Arts in Malaysia: An Interview with Johnny Ong, Co-Founder of Hauntu

KUALA LUMPUR – Do you believe in ghosts? If you came to THE LINC KL and looked around a bit, you might just find an attraction that’ll convince you of their existence, with Hauntu.  A portmanteau of the English word ‘haunt’ and Malay word ‘hantu’ (ghost), Hauntu mashes escape room and haunted house for one hell of an experience, as live theatre performance, role play and storytelling come together. … Continue reading Arts in Malaysia: An Interview with Johnny Ong, Co-Founder of Hauntu

foodXculture: An Interview with Christina Keilthy, Founder and Co-Owner of Mod-Peranakan Restaurant Godmama

Christina Keilthy’s history is an interesting one, hailing from the fast-moving consumer good industry and having dealt with brands from Danone Yogurt to Evian Water, and even Wrigley’s chewing gum (she also happens to be the brains behind the brand’s Eclipse mints, circumventing Singapore’s strict chewing gum sale laws). But F&B, and a restaurant at that, was a whole new world and untapped territory for … Continue reading foodXculture: An Interview with Christina Keilthy, Founder and Co-Owner of Mod-Peranakan Restaurant Godmama

Penang Power: The Eastern & Oriental Hotel Re-Opens Heritage Wing

  PENANG, MALAYSIA – The historic Eastern & Oriental (E&O) Hotel’s Heritage Wing has embarked on an extensive refurbishment since March 2019, ready to refresh it to present an all-new luxury experience for guests when refurbishment is set to complete by year end.  As one of the few historical hotels around the globe, the management has placed great emphasis to preserve elements of the hotel’s 134-year old … Continue reading Penang Power: The Eastern & Oriental Hotel Re-Opens Heritage Wing

Review: Cats presented by BASE Entertainment Asia

★★★★☆ (Performance attended 19/12/19) Feline fever dream impresses with its acrobatic skills and musical grandeur, landing squarely on its feet.  As a musical that’s stood the test of time and still receives acclaim over 40 years later, the plot of Cats, if you can call it a plot, is incredibly simple. Once a year, the Jellicle Cats gather around what appears to be a junkyard … Continue reading Review: Cats presented by BASE Entertainment Asia

Book Review: Beauty Queens of Bishan by Akshita Nanda

A celebration of womanhood and femininity in all their facets, set against the ever-intriguing world of pageants. Love it or loathe it, everyone wants to feel pretty. And in this age of reality TV, celebrity worship and social media obsession, it’s becoming increasingly harder to match up to society’s standards of beauty, what with the bar being continually raised. The business of beauty is booming, … Continue reading Book Review: Beauty Queens of Bishan by Akshita Nanda

Arts In Malaysia: Catching Up With Sean Ghazi In Kuala Lumpur

KUALA LUMPUR – The last time we sat down with Sean Ghazi was way back in 2017, after an incredibly busy year in Singapore preparing for An Evening with Sean Ghazi (with Stephanie Reese), and after an acclaimed run on W!ld Rice’s staging of La Cage Aux Folles opposite Ivan Heng. That was the year that Sean seemed to truly revive his connection with Singapore after primarily performing on … Continue reading Arts In Malaysia: Catching Up With Sean Ghazi In Kuala Lumpur

Music Is: AirAsia Group and Universal Music Group Launch RedRecords

The AirAsia Group and Universal Music Group (UMG) announced the launch of RedRecords, an innovative new label partnership focused on signing, developing and breaking new Asian artists and elevating ‘A-pop’ globally to new audiences throughout the region and around the world. The two companies announced the ground-breaking partnership at a press conference, held in Kuala Lumpur today. RedRecords will focus on discovering and developing talent … Continue reading Music Is: AirAsia Group and Universal Music Group Launch RedRecords

Music Is: An Interview with Local Rapper Yung Raja

Yung Raja is, in a word, young. But in spite of his youth, the local rapper and occasional actor has already been making waves over the last two years as a mainstay across both local and regional festivals, breaking through as one of the hottest up-and-coming artistes, and as his Spotify profile reads, “hip hop’s next avant-garde bilingual artiste”, thanks to his unique compositions that … Continue reading Music Is: An Interview with Local Rapper Yung Raja

SGIFF 2019: 30th Edition Draws To A Close with Over 110,000 Audiences and 35 Sold-Out Screenings

The 30th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) culminated on Sunday (1st Dec) after two weeks of film screenings and off-screen programmes that celebrated and showcased the best of independent cinema. The Festival brought together a record attendance of more than 110,000 festival-goers to engage with filmmakers from Singapore and the region in film screenings, panels, talks, exhibitions and masterclasses. This year, the SGIFF presented a … Continue reading SGIFF 2019: 30th Edition Draws To A Close with Over 110,000 Audiences and 35 Sold-Out Screenings

SGIFF 2019: Southeast Asian Film Talents Recognised at the 30th Singapore International Film Festival’s Silver Screen Awards

The 30th Singapore International Film Festival announced the winners of its Silver Screen Awards today, celebrating the best of filmmaking in the region.  This year saw 14 awards being presented at the National Museum of Singapore, with the crowd-favourites Asian Feature Film Competition and Southeast Asian Short Film Competition awarding nine of them. Scales (Sayidat Al Bahr) by Saudi Arabian filmmaker, Shahad Ameen, emerged as the Best Film under the … Continue reading SGIFF 2019: Southeast Asian Film Talents Recognised at the 30th Singapore International Film Festival’s Silver Screen Awards