Life

Heightened bleakness in the dark

Voices will cut through the darkness of the Esplanade Concert Hall on Friday, when the stage lights are turned off for the performance by choral group Schola Cantorum Singapore and six soloists from Sydney’s The Choir of St James’.  The 70-minute rendition of Estonian composer Arvo Part’s Passio – his 1982 musical setting of the […]

Life

Remembering the forgotten ‘houseboys’ of colonial times

An exhibition at the Deck arts space in Prinsep Street sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of Singapore’s history – the servitude of “houseboys” in the colonial era.  The artworks by Singaporean artist Tristan Cai are mostly digitally manipulated archival images of British people and their servants from the 1850s to 1930s. Please subscribe or […]

Life

Bank job bored veteran actress Hong Huifang

When a then 19-year-old Hong Huifang began working at a bank, she was so bored with her job that she felt sleepy whenever she stepped into the office and had to seek refuge in the toilet to take 40 winks. “I am not suited for a nine-to-five job,” the local actress, now 59, said of […]

Life

Ready to wrangle over Native Son

The director and cast of the racially charged movie Native Son, available now on HBO Go, are prepared for it to spark some controversy. The dramatic thriller maps the tragic events set in motion when a young black man, Bigger Thomas (Ashton Sanders), starts work as a chauffeur for a rich white Chicago family and […]

Life

Ready, set, Pokemon Go: Trainers gather for Pokemon safari

Vietnamese national Khanh Pham started making travel plans once he heard the Pokemon Go Safari Zone event is going to be held in Singapore. In fact, the 50-year-old doctor was so eager to take part that he booked his air tickets without knowing if he had won in the ballot for the event’s ticket – […]

Life

First look: Quality wefies from Galaxy A80

How many times have you complained about the quality of the selfie camera on your smartphone and wished that it could be as good as the rear camera? My friends and I have had this issue several times, especially when attempting to take selfies in low-light situations. The new Samsung Galaxy A80 solves this problem […]

Life

Pity smart audio doorbell has no camera

Ding-dong, the doorbell is dead. If smart home firms like Nest and Ring have their way, old-school doorbells are heading for the exit, replaced by smart versions that let you see and talk to the person at the door. Such doorbells, when equipped with motion-detection technology, can even alert you when someone is outside your […]

Life

It’s time to ditch your mobile contract: New telcos pulling out all stops with no-contract plans

The arrival of five new telcos over the last two years has upped the ante in the battle for the wallets of Singapore consumers. “Unlimited” data plans, free caller ID, monthly rebates, affordable XL-sized data bundle and unlimited talk time are now common offerings in a very competitive mobile marketplace. Please subscribe or log in […]

Life

Culture Vulture: Conserve artists’ homes to inspire next generation of creative minds

I was 17 when I visited Shakespeare’s birthplace – his childhood home – in Stratford-upon-Avon. It was the year after I had spent an inordinate amount of time studying the Bard’s Scottish tragedy Macbeth as an O-level literature text, so I was well acquainted with his work, but knew little about his person. Please subscribe […]

Life

Join Mad Hatter’s tea party for a visual feast

If you have ever longed to be a part of the Mad Hatter’s tea party, you now have a standing invitation at the ArtScience Museum. But there will be no tea or cakes to nibble on. Instead, guests are seated around a large table set with teacups, teapots and plates and treated to a visual […]

Life

Brisk action in premiere of final season of Thrones

Let’s get back to our roots, someone at HBO said. Capital idea, someone replied. So the premiere episode of the final season of Game Of Thrones became one long callback to Season One. Soul-searching in the Winterfell crypts? Check. Unnecessary nudity? Check. Eunuch jokes? Check. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full […]

Life

Rapturous sax-playing conjures memories of bygone age

REVIEW / CONCERT MEMORIES OF 2055 TO Ensemble Esplanade Recital Studio/Last Friday The year is some time in a dystopian future. An artificial intelligence consciousness called HAL 2055 presents memories of Earth that transpired before the 2045 cataclysmic event, referred to as the Singularity. As end-of-days plots beloved by the TO Ensemble go, this one […]

Life

Fire breaks out at Coachella

A fire broke out early last Saturday at a mobile shower facility during the first weekend of activities in Indio, California. Fans were quick to upload photographs of the blaze. At one point, people were told to evacuate the areas closest to the incident, but the fire was soon put out. No injuries were reported. […]

Life

Balancing the books: Reporter Olivia Ho gets a taste of the bookseller’s life

On normal days, the Books Kinokuniya branch at Liang Court mall is an oasis of cheerful calm. Strains of Vivaldi mingle with the tinkle of musical boxes in a glass display. Wandering the store’s impeccably ordered shelves, one feels as if one is sinking into a warm bath of fiction and finer feelings. Please subscribe […]

Life

Banning Netflix from Oscars may be against the law

NEW YORK • It is a showdown. Netflix may already have Oscars under its belt, but its acceptance by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hangs in the balance. The latter is set to re-examine whether the streaming giant will remain eligible for such awards, amid a warning from the United States Justice […]

Life

A chapter closes for bookstores, but new ones open

The impending closure of Books Kinokuniya’s Liang Court outlet, which will open for the last time this Sunday after 36 years in business, has dismayed book lovers in Singapore. Brought down by falling sales, it joins a long list of brick-and-mortar bookstores that have shuttered over the years amid rising rents and competition from online […]

Life

Anthony Wong wins third Best Actor award

HONG KONG • Anthony Wong has not always been proud of the movies he acted in, even if they helped him clinch three Best Actor prizes in the Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA). He bagged his first one in 1994 for The Untold Story, in which he played a serial killer. But he dismissed the […]

Life

Detached, almost dreamy look at doomsday disease

FICTION THE DREAMERS By Karen Thompson Walker Random House/Paperback/299 pages/$30.98/ Books Kinokuniya/ 3 stars The Dreamers has all the ingredients of a doomsday scenario – an unseen lurking menace, the early confusion, the subsequent crippling fear and paranoia, and the stories of compassion and heroism that emerge. In Walker’s second novel, following her best-selling debut […]

Life

Bestsellers

FICTION 1. (7) Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan 2. (1) The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa 3. (3) The Next Person You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom 4. (6) Pet Sematary by Stephen King 5. (5) Love Looks Pretty On You by Lang Leav 6. (2) I Owe You One by Sophie […]

Life

Hitting Hong Kong’s artsy side

Think Hong Kong is only for shopping, sightseeing and food? Think again. The bustling city is also an arts haven, with flashy events such as Art Basel in March and the Instagrammable giant inflatable sculpture called Kaws:Holiday floating in Victoria Harbour last month. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Learn […]

Life

Bookmark This! Women, war and what it takes to remember

Join Life reporters Toh Wen Li (left) and Olivia Ho (right) in this new monthly podcast by The Straits Times, in which they talk about sizzling reads and titles in the headlines. In this episode, they look at women and memory in two new books – New York novelist Siri Hustvedt’s Memories Of The Future, […]

Life

BTS chart new territory with latest album

MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA Big Hit Entertainment Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Learn more about ST PREMIUM. Enjoy unlimited access to ST’s best work Exclusive stories and features on multiple devices In-depth analyses and opinion pieces ePaper and award-winning multimedia content

Life

Hotel Mumbai: Unflinching look at senseless brutality

NEW YORK  • On Nov 26, 2008, Dev Patel was 18 and on the cusp of stardom with Slumdog Millionaire when he switched on a television at home in London. And there in the overflowing Indian metropolis of Mumbai, where he had shot Slumdog a year earlier, “were these teenagers with rucksacks and AK-47s with […]

Life

Charlize Theron wants a Marvel role

AUSTIN (Texas) • It could be a long shot but Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron is still waiting for a part in a Marvel film. But she did nail a role in a romantic comedy called Long Shot, in which she stars as a presidential candidate opposite Seth Rogen as her speechwriter. The film opens in […]

Life

On social media

MADONNA INTRODUCES MYSTERIOUS MADAME X: Beautiful Stranger singer Madonna would like fans to meet Madame X. Posting over the weekend, she wrote: “Madame X is a secret agent, travelling around the world, changing identities, fighting for freedom, bringing light to dark places.” Was the 60-year-old singer talking about herself? Madonna has supported causes from efforts […]

Life

Gyms turn up the HIIT

Recent news that celebrity gym chain Barry’s Bootcamp is opening in Singapore next month is indication that the high-intensity interval training (HIIT) craze shows no sign of abating. In the past few years, gyms offering HIIT or HIIT-inspired workouts have sprung up all over Singapore, and it continues to be incorporated into exercises such as […]

Life

Living Well: The path is the goal

The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard famously said: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” For many years, I didn’t understand what he meant. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Learn more about ST PREMIUM. Enjoy unlimited access to ST’s best work Exclusive stories and features […]

Life

Having fun with fitness

It’s about balance and moderation. I do a variety of exercises that balance out one another, for example, weightlifting for strength and yoga for flexibility. I also eat in moderation. I was slightly overweight in primary school. I hated being in the Trim and Fit weight-loss programme as that meant sacrificing recess to do exercises […]

Life

Tablets, apps improve patient care in hospitals

NEW YORK • Ms Shannon Olson got more sleep than she expected during her daughter Emilia’s hospital stay in January. Emilia, 2½, was hospitalised for 10 days to treat an infected cyst on her face. Ms Olson slept in Emilia’s room and planned to wait for the nurses’ last rounds. Instead, she went to sleep […]

Life

Taiwanese director Chang Yi dreams of competing with Disney Tale

Chang Yi gave up film-making for glass art in the 1980s despite being one of Taiwan’s leading film-makers. He is probably best known for Kuei-Mei, A Woman (1985), which won top awards, including Best Director and Best Leading Actress, at the 22nd Golden Horse Awards. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full […]