ALBA 1836, the award-winning Wine Bar and Restaurant nestled in quaint Duxton Hill, provides the ideal oasis for wine aficionados and busy professionals to unwind and seek respite from the hustle and bustle of city living. Boasting an impressive floor-to-ceiling wine cellar, ALBA 1836 offers patrons an extensive collection of more than 350 labels from 18 principal Italian regions including distinguished wineries such as Tuscany’s Antinori, Piemonte’s Gaja and Sicily’s Planeta

2015 has been a crazy year for Singapore and Singaporeans, no doubt. Yet, which event really takes the cake? We give you 11 events that defined Singapore this year. 1. SG50 Celebrations How often do you get to see Singapore on Snapchat? We celebrated our nation’s Golden Jubilee on August 9, but the activities that ensued for the months leading to the momentus date was the key. The whole nation celebrates, which perhaps inspired the hashtag, #simisaialsoSG50. There were 50% of

As we are inching closer towards Halloween, we bask in the exhilaration of getting frightened or the thought of chuckling at the pale looks of our jittery friends. The chills get more intense while we groove in the mood of Halloween! This is the best chance to look like anything you want. Captain America, Pregnant Zombie, Chucky, Harry Potter, Amy Winehouse – it’s all up to your imagination! Now, grab your gears, pump your kicks and enact your favourite dream character with t

Following its trial success on International Cheeseburger Day, ‘Da Cheese Master’ is becoming a permanent fixture on the menu. A blend of 5 cheeses, the notorious T.O.M sauce and a miso & mustard dressing all sandwhiched in a fluffy brioche bun, Da Cheese Master is a mouth-wateringly good burger that you can have for SGD18++. Introducing the Vanilla Guerilla, the traditional ice cream sandwich in burger form. A dessert not to be missed, this vanilla ice cream patty in a dark

It seems like a competition in the industry on who can wow the consumers with the most exotic of flavours and the most elegant of mooncakes encased in golden baked skin or dewy snowskin. This year, Xin Cuisine at Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium boasts a box of beautifully handcrafted snowskin mooncakes with colours so mesmerising, it is bound to leave you spoilt for choice on which to indulge in first. The box of 6 snowskin mooncakes that comes in an elegant box with gold emboss

Now that the General Election 2015 is coming to a close, what are some of your favourite rally speeches? I guess 2015 sees an impressive turn-out for most of the rallies, expectedly for Workers’ Party (WP), and somewhat surprising for Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), led by Dr. Chee Soon Juan. This General Election is also one that has a lot of analogies and metaphors being spilled out to directly (and indirectly) burn the ruling and opposition parties. Which is your favouri

Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner. Are you ready for some mooncake mania yet, or are you still caught up with the Singapore politics? Man Fu Yuan of Intercontinental Singapore is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special commemorative design box that comes with their baked and snowskin mooncakes. The two-tiered box, designed by local illustrator Jacqueline Goh, boasts a detailed illustration of the hotel – perfect for stashing stuff at home, or to use as sto

#GE2015 campaigning is coming to a close this Wednesday (9 September 2015) before the cooling off day and voting on 11 September. Often dubbed as a “watershed” election and even “more watershed” than the previous GE in 2011, much emphasis is placed on Singapore moving forward past its 50 years of independence. Should the People’s Action Party (PAP) continue its stronghold; or are they declining in quality that Oppositions should be there for checks and balance in the parliame

“Many people tell me that the elections are coming soon! I replied: ‘I’ve heard it too’,” – PM Lee Hsien Loong, at National Day Rally 2015 You heard it from the man himself. The message of an upcoming election couldn’t be clearer. Indeed, this year is a special year, which many have dubbed as the Post-LKY era in Singapore politics. With the recent number of politicians stepping down and had chosen not to contest in the upcoming elections, and some new (or old) faces in the ga

You know Hungry Ghost Festival is around the corner when there are tables with offerings being set up, and you hear faint getai music in the night. Singapore may be small, but the horror tales go beyond our size. With so much development going on in our small country, do horror stories get to strive? We look at 4 supposedly haunted places in Singapore that have sort of faded in the limelight, perhaps with Singapore’s need for rapid development. 1. Bishan MRT (http://sgforums.

There should be a research paper on the effects of SG50 in Singapore. Businesses in Singapore are all hopping onto the bandwagon of Singapore’s Golden Jubilee as part of their marketing and promotion strategy. Our local music industry seems to be getting on the trend as well. After a quiet year in 2014 that somewhat broke the tradition of having no official National Day theme song, we are looking at Singapore’s 50th birthday as the year with the most National Day song entries

A concrete skyscraper perched slightly off the busy shopping district in Bangkok, Thailand, is Sofitel So Bangkok. Dubbed as the “fashion hotel,” Sofitel So Bangkok is helmed by Monsieur Christian Lacroix, who contributed his artistic expertise to the luxury stay. The club lounge holds his signature in red paint over a slab of concrete. From the architecture to the interiors, Sofitel So Bangkok oozes of stylistic appeal. If you up to pamper yourself during the holidays – Sofi

Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew recently announced that the second phase of Downtown line (12 stations in total) will be opening ahead of schedule by December 2015. While many are elated because of the enhanced convenience, some are still skeptical about SMRT’s recent spate of misfortunes and breakdowns. However, it is no doubt that we are blessed with pretty good public transport network, and our rapid and fast development since the first MRT built and started operation in 1

21st Birthdays are tedious to plan but at the same time, a rewarding experience. You will need to spend quite a bit but your friends or families will help you recoup back your “losses” with gifts off your wish-lists. No one ever goes to a 21st birthday party with a skimpy gift. Venue Most people host their 21st birthdays in hotels now. There are a lot more things to consider in a hotel – how to sneak your friends in, how to get them to stay in the hotel for the night without

Who says that men have to dress in boring clothes and shoes? RAD RUSSEL, the brand that reflects the London-chic style, opened their flagship store in Singapore over at Plaza Singapura and this season marks an exciting collaboration with SIMON CARTER, in the launch of their new footwear capsule collection in sunny Singapore. Designed with the hint of Simon Carter’s iconic cinnamon, the designs look effortlessly chic and stylish for men. They are perfect for work and play, wit

From a swampy, land-constrained island to becoming one of the busiest ports of the world and one of the highest standards of living, how are things going to change for Singapore after the passing Mr Lee Kuan Yew? The demography of Singapore is changing. As more young adults are making up the numbers for the eligible voters, they are also more aware of their power in changing the political scape of the nation. After all, these young adults are the ones having to handle and dea

A multi-cultural society calls for fusion-flavors and Azur, the resident buffet restaurant at Crown Plaza Changi Airport, offers just so. Helmed by a chef of Indonesian influences, Azur serves up a “No Pork No Lard” menu, and welcomes the Muslim community with its delectable spread. A cozy and dimly-lit restaurant at the accessible corner near the Changi Airport MRT exit, Azur serves up local delicacies as well as the staples of buffet essentials. For us, we tend to scour and

Ponggol Nasi Lemak is probably a household name by now; serving generations of fragrant rice and becoming one of the top supper spots to suppress hunger pangs in the night. The new concept of Ponggol Nasi Lemak Restaurant focuses on speed and efficiency – catering to the busy and lunch crowd while the main stalls still operate in the night. Ponggol Nasi Lemak at Jalan Besar operates as a fast-food chain style; you get Set Meals, with customizations that include some of the al

“Many are too young to remember how bad things were. They take for granted Singapore’s orderly progress and continuing prosperity as the natural order of things. Those who do remember know that our present stability and prosperity have been built upon the cohesion, the determination and the planning of a small band of men.” Singapore and the world witnessed the loss of an extraordinary leader of our time. MM Lee passed away at a grand age of 91, after being warded in Intensiv

All businesses carry inherent risks, and especially so in Singapore. Our small and highly competitive economy requires businesses to keep up with the changing preferences and needs of our people. Market failure is inevitable, but the impact of the brand lingers on. Some of these brands have came and left Singapore, some with a bang, others just quietly exits the market. We look at 10 businesses in Singapore that have closed down in the 2000s: 1) This Fashion Many will remembe