Rebecca Liew

Whether you're looking for a bottle of Old World or New, biodynamic and natural or cheap and under $30, these wine bars in Singapore are making alcoholic grapes great again. Don't expect stuffy and pretentious joints that befuddle you with jargon, these casual bars welcome everyone from the wine novice looking to try all sorts to the connoisseurs looking for a 1982 Lafite. Here are our favourite wine spots you'll have to try. RECOMMENDED The best gin bars in Singapore and the best whisky bars in Singapore  

Take a break from constant scrolling and typing by immersing yourself in an art and craft project. Engaging in hobbies also offers a valuable escape from stress while reconnecting us with the curiosity we had as kids. Lucky for us Singaporeans, there's an array of captivating craft workshops tailored for everyone here on this sunny island. So grab your friends or even fly solo, put your creativity to the test at these creative workshops and bring home something you can proudly call your own.  RECOMMENDED The best craft stores in Singapore for all your DIY needs and 101 best things to do in Singapore

If your after-work or weekend agenda includes going to the movies, Singapore has you covered. There's a multitude of venues in every corner of the city showcasing the biggest and latest blockbusters straight out of Hollywood. But if you're in the mood to see a black-and-white, a cult classic, an arthouse flick or the new indie release on the big screen, then pass the foreboding multiplex for the city's coolest alternative cinemas.  RECOMMENDED: Upcoming movies in Singapore and the best streaming services in Singapore  

Whether you're a first-time homeowner eager to do up your new BTO or just looking to inject some new life into your current dig, shopping for furniture and home decor will never get old. Besides, they say you should surround yourself with items that spark joy – let that apply when filling up your living space.  Whether it's a sleek modern look you're going for or a rustic bohemian laid-back vibe you envision for your humble abode, look no further than these home decor and furniture stores in Singapore for some seriously lust-worthy homewares.   RECOMMENDED:  6 cool indie stores in Singapore and best heritage shops in Singapore

For those of us who aren't Harvey Specter from Suits with a bottle of Macallan at our desks, turn to the city's top whisky bars for an after-work tipple. Whether you're a fan of smoky and peaty Scotch or sweet and oaky bourbons, these leather-chair saloons have all your dram dreams covered. Visit The Exciseman Whisky Bar for limited edition bottles of Scotch or stick with the ever-reliable La Maison Du Whisky, which stocks a wide variety of bottles from around the world. Whatever your pick, these bars are the places to be for some sipping and savouring. RECOMMENDED The best gin bars in Singapore and the best bars for an Old Fashioned in Singapore

Art has expanded beyond galleries and infiltrated unorthodox places around town. You can walk into a shop, cafe and restaurant and serendipitously encounter some brilliant art pieces. Paintings, installations, photos and the like aren’t just tacked to the walls and forgotten about – they’re part of revolving exhibitions hosted by these venues, and some artworks are even for sale. We check out these galleries that hit the mark.  RECOMMENDED: 15 secret museums in Singapore and the best upcoming art exhibitions in Singapore

The rising popularity of online bookstores has made it more convenient for literature lovers to get their hands on the latest reads. But there's nothing as nostalgic as browsing through shelves stacked with pre-loved books at old-school bookstores. You never know when you might serendipitously find the first-edition print by your favourite author. Not to mention, you'll also help to give books a new lease of life when you choose to shop secondhand – earning you lots of sustainability points. Here are the best favourite second-hand bookstores in Singapore to get lost in.  RECOMMENDED: 15 best bookstores in Singapore and buy and trade pre-loved books easily with Singapore’s first sustainable online bookstore

This article was first published in November 2016. It has been republished as we believe that it's important for these stories to live on. Our hawkers are an integral part of what makes Singapore's food scene beyond compare. There are those who have just started honing their craft, coming up with unique takes on local dishes to satisfy the modern diner. But there are also masters of the wok – those who have been tossing, frying and keeping the flames of our culinary tradition alive for years. We speak to some of Singapore's oldest hawkers to find out their story. RECOMMENDED Modern Singaporean hawkers changing the scene

