What's so special about Singapore's Hello Kitty Orchid Garden, you ask? A few things, actually. It's the world's first 24-hour Hello Kitty-themed cafe, it's the only one situated in an airport, and it's got a pretty lush garden theme going on. Sure, there are life-sized figurines in selfie corners and adorable merch, but partners of kitty-obsessed people need not fret, 'cause the space isn't as cutesy as you think, so you can go ahead and let yourself be dragged to the cafe.
Mother nature was presumably deeply upset with the state of public transport this afternoon, striking an SMRT train with lightning that managed to fry its brains.
The Yio Chu Kang-bound train that felt her wrath was crippled after leaving Yishun MRT station during the freak thunderstorm, disrupting services on the North-South Line. Yishun, Khatib and Yio Chu Kang stations were affected, and SMRT deployed free bus services between them.
The thunderstruck train had to be pushed out by another train — and fortunately, none were hurt in the incident. Train services resumed around 4.40pm, according to SMRT.
Whoa — we mean, wah — now you can ask your ang moh friends where they'd like to lepak, and that'd be totally acceptable, 'cause these Singlish words have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary lexicon in its March 2016 update.
There are the basic English words like "blur" and "wet market", as well as loanwords from Chinese and Malay like "ang moh" (literally meaning red hair, referring to a person of Western descent) and "shiok" (meaning cool or great) respectively. Also making appearances are quintessential Singlish words such as "wah" (used to express admiration, delight or surprise).
Of course, a few food-related entries have been thrown into the mix, including "teh tarik", "char siu", "chilli crab" and "sotong" (which can also mean a stereotypically stupid or ignorant person).
A video has emerged online that should spell bad news for the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority's repute — one checkpoint officer was caught flying in rage, unloading his verbal wrath unto a Malaysian motorcyclist.
Such an unprofessional display however was surely triggered by some pretty bad provocation though — you can hear the angry officer demanding to know why the rider had thrown his passport at him. We don't know for sure what sparked him off, but we'd imagine working long hours in a noisy, exhaust fume-filled environment and dealing with often uncivil behaviour would attribute to the outburst. Still doesn't warrant a clamorous bout of intimidation though; but hey, we're all human.
Watch the video below, uploaded on the All Singapore Stuff Facebook page.
As one of the best Singapore-related things to come out of the sickening fever-pitch of the SG50 celebrations last year, Sonny Liew's graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye deserves all the accolades it can get.
And they've indeed done so yesterday night when it brought home the Book of the Year title at the Singapore Book Awards. This, in spite of the National Arts Council (NAC)'s decision to ditch their initial promise of support for the book when they withdrew their $8,000 publishing grant on the eve of its launch a year ago.
As part of their investigations into the transboundary haze that wreaked havoc over Singapore skies last year, the National Environment Agency (NEA) summoned a director of an Indonesian firm linked to the illegal haze-causing forest fires for an interview.
Alas, the man didn't turn up.
NEA has since obtained a court warrant against the director, which will mean that he will be detained by the authorities the next time he enters Singapore.
So the salted egg yolk trend has been around for a while now, but it seems like Starbucks just discovered it. With the launch of the cafe chain's new coffee break menu, which offers 15 sweet and savoury treats, the salted egg yolk lava croissant is one of the more prominent items.
For those with a sweet tooth, they've got muffins, cookies, an apple almond crumble tart and a chocolate and custard danish. On the savoury side, there are chicken curry puffs and creamy chicken pastries. Sure, some of these aren't exactly new, but you get to indulge in a mid-afternoon pick-me-up when you purchase any of them with a tall-sized latte or cappuccino ($6.90/set), available at all outlets from 3pm to 6pm.
And if you just need a mouthful of gooey salted egg yolk, the croissant and other items are also on the a la carte menu.
The authorities remain stumped over the discovery of human bones in a house in Sembawang Hills Estate, with State Coroner Marvin Bay stating that there is no conclusive proof of who exactly they belonged to.
In 2006, environment officers carrying out a mosquito breeding check in the premises of 17 Jalan Batai stumbled upon a human skeleton lying on top of a toilet. The very same house revealed another set of bones — an adult human skull and a thigh bone — last year, found by a worker clearing rubble from the guest room. Some of the bones were even covered or buried in soil.
COCONUTS HOT SPOT — How about a little peace and quiet this weekend? Tucked away in the serene Rochester Park enclave is Nosh, a rustic, romantic restaurant surrounded by lush greenery. After undergoing a revamp this year, the space now welcomes Noshery, a new concept that goes from daytime cafe to hip bar hangout at night. It sits on the ground floor of Nosh's black-and-white colonial bungalow, with an outdoor patio next to an herb garden on one side, and a bar area serving snacks and craft beer on the other.
In a country that seemingly worships Hello Kitty and kiasu consumerism, it's not surprising that some of those who bought limited-edition plush toys of the character this morning have already started scalping them online.
Long queues were seen hours before the opening of the world's first 24-hour Hello Kitty cafe at Changi Airport today way before it officially opened at 11.30am. Going at $49.90 each, exclusive plushies were sold at the cafe with the Hello Kitty doll itself sporting two bows for some reason. The first batch of 200 dolls were sold out by 1.20pm according to Channel NewsAsia— and 10 minutes later they were already sold online for up to three times the original price.
A quick digest of the coolest weekend happenings in Singapore.
Friday, May 13
The coolest, most unconventional parking lot bar has been resurrected. And you're invited to the revamped venue, where there will be beats by Mr Assin and DJ Bhayology.
9pm-2am at Golden X The Great Escape, #05-00 Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Rd. Free.
This month's installment of MAAD brings together new and favourite vendors to hawk art works, accessories, crafts, and all sorts of cool knick knacks. Also look out for the Organisation of Illustrators Council and approach them to get your portrait done.
Kick start June in boozy style at Attica, where four entire days of parties will be held in celebration of the club's 12th anniversary (has it been that long?).
On Wednesday, GLAM is the, ahem, "best looking ladies night in town", and all females who RSVP will get 12 birthday drinks coupons before midnight. Look out for mini cupcakes at the bar, should you need something to pad your stomach before the alcohol invades. Ladies free, men $30, includes two drinks.
Thursday is a hip hop special featuring a surprise DJ. Same goes for all ladies who RSVP before midnight: 12 drink coupons. Ladies free, men $30, includes two drinks.
Engelbert Humperdinck arrives on our shores armed with four Grammy noms, a Golden Globe for "Entertainer of the Year" (1988), 63 gold and 24 platinum albums, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He's sure achieved loads in his last 40 years in the biz, with his most recent record, Engelbert Calling, featuring duets with a star-studded list of names including Elton John, Smokey Robinsons, Kenny Rogers and Gene Simmons.
Get your tix and wait for him to serenade you with sweet melodies like 'Spanish Eyes', 'Quando, Quando, Quando' and 'Love Me With All Your Heart'.
Engelbert Humperdinck performs on Jul 15, 8pm at Grand Theatre, MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Ave. $108-$268.
Despite being the country’s second largest city, Chiang Mai in the far north of Thailand maintains a distinct village-like feel. Visitors and residents are blessed with wonderful home cooked food, age-old culture, and stunning scenery and wildlife, while still enjoying every modern convenience they could ask for.
With the perfect mix of old and new, Chiang Mai is a winning location, whether you’re just visiting for the weekend, looking for a holiday home, or settling down with the fam.
Every once in a while, we get stuff delivered to our offices in Tiong Bahru. Brands wanting to get some sweet mention across the Coconuts network send their swag to us — be it glass mugs with #YOLO written on it, a giant crate that held only a single can of beer, or even live puppies with logos tattooed on their eyelids (ok maybe not that last one). In the spirit of crippling consumerism and good fun, we started a new series for our world-weary editor Ilyas to review these care packages every glorious time they arrive. This is one such story.
A day after a new YouTube video upload (in which more tips were given on how to escape National Service — mostly through feigning mental illness), subversive teen blogger Amos Yee was arrested.
His former lawyer Alfred Dodwell confirmed that the 17-year-old was apprehended yesterday. Without confirming his identity, police noted that he was arrested for offences under Sections 174 and 298 of the Penal Code. Meaning he was nabbed for failing to attend an interview for an investigation and uttering words with an intent to wound religious and racial feelings.
The part about making insensitive comments refers to his online remarks made in November 2015, say the police, containing offensive and disparaging remarks against various religious communities.
Singapore's hot all year round, but lately, the heat has been more than unpleasantly overpowering. Air-conditioning units have been installed (or switched on 24/7), daily cold showers are the norm, air-con shopping malls are seeing more traffic, and swimming pools are crowded with throngs of people wanting to cool off.
On the plus side, several businesses have the sweltering heat to thank for their surge in sales. Ice cream vendors, for one, are raking in the dough. That one's self-explanatory.
All had been going well in a weekly cabinet meeting at the Istana yesterday when Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat suddenly collapsed after suffering a stroke.
It was at 5.34pm yesterday that the 54-year-old collapsed, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that three doctors in Cabinet attended to the Heng and managed to resuscitate the "valuable member" of his team before the ambulance arrived.
Experience life in the slow lane at Pulau Ubin, which is hosting its longest-ever open house starting tomorrow. Called Pesta Ubin ("pesta" means festival or party in Malay), the five-week event offers over 50 activities, from boat tours to guided walks to nature sketching.
Here are some of the not-to-be-missed festivities:
