not completely disappear. For instance, clean laundry would become inexplicably wet with brownish stains and our robotic vacuum cleaner would suddenly start moving on its own. In the end, we broke the rental contract and moved out. After we left, my mum finally told me that she had seen a little boy running from the living room into the kitchen during one of her visits. She thought it was my son trying to play hide and seek with her. But when she went into the kitchen, there was no one there. She then realised my younger son had been in the bedroom with me all along, while my older boy was in school. — Lucky or Unlucky

Café connoisseur

Last issue’s feature on modern Singaporean desserts was great for café lovers like me, especially since I love bread and waffles. Thanks to the story, I can now start planning my cafe-hopping journey on weekends!

Ed: Congrats, you’ve won the prize.

True Singapore ghost story

Issue #1402’s story on celeb hauntings was a great read for horror story fans like me. I, too, had an encounter with the supernatural. It happened when my family of four sold our house and moved into a rented flat. On the first evening that we moved in, the common bathroom’s floor mat became thoroughly wet and reeked of urine. A few days later, the master bathroom’s floor mat became wet too, as if someone poured cups of water onto it. The same happened to the main door’s floor mat a few days later. I questioned my two sons, but they insisted they had nothing to do with it. This continued for weeks, and there was also muddy water in our waste paper basket, and a puddle of water in the living room, before I realised something wasn't right. I confided in my brother, as his colleague was familiar with such things. I was advised to make some offerings. I did as told and the moment I came home after making the offerings, a puddle of water appeared next to my bed. I was scared stiff and convinced that there was something sharing our rented place. The next night, my older son told me that he saw a bluish figure with no hands and legs. My brother's colleague

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— Chia Pei Shan

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advertorial

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

New Choices

The Cathay’s latest F&B offerings bring you delectable delights you won’t forget anytime soon.

ancy a shaved ice dessert crafted by the pioneer of Kakigori? How about delicate yet flavourful teas from the best locales in Japan? Come to The Cathay and discover these delights and much more.

Kori King #01-02 Kori King is destined for long queues. This is the pioneer of Kakigori, a dessert dating back to the 11th century that was a favourite of Japan’s elites. Kakigori is a colourful shaved ice delight topped with quality flavoured syrups and milk, brought in from Hokkaido. Kori King also offers Doriyaki pancakes filled with premium ingredients such as Azuki red bean paste.

SaladStop! #01-01 With a motto to “Eat Wide Awake”, SaladStop! brings fresh ingredients, quality toppings and healthy homemade dressings to customers with nutrition and wellness in mind. SaladStop! quick service salad bar offers delicious options to make your own healthy salad, and it also is on-trend with superfoods, acai bowls and ready suggestions for gym-goers.

LiHO #01-10 Meaning “How are you?” in Hokkien, LiHO is a tea beverage brand that every Singaporean can relate to. You haven’t experienced LiHO until you have tried one of its cheese teas — fragrant premium brewed tea topped with a layer of creamy cheese foam. LiHO’s Cheese Teas are already gaining quite an army of fans. If that’s not enough, try LiHO’s new passion fruit series drinks made with real passion fruit. Perfect for our sunny weather!

Matchaya #01-08 Matchaya is every matcha-lover’s dream come true, a modern Japanese tea shop that serves the best teas from Hokkaido, Hyogo, Kyoto, Osaka, Okinawa, Shizuoka and Uji. There’s soft-serve in four flavours: Uji Matcha, Houjicha, Osaka Kurogoma and Hokkaido Milk, and there’s pure hot green tea like you’ve never tasted. Look out also for sweet treats which showcase seasonal produce from Japan. The Assembly Ground #01-21 Devoted to honest coffee culture, the newly revamped The Assembly Ground offers an inviting space to chill, chat, meet people and share ideas and experiences. Coffee blends you get to imbibe here come fresh from Singapore’s best coffee roasters, and comfort fare you’ll enjoy include pastas and brunch plates. Their new bottles of Cold Brews are getting lots of love too.

The Cathay is at 2 Handy Road, Singapore 229233 | thecathay.com.sg

numbers

STORY

WEETEE NEU

No. of art installations at Paw-sitive, the world’s first interactive art exhibition for cats and dogs, held here from Sep 30 to Oct 8. The installations are aimed at creating a positive and engaging experience for your pets and to improve their mental and physical well-being. Something to consider when you celebrate World Animal Day on Oct 4.

$96.2 mil

Pet food sales in Singapore in 2016, of which around $81 mil is from cat and dog food.

$4,000

Maximum fine for keeping more than one dog per HDB residential unit — from the list of 62 approved breeds, of course. Dog breeds deemed dangerous, such as the American pit bull and the Japanese Akita, cannot be kept in a flat.

824,600

CREDIT: PET CRUISE FACEBOOK

Total no. of fur kids in Singapore in 2016, 62,000 of which are dogs and 52,500, cats. Most popular dog breeds last year were mixed breeds, followed by the toy poodle, the shih tzu, the miniature schnauzer and the maltese.

$320

Years Chong Pang residents were allowed to keep a cat per flat under a cat ownership pilot project, ‘Love Cat’, from 2012 to 2016. Launched by Minister K. Shanmugam, the project was a testing bed for the feasibility of responsible cat ownership (cats have been banned in HDB flats since 1960.)

No. of cats kept in a three-room flat at Fernvale Link by an extreme cat-hoarder. The cats were rescued by the Cat Welfare Society and volunteer group Saving the Siameses in July.

$180,000 The fine imposed on the owner of a Pasir Ris pet

farm after a surprise inspection by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) found eight dogs in grave health. Five of the dogs suffered from eye ulcers and swelling, one husky had open wounds, and a pomeranian was found to be completely blind. Two died in the midst of treatment. This calls for a broken heart emoji.

8 DAYS

Paw-sitive is on Sep 30 to Oct 8 at School of the Arts (SOTA). For tix and more info, go to https:// www.wellnesspetfood.com.sg/10thanniversary.

CREDIT: SAVING THE SIAMESES FACEBOOK

How much you’ll have to pay for a two-hour cruise with your pets in Singapore. Pet Cruise, started in 2012 by a retired broker, provides an expedition to surrounding waters where doggies can go swimming with their owners or go exploring on Coney Island and Seletar Island, among others.

soundbites “I’m not going to tell you what we actually talk about, but yeah, we’re very, very close and sometimes we do quote the odd Titanic line back and forth to each other, because only we can, and we find it really funny.” — Kate Winslet offering a peek into her friendship with Leonardo DiCaprio.

COMPILED BY

JONATHAN FAM

“I don’t like your little games / I don’t like your tilted stage,” — Taylor Swift’s new single ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ takes sharp aim at her nemesis Kanye West, who if you didn’t know, notably used a tilted stage on his recent Saint Pablo tour.

“I’m only responsible to the audience and for my movie but not for an entire genre of movies. This is a hole I won’t jump into. Every action actor wants to usher in a new era so to me, my life has just started.” — Chinese actor-director Wu Jing on what the success of Wolf Warrior 2 means to Chinese action movies.

— Jay-Z revealing the inspiration behind the names of his newborn twins.

8 DAYS

PHOTOS: TPG NEWS/CLICK PHOTOS

“Rumi is our favorite poet, so it was for our daughter. Sir was like, man, come out the gate. He carries himself like that. He just came out, like, Sir.”

ELLE SEP ISSUE

ELLE BEAUTY BOOK 2017

Visit us online at ELLE.sg

what‘s up with... Nurul Aini 35 The Lion Mums star on her co-star Fir Rahman, how she has fun on set, and who would make a nice addition to the show. 8 DAYS: There was a two-year break between Seasons 1 and 2 of Lion Mums. Was it easy to get back to playing ambitious working mum Durrani? NURUL AINI: There wasn’t much preparation — it all came naturally to me. I've been waiting so eagerly for the second season because Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger. And we all knew there was going to be another season when we wrapped up on the first one. If the show returns for a third season, which actress would make a good Lion Mum? What a question! I think Oon Shu An would make a very good Lion Mum. She's got the very fierce look so I feel she can pull off a tiger mum but at the same time [imbue] her character with a playful element. What do you make of Chae Lian, the new character played by Lina Ng? Do you approve of her tiger mum approach to parenting? I'm on the fence about her character. There are certain things that are good, like how she pushes her children. I want to be more like that. She's willing to quit her job and focus her life entirely on her children. Not everyone can do that. But there are some things she does on the show that are too extreme, like caning her child in front of people. I will never ever do that to my children. I don't think violence is the way, even if it gets the job done. Are you a tiger mum to your two kids? I wouldn't call myself a tiger or a lion mum. I'm more relaxed. But I've sent my kids to enrichment since they were three. I just think it's important for them to have that foundation, you know. Also, it's because I don't want them to be left out when they enter primary school. But I know when they're not enjoying

8 DAYS

STORY

DOUG LAS TSENG

STAGRA PHOTO: IN

Many people have asked me when Season 2 Major Dad: was coming out. So Nurul with Fir Rahman as her when we were doing husband Reza social media promotion Ali. [for Season 2], people were really happy to know there was going to be a continuation. Now that it's airing, fans are telling me how much they love it and how they subscribed to Toggle just to watch episodes ahead [of everyone else]. You broke your arm in 2015 while pranking a themselves. That's why cameraman on the set I make it a point to of a Suria drama. You’ve make sure they enjoy also been nicknamed whatever they're a “monkey” for your doing, and it seems energy and mischief. like they do enjoy it Are you still pranking when I give them a people? little push. I'm still a monkey and We notice that as playful as ever. the Lion Mums That's how I have fun don’t do much on set! But I'm more cooking on the careful now lah. I'll show. Do you make sure I don't cook for your break any parts of my family? body (laughs). Recently, I’ve just been up to small I do. I'm very lucky pranks, like screaming at unsuspecting people because my family doesn't Family day off: while they're reading their scripts. If they're Nurul with (from mind eating the same few dishes every day. wearing slippers while crossing their legs, left) son Shan Ehan, Typical Malay fare, you know. They love my I'll kick the flip-flops off and throw them real seven, and daughter sambal prawns. In fact, I cook sambal prawns Shaista Eman, five, far away so they'll have to retrieve them and husband so often I can probably make them while halfbarefoot (chuckles). Sofian Roslan. sleeping! You own a successful clothing boutique After Season 1, your screen husband Fir line called StudioFrost, which sells modern Rahman went on to star in the acclaimed movie Malay clothing. Would you have become an Apprentice. entrepreneur if you weren’t an actress? I'd be in I think Apprentice put him on the map. And even PR! I was a PR manager at a hotel before I joined though he's been to Cannes [for the film’s premiere], showbiz and I like to talk. But as much as I love he's still so grounded and humble. I love that about entrepreneurship, I will never give acting up. I love it too him. Our chemistry is also much better now. We're like much. best friends now! It's because we had more intense What’s your formula for balancing work and family? scenes together and as a result we got closer. In the Family support. I wouldn't be able to juggle everything first season, his character was kind of a supporting if it weren't for my husband. He's really supportive. character to Durrani. But this time round, he has a lot When I need to work for the entire day, he'll be the more story and Fir is doing a fantastic job. one picking up the kids from school. There's no secret What kind of feedback have you received from [to balancing things]. It's all about his support. At the mothers? same time, I also sacrifice a lot of sleep. When I get We got fantastic feedback for Season 1. It also ended home at 4am, I'd sleep for an hour and wake up at on a cliffhanger, so everyone was like "Why did it have 6.30am to send my kids to school, no matter what. to end like that?" They were all hoping for a 13th Lion Mums airs Mon-Thurs, Ch 5, 10pm. It’s also on Toggle. episode [after the season ended with 12 episodes]. M/AANUR

8 DAYS | 13

scene & Heard

Battle of the Sexes STARRING EMMA STONE, STEVE CARELL, ELISABETH SHUE, BILL PULLMAN DIRECTED BY JONATHAN DAYTON & VALERIE FARIS

WHY WATCH: The co-stars of Crazy, Stupid, Love reunite for a game of tennis! THE LOWDOWN: In 1973, tennis champ Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) takes on ex-tennis champ — and self-proclaimed male chauvinist — Bobby Riggs in a historic exhibition match dubbed ‘The Battle of the Sexes’.

8 DAYS

THE BUZZ: There’s more to Battle of the Sexes than just a nostalgia fest — it’s also a look at how the fight for gender quality and women’s rights was fought back in the day. “This was a really important serious time in the women’s liberation movement, and it was one of the first times that a political issue was acted out in a circus-like atmosphere. It just felt like incredibly relevant to today’s time,” says co-director Jonathan Dayton (Little Miss Sunshine). Alas, nothing much has changed since, says Emma Stone who’s likened the King-vs-

Riggs match to the Hillary Clintonvs-Donald Trump election. “We’re still having the exact same fights, and that’s become more apparent, unfortunately, over the past year-anda-half since we shot it,” the recent Oscar winner reflects. “It feels like not much at all has changed since this huge event. It’s a painful truth.” While Clinton may have lost the presidency to Trump, King — spoiler alert! — didn’t lose her on-court duel with Riggs. So, far from being downbeat, Battle of the Sexes is an inspiring tale for the ages. OPENS: NOV 23

STORY

DOUG LAS TSENG

What a racket: EMMA STONE studied Billie Jean King’s old interviews and match footage to help her portray the tennis icon, now 74. In fact, she still can’t stop studying King. “If we do an interview or we’re sitting and talking, I find myself just like staring at her and watching how she’s moving all the time,” says Stone. “But that’s how I relate to her. I’m like her creepy friend now.” Stone also trained her butt off. “Emma trained like an action hero,” says co-director Jonathan Dayton.

PHOTOS: TPG NEWS/CLICK PHOTOS

Despicable him: To play Bobby Riggs, STEVE CARELL grew his own mutton-chops and dyed his hair brownish red — and he hated the look. “Bobby used to his dye his own hair,” says Carell. “The person who dyed my hair for the role said, ‘I’m really sorry but this has to look like you did it yourself, so it was all one colour.” Carell also spent months training on the tennis court with Rigg’s trainer. Says co-director Valerie Faris: “[Steve] told us he’s never worked this long for a movie.”

8 DAYS | 15

scene & Heard

Looking

Gold

So Malaysia came in tops with a 145 gold medal haul at the recent SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur. (Singapore came in fourth with 57 gold medals, our best showing at an away Games.) But who are the athletes who scored gold in the looks department? We round them up for your viewing pleasure.

FARAH ANN ABDUL HADI, 23

Ka-ching! Even before wowing us with her gravity-defying moves, Malaysian gymnast FARAH ANN ABDUI HADI already scored a perfect 10 in our hearts thanks to her million-dollar smile.

DANNY YEO, 27

Flying fish: Singapore swimmer DANNY YEO swam his way into everyone’s hearts as a member of the gold medal-winning 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relay teams. That, and ’cos he’s cute as a button too.

IRFAN FANDI, 20, IKHSAN FANDI, 18

Score! IRFAN (right) and IKHSAN FANDI, local football legend Fandi Ahmad’s sons, may not have helped the Singapore U-22 football team score a medal but they’ve sure made an impression with their good looks.

8 DAYS

STORY

JOCELY N LEE

TRISTAN SOMCHAI DO, 24

He’s ballin’: It’s not hard to know why Thai-French footballer TRISTAN SOMCHAI DO has over 40K fans on his Facebook page. Just look at those dreamy eyes.

LINDSWELL KWOK, 25

Strike a pose: Indonesian wushu beauty LINDSWELL KWOK exudes elegance and poise both on and off court and, if you ask us, is pretty enough to be on Ch 8.

PRINCE ABDUL MATEEN, 26

He’s literally royalty: He went viral on the Internet earlier this year for being a real-life Prince Charming. But Brunei’s PRINCE ABDUL MATEEN is also an excellent equestrian polo player who represented his country at the Games.

TYLER CHRISTIAN RUIZ, 26

Excuse me, are you a model? With his towering 1.88m physique and boyish good looks, it’s easy to mistake the Cuban-Filipino long-jumper for a model.

PHAM PHUOC HUNG, 28

Guns out: We wonder how many bicep curls Vietnamnese gymnast PHAM PHUOC HUNG had to do to get those well-defined sculpted arms.

8 DAYS | 17

scene & Heard

Fashion Police:

MTV VMAs 2017 It’s the night of the year where the cool, hip and famous can wear what they want and get away with it. Well, almost. Billie genes: Her dad is the late King of Pop and Paris Jackson, with her recent red carpet appearances, looks set on becoming the next Queen of Fashion in this whimsical Dior number.

Oh, lord: Lorde looks gorgeous in her Monique Lhullier gown but for one of the coolest girls in showbiz, it sadly comes across as a bit, ouch, basic.

What would Taylor say? Host Katy Perry

stuns in a white Stephane Rolland number that looks sculpted to perfection. We’re expecting Taylor Swift to have a comeback for this in 3, 2…

8 DAYS

STORY

JONATHAN FAM

Model mum: Pink sure knows how to walk the talk. The singer, who won the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award, said in her moving speech, which was dedicated to her daughter who recently told her she felt ugly for looking “like a boy with long hair”, that pop music has a proud history of celebrating androgyny and that she should not change. Pink and glazed:

There are people who claim they saw Nicki Minaj’s camel toe, no thanks to her bubblegum-pink latex body suit. Though we think that’s the least of the rapper’s worries while wearing this outfit. What if she needs to pee?

Weave it to her:

8 DAYS | 19

PHOTOS: TPGNEWS/CLICKPHOTOS

Only Olivia Munn can turn an Etsy embroidered quilt cover into a sexy mini dress.

Kid rock: You know what’s the strangest thing about Millie Bobby Brown, who looks fab in this studded Rodarte number? That she’s only 13 and no one is batting an eyelid at how she’s already working the red carpet like an adult.

scene & Heard Sheer luck:

Demi Lovato is a genie in a bottle but you better not rub her the wrong way.

She’s-trying-toscare-him Spice: We’re

guessing Mel B’s dress, which has the words “You Will Never Own Me” emblazoned across it, is a message to her ex-husband, who she is embroiled in a bitter legal battle with.

Gold member:

Another red carpet, another occasion for Heidi Klum to take her girls out.

Sister act: This is

Noah Cyrus aka Miley’s kid sister, or what Ozzy Osbourne would look like if he wore thigh high boots.

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Heavy petal:

Vanessa Hudgens is how we imagine ourselves every time we take a flower bath.

PHOTO CREDIT: TPGNEWS/CLICKPHOTOS

scene & Heard

Foo Your Listening Pleasure Just Foo you: (From left:) Rami Jaffee, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Taylor Hawkins, Dave Grohl and Chris Shiflett at the Grammys last year.

Here’s how legendary alt-rockers Foo Fighters made us sit up and listen when they were in town recently for their first gig here in 21 years.

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For the uninitiated, a playback session, sometimes called a listening party, is what happens when a group of journos gather in a room, usually the record label’s office, to listen to a soon-to-be released album. But what makes today’s playback sesh truly special is not just because we’re one of the first few people in the world to listen to the Foo Fighters’ new album Concrete and Gold or that it’s happening at a function room at the Mandarin Oriental. What really makes today spesh is that the rock legends will meeting us after for a quick chat, even though they’re slated to play at the National Stadium just hours later (see box). Now this is a listening party. But first, we have to surrender all bags and recording devices. And yes, that includes our mobile phones. This is to ensure that nothing gets leaked onto the Internet, you know, like a Games of Thrones episode. But… but… What if we get bored and want to play Candy Crush halfway through? Instead, we’re given a note pad and a pen to jot down our thoughts and whatever bon mots the Foos decide to spew.

STORY

At 4.30pm, the first strains of ‘T-shirt’, the opening track of Concrete, explodes on the sound system. We have to admit we jumped a little in our seat. We might have even peed a little in our pants. But the song, as well the other glorious tracks like ‘Run’ and ‘The Sky is a Neighborhood’, is classic Foo Fighters, which means it starts off tender before pounding our ear drums into enraptured submission. Listening to an album is, to us, a very personal experience. Music is of course very subjective — one man’s Taylor Swift can be another man’s Katy Perry — so how are we supposed to react in public if we don’t like the new songs? The people around us sure have no issues with that. In the row in front of us, there’s 987 jock Joakim Gomez nodding along to the music, his hands occasionally lapsing into air drumming mode. Across the aisle, we see E! News Asia presenter Dominic Lau, who, with his eyes closed and his feet tapping to the music, seems totally lost in the moment. As for us? We had started off going down an existential funk when we weren’t able to Google the title of an old Foo track that one of the new songs reminded us of. But we soon gave in to the music and just listened. Fifty minutes of Concrete and Gold later, we realise two things. It’s the first time in a long while that we’ve listened to an album in its entirety without any distraction. (P/S: It’s all about singles in the music biz these days, so blame them.) And that more than

JONATHAN FAM

two decades after throwing a ‘Monkey Wrench’ into the system, the Foos still sound awesome. They are also incredibly funny. It’s not every day you see a bunch of journos giving a band a standing ovation when they enter a room but that’s what Dave Grohl and co. got. On why it took them so long (21 years to be exact since their 1996 gig at the now-defunct Harbour Pavilion) to perform here again, drummer Taylor Hawkins says, “We started having kids along the way. Kids ruin rock ‘n roll.” Dave, without missing a beat, adds: “They mess up everything.” The band’s frontman also has an amazing memory as he was able to recount what happened exactly before the 1996 gig (their former drummer got sick and thought he wasn’t able to perform) and after (they had supper at a “seafood centre”.) Sadly, we didn’t get to ask our question about how their now-viral performance with Rick Astley at last month’s Summer Sonic came into fruition, despite raising our hands enthusiastically like Hermione Granger in class. Apparently the moderator seemed to only pick people whose name she knew. And just like that our moment of “party-ing” with Foo Fighters is over. And all we have to show for it are our badly scribbled notes… and a photo with the rock gods. Oh, yeah. Foo Fighters’ latest album Concrete and Gold will be released on Sep 15.

PHOTO CREDIT: UNUSUAL ENTERTAINMENT

Our fave moment from the Foo Fighters gig The concert showed just how loved the Foos are for those who grew up in the ’90s. Around us were young families, like this ang moh guy with his super-lit mixed race kid, who gestured to everyone around him to get up from their seats while he pogo-ed around like he was in a mosh pit. Or this Malay dude who taught his seven-year-old how to headbang to the Foos while his proud wife recorded the moment on her phone. Dave Grohl would later thank everyone for coming to see “an old rock n’ roll band — a dad band”. Well, they’ve clearly fathered an entire generation (and the next generation) of wannabe rockers. Midway through the concert, the band launched into ‘Big Me’, one of Foo’s most popular, not to mention karaoke-friendly, songs. But Dave clearly didn’t expect the 25,000-strong crowd to sing along ’cos when they did, he came thisclose to bursting into tears. “You’re gonna make me cry,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. Possibly the most moving, misty-eyed moment of any testosteronefilled rock concert we’ve ever been to.

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scene & Heard

STORY

CHERY L ONG

infinite-y South Korean singer KIM MYUNG SOO aka INFINITE’s L may be one of the most photographed faces in K-pop. But the good-looker prefers to be behind the camera lens.

and

8 DAYS: You’ll be coming to Singapore for your solo fan meet. Since your hobby is photography, where in Singapore would you go to take photos? KIM MYUNG SOO AKA L: I’d like to take pictures of Singapore’s night scene. Last time I was here [two years ago], it left a huge impression on me. So I want to feel its atmosphere once again. I’m excited to have Singapore’s yummy food and to see the city’s streets. You occasionally go around Seoul and its outskirts to snap pics. What’s your favourite thing to photograph? I don’t have a favourite thing to photograph. It is different every time. But I photograph buildings more often. Sometimes, when I go out to take photos, I meet my fans. We say “hi”. Which do you enjoy more: 1) Being photographed or 2) Taking photos? I enjoy taking photos more. I get to own a certain moment or scenery in a certain country. You recently impressed with your acting skills in the period drama Ruler: Master of the Mask. In the show, your character, a commoner, changes drastically after he becomes king. How have you changed since becoming a celebrity? People around me have more interest in me. When I go out, more people recognise me. Maybe [the attention is] due to the drama? You come across as very quiet and mysterious in public and you’ve said that it’s something your company requests of you. So what’s the secret to acting mysterious? I don’t have any secret for acting mysterious. But I tend to hide my face [in public] and I don’t talk much, which is why I give that impression. Actually, I am a quiet person [in private too]. Many fans call you a “visual god” for your boyish good looks. Is there something you wish you could change about your appearance? Sometimes, my eyes get swollen and my double eyelids disappear. So I hope my eyes won’t get swollen so often. Catch Kim Myung Soo at his fan meet on Sep 23, Resorts World Theatre, 7.30pm. Tix from Sistic.

8 DAYS

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“Let me get that girl’s attention,” says Chuando. We are sitting at a tucked-away table in The Coffee Academics café at Scotts Square, and we’re in need of a water refill. He waves his hand hopefully, but the waitress is busy. “Let’s both try and see who gets her attention first, just to test if it’s true that strangers always notice you,” we suggest. “Of course it’ll be me lah — you're sitting in a blind spot and I'm taller,” he ribs, keeping his hand raised. Nevertheless, we give it our best shot and wave enthusiastically. A waiter shoots up — to Chuando! — and reverently pours water into his glass. For the record, he is 1.85m-tall. And people, both men and women, are drawn to him like fast food junkies to McDonald’s nasi lemak burger. It is a proven fact: tapping on the Insights function on his verified Instagram account (@chuando_chuandoandfrey) reveals a statistical pie chart dividing his 452,000 followers equally across both genders. Guys want to be like him, girls want to be with him. We’re reminded of the song: “Tell me when will you be mine? Tell me Chuando, Chuando, Chuando…” Good news: the bachelor tells us he is currently “single and not dating”. Everyone, please calm down and line up, thanks! For those who are going, “Tan Chuan-who?”

(Is there Wifi under your rock?), let’s back up a little. Tan Chuando recently made headlines around the world as the viral hawt “50-year-old photographer who looks like a 30-year-old”, thanks to a Chinese news website who discovered his treasure trove of topless Instagram selfies. Shirtless Guy of the Week? More like Of. All. Time. We have seen ancient marble statues less chiselled than Chuando (who also goes by the initials ‘CD’). On this Friday afternoon, we scrutinise his… face as he sits across from us. His lightly tanned complexion is smooth, his sleep-deprived eyes framed by charming laugh lines. He looks pretty much like his online self, but more tired. “I was rushing work last night and only slept four hours,” he explains, languidly stretching his powerful shoulders. He dresses youthfully, in a chambray buttondown shirt, Adidas athleisure sweatpants, and those black-rimmed Ray-Bans that he slips on and off when he squints at his iPhone. “For my lao hua yan (Mandarin for presbyopia, or long-sightedness),” he explains. “50 degrees only.” Aha! Finally — a giveaway sign that he had indeed turned 51 in March this year. Despite his Greek god bod, he’s not immune to the slight grey creeping into his sideburns and stubble. “I dye my hair every two months. But I haven't dyed it in a month — can you see the white hair now?” he asks, tilting his lush crowning glory towards us to examine. No sign of balding that, according to God’s laws, should already be present on a quinquagenarian like him. What is this guy on? Interestingly, meeting CD in the flesh, with his Clark Kent-esque glasses and all, didn't make us feel tempted to ask him to rip off his shirt like Superman and show us those legendary abs. Maybe it's ’cos he gives the impression that he is so much more

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than a fantasy comic book character. After all, three shout,” he laughs. But would he sing professionally decades before this viral media storm knocked on again? He ponders that for a moment. “Recently, I his door and made him China’s new darling, he was got an offer in China to appear on a reality singing already famous — both in front of the camera and competition. It’s like a version of that popular show I behind it. Am A Singer. If I happen to know a very good agent, He started out in the ’80s as a top male model I think I’ll go for it.” As we chat, streams of Chinese who stormed Milan’s runways. In 1992, he shared text messages silently bombard his phone. an 8 DAYS cover with veteran singer Tracy Huang. This Hainanese boy from Toa Payoh lives The next year, he released a Mandopop album, “around the town area” now. But he’s still very and in 2005, he set up local modelling agency Ave down-to-earth. The café we are at serves fancy Management. These days, beverages like pepper he’s mostly on the other agave latte, and we wonder side of the camera, as one if CD, who had picked of the most in-demand this place to meet, would fashion photographers in the order anything elaborate business, with his longtime (maybe the Instagramcollaborator Frey Ow, who worthy Coffee in a Cone?). shot these abs-olutely im-pecInstead, he orders a simple cable pics for 8 DAYS. Unlike “cappuccino, skinny” even with a regular cover shoot, though he says he usually we weren’t there — after avoids coffee and tea some discussion and input unless he's “on holiday, or from us, CD and his team did feeling very relaxed”. When their own thang, as per their his cuppa arrives, he utters, preference. We apologise “Thank you very much” to that we can’t describe to the waitstaff, and leaps up you how he peeled off his to get the bill when we call shirt, oiled his pecs and it a day. He speaks softly, smouldered into the camera though when he laughs, it — you’re just going to have is a booming, ab-sculpting to use your imagination, laugh. He doesn't really like we did. Together, CD cook, he says, but tapows and Frey are a photography his lunch from food courts team called chuando&frey around Orchard Road. who has shot stars like Shu “Whatever stall that has Qi, Angelababy, Eddie Peng fish soup, chicken breast… and Janet Jackson. Oh, and Doesn't matter if it tastes also 8 DAYS’ 2001 cover good as long as the food featuring Wong Li-Lin and is fresh. But I do marinate former national swimmer chicken in olive oil and Love him or 8 him: (Top and Leslie Kwok. For a while, balsamic vinegar and throw bottom) CD’s 1992 8 DAYS cover with CD was based on and off in it inside a toaster oven, Tracy Huang and the 2001 cover he shot of Wong Li-Lin and former New York, and only returned though I don’t consider that national swimmer Leslie Kwok. recently after “a big change cooking,” he says selfin the industry there since deprecatingly. This is a man Trump took over”. He tells us, “Some Chinese one might expect to go on and on about himself, but [netizens] dug out my old interviews as a singer he relishes playing interviewer with us too. “Would and thought my name was Chen Yufei. That was my you say your job is interesting?” he asks curiously. stage name. My real name is Chen Chuan Duo,” he “Do you have pets? You love durians too? How tells us, enunciating each Chinese word. We ask come you never drink your coffee?” him if he stills sings (karaoke, maybe?) these days At the end of our kopi sesh, CD asks us where and what his repertoire is. “The last time I sang we are heading. Friday night drinks with the squad, karaoke was like three years ago. I always sing U2’s we reply. Where is he off to? “The gym,” he says. songs ’cos I love U2, but don’t imagine me singing “I’m just an old man who exercises and takes care in perfect key lah. My friends and I just scream and of himself.”

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8 DAYS: What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? TAN CHUANDO: Drink water. It cleanses your body. I always have a water bottle beside my bed, and throughout the night I just drink from it. I don't care how many times I have to wake up to go to the bathroom. Legend has it that you don't bathe early in the morning or late at night. I think I said that in an interview 20 years ago (laughs). When I was a singer, I had very bad sinus problems, and I was seeing a specialist for it. The sinseh told me I couldn’t shower early in the morning or late at night ’cos I’d catch a cold. So that’s the full story lah. When you look into the mirror, what do you see? (Guffaws) Somebody who’s so tired, I wondered how I was going to meet you. What would you say about me? I only slept four hours last night. Most of the time I’m rushing work till late, so by the time I go to bed, it’s already daytime. If I’m busy for an entire week and have nothing much on the next week, I’d try to sleep more to compensate. Anything from six to eight hours, I’d be very happy. What kind of skincare do you use? I have very sensitive skin, so I don’t use anything on my skin. If I travel to a wintery place like New York, I will just use whatever moisturiser I can find. It may cause breakouts, so I try not to apply too much. Once I start to use any product for more than a week, all these whiteheads start popping out. Your bod looks like the product of a Marvel comic artist’s imagination. How much of what we see of you on social media is real? Wah lau, I don’t know where to put my face when people say that I’m young and whatnot. They are just looking at my Instagram videos and photos, which are not shot using a professional camera. When you use your handphone to take photos, you always look good. Phone cameras don’t pick up details so your skin looks smooth, and the wide angle lens used makes your face look sharp. But when you’re using an SLR camera, the photo quality is so good that it highlights all your flaws and make you look your real age. I have lines when I smile. Maybe I should consider Botox… Would you? No lah. Aesthetics is my trade, so I’m very sensitive about it. I don’t like the look that plastic surgery gives you. You can tell when somebody has had something done. I’m a guy… it’s okay. Shi li pai! (Mandarin for substance over looks) Drinking and smoking are common habits in your line. Do you do that? I picked up smoking when I was a teenager, before

8 DAYS

National Service. But I didn’t like it. I quit for a while, then I met up with my best friend one day and he passed me a cigarette. When I inhaled, my head started spinning. I felt so nauseous that I said, “Dude, I can’t do this.” I had to go home (laughs). And I never touched a cigarette again. I don’t drink, and it’s been like that since I was young. I grew to like wine, but I don’t really drink it ’cos alcohol ages your skin. If you’re trying to cleanse your body by eating clean, don’t put the toxins back in by drinking and smoking. The last time I went to a club was over 10 years ago. It’s so rowdy. The energy there is just not for me. What do you do when you hang out with your friends then? When I tell people I’m a fashion photographer, they always think my life is such-and-such. But in reality it’s not lah. My friends are not from the fashion scene. They are all very normal, and we lead the same lifestyle. We go to the gym, watch movies, have a good dinner and hang out. There’s nothing much to do in Singapore when you don’t drink or go out, so watching movies is one of my favourite pastimes. I recently caught Atomic Blonde. Do your guy friends look like you? All my friends don’t look their age. Maybe like-minded people hang out together. So you’ve got to hang out with the right crowd (guffaws). What is your workout routine like? I try to go to the gym on weekdays so I can rest over the weekend. I do cardio three times a week, and weights. The exercises depend on my body condition on that day. If I’m tired or unwell, I don’t do high reps ’cos I’m just going to strain myself. I tell my friends: Just get the exercising over and done with in the morning. Run on the treadmill on an empty stomach, and you will burn twice the calories. But you aren’t starving yourself ’cos after that you can go have your breakfast. You are your own pillar. You have to support yourself. What are your eating habits like? I’m quite boring ’cos I always eat the same things, like fish soup and chicken breast meat. Ideally, I’d wake up and have berries for breakfast. After going to the gym, I’d have my protein shakes. For lunch, I’d have six to eight eggs with two slices of bread. I’d do my work for about two hours, then hit the gym again, after which I’d have chicken breast and some carbs in the form of a small serving of brown rice or veggies. This is also when I might have something sweet like durians. At night I’ll eat chicken breast meat or fish soup without any carbs. I don’t really diet, but I watch what I eat. Your body gets accustomed to eating clean. Whenever I get a craving for char kway teow and eat it, I’d feel like throwing up after a few

Mission

Im-pec-cable

Here is a compendium of some of CDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sizzling Instagram snaps, for your viewing pleasure. They are just a few of the more PG posts we found on his account, among others that were ooh, we mean, too naughty to print.

8 DAYS | 33

mouthfuls. My body is saying, “This is too oily.” So your body rejects cheat days for you? My cheat days don’t come very often. I cheat with ice-cream and durians. Very fattening! (Guffaws) So I try to eat them during the day. Most people eat durians at night, but that’s very bad. Durians contain sugar that turns to fat if you go to sleep right after eating it. I have ice-cream about once a month. A pint of Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice-cream that I split into three servings. Sometimes when I have no food at home, I finish the whole pint. Impromptu cheat day! I eat McDonald’s takeout on photoshoots too, when we don’t have that many food options. It won’t kill me to eat fast food once in a while. But when I was still modelling and dined out with my friends, I used to dip my food in a bowl of hot water to rinse off the sauce before I consume it. I still do that now, sometimes. Sounds unappetising leh. My friends said, “You’re crazy!” But I told them, “No choice what. I cannot stop you from [picking a restaurant that serves] unhealthy food.” It’s not difficult for me ’cos I’ve been doing this for so many years. I was a swimmer in my teens, and I was always into health and bodybuilding. I love going to the gym. It’s a good habit that will stick with me for the rest of my life — I will lift till I cannot lift (laughs). You don’t look your age. But do you have the same kind of health problems that a typical 51-year-old may have? Other than my lao hua yan and grey hair, I’m pretty okay. Touch wood! I’ve had to wear glasses early partly ’cos I stare at the computer for long hours at work. I also have joint problems, but that’s from working out incorrectly during my teens. Some people look young for a long time and suddenly, boom! Age hits them out of nowhere. Are you afraid of that happening to you? No, everyone ages eventually and we all have our fair share of youth. At this age, I’m already old! I’m just an old man who exercises and takes care of himself. Do younger people call you uncle? Only on social media. And my friends’ kids call me Uncle Chuando. But I don’t mind. It’s a very natural thing. There were also some comments from netizens telling you to act your age. I think I act my age. There is no right or wrong behaviour. If you have a family with kids, your priorities will be different. When you are unmarried and have an Instagram account on which you want to share your life with people, you come out a bit different. Instagram is always different from

real life. You filter out a lot of things. People can’t entirely see the real you. You were ‘discovered’ by a Chinese news website who published your Instagram photos and kickstarted this viral craze. Did that open doors for you in China? There have been offers for TV appearances, but honestly, I’m not really ready to go on TV. I’ve been behind the camera for so many years now, so I don’t know how I’m going to adjust to being in front of it again. You’re putting yourself out there for people to judge. They can see through everything, you know? I’m very private. Whether to put myself in the public eye or not is not an easy decision to make at my age. I’m not young anymore. I’ve already spent so much time working, so for the time I’m left with, I want it to be really meaningful — time for myself and my friends. But it’s sheer luck that this door opened for me (laughs). I cannot complain about it. You are already in the public eye now. Yes, but I have not really put myself out there. That would be going back to singing, or becoming an actor. I was approached to appear on a version of that popular reality singing show I Am A Singer. But I don’t have any interest in going back to singing unless there is a very unique opportunity thrown my way. If I happen to know a very good agent, I think I’ll go for it. The opportunities only came after this viral thing, and it’s a question of whether I want to grab them or not. But photography will always be my passion. It’s a profession that lasts no matter how old you are. I’m always excited whenever I get a new project. So as long as I can do it, I’ll continue doing it. And now you are an ambassador alongside stars like Naomi Campbell, Gigi Leung and JJ Lin for Chinese charity Spread the Hope, which benefits visually-impaired children in China. They engaged me to create awareness on Instagram about their charity campaign. They are raising funds by selling this plush elephant. It’s a soft toy you can hug and use to spread love. 100 per cent of the proceeds will go towards their foundation. I appreciate that I can do good deeds and inspire my Instagram followers to do good. Do you consider yourself a social media influencer? It’s a new word, but I guess I am. I just want to share photos with my friends. My selfies are always silly and happy. That’s just me lah. How many DMs do you have in your Instagram inbox now? I receive a few hundred DMs on average daily, especially if I’ve posted something that day. Maybe

8 DAYS | 35

The ripped effect: (Left) CD at an 8 DAYS shoot in 1992. “Gosh I was so young in this photo,” he laughs. “All I can remember about this was that it was a very quick and easy shoot.” Father and son: (Below) The 1994 8 DAYS shoot with CD and his father, the late Mr Tan Tee Chie.

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don’t write that — it makes me sound very hao lian (Hokkien for showoff)! I try to reply to as many as messages as possible, especially those touching ones from people approaching 50 who say they are starting to eat healthily and exercise too. But I do get people asking me for things like sex videos and pictures of my fingers and feet. I don’t reply to any of those. Some of my followers also alerted me to people who impersonate me online and use my photos on Tinder to ask girls for their nude photos. I’d get [Instagram] messages from people saying, “Thank you for the chat.” But I've never chatted with them. There is nothing I can do to stop this. Eventually all this [attention] will die off lah. Nothing stays forever. I’m being realistic (laughs). Are you currently single, attached or it’s complicated? Single and not dating. To be honest, dating is not on my mind at this age. Is that strange? I’m focussing on my career. As for whether I’ll meet the right person, I’ll let that happen naturally. I don’t use any dating apps. My ideal partner can be any age or race or look older than me. As long as I can communicate and have fun with them, why not? I think that’s most important. Throwback time: In 1994, you did an 8 DAYS shoot with your dad Mr Tan Tee Chie, an artist and art lecturer at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. (Looks pensive) That was so long ago. My father passed away six years ago and my mum passed on even earlier; when I was around 31. Your dad’s passing must have been very hard since the both of you were so close. His death is still very hard on me. I still have recurring dreams of him. I looked up to him a lot. He did right by everything to be a good father, husband and teacher. I don’t see anything bad in him at all. I attended his classes a few times when I was studying graphic design at NAFA, and all his students loved him. He was kind, always has been. He didn’t really tell me how I should live my life, but I learnt from the way he lives his life.

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A MAN AND A WOMAN

Starring: Gong Yoo, Jeon Do Yeon Two strangers, both married with their own family issues, meet and begin a short-lived love affair in Finland. A snowstorm forces them to spend an evening together at an inn, and in the morning, they walk through the woods to a secluded sauna. They part ways the next day without knowing each other’s names. Several months later, they meet again.

PENNY PINCHERS

Starring: Song Joong Ki, Han Ye Seul A frugal, young woman, whose hobby is to visit the bank to make deposits, teams up with an unemployed loser in a money-raising scheme, resulting in some hilarious mishaps and a blossoming romance.

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OTHER ASIAN TITLES

AWARD-WINNING OR BOX OFFICE TITLES YOU SHOULDN’T MISS!

SOULMATE 七月与安生

Soulmate received seven nominations at the annual Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards 2016, and made history with a joint Best Actress win.

Starring: Zhou Dongyu, Ma Sichun, Toby Lee Based on a novella, Soulmate traces the relationship between two best friends and the eventual end of their friendship when a boy comes between them. Anchored by two of the most promising actresses of this generation, this is an evocative drama that dissects young love with style and verve.

OFFICE 华丽上班族

A box office hit with record takings.

FLEET OF TIME 匆匆那年

Starring: Eddie Peng, Ni Ni, Zheng Kai, Vision Wei This coming-of-age film is about a group of high school bosom friends growing up in the 1990s and 2000s. The story starts in a bar, where Chen Xun drunkenly and regretfully recounts his youth and his friendships with close friends Zhao Ye, Qiao Ran and the love of his life, Fang Hui.

Winner of Best Art Direction and Best Original Film Score at the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards last year.

Starring: Chow Yun Fat, Eason Chan, Tang Wei, Sylvia Chang Billion-dollar company Jones & Sunn is going public. Chairman Ho Chung Ping promises CEO Chang, who has been his mistress for more than 20 years, to become the company’s major shareholder. As the IPO team enters the company to audit its accounts, a series of inside stories starts to unfold.

No. 1 on its opening weekend at the Chinese box office.

EX-FILES 2: THE BACKUP STRIKES BACK 前任攻略2備胎反擊戰

Starring: Zheng Kai, Amber Kuo, Wang Chuan Jun, Zhang Yi Xing (Lay from EXO) A 2015 romantic comedy film, this sequel tells a hilarious love story between a TV director and a rising pop star.

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MOVIES

Logan Lucky

(PG 13)

STARRING Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig DIRECTED BY Steven Soderbergh

There’s a lot of hype surrounding Logan Lucky as director Steven Soderbergh’s first movie since coming out of retirement. Then again, did Soderbergh really retire? He didn’t exactly go goofingoff and grow a Gandalf beard; he kept himself busy with Magic Mike XXL (see sidebar) and the Cinemax period medical drama The Knick. For his comeback, if you want to call it that, Soderbergh’s essentially done a lo-fi, countrified reboot of his 2001 heist caper Ocean’s Eleven (itself a remake of a 1960 Frank Sinatra/ Rat Pack vehicle). It may not be as glamorous as the George Clooney/Brad Pitt version, but it’s just as stylish in its own redneck way. Instead of Las Vegas, Nevada, the action unfolds in Virginia, North Carolina, where Channing Tatum’s retrenched miner assembles an oddball crew (including Adam Driver as the ringleader’s low-key amputee war veteran brother) to hold up a NASCAR race. For some, it’s kinda disheartening to see Soderbergh doing a quasi-remake of his own work, but if he can still keep things fresh and enjoyable, why not? And Logan Lucky has this infectious, cheeky, whistlewhile-working vibe that’s hard to resist. The man to

8 DAYS

Plan ahead: Daniel Craig as a loose cannon demolition specialist named Joe Bang.

look out for is ‘newcomer’ Daniel Craig (he has a special ‘introducing’ credit). He’s clearly having the time of his life in a rare comedic role as Joe Bang, the bleached blonde explosive expert who can also pass off as a James Bond villain (in fact, he bears an uncanny resemblance to Robert Shaw in From Russia with Love). He has a mesmerising presence and devours every scene he’s in. Oh yeah, this Daniel Craig is going to go far. RATING

DOUG LAS TSENG

STEVEN SODERBERGH

The Beguiled (M18)

Starring Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Colin Farrell | Directed by Sofia Coppola

WHO WROTE LOGAN LUCKY? The writer may not exist at all.

Logan Lucky is not just a heist flick, it’s also a mystery. A Hollywood Reporter story suggests that the movie’s newbie screenwriter, Rebecca Blunt, “likely doesn’t exist”, and that she may be the pseudonym for director Steven Soderbergh. During the press tour, the Oscar-winning multi-hyphenate, 54, insisted that Blunt is real, hails from West Virginia, has journalism experience, and is a close friend of his wife, E! correspondent and ex-model Jules Asner. Even Adam Driver has claimed that he’d seen her on the Logan Lucky set. Asked why Blunt didn’t do press for the movie, Soderbergh said “she’s working on something and that she’s on a deadline and doesn’t want to do any press until after the movie opens.” At press time, the movie had been out in the US for more than three weeks and Blunt has yet to surface. If Blunt is indeed an alias for Soderbergh, it isn’t the first time he’s used one. He’s sometimes also known as… PETER ANDREWS That’s the name he uses when he’s the cinematographer. It’s his father’s first and middle name. Andrews’ credits include Traffic, Magic Mike XXL and Logan Lucky. MARY ANN BERNARD That’s the name he uses when he’s the editor. It’s his mother’s maiden name. Bernard’s credits include Solaris, Magic Mike XXL and Logan Lucky. SAM LOWRY That’s the name he uses when he’s the writer. Lowry’s credits include Criminal and The Underneath. Cineastes may recognise Sam Lowry as Jonathan Pryce’s character in the dystopian fantasy Brazil. PETER CELLARS That’s the name on the buzzer of Soderbergh’s Manhattan film noir-inspired office.

Sofia Coppola won Best Director at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for this exquisitely photographed and deliberately paced Civil War piece, starring Colin Farrell as an injured Union soldier taking refuge in Virginia’s Seminary for Young Ladies. There, the handsome guest turns on the charm to seduce his hosts, including Nicole Kidman’s watchful headmistress and Kirsten Dunst’s lovelorn tutor. The movie’s first half is intriguing as a slow-burning erotic melodrama and a quiet study of lust and repression; the second half, however, is inert, a wannabe home-invasion-cum-revenge thriller that’s afraid to show its teeth. It’s gorgeous to look at, though.

The Mimic (PG13) Starring Yum Jung-Ah, Park Hyuk-Kwon, Shin Rin-Ah | Directed by Huh Jung

Japan’s Aokigahara Forest in The Forest. Taiwan’s Dakeng Hills in The Tag-Along 2. And now, Korea’s Jangsan Mountain is the latest spook central to grace the big screen in the creepy The Mimic. Following a personal tragedy, Seoul housewife Hee-Yeon (A Tale of Two Sisters’ Yum Jung-Ah) hopes to start anew by moving with her family to the countryside. There, she encounters a phantom menace that lures its victims by imitating human voices — one of them is Hee-Yeon’s lost son. The scare-fest is by the book, but effective, filled with moments of genuine horror and heartbreak, especially in the end.

8 DAYS | 41

MOVIES

DOUG LAS TSENG

OTHER NEW OPENINGS It (NC16)

Starring Bill Skarsgård, Chosen Jacobs, Sophia Lillis | Directed by Andrés Muschietti

Previously adapted into a 1990 TV mini-series, Stephen King’s magnum opus — about a demonic clown preying on children in a small town — finally makes it to the big screen, from Mama director Andrés Muschietti.

Midnight Runners (TBA)

Starring Kang Ha-Neul, Park Seo-Joon | Directed by Jason Kim

It’s a two-for-one Korean heartthrob special! Kang HaNeul and Park Seo-Joon play trainee-cop buddies who stumble on a young girl’s kidnapping on their night off in town, and are subsequently drawn into an abovetheir-paygrade conspiracy. The odd couple — one is the brain, the other the brawn — have only a few hours to chase down the clues and catch the perps before their leave pass expires. The action-comedy moves swiftly within this race-against-time structure, until the final act where it settles for a more formulaic face-off. Whatever its faults, the adorkable leads’ cracking chemistry more than makes up for them.

The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature (TBA)

Starring the voices of Will Arnett, Katherine Heigl, Jackie Chan | Directed by Cal Brunker

In ‘Sequels No One Asked For But Here They Are Anyway’ news, Surly Squirrel (Will Arnett) & Co. are back, to save their forest from being turned into an amusement park.

Daddy You, Daughter Me (TBA)

Starring Yoon Je-Moon, Jung So-Min, Lee Il-Hwa | Directed by Kim Hyung-Hyip

Hilarity ensues when a teen (Yoon Je-Moon) swaps bodies with her workaholic dad (Jung So-Min). Oh, it’s the Korean version of Freaky Friday (or The Hot Chick). Exclusive at Filmgarde Bugis and Kallang Leisure Park.

Colour of the Game (TBA)

Simon Yam stars as an old-time gangster tasked with assembling a badass crew (including Jordan Chan and Philip Ng) to settle a ‘jiang hu’ dispute. The job hits a snag (there’s a mole!) and the squad go into hiding. Hongkong schlock-meister Wong Jin wrote and produced this overwrought, over-plotted, trite thriller which feels like a parody of the ’80s heroic bloodshed genre but isn’t. That said, there are moments which are hard to watch without cracking up — like Yam’s hair (or is that a wig?), and the part where the shooters wear white for a gunfight. Seriously, who does that?

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APR 24-27

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The Battleship Island The Hitman’s Bodyguard Annabelle: Creation Paradox Once Upon A Time Tokyo Ghoul Rough Night 47 Meters Down Dunkirk The Emoji Movie

APR 25-27

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The Hitman’s Bodyguard Annabelle: Creation Leap! Wind River Logan Lucky Dunkirk Spider-Man: Homecoming Birth of the Dragon The Emoji Movie Girls Trip

SOURCE: CINEMATOGRAPH FILM EXHIBITORS ASSOCIATION

Starring Simon Yam, Jordan Chan, Philip Ng | Directed by Kam Ka Wai

DOUG LAS TSENG

The Belko Experiment (M18) Starring Tony Goldwyn, John Gallagher Jr | Directed by Greg McLean | On iTunes, Google Play & VOD on Singtel TV

Guardians of the Galaxy helmer James Gunn revisits his horror roots with this nerve-wracking Battle Royalemeets-Office Space shocker which he wrote and produced. Employees (including Scandal’s Tony Goldwyn) at a nondescript American MNC in Colombia are unwilling participants in the eponymous study where they have two hours to kill their colleagues — or face death themselves. In other words: Given the chance, who would you off to get a promotion? Hmmm….

The Invisible Guardian (NC16) Starring Marta Etura, Elvira Mínguez | Directed by Fernando González Molina | On Netflix

Moody Seven-esque thriller from Spain about an FBI-trained detective (Marta Etura) returning to her hometown of Elizondo (look it up Google — it’s a real rustic and charming place) to solve a serial killer case. But the cop’s troubled past gets in the way of the investigation that’s linked to her dysfunctional family; txantxigorri, a local pastry; and a mythological forest creature known as the Basajaun. In Spanish with English subtitles.

The Incredible Jessica James (NC16) Starring Jessica Williams, Chris O’Dowd, Lakeith Stanfield | Directed by Jim Strouse | On Netflix

A star is born! One-time The Daily Show correspondent Jessica Williams is delightful in this tender, smart romcom about a struggling playwright at a relationship crossroads: She hasn’t gotten over her old boyfriend (Death Note’s Lakeith Stanfield) and she’s also seeing a divorcee (The IT Crowd’s Chris O’Dowd) who’s still hung up on his former wife. So what’s the first step to relationship rehab? Stop following your ex-es on Instagram. Read more reviews on 8days.sg/seeanddo/moviereviews 8 DAYS | 43

FOR PETE’S SAKE Search: The Network. Intuitive. Explained.

Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage lends his fame as the face of IT giant Cisco, tackling some big modern issues like cyberattacks. Even though what he says has nothing to do with dragons or White Walkers, you’re simply transfixed by his erudite speech. After all, he is Hand of the Queen.

BLOOD LINES

Search: The Try Guys Take An Ancestry DNA Test

The Try Guys, an online comedy quartet, decided to trace their true origins with 23 And Me, a genetics company that “reads your spit and tells you where your family’s from”. While some results were less surprising, others were a little questionable. Amusing, if you don’t mind splashing out US$150 (S$202), that is.

RING IT UP

Search: Why Engagement Rings Are a Scam Adam Ruins Everything If you like it, put a ring on it? Sorry, ladies, but Beyoncé got it all wrong. According to this vid by College Humor, the diamond engagement ring, which many of us associate as a symbol of love, is actually “intrinsically worthless” and nothing more than a very successful advertising campaign by diamond cartel, De Beers. You’re welcome, guys.

SUBWAY BLUES Search: Girl Joins Infidelix

The beauty of busking is to witness musicians parade their passion and talent. This video shows a rapper-cumbusker and a singer visiting the city who cross paths in the Berlin underground, and decide to spontaneously perform a mash-up of indie electro trip-pop group Phantogram’s ‘When I’m Small’ and the busker’s original song. Someone give them a recording contract already.

KIND OF THE STONE AGE

Search: Primitive Technology: Tiled Roof Hut

If you could get anyone on your team during an apocalypse, this guy should be your No. 1 choice. This Bear Grylls wannabe builds everything — and we mean everything — using materials he sources from Mother Nature. To wit: he can construct a furnace and a tiled roof hut from mud. Cathartic to watch, and superbly useful if you’re planning on joining Survivor.

8 DAYS

STORY

CHERY L ONG , WEETEE NEU & KI’ERN TAN

RAMEN OF THE MOMENT www.instagram.com/celebrities_in_ramen

Waiter, there’s a celebrity in my ramen. This one helluva yummy Instagram account serves up bowls of souped-up ramen, garnished with famous folks Photoshopped into the snaps. There’s a heavilyinked Harry Styles emerging from a piping hot bowl of noodles, Jennifer Aniston paddle-boarding in soup and Beyoncé sashaying down a runway of pork slices. It’ll bring on a few laughs…and a craving for ramen.

WIND CHASER

https://www.windy.com

With ravaging storms getting increasingly common, a worldwide weather map showing real-time wind patterns and rainfall levels couldn’t be timelier. Zoom in to Singapore and see where we get our rain and wind. Mouse over Houston to see the spiral of destruction left by Hurricane Harvey and watch the Category 4 hurricane playing out in front of you. It's hypnotising to watch, but this site sure is useful as well — it allows you check the weather forecast too. Best to click here before you pack that beach bag or picnic basket this weekend.

8 DAYS | 45

play | plug | read

Verkb Hidden Spy Camera Price: US$46

STORY

S EROU DANGDGET GA

OF TEHKE WE

(S$62)

From afar, this looks like a USB wall charger. Actually, it is one, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. Hidden in it is a tiny camera — with a 0.15cm lens — that can record up to four hours of HD footage. It’s easy to use: It starts recording once you plug it into a socket. So be extremely cautious the next time you’re around a wall charger ’cos you never know if you’re being filmed. From amazon.com.

STACKED 360 iPHONE 7 BATTERY CASE Price: US$88 (S$120)

WOODEN WORD WATCH Price: US$219 (S$296)

Rolex, pholex. A Harvard computer scientist is seeking funding for this oh-so-cool wooden-word timepiece that lights up and spells out the time (in English, German or Spanish). From kickstarter.com.

APP OF THE WEEK VISTA GOLF Here’s one way for avid golfers to squeeze in some extra tee time on the go. This simple minigolf game (Android & iOS) offers two modes: Competitive (play against others for the top spot across three 18hole courses) and Infinite (play as long as you want on an endless course with various hazards and obstacles).

8 DAYS

This 2,000 mAh power bank is not only light, thin (10.8mm), and super-fast, it can also juice up iPhones wirelessly like an Android device. From amazon. com.

KI’ERN TAN

DELI GHTFUL DINING TREATS

Restaurant Home | Cosford Road

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Image for illustration purposes only

Mikawa Japanese Sake Bar & Restaurant

Wan He Lou | Jalan Besar

UE BizHub East

Bago at Lime House Keong Saik Road

Hibiki Yakitori Lounge Bukit Timah

Fart Tartz

South Bridge Road

Operetta Corner Bar Boon Tat Street

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EAt

p50

eat

Eat a bowl of

beef

We check out two modern Japanese eateries and a hawker stall serving hearty bowls of beef and rice.

1. Waa Cow! Sushi Bar #B1-63, 5 RAFFLES PLACE, S048618. TEL: 8383-9498.

Open daily except Sun. Mon-Fri 11.30am-3pm & 5.30pm - 8.30pm; Sat noon-3pm. Last orders at closing. www.facebook.com/waacowsg/

Lunchtime at Raffles Place can be a nightmare of jostling cubicle rats. We’re here at noon on a weekday in search of a much-touted wagyu beef bowl — and we aren’t the only ones. Waa Cow, a compact 52-seater at the basement of Raffles

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Exchange, is packed, and the air is rich with the scent of caramelised beef. The digs are charming: the usual exposed concrete walls, wooden furniture, and indie music soundtrack for that polished industrial vibe, and an open kitchen where cooks blowtorch mounds of beef

on rice. The young towkays here are Clarence Lau (left in pic), 29, an ex-management consultant, and Diana Teo (right), 27, who formerly worked at Spring Singapore. The two of them, and their third partner Aaron Yeo, 29, first set up Waa Cow as a pop-up eatery at NUS before opening a permanent outlet at the campus’s funky U-Town wing last year, whipping up wagyu beef bowls and other Japanese fusion plates for hungry students. The menu at this threemonth-old Raffles outlet is essentially the same, and both are prepared by a team of cooks dishing out recipes developed by the three bosses. “We’ve always been fans of wagyu beef, but realised you could never get it at an affordable price point,” Clarence says, explaining how they settled on making reasonablypriced premium beef the focus of their menu. Their standard offering costs $19.90 and features slices

Aburi Wagyu Beef Bowl

JOEL TAN

PHOTOS

AIK CHEN & CHEE YAN

of American-style Kobe beef from the USA’s Snake River Farms, and imported Japanese Akitakomachi rice. Clarence says a close relationship with the farm, as well as keeping things at their restaurant fairly no-frills — there’s no table service, you order and collect at the counter — helps to keep the prices down. ON THE MENU: Three variations of beef on rice. Wagyu short rib is cooked sous vide for 24 hours till tender, then sliced up. Before serving, it’s draped with a rich sauce of reduced beef bone stock enhanced with soy, ginger, and sugar, then blowtorched till caramelised. There are also some seafood items, like the Chirashi Don ($18.90), and pork, such as the Yuzukosho Iberico Pork Bowl ($16.90) featuring yuzu-kissed pork on rice.

8 DAYS PICK

($19.90; top in pic) This comes in two sizes. A small tasting portion costs $11.50, which we skip for this regular-sized offering. The beef used here is American F1 Wagyu, a cross between Japanese and Angus cattle raised in the US. It’s cooked to a medium pink then flame-torched till gently seared on the outside. Its fat is pleasantly sweet and the meat buttery soft. While its flavour is not as richly beefy as we’d hoped, this is still fab for the price. The pearlescent rice has also been lightly torched and is nicely chewy and toasty. Delish cloaked in an oozy onsen egg.

THE FOOD

Mentaiko Wagyu Beef Bowl ($21.90; left in pic) We’re told this is a crowd favourite, and we can see why. The mentaiko (spicy cod roe) mayonnaise that crowns the beef in a lovely blanket of pinkish orange is moreish. It’s umami, spicy, salty and creamy. A great complement to the sweet slices of beef and rice.

8 DAYS PICK

Truffle Wagyu Beef Bowl ($22.90; right in pic) This comes topped with a small dollop of house-made chopped black truffle, truffle oil, and mushroom paste. It has a subtle fragrance that reminds us of Tetsuya’s retail line of truffle paste, and adds a punchy kick to the dish without overwhelming the flavour of the beef.

Wagyu Sushi ($24.60 for six pcs) A bite-sized treat. Each glazed slice of beef comes on a nugget of perfectly vinegary sushi rice. There are different flavour options, like Mentaiko and Truffle Parmesan, but we like the piquant Yuzu Shonchu one best. It comes with a potent dot of yuzu-infused Japanese pepper paste, and a sprinkling of spicy togarashi (seven-pepper blend) seasoning that boasts a lovely heat and fruitiness. BOTTOM LINE: Comforting and satisfying beef bowls made with reasonably good quality meat. We like the stylish setting and reasonable prices here, too.

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eat 2. Pepper Bowl

#02-102 AMOY STREET FOOD CENTRE, 7 MAXWELL RD, S069111. Open daily except weekends. Mon-Fri 11am3pm. Last orders at closing.

For a CBD beef bowl lunch of a very different sort, try this stall at humid Amoy Street Food Centre. Long queues start forming here around noon and don’t abate till near closing time at three. This popular biz is owned by husband-and-wife team Mosses Lee, 45, and Waynna Tan, 41, who’ve been working at this food centre since 2014. Mosses has been in the food business for a long time: in 2005, he opened a restaurant called Mum’s Kitchen with his mother at Joo Chiat, serving family-style zi char dishes. After it closed down, he and Waynna operated a food court stall offering Chinese grub at Singapore Polytechnic in 2012. The birth of their son prompted them to find a stall in the CBD, so they could work half-days and spend more time at home. Here, they offer the best-selling items from both their previous ventures: Chinesestyle beef or pork served up in either a black pepper or spring onion sauce, over Thai jasmine rice, or slippery hor fun. They’re most famous for their Black Pepper Beef Rice. At peak hour, the two snap into a trance-like mode, with Waynna taking orders and Mosses tossing away at a single wok. Go after 2pm if you can — there’s a risk that some items may run out, but the queue will be shorter. The average waiting time at peak hour is about ten minutes. ON THE MENU: Your choice of stir-fried beef or pork, served in black pepper or spring onion sauce on rice or hor fun. There’s also a Chicken Chop Rice that was sadly unavailable on our visit. You can add a creamy onsen egg for an extra 60 cents.

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Black Pepper Beef Rice Bowl ($5)

The slices here are from the THE FOOD topside of Brazilian beef, treated with a little meat tenderiser to help this usually tough cut soften. Mosses prepares a master sauce of soy, garlic, onion, and a touch of sugar. For this dish, he first stir-fries crushed black peppercorns in oil to release its fragrance before tossing in the beef and sauce. The meat itself is okay: it’s not a particularly flavourful cut, and the tenderiser, while keeping the beef soft to the bite, leaves a slight chalkiness. The sauce is tasty and wonderfully peppery but a bit too sweet. Also, there’s so much of it that the rice turns wet and mushy.

8 DAYS PICK

Spring Onion Pork Rice Bowl ($4.50)

We opt to have the spring onion sauce with strips of lean pork. The master sauce is fired up with fleshy stalks of spring onion and ginger, which imbues it with a fragrance we find more flavourful than the pepper version. There’s more depth and the piquant flavours go fantastically with the meat.

Black Pepper Beef Hor Fun ($5) We prefer the beef with these slippery, flat rice noodles that have a gorgeous wok-fired char. The smoky flavour of the hor fun pairs better with the pepperiness of the dish, and soaks up the sauce much better than the rice. BOTTOM LINE: Robust zi char flavours. The beef hor fun here is yummier than the rice option and worth queuing up for.

eat

NISHI DINING BAR

3. Chikuwatei Nishi 48 LOR MAMBONG, S277699. TEL: 6734-4436.

Open Sun-Thur 11.30am-midnight; Fri-Sat 11.30am-2am. Last orders 30 mins before closing. www.chikuwateinishi.com.sg/home/

The people behind Chikuwatei, the Japanese restaurant with outlets at Tanjong Pagar and Mohammed Sultan Road that’s famous for its bountiful and affordable bowls of chirashi don, have set up camp at Holland Village. This new outlet looks nothing like its more traditionally done-up cousins. It has a bright pop art decor and funky neo-Tokyo vibe — it’s meant to be a supper spot aimed at the post-partying crowd. Boyish lawyer-turnedrestaurateur, Esmond Yue, 32, who is one of the owners of the group, leads us on a tour of the two-storey space, which has a different concept on each level. The lower floor is called Momo Street Eats, and is meant to be a very casual, almost fast food-style joint with affordable Japanese street food and snacks to go with sakes and beers. It’s self-service here — you order from

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MOMO STREET EATS

a touchscreen menu (think McDonald’s computerised menu) and pick it up from the counter when it’s done. Upstairs, on the other hand, sits Nishi Dining Bar. It’s got an equally colourful but sleeker look, and it’s filled with comfy sofa seats. It also boasts table service and a different, more substantial menu of Japanese plates, as well as an upscale sake bar. ON THE MENU: The fancier Nishi Dining Bar on the second floor is where the beef bowls are served. There are three different kinds on offer, in addition to other Japanese fare like sushi, sashimi, and tempura. Downstairs at Momo Street Eats, more affordable set meals are offered. Like Yakitori Skewers ($2.50-$5 each) and Bara Chirashi ($9.80).

eat Wagyu Bowl ($28) Japanese pearl rice is topped with thin slices of US wagyu sirloin grilled to medium-rare THE FOOD and garnished with spring onions, fried garlic, and an onsen egg. The beef is decently tender but not particularly flavourful. Also, the sweet, garlic-spiked soy-based sauce it’s served with is tasty if a tad nondescript. We have our bowl served with a small piece of seared Foie Gras ($6), which adds a welcome fatty, umami kick. But we’re not sure it’s worth the extra $6 since it’s so tiny.

Yakiniku Don ($17) Paper-thin slices of shabu-shabu-esque beef are given a quick simmer in a seafood dashi stock sweetened with sugar and soy, then served on rice with a garnish of sesame seeds, shredded daikon and carrot. The overall texture here is mushy, and the flavour sweet.

aLSO

tRY tHIS

Truffle Beef Bowl ($24) Truffle oil-spiked pellets of American short rib crown a bowl of fluffy pickled ume (a plumlike fruit) and furikake-dotted rice. We like the slightly tart, fruity grains with crunchy bits of salty furikake (rice seasoning which includes seaweed and bonito flakes). The beef, which looks strangely like kibble, is just passable.

Bara Chirashi Don ($9.80) While the beef bowls here are decent, we prefer the cheaper offerings downstairs at Momo. This is a more modest version of sister restaurant Chikuwatei’s famed chirashi don. Fresh, springy salmon, tuna, and swordfish cubes on vinegared rice for under $10. It even comes with a side dish of crunchy fried fish skin, and a drink. Also good downstairs? The Oden ($8.90), Japanese-style yong tau foo featuring goodies like fishcake, radish and sausages in a lightly sweetened soy-and-dashi soup. BOTTOM LINE: The beef-and-rice offerings here are slightly underwhelming for what you pay. We prefer the more affordable, yummier set meals at its sister dining room downstairs.

8 DAYS

DARE YOU DREAM BIG? #styleXbootcamp is back! This time, fashion and media's biggest names will be mentoring 10 talented students over four challenging weeks. Will they rise to the occasion?

FOLLOW THEIR JOURNEY ON STYLEXSTYLE.COM

where to eat Saik Road has set up a more casual outfit just a stone’s throw away. Butcher Boy, named after Butcher Boy MOD ASIAN Walsh’s favourite novel and 31 KEONG SAIK RD, S089138. TEL: 6221movie The Butcher Boy, is a hip 6833. “contemporary-style Asian grill” OPEN DAILY. MON-THU 5.30PM-MIDNIGHT; FRI-SUN NOON-3PM & 5.30PM-MIDNIGHT. serving edgy yet elegant a la carte LAST ORDERS AT 10.45PM. WWW. snacks and larger plates (some FACEBOOK.COM/PG/BUTCHERBOYSG Josper grilled), sake and cocktails. Chef Andrew Walsh of mod European On the dinner menu, restaurant Cure at Keong there are small H SANDWIC Y LL bites like Salmon JE PLUM CREAM & TTER ICE Tartare with ikura PEANUT BU and nachos ($20) and Duck Banh Mi ($18) jazzed up with duck liver pâté and Sriracha sauce. For something more substantial, go for the Butcher Boy Bacon & Cheeseburger ($28) with fries. Dessert includes contemporary versions of classic sweets, like the Peanut Butter Ice Cream & Plum Jelly ‘sandwich’ ($10).

BUTCHER BOY BACON & CHEESEBURGER

8 DAYS

RAICILLA WH EN I SEE YA

Norma at Junior MEXICAN

43 TANJONG PAGAR RD, S088464. TEL: 8121-1462. OPEN WED-SAT, 7PM-MIDNIGHT. LAST ORDERS AT 11.30PM. WWW.FACEBOOK. COM/CRACKERJACK

If you like restaurant-bar Crackerjack (opened by the people behind 28 HongKong Street), check out their new “pocket bar”, Junior. The cosy pop-up 10-seater is tucked within Crackerjack’s space, and accessed via a back alley entrance. Every six months, Junior offers an original concept with themed tipples. The Mexican-focused Norma is its first baby. It offers agave-based spirits (agave is the plant from which tequila is made), tacos, nacho chips, house-made salsa or made-to-order guacamole. Get the Duck Taco ($7 each) which houses shredded duck confit, roasted green salsa and coriander in a soft corn tortilla shell. Then chase it with a drink from a menu of over 100 bottles of tequila and mezcal (while tequila is typically distilled from only the blue agave, mezcal can be made from over 30 types of agave). Or just get a cocktail, like the Raicilla When I See Ya ($22), a smoky-fruity number shaken with mezcal, passionfruit and mint.

