The UrbanWire      

“So, are you as good as Rooney?”

Nike’s latest issue of a challenge to football fanatics out there is part of the Total 90 Laser III football boot launched by the leading sports and apparel manufacturer this year. Now in its third generation, the T90 Laser III features “enhanced accuracy” and “mercurial speed”, yielding triumph at matches with “focused power and precision”.

March 6 is the day to mark on your calendars, because you’ll get to trial the T90 Laser III and attest to the deadly accuracy of the football boot. Apart from that, Nike is giving out attractive prizes to challengers, the first prize amounting to $1000 worth of Nike products. If you’re aged 15 to 24 years and would like to participate, log on to register and you’ll receive a T90 Laser III laser pointer.

Besides the stunning green and red colours of the boot, every pair of the T90 Laser III comes with a specific user-code that provides online access to Nike Football+. It provides a training programme in the comfort of the place of your choice to keep you at the top of your game. With the use of the online platform, users get accuracy training drills and expert tuition imparted by the coaching team at Italian giants Juventus FC. The virtual experience also highlights a “detailed ‘signature move’ coaching session from Fernando Torres of Liverpool FC”.

With the new generation of the football boot, Nike’s design team delved into studying the relationship between the boot and the ball to give players a better playing experience, with “truer strikes and leverage surface friction for maximum swerve”. The fresh configuration of ‘Shot Shield’ aims to do just that, enabling players to connect with the ball, without sacrificing accuracy.

Try out the T90 Laser III and feel like a pro, playing with precision and speed.

Be entertained by popular tunes from well-liked Korean dramas as composer, arranger and lyricist Oh Joonsung comes to town for a 2-night only concert.

^{Image courtesy of The Esplanade Co Ltd: Oh Joonsung}

The sought-after Korean music producer will lead his 9-piece band Green Cacao and a 23-member strong orchestra specifically put together for this performance. They’ll be playing delightful soundtracks from shows including My Girl, Get Karl! Oh Sujung and Boys Over Flowers, among many others. The gig will also feature guest appearances by award-winning Korean boyband SHINee, singer Bobby Kim and vocal group Mario&.

^{Image courtesy of The Esplanade Co Ltd: Bobby Kim}

^{Image courtesy of The Esplanade Co Ltd: SHINee}

Give your auditory senses a treat at the Esplanade Concert Hall on Feb 1 and 2 with melodies written by the maestro of Korean drama music. Having worked with renowned musicians such as Grammy-winning soprano Sumi Jo, violinist David Garrett and Yuki Kuramotom, Oh Joonsung will present 90 minutes of quality moving numbers together with some of the music videos from the dramas.

Concert details:

Title: Oh Joonsung Drama Concert – Music from Korean Drama Favourites
Dates: Feb 1 & 2, 2010
Time: 7.30pm (90mins, no intermission)
Venue: Esplanade Concert Hall
Ticket prices: $150, $130, $110*, $90**

Limited Concessions for NSF, senior citizens and students: $95*, $75**

Tickets are available at Esplanade Box Office and all SISTIC’s authorised agents.

People around the world are almost as excited to discover how Google has consistently and ingenously and rendered its name using day-appropriate symbols and images, as they are with the search results. The Doodle 4 Google competition, which invites users to share this creative exercise and which has piqued the creativity of contestants from the United Kingdom, Australia, USA and China, is open to Singaporeans for the first time.

^{Image from google.com: 2009 Doodle 4 Google Australia winner}

^{Image from google.com: 2009 Doodle 4 Google US winner}

^{Image from google.com: 2009 Doodle 4 Google China winner}

The inaugural run of the contest on the island kicked off on Jan 19, with a doodling workshop for students from various levels of study. Based on a theme that coincides with this year’s National Day, about 20 pupils from primary, secondary and tertiary institutions had 1 hour to come up with a design that illustrates their idea of ‘Our Singapore’.

^{Image courtesy of Google Singapore: Students with their creative doodles}

^{Engrossed in adding the finishing touches to her doodle 5 mins before the workshop ends}

Also with the launch of the competition, 12-year-old Ryan Lee, who published a 125-page book of original cartoon drawings  entitled The Zoo, in March 2009, revealed his unique doodle for the creative challenge. The young cartoonist incorporated distinctively Singaporean delicacies in his doodle, which, according to him, was inspired by his mother. The other idea integrated into the illustration was given by Ryan’s father who said to him, “Why don’t you add an ‘I Love Singapore’?”

