You’d be mistaken to think that May Nakabayashi, or May’N, is just another in a constant proliferation of new singers. In fact, you’re looking at Japan’s latest pop diva.
Lifestyle
Just mention the word ‘business’, and the prospect of profits, power suits and hard work springs to mind. But what if you’re getting none of the first, nor the second, but boatloads of the third? (Read more)
Standing in line for Hock Lam Teochew Beef Noodle with a plate of Hill Street Char Kway Teow and 2 rolls of Kway Guan Huat’s Popiah balancing precariously on her left arm, this writer was at the HungryGoWhere.com Big Eat Out! on Nov 22, where 9 of Singapore’s most-beloved heritage hawkers came together to cook for charity.
Anime Festival Asia 2008 (AFA’08) is finally here, and in Singapore no less.
Happening on Nov 22 and 23 at the Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Center, it looks to be 2 fun-filled days of programming that Japanese pop culture enthusiasts won’t want to miss.
“The King” of Anime songs, singer-actor-voice actor-composer Ichirou Mizuki will be gracing the event with a live performance this Saturday, while Sunday’s highlight is cute and bubbly pop idol May’n, who will be performing her first concert outside of Japan.
Look out for lots of cutesy gadgets from Akiba Town and meet Kunio Okawara, mechanical designer for the very famous and very popular Mobile Suit Gundam. Studio 4°C’s Director Koji Morimoto will also be present at the festival.
Expect this event to be lively and colourful as cosplay competitions and manga exhibitions from Shounen Jump will be taking place concurrently, all under the same roof.
Watch this space as UrbanWire takes you inside 2 exciting days of AFA’08 and come join us in discovering and celebrating the very best of Japan’s rich and diverse pop culture.
Check out our Flickr pictures for what happened on Day 1:
Popular radio 91.3FM personality Rod Monteiro is known for his motor mouth, but you’re less likely to know that his legs are just as fast.
Rod’s introduction to sports came in the form of a challenge in secondary school by his teacher. “I was one of the not-very-tall boys at the back of the pack when the class ran the 2.4 km race and he picked me out and said, ‘Monteiro, you can run!’ So I ran and broke the record,” Rod recounted.
Looking back at how his passion unfolded, Rod remembers daydreaming about running, football and basketball within the 4 walls of his humid classroom. Living and dreaming about sports, Rod’s mind was made up about his priorities: Passion for sports first, studies secondary.
This ardor stayed throughout Rod’s army life. Being the fittest in his batch’s category A and top in the army’s physical training activities, Rod was always on his game.
“Even in army, no matter how tired I was, if there was a physical fitness test or Napfa Test, Zoop! I will be there,” said Rod.
He credits sports with giving him a strong mind and spirit of competitiveness that prepared him for life’s challenges, especially in his career.
It was this spirit that spurred Rod on in pursuing his dream job. When he first announced his intent on becoming a radio deejay to his parents, they protested. “You will become a bum, man!” Rod chuckled. “But I told myself, ‘Nope! I want to be a deejay,’ and so here I am,” he added.
This competitive sporting mentality also helped him improve as a deejay, as he’d watch television programmes to improve his technique. “Being an athlete you are constantly wanting to up your game, so when you go into your job you want to keep improving and improving, that is a challenge that a sports person would give himself,” said the impassioned deejay-director.
Despite juggling his company The Married Men Pte Ltd along with his daily radio programme, Rod still makes time for sports. Ebullient even on a rainy, early Monday morning, Rod introduces UrbanWire to his office gym located in the sprawling compounds of the Singapore Press Holdings building to walk us through his daily exercise regime.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, he practices golf in the morning and heads to the gym before lunch to get a “Power-Hour”. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are Rod’s aerobic days, when he runs or cycles. On Sundays Rod cycles between 50 and 90 km. And even if he gets back too late at night to exercise due to his busy schedule, he does sit-ups and chin-ups before he sleeps just to maintain his fitness.
“Constant exercise keeps a person young,” explains Rod. It’s worked in his case. Looking nearly half his age of 42, this bright-eyed deejay reminisces about breaking his 2.4 km race record in the old days, but concedes that “age will set in and you find that you can’t run as fast as you want to and recovery takes slightly longer.”
Adjusting his exercises to allow for that, Rod says he has “come to the point where I do not want to bulk up too much and use the weights to stretch my muscles instead.”
It’s a habit he’s happy to pass down to his boy. Every morning at five, Rod goes for a run while his son cycles beside him. “My 6-year-old son can do 20 sit ups, 15 push ups and can almost do a pull up!” Rod also disallows his son from playing computer games, even those that revolve around sports. “If he wants to play sports games, he has to learn the sport in reality first!”
Despite information on exercising being readily available online, Rod is concerned about the number of Singaporeans not educated on the correct methods of exercising
“How many times have you gone for a run at East Coast Park or at school, and you see kids running with the wrong shoes. That is detrimental to their legs,” he said. Rod elaborated on his experiences with 50-year-olds going on power walks wearing slippers.
“To reach a zone that denotes one’s peak during exercise, you need the correct gear and outfit,” advised Rod.