STORY

Y IP JIEY ING & WEETEE NEU

Fuji in Japanese, because the rice here is served in a mound) Dragon Curry is opened by the same folks behind Kajiken Ramen a few doors down. The specialty at this casual 30-seater: Japanese curry rice. You can pick from MASALA PRAWN a range of toppings at $3 each (such as chicken cutlet) to add to your set meal. You can further customise your bowl by choosing

Como Cuisine MOD ASIAN/WESTERN

BLK 18A DEMPSEY RD, S249677. TEL: 1800-304-6688. OPEN DAILY. MON-FRI NOON-3PM & 6PM-9.30PM; SAT & SUN NOON-9.30PM. LAST ORDERS 2.30PM & 8.30PM. WWW. FACEBOOK.COM/COMOCUISINESG

Como Cuisine is the latest restaurant to join the sleek Como Dempsey cluster, which includes Candlenut restaurant. The menu features Asian and Western plates with a slightly healthier slant. Como’s executive chef works closely with Como’s in-house nutritionist to offer supposedly more well-balanced meals, some of which contain organic ingredients. For lunch, there is the Tandoori Chicken ($28), served with grape, celery, radicchio, barley and walnut. Their tandoor oven is fired with coconut shell charcoal, which is

BELLY CURRY GARLIC PORK

purportedly healthier than regular charcoal because it produces less soot. For dinner, nibble on the Masala Prawn ($24), served with mango, cucumber, coconut and red chilli dressing.

Fujiyama Dragon Curry JAPANESE

#01-03 ORCHID HOTEL, 1 TRAS LINK, S078867. TEL: 6444-9260. OPEN DAILY. 11.30AM-3PM; 6PM-9.30PM. LAST ORDERS AT CLOSING. WWW.FACEBOOK. COM/FUJIYAMADRAGON.SG

Fujiyama (meaning Mount

between original or spicy curry. Choose from seven rice bowls, including the signature Fujiyama Dragon Curry ($12.70), which comes with an onsen egg, minced pork and spring onions, doused in curry made from 10 different spices. Or try the Garlic Pork Belly Curry ($15.70) with pork slices marinated in garlic sauce, and served with egg and minced pork. Rice — Akitakomachi grains from Akita Prefecture — is free-flow. Once you’re done with your meal, you’re given a bowl of pork broth to pour into your leftover curry dregs to form a spicy soup.

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shop

Old-school but

tech cool

Stationery brands are no longer pushing just plain ol' pen and paper â&#x20AC;&#x201D; check out these nifty gadget-stationery hybrids that will tech you to the next level. Does anybody remember jotting things down on a notepad? No? Okay, so most of us use the virtual notepad app on our mobile phones now to make a grocery list, but there are still people who love low-tech note-taking ways. But what if stationery brands like Kikki.K and Moleskine can meld old-school notebook cool with the convenience of technology? Moleskine

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has rolled out a hi-tech Smart Writing Set which transfers what you write on your Moleskine notepad to your phone or tablet, while cutesy Swedish stationery maker Kikki.Kâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Charging Collection lets you charge your devices from wallets, clutches and planners inbuilt with a power bank. Are we living in the future already?

STO RY

YIP J IEYING

Kikki.K Leather Charging Travel Wallet

THE OF F ICI A L M AG A Z I N E

$149.90 This travel wallet can carry all your barang like passport, cards and cash. Oh, and it contains a rechargeable battery too. Just plug your device’s charging cable to the wallet’s power point and you’d never have to worry about your iPad dying on the go.

Got a full day of meetings ahead of you? Carry this planner around and charge your phone at the same time.

Kikki.K Leather Charging Personal Planner $1 65.90

Kikki.K’s Charging Collection is available at their Ion Orchard and Raffles City Shopping Centre outlets, and online at www. kikki-k.com. Moleskine’s Smart Writing Set is available at all Moleskine stores, L3 Takashimaya and L3 Tangs Plaza. More info at ww.moleskine.com.

$5.90! (incl. GST)

Filled i ed with enchanting e hanting stories, ies, fun activities, ivities, F o en-inspired Frozen c crafts fts and more!

Moleskine Smart Writing Set $359

Moleskine proves that the future is now, even with something as old-school as pen and paper. The Smart Writing Set comprises a paper ‘tablet’ that is really a notebook made with customised paper covered in dots that converts your penmanship into pixels on-screen, a ballpoint pen equipped with a hidden infrared camera to scan handwritten text and pictures onto a synced device of your choice (like a phone) via a special Moleskine Notesapp. Tap on the little envelope icon in a corner of your physical notebook, and the app also e-mails the text to your desired e-mail address. Get the planner version of this notebook, and you can even sync it to your digital calendar.

At only

Frozen Magazine g i e 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

THE FEELGOOD PAGE

STORY

CELINE TAN

What beauty tip will

Behati Prinsloo pass to her daughter? The supermodel wife of Adam Levine and mum to 11-monthold Dusty Rose Levine spills her beauty secrets. Yes, supermodels need help post-childbirth to get back into the game, too. According to Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo, who married Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine in 2014 and gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Dusty Rose, last September, she’s been eating and training right, practising yoga with Adam and diligently patting on her SK-II Facial Treatment Essence. She’s one of three global celebrities taking on the SK-II #OneBottleAwayFrom challenge to transform her skin by using one bottle of the Treatment Essence for the very first time. She’s slated to appear in new reality show American Beauty Star, hosted by her VS Angel pal Adriana Lima. 8 DAYS gets Behati to share a few beauty tips.

minute to plump the skin up for an instant glow. This also works as a quick fix for problem areas on bad skin days, as it really hydrates and soothes any irritation or dryness. I also take time out to exercise and practice yoga with my husband Adam, who has been a great influence and motivator in my life. Yoga helps me stay in the present, organise my thoughts, and keep my calm when I’m facing challenges. Most importantly, being mentally positive is crucial. I remind myself that it’s just one less-than-perfect day, and not forever! In 30 days, SK-II says it can turn your skin around. What can you do in 30 days? In 30 days, I can really make a difference in my physical state! I switch up my workout routine from day to day by rotating between a variety of workouts that target 8 DAYS: What’s the biggest professional different parts of my body, from yoga and Pilates to challenge you’ve encountered in your life? cardio in a circuit training format. It helps to work the BEHATI PRINSLOO: I’ve been away for a while entire body as opposed to staying in one routine. It enjoying motherhood and precious time with my family, helped me ease back into my pre-motherhood fitness but I’ll soon be making my official TV debut and I level so I can face the camera again with confidence. have to say it’s been an exciting challenge. I think it's What is one non-beauty product that can make about as daunting as my very first time walking down a your eyes sparkle and your whole face glow? runway! But I’m ready now more than ever — I’ve been Being with my family! Nothing brings a wide smile to my eating and training right. face more than coming home to spend quality time with And what’s the biggest personal challenge Adam and Dusty. you’ve ever encountered? Share with us one beauty tip you learned from Stepping into my new role as a mother to my baby your mother. daughter has definitely been the biggest challenge One tip from my mum that I’ve always held dear is that outside of my career, but also a most thrilling and a classic beauty style with a natural glow is a timeless fulfilling one. look for any woman, and that comes from having When you’re having a bad hair or clean and healthy skin. She always Does Adam skin day, what do you do made sure to only go to bed with steal her SK-II? for a perk-me-up? a thoroughly cleansed face, and We're not sure, but When I have a bad skin day, I it has become a must for me to Mrs Levine sure looks glowy. We'll like to pamper my skin a little remove my make-up before bed, have what she's more than I usually do! I chill my especially after a day at work. It's having, please. bottle of SK-II Facial Treatment important to let your skin breathe. Essence in the fridge for a Tell us one beauty tip you will refreshing pick-me-up. Another pass down to your daughter. way is to soak a few cotton Always stay positive. It’s incredible pads with the Facial Treatment the damage stress can do to your Essence, and leave them on the body and skin. And of course, high points of my face for about a never forget sunscreen!

8 DAYS

what they never taught you in school THE #FARMLYFE

This four-part series delves into life in farms in Singapore — yes, farming exists here; no, it’s not all kampongs and kelongs — and the new generation of farmers who are making farming hip. No straw hats involved.

Same

same but

different

Edible Garden City’s Bjorn Low and Kuhlbarra’s Joep Staarman ventured into unchartered territory by championing rooftop farming and open sea fish farming respectively in Singapore. We shoot the breeze with these renegade urban farmers.

THE ONE WHO FARMS IN THE MOST UNLIKELY PLACES

WHO IS HE: BJORN LOW, 36, founder of Edible Garden City (EGC) who took the local farming movement to the next level, literally, and runs urban farms at spots such as Marina Bay Sands and farm-to-table restaurant Open Farm Community (OFC). The crops are supplied to 31 local joints like Tippling Club and OFC in the Spa Esprit Group stable of restaurants. The father-of-two recently expanded his farming operations to include Citizen Farm, a 8,000m² plot of land in Queenstown where pudgy pet chickens roam freely. There’re also enough herbs, mushrooms and veggies grown to feed 500 people a day. The $800,000 biz (“Our target is to hit $1.3 mil this year,” he says) currently has a 30-strong team working on the farms.

8 DAYS: You gave up a cushy ad job to go into farming. That’s pretty daring. BJORN LOW: I was doing account servicing in an ad agency in Singapore for five years and transferred to London in 2010. After two years, I realised that the corporate thing wasn’t very meaningful for me. I’m just helping big companies make money. There was a lot of media attention back then in London about moving back to the countryside and picking up farming, so I got interested in that. Being able to grow your own food is an essential skill in life. You never know when you might

8 DAYS

STORY

JASMINE TEO & Y IP JIEY ING

PHOTOS

CHEE YAN

Farm with aircon: Bjorn in his hydroponic farmhouse, which produces herbs, among other greens, that are supplied to local restaurants.

need to fend for yourself. My wife, who used to be a project manager in an advertising agency, also left her job to help me. How different is your work day now compared to the past? I’m managing the business side of things, so I spend a lot of time in front of the computer looking at spreadsheets. Although my agenda is to promote a farming movement, we still have to turn a profit. I consider myself more of a businessman since I don’t do much farming now, but I still water the crops and do plant work as much as I can. That’s the fun part before I have to go back to my spreadsheets! We also [have fun on the job by organising] events with drinking involved. We had an event on National Day with [local Filipino roast pig eatery] Iskina Cebu, and they roasted a whole pig on our farm. What was it like transitioning from a comfy office job to working outdoors? It was difficult. I grew up in Singapore and city life was fast, but when I was in the English countryside I kept thinking about life back home. It’s mind over matter. You get used to sweating after a while! What do you usually order at a cai png stall? I usually order all veggie dishes like okra and brinjal ’cos it’s cheaper, though it’s not necessarily healthier ’cos of the way the dishes are cooked (laughs). There is no hack for [getting more bang out of your order], maybe only if you establish a relationship with the cai png auntie! It’s the same with farming. The industry is so small, so we try to help one another out. We’re partnering a friend who does beekeeping to support his work. Do you tell people to eat their veggies? Nooo.... If you want to be a purist, you’d stress yourself out. At first I was a very strong advocate of eating veggies, but after a while I stopped doing that ’cos I sounded like a broken record.

8 DAYS | 65

what they never taught you in school

WHO IS HE: JOEP STAARMAN, 59. The Kuhlbarra

managing director set up the first fish farm located in the open seas, south of mainland Singapore, in 2008. The barramundi fish farm is made up of two sites — a 7ha farm just off Pulau Semakau and another 12ha farm next to Raffles Lighthouse. Both are a 40-min boat ride from West Coast, where the company boat docks. Unlike other fish farms in Singapore, Kuhlbarra employs commercial methods of harvesting, which involves an unbroken farm-to-fork cold chain that keeps the fish chilled from harvest to delivery. This practice is practically unheard of in Southeast Asia, but common in major fish farms worldwide “to ensure the freshness of the fish”. The Dutchman, who has over 30 years of experience under his belt, says: “People don’t even know there are islands south of Sentosa, much less a fish farm!” Kuhlbarra produces about 500 to 600 tonnes of fish a year — half of it is sold locally to restaurants, airlines and individual consumers, while the rest is exported to Australia, the US and Hongkong.

8 DAYS: You’d been working in Singapore for four years with one of the biggest seafood companies in the world. Why did you decide to start Kuhlbarra? JOEP STAARMAN: I’d been in Singapore for four years by then and was overseeing the Asia Pacific market for the company, Marine Harvest. We had yellowtail farms in Japan and barramundi farms in Australia, and were

8 DAYS

also looking at doing barramundi in Singapore. [When I left that job], I asked my family if we should go back to Holland, where I’m from, Japan, where I was based before Singapore, or stay here. My three daughters, who were in high school then, said, “I don’t know about you, but we’re staying here.” (Laughs) It’s a good reason for me to stay. And because this is what I know how to do, I decided to set up a fish farm. We’d already planned to set up a barramundi farm in Singapore at Marine Harvest. In Singapore, the temperature is same all year round, and there are no natural disasters like typhoons or tsunamis. So it’s an ideal place to farm this fish. After I left Marine Harvest, I asked them if they’d mind if I do this, and they said go ahead. Back then, I told

THE ONE WHO TURNED THE TIDE

[our partners]: “At first, you were talking to the biggest fish farming company in the world who wanted to set up the fish farm in Singapore. Now you’re talking to the smallest fish farming company in the world! (Guffaws)” What’s a typical work day like? Sometimes I get wet, sometimes I stay dry! I head to the farm three times a week. [When I’m there] I basically look around, talk to the guys working there, and ask them how it’s going and what we have to do. What is the fun stuff you get to do on the job? Driving the boat is the most fun for me! If I had to set up the farm just to be allowed to drive the boat, I’d do it. (Laughs) We also host farm visits with our business partners and customers. Most people haven’t seen a farm like this in Singapore with the floating big cages in the middle of the sea, or how we harvest the fish the same way most commercial farms around the world do it. How much fish do you eat weekly? I don’t have it every meal — about twice a week. I also go to different restaurants with different cuisines to try out our own fish. At least once a week, I’ll make a chowder with our fish. I make it for my wife and me only, since my daughters are all living overseas now. How many times have you watched Finding Nemo? (Chuckles) Many times, but it’s more to do with my daughters than the business. My daughters used to always use this line from the movie, “Fish are friends, not food!” But they’d still eat the fish anyway! Citizen Farm (www.citizenfarm.com.sg) and Kuhlbarra (http:// www.kuhlbarra.com/) will be at SG Farmers’ Market on Sep 23 and 24 at myVillage (1 Maju Ave), 9am to 3pm.

rs y day, dive what. Ever the open di, that’s in un s ge am ca rr l ba ips. e coasta Swarms of ntainer sh h in thes beneath: of the fis ormous co What lies condition rt and gin e po th e th on , past check Singapore waters of

Ahoy, auctions! Harvest boats like this one Kuhlbarra uses are so rare in Singapore — other fish farms here don’t harvest with cranes and have little need for them — that Joep had to acquire the boat under interesting circumstances. The Indonesian boat, which had been delivering fish from Batam to Singapore, was found to have hidden compartments stashed with contraband cigarettes and was seized and auctioned off by the authorities. Joep swooped in with a bid, bought it “at a very good rate”, got a crane fixed onto the boat, and the rest is history.

8 DAYS | 67

money

BIDDING WARS It’s not just getai singers who rake in big bucks during the Hungry Ghost Festival. These second-generation auctioneers, among the youngest in their trade, can earn a five-figure sum during the Seventh Month.

The Moneymakers:

Lim Ming Kian 34, & Kelvin Oh 28 HOME IS: Ming Kian lives in a four-room Yishun flat with his wife and two children; Kelvin lives in a threeroom Sengkang flat with his wife and son. THEIR RIDES ARE: Ming Kian has been driving a Honda Fit for the past 10 years (“My day job in sales requires me to move around a lot so it’s more convenient to own a car”); and Kelvin gets around in his company van. WHAT’S IN THEIR WALLETS: Both prefer to keep cash instead of credit cards in their wallets to prevent overspending.

LIM MING KIAN

KELVIN OH

By day, Ming Kian works in a timber sales export company, and Kelvin is a delivery driver. By night, specifically during the Seventh Month, these guys moonlight as auctioneers at Hungry Ghost Festival dinners. Yes, they’re the ones hollering prices as attendees bid for auspicious items such as huat lor (incense pots) and statues of deities (it’s a Chinese belief that these will bring the bidder and his business good luck). Two of the youngest auctioneers in this line, Ming Kian and Kelvin can earn up to $10K during the festival — they work 20 out of 30 nights and earn $600 to $800 per auction, which lasts two hours. Ming Kian quips: “Sometimes, the organisers look at us and exclaim: ‘So young, can or not? They usually expect and prefer someone older as they feel that he will be more experienced. It can be discouraging but we can’t change their impressions. We can only do our best.”

8 DAYS

Host with the most: Ming Kian auctioning off a Longevity Bun Huat Kueh (rice flour cake) which symbolises wealth and prosperity.

8 DAYS: It’s rare to see young people like you hosting Hungry Ghost dinners. LIM MING KIAN: I’ve been following my shifu (master) around for several years and would always repeat after him in the background when he’s auctioning. Doing this is interesting and unique but it can be very nerve-wracking too when all the attention is on me when I’m on stage. I took this up as it also gives me extra income on the side (laughs). KELVIN OH: I’ve been attending temple events and celebrations since I was young, and I’ve seen auctioneers at work on stage. It seemed really fun because a good auctioneer can help to enhance the atmosphere of the event. These days, youngsters no longer have interest in or knowledge of the auction bidding business and I hope to carry on this tradition so that it won’t die off. I’ve been doing this for two years now and I’m probably the youngest auctioneer in Singapore. What makes a good auction? M: It’s always good to come up with jokes to make it light-hearted and entertaining. We also pepper our sentences with the words “heng (lucky)” and “huat (prosperous)” to promote the items. Our aim is to sell off all the 40 or more items within two hours. If we don’t, the organising committee may dock our pay. Paper offerings that people burn have been given a modern upgrade and now include things like paper iPhones. Have auction items gotten more up-to-date too? K: People prefer to bid for useful things these days. Smaller objects such as gold bracelets, the iPhone 7, digital cameras, and crystals are popular. It’s difficult for people to bring home an item if it’s too big. [And traditional items] won’t go well with the modern design

J O CELYN LEE

MA I N P H OTO

C HEE YA N

Lucky and useful: This charcoal display is not just an ornament, okay? It’s mounted on a USB MP3 player so it plays music, too.

of a home. Big blocks of charcoal used to be very popular as they represent ‘black gold’. They’re still popular, but the size of the charcoal has decreased tremendously. The organisers would mount the charcoal on a small USB MP3 player so that it serves another purpose as well (laughs). What are the most popular items? M: It depends. Coin banks shaped like gold ingots, gold pigs (in pic on top) or wooden barrels are usually very popular. The organiser would take the coin bank to different tables to ask for donations first before bringing it up on stage. If there are about 200 tables, there can be a few thousand dollars in cash in the coin bank even before the auction begins. At the end of the auction, a coin bank can fetch up to $60K. A red ribbon banner is considered prosperous for businesses too, and I once saw a ribbon auctioned off at $50K. K: Incense pots are very popular for businesses. I’ve seen prices go up to $100K just for one pot as the towkays believe it brings them good luck. M: Items are usually sponsored by the organisers. The company we work for also brings in items like crystals and God of Wealth statues from China for sale at the auctions. What are the challenges you face as an auctioneer? M: We need to be alert and have to learn how to multi-task at all times. As the prices of the items can increase rapidly, we need to make sure that we don’t announce the wrong prices on stage. Sometimes, many different people may bid the same price for an item, so we have to ensure that we don’t miss anyone out, especially if the venue is very big (laughs). K: This year’s economy is quite bad so it’s not as smooth-sailing [as before]. Items don’t get auctioned off as quickly, and some don’t fetch high prices like they used to. It can be very stressful.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF DISNEY JUNIOR TODAY! ISSUE 118 IS ON SALE NOW! AT ONLY S$6.20 (INCL. GST)

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LIM MING KIAN

STORY

FILLED WITH MAGICAL STORYTELLING, PLAYFUL ACTIVITIES AND FUN COLOURING PAGES! 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

travel

Book smart

Are air tickets really cheaper on Tuesdays? We get the lowdown from travel insiders. How early should you book your air tickets?

At least 21 days in advance, all three travel insiders we asked agreed. According to Skyscannerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (www.skyscanner.com.sg) data, you save 21 to 22 per cent if you book 21 to 25 weeks in advance. Director of Asia Pacific at Kayak (www.kayak.sg), Amy Wei, recommends buying plane tickets at least one month ahead for short haul flights and six-and-a-half months ahead for long haul. Expediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (www.expedia.com.sg) study on travel trends in 2016 shows that booking on a weekend more than 21 days in advance is easiest on the wallet.

8 DAYS

JA S MINE T EO

Is the Tuesday myth a real thing?

Are air tickets booked on a Tuesday really cheaper, or is it just an old wives’ tale? It depends. Kayak concurs, with its stats showing that travellers save up to 12 per cent on airfares on Tuesdays. (The most expensive day to purchase tickets? Saturday.) According to Expedia Asia’s regional head of consumer public relations, Lavinia Rajaram, prices for flights originating from Asia Pacific — both short and long haul — are lowest if you buy on a Sunday. For example, it’s 38 per cent cheaper if you book your flight from Asia Pacific to other destinations within the region on a Sunday; while trips from Asia Pacific to Europe and the United States are up to 29 per cent and 25 per cent cheaper respectively when booked on a Sunday.

Grab your copy of Disney Princess today!

STO RY

At only

S$6.90!

(incl. GST)

FREE

Should you start planning for your end-of-the-year getaway?

It’s a unanimous yes from all the travel insiders. A Skyscanner report reveals that booking by early September would yield the best deals for Christmas getaways; while Kayak’s data suggest it’s best to book three-and-a-half months ahead of the December school holidays. Either way, you ought to get down to it, stat.

Exclusive Necklace with every purchase! Disney Princess 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

shirtless guy of the week

MUHAMMAD BADRUDDIN AGE: 27 FROM FAT TO ABS FAB: This hottie is a hunky 181cm and 80kg now, but he was overweight in primary and secondary school, and weighed a hefty 110kg. “My classmates used to call me ‘Fatty A**’, and bullied me all the time,” he shares. “It was so bad that I’d go home and cry in the toilet every other day.” To cope with his feelings, Badruddin penned down his negative thoughts in a journal. He says: “I still keep it with me as it reminds me not to go back to those days.”

STORY

JOCELY N LEE

P HOTO

KELVIN CHIA

ROLE MODEL

He hits the gym five times a week, spending 75 mins on weights training each time. “I feel that my healthy lifestyle has influenced my parents positively too, as they have been eating brown rice instead of white rice. I’m glad to be a good role model to people who are close to me (smiles).”

DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION

Badruddin discovered hip-hop and contemporary dance when he was in Temasek Polytechnic, and went on to perform at events as well as dinner & dance shows throughout his university days. Not only did it help him shed the pounds, the money earned from his performances helped pay his school fees and phone bills. “I got paid about $300 per show and the money literally saved my life because without it, I wouldn’t have had enough for my expenses in school.”

8 DAYS

LEAN AND GREEN

These days, Badruddin, who works as a bank analyst, watches his diet carefully and eats a chicken salad from Cedele for lunch and dinner daily. He laughs and says: “My colleagues call me ‘the salad guy’ ’cos I don’t eat anything else.” When it comes to snacking, his go-tos are almonds, dried cranberries and dark chocolate.

first person

n the little flat I share with Saffy and Amanda, we’ve all been haunted by the recent death of Sharyn’s neighbour. For those of you who came in late, Madam Chen was 85 years old, and lived alone with her five cats. She slipped and fell in her bathroom, cracked her head and died. She was discovered only because her five kitties made such a racket, her irritated neighbour called the authorities. “Larky that neighbour so kay-poh, and call police,” Sharyn said. “Yeah, why didn’t you call the police?” Saffy asked. “Aiyah, I have so many chil-ren and their friend at home, always so noisy, you ting can hear cat meh?” Saffy sighed. “At least it was a quick death.” That’s the thing about Saffy: she’s always up for a silver lining. When she found out that she only got a 10 per cent pay increment, she said at least she hadn’t been fired. Admittedly, she said this only after she’d ranted for half a day and then went down to Boat Quay and gotten blind drunk with Sharyn, but you get the point. “What if she’d been in a coma!” she went on, eyes widening in horror. “Nothing worse than being in a coma!” Amanda said firmly. “Imagine being trapped in your head like that!” Saffy hesitated. “Well, it’s not like you’re conscious or anything like that…” She trailed off. “You don’t know that. Nobody knows what people are really experiencing when they’re in a coma!” “But wouldn’t you remember when you woke up?” Saffy asked. “Not if the mind is so traumatised by the whole thing. Maybe when you wake up, you’re flooded with that chemical that makes you forget the experience… like after a woman gives birth which I read somewhere is nature’s way of making sure you go on to have a second child.” “That didn’t work with my moth-

er,” I said. “Her favourite story when I was growing up was how as she lay there in the delivery room after I was born, she’d sworn to herself she’d never again have another child.” Amanda patted her hand. “It explains so much,” she said cryptically. A few days later, when Saffy was in the office and pretending to work, she watched a new episode of Dr Pimple Popper on YouTube. She suddenly gasped and reached for the phone to call Amanda.

STORY

JASON HAHN

needs to wake up to chin hair? “So will you pluck mine out, if ever something happens to me?” Saffy asked, stabbing morosely at her mushroom pasta. “Yes, and I’ll even make sure you’re waxed every month!” Amanda promised, though you could tell her heart really wasn’t in it. Saffy’s bosom inflated. “No, don’t wax me. If I’m in a coma, it’ll mean I won’t be working, so I can’t afford to get that done. And anyway, unless I’m also six months pregnant,

She has this pact with her girlfriends that if one of them ever gets into an accident and is in a coma, the others have to

take turns to pluck out her chin hairs! Can you imagine that? “Do you know what Dr Sandra Lee has?” she asked in the same tone she’d used to divulge the news that Melissa Chan had contracted an STD from her Italian boyfriend. “Saf, I’m busy, so unless…” Amanda began. “She has this pact with her girlfriends that if one of them ever gets into an accident and is in a coma, the others have to take turns to pluck out her chin hairs! Can you imagine that?” Saffy asked with great drama. On the other end of the line, Amanda stopped typing. “I don’t have any chin hairs…” “But you might!” Saffy told her. “Who knows with comas! You could slip into one with SK-II skin, and wake up in desperate need of a Browhaus wax!” As Amanda later pointed out at dinner, it’s not as if life isn’t already full of unpleasant surprises, but who

there’ll be no reason for anyone to ever look down there!” she added with emphasis. “Just pluck out my chin hairs, so that I look respectable!” Apparently news that some women have chin hair has sent Sharyn into a spin. “Hah? Got such thing meh?” she said when she first heard about it. She immediately called her regular therapist at Browhaus who said that a great number of her clients have prolific chin hair. “But not you lah!” Bernadette said reassuringly. “Usually, is my ang moh client. They got hair on their chin, they got hair on their lip, they got hair on their face! Aiyoh, I always scared when they come in for appointment! Their session take forever. The ang moh man lagi worse ah, I tell you!” “See!” Saffy told Amanda. “At least it’s just my chin you’d have to pluck!”

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my word

hen Steven told me of that fateful day he came home from school and discovered his father passed out and sprawled half-naked on the living room couch, clad only in a bra and panties and high-heeled shoes with a blonde wig on his head, I could only imagine how horrified he must have been and the myriad thoughts going through his head. “I was only 16,” Steven said, slowly twirling his whiskey glass as we finished our desserts. “My mum had died when I was three and that had been hugely traumatic because she had been the only one who had ever cared for us kids. Growing up, we

to me about his sexual orientation and that my mum had known even before marriage that he was a crossdresser. But I just couldn’t believe it. And I didn’t want to hear anymore. I was really freaked out. I didn’t know who this man was standing in front of me. All I could think of was what would have compelled my dear sweet mum to enter into such a weird relationship and have four kids with him?” “Perhaps he just couldn’t live with this dreadful secret anymore and felt he had to level with you? An honest disclosure to set the record straight? After all, you were already 16,’ I said, trying to be constructive. “Hell, no,” he spluttered angrily. “My sister was only 14 and about to

I didn’t know what to say, suddenly feeling that

whatever issues I may have had with my own father were trivial and commonplace compared to what Steven had gone through. weren’t close to my father. He was always at work or entertaining and after he remarried a couple of years later, all of us kids gave him and our stepmom a wide berth. I honestly had no inkling that he harboured these bizarre tendencies.” Steven said he ran to his room and hoped that when he came out, that nightmarish image of his dad in drag would have vanished and that the living room would have reverted to how it had looked before he went to school that morning. But it hadn’t. Instead, Steven’s father had woken from his stupor and barged in through Steven’s bedroom door. He was still in ladies undergarments, his red lipstick garishly smeared across his lips and cheeks. “He didn’t even have the good sense to put on some clothes,” said Steven with a pained look on his face, his brow knotted from the effort of remembering what had happened so many years ago. “He tried explaining

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come home from school too. I didn’t want her to see our dad like this. I told him to go change into his regular clothes but he just refused. It was really like he had become a totally different person. I didn’t know what to do.” Over the next week, Steven’s father remained in drag, forcing his children to accept him as a woman. He even went to work dressed as a lady and this raised many eyebrows as he was the CEO of an important finance company. The Board of Directors would not tolerate this and swiftly asked him to step down and cash out his shares in the company. He was to be relinquished of his post. “When that happened, it was clear that the father I had once known was not coming back anymore. I called my older sister, who lives in San Diego with her husband, and when she heard about this stunning revelation she told me to pack our bags and immediately go live with her. So that’s

WOF F LES WU

what we did. My younger sis and I packed our things and made our way to the train station. I never wanted to go back to that house.” Steven then related how over the next 10 years, he and his younger sister were cared for by their eldest sister and her husband, who became a father figure to him. His own father had pleaded and tried repeatedly to get them to return to San Francisco. When they refused, he became abusive and cursed Steven’s older sister for harbouring them against his wishes. “It was all downhill from there,” Steven said with a deep sigh. “My father had been a respectable, wealthy man but it didn’t last for long. He was in a constant state of intoxication from booze and drugs and when his money ran out, he eventually gravitated to the most seedy part of town well known for its transexual prostitutes and that’s where he sold his body in exchange for the drugs and alcohol his body demanded. It was just tragic and too much for me to contemplate.” Steven became quiet and started to tear. I didn’t know what to say, suddenly feeling that whatever issues I may have had with my own father were trivial and commonplace compared to what Steven had gone through. I was surprised that he was still so sensible and level-headed. I don’t know how I would have handled this in my teenage years. I have described before, a vaguely similar encounter when I was 16. I was attending tuition with two friends at my English teacher’s home when he (a middle aged male) entered the study dressed in black lacy ladies lingerie, stockings and a transparent nightgown, declaring that the world was made of different types of people and that we had to learn to exercise tolerance and understand diversity. Well, I think my friends and I handled that situation with aplomb and maturity. We were there to improve our English. It really didn’t matter how the teacher dressed or what persuasion he was of. But then again, he wasn’t my father. (to be continued)

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

HOROSCOPE

libra

Virgo

(sept. 24 - oct. 23)

Aug 24 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sept 23

The symbol of the Virgin is not a passive, feeble sign, but a form of the Earth Mother, the ancient fertility goddess. Virgo can be one of the most practical signs, and is prepared to sacrifice its own interests to complete assigned tasks. It is above all a sign of service and sacrifice.

If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your birthday

(For week starting Sept 4)

Fabulous alignments mean that this is a fine day for a party. But you can also be pretty sensitive and you will worry in case everything doesn't turn out as planned. Don't be too bothered â&#x20AC;&#x201D; relax, have fun and let other people do the organising.

aries

(mar 21 - apr. 20)

You're having a period of financial opportunity. Tuesday and Wednesday favour domestic undertakings and family gatherings, while Thursday and Friday are good for professional and worldly ambitions.

taurus

(apr. 21 - may 21)

Opportunities are coming your way. You can ride out the storm and risk losing control or seize the initiative and assert your presence. Thursday's lunar alignments offer you the key to personal success.

gemini

(may 22 - june 21)

It's a busy time, but you are under the weather, or at least in danger of succumbing to emotional stress. Relax and see to it that you have sufficient time to yourself.

NICHOLAS CAMPION

cancer

(june 22 - july 23)

Your stars are nothing if not passionate, but remember that when strong feelings surface they can swing either way. Keep the peace and see to it that friends don't fall out over trifling matters.

leo

(july 24 - aug. 23)

You have excellent reason for optimism, but if you fail to take note of reality, you may find the ground swept from under your feet. Deal with all disagreements quickly, or family members may take offence.

virgo

(aug. 24 - sept. 23)

You have a lot on your mind and friends and relatives can't advise you unless they know what you're feeling. If you are open now, you can avoid potential misunderstandings.

There are some expensive purchases lined up, but far-sighted Librans will be concentrating on saving. It's also a time to contemplate life's unanswerable questions and to make plans for the future.

scorpio

(oct. 24 - nov. 22)

All eyes are now on you, and you will be challenged to display your social and healing skills. While other people are falling out, you must come to the rescue with your emotional support.

sagittarius (nov. 23 - dec. 22)

Your sense of selfpreservation will stop you doing anything silly, but you will probably still have to step in to help a close friend out of a tight spot. Someone at work may need placating.

capricorn (dec. 23 - jan. 20)

Your social stars are becoming increasingly lively. You will want to mix with old friends and companions who offer some sort of close commitment. At work, focus on long-term plans.

aquarius (jan. 21 - feb. 19)

If you're contemplating a change of job or a new community commitment, now is the time to pull out all the stops. Don't compromise your principles. Family life is on a positive path.

pisces

(feb. 20 - mar 20)

Travel stars grow stronger and Pisceans with wanderlust will be itching to fly to foreign parts. Your mystical nature is also on the move and you may be rediscovering some strange interests.

8 DAYS | 75

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8 DAYS | 77

SEPT

7 – 14

THEATRE Bert Kreischer “Live” in Singapore

Sept 9. 7.30pm. Sota (School of the Arts) Concert Hall, 1 Zubir Said Drive. Tix: $50–$106 from Sistic*. www.la-comedylive.com

On Display: A Musical Cabaret

Produced by Matheus Ting and Valerie Choo, this musical cabaret will entertain audiences with an evening of Broadway style singing and dancing. Move along to your favourite tunes from shows like Sister Act, Little Women, Pippin and a few Sondheim pieces. Performed by

PHOTO CREDIT: JOHAN PERSSON

America’s iconic comedian brings his anticipated tour to Singapore for the very first time. Having appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel “Live”, fans can expect to be in stitches with the stand-up comedian’s hilarious and outrageous stories that define his comedy and exemplify what has made him one of the best storytellers of his generation.

Ava Madon, Cheryl Kjm, Crenshaw Yeo, Dwayne Lau and accompanied by Karen Lim. Sept 9. 3pm, 5pm, 8pm. Esplanade Recital Studio. Tix: $30 from www.esplanade.com. www.facebook.com/ondisplayamusicalcabaret

The Relationship Agreement

Written and directed by Meherzad Patel, this hilarious comedy stars Sumona Chakravarti of The Kapil Sharma Show, Darius Shroff and Sajeel Parakh, among others. The play looks at modernday relationships in a humorous manner as it pushes boundaries and puts a relationship to the ultimate test when a couple

THEATRE

Asia International Comedy Festival 2017 Presented by LA Comedy Live, this debut festival will feature internationally acclaimed comedians from Canada, India, the Philippines and Israel. In the line-up are Canadian comedian Ali Hassan, who will be opening the festival with his one-man comedy show, From Zero to Hero; Kanan Gill (India), Mikey Bustos (Philippines) and Israeli comedians Shahar Hanson and Yohay Sponder, as they talk about all things from their background to their relationships. Sept 8–10. Various times & venues. Tix from Sistic*. www.la-comedylive.com

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THEATRE

West Side Story Inspired by Shakespeare’s tumultuous love story Romeo and Juliet, and set amid the vicious rivalry of teenage gangs in 1950s New York, the acclaimed dance musical known for its ground-breaking choreography and unforgettable score comes to Singapore. Be electrified by the outstanding US cast performing classic songs such as ‘Maria’, ‘Tonight’ and ‘Somewhere’. Rating: Advisory (some mature content). Sept 13–30. Tue–Fri, 8pm; Sat (Sept 16), Sun; 1pm, 6pm; Sat (Sept 23), 2pm, 8pm. Grand Theatre, Marina Bay Sands. Tix: $55–$185 from Sistic*. www.baseentertainmentasia.com

draws up a Relationship Agreement. Performed in English. Sept 8. 8pm. Shine Auditorium, #03-01 Shaw Tower, 100 Beach Road. Tix: $36–$96 from www.apactix.com.

Rumpelstiltskin

Based on the well-known Grimm Brothers’ classic, this musical adaptation shares the story of a funny little man named Rumpelstiltskin, who is

COMPILED BY

in love with golden-haired Greta, who only has eyes for the King. Adapted and directed by Carina Hales. Sept 9–10, 16–17. 1pm; except Sept 16, 11am. Ulu Pandan Community Club Theatrette, 170 Ghim Moh Road. Tix: $27 (Preview), $32 from Sistic*. www.theplayerstheatre.org

sharing their unique take on ska music with songs like ‘Senyuman Ragamu’ and ‘Terpesona’. Opening act by local band, The Maniacs. Performed in English and Malay.

UrbanSensation, Nasyiba Sahari and local band Altoaura, as well as RENTA Collective, as they perform Walang Weh, which is based on events in the literary work, the Malay Annals.

Sept 8. 7pm. Esplanade Annexe Studio. Tix: $64 from Sistic*; $70 (event day). www.facebook.com/gerhanaskacinta

Sept 8–10. Various times & various locations in Esplanade. Free. www.esplanade.com

Singapore Symphony Orchestra An Evening with Peter Cetera

The Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter and voice behind the group Chicago with hits like ‘Glory of Love’, ‘The Next Time I Fall’ and ‘Feels Like Heaven’. Enjoy an intimate performance as he presents music that continues to touch hearts, accompanied by his classic seven-piece electric band. Sept 8. 8pm. Resorts World Theatre, Resorts World Sentosa. Tix: $111–$231 from www.asiaboxoffice.com.

TypeWriter EP Launch

Sept 9. 7pm. Esplanade Annexe Studio. Tix: $18 from www.esplanade.com. www. facebook.com/typewriterband

Gerhana Skacinta “Live” in Singapore The Malaysian ska (Jamaican music genre) band celebrates its 18th anniversary here. Having released four full-length albums and performed in festivals and gigs around Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, they will be

Part of the Take 5 chamber music series, travel back to the beginning of the 20th century as five prominent local musicians such as pianist Lim Yan and violinist Foo Say Ming, present the Singapore premieres of piano quintets by two important British composers, Frank Bridge and Arnold Bax. Sept 10. 7.30pm. Esplanade Recital Studio. Tix: $25 from Sistic*. www.esplanade.com

The Complete Beethoven Symphonies (III)

Led by Lim Yau, The Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates its 15th anniversary with Beethoven’s ‘Complete Symphonies’. Following its sold-out performance of ‘Symphonies 2 and 3’, the third of this five-concert series presents the ‘6th and 8th Symphonies’. The ‘6th Symphony’ is a recollection of country life, which later inspired Walt Disney to pair the symphony with animation, in his widely acclaimed Fantasia. Sept 9. 7.30pm. Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Auditorium, 1 Straits Boulevard. Tix: $25 from Sistic*.

More than Music: “Live” Jukebox! More Than Music artistes Abigail Sin (piano), Loh

Sept 8. 7.30pm. Esplanade Concert Hall. Tix: $15–$88.

Chamber Series: French Flavours. The expressive flavours of the French colour this varied programme. It features the combination of flute, viola and harp via Debussy’s ‘Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp’, the sultry ‘Piano Trio No.1’ by Turina and the ‘String Quintet No.26’ by George Onslow, a 19th century French composer of English descent. Sept 10. 4pm. Victoria Concert Hall. Tix: $20. Tix from Sistic*. www.sso. org.sg

Cipta Cinta

Held in conjunction with Malay Language Month, Cipta Cita, which means “inspiring creativity” in Malay, puts the spotlight on some of the best artistes from the region. Enjoy heartwarming numbers by local group Heartfelt & The

The Sichuan Orchestra of China

Helmed by Singaporean music maestro Darrell Ang, the esteemed orchestra presents a repertoire of popular symphonic tunes such as Nicolai’s ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ and Chopin’s ‘Piano Concerto No.1’. Renowned South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho will also perform his interpretation of Chopin’s ‘First Concerto’. Part of the Sands for Singapore Charity Festival 2017. Sept 8. 7.30pm. Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands. Tix: $60–$250 from Sistic*. www.marinabaysands.com/sandsforsingapore

8 DAYS | 79

DARRELL ANG

The local indie pop underground quintet TypeWriter launches their new EP, What You’re Feeling is Not Enough, following up on their 2010 album Indian Head Massage. Supporting band Lost Weekend and the DJ collective Tiko Disko will also be performing.

Subscription Concert: Litton•Bavouzet. SSO presents Andrew Litton’s first concert as Principal Guest Conductor with Tchaikovsky’s ‘Fourth Symphony’, a work full of restless drama and energy. Having earned rave reviews of his Bartók concerto recordings, French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet will return to the Singaporean stage with the intriguing ‘First Concerto’.

Take 5 Piano Quintet: Quintetssential British

PEG G Y F ONG

SEPT

7 – 14

Dashboard Confessional “Live” in Singapore The acclaimed alternative rock band performs in Singapore for the first time, bringing hits like ‘Hands Down’, ‘Stolen’ and ‘Vindicated’, 2004’s Spider-Man 2 soundtrack. Led by singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba, the band has collaborated with alternative music producer nothing, nowhere. earlier this year and released ‘Hopes Up’. They have also released a platinum album with their live release MTV ‘Unplugged’, and three RIAA certified gold-selling albums. Sept 9. 8pm. D'Marquee, Downtown East 1 Pasir Ris Close. Tix: $118 from Sistic*.

Jun Hong (violin) and Kevin Loh (guitar) turn the typical classical music concert upside down with “Live” Jukebox!, where audiences can choose the pieces during the concert, drawing from a diverse repertoire of music by Mozart, Brahms, Ravel and a few personal surprises. Sept 8. 7.30pm. Esplanade Recital Studio. Tix: $30 from Sistic*.

A Soiree with the Tsar: Russian Rarities

The second of a threeconcert series presented by The Philharmonic Winds features the Philharmonic Chamber Winds showcasing rarely performed works by Russian composers. Conducted by Joost Flach, the evening’s programme includes Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Clarinet Concerto’ featuring soloist Desmond Chow, Taneyev's ‘Andante for Double Wind Quintet’ and Liadov’s ‘8 Russian Folk Songs’. Sept 9. 7.30pm. Victoria Concert Hall. Tix: $12 from Sistic*.

Winds of Japan Unwind with a Sunday afternoon of Japanese

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Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics 14th Anniversary Tour The classic R&B and soul group returns to Singapore as part of their 14th anniversary tour. Known for Russell’s distinctive falsetto and their high quality performances, which represent the original recordings of The Stylistics, they will be presenting hits such as ‘You Make Me Feel Brand New’, ‘Break Up to Make Up’ and ‘You Are Everything’, amongst others. Sept 10. 7.30pm. Resorts World Theatre, Resorts World Sentosa. Tix: $88–$188 from Sistic*.

tunes as the SparksWinds and conductor Chan Peck Suan perform pieces like ‘Spirited Away’, ‘Do Enka Express’, ‘Jounetsu Tairiku’ and many well-loved Japanese compositions. Sept 10. 3pm. Esplanade Concert Hall. Free. www.esplanade. com

SoundTrek 2017

Take a trip down memory lane as the SMU Music Interactive Club and SMU SoundFoundry present this nostalgic and immersive experience. Enjoy classic Mandopop hits, English chart-toppers and heartwrenching ballads as the band challenges the conventional setting of a music production by moving around the theatre. Sept 11. 7.30pm. Esplanade Annexe Studio. Tix: $15 from www.esplanade.com. www. facebook.com/mic.smu

Mus’Art Goes to the Opera

Under the wing of the Jurong Green Community Club, enjoy famous operatic works performed by the Mus’Art Wind Orchestra as they present classic arias and overtures from composers such as Lehár,

Mozart and Puccini. They will be joined by sopranos Esther Maureen Kelly and Felicia Teo, and tenor Jeremy Koh. Sept 9. 5pm. Esplanade Concert Hall. Tix: $15 from Sistic*. www.esplanade.com

Ballet Under The Stars

Singapore Dance Theatre’s signature event returns with two weekends of classical and contemporary ballet performances. The second weekend presents sparkling classical enchantment as three iconic weddings take the stage — Coppélia Act III, Aurora’s Wedding from Sleeping Beauty, and Don Quixote Act III. Sept 8–10. 7.30pm (Doors open 6.30pm). Fort Canning Green, Fort Canning Park. Tix: $35 from Sistic*. www.singaporedancetheatre.com

9 Rangkaian Tari Melayu

Sept 8–9. Fri, 3pm, 8pm; Sat, 8pm. Esplanade Theatre Studio. Tix: $25 from Sistic*. www. esplanade.com

Light within Ink

In his first solo show in Singapore after more

Till Sept 18. 10am–10pm. Gallery 1, The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane. Free. www. theartshouse.sg

The Substation: Discipline the City

Singapore’s first and oldest independent art space examines complex cultural issues in this three-part exhibition featuring works from artists such as Jiehui Avery Chen, Calvin Chua and Kuang-Yu Tsui. It will also feature a permanent gallery, an architectural case competition, and a punk-in-residence programme titled A Manifesto for Space, which will see a different punk using a space within The Substation monthly for their own purpose and without restriction. There will also be a series of public programmes and events. Till Nov 26. Wed–Sun, noon– 8pm. The Substation, 45 Armenian Street. Free. www. disciplinethecity.sg.

Benny Ong: Walking the Thought

In celebration of Singapore’s 52nd anniversary of independence, The Private Museum presents the first showcase of works by this renowned fashion designer and textile artist. Along with

other textile works centred around Buddhist themes, the exhibition also revisits a series of Ong’s older works from his inaugural textile exhibition, Re-woven: A Celebration of Lives, which opened at the Singapore Arts Museum a decade ago.

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.

Till Sept 24. Mon–Fri, 10am– 7pm; Sat, Sun, 11am–5pm. PH & other timings by appointment only. The Private Museum, 51 Waterloo Street #02-06. Free. www.theprivatemuseum.org

Ongoing.

National Gallery Singapore

The museum oversees the largest public collection of modern art in Singapore and South East Asia. Listening to Architecture: The Gallery’s Histories and Transformations. Spanning two galleries and a connecting walkway, the inaugural exhibition

Children’s Biennale 2017. Themed Dreams and Stories, the inaugural Gallery Children’s Biennale is a four-month-long festival that invites visitors to discover art in a new way. Explore dreams and stories through interactive artworks, music performances, film showcases and art-inspired programmes for kids. Till Oct 8. Free & ticketed. Daily. Sun–Thur & PH, 10am– 7pm; Fri, Sat & Eve of PH, 10am–10pm. National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew’s Road. General admission: $20;

BREAK 2017

Provoking Space This solo exhibition by Filipino artist, Mark Justiniani, who is well known for his installations that create an infinite depth of space, presents a series of works that probes into the nature of space, its structure and its boundaries. The works also delve into the idea of infinities, its variants, and how conscious beings like ourselves navigate these dimensions as we struggle to break through and move towards unknown destinations. Till Sept 17. Tue–Sat, 11am–7pm; Sun, 11am–6pm. Closed Mon & PH. Mizuma Gallery, 22 Lock Road #01-34 Gillman Barracks. Free. www.mizuma.sg

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REFLECTIVE MEDIA, LEDS, OBJECTS © MARK JUSTINIANI, COURTESY OF MIZUMA GALLERY

Sri Warisan presents a collection of nine choreographic works developed on Serampang 12, a North Sumatran couple dance about young love. Created by Guru Sauti, a dance pioneer from North Sumatra in the 1940s, the works represent the customs and standards of elegance in Malay culture.

than 12 years, acclaimed Singaporean photographer and art gallerist Chua Soo Bin presents over 50 intimate portraits of the late Chinese master painter Wu Guanzhong, shot between the mid1980s to late 2000s in the exhibition. Shown for the first time in Singapore and Southeast Asia, this exhibition documents the creative life of Wu and how he sought inspiration for some of his most significant artworks.

SEPT free for Singaporeans/PRs. Additional entrance fees apply to special exhibitions. www. nationalgallery.sg

ArtScience Museum

SERPENTIform. This exhibition by Bulgari pays tribute to the snake motif which has contributed to the maison’s international fame, and tells the story of how the motif has inspired the world of arts, design and photography. It features exquisite pieces from ancient jewels to contemporary artworks by artists such as Keith Haring and Alexander Calder. Also featured are original photographic masterpieces from Robert Mapplethorpe and Peter Hujar, as well as vintage evening dresses and costumes from prestigious theatre and cinema archives. Till Oct 15.

Human + The Future of Our Species. This cutting-

edge exhibition presents a future world where the lines between fiction and reality are blurred and shows how humans’ perception of humanity is being transformed by science and technology. Showcasing works by international artists, scientists, technologists and designers such as cyborg artist Neil Harbisson and star performance artist Stelarc. Till Oct 15.

Future World: Where Art Meets Science. Features 15 interactive digital art installations by awardwinning Japanese art collective teamLab. Enjoy an immersive experience with nature, urban spaces and even outer space, from illuminated balls that respond to touch, to projections of flowers that change with the seasons. Ongoing.

Into The Wild: An Immersive Virtual Adventure. Make a real-

The New Now This exhibition showcases a unique selection of works in various mediums by seven emerging artists — Benedict Yu, Charlotte Lim, Gabrielle Tolentino, Kayleigh Goh, Kuat Zhi Hooi, Leonard Wee and Wong Jia Yi. It aims to explore the common issues of coming of age as an artist and taking the leap towards practicing fine arts as a vocation. Till Sept 17. Mon–Fri, 11am– 7pm; Sat, Sun & PH, noon– 6pm. Gajah Gallery, 39 Keppel Road, Tanjong Pagar Distripark #03-04. Free. www. gajahgallery.com

BY GABRIELLE TOLENTINO

7 – 14 COMING ATTRACTIONS

OCT Wu Bai and China Blue in Concert

Dubbed the “King of Chinese Rock”, Taiwanese singer-songwriter Wu Bai, the lead singer of the band China Blue, commands huge respect from fans and critics alike. Celebrate the 25th anniversary of this influential Chinese rock band by rocking with them in this electrifying concert as they present an energetic display of musical brilliance, complete with pyrotechnics. Oct 7. 8pm. Resorts World Ballroom, Resorts World Convention Centre. Tix: $28–$168 from Sistic*.

Forever Young

Adapted from the original European cult hit, this jukebox musical is set in 2067 in a nursing home that houses a group of actors who were previously pillars of the Singapore arts scene. They prove that not all is behind them as they belt out a host of musical theatre canons, rock classics and the occasional scene from popular local television shows. The cast includes Hossan Leong, Karen Tan, Tan Kheng Hua and Suhaimi Yusof. Advisory: 16 (some mature content and coarse language). Oct 11–21. Mon–Fri, 8pm; Sat, 4pm, 8pm; Sun, 4pm. Sun : 4pm. Sota (School of the Arts) Drama Theatre, 1 Zubir Said Drive. Tix: $40–$69 from Sistic*. www.singtheatre.com

NOV Fei Yu Qing “Live” in Singapore 2017 Known for his melodious

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and distinctive voice, the Taiwanese crooner boasts numerous hits like ‘One Plum Blossom’, ‘Thousand Miles Away’ and duet song ‘A Thousand Miles Away’ with Jay Chou. He is also well known for his rendition of golden oldies as well as his signature jokes on stage. Nov 4. 8pm. Resorts World Ballroom, Resorts World Convention Centre. Tix: $28–$258 from Sistic*.

The Sound of Music

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. Nov 7–19. Tue–Fri, 7.30pm; Sat, 2pm, 7.30pm; Sun, 1pm, 6pm. Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands. Tix: $65–$185 from Sistic*. www.baseentertainmentasia.com

Ed Sheeran World Tour

The celebrated singersongwriter returns to Singapore following his biggest musical comeback with the release of his third studio album Divide, which features hit singles ‘Shape of You’ and ‘Castle on the Hill’ that both made it to Billboard’s Top 10. Also catch the multi-talented star performing other songs, including ‘Photograph’ and ‘Give Me Love’. Nov 11–12. 8pm. Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tix sold out at press time. www.sportshub. com.sg

The Addams Family

The creators of the multi award-winning production

CALVIN HARRIS

THE CHAINSMOKERS

ARIANA GR ANDE

SEPT

2017 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix

The 10th edition of this world-class event combines gripping race action against the Singapore skyline with full-length concerts by British pop veterans Duran Duran and American chart-toppers OneRepublic. This year, catch debut Singapore performances by award-winning international artistes such as Ariana Grande, George The Poet, The Chainsmokers, Seal and Lianne La Havas. Grammy Award-winning DJ Calvin Harris will be closing the race weekend with a performance.

Nov 16–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

Ninagawa Macbeth

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

SINGAPOR

Ichimura Singapore and Yuko Tanaka. Photo: GP Performed in Japanese with English subtitles. Nov 23–25. Thur, Fri, 7.30pm; Sat, 2pm. Esplanade Theatre. Tix: $48–$188 from Sistic*. www.esplanade.com

AQUA 20th Anniversary “Live” in Singapore

Best known for their 1997 breakthrough single ‘Barbie Girl’, the Danish Eurodance group returns to Singapore for their 20th anniversary concert. Get ready to stomp along to back-to-back hits such as ‘Roses Are Red’, ‘Around the World’ and ‘Doctor Jones’, which will be backed by a “live” band

PHOTOS:

Jersey Boys presents this 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, 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.

E GP

Sept 15–17. Marina Bay Street Circuit. Tix from www. singaporegp.sg, via hotline: 6738-6738 & Sistic*.

from Denmark. Nov 25. 8pm. The Star Theatre, Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green. Tix: $98–$248 from Sistic*.

SSO Gala: Lang Lang

The popular Chinese pianist Lang Lang returns for two consecutive performances. Enjoy his solo recital (Nov 29), where he will be presenting a programme of French and Spanish inspiration with pieces like Debussy’s ‘Ballade’ and Liszt’s ‘Piano Sonata in B’; or catch him at the piano concerti (Nov 30) as he presents the fiendishly

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SEPT difficult ‘Bartok No.2’ and the expressive classic by Grieg, in an evening of enchantment. Nov 29–30. 7.30pm. Esplanade Concert Hall. Tix: $58–$388 from Sistic*. www. sso.org.sg

DEC Mayday Life Tour 2017

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, popular Taiwanese rock band Mayday will be staging its 10th concert tour with the aim of creating a brand new experience for fans by challenging themselves with performances that they’ve never done before. Expect hits like ‘Here, After, Us’ and ‘Love-ing’.

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world impact on nature as you go on a virtual adventure using Tango, a cutting-edge interactive technology by Google. Step into the shoes of a ranger, spot wildlife in their natural habitat, defend the environment, and more. Ongoing. Daily. 10am–7pm (last admission 6pm). ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands. All Exhibitions Tix Bundle: $30.40 adult, $20.80 senior/student/ child; except for tourist, $38, $26 respectively. From Marina Bay Sands ticketing portal & Sistic*. Visit www.marinabaysands.com/artsciencemuseum for updates.

Narration

The first solo exhibition by a Singaporean artist who goes by the alter-ego of Outsider. In this exhibition, he employs a radical

Dec 15–17. 8pm. Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tix sold out at press time. www.sportshub. com.sg

abstraction and technique of using texts and fonts to present a unique collection which takes people on a melancholic journey of how they have taken life for granted. Till Sept 11. 11am–7pm. Y2ARTS Gallery, #01-02 Old Hill Street Police Station. Free.

I’ve Cot You: Sayang, Sarong Baby

Using the traditional baby hammock as a cultural icon for interviews, this new body of work by local photographer Zinkie Aw focuses on family bonding and our shared values by exploring memories of the family unit. For the first time, get to see an upsized cloth cradle made for an adult, as well as vintage items and childhood

photographs contributed by fellow Singaporeans. Till Sept 30. 10am–9pm. Tampines Regional Library, Our Tampines Hub. Free. www. ivecotyou.com

Noodles, Rice, Spice and Potatoes This exhibition by South African artist and textile designer Deborah McKellar pays tribute to Singapore in its birthday month. It features a range of merchandise and 13 mixed media silk-screened canvases, which offer a compelling bird’s eye view of Singapore in all of our glorious, paradoxical diversity. Till Sept 26. Mon–Fri, 8am– 9.30pm; Sat, Sun, 9am–5pm. SPRMRKT, 2 McCallum Street. Free.

JAN 2018

Jan 27. 7.30pm. The Star Theatre, Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green. Tix: $38–$148 from Sistic*. www.facebook.com/ ELLEsingaporeofficial

AND SO YOU CAN SEE... (C) ROBYN ORLIN

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.

ELLE Inspires with Jessica Cox

Singapore International Festival of Arts 2017 Themed ‘Enchantment’, the main festival season features various events and shows that reflect optimism in the face of a changing world. Enjoy this week’s highlight, Lizard on the Wall, the latest local film by acclaimed filmmaker K. Rajagopal and Fran Borgia of Akanga Film Asia. It highlights the drama surrounding a Punjabi wedding that is inspired by the critically-acclaimed novel Inheritance by local author Balli Kaur Jaswal. There’s also And So You See…, a multi-layered performance by South African choreographer Robyn Orlin which incorporates diverse media like text, video and plastic art; Trojan Women, a contemporary Asian musical directed by Ong Keng Sen, in collaboration with the National Theater of Korea; and Guilty Landscapes III, an interactive video installation by visual artist Dries Verhoeven which challenges feelings of guilt and shame. Festival till Sept 9. Various times & venues. Admission through purchase of individual event tickets on Sistic* and compulsory event registration at www.sifa.sg.

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The Mediacorp Experience The latest attraction in One-North gives visitors a chance to experience the magic of the media. Take a glimpse at behind-the-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 from mid-September onwards. 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

the magic woven by authors Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Perrault and more.

Embracing Diversity

Pan Pacific Singapore and ARTTAG Circle present a group exhibition featuring three local artists Lok Kerk Hwang, Rofizano Zaino and Priscilla Lim. In conjunction with Singapore’s 52nd birthday, Embracing Diversity celebrates the multiculturalism of the nation by featuring a breathtaking art series of still life, people and daily objects. Till Oct 30. 11am–8pm. Public Art Space, Pan Pacific Singapore Level 2, 7 Raffles Boulevard. Free.

David Hockney: A Matter of Perspective

Part of the STPI’s annual special exhibition series, this showcase features 36 artworks by the acclaimed British artist, drawn mostly from the Singapore Art Museum’s collection, and focuses on his unique approach to the idea of perspective in painting. Enjoy works such as the 4 Blue Stools, which depicts a scene taken from multiple

angles and challenges expectations of what a photograph should be.

Till Oct 29. Daily. 10am–7pm. Singapore Philatelic Museum, 23-B Coleman Street. General admission: $8 adult, $6 child. Free for Singaporeans/PRs. www.spm. org.sg

Till Sept 9. Mon–Fri, 10am– 7pm; Sat, 9am–6pm. Closed Sun & PH. STPI Gallery, 41 Robertson Quay. Free. www. stpi.com.sg

Singapore Philatelic Museum

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.

A Little Magic Exhibition. Enter the realm of fairy tales through beautiful stamps from around the world and engage your senses with interactive and hands-on exhibits. Relive

Singapore South Asian International Film Festival The inaugural festival presents close to 35 feature films, shorts and documentaries from India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, as well as a special screening from Singapore. Its gala closing on Sept 9 will include special appearances by Dulquer Salmaan and Neha Sharma, and a musical performance by Indian singers Mohit Chauhan and Neha Kakkar. Other activities include panel discussions and celebrity performances. Till Sept 10. Various times & venues. Tix from www.sgsaiff. com. www.facebook.com/ SGSAIFF

Asian Restored Classics 2017

Curated by the Asian Film Archive, this film festival aims to celebrate the best of Asian cinema. It will premiere 12 timeless restored gems, including Taipei Story (Taipei), The Surrogate Woman (South Korea), Senninbari (Japan), The Nights of ZayandehRoad (Iran) as well as Singapore’s first and only martial arts film, Ring of Fury as it makes a comeback to the big screen. With English subtitles. Sept 8–10. Fri, 8pm; Sat, 4pm, 7.30pm; Sun, 3pm, 5.30pm. National Museum of Singapore Gallery Theatre. Tix: $13 from Sistic*. Visit arc.asianfilmarchive.org for schedule.

Silver Arts 2017 Organised by the National Arts Council, this year’s festival features 38 programmes by over 80 artists and art groups. Highlights include ‘Songs of Guidance’, a tribute to traditional Hokkien music by renowned street opera

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SEPT artiste Oon Ah Chiam; Nine Years Theatre’s double bill of Kuo Pao Kun’s famous monologues No Parking on Odd Days and The Coffin is Too Big for the Hole; ‘Rocking Good Times’, a concert featuring popular bands from the ’60s like The Straydogs and The Trailers; Syair Biola (Songs From The Violin), a specially commissioned theatre production by Cultural Medallion recipient Nadiputra; and the screening of two new film commissions: Happy to See You Too by Yee Chang Kang and Rayqal by Sufyan Sam’an. Singaporeans young and old can also enjoy free performances and art workshops as part of the Festival’s ‘Arts on the Move’ line-up. Till Sept 24. Various times & venues. Free & ticketed. silverarts.nac.gov.sg

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Sentosa Sandsation 2017 Anchoring the three-week Sandsational Fun at Sentosa Festival, this features more than 30 sand sculptures measuring up to 4.9 metres in three zones across Siloso Beach. Created by awardwinning sculptor Tan Jooheng and his team of international sculptors, the first zone will showcase 15 sculptures inspired by local culture. Other highlights include the Merlion Magic Lights, Movies by the Beach and thematic food and beverage offerings. Till Sept 17. 10am–9pm. Siloso Beach, Sentosa. Free, island admission and parking charges apply. www.sentosa.com.sg

Sands for Singapore Charity Festival TranslateSingapore 2017 Marking its third edition this September, the festival presents over 20 programmes across four weekends to celebrate linguistic richness and all things intercultural. Highlights include the lecture A Tale of Two Languages, by notable linguist and writer David Moser and Cultural Medallion writer Mohamed Latiff Mohamed, which offers insights into the Chinese and Malay languages. Other activities include comic translation workshops as well as book launches and discussions. Sept 9–30. Various times & venues, The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane. Tix from selectcentre.peatix.com. www. theartshouse.sg

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Marina Bay Sands’ signature charity event returns for its fifth year with a variety of fun-filled events. Take a walk around the bay with Community Chest; see participants compete in Play It Forward, a charity challenge; and delight your taste buds with food and beverages from celebrity chef restaurants at the festival’s first Sundown Picnic, where you can also enjoy music performances by local bands like The Summer State and Too Much Drama. Visit Marina Bay Sands attractions such as the ArtScience Museum, where 100 per cent of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to organisations like Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore. Sept 8–10. Visit www.marinabaysands.com/sandsforsingapore.

Health and Wellness Farmers Market

This special Health and Wellness edition of the Farmers Market gathers vendors offering a mix of organic vegetables, wine, olive oil, fresh honey and other delicious food. There will also be a free fitness workout and face painting for children. Free parking available. Sept 9. 9am–2pm. Loewen Gardens, 75E Loewen Road. Free. www.thepantry.com.sg

Gardens by the Bay: Autumn Harvest Floral Display

Be enchanted by Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage as well as a lush farm plot overflowing with produce and blooms like anemones and phloxes in the Flower Dome. Look forward to more than 10 varieties of special pumpkins, like the pristine

white ‘Polar Bear’ and the bizarre-looking ‘Red Warty Thing’. Lanterns will also dot the outdoor gardens as part of the annual Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations. Till Oct 29. 9am–9pm. Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay. Admission charge to the conservatories applies. www. gardensbythebay.com.sg

23rd Ngee Ann City National Lion Dance Champions 2017

Enjoy a night of electrifying acrobatic feats by nimble performers from Singapore’s top 28 lion dance teams as they battle it out for the championship title. Experience the heartpounding sounds of the Jie Lin drum troupe along with other fringe performances and exciting segments. Till Sept 9. 7.30pm. Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza. Free admission.

The Nutcracker: A Spectacular Magic Extravaganza

The crisp winter air heralds the return of Clara’s dream where Christmas will never be the same again. Journey through a magical world of a timeless classic told through spectacular magic, special effects and video animation directed by Fan Dong Kai, and performed by award-winning illusionists and father-daughter duo Lawrence and Priscilla Khong. Till Sept 10. Thur, Fri, 8pm; Sat, 2.30pm, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Gateway Theatre, 3615 Jalan Bukit Merah. Tix: $28–$88 from Sistic*.

Malay Language Month

The Malay Language Council presents a myriad of programmes and activities to express the versatility and vibrancy of the Malay language, culture and heritage. The programme includes Gotong Royong, where visitors can be part of a “live” batik drawing and painting session; and My Silat – Heritage and Culture, where the history of silat is told through photos and stories of silat masters from the early ’40s and ’50s. There will also be activities such as storytelling sessions,

theatre and dance performances. Till Oct 15. Various times & venues. Free, except for selected events. www.mbms.sg

ones will be entertained by performances such as the The Jungle Book “Live” Acrobatic Show.

Till Sept 10. Various times. B1 Atrium. Free to all shows/meet & greet, except for Rainforest Explorer Pass (conditions apply). www.facebook.com/UnitedSquare

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Put on a pink ribbon pin in the month of October to show your support for patients and survivors of breast cancer, as well as to help raise awareness about early detection and breast screening. On Oct 7, along with the Pink Ribbon Walk (register at www.pinkribbonwalk. sg), join the Pink Ribbon Parade, which will feature a spectacular display of pink hummingbirds, stilt walkers and “live” performances. There will also be an exhibition where visitors can be inspired by survivors’ stories about their breast cancer journey. Oct 1–31. Free. More info at www.pinkribbonsingapore.org

Shopping Mall Events

United Square. The kids learning mall celebrates its 15th anniversary with a unique rainforest experience. Shoppers can be explorers in a realistic rainforest environment with “live” snakes and exotic turtles, or even climb into tree houses. The little

A World of Zahramazing Fun! The twin genies from the hit Nickelodeon Junior TV series come to City Square Mall for their first “live” show. Join Shimmer and Shine on their adventures in the magical world of Zahramay Falls as they present a “live” stage filled with singing and dancing. Dress in your party best and pose for the camera with your favourite genies during the Meet and Greet sessions, and head to the Shimmer and Shine Beauty Hall for a dazzling experience with activities like glitter tattoos and dress-up. Conditions apply. Till Sept 10. Various times. City Square Mall. Free admission. 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 Raffles City Shopping Centre Singapore Symphony Orchestra Singapore

Vistor Centre Suntec City Mall Tampines 1 Tampines Mall The Centrepoint The Star Performing Arts Centre The Star Vista 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 Post Offices.

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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SURVIVING BORNEO

SUN | DISCOVERY CHANNEL | SINGTEL TV CH 202 & STARHUB CH 422 | 9PM Before he got married last August, Singapore-based TV host/ model and Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding made a pilgrimage to Sarawak to reconnect with the Iban half of his lineage (the other half is British). This six-part docu chronicles Golding’ bejalai, a tribal ritual where the Iban men embark on a journey to uncharted territories and face physical and spiritual challenges. After this, Hollywood should be a piece of cake, right, Henry? — DOUGLAS TSENG

Welcome (back) to the jungle: Golding (seen here with his uncle) goes off the map in Sarawak for a life-changing experience.

14 7–

SER

neW IES!

SEPTEMBER 7-14 SEPT 7 | THUR

SEPT 9 | SAT

SNOWFALL SEASON FINALE!

BOTCHED 3

Expect some explosive twists in John Singleton’s dope drama.

Planning to go for plastic surgery? Perhaps these messed-up cases may change your mind.

FX | SINGTEL TV CH 310 &S STARHUB CH 507 | 10PM

STORY

DOUG LAS TSENG

SEPT 12 | TUE

E! | SINGTEL TV CH 328 & STARHUB CH 441 | 2.20PM

SEPT 10 | SUN

YEAR MILLION

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL | SINGTEL TV CH 201 & STARHUB CH 411 | 10PM

MY LOVER’S SECRET NEW SERIAL!

How will virtual technology affect humanity? Can we still tell what’s real and what’s not?

SEPT 11 | MON

GEM | SINGTEL TV CH 519 | 9PM

Desmond Tan leads a group up to the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, Australia.

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF PUPPIES & KITTENS NEW SERIES! BBC EARTH | STARHUB CH 407 | 8PM

Witness the first year of life from a pet’s perspective. Also on BBC Player.

DEAD AGAIN NEW SERIES!

THRILL | SINGTEL TV CH 415 & STARHUB CH 618 | 10PM

Reality show — produced by Law & Order creator Dick Wolf — about three veteran cops re-opening old murder cases.

SEPT 8 | FRI

MY STAR GUIDE 12 CH 8 | 8PM

A dark secret returns to haunt a law student (Sota Fukushi) and his fiancée. New eps on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

MY PACIFIC QUEST NEW SERIES!

NAT GEO PEOPLE | SINGTEL TV CH & STARHUB CH | 9.20PM

New Zealander adventurer Ellis Emmett plans to visit the islands in the Pacific on a sailboat. First, he must learn to sail.

XPLORATION NATION: EARTH 2050 NEW SERIES! BBC EARTH | STARHUB CH 407 | 10.45PM

Scientist and host Chuck Pell finds out what life would be like in 2050.

SEPT 14 | THUR

SUITS 7 SEASON FINALE!

DIVA | SINGTEL TV CH & STARHUB CH | 2PM & 8.55PM

Guess which character is going to have her own spin-off?

PHOTOS: GEM, NETFLIX, BBC EARTH, OH!K

SEPT 13 | WED

AH MA CAN COOK CH 8 | 8PM

BOJACK HORSEMAN 4 NEW SEASON! NETFLIX | STREAMING

Everyone’s favourite washed-up (animated) sitcom star is back.

8 DAYS SEP 4, 2017

Kym Ng hosts this cooking show where she and a celeb guest try to replicate a grandma’s homemade dish. Her first guest: Ben Yeo.

STORY

DOUG LAS TSENG

MY TV DIET:

KELLY LATIMER

PHOTO: HISTORY

The Photo Face-Off host and recent SEA Games presenter, 30, has a thing for cheesy period dramas and accents.

How many hours I spend watching TV At the moment, I get about an hour a day, maybe? I tend to sit down with [my husband] Justin to unwind as we fold laundry in the evening after [my eight-month old daughter] Sienna goes to bed. Oh gawd… I’m officially middle-aged! The TV show I watch first thing in the morning We’re limiting screen time for Sienna, so the TV is usually off in the morning. But sometimes I’ll have the news on, just to catch up with what’s going on in the world. The TV show I watch before going to bed Right now, it’s Game of Thrones. But when that runs out, I’ll likely go back to Bloodline. It’s not new, but the plot twists are crazy. That, and Photo Face-Off… I really can’t wait for the season finale. I reckon this season is also the best we’ve had so far! The TV show that defined my childhood It has to be [the Brit sci-fi comedy] Red Dwarf. I loved [the character] Lister, and it was his love for Fiji that has made me desperate to go. I haven’t made it there yet. Yet. Eurgh. I need a holiday. The last TV show I binged on When I’m on the road, I binge on Orange is the New Black. I’ve been in love with Ruby Rose for forever, and she was the reason I started watching the show. I don’t think she’s the best actor but her face is enough to keep me hooked. I try to ration it to one ep a day though to drag it out! The TV show everyone's talking about but I haven't seen yet I’m still behind on Game of Thrones.

Justin and I always watch it together, but I’ve been travelling so much that I haven’t had a chance to catch up yet. I’ve virtually had to ban myself from Facebook because of the spoilers. The most unforgettable TV moment It’s actually rather tragic, but it’s forever etched in my mind — 9/11. I remember hearing it on the BBC World Service first, then running downstairs to turn on the TV. I think it was then I realised that the world we live in was about to change. Now, we’ve got Trump ruling the free world, it’s got me wondering what sort of world I’m raising my children in. The TV show I'm too embarrassed to tell everyone that I'm watching When I was in the early stages of breastfeeding Sienna, I binged on The Reign. It’s like a teeny-bopper fusion of The Crown and Game of Thrones. The acting isn’t great, the storyline is worse, but it had 61 hour-long episodes — and I needed something to keep me going! The TV show that inspired what I am doing now From the age of about 16, I knew I wanted to do something communications related. But it was CNBC’s Squawk Box that made me want to do something more hard-hitting than focusing solely on entertainment. I was interning at CNBC during my poly days and I fell in love with the realness of discussing world events and their

DOMINIC WE

impact on markets and trends. Now, I’m no business grad, so chatting casually about stocks and shares wasn’t going to come easily. So I guess that’s why I fell so happily into sports — it was a happy marriage of entertainment and news. Dominic Cooper, Dominic West or Dominic Purcell? Neither of these Dominics get me going, but I loved The Wire. So of the three, it has to be West. I love doing accents and he [as a British] really nailed [the American accent] as policeman Jimmy McNulty.

Photo Face-Off airs Thur, History (StarHub Ch 401), 9pm.

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boos & bravos BRAVO

DOUG LAS TSENG

to the

PHOTO: NETFLIX

PHOTO: CINEMAX

PHOTOS: HBO

explosive season finale of Game of Thrones (HBO on StarHub Go, HBO On Demand, StarHub Ch 602). Man, did the season just come and go? That’s the beauty of having a shorter season (the just-concluded Season 7 only has seven eps, down from the usual 10) — it tightens and hastens the narrative, resulting in more thrillers than fillers. Filled with twists and turns, revelations and shocking deaths, the season finale, ‘The Dragon and the Wolf’, ends on a spectacular note — The Night King tearing down The Wall with his newly acquired zombie dragon. (Undead or alive, the dragons are always the scene-stealers.) When the eighth and final season returns (with just six eps), it’s not going to be just Man vs Dragon, but also Dragon vs Dragon. Ooooooh, exciting stuff ...

BRAVO

to the powerful ‘The Internet’ ep of Room 104 (Cinemax, StarHub Ch 611, Sat; HBO on StarHub Go, HBO On Demand, StarHub Ch 602), the genre-fusing anthology series about the assorted folks staying in the titular motel lodging. In this 1997-set ep, the guest is a budding author (Poorna Jagannathan, whom some may remember as the cab driver in Deadpool) trying to get his techilliterate mum over the phone to retrieve a manuscript from his computer. Their exchange starts out comical before things get dark quick, escalating into a hurtful shouting match. But anger makes way for tears when one of them reveals a family secret. It’s amazing how the ep runs the gamut of emotions in the space of half an hour, in a scene where one character is represented by a disembodied voice.

8 DAYS

BOO

to The Mist (Netflix), the TV version of the Stephen King novella (previously made into a movie by Frank Darabont) about a small-town shrouded in a mysterious fog. Trapped by this bizarre phenomenon, the folks (played by, with the exception of Six Feet Under’s Frances Conroy, a cast of largely unknowns) start to freak out and do cruel things to one another… Wait, doesn’t that sound a tad familiar? Yes, it does — if you’re a fan of Under the Dome, another King-inspired series. Except the invisible dome is now replaced by a haze with monsters lurking inside. But there isn’t enough monsters to sustain interest. So why stick around for another Under the Dome? You know that feeling where you’re full after watching The Walking Dead and have no desire to follow Fear the Walking Dead? Same principle here.

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CH U CH 5

118 SEASON 2

The coffeeshop is newly renovated, has new bosses, and is now the hangout of new neighbours, all of whom have quirks and distinct personalities.

STARS Chew Chor Meng (Hong Daming), Pan Lingling (Liu Meimei), Dennis Chew (Wang Shunfeng), Xu Bin (Hong Shunshui), Ya Hui (Hong Jinzhi), Chen Hanwei (Li Weiliang/Aniang), Bryan Wong (Liu Jizhou), Jeanette Aw (Li Taimei/Manman), Elvin Ng (Deng Bo), Somaline Ang (Wang Yuye), Sheila Sim (Hong Shanshan), Chen Tianwen (Zhang Tiancheng), Liu Lingling (Liu Jiejie), Nick Teo (Zhang Zhenhui), Carrie Wong (Zhang Ke’ai), Sora Ma (Chen Meizhen), Cavin Soh (Lin Zhigao), Roy Li (Zhang Meiyou), Brandon Wong (Liu Dali), Zhu Houren (Liu Dagong), Jeremy Chan (Liu Yazhou), Hayley Woo (Yiyi), Desmond Ng (Boris Xiao), Cassandra See (Shangguang Yan), Tang Miaoling (Lan Xiang), Priscelia Chan (Tang Sijia), Eelyn Kok (Jiahui) and Zhang Yaodong (A-pao).

MON SEPT 11

7.30pm Episode 204/218

Eating the meal Meimei has cooked for him, Tiancheng reminisces about how poor he was as a child. Lamenting that his mother passed away without living a good life, he reflects that Jiejie suffered hardship after marrying him. The more he goes on, the sadder he feels. Eventually, he bursts into tears. Deng Bo asks Zoe if Zhihao is in Singapore. She

All out of love: Dali receives stern words on relationships from Dagong.

discloses that Zhihao has lost his will to live, and this will be the last time he sees Jinzhi. Shunshui pulls himself together and actively seeks investors to pump money into his business. A-niang is busy thinking of a name for his baby. Shanshan hides in the balcony and starts to cry. S h e f e e l s ev e r y o n e i s concerned only about her baby and no one cares about her. Jinzhi stops Deng Bo from holding her hand. She is not ready to accept him yet.

TUE SEPT 12

7.30pm Episode 205/218

Jinzhi says Zhihao was never her nightmare. On the contrary, he was the reason she grew stronger and learnt

to face reality. She wants Deng Bo to give her more time. Deng Bo blurts out that Zhihao doesn’t have much time left. He has lost his will to live, and only Jinzhi can help him. She becomes emotional when she hears Zhihao is still alive. Deng Bo meets Zhihao and tries to convince him to see Jinzhi. M e a n w h i l e , Yu y e notices Jinzhi’s anxiety and questions her. Jinzhi stammers that she is waiting for news on Zhihao. Deng Bo returns with the message that Zhihao is willing to see Jinzhi. Everyone is glad he is still alive. Jinzhi finally gets to see Zhihao. They tr y hard to contain their emotions.

WED SEPT 13

TOGGLE

7.30pm Episode 206/218

Unbelievable: Jinzhi is overwhelmed by emotion when told Zhihao is still alive.

8 DAYS

Zhihao tells Jinzhi everything that happened. He hopes she will understand that he does not want to be a burden to her. Jinzhi refuses to allow Zhihao to give up on himself. She wants to remain with him. However, he declines. He promises to go for the operation, and will get fitted with prosthetics if necessary. But Jinzhi is to continue her normal life without being

weighed down by his situation. Deng Bo tells Jinzhi she has to take good care of herself and stay positive if she wants to help Zhihao. Dali buys a bouquet of flowers for Nana on their wedding anniversary. She rejects it and maintains they are divorced. Dali reasons that though separated, they are still officially married. Exasperated, Nana claims Meiyou is her boyfriend.

THUR SEPT 14

7.30pm Episode 207/218

Arguing heatedly, Dali tries to strangle A-niang. Nobody can pull them apart. Shanshan arrives and drags Dali away forcibly. Dali spots Meiyou, and runs after him. Shanshan develops stomach pains. Meimei’s assessment is that she will be going into labour soon. A-niang panics, and wants to rush her to the hospital straightaway, but Shanshan tells him to finish making the outstanding order of ang gu kueh first. Dagong forces Dali, Meiyou and Nana to sit down and trash things out. Nana admits she had tried to use Meiyou to shake Dali off. Dagong advises Dali to let her go. Jiejie wants to take Tiancheng to see a nursing home before he moves in.

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Unexpectedly, he says he will let her make the decision. Jiejie is taken aback by Tiancheng’s bizarre reaction, and tells Zhenhui. Zhenhui finds Tiancheng sobbing in the toilet.

FRI SEPT 15

7.30pm Episode 208/218

Afraid Jiejie will realise he was cr ying in the toilet, Tiancheng puts on sunglasses and acts cool. He continues to remind her not to resuscitate him when his illness is at the terminal stage. She is saddened by his words. Meiyou explains to Jinzhi that he did not have ill intentions with regard to Nana. She and Deng Bo advise him to follow his heart, as no one can stop him liking Nana. Shanshan is about to go into labour. A-niang is at the hospital with her, and is so anxious that his stomach starts aching too. Manman tells Daming and Meimei that she has donated all of Jinlong’s assets to charity. She has tried without success to find a job. As such, she hopes to join Yeo Yeo Huat.

MY TEACHER IS A THUG Infiltrating a school as a drama and martial arts teacher, a thug creates havoc with his unconventional ways.

STARS Li Nanxing (Jia Tianxiong), Phyllis Quek (Lian Jiaxuan), Bonnie Loo (Zeng Kaixin), Jeremy Chan (Gao Xiaoming), Cavin Soh (Zeng Guangrong), Terence Cao (Fang Chen), Zhu Houren (Lian Guodong), Cassandra See (Betty), Charles Lee (Joseph) and Kimberly Wang (Kelly).

MON SEPT 11

9pm Episode 11/25

Since Tianxiong moved in, Kaixin has been irked by his lack of hygiene. Guangrong

assures her that he will train Tianxiong to get rid of his bad habits. When Kaixin mentions she is going to visit Eden, Guangrong asks Tianxiong to go with her. He wants them to spend more time together. A t E d e n ’s h o u s e , Tianxiong and Kaixin bump into Fang Chen’s former boss, who’s there to ask Fang Chen to return to work. Kaixin is pleasantly surprised to learn it was Tianxiong who asked the boss to re-employ Fa n g C h e n . B e l i e v i n g Tianxiong is kind-hearted, she persuades Jiaxuan to allow him to return to SCP. Junjie overexer ts and hur ts himself when training for the martial arts competition. Tianxiong wants him to stop practising. Kelly deliberately lets Kaixin witness her and Joseph going into a hotel together. Heartbroken, Kaixin almost gets into an accident. A-wei tries to kidnap Haohao, but Tianxiong intervenes. Incensed, Lei Zheng orders Tianxiong to find Yongcheng within two months. Guangrong has been anxiety-ridden since putting his savings into gold. He asks Betty to redeem the investment to pay for Kaixin’s wedding . They discover that their fund manager has embezzled the money and fled. Guangrong begs Betty to get the money back quietly, without telling Kaixin. Joseph gives Kaixin a sports car. Thinking his gift arises from guilt, she slaps him.

TUE SEPT 12

9pm Episode 12/25

J o s e p h a n d K a i x i n ’s relationship sours. He figures Kelly is the reason and confronts her. Kelly insists she will never give him up. Xiaoming demands to know if Joseph is having

an affair with another woman. Joseph maintains he only loves Kaixin, and asks Xiaoming to mediate between them. Tianxiong and Guangrong go to Betty’s house and find she has moved out. Guangrong lets slip that he owes the finance company money. Junjie’s father complains to Jiaxuan that Tianxiong has overworked Junjie and caused his injuries. Jiaxuan realises Tianxiong has been coaching Junjie privately. At home, Jiaxuan receives

PEG G Y F ONG

the neighbours all their hardearned money.

WED SEPT 13

9pm Episode 13/25

Tianxiong berates Guangrong for letting Betty go. Guangrong feels they should trust her. The neighbours go to Guangrong’s shop to look for Betty. They believe he is in cahoots with her, and pressure him to return their money. The children at SCP miss Tianxiong. Jiaxuan is troubled that she has been unable to

Blur king: Guangrong allows himself to be fooled and is chastened by Tianxiong.

a package containing a pin number and a key. It is from Yongcheng. Tianxiong stops Junjie from practising martial arts and tells him to withdraw from the competition. Junjie begs Tianxiong to allow him to take part as he wants to win a gold medal for his cancer-stricken mother. Guangrong is harassed by his creditors, but refuses to approach Joseph for help. Fishball Bing finds out where Betty is and tells the other s. Guangrong is the first to locate her. She claims she is going to Penang to look for the fund manager to get their money back. He believes her and lets her go. Fishball Bing is infuriated, and demands Guangrong return him and

find a replacement. Kaixin argues that Tianxiong is a creative and patient teacher despite his flaws. Jiaxuan is torn about asking him to return. Jiaxuan retrieves a thumb drive from the location indicated by Yongcheng. She is told it contains a very important piece of evidence. However, she is unable to open the files as she does not have the password. Worried about Yongcheng’s safety, Jiaxuan decides to go to Malacca to look for him. She entrusts her family to Tianxiong. Joseph’s parents invite Guangrong and Kaixin to their house to discuss the wedding. Kaixin feels hurt that Joseph’s aunts look down on her and her father. Kelly shows up suddenly, 8 DAYS | 95

Under pressure: Betty claims she is going to return the missing money.

and offers to be their w e d d i n g p l a n n e r. S h e even wants to be Kaixin’s bridesmaid. Kaixin is not happy about this. Sensing that Kaixin is depressed, Xiaoming cheers her up. She promises to try to adapt to Joseph’s family. After Xiaoming leaves, Kaixin heads home. She is attacked by a man.

THUR SEPT 14

9pm Episode 14/25

Kaixin is attacked by Fishball Bing. Xiaoming hears her screams and rushes back. Shocked when told about Guangrong’s failed investment, she decides to confront him. Junjie faints in exhaustion. When Tianxiong reveals Junjie is determined to win a gold medal for his mother, she feels remorseful and agrees to undergo treatment. To help Guangrong settle his debt, Tianxiong has no choice but to betray Jiaxuan and reveal her whereabouts to Lei Zheng, in exchange for $30,000. Kaixin is touched when Xiaoming sells his car to help Guangrong. She regards him as her best friend. Joseph accidentally d i s c o v e r s X i a o m i n g ’s computer is full of photos

8 DAYS

of Kaixin. He suspects Xiaoming likes her. Joseph’s mother tells him about Guangrong’s f a i l e d i nv e s t m e n t a n d that he is in debt. Without hesitation, Joseph settles the debt. However, he is not happy Kaixin did not tell him about all this. He warns her to stay away from Xiaoming. Tianxiong feels guilty for betraying Jiaxuan. Learning that A-wei is hot on her heels, he travels to Malacca to protect her. He tips her off, but to no avail. At the critical moment, he shows up and hits A-wei with a rod.

FRI SEPT 15

9pm Episode 15/25

Kaixin tries on wedding gowns. Joseph is jealous that Kaixin and Xiaoming like the same gown. Kelly hints to Xiaoming t h a t h e s h o u l d n ’t g i v e Kaixin up, and suggests a collaboration. He warns her not to think of ruining the wedding. Guangrong stumbles upon Betty and demands she settle the matter. She shares that she is going to sell her flat and return the money to the neighbours. Guodong is unwell but still has to look after his two naughty grandchildren. Haohao pushes him, and he

slips and faints. Guodong is hospitalised. Kaixin takes the children to her house to stay. When Joseph asks her out, she declines and explains she has to stay at home to take care of the children. He assumes she is giving an excuse to be with Xiaoming, and they quarrel. Guangrong reminds Xiaoming to keep a distance from Kaixin as she is soon to be married. Xiaoming expresses his feelings for Apple in front of Joseph and Kaixin. He is heartbroken when Kaixin congratulates him. Ke l l y t e l l s J o s e p h ’s mother she is expecting Joseph’s baby. Joseph’s mother quickly questions Joseph. Guangrong overhears them.

LEE’S FAMILY REUNION

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

STARS

Eric Huang (Xiao T i a n c h e n g ) , 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).

SAT SEPT 9

7pm Episodes 547 to 549

Qianna persuades Yimei to drink more mushroom soup. Jinlan is jubilant that

she has managed to upset Yimei. She is still indignant about losing Hongshan to Yimei. She overhears Qiang calling Xiaocao “Missy” and becomes certain Xiaocao has a strong backer. When Qiang suggests Xiaocao go for a spin on her yacht, Jinlan assumes Xiaocao’s backer is very rich. Planning to expose X i a o c a o , J i n l a n i nv i t e s Hansheng and his family to the beach for a family gathering . Hansheng is surprised when David and Xiaowen appear as well. Jinlan deliberately goes near Xiaocao’s yacht and even goes on board to look for the owner, whom she claims is her acquaintance. Shocked to hear Jinlan’s voice, Xiaocao jumps into the water and manages to slip away with the help of Qiang’s diving instructor. She rushes home. Hansheng accuses Jinlan of spinning tall tales. Jinlan calls Liyun, in an effort to prove Xiaocao is not at home. Wenxing asks Liyun to take a picture of the sleeping Xiaocao for Jinlan. Jinlan is taken aback when Liyun sends her a picture of Xiaocao sleeping in Hansheng’s home. She deduces that Xiaocao had discovered her plot and escaped. David tells Jinlan that Xiaocao is good at playing such pranks. Ailin is unwilling to accept Wan Fang’s order. She calls on Xiaozu to cancel it. When he apologises for what happened the day before, she makes it clear Shuibo does not want to have anything to do with Wan Fang. Xiaozu holds Ailin’s hand and again expresses his feelings for her. He knows he loves her and cannot stop seeing her. Ailin lashes out at him for kissing Minmin and going to a hotel with the latter.

CH 8

Xiaozu tries to clarify the matter. When he attempts to kiss Ailin, she storms off. Jinlan confronts Xiaocao, who denies she has a backer. Upset when Jinlan calls her an illegitimate child, Xiaocao promises to tell her the truth after 24 hours. Xiaocao decides to spend the next 24 hours happily with Hansheng’s family. She tries to bake cakes for everyone and is moved when Hansheng and Zhengnan give her encouragement. Yongzhen and Tiancheng take Haohao out to draw. Yongzhen is worried Jiang Yong will harm Tiancheng and Haohao, if he discovers H a o h a o ’s p a r e n t a g e . Tiancheng vows to protect Haohao. Guoqing tries to kidnap Haohao. Yongzh e n an d Tiancheng fall off a cliff while tr ying to rescue the boy. Feihu and Wuxiong manage to save Haohao, and take him to the hospital. Jiang Yong rushes to the hospital and promises Haohao he will find Yongzhen soon. He also vows to teach Guoqing a lesson. Jinlan senses something amiss. Qianna vows to avenge Feng and their unborn baby. Yimei prepares a chicken dish and an apology card for Shuibo and Hongshan, but neither eats the food nor notices the card. Tiancheng and Yongzhen survive the fall by catching hold of a tree branch.

impossible that the food had poison in it. She offers to let the police force’s forensic team investigate the matter. Jinlan and David turn up to gloat over Shuibo’s quarrel with Yimei. Hongshan chases Jinlan out. She insinuates t h a t Y i m e i m u s t h av e poisoned the dogs in revenge because the Lins refuse to let her return to work. Hongshan and Ailin suspect Jinlan and David of killing the dogs. David flares up and threatens Ailin. Shuibo is incensed. Shuibo gets Erzhu to lock Jinlan and David up. Jinlan secretly calls Jiang Yong and asks for help. Minmin finds her heart racing when she hears Jiang Yong swearing to deal with the Lins. Jinlan sows discord to make Jiang Yong’s men fight with the Lins. Hongshan is surprised Wuxiong has joined Jiang Yong. Ailin is upset, as she does not want her family or friends to get hurt. Shuibo reminds Jiang Yo n g t h a t J i n l a n i s a troublemaker who is out to stir dissent. Jiang Yong is bent on protecting his woman. Just then, Qianna appears and asserts that it was the dark chocolate in the chicken dish which caused the deaths of the dogs. Shuibo tells Jiang Yong he can take Jinlan and David

away, as the misunderstanding has been resolved. Shuibo apologises to Qianna and agrees to let Yimei be reinstated. Hongshan patches up with Yimei and buys mushroom soup for her. When Minmin asks about the Lins, Feihu assumes she is jealous of Ailin. Xiaozu overhears their conversation and confronts Feihu about his relationship with Ailin. He is moved when he discovers what Ailin has done for him. Xiaozu visits Ailin and sees her grieving over her dogs. He takes her to the beach and finally makes her accept his feelings. Tiancheng and Yongzhen are trapped at the bottom of a valley. Worried about Haohao, Yongzhen breaks down. Tiancheng tries hard to console her. Jinlan calls Xiaocao when the 24-hour time limit is up. Xiaocao asks Qiang to arrange for her to meet Jinlan. Tiancheng gives Yongzhen the food they have left. He is sure he will not survive, on account of his injuries. Yongzhen urges him not to give up. She climbs up the cliff to get help. David confronts Qianna and demands to know who she really is. She is surprised when David mentions the

SUN SEPT 10

7pm Episodes 550 to 552

In a bid to shut Jinlan up for good, Xiaocao prepares the information she wants. The Lins’ dogs die in the kitchen. Shuibo suspects Qianna has poisoned his dogs to death. Yimei explains that she had cooked the chicken dish as a gesture of remorse to Shuibo and Hongshan. As she had eaten it as well, it is

CH 5

name "Lu Zhengfeng". He had seen Qianna crying in front of Zhengfeng’s tablet. Qianna asserts that contrary to what people assume, Zhengfeng was a talented man whose luck was bad. David knows Qianna must have approached the Lins to exact revenge. Qianna relates how Zhengfeng had escaped from the police to help her celebrate her birthday. As they were rejoicing over her pregnancy, Yimei turned up with her team and shot Zhengfeng. Qianna lost both Zhengfeng and her unborn baby, and wants revenge. David decides to work with Qianna. She promises not to harm Yimei. What she aims to do is make Yimei lose the man she loves and her baby. Qiang takes Jinlan to a theatre, where Xiaocao acts out her life story on stage.

