Travelling for health
While Covid-19 had plenty to do with increasing the awareness for self-care and healing, the fact that wellness tourism is still on a strong upward trajectory shows that a lot more people are heading to the likes of Bali for sunrise meditation, or doing yoga in the serene hills of Sri Lanka and Bhutan.
In this week's BT Lifestyle, we find out why more travellers in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific are moving beyond shopping and eating trips in Japan, and prioritising wellness breaks instead. If you've ever returned from a holiday more exhausted than before you left, you can see the appeal of vacations spent on rest, relaxation and reconnection.
Meanwhile in Design, we visit a house designed around a courtyard, with plenty of lush landscaping to soften its hard architectural edges. In Arts, the National Gallery presents a solo exhibition of the late artist Fernando Zobel. And for your reading pleasure, we spotlight some new non-fiction books that might strike your fancy.
In Dining, the Japanese restaurant fad doesn't seem to be abating. We check out the new Keijo, a mid-priced sushi eatery that replaces the former Shinji outlet at Carlton Hotel, to see how the rebranded eatery measures up.
For all this and more, don't miss this week's BT Lifestyle.
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Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Straits Times
Concert review: Le Sserafim are ‘steady lah' with strong stage presence, use of Singlish
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox 2025 Le Sserafim Tour Easy Crazy Hot In Singapore Singapore Indoor Stadium Aug 16 Le Sserafim's fans in Singapore are 'steady lah', the K-pop girl quintet praised repeatedly during their sold-out show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Aug 16. The 7,500-strong audience frequently sang along and cheered, earning the approval of the group, who also exclaimed in Singlish: 'Swee lah (Hokkien for nicely done).' This marked Le Sserafim's first performance in Singapore since their 2022 debut and subsequent meteoric rise. The group's line-up comprises Kim Chaewon, 25, and Hong Eunchae, 18, from South Korea; Sakura, 27, and Kazuha, 22, from Japan; and Huh Yunjin, 23, from the United States. Their concert tour kicked off in April in Incheon, followed by stops in various Japanese cities, Taipei, Hong Kong, Manila and Bangkok. Singapore marks the conclusion of their Asia tour. In September, they are scheduled to perform in eight North American cities, including Chicago, San Francisco and Las Vegas. The K-pop sensation delighted fans with a comprehensive set list of more than 25 hits. They opened with Ash and Hot, two alluring mid-tempo tracks from their latest EP, released in March. The quintet's choreography for Hot had them fanning their faces to the lyrics 'I'm burning hot'. This set the stage for a nearly three-hour energetic performance. The group made a concerted effort to use Singlish, and were eager to impress and connect with their fans, affectionately known as Fearnot. For instance, before launching into the high-energy Latin-pop-inspired Fire In The Belly (2023), which features a Spanish chant of 'ole ole ole', Kim encouraged the audience to join in: 'Singapore, be my kaki.' The concert also incorporated elements of a fan meet, with the quintet engaging in long stretches of banter and playing games among themselves. As with every show on the concert tour, they performed a local tongue twister. For the Singapore leg, this involved hilarious attempts to order coffee like a local: 'Auntie, kopi, kopi peng, kopi kosong, kopi O, kopi C, kopi siew dai, kopi ga dai, kopi gao. Da bao.' Which member did the best? From the enthusiastic cheers, all five of them were winners. The second half of the show featured songs that propelled them to fame, such as Antifragile (2022), Unforgiven (2023) and Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard's Wife (2023). Just like at most concerts, many attendees held up their phones to record videos and take photos. Sakura gently urged them to put away their phones and immerse themselves in the moment. 'We look more beautiful when you see us through your eyes,' she playfully remarked. Indeed, they were captivating, with Kim appearing to be the most popular among the young male concertgoers, who made up a good half of the audience. Her name was frequently yelled, even leading to a humorous shouting match when one fan, wearing a yellow jersey with her name screamed back: 'Chaewon is mine!' K-pop girl quintet Le Sserafim performed in Singapore for the first time since their 2022 debut and subsequent meteoric rise. PHOTO: As the concert concluded, the group promised to return to Singapore. Huh said: 'Please get more people to like Le Sserafim.' Their heartfelt appreciation was evident as they lingered onstage long after their final two songs – their first full English track Perfect Night and the Korean song No-Return (Into The Unknown) – continuing to say 'thank you' and 'bye-bye' to their fans. In the eyes of the audience, the quintet were truly 'steady lah' too.
Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Straits Times
Terence Atmane gifts birthday boy Jannik Sinner Pokemon card ahead of Cincinnati semi-final
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Italy's Jannik Sinner (right) meets Terence Atmane of France at the net after their Cincinnati Open semi-final which the world No. 1 won 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 on Aug 16. Cincinnati – Frenchman Terence Atmane made sure Jannik Sinner had a 24th birthday to remember, gifting the world No. 1 a Pokemon card before going on to lose their semi-final meeting at the Cincinnati Open on Aug 16. Top seed and defending champion Sinner ended qualifier Atmane's run at the Masters 1000 tournament with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 win. Before the match, the pair were seen talking to each other in the tunnel leading onto centre court, where Atmane handed over the collectable based on the hit Japanese video game series and TV show. 'It's his birthday today, so I had to give him a little something,' Atmane told reporters. 'I was thinking last night about what I should give to him. I was like, 'I think I still have some Pokemon cards that I brought from France. Why not give him just a Pokemon card?' I'm a Pokemon card collector. I think this is the perfect gift. 'If that was my birthday, I would be so happy that someone gave me a Pokemon card.' Sinner, who was also serenaded with Happy Birthday by the crowd, was grateful and slightly bemused by the gift. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Mandarin with Taiwanese characteristics: Taipei leverages language as soft power tool Singapore I want to divorce my husband and be a single mother: More victims speaking up on emotional abuse Singapore She won big in Genting, but getting $240k winnings back to Singapore was dicey Singapore Buying hope: Inside S'pore's love affair with the lottery Asia Dozens injured after magnitude 6.0 quake strikes Sulawesi, Indonesia, official says Singapore Motorcyclist dies after multi-vehicle collision on TPE Life Stefanie Sun makes emotional concert return to Taiwan, where she made her debut 'I was talking to him a little bit in the locker room. He has one of the biggest collections of Pokemon cards, and I'm very lucky that I got one of his ones,' the Italian told Tennis Channel. 'It was just a nice moment before a match, we didn't know each other at all. So, it was a nice moment... The card was a kind of Pikachu. It said 30 damage to itself, so I don't know if that is good or not!' For Atmane, the defeat ended a remarkable run in Cincinnati during which he recorded wins over top-10 players Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune. 'Absolutely crazy, insane. I still cannot believe that I made the semi-finals here,' said world No. 136 Atmane, who only a couple of months ago suffered back-to-back first-round exits in the second-tier Challenger Tour. 'Playing against Jannik today was also a very good memory for myself and I will remember that for a long time.' He said he had worked a lot on his mental strength and controlling his emotions. 'I think that's the key for me to succeed at a high level.' Sinner and hot rival Carlos Alcaraz will face off in a major final for the fourth time this season. The Spanish second seed defeated an ailing Alexander Zverev, who was suffering badly from the 32 deg C heat and humidity 6-4, 6-3. The German, who is diabetic, began feeling poorly and took a medical timeout off court after the third game of the second set. Zverev, who has retired in only two matches since 2014, came back out to finish what was a patchy match from Alcaraz, who double-faulted four times in the second game of the second set but won the last 12 points with Zverev running on fumes. Alcaraz and Sinner have played for trophies this season in Rome, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, with the Italian winning their most recent at the All England Club last month. Sinner is trying to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2014 and 2015 to win back-to-back titles in Cincinnati. Sinner, tuning up for the US Open in his first tournament since winning Wimbledon, has not dropped a set en route to the final. 'It's a very, very tough challenge every time you play a new opponent,' Sinner said. 'In the later stages of the tournament,the pressure is on, they deserve to be there.' Alcaraz will also be playing in his second Cincinnati final after losing to Novak Djokovic in 2023. The Spaniard increased his ATP season match win lead to 53 in a year of five titles. Alcaraz said he is keen to try and take his Wimbledon revenge on Sinner in the unorthodox Aug 18 final. 'We always bring our best tennis. We raise each other's level. I'm ready to take the challenge,' Alcaraz said. 'I will try and adjust my game better and correct what I did wrong in our last match. I want to be ready with my 100 per cent. Mentally I'll be ready – I'm excited for Monday.' REUTERS, AFP
Straits Times
21 hours ago
- Straits Times
Atmane gifts birthday boy Sinner Pokemon card ahead of Cincinnati semi-final
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Aug 16, 2025; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jannik Sinner (ITA) right, meets Terence Atmane (FRA) at the net after their match during the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images Frenchman Terence Atmane made sure Jannik Sinner had a 24th birthday to remember, gifting the world number one a Pokemon card before going on to lose their semi-final meeting at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday. Top seed and defending champion Sinner ended qualifier Atmane's run at the Masters 1000 tournament with a 7-6(4) 6-2 win. Before the match, the pair were seen talking to each other in the tunnel leading onto centre court, where Atmane handed over the collectable based on the hit Japanese video game series and TV show. "It's his birthday today so I had to give him a little something," Atmane told reporters. "I was thinking last night about what I should give to him. I was like, 'I think I still have some Pokemon cards that I brought from France. Why not give him just a Pokemon card?' I'm a Pokemon card collector. I think this is the perfect gift. "If that was my birthday, I would be so happy that someone gave me a Pokemon card." Sinner, who was also serenaded with "Happy Birthday" by the crowd, was grateful and slightly bemused by the gift. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore I want to divorce my husband and be a single mother: More victims speaking up on emotional abuse World Trump drops Ukraine ceasefire demand after Putin summit Singapore Buying hope: Inside S'pore's love affair with the lottery Singapore She won big in Genting, but getting $240k winnings back to Singapore was dicey Opinion Confessions of a born-again Singaporean Business Manage your household finances like a business for clarity, say entrepreneurs Business Silence does not work when dealing with job loss blues Singapore Singapore congratulates Indonesia on 80th Independence Day "I was talking to him a little bit in the locker room. He has one of the biggest collections of Pokemon cards, and I'm very lucky that I got one of his ones," the Italian told Tennis Channel. "It was just a nice moment before a match, we didn't know each other at all. So, it was a nice moment ... The card was a kind of Pikachu. It said 30 damage to itself, so I don't know if that is good or not!" For Atmane, the defeat ended a remarkable run in Cincinnati during which he recorded wins over top-10 players Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune. "Absolutely crazy, insane. I still cannot believe that I made the semi-finals here," said world number 136 Atmane, who only a couple of months ago suffered back-to-back first-round exits in the second-tier Challenger Tour. "Playing against Jannik today was also a very good memory for myself and I will remember that for a long time." He said he had worked a lot on his mental strength and controlling his emotions. "I think that's the key for me to succeed at a high level." REUTERS
