CNA938 Rewind - Eat, Drink, Singapore - Homely taste of Taiwan at Lai Lai cafe
CNA938 Rewind
Homely, Healthy and Hearty - we get a taste of Lai Lai Cafe, run by a young couple with a shared love for Taiwanese food and hospitality. Hui Wong speaks with Wivina Siah and Yap Chun Neng about Lai Lai Cafe's newest outlet at New Tech Park in Lorong Chuan.
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Independent Singapore
11 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Fractured sisterhood: A review of Jemimah Wei's ‘The Original Daughter'
SINGAPORE: 'The Original Daughter' is the debut novel from Jemimah Wei, perhaps best known for her years as a presenter and host. The book, which was published last month, has earned rave reviews for Ms Wei, getting featured in no less than The New York Times and being chosen as a book club pick by Good Morning, America. It certainly portrays Singapore as substantially less glitzy and glamorous than the one popularized by Crazy Rich Asians and its sequels. It is quieter, more desperate, and far more affecting. To sum it up, it's the story of a family, and the bonds and demands that familial love places upon us. More specifically, it's a story of a fractured sisterhood, perhaps how our sisters break our hearts over and over again. Genevieve Yang is the only daughter of a taxi driver father and a librarian mother living in an HDB unit in Bedok. The novel's timeline spans from the 1990s to 2015. Genevieve's life changes forever with the discovery of a cousin she never knew about. Her grandfather, whom she long believed was dead, had actually left Singapore decades before the story began, and had moved to Malaysia to start another life, another family. With his passing when Genevieve was eight, the family ended up acquiring another daughter, seven-year-old Arin, the daughter of her father's half-brother in Malaysia. Torn from the only life she's ever known and rejected by Genevieve's grandmother and, to a lesser degree, by her father. And while Su, Genevieve's mother, is loving, as Genevieve morphs into 'Jie Jie' (older sister), she becomes Arin's entire world. The two grow up together side by side, but as they get older, Genevieve experiences one failure after another, while Arin comes into her own and excels, first at school, later as a YouTube personality, and then finds a successful career as a bona fide Hollywood star. A painful betrayal splits the sisters asunder, and this affects the whole family. While the tone of the book is often the opposite of lighthearted, though there are bits of humour scattered here and there, it ends on the suggestion of a grace note. The appeal of 'The Original Daughter' lies within its main character. Some who've read the book have pointed out how unlikeable Genevieve is, and yet Ms Wei's skill as a writer is shown in how relatable her protagonist is, and how understandable her motivations are—the pressures, rivalries, jealousies, pettiness, and above all, her desire to be needed and loved. It's a modern trope that the eldest daughter has a big burden to bear, and perhaps this is especially true in Asian families, where they are relegated to the role of the responsible one whom everyone else gets to lean on from a very young age. A particularly poignant exchange occurs between Genevieve and her mother at the point when the protagonist strives to free herself from ties that bind, and she can sense that Su is less than thrilled. 'So what if you're not extraordinary to everybody else?' her mother asks Genevieve, adding, 'Is it not enough to be special to me?' 'The Original Daughter: A Novel' by Jemimah Wei is available at Kinokuniya, Epigram, BookBar, Amazon, and other retