Singapore

To call Shirkers a mystery would be an understatement. The documentary, now out on Netflix, explores the story behind Sandi Tan’s 1992 would-be film of the same name. Together with her best friends and teacher from film class, they embarked on a two-month long adventure to make Singapore’s first surrealist indie road movie about a serial killer. Just when shooting was over, however, their teacher, Georges Cardona, vanished with the footage. He left no reason for his disappearance and no trace of the film the friends had poured so much into. The film answers the questions raised by the disappearance…

The Formula 1 season is around the corner yet again, but this year, fans of American rock band Good Charlotte have extra cause for celebration – the 39-year-old vocalist Joel Madden will be coming to town for the premium party, The Podium Lounge. Touted as Singapore’s largest and most glamorous trackside after-party, The Podium Lounge will return once again for its 10th anniversary at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. Hosted by ex-Formula 1 driver Alex Yoong and E! News Asia’s Yvette King, guests can expect three nights of exciting, glamorous entertainment. Aside from churning out hits alongside his brother Benji with…

The SpeedPro Max, a new cordless cleaner from Philips, is said to be one of the better cordless vacuums in the market. The two-in-one cleaner clocked in the fastest cordless cleaning experience. The vacuum is able to deliver suction in every direction through its 360-degree nozzle (that comes with stylish LED lights) and is powered by a 25.2V lithium-ion rechargeable battery that allows for a cordless vacuuming time of up to 65 minutes. The Philips Speedpro Max is the perfect home appliance to clean up every nook and cranny of your home. The vacuum is designed to address the tiresome…

“X represents infinity, and my dream is to showcase most of these extraordinary artworks that embody this ‘X-factor’ so that the audience learns more than they think they see,” said Billy Mork, the founder and chief curator of X EDITION. Realising both his dreams and those of photography enthusiasts here in Singapore, the inaugural X EDITION art fair will showcase sculptures, installations, media art, and allow the general public to have an open dialogue with famed photographers such as Hokkaido-based contemporary artist and photographer Season Lao, New York-based fine-art photographer Stephen Schaub, and many more. An exposure from Billy Mork…

If this was meant to be a pre-season friendly, then it turned out to be everything but one. We often hear, read, and witness first-hand about how drab these matches can get, and about how fans are not getting their money’s worth because of the absence of star players. But for the 22,007 fans present at the National Stadium last night for the International Champions Cup (ICC) match between Paris Saint Germain and Atletico Madrid, they will certainly talk about this contest for the next few days and weeks, if not months and years to come. If they arrived disappointed…

In the world of automobiles, Toyota is a brand that’s known for reliable engines and gearboxes that hardly ever break down. It won’t be surprising to find 15-year-old Corolla Altises still roaming Singapore’s busy roads in prime condition, boasting an average fuel consumption of around 16 km per litre, which is what some current-generation models can only dream of. Call me old-fashioned, but the quintessential Toyota car is the 1995 Toyota Crown Comfort. Apart from its fame of being the olfactory model for taxis in Singapore from the late 90’s for over 20 years, the Toyota Crown Comfort is a…

What a difference a week makes. Just seven days ago, Mesut Özil was at the centre of a heated debate following his decision to retire from the German national football team. There were critics, supporters, and those who were simply too stunned to formulate an opinion. But at the National Stadium in Singapore last night, all the 29-year-old received was pure love and affection. Özil, who captained Arsenal, won the hearts of the 50,308-strong crowd (a majority of whom were Arsenal fans) as he put in an inspired display to help the Gunners defeat Paris Saint Germain 5-1 in their…

The talk of the town was present at the National Stadium last night, but he played no part in Arsenal’s International Champions Cup (ICC) opener against Atletico Madrid. All the 23,095-strong crowd got was a mere glimpse of Mesut Özil for just seven seconds – when the two big screens in the stadium zoomed in on him seated on the bench in the 71st minute. The 29-year-old, who created a stir after announcing his retirement from the German national football team last Sunday, smiled and gave a thumbs-up, resulting in the loudest cheer of the night from the crowd, most…

Mesut Özil is fully focused on the upcoming Premier League season with Arsenal, despite being caught in the centre of a raging debate following his retirement from international football on Sunday night. That was the view of former Gunners midfielder Ray Parlour, who is currently in Singapore in his role as a club ambassador for the International Champions Cup (ICC). Özil cited “racism and disrespect” shown towards him by the German Football Association (DFB) as the main reason behind his retirement in a lengthy, no-holds-barred statement released on his various social media pages. This led to widespread concerns that the…

Queerness scares people – that’s the truth. But the truth is rarely pure and never simple. What does it mean to be queer? If you wanted the pure and simple truth, then it just refers to being anything other than heterosexual or cisgender. But the world we live in doesn’t abide by dictionary definitions – neither does judgement nor discrimination. To be queer is to be invisible, to be seen through pejorative glances, to be the antipode of normal. In the small city-state of Singapore like anywhere else, the history of queerness is the history of marginalisation. Although many assume…