The Lion City is the first country in Southeast Asia to hold the Doodle 4 Google competition and this time it’s only open to students from 4 to 19 years. Of course, irresistible prizes are part of the package for the creator of the winning entry: the top doodle will be displayed on the Google Singapore homepage on National Day this year, and he/she gets to revel in “an all-expenses paid trip worth $10,000 to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, USA,” accompanied by a parent and a school representative.

Interested participants will have to submit their artistic entries by Feb 26 and they can fashion their doodles any way, be it “using pencils, crayons and even computer graphics”.

Googlers from the Singapore office will select 500 doodles from the pool of entries, after which, a panel of local judges will appraise the works to pick out 50 finalists across 5 age groups. Public voting will then decide the victors of the 5 categories. The board of appraisers include ex-Google engineer Chade-Meng Tan, creator of the weekly comic strip “CHEW ON IT!” Lee Chee Chew and winner of the President’s Young Talents 2009 award Vertical Submarine.

The talented and lucky winner who would like to take a trip to Google’s headquarters will have to impress Dennis Hwang, the very first Google Doodler, with a doodle that stands out from 50 other qualifying entries.

For more information about Doodle 4 Google, visit www.google.com.sg/doodle4google.

The environment has been a hot topic lately, and in the wake of the largely criticised United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen last December, the ability of global leaders to successfully deal with the problem of climate change has been increasingly in doubt.

For the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) led by world-renown Chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall, the focal point has never been with the current leaders, but the youth who will lead tomorrow’s world and help solve environmental issues. It makes its business to educate and instill conservation values in the youth so that they’ll go on to make good decisions in future.

It’s with this mentality that The Green Bazaarrr took off on Jan 16 at Old School, organised by Greenworks comprising final-year Business Studies (Marketing) students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in collaboration with the Jane Goodall Institute Singapore (JGIS) and as part of their final project.

Boasting 41 stalls selling everything from clothes to food to environmentally-friendly bags, the bazaar attracted about 350 people (according to organiser’s estimates) and aimed to create awareness among the youth and raise funds for JGIS. Approximately $1,000 has been raised according to bazaar organisers.

“We settled on setting up a flea market as our main target audience are the youths,” said Tan Shun Li, Greenworks Student Representative.

“Since youths can be easily influenced and reached out to, we hope that they will be the ones spreading the message to all their friends and family. Through word of mouth, we hope that more people will recognise and support the message that JGIS wishes to spread,” she added.

On hand to deliver some environmental tips like using reusable shopping bags and turning the air-conditioning down to 18 degrees Celsius was MediaCorp Green Ambassador and winner of last year’s MediaCorp Gaia Life Challenge Jaclyn Ng, who set up a booth to display her own line of e-Bags (Eco-Friendly & Chic Reusable Bags).

Jaclyn said, “I believe that the youths are very important in fighting for this cause because sooner or later we are all going to grow old and it’s really our younger generation that has a very important part to play to ensure that their earth is still a place to live in. The future is in our children’s hands so together we have to fight for it.”

JGIS Board Member Tay Kae Fong also agreed that the youth are the ones who need to be invigorated and motivated to create change.

“We think that engaging the youth as a segment has far-reaching consequences and that’s not just in terms of the fact that they’ll be leaders of tomorrow, but also the fact that the reason for hope, and Jane has this book called Reason For Hope, that the youth will bring with them the energy and passion to change and to reject limiting beliefs that we can’t do anything,” he said.

Interestingly, Kae Fong, who is a brand consultant by profession, told UrbanWire that all of JGIS’ board members are volunteers with day jobs and are among over 800 volunteers that the organisation has.

“The message we want to send is that we need to do something, there is reason for hope and we need to take ownership and do something,” he adds. “There’s nothing too big or too small. Even a bazaar like this, sure the money that comes out is one thing, but the fact that this is done, the fact that people will think about it and the awareness will slowly but surely build up, that’s what we want.”

So it really comes down to one question: What are you doing for the environment?

The combination of legality and art appears to be a mismatched theme, but the sixth edition of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival will explore the relationship between Art and The Law. From Jan 13 to Jan 24, the Festival will showcase intriguing international and local artistic works looking into and beyond the confinements of law.

^{The Scale of Justice by Burmese artist Htein Lin – Image courtesy of Htein Lin}

For the first time, the Festival will bring unprecedented creations from Burma and a contemporary dance-theatre production by Debris Company from Slovakia. The new installation titled The Scale of Justice by Burmese artist Htein Lin reflects the present-day position of the law in his home country and the rift amid the function of the law and reality. “Based on the concept of a prison”, the installation draws from the artist’s experience as a practitioner of the law and also the time he served in jail.

^{Taiwanese band katncandix2 棉花糖 – Image courtesy of 亞神音樂娛樂 (AsiaMuse)}

Highlights of the Festival also include performances from Taiwanese band katncandix2 (棉花糖) at the Esplanade Recital Studio. The duo started out as buskers on the streets of Taiwan and now, are recognised in the music scene, releasing their debut album, Little Flight (小飞行) last year and getting nominations for Singapore Hit Awards 2009.

^{Image courtesy of The Necessary Stage}

_____Can Change is one of the highlights as well as a Festival commission put up by The Necessary Stage. The blank in front of the words “Can Change” give the audience the liberty and creativity to fill in whatever they think can and needs change. Directed by Alvin Tan, the world premiere of Can Change will be showcased at the National Museum of Singapore’s Gallery Theatre with 3 plays on the topic of change: Singles Can Change, Homosexuals Can Change and Marxists Can Change.

^{Last Meals, James David Autry – Image courtesy of Jonathon Kambouris}

Other interesting lineups for the Festival include Last Meals, “a series of photographic prints depicting mugshots of convicted killers and their selected last meals before execution”. Presented by American photographer Jonathon Kambouris, it shows what the prisoners heading for the gallows do with the maximum of US$20 that they are granted.

With all the programmes that have been put together for the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2010, there’ll also be new venues for the showcases at the Sculpture Square and ION Orchard’s Art Gallery.

The Festival is organised and curated by local theatre company The Necessary Stage.

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^{(All images credits to Kunsthistorisches Museum)}

This is about as close as you can ever get to a mummy.

Flown from Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) in Vienna, Sydney, all the way to the National Museum of Singapore, 5 mummies – all of which still very much preserved and securely wrapped by linen bandages, will be the main attraction of the exhibition.

230 ancient Egypt artifacts, including the mummified bodies, spanning from 4000 BCE to 950 CE, are currently being exhibited at the Quest for Immortality – The World of Ancient Egypt, which is an exhibition that elucidates the ancient Egyptians’ attitude towards life and the afterlife.

The artifacts include ancient Egyptians statues, pieces of writings, jewellery, and burial relics such as the canopic jars that were used to keep the internal organs of the mummies.

Ms Haraini Hassan, curator of the National Museum of Singapore says, “Ancient Egypt is a glorious civilization and through this exhibition we hope to change people’s perception that the ancient Egyptians are obsessed with death. On the contrary, it is their obsession with life that caused them to pursue all means to ensure the attainment of immortality.”

This joint collaboration by National Museum of Singapore and Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, took 2 years to plan as they faced various challenges – the main being the transportation of the fragile mummies, which are easily susceptible to damage due to climate change.

Ms Michaela Huettner, curator of KHM joked, “We have to keep in mind that these are bodies that doesn’t want to be displayed. They want to stay in their tombs and depart to the other world. Although they are here in Singapore, which is not too bad, still, who would like their bodies to be moved around?”

Being known as a culture that consists of countless taboos, alongside stories of objects from Egypt being inscribed with curses, the team felt that it would be fitting to pay their respects before they started shifting the artifacts from its original home.

They had a simple prayer session before they carried the coffins and objects out of the crates and into the display cases at the museum. According to Ms Hassan, a poll was also conducted to excuse those who weren’t comfortable with touching the bodies.

Apart from the mummies, some of the other highlights of the exhibition include the massive statues of the ancient Egyptian gods and goddess, scripts containing passages from The Book of the Dead, and the figurines that date back thousands of years – the oldest being the female ivory figurine that’s believed to be over 6,000 years old.

The first artifact that will greet you as you enter the exhibition would be the Statue of goddess Sekhmet from the 18^th Dynasty. Its origin is Karnak, Thebes from the Upper Egypt.

Weighing 1, 400kg, this statue is the biggest and heaviest artifact in the exhibition, which required 6 men and 2 forklifts to transport it to its display area.

If you’ve watched the 1999 movie – The Mummy, it would’ve come across to you that The Book of the Dead was just an ingenious prop to make the movie more horrifying.

However, Egyptologists and researchers have found many pieces of writings that link to The Book, proving that it does exist.

In this exhibition, you’ll get to see a long piece of papyrus from the 21^st Dynasty, which contains essential passages from The Book of the Dead.

This is the longest piece of artifact from the Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection of KHM that’s here for Singaporeans to view.

Taken out of its intricately designed coffin, is the Mummy of Nekhet-iset-aru, from the 25^th Dynasty, around 747 – 656 BCE.

This mummy’s layers of pink linen bandaging have been almost fully preserved. As you look at it through the glass pane of the display case, the feeling is overwhelming as you realise you’re looking at the body of a person who lived thousands of years ago.

X-rays and CT scans have revealed that 2 other bodies are contained within the cartonnage cover (painted plastered papyrus or linen) of the Mummy of Nes-Khons, who is from the 25^th Dynasty, about 760 – 656 BCE.

The scans showed that these 2 bodies, which were placed in between the woman’s legs, were infants who died just before or after birth. They could’ve been twins too.

Quest for Immortality – The World of Ancient Egypt will take place from Dec 22, 2009 to Apr 4, 2010 at the Exhibition Galleries of National Museum of Singapore. It is opened from 10am to 6pm daily. Tickets are available at all SISTIC outlets for $15 (excluding SISTIC fee).

^{(All images courtesy of Running Into The Sun)}

“Annyong haseyo, selamat malam, hello” were the exact greetings by Corinne Drewery, vocalist of British band, Swing Out Sister, along with keyboardist, Andy Connell. Better known for their Grammy nominated hit “Breakout” back in the 80’s, the dynamic duo finally made it to the shores of our sunny island with their long awaited, one-night only exclusive, The Breakout Concert.

Riding on the waves of beach parties and concerts like ZoukOut that took place earlier this month, Swing Out Sister performed by the beach at East Coast Beachfront area, 1-Twenty-Six, instead of being limited to the usual concert spots like Fort Canning Park or Singapore Indoor Stadium. With the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and sea breeze brushing across your cheeks, this alfresco bring-your-own mats concert venue definitely set the right atmosphere for the cinematic jazz pop duo.

However, while good love was on its way, local musicians Jack and Rai opened the show for Swing Out Sister and got the ball rolling.

After the release of their most recent album, Beautiful Mess, last year, Swing Out Sister has been busy touring Asia. Swinging by Singapore for the first time since the British group formed in 1985, the SOS calls from avid fans were finally answered. “What took us so long? I don’t know,” said Corinne, but the singer definitely had a good first impression as she was greeted by screaming fans.

The songs performed included “Surrender”, “Who’s Been Sleeping” and also from their latest album, “Butterfly”. It wouldn’t be The Breakout Concert without their hit song “Breakout”, and without any doubt, the song brought a moment of nostalgia along with it while many sang along.

The evening was smooth sailing until the concert had met with a few technical glitches. The all-time concert nightmare would be a faulty sound system or a short circuit, and unfortunately both happened. Halfway through their fourth number, the lights went off and the sounds failed, leaving the fans stumped.

In spite of the failed technicalities, the show went on as planned as the undying and persistent vocalist continued with her song. It was a moment of teamwork where the audience sang and clapped along while the singer and her back-up musicians pumped it up and tried their best to maximise their volume.

The lights and sounds failed but the band didn’t fail their fans. A cool-headed Corinne assures them, “We’re okay, don’t worry. We have fans like you here. We’re fine.” The high-spirited lady came across as someone carefree with her soulful dance moves until the end of the concert despite all that was happening that night.

In an attempt to save the situation by injecting humour, Irene Ang, CEO of Fly Entertainment, further assures the crowd exclaiming, “This blackout was planned so that the ugly people will not be seen. And for those who want to propose, do it now.”

The short circuit seemed to be a blessing in disguise as not only did it create an intimate atmosphere at the beach, it also gave rise to a balmy evening that will be etched in the hearts of the fans, as this will definitely be a once in a lifetime experience with Swing Out Sister.

Every December, Singapore’s bright lights shine even brighter, as the main shopping belt along Orchard road is decked out in all its festive glory. As every mall tries to outdo the other with a bigger tree or flashier decorations, the Christmas spirit is lost in all that plastic, glitter and electricity.

This year, how about a bona fide Christmas in the tropics? Be amongst greenery on a cool evening, maybe even with a light drizzle.

To round off its 150th year with a bang, 150 live Christmas trees have taken root at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Trees of the World is a display of Christmas trees decorated by various community groups, schools, and embassies, reflecting themes of Hope, Inspiration, and Peace.

The opening light-up on Dec 5 was part of The Botanical Party, a multi-sensory spectacle that brought together Trees of the World and a concert, Birdsongs, performed by local jazz musicians, world-music performers, and the Philharmonic Youth Winds.

Before nightfall, many were already walking through the Central to Tanglin core of the gardens, which had turned into a little Christmas tree farm. The 150 sponsored trees were lined neatly along walkways, each decorated by an individual group.

By dusk, the intricacies of different decorations had dissolved into the night. In their place was an idyllic scene of fairy lights that greeted the visitors, as all the trees glowed a serene blue in the darkness.

Serenaded by jazz music with a sky that tried to snow (it ended up drizzling), the scene was nothing short of magical.

There were classically decorated trees, like the ones by Ikea Alexandra and the Singapore Lyric Opera – They were Christmas cards waiting to happen.

The community centres and schools were a little more personal in their decoration.

Some had group pictures hung up, and most schools displayed students’ crafts. They looked simple and raw, their ornaments mismatched like patchwork quilts.

But to Germaine Chan, a visitor to the display, these were more endearing than the dazzling cones of lights downtown.

“The primary school kids’ decorations put the ones at Orchard road to shame,” she said, “The décor’s a little dimmer here, but you can tell the effort was personal and sincere.”

Sadly, the world isn’t without its flaws. The companies with business-only intentions turned a tree or 2 into unsightly billboards.

Despite the light rain falling, people were still walking about, umbrellas up. If anything, the lights seemed to glow warmer in the rain. The display was a true community effort to create something beautiful for all to share at this festive time of year.

It certainly isn’t what you’d expect of a big city at Christmas. But, what better way to relax on a cool December evening than in good company and silent reflection of the year past?

Trees of the World at Singapore Botanic Gardens
When: Dec 5 to Dec 31
Time: 7 pm to 12 am
Where: Singapore Botanic Gardens
1 Cluny Road
Contact: (65) 6471 7138 / 6471 7361

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Picture riding the waves and grooving to ‘live’ music at the fringe of Singapore’s central shopping district. It won’t just be an imagination if you head on down to *SCAPE during the weekend of Dec 18 to 20.

Closure in Moscow (Aus)

WeekendTRIP is back with a lineup of regional and local acts that will have bands like Australia’s Closure in Moscow, Philippine’s The Out of Body Special, Indonesia’s No Talent and Malaysia’s They Will Kill Us All jamming on the same stage with popular local music groups such as A Vacant Affair, Tacit Aria, Trella and others.

Trella

Apart from the gigs that will be staged for all 3 days at the *SCAPE Youth Park and *SCAPE Youth Centre, there’ll be workshops conducted on Dec 19 by experienced music producers and performers in the local music scene such as Leonard Soosay, Esmond Wee and Mike See. They’ll talk about creating good demos and provide valuable advice about being in the local music industry.

A Vacant Affair

If sports are more your cup of tea, there’ll also be a free Skimboarding Clinic and Competition that will be happening at *SCAPE. Skimboarding is a water activity similar to surfing and expert skimboarders will be there to surf up some tricks.

Prizes are up for grabs at these 2 events with WeekendTRIP participants getting the chance to win a Reverse Flying V Gibson Electric guitar signed by all bands (worth $5900). Skimboarding contestants will also stand to win cash prizes.

Visit http://www.scape.com.sg/ for more details.

Images courtesy of *SCAPE

WeekendTRIP is organised by *SCAPE.

Technical support: AUX Media Group – a creative content development company in events and media production. We become your AUXiliary partner, in creating and executing the special events and media production you and your team desire.

Local playwright and poet, Alfian Sa’at, takes on a challenge in a new instalment that marks the end of his 6 years of absence from the Malay theatre scene. Presented by Teater Ekamatra, Nadirah, will pull at your heartstrings with the discussion of family issues and the all time sensitive and complex topic of religion.

It centres on Nadirah, a university student who heads her college’s Muslim Society as Vice-President. The eloquent leader gathers her peers to speak about their faiths and how they should have regard for other’s personal spaces. But the well-liked girl is thrown into a situation when her mother decides to remarry.

When Nadirah was 8, her Malaysian Malay father and Singaporean Chinese mother who had converted to Islam had a divorce. Thereafter, her mother took her back to Singapore and years later Nadirah’s mother decides to tie the knot again, but with a non-Muslim man.

The young lady suddenly faces dilemmas:

“How does Nadirah negotiate relations between various religions in school when she has problems handling them in her own house? Is her vice-chairmanship at stake? Can mother and daughter worship different gods? Will Nadirah re-join her father in Malaysia?”

Featuring an outstanding cast of Neo Swee Lin, Siti Khalijah Zainal, Tony Quek, Shida Mahadi and Hatta Said, the production is directed by Zizi Azah Abdul Majid. Nadirah is also a tribute to the late esteemed director Yasmin Ahmad for her ethos of bringing people of different race and religion together with her works.

Find out if “love or faith will prevail” in Nadirah.

Details:

Date: Dec 17 – 19, 2009
Time: 8pm
Venue: The Substation Theatre
Tickets: $16 (Concession), $20 (Adults) from The Substation Box Office or through ticketing@ekamatra.org.sg
Language: Performed in Malay/English with English subtitles
Presented by: Teater Ekamatra

“What you can’t say on Earth, say it in outer space” is the theme of R&B veteran David Tao’s world tour, DT in Space: The Rock & Talk Show 2010 (陶喆上太空說演唱會), slated to rock the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Jan 8, 2010.

After an exciting 2009 with concerts by Mandopop artistes such as rock band Mayday, homegrown singers Stefanie Sun and JJ Lin, talented singer-songwriter Cheer Chen and first season One Million Star winner Yoga Lin, Singaporeans can look forward to David Tao, or DT as he’s affectionately known, to kick start 2010 with his R&B magic.

After a 3-year break, the talented music producer released his sixth studio album Optus 69 on Aug 21. About 2 months later, DT started his new solo tour from Taipei, and will be travelling to cities in China such as Beijing before arriving in Singapore next January.

The 40-year-old has done major ‘live’ performances in front of a 10,000-strong crowd before, but this time he opts for a more down-to-earth style. Although the title of the concert suggests a futuristic theme, it’s actually related to the title of his new album. “69″ refers to 1969, the year DT was born, and also the year that Man first set foot on the Moon.

The concert promises to bring the audience on a musical journey full of fantasy, love, peace, chaos and Rock ‘n’ Roll.

DT will be delivering a range of English classics by the likes of Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, as well as his own chart-topping hits like “Love is Simple” and “Normal Friends”.

Details:
Date: Jan 8, 2010 (Friday)
Time: 8pm
Venue: Singapore Indoor Stadium
Tickets now available from SISTIC Singapore.

I have Owl City’s “Vanilla Twilight” running through my brains and quite honestly, I couldn’t help but feel that the stars are leaning down to kiss me.

VivoCity celebrated its third year anniversary on Dec 2 with, quite literally, a bang, especially with fireworks choreographed by Korean pyrotechnics maestro FUEGO21. The sky lit up for a full 7 minutes of a magical show and shoppers stopped to stare and marvel at the fireworks display.

^{(Photos by Lim Zhee Yen)}

Samantha Row, financial planner, 37, has been to the shopping mall in the past 3 years for the fireworks alone. She said, “For me, this is one of the few amazing moments where family could come together, have a nice dinner and be enthralled by the beautiful fireworks.”

“My husband and I plan our schedules together with the kids to spend some quality time every Dec 2.”

Her thoughts were echoed by Jason Lim, store supervisor, 44, who came with his wife. “My kids are all grown up so they (are) hardly home. This gives me a chance to spend more time with my wife and it has become a tradition for us.”

The anniversary programme opened with the Singapore Philharmonic Orchestra playing a medley of songs from ABBA and Ponyo, the little fish girl, obviously set to enthral the young ones in the crowd.

This was then followed by the Disney Classical Christmas meet and greet, a part of the VivoCity Christmas special this year with Mickey and friends.

Also, look out for VivoCity’s Christmas tree in their Sky Park. Standing tall at 103 feet (3139cm), the decadent tree dripping with pretty baubles is the tallest Christmas tree in Singapore.

But that isn’t all. Young shoppers had fun during the Christmas programmes lined up for them. Events such as the Disney Classical Christmas meet and greet with Mickey and friends had mothers rearranging their schedules and little ones squealing from delight.

Maisarah, 9, was so excited with her opportunity to meet Mickey that she begged her mother to take a day off work so that she could accompany her and her sister, Nadiah, 5, to the event.

The 2 girls not only managed to take photos with their favourite Disney characters, but also managed to attend the Princess Party where girls from ages 4 to 10 received a chance to dress up as their favourite Disney princess.

VivoCity’s third year Christmas celebration programmes ends on Dec 31.

Wow.

If you were at the National Museum of Singapore on Nov 27 and felt like you’re in a different place, you’re not alone.

The first instalment of “I Love Museums” showed about 1000 unique patrons just what an awesome time Explore Singapore! could show them.

I Love Museums made its debut on Nov 27 as part of Explore Singapore! 2009 in its fourth season.

Organised by the National Heritage Board, it aims to create a congenial atmosphere for the patrons –the youth in particular, to fall in love once again with museums. UrbanWire snooped around the National Museum of Singapore to find out what’s abuzz.

What kept them coming

Cheery cherry balloons and colourful stalls spread over a distance greeted me as I stepped into the National Museum of Singapore. The event started off with a full photography workshop led by Mr Lim Seng Tiong at 10.30 am. This writer tried to squeeze a seat into the workshops but she was politely directed to the other stations, as the workshops were fully booked.

Unfortunately for her, the other 2 workshops, namely the wine appreciation workshop headed by wine maestro Mr Edwin Soon, and the chocolate appreciation workshop with Valrhona chocolate guru, Mr Vincent Bourdin,  were sold out too.

Mr Edwin Soon is a qualified oenologist from Roseworthy College, Adelaide University, Australia’s renowned wine school. In addition, he has also contributed as an editor to several wine magazines such as Wine and Dine and Harpers Bazaar.

Mr Vincent Bourdin on the other hand, is currently a chef instructor with Shermay’s Cooking School. He established the Valrhona Regional Representative Office for Asia Pacific in Singapore in 1996 and was the co-founder of the Asian Pastry Cup Board.

Sharon Ng, 21, exclaimed, “We’re (her boyfriend and her) so lucky to get places in all the workshops! Workshops with experts don’t come with such affordable prices or free even!”

Claire Tan, 18, who only managed to get into the chocolate appreciation workshop, was disgruntled that she only managed to get into 1 of the 3 workshops offered. However, she declared that the I Love Museums organisers did a good job with the rest of the activities, having been thoroughly entertained.

Fortunately, the disappointment for the patrons who missed a chance at the workshops was kept at bay. The other stations were ready gave them an interesting line up to choose an activity from.

Booths such as Cultural Chic! gave patrons a chance to try on and take a photo in costumes from various cultures. Love Pictionary challenges that took place at hourly intervals soon filled the spacious auditorium with shouts of delight from participants.

^{Ms Wong having a ball at the museum}

Ms Arnette Wong, 23, who was trying on a Mexican costume, said of the booth, “This is so awesome! You could try on any audacious costumes and not feel silly! I also like the little quizzes they give us in the goodie bags! Good knowledge titbits!”

Other than the quizzes, they were also invited to tweet on their Twitter page about their day at the museum. Vocal group VoCollision was also present to serenade the crowd with acapella performances.

^{Ms Ng tweeting about her day at the museum}

But what garnered the most attention had to be the chance to bring back mementos such as calligraphy of their name or a caricature sketch of themselves. Headed by Ms Jessie Ren and Mr Kamal Dollah, the booths were popular and had inexhaustible queues.

Although it rained cats and dogs halfway through the events, those who came had a great time.

Ms Gim Ng, 23, said “This is my first visit to the museum and I am pleasantly surprised that the event was youth-friendly. The museum is also a great peaceful place to hang out at!”

Having said that, she felt that this event could’ve done better if the stations were spread throughout both levels of the museum to allow the patrons a chance to reacquaint themselves with the museum.

Ms Steffi Sim, 19, who found out about the event through its Facebook page added, “There’s a really big potential for this event but it’s scale for the event is a lot smaller than what I’ve expected.”

Ms Christine , 20, added that “the execution and marketing efforts” using new media such as Twitter and Facebook “was smart cause we’re (youth) are always on it”.

In addition to that, she also echoed the thoughts of all the previous interviewees on looking towards museum as a new place to explore and hang out at.

The next instalment of I Love Museums is tentatively set in Feb 2010.

“In my heart, the essence of the fifth season is that, no matter what colours, when all blended together, the end result is a white hue.”

This would describe Taiwanese singer Angela Chang’s idea of a Fifth Season (第五季), the title of her latest album release. Recently in Singapore to promote her CD, the 27-year-old said, “I feel that no matter what life experiences you go through, you’ll still go back to the simplest, purest thoughts,” relating to the description of her unique season.

It’s been about 2 years since the petite songstress visited the country for Singapore Hit Awards 2007, and with a laugh Angela revealed that savouring the local delights was top on the list of things she wanted to do.

Of course, fans weren’t left out of the picture. The diva of many transformations had an autograph session and a music showcase at The Max Pavilion on Nov 21.

Belting numbers from Fifth Season, Angela kicked off the mini concert with a catchy tune, “Shake your head (摇摆头)”. Decked out in a white off-shoulder dress, embellished with crystals on one side, the powerful vocalist sang and danced along in her black stilettos.

