Author: Mai WenYi

When it comes to getting a lifelong companion (that’s not a spouse), there’re plenty of animals that are waiting for a caring home and some unconditional love. Instead of buying a new pet, you can opt to adopt some who’re already seeking a family. Each year, many animals are put down because there is simply not enough resources at shelters to keep them all. Whether you’re serious about getting a pet or just thinking about contributing to saving the lives of these animals in other ways, these 13 places in Singapore are where you should start. — Cats — 1. Love Kuching Project Love Kuching…

“I’m living in the material world!”, sang George Harrison in his 1973 hit single and, today, his statement still stands true. Like it or hate it, the world of fashion is here to stay and the level of creativity in Singapore would surprise you. Haute couture and hipster fashion brands are no longer just a thing of overseas designers – these rising stars right here in The Little Red Dot showcase their own style with these 10 homegrown clothing labels: 1. Al et Clar Al et Clar gets its French name from founders Alicia and Clarissa, who started the brand in 2012…

Yayoi Kusama, famous for her surreal, minimalist and whimsical art styles, will be displaying her works at the National Gallery Singapore from 10 June to 3 September 2017, and is calling the exhibition ‘Life Is The Heart Of A Rainbow’. She has produced art in performance, film, literature and fashion and her most notable exhibits are All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins’ and ‘Infinity Mirror Rooms’. For this upcoming exhibition in Singapore, over 120 pieces in a variety of media (paintings, videos, sculptures and more) will be put on display, some of them dating back to the 1950s. A portion of the…

Those passionate about clothes from foreign labels will be excited to know that Dover Street Market Singapore (DSM Singapore) is opening a brick-and-mortar store at 18 Dempsey Road this coming July 2017, to complement its online store, which is already booming with business. On its E-Shop, DSM Singapore stocks branded labels such as Comme des Garçons from Japan, Thom Browne by the American fashion designer of the same name, collaborations between famous brands like Vans, Braindead and DSM Checkerboard, and lots more. If you’ve got a retail bug for imported brands with names to brag about, DSM Singapore is where you can find lots of choices in one place.…

How do I even begin to describe Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun, and home country of weird shenanigans that bring forth a “what the–” too easily? For explorers who’re looking for more than shopping opportunities overseas, experiencing the unconventional is what makes the plane tickets worthwhile. To those who want to see the wild, the wacky and the weird: enjoy these 10 unusual places in Japan, that yours truly has a taste for as much as you do. 1. The Seven Hells (Jigoku) Of Beppu While Japan’s hot springs are well-known for their health benefits, it would be inadvisable to take a…

Samsung recently announced the Galaxy S8, its new flagship phone promising features like never before. As we ogle the sleek new designs and colours, let’s not forget other innovations from Samsung that showcase the company’s prowess in coming up with gadgets to suit needs in ways we never expected. The products we saw have taken existing functions and improved on them so well that we can’t help but get envious at people who can afford to upgrade to all these latest goodies the minute they hit stores. Here are a couple that we think are the best. QLED Televisions & Smart Remotes…

Escape rooms are one of the most immersive experiences and are the next best thing to living vicariously through fantasies from exciting books. We had a great time when we got to see them first-hand at Captivate Escape Rooms, leaving with lots of fond memories. A well-spent afternoon of fun with friends couldn’t be better than with a trip here. Solving the mysteries of each place is more fun when done with buddies, especially since you need lots of brain juice to figure them out. To start off, you’ll have to pick a room with a theme you like, although you might find it…

Singapore’s always been known as a “garden city,” even way back before Gardens by the Bay (GBTB) and its trademark domes were built. Now with GBTB, we have even more ways to appreciate nature without travelling out of our concrete jungle of a city. Many locals might hesitate to visit costly ticketed areas but did you know there’s lots to see here with no need for entry fees? Here are five free things to do to connect with nature within the Lion City. 1. Visit All The Different Supertree Zones When images for the Supertrees were first released, everyone was quick to note…

Navigate your way all around Japan to places like Tokyo, Nara, Kanagawa, Hyogo and many more with Odigo, a website specialising in trip planning and hooking you up with useful input from people living there. Odigo is very easy to use, which is a big plus right off the bat. After creating an account and leisurely browsing the Destinations page, you can start adding places to your itinerary and customising it based on your interests. Considering that there are many prefectures to choose from, and that each prefecture is further divided into many attractions, Odigo does a good job in organising everything systematically so that you can…

I simply love travelling and anything to do with augmented or virtual reality, and lucky me got to try out the closest thing to having both of them rolled into one: A flight simulator by Flight Experience Singapore. Situated at the Singapore Flyer, this immersive experience takes place in a replica cockpit of a Boeing 737NG, realistic down to the last tiny switch on the dashboard. In case you were wondering, Flight Experience’s high-tech simulators are also used by actual pilots-in-training, so you can count on this being as close to the real thing as it gets. Your flight starts with a quick…

Travelling around the world comes with picking up a bit of foreign chatter here and there, and before you know it, you’ve mastered the most important question (“where’s the toilet?”) in dozens of languages. While most phrases do make sense once you’ve deciphered them word-for-word, there’re some things which simply can’t be taken literally, or you’ll be left scratching your head in wonder for a long time. It’s all good fun, so we’ve picked out 10 Asian sayings which had exactly that effect when we read them ourselves. 1. Japanese: “My Hand Is Coming Out Of My Throat” 喉から手が出る (nodo…

To celebrate Studio Ghibli’s 30th anniversary, NTS Radio is putting together three segments of mixes by musical artist Sega Bodega, using soundtracks from Ghibli movies. Each free-to-listen segment will cover songs from a fixed time period. For instance, Part One’s music comes from movies spanning 1986 to 1992, while Part Two covers years 1994 through to 2001. As each mix lasts for approximately an hour, you’ll get to immerse yourself in loads of songs, including those from award-winning movies like My Neighbour Totoro, Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and many more. An excellent blend of relaxing and upbeat tunes, you’ll…

Vietnam’s Vietjet Air is nicknamed the “Bikini Airlines” for a good reason: the stewardesses who appear in commercials and serve passengers sometimes do so in two-piece swimsuits. They’ve garnered attention from the world over and have even modelled for calendars. Vietjet Air’s daring feature of bikini-clad flight attendants is certainly getting people talking, although the budget airline does not offer trips to many countries yet. The interesting uniforms occasionally feature on the Vietjet Air flights to beach destinations, so maybe some of you have already seen what all the fuss is about. VietJet Air CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao stands by…

Putting on a virtual reality (VR) headset and going into the same realm as video games has been one of the best experiences I’ve been through as a gamer. Armed with two handsets as well, you’ll get to explore creepy landscapes filled with the undead, defuse bombs, take on escape rooms and… even flip burgers. As anticlimactic as the last one sounds, it was actually quite fun. Even simple games can become twice as interesting when you’re able to engage in it upfront like never before. Thanks to VRoom and the HTC Vive VR gear, you too can go for a few adventures in…

Cheers, loves! This year’s Overwatch World Cup is here! Blizzard Entertainment has announced the start of preparations for this highly-anticipated event so if you haven’t experienced enough thrills from the Overwatch SEA Tournament, here’s an opportunity to get some more. From now till 25 April 2017, you can help Singapore be one of the 32 nations to be selected for the World Cup. The selection is based on the average rating of the top 100 players in each country but that doesn’t mean everyone else isn’t involved, though. All other players also have a role in this by voting for their favourite representatives…