MY DAUGHTER, GEUM SAWEOL

Two best friends, who grew up together at the orphanage, become fierce rivals driven by hatred and the desire for revenge. STARS Baek Jin-hee (Qin Siyue/ Geum Sa-weol), Yoon Hyun-min (Jiang Canbin/Kang Chan-bin), Jeon In-hwa (Shen Deyi/Shin Deuk-ye), Park Se-young (Wu Huixiang/Oh Hye-sang), Do Sang-woo (Zhu Shixun/Joo Se-hoon), Son Changmin (Jiang Wanhou/Kang Man-hoo), Park Sang-won (Wu Minhao/Oh Min-ho), Do Ji-won (Han Zhihui/Han Ji-hye), Park Won-suk (Su Juzi/So Kook-ja), Kim Hee-jung (Cui Mali/ Choi Ma-ri), Song Ha-yoon (Li Hongtao, Wuyue/Lee Hong-do) and Ahn Nae-sang (Zhu Qihuang/Joo Gi-hwang).

MON SEPT 11

7pm Episodes 19 & 20 New light: Ailin comes to see a different side of Xiaozu.

Hongtao cannot forgive Huixiang for locking her own biological father in the 8 DAYS | 97

room before the orphanage collapsed. At the site of the old orphanage, she finds an old doll with which she used to play with her orphanage friends. She suspects Siyue is still alive. Siyue asks Deyi if she is Ma Fengnv. Deyi replies she has never admitted she was, and says she did help Siyue unconditionally. Canbin announces that Siyue has failed in her mission. Even though she can’t take part in the library project any longer, she still shares three impor tant elements she learned from Deyi, regarding the building of a library. At this moment, Ma Fengnv enters the room. She approves of Siyue’s views. Apparently, she is the old lady who’s always seen with Deyi. Huixiang points out that Ma Fengnv is Spanish. Fengnv explains she was born in Korea, but was adopted overseas. Fengnv and Deyi befriended each other through art, and Deyi asked her to guide Siyue. Huixiang is filled with jealousy. Hongtao goes to the police station, hoping to gather information on her missing orphanage friends. Wanhou receives a tip-off and orders an intervention. Huixiang is haunted by her past. She keeps getting nightmares about the orphanage collapse. She dashes out into the road and is almost knocked down by a car. Shixun saves her. He shows his concern but she tells him outright that she is not interested in him. She is only interested in wealthy and influential men. Huixiang uses her c o m p a ny ’s c o n f i d e n t i a l documents to strike a deal with Wanhou. She wants him to give her permission to court Canbin. Believing

8 DAYS

Two-faced: Huixiang’s true self is gradually exposed.

Canbin is not interested in Huixiang, Wanhou agrees. Huixiang fears Hongtao is Wuyue and checks her personal records. She asks Shilu about Hongtao, and he shares that they had found her at a construction site 17 years ago. Huixiang has always assumed Wuyue was dead. S h e c a n ’t a c c e p t t h a t Hongtao is Wuyue, and worries Hongtao will find out who she is. Learning Huixiang is allergic to mackerel, Hongtao suspects she is her orphanage friend. Hongtao confronts Huixiang and wants her to acknowledge her true identity. Huixiang denies she was from the orphanage and stresses that Minhao is her father. She threatens to fire Hongtao and Shilu if Hongtao continues to speak such nonsense. Claiming Bao Jin Group’s quotation is 1 billion won cheaper, a big client seeks to cancel his contract with Minhao. Huixiang gets a preventive injection to stave off allergic reactions. T h e r e a f t e r, s h e e a t s mackerel in the presence of Hongtao. The latter is baffled about her own conclusions. More of Minhao’s clients

request to terminate their contracts. Minhao realises his company’s confidential documents have been leaked. Deyi hopes Siyue will be her temporary personal s e c r e t a r y. S i y u e a s k s for three months’ pay in advance, as she is saving up to pay her fees for her architecture course. Deyi agrees, and reveals her name is Hai Deshen. Wanhou takes Canbin to see the pine wood he has secretly kept all through the years. He wants Canbin to fulfil his dream of rebuilding Qian Mi Palace.

TUE SEPT 12

7pm Episodes 21 & 22

Deyi discovers Juzi has been tailing Hongtao. She realises Juzi has mistaken Hongtao for her daughter. Siyue finds a box of unique paper cranes at the old orphanage site. She realises at once that they were made by Wuyue. Excitedly, she tells Huixiang that Wuyue is still alive. J u z i t a k e s D e y i ’s toothbrush and Hongtao’s hair samples and sends them for a DNA test. Shixun swops the samples outside the clinic. Siyue does some repairs for a client onsite. She slips and is stranded mid-air.

Canbin happens to be passing by and reaches out for her. However, Siyue is exhausted. Unable to hold on, she falls to the ground. Canbin piggybacks her to the hospital. Huixiang is jealous to see Canbin bickering with Siyue in the hospital ward. Hongtao overhears that Huixiang is adopted. Peeved about Huixiang’s lies, she goes to Huixiang’s house and threatens to expose her misdeeds to her adoptive parents. Huixiang pulls Hongtao out of the house. She kneels and begs for mercy. She says that since Siyue’s death, she has been living in misery with her adoptive parents. Hongtao wavers. Juzi takes the swopped samples for the DNA test. The result shows Hongtao and Deyi are blood-related. Huixiang swops Siyue’s USB drive. Siyue can’t make her presentation without her files. Thinking she is irresponsible, Canbin flares up. Siyue confides in Deyi that she has been removed from the project. She is sad she can’t become an architect to help Minhao, who’s currently facing a lot of issues with his clients. Minhao tries to persuade

Ming Xin Group’s chairman not to terminate the contract. The man remains unmoved. Zhihui happens to find Siyue’s USB drive in the trash bin. Minhao opens the files and sees Siyue’s presentation. He suspects Huixiang of throwing the USB drive away. M i n g X i n G r o u p ’s chair man views Siyue’s design and changes his mind. He decides to award the project to Minhao. Juzi is upset Deyi has an illegitimate child. She does not tell Wanhou. Instead, she asks him to prepare a sum of money to buy a new house. Minhao is pleased Siyue’s design has won him the project. He is sure it will launch her career. M i n g X i n G r o u p ’s c h a i r m a n p r a i s e s D ey i for having great foresight in recommending Siyue’s design to him. Deyi instructs Shixun to tell the media that Wanhou stole Minhao’s confidential documents. Shixun steals the evidence from Wanhou’s safe and leaks it to the media. Wanhou is incensed about the theft. He suspects Deyi, as only he and she know the code number to the safe.

WED SEPT 13

7pm Episodes 23 & 24

Minhao suspects Huixiang of stealing confidential documents from his safe. However, she denies this fervently. Zhihui catches Huixiang throwing Siyue’s USB drive into the trash bag. Huixiang admits her guilt and justifies herself, saying Zhihui dotes on Siyue and she doesn’t receive any attention from her. Minhao is disappointed in Huixiang. He wants her to quit architecture. Meanwhile, he apologises to Siyue

openly, in front of her team. Later that night, Siyue waits outside the house for Huixiang to return home. She sees Canbin sending the drunk Huixiang home. Huixiang deliberately falls into his arms. Bao Jin Group is negatively portrayed by the media for using underhanded means to edge out its competitors. Wanhou makes plans to give an expensive painting to an influential man who can help put a lid on the criticism. Deyi objects, as it’s her father’s favourite painting. Deyi colludes with Shixun and puts up an act. Wanhou is tricked into believing Deyi did not steal the evidence from his safe. He suspects Huixiang instead. At a meeting, Huixiang is supposed to apologise to Siyue in front of her team members. She pretends to faint, and falls to the ground. Wanhou chides Huixiang for double-crossing him. She denies this, and declares they are on the same side. She claims her aim is to get together with Canbin, not go against Wanhou. Huixiang fires Hongtao. The latter is outraged, and they get into a scuffle. Siyue tries to stop them but to no avail. Minhao changes the code to the safe, and only he can access the documents.

Huixiang volunteers to help Siyue in Ming Xin Group’s project, as Siyue is not yet a certified architect. Siyue agrees. Wa n h o u g i v e s J u z i money to buy a house. She takes it and gives it to Hongtao. Claiming Hongtao’s mother is her relative, Juzi asks Hongtao to relocate s o m e w h e r e f a r a w a y. Reminded of her debts, Hongtao has no choice but to sign the agreement, but promises she will return the money to Juzi. A client tells Wanhou that the confidential documents were leaked from his side. Apparently, the client lied under Wanhou’s instructions. Huixiang thanks Wanhou for helping her. Canbin sees Siyue car r ying a chick in her pocket. She mentions that due to a chick’s chirping, the attention of the rescue workers was attracted and she was saved after the orphanage collapsed. Canbin realises she was the girl at the orphanage and is surprised she is still alive.

THUR SEPT 14

7pm Episodes 25 & 26

Deyi can’t bear to let her father’s precious painting be given away by Wanhou. She colludes with the art gallery owner, Caiyan, and swops the painting. Shilu’s mother tells her son that Hongtao’s relative

Mired in trouble: Wanhou finds his problems growing by the day.

has given her a huge sum of money. Shilu steals the money. Wa n h o u l e a r n s t h e painting is on loan for an exhibition. Sensing something amiss, he rushes to the art gallery. Canbin suspects the painting Deshen loaned was swopped with an imitation when she returned. Wanhou immediately sends the painting to be inspected. Deyi installs a tracking device on the imitation painting. She anticipates that Wanhou will send it for inspection. Shixun helps to stall Wanhou, while Caiyan and Deyi swop the imitation with the real painting. Hongtao finds out where Siyue is, and calls her house. She tells Zhihui to let Siyue know she is Wuyue, and will be waiting for her at the old orphanage site. Siyue is elated. Hongtao rushes home after hearing her motherin-law has collapsed. She misses the chance to see Siyue. Siyue dresses up elegantly and represents Ming Xin Group at a fashion event hosted by Bao Jin Group. Mali assumes Siyue is the granddaughter of Ming Xin Group’s chairman. Huixiang cajoles Supervisor Jin, who was in charge of the construction of the collapsed orphanage, to speak about Wanhou’s involvement in the disaster. She records their conversation. Qihuang turns out to be the boss of a money-lending company. He built a mansion while awaiting the return of his daughter, Wuyue. It burdens Shixun to see him living in pain. Huixiang lambastes Siyue for seducing Canbin even though she had already said they were dating. She criticises Siyue 8 DAYS | 99

THE FIXER

TVB crime thriller about a syndicate that fixes problems for their clients at a price.

WED SEPT 13 10pm Episode 1

The Fixers are hired to help Artiste Chen Xiaoming, who is having a dope party. Lei Lei accepts the job and gets her partner-cum-boyfriend, Situ Xinping, to map out the actions to take with Bai Chun and Chen Dawen. Xinping hopes to leave Hong Kong after the job is done, but learns Lei Lei has accepted another case involving Lu Tiancheng. Reporter Lu Tiancheng has uncovered secrets involving Mainland officials, so many people are after his life. He hides in the Zuliiby Consulate and asks the Fixers to help him leave Hong Kong. Zhu Fengyi runs a TCM clinic with her sister-in-law, En’en. Her second son, Xingzhi, is a police officer who often cooks for her. Fengyi misses her elder son, Xinping, who left home

for always standing in her way, and wishes that she would disappear from her life. Overhearing their conversation, Deyi finally sees Huixiang’s true nature. Hongtao leaves a note at Siyue’s house, asking to meet at Ming Xin Group’s construction site. Shilu is so burdened

100

8 DAYS

TVB

STARS Chin Ka Lok (Situ Xinping), Mandy Wong (Lei Lei), Benjamin Yuen (Mai Xingzhi), Timmy Hung (Chen Dawen), Tracy Chu (Mai Ping’an), Rebecca Zhu (Zhao Danqing), Gigi Wong (Zhu Fengyi), Lo Chun Shun (Bai Chun), Rosanne Lui (Lei Huabi), So Yan Chee (Situ En’en), Lulu Kai (Wen Jianing), Adam Ip (Fang Weiquan), Koo Koon Chung (Mai Jiguang) and Yao Bin (Lu Tiancheng).

Money talks: For an appropriate price, The Fixer will solve any problem.

years ago. While handling a case at the Zuliiby Consulate, Xingzhi has a close encounter with Xinping.

THUR SEPT 14 10pm Episode 2

En’en tells Xingzhi that Fengyi is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. A crestfallen Fengyi goes to the eatery she had frequented with Xinping. Xinping avoids her, but has to save her when the latter is nearly knocked down by a car. Xingzhi learns Tiancheng is a wanted criminal. The Fixers learn Tiancheng was set up because he knows too much. They agree to help him escape. Geomancer Luo Geng war ns Xinping that a bounty has been offered

by his loans that he sells his house. His devastated mother collapses. Minhao forbids Huixiang to amend Siyue’s design. Additionally, he does not allows Siyue to step into the construction site, for safety reasons. Shilu notices some serious safety issues in

for Tiancheng’s life. He tries in vain to stop the underworld from trying to kill Tiancheng. When he learns that action will be taken against Tiancheng at the warehouse, he tips Xinping off. After a tussle with the police, Xinping is arrested. He denies saving Tiancheng and refuses to reveal why he has returned to Hong Kong. Xinping finds Feng yi waiting for him outside the police station.

FRI SEPT 15 10pm Episode 3

Xinping reminds Fengyi that she was the one who threw him out of the house. Xingzhi w o r r i e s w h e n Fe n g y i ’s condition deteriorates. Daming and the others are upset with Tiancheng for

the amended construction drawing and brings them to Huixiang’s attention. She demands he follow her instructions, if he wants to keep his job. Super visor Jin’s voice recording is leaked to the media. A repor ter calls Wanhou and asks for his c o m m e n t s . Wa n h o u i s

betraying them. He asserts that he has evidence that is worth HK$100 million. The police receive a tip-off that Tiancheng will be leaving the country via boat. Xingzhi senses something amiss about the lead. He decides to search the area where Tiancheng’s mother lives. Xinping takes Tiancheng to see his blind mother, whom he has not seen for eight years. He hands the evidence to Xinping. Xingzhi manages to find Xinping and Tiancheng, but they escape before Xinping is shot by Xingzhi. Xingzhi is puzzled when he learns Xinping had saved his colleague, Jianing. Tiancheng reaches Thailand safely.

infuriated, and tries to contact Huixiang but in vain. Wanhou goes to the construction site to confront Huixiang. She pulls out the voice recorder to intimidate him. They get into a scuffle and the voice recorder drops to the ground. At this moment, Hongtao appear s. She picks up

the voice recorder and condemns Wanhou for killing the principal and children of the orphanage.

FRI SEPT 15

7pm Episodes 27 & 28

Trying to snatch the voice recorder back, Wanhou accidentally pushes Hongtao down the building. Siyue arrives to find Hongtao lying motionlessly on the ground. Hearing Siyue’s screams, Shilu rushes over. Huixiang is horrified that Hongtao’s accident was caused by her amended design. She fears her future will be ruined if her role comes to light. She bribes Shilu, and pushes the blame onto Siyue. Meanwhile, Siyue thinks it was her poor design that caused Hongtao’s fall. She is guilt-stricken, and can’t forgive her self. Canbin consoles her. Minhao halts the entire constr uction. He begins to lose confidence in his judgement and the profession. Bao Jin Group calls for a shareholder meeting. The majority shareholder shows up for the first time, and he turns out to be Qihuang. Wanhou fails to recognise him, and greets him warmly. Hongtao’s children and Shilu’s mother wait outside the emergency room. The children beg the doctor to save Hongtao. Shilu’s mother is incensed to see Siyue. She demands Siyue’s arrest. Deyi finds one of Wanhou’s cufflinks at the construction site. She suspects he was involved in Hongtao’s fall. Deyi witnesses Wanhou and Huixiang meeting secretly, and firmly believes they are in cahoots to frame Siyue. Canbin inspects the construction site. Certain there is nothing wrong with

Siyue’s design, he hugs her and shares that he is worried. Siyue struggles to free herself, and runs away. Huixiang steals and burns the baby clothes with her name embroidered on them. Deyi deliberately asks what she is burning. Huixiang makes up a lie, and leaves hurriedly. Hongtao finally regains consciousness. Canbin is happy to see Siyue smiling again. Meanwhile, Huixiang is terrified by the news. Deyi goes to the construction site and examines the area where Hongtao fell. She finds the wall being fixed in a frenzy. She relays her findings to Minhao, who discloses that the area is under Huixiang’s charge. She warns Minhao not to trust Huixiang blindly. Hongtao has lost her memory and can’t recognise h e r f a m i l y. S h e s t a r t s behaving like a five-year-old. Hongtao’s children berate Siyue for their mother’s plight. Canbin consoles them, and assures them he will find a doctor to cure Hongtao. Deyi and Shixun star t their own investigations. Deyi vows to find evidence to clear Siyue’s name; she will

not tolerate anyone ruining her daughter’s life.

W - TWO WORLDS APART

A romance between a character who exists in the comic W, and a surgeon in the real world. STARS Lee Jong-suk (Jiang Zhe/ K a n g C h u l ) , H a n H y o - j o o ( Wu Yanzhu/Oh Yeon-joo), Jeong Eu-gene (Yin Zhaoxi/Yoon So-hee), Lee Taehwan (Xu Daoyun/Seo Do-yoon), Kim Eui-sung (Wu Chengwu/Oh Sungmoo), Lee Si-un (Pu Zhufeng/Park Soo-bong), Park Won-sang (Prosecutor Han/Han Chul-ho) and Cha Kwang-soo (Sun Xianxi/Son Hyun-suk).

MON SEPT 11 10pm Episode 19

Yanzhu meets with Jiang Zhe. They head over to Chengwu’s workshop in the comic world and find him tied to the chair, wearing a hospital gown. Chengwu was locked in the mental hospital for a year. The killer’s consciousness seems to have inhabited Chengwu’s mind, and he is tormented by the killer’s memories. He just escaped from the mental hospital that morning after

killing a nurse, and managed to find the tablet. He drew the key and gun for Jiang Zhe to escape. When they are alone, Chengwu begs Jiang Zhe to kill him. Chengwu reveals that one of them has to die in the comic world, and he should be the one if they want a happy ending. Prosecutor Han holds Daoyun captive, and tortures him to find out Jiang Zhe’s whereabouts. Daoyun refuses to yield. Prosecutor Han sends Jiang Zhe a message using Daoyun’s phone. He orders Jiang Zhe to meet him and to trade Daoyun with the tablet. Suddenly, the killer’s consciousness is awakened. Chengwu strangles Yanzhu. Just in time, Jiang Zhe manages to save her. Meanwhile, back in the real world, ever yone is excited to see the final episode being uploaded online. Jiang Zhe wants Yanzhu to decide on the ending. She insists the three of them will get out together and no one is to die. Jiang Zhe heads over to meet Prosecutor Han. He does not give in to Prosecutor Han’s demands and is shot. Jiang Zhe puts up a fierce struggle and escapes.

TUE SEPT 12

10pm Last episode

Comic relief? Jiang Zhe and Yanzu reunite in the hospital.

Jiang Zhe is in ver y bad shape. He calls Yanzhu to pick him up. Yanzhu arrives at the bus stop and sees him across the street. He smiles when he sees her, and collapses. Soon after, “The end” is rendered at the corner. Yanzhu goes back to the real world, and Jiang Zhe is gone. Zhufeng checks out the comic online. He rushes to the bus stop to find Yanzhu sitting on the ground, crying 8 DAYS | 101

CO MP I L E D BY

bitterly. The tablet, and everything associated with the comic world, has disappeared. Chengwu is nowhere to be found. Unbeknownst to them, there is actually a different ending that is unpublished. In the comic world, Chengwu draws a gun in Prosecutor Han’s hand and makes him kill himself. A suicide note, along with evidence to prove Jiang Zhe’s innocence, is drawn on the desk. Chengwu drives over to the bus stop. He sees Jiang Zhe sitting there, coughing up blood. He finds himself fading away, and understands that he and Jiang Zhe cannot exist together in the end. He sees Yanzhu running towards Jiang Zhe, and whispers goodbye to her. After that, he vanishes. Nobody is privvy to the events that follow after the comic ends. It turns out that Jiang Zhe is actually sent to the hospital by Daoyun. S u b s e q u e n t l y, h e i s imprisoned for two years. O n l y o n e we e k h a s passed in the real world. Yanzhu has been living in denial and depression. She keeps going back to the bus stop to wait for Jiang Zhe. On this day, Yanzhu continues to wait for h i m d e s p i t e t h e h e av y d o w n p o u r. S h e s i t s there looking lost, and heartbroken. A car pulls up, and stops in front of her.

NGU I KIM MUI

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 SEPT 11

8.30pm Episode 559/698

After taking a reflex test, Ah Biao realises he is not as nimble as he thinks he is.

Lauren drops another bombshell: She tells Shruti and Pam she is turning herself in. The Tongs wait in eager anticipation for Li Yan’s return, together with her father Wai Meng.

TUE SEPT 12

8.30pm Episode 560/698

Felicia freaks out when Jared asks her to meet his parents. She feels she needs to put an end to the relationship before it goes too deep for her comfort. At the Rahmans, Sulaiman continues to find fault with Amir. A frustrated Salmah has had enough. With the arrival of Wai Meng, Tanya advises B h a s k a r t o s t ay away from him because of the animosity between them.

WED SEPT 13

8.30pm Episode 561/698

Even after dumping Jared, Felicia still feels lousy. Diana and Gina try to cheer her up. Sulaiman is angry with Nor leena for not being upfront with him. J oy i s d e s p e r a t e t o meet Wai Meng. Amir comes

Awkward handshakes: The Tongs finally meet Wai Meng.

102

8 DAYS

up with a plan to help her out.

THUR SEPT 14

8.30pm Episode 562/698

Knowing Meera is upset with Bhaskar for including them in his will, Tanya is sceptical when she is overly nice to Joy and her. It is still tense between Sulaiman and Norleena. Although Norleena tries to make amends, Sulaiman is cold and distant. Li Yan kicks her father out of her house when things come to a head over Bhaskar and those past issues.

FRI SEPT 15

8.30pm Episode 563/698

Tanya is not pleased when she finds out Bhaskar has plans to renovate Joy’s room. Sulaiman and Pam end up going to the Comedy Night event together after everyone backs out. Vanessa is adjusting well to wor king at Life Feed but a small blunder earns her an earful from Sheila. ALL SYNOPSES AND DATES OF TELECAST ARE CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINTING. HOWEVER, OCCASIONAL ADJUSTMENTS MAY BE MADE BY MEDIACORP TV.

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