Tired of seeing the same few faces every day or simply lusting for a change in environment? With co-working spaces across the island amping up their amenities, it's no wonder that startups and corporate giants alike are ditching the sterility of regular offices. At these dynamic spaces, swap out your post-work spin class for an in-house yoga session or knock yourself out at the fully stocked pantries. Here's to increased productivity and not sneaking off at 6pm sharp. RECOMMENDED: The best public libraries in Singapore and the best work-friendly cafés in Singapore

Who says you need to fly to Japan in order to indulge in delicious, fresh sushi offerings. From half-priced donburi bowls and CBD set lunch deals to salmon sashimi madness, along with a sake or two to end off the meal, here's a list of affordable yet delicious sushi offered across the island. RECOMMENDED: The best Japanese restaurants in Singapore and the best cheap eats in Singapore

Being a hawker is tough. The hours are long, working conditions are uncomfortable and the pay isn't great. Yet, these young Singaporeans choose to pursue this as a career and we're all thankful for it. Singapore without hawkers wouldn't be Singapore at all and we're glad that these young ones are taking over the family biz to keep our food culture alive.

In an erstwhile warehouse that sits along the old Straits of Malacca trade route and former epicentre of Singapore’s red-light district, the Warehouse Hotel whispers secrets of its illicit past: a spice trading hub at one point, an illegal distillery at another, even a reigning discotheque in the ’80s. But now, The Lo & Behold Group – the folks behind the 37-room boutique space – has taken the building’s 120-year history in its hands and spun it on the head. We take a peek inside. Poolside lounging The hotel’s plush lounge faces the lobby bar, so if you’d rather relax away from the soft thumping beats and gentle chatter, the rooftop infinity pool – fitted with salmon pink tiles, no less – offers the reprieve you desire. Admire local artist Dawn Ng’s site-specific installation fronting the pool, or kick back on one of the deck beds while soaking in views of the Singapore River.  Rooms with a view  Mostly, anyway. Who needs windows when your 27-sq-m Warehouse Sanctuary (from $340) looks this good? Wooden panels, sleek beams, a custom pillow top king mattress with finishing touches by MatterPrints, and a cheeky, open concept standing shower make it seductively easy to linger in your room all day.   For a loft-style upgrade, book out the River View Suite (from $770). As its name suggests, the room overlooks the Singapore River from the uppermost floor of the triple-peaked heritage hotel. Natural light is key in the roomy 57-sq-m space that’s set with earthy tones, raised ceilings

Come September, the multiple Tony Award-winning Broadway musical that is West Side Story will make its return to our shores – led by an all-American cast who’ll be taking on all the classics with emotionally-charged favourites like Maria, Tonight, America and I Feel Pretty. The tale of star-crossed lovers riffs on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, except this 60-year-old production – which The Times called ‘Broadway’s greatest dance musical’ – is set in the darker reaches of 1950s New York, where a relationship is forced apart by a vicious rivalry between two street gangs: the Jets and the Sharks, whose arrival from Puerto Rico threatens to upset the hierarchy in the area. In the sweltering New York summer that’s heated as much by the weather as the gang rivalry, a forbidden romance quickly develops. Under Arthur Laurent’s direction, fall into a whirling, finger-snapping world of mambo, rock ‘n’ roll and jazz, led by a love story that’s unmatched in intensity.

What happens when the local icons are mixed with multimedia artist Steve Lawler’s (aka Mojoko) whimsical genius? The answers lie in Psycho Tropics, the Kult Gallery founder’s oeuvre of more than 20 psychedelic prints inspired by Singapore’s past, present and future. Pop culture and fantastical motifs abound with local architecture, transportation and people in Mojoko’s latest show.

Is it possible to be bound by two traditions and not just one? Zao Wou-Ki believed so, and it shows in the late French-Chinese abstract painter’s works, over 40 of which feature in STPI’s annual special exhibition. On loan from a private collection, lesser-known pieces in Zao’s oeuvre – prints, ink work and paintings among them – are on show at the gallery, charting the influential artist’s career from the ’50s to the early noughties. Bold, calligraphic lines that sweep, leap and fall take centre-stage against, at first glance, a series of watercolours. But look closer, because they’re a reflection of Zao’s mastery of printmaking. He incorporates motifs of the French tradition peintre-graveurs ('painter-engraver'), with Chinese calligraphy – a true fusion of East and West. Art appreciators will also spot influences from Picasso, Cézanne and abstract expressionist Paul Klee. In 1964, the Beijing-born painter received French citizenship, marking the start of what he calls his ‘artistic awakening’. Among the techniques he employed was lithography, in which an image is drawn on stone or metal with a greasy material then rolled with ink onto a blank canvas. His paintings – they hang today on the walls of major art galleries such as the Museum of Modern Art and Tate Modern – are a showcase of his control of the calligraphy brush, each stroke channelling the temporal and spatial shifts we experience in our lives. So it’s rather apt that Zao himself saw his practice evolve over his c

Psychedelic colours, pumpkin motifs and polka dots have long shaped Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s practice. And, come June, fans can finally admire the most extensive collection of her works within South-East Asia yet. Yayoi Kusama in front of her latest work, 'Life is the Heart of a Rainbow' (2017). Acrylic on canvas. 194cm x 194cm. ©Yayoi Kusama, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore, Victoria Miro, London, David Zwirner, New York.   When Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow opens at the National Gallery Singapore, expect – alongside her perceptual Infinity Nets series and dotty prints – 120 paintings, sculptures, videos and installations from the ’50s to the present, including a recreation of the artist’s experiential infinity mirror rooms. Each is an examination of how Kusama’s works have created resonance across geographical boundaries, and the societal and personal challenges she’s overcome to make her mark in the art world. As one of the world’s most iconic artists, the 87-year-old’s avant-garde use of shapes and colour have found their way onto Louis Vuitton bags, Lancôme lip glosses, and even the front cover of pocket London Underground maps. Kusama, whose pieces reflect the trauma and mental health problems she’s dealt with since young, continues her artistic practice from a psychiatric hospital where she voluntarily resides.  The exhibition is in collaboration with the Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), and will travel there

Gaudy flashes of skin and colour are the least of what to expect when Tropicana the Musical opens. Based off the popular namesake of the swingin’ sixties – a lavish, Las Vegas-style nightclub in Singapore that featured international class topless revues – is a comedy-musical about a nation of dream makers and catchers, thanks to The Necessary Stage’s resident playwright, Haresh Sharma. We quiz the Cultural Medallion recipient on the process behind penning his first musical.   Photo: The Necessary Stage   Tropicana the Musical is based off the real-life nightclub that opened in 1968. Tell us a little more about what viewers can expect. Tropicana explores the highs and lows of Singapore's music and entertainment scene in the ’60s to ’70s, and we go on a journey with some of these characters over a span of 20 years. There’s a sense of the conventional – character relationships, love and break-ups – but just as much, the unconventional: characters speak directly to the audience, a mix of languages is used, and underlying it all is some form of social commentary. What inspired you to pen a script surrounding this? The idea actually came from Tan Kheng Hua. She and Beatrice Chia-Richmond approached me in 2015 and asked if I’d like to be involved in this musical as the playwright. At the time, we knew we wanted to create something about the ’60s and about Tropicana [Niteclub], but we also wanted to celebrate the spirit of the time – the artists' freedom to compose and perform o