When asked about his favourite brand of sports merchandise, Rod immediately replied “Nike!”
“Nike just comes up with cutting edge stuff for athletes of all sports.” Having tried many sports shoes throughout his life, the recent Nike Lunar Trainers caught his eye. “It is everything, lightweight, good cushioning, stability and, most importantly, it helps me reach my zone, time and time again.”
Excited to start his exercise Rod ends off the interview with this note, “Sports and exercising requires a lot of hard work, but when you finish, it makes you feel alive. Just Do It!”
It began life as a small shop on 21 Upper East Coast Road with a full repertoire of just 5 different types of bread and hardly enough stock to fill the shelves with. Today, it is a 15-strong chain of cafés specialising in organic breads and pastries that are freshly hand made every day. (Read more)
His skin, the colour of burnt amber, weeps profusely at the scorching ministrations of the sun’s fiery touch. He toils the hard, unyielding earth daily and struggles to support his family on US$350 (S$525) a year – earning US$0.50 per pound of his produce. If he’s lucky. (Read more)
Trick or treat!
Halloween is here once more and what’s makes for a bashing Halloween party has got to be all that yummy candy (apart from laughing at your friend’s zombie outfit of course)!
While you stuff yourself silly with all those sugary treats, has it crossed your mind that what you just pop into your mouth might not be as innocent as it seems? After all with the recent melamine scandal, you can’t be too cautious right?
Apart from the ongoing melamine issue, let’s not forget how the salmonella contamination of pastries late last year where several hundred customers suffered food poisoning after eating tainted cakes. This led to bakery chain having to cease operations to review production standards and its parent company receiving a $5,000 fine.
You had your daily morning fix of corn flakes today? Well, that could have very well been made from Genetically Modified (GM) corn. GM crops are different from regular crops in that they have been biologically enhanced by scientists to possess greater resistance against pest and diseases while producing higher yield. It is still unknown what effects the long-term consumption of food made from GM crops can cause to the body.
So many ingredients and processes go into making our food these days that sometimes even reading the labels might not tell the full story.
With the recent spew of food scares and ongoing concern about GM food, are youths at all concern about what they put into their mouths? Urbanwire went out to the streets and sought the opinion of some youths.
This was what they had to say:
Do you share the same thoughts as those featured in the video? Whatever your opinions, we would like to hear from you so do drop us a comment below.
Next week, America will be going to the polls and a new President will be elected. So will it be Obama or McCain who will lead the charge for the next four years? And what would be the reactions of Singaporean youths to the results? Check back next week to find out!
What Say You? is a three-part series produced by Elliyani Mohamad and Hoong Wei Long. It will attempt to showcase what this generation of Singaporean youths really cares about and has to say on various topics like foreign politics, the arts and global issues.
Angels, ghouls, Darth Vader and vampires dragging along their brides. We’ve seen them all at Halloween parties, and gotten so used to them we’d hardly jump if Frankenstein were to pop up in front of us with a club in hand. Now what would be really scary though, is if you turn up for a Halloween party not as Freddy from A Nightmare on Elm Street, but instead, looking like a million bucks.
The folks at French Connection, who know people who’d rather be dead than caught looking unfashionable, launched the Halloween Fashion Runway show at its Raffles City outlet on Oct 23, with black being the predominant colour, naturally. Comprising of pieces from the Autumn/Winter ‘08 Collection, the runway show was a scream, bringing out models with gory, dark makeup and prosthetic vampire teeth.
Connecting with FCUK
Started in 1972 by Stephen Marks, FCUK set out to conquer the high-street fashion scene, while offering quality and affordable prices. With a slogan like “Fashion Is Our Business”, there is no doubt FCUK takes design and style very seriously, always trying to bring every collection up a notch.
FCUK down the Runway
Titled “Mixing It Up”, the Autumn/Winter Collection ‘08 is true to its name, with a delicious throw-in of both casual and formal wear. This collection sees French Connection sticking to its collaboration with French art director, Fabien Baron, expanding on the themes that were established last season.
With mostly fitting tops, dresses and jeans, the Autumn/Winter Collection ‘08 banked on trends prevalent in the world of fashion, that of bows, high-waisted skirts, and plaids.
Although black dominated, it wasn’t the only colour in all the pieces showcased. There were a large variety of hues, with each containing an underlying hint of black, creating a peek-a-boo effect.
The women’s line consisted of simple pieces jazzed up with details such as bows and pleats. UrbanWire particularly liked the way luxe fabrics such as satin and velvet were incorporated into the outfits, giving them an edgy look due to the metallic sheen. This season’s hottest trend of high-waisted everything manifested itself in the form of skirts and pants.
Show off your penchant for bows, a la English singer/songwriter Lily Allen, by throwing them into your outfits. This UrbanWire reporter spotted at least 4 bows appearing in this collection, on clutches, dresses, halter tops and even on high-waisted skirts.
The men’s line churned out a large variety of looks. Punk-rock, preppy chic, laidback cool and smart businessman. This collection had them all. To create the first look, French Connection threw heavy leather jackets over teeshirts screaming out FCUK messages. Preppy chic was interpreted in the form of pageboy caps, shirts and a tie layered under a cardigan, as well as long scarves, both of which are too warm for our weather.