A jam-packed line-up of songs that include “The place we see the furthest (看得最远的地方)”, “Fifth Season (第五季)”, “Occasionally (偶尔)” and “I Started A Joke” followed as fans cheered and screamed in applause.

After 5 tracks, Y.E.S 93.3FM DJ Dennis Chew came on stage to host a game where 6 fans had a chance to interact up-close with the bubbly actress, who was last seen on TV as rags-to-riches heiress Xiao Mai in Romantic Princess (公主小妹). The 3 lucky guys had to saunter across the platform in an effeminate manner while the 3 sporting girls sashayed in a manly demeanour. All the contestants took home an autographed single as an appreciation for their participation.

The artiste then went on to present a medley of familiar favourites with accompaniment from a ‘live’ band. Angela gave a splendid performance that got the crowd singing along with her recital of “Don’t Want To Understand (不想懂得)”, “Invisible Wings (隐形的翅膀)”, “Darling, That isn’t Love (亲爱的, 那不是爱情)” and “My Lost Happiness (遗失的美好)”.

While living up to her reputation as one of Mandopop’s most talented female singers, displaying impressive vocal prowess and hitting the fluctuation of high and low notes flawlessly, the experienced young soloist also maintained composure when the music accompaniment from the band went awry. Angela sustained her beat and pulled off the tunes with ease. Even when the backing disc skipped, she stopped to redo the song and asked the audience calmly, “Do you want to hear “The place we see the furthest” again?”

Fans responded with screams of enthusiasm and the star jokingly answered saying, “This sound isn’t that loud…” Supporters reciprocated with even louder clamouring.

“White (白白的)” was a fantasy-like finale with confetti falling from above, ending the concert on a high note. Also as a bonus, the attendees were given an opportunity to get Angela’s signature on their Fifth Season albums after enjoying 1 and a half hours of her amazing vocal and visual showcase.

“Be passionate, be obsessive, be humble and work damn hard.”

That is home-grown creative agency Asylum’s, founder and creative director, Mr Chris Lee’s advice to all budding designers out there.

With this mantra, he has become 1 of 4 recipients of the Designer of the Year award at the President’s Design Award 2009.

He’s the brain behind the iconic Frolick buttons with cheeky slogans such as “We stay hard longer…than ice-cream”. He also gave life to gourmet chocolate boutique Chocolate Research Facility by dressing up the chocolate bars in psychedelic colours and making chocolate ooze down their walls.

Mr Lee says of the popular Frolick buttons: “We wanted to create a brand with an edgy attitude to resonate with our young consumers. We designed 40 buttons with naughty and funny messages that became a hit with consumers. The brand has since grown from a hole in the wall at Holland Village to five shops around the island.”

Although his job keeps him busy, he’s loving every second of it: “It’s a great career. I get to travel regularly and see the most amazing things in life… It’s a dream job.”

He told UrbanWire in an email interview that he was “very honoured” to be bestowed with this highly coveted design accolade.

Mr Lee added modestly: “It’s a pat on the shoulder and an encouragement for my team and I [making us feel] that we’re doing something right. [But] we’re still striving to be better.”

He also gives some exciting news for 2010: “We’re launching our monograph in March and having our 10th anniversary party as well!”

Mr Lee will also be off to Berlin in 2010 for 6 months to explore an off-site workshop.

Other winners of the Designer of The Year award include Mr Koichiro Ikebuchi, director of Atelier Ikebuchi, Mr Look Boon Gee, managing director of LOOK Architects and Mr Tham Kai Meng, the worldwide creative director of Ogilvy and Mather.

The President’s Design Award that began in 2006, is a yearly affair that honours the crème de la crème of the design world. It’s conferred by The President of the Republic of Singapore, and is jointly administered by the DesignSingapore Council and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Full List of Award Recipients For 2009

Designer of the Year

1)    Koichiro Ikebuchi

Director

Atelier Ikebuchi Pte Ltd

2)    Chris Lee

Founder and Creative Director

Asylum Creative Pte Ltd

3)    Look Boon Gee

Managing Director

LOOK Architects Pte Ltd

4)    Tham Kai Meng

Worldwide Creative Director

Ogilvy and Mather

Design of the Year

1)    Genexis Theatre, Fusionopolis

Arup and WOHA

2)    Henderson Waves

RSP Architects Planners and Engineers (Pte) Ltd

3)    Paper Fold

Exit Design

4)    Republic Polytechnic

DP Architects in association with Maki & Associates

5)    The Met (Bangkok)

WOHA

6)    Urband Origami

Nanyang Optical Co Pte Ltd

7)    X-halo Breath Thermometer

Philips Design