We are the world, and these are our stories – or, specifically, those of the 12 participants engaged in a collaboration with Amanda Heng as part of her second residency with printmaking institute, STPI. The pioneer performance artist was involved in founding The Artists’ Village collective shortly after a trip to Europe that inspired her, thanks to the richness of its contemporary art scene. Now, armed with memories – and the objects to which they’re attached – Heng has created 24 multilayered works that are part of the exhibition We Are the World – These Are Our Stories. And, as she wants you to know, the sum is greater than its parts. Photo credit: We Are the World –These Are Our Stories. Amanda Heng/STPI   You opened your first day of your STPI collaboration with your seminal performance piece, Let’s Chat (1996). How did the 12 participants you worked with respond to it? I began the residency not knowing what I was going to do, but I did want to focus on the tangible, so I recreated Let’s Chat. [The STPI papermakers and I] sourced for beansprouts from Woodlands for this recreation to see if we could incorporate them in papermaking. We experimented with all kinds of materials: sugarcane, pineapples, coconuts, even durian! Knowing how to treat each ingredient’s the difficult part, though, and printing images on these papers didn’t create the effect I’d hoped for. Along the way, I asked if anyone within STPI wanted to be a collaborator. They’d need to bring an object close

Bjorn Low, 35Founder of Edible Garden City   What’s it like being an ‘urban farmer’?  Plenty of hard work! Urban farming’s when you use underused, small spaces in the city to produce food, then building communities around those farms or gardens. We do indoor growing and rooftop farming, as well as manage a retail arm.  What are some unusual plants that can be grown in our climate?  We’ve grown radishes, marrows, even zucchini. We’re focusing on growing vegetables like the sayur manis, which has a very unique flavour but can’t be found locally any longer. We’re encouraging chefs to incorporate these crops in their menus and make the plants sexy.  What are the most challenging parts?  Urban farms are small, which doesn’t fit into the traditional agricultural model of using scale. Growing high-value crops in a small area – like rooftops, which are dead spaces – is the challenge. It usually takes around six months for biodiversity and a sustainable system to set in. Where’d you get the idea to build farms on the rooftops of Raffles City and ION Orchard? After getting my diploma in biodynamic agriculture in the UK and working on a couple of farms in Europe, I returned here intent on farming on a small scale. We built herb gardens for restaurants, hotels and schools, and then started educational programmes. How do you deal with pests, given the open concept of your rooftop farms?  We don’t use pesticides but we do sacrificial planting, where we plant a surplus of something. The wea

No matter if you can’t afford expensive artworks (yet) – there’s always these aesthetically pleasing pieces to decorate your Instagram feed with. 1. Mars Desert Research Station #6 (2008) by Vincent Fournier Vincent Fournier About 30 miles west of Hanksville, Utah, lie craggy, unearthly formations in the San Rafael Swell – the site of the Mars Desert Research Station, and one of four stations founded and owned by Mars Society. The site’s closed off until May of this year, but French photographer Vincent Fournier’s 2008 chronicling of the area offers more than enough glimpses into a land unknown. This one’s presented by La Galerie Paris 1839. Find it at: Vincent Fournier, Photo17 2. Profound by Solan Chiu Solan Chiu Among the functional wares, ceramic sculptures and mixed media works Hong Kong artist Solan Chiu’s pushed out over the years, it’s these anthropomorphic, miniature ceramic pieces that remain most prominent with their spindly legs and off-kilter features. Find it at: Booth E02, solo exhibition 3. Serie Magdalena (2014) by Sair García Sair García Over 30 artists, whose works have hung in prestigious institutions across the Americas, are featured in ‘Latin American Voices’, including this interpretation of Colombia’s Magdalena River that’s crafted on non-corrosive stainless steel. García regularly incorporates issues of diaspora in his works – an apt talking point, if you ask us. Find it at: LGM Arte International at Latin American Voices 4. Observatory (201