The best way to create a laidback cool look is to don hats, all kinds of hats. If you know nothing about them, look to rocker Pete Doherty (yes, he used to be with with supermodel Kate Moss) for inspiration. He dons hats, all sorts of them, from top hats to straw ones, with pizazz.
Front-row Session with FCUK
The French Connection runway show also saw Fashion Director of CLEO, Sally Teo making an appearance. She had earlier been featured during the front-row session with La Senza where she dished out advice on lingerie selection to CLEO readers. This time round, she shared with 100 CLEO readers the importance of knowing one’s body proportions and the cutting of clothes. Sally then demonstrated using mannequins how different looks can be created with pieces from French Connection’s Autumn/Winter ‘08 Collection.
FCUK Fashion
The French Connection’s Autumn/Winter ‘08 Collection definitely has pieces worthy of your purchase. So whaddya know, if you’re totally stumped as to what to wear to that Halloween party, you won’t have to look much further for your outfit.
If you can’t join them, scare them. With style, of course.
Should I pop that Made In China candy into my mouth?
Is anything safe to eat anymore?Obama or McCain?
Do we know who’s the “better choice”? Do we care?Are local bands inferior to their Western counterparts?
Are we willing to support our homegrown musicians with our wallets?
- Tommy Rollinson & Jenny Koulaeva representing Australia in both the Latin and Standard events at the 21st Singapore International Ballroom Dancing Championships.
Lights. Grace. Passion. It was a showdown of glitz, glamour and passion for some of the world’s best dancers on October 25, 2008, at the 21st Singapore International Ballroom Dancing Championships 2008.
Organised by Sunny Low & Aleena Tan, this year’s championships were held at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre’s Ballroom.
Halloween’s round the corner, and the pallid vampires, bloody mummies and soulless zombies have risen from their graves to join the restless (and alive) nocturnal animals in the Singapore Night Safari for 4 weeks of senseless mayhem. Expect the unexpected, as natural and supernatural inhabitants of the night collide.
(Read more)
Accessories splayed out on tables. Shoes piled up in a stack. Hangars thrown everywhere. Clothes spilling out of suitcases. You would think this scene was taken from a runaway bride’s room. Well, that’s where you’re wrong. Flea markets look like that too. Especially a flea market of Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun’s aptitude.
The Singapore Conference Hall saw a throng of people on Oct 25. Of course, we’re not saying people don’t usually head there. People do, for orchestra performances. This time round though, the crowd was made out of largely youths who were dressed to the nines. Fashionistas and trend-setters were aplenty.
And they had all one goal: To hunt down the best bargains and buys one can find in Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun.
Although the scene was chaotic, with everyone rummaging through piles and stacks of clothes in search of nifty pieces, this UrbanWire reporter managed to squeeze her way through (as well as squeeze some time out from her intention to shop), and speak to a few people who garnered awesome buys at dirt-cheap prices.
Celeste, 21, (on the right) found herself a great bargain with the purchase of 2 dresses for only 50 bucks. She is long accustomed to the squeeze that happens at every Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun as she pops by in search of apparel every now and then.
For Yean Ni, 25, it’s her first time at Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun and already, the more-than-reasonable prices have impressed her. So much so, she made a purchase of 3 tops; 2 kimono tops, and one knitted tunic.
Ivy Lam, 23, was busy hawking her wares even as she was approached for an interview. She volunteered the fact that more than often, she makes a profit whenever she runs a stall at a Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun event. She had only one word to describe her feelings at the second anniversary of Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun: “Yay!”
And the faces behind Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun: Terence Lau and Christy Chow. You can read more about how they started up Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun in our previous interview with them.
Of course, with the abundance of affordable yet stylish pieces screaming out at this UrbanWire reporter, she had no choice but to give in to temptation and purchase them to add on to her already-bursting wardrobe.
A white dress with lovely stitching details for only $10, and a quirky high-waisted skirt for the same price too! That black bag you see contains another red skirt which was bought at a steal: 5 bucks.
And no, that wide grin you see on this UrbanWire reporter’s face isn’t for show. She really is delirious.
Now whoever said comely buys only come in the form of branded goods?
An overseas call to India and an entire script that was written between 9pm and 4am isn’t exactly what most would term a magical start to making a movie. (Read more)
When we ladies want to make a fashion statement, we usually think “clothes”. Well, how about playing with something that’s closer to our hearts? Yes, lingerie’s what I’m talking about. Now, with La Senza launching a multitude of stylish yet comfortable bras, playing lingerie-dressing up has never been easier. (Read more)
Latest in this category
The Flavours of Charity
Ervin Liu, November 27, 2008Big Appetites, Even Bigger Hearts
Eunice Li, November 24, 2008Let’s go AFA’08! いきましょう!
Geraldine Ee, November 21, 2008Lightning Rod Monteiro
Chloe Low, November 16, 2008The Test Is In The Pudding
Ervin Liu, November 14, 2008
Advertisement