Angela Lee, 20 Instructor at Evolve MMA and ONE Atomweight World Champion What’s mixed martial arts (MMA) to you? MMA is a dynamic combination of styles, including kickboxing and wrestling. It’s about how you move from one style to another, and finding the best techniques to reduce the time needed to take out an opponent. How did you develop an interest in MMA? My parents are both martial arts instructors, so I began training as soon as I could walk! I started competing when I was six, but my real interest to turn professional only developed after I won a world tournament at 16. My parents never forced me to compete, though – it was always me wanting to do it myself. What is your fighting strategy? Whenever I step into the cage, it’s always with the same mindset: to focus on the game plan that’s been discussed by my coaches and I, and to finish the match as quickly as I can. I normally analyse my opponent’s game style around two months prior – I check who she’s fought against, what her record is, and watch some tape on previous fights to get a feel of things. Take me through a typical day of training. I normally wake up around 5am and clock in about six hours of training a day – and when I’m in Hawaii, that includes teaching kids’ and adults’ classes at United MMA [her parents’ gym] with my brother, Christian. I like teaching children, so I sometimes drop in on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes at Evolve just to help out. What’s the worst injury you’ve sustained? I fractured m

Sarah Benjamin, 27 Host of Cooking for Love How did you develop an interest in cooking? My parents encouraged me to try out cooking – they don’t really cook, but they bought me recipe books and let me play with knives and fire. They’re good parents, I promise! My family were the guinea pigs of my early experiments, but I only started documenting my recipes and taking cooking more seriously while in university. What was the most challenging bit about creating new dishes in Cooking for Love? The show format is such that we cook whatever the families in each episode want to have for their celebration – so the biggest challenge is always trying to impress them while remaining true to my style. That and figuring out how spicy to make the food! Do you have any culinary idols? I love the way David Chang thinks and talks about food. As a Korean-American raised in the US, he understands how food has distilled culture, and how different food cultures intersect. That’s something I’ve always thought about while growing up in Singapore, given my mixed heritage. He often talks about how one flavour can mean different things to different people, and why you shouldn’t limit your cooking to so-called ‘authentic’ food. I love that philosophy – if two things taste good together, why not put them on the same plate? If you could only have one dish for the rest of your life, what would it be? Tough question, indeed! I’d go with Hainanese chicken rice. It’s the perfect packed lunch, because you ca

A shiba inu summons the divine by way of ritual. An MRT train goes underground, but never comes back out. A series of hauntings affects a rat-infested army bunk over three nights. This is Track Faults and Other Glitches, a collection of ten short stories by author-journalist Nicholas Yong, whose book was launched at the Singapore Writers Festival 2016.  Don’t just take his daytime job as a mark of his prowess: the senior correspondent for Yahoo Singapore is, by night, the same author responsible for Land of the Meat Munchers (2013). And in this collection, you’ll be transported to Singapore in an alternate reality, pumping with zombies and an egg-shaped machine set in either a utopian or dystopian society, depending on which way you look at it. Track Faults and Other Glitches: Stories of the Impossible in Singapore ($18.60) is available at all major bookstores including Kinokuniya, Times and Popular.

We check out what's going down at the five 'art zones' of Neon Lights Slam poetry and nunchucks. Zentai dancers and digital mapping installations. Drag queens and magic shows. It’s about to get rollicking at Neon Lights, thanks to more than 150 artists who’re taking their turns in the spotlight at the two-day music and arts festival. Here’s what to check out between the music. 1) The Rocking Horse Lovers of the written word, unite – The Rocking Horse turns prose and poetry into reality. Catch Ng Yi-Sheng in a performance of his most offbeat works; National Poetry slam champ Shivram Gopinath brandishing nunchucks as she dances in the rain; and the one-woman poetry show that is Deborah Emmanuel. 2) Club Minky A kaleidoscopic world of flamboyance rocks to life in Club Minky – starting with Brit darlings Bourgeois and Maurice, who mark their Singapore debut with their take on current affairs and catchy showtunes. Then let The Rusty Nails Sideshow whisk you away with a thrilling Houdini-like performance. And what’s a show without our very own Becca D’Bus? The drag queen makes her return in AlterCation!, a revue fit for royalty. 3) Easy Street Locate the secret alleyway and follow the path – that’s where street culture thrives, with live graffiti sessions by the likes of ANTZ, ROAK and SPAZ alongside breakdancing battles. Also treat your ears to the sounds of local beatboxer Dharni and vocalist K-leah, as well as a reggae set by Dancehall Nation. 4) The Nest Let the little ones ge

All manner of popping, locking, waacking and dabbing is set to descend upon SITEX 2016, the annual IT consumer show that’s making the Singapore Expo its home for four days. It’s thanks to the fair’s DanceTex programme: a dance contest in which solo and group performers attempt to win judges over by incorporating an assigned electronic gadget into their choreography. If watching a bunch of contestants grooving for top prize isn’t exactly up your alley, maybe the emcee will win you over: she’s the effervescent Munah Bagharib, one half of the YouTube sensation MunahHirziOfficial. Munah was also that singing-and-dancing chio bu in the Broadway Beng 10th Anniversary concert, and won critical acclaim for her performance in Nassim Soleimanpour’s White Rabbit Red Rabbit.  Or let the judges decide who moves like Jagger: there’s Andreas Chua, founder of Limited Edition and a dance instructor; Kate Willis, the resident choreographer of hip hop crew BLAQUENEEZ whose choreography clinched her the winning title at such competitions as Super 24; and Chunky, a local dancer who popularised funk and founded the Lion City Lockers community.  Catch the semi-finals and finals of DanceTex from 3-6pm on Nov 26 and 3.30-7pm on Nov 27.

Tetsuya Shimizu aka BUSHI, 33Wrestler at New Japan Pro-Wrestling How did you develop an interest in professional wrestling? I was quite rough around the edges in high school, and developed an interest in wrestling when I turned 18. It was a form of rebellion for me. Tell us how your ring name came about. I used to be known as ‘T28’, which in Japanese reads as ‘Tetsuya’. But when I visited Mexico in 2009 to pick up the lucha libre style of wrestling, I found that people struggled to pronounce it. While wandering the streets there, I came across pirated copies of Japanese DVDs, one of which had the name ‘BUSHI’ in the title – and it stuck.  What’s the most rewarding thing about being a pro wrestler? Being able to travel to so many places. I pretty much started from scratch while in Mexico, but I got to encounter different masked wrestlers and bulk up at the same time. That was both challenging  and rewarding.   Is there a diet you stuck to in order to bulk up? I ate anything I could get my hands on. I was around 60 kilograms when I was 18, but within two years I weighed 90 kilograms. I’m now around 83 kilograms. As important as it is to maintain a training routine, I listen to how my body feels and give it the rest it deserves. Why are Japanese wrestling fans always so quiet compared to fans elsewhere in the world? It may seem that way, but New Japan Pro-Wrestling is becoming increasingly popular among women. If you go for one of our matches in Japan, you’ll notice female fa

What happens when the local icons are mixed with multimedia artist Steve Lawler’s (aka Mojoko) whimsical genius? The answers lie in Psycho Tropics, the Kult Gallery founder’s oeuvre of more than 20 psychedelic prints inspired by Singapore’s past, present and future. Pop culture and fantastical motifs abound with local architecture, transportation and people in Mojoko’s latest show. He tells us more about five of his works. Phantom of the Paradise ‘I made this using images I found around Singapore, including children’s books, music stores, old comic books and TV shows. This work was created for people who say Singapore is boring.’ Snake Bite ‘I took cues from the hallucinogenic effects of cobra venom for this piece. The combination of cartoon and pop culture elements with tropical flora reflects the strange experience of living with two extremes in this modern island city.’ Raffles City Crime Zone ‘This is from a postcard series I created, which was inspired by ’80s action and dystopian films such as Cyborg and RoboCop. These tongue-in-cheek postcards merge the dramatic headlines from R-rated movie posters, thus removing Singapore’s “clean” image while triggering fantasy and imagination.’ Sentosa Island ‘Sentosa’s no longer the peaceful and idyllic place it once was – it’s now overcrowded with casinos and theme parks. This one’s from another postcard mash-up.’ Waterfall ‘This artwork merges a [classical] waterfall painting with the disorientating imagery we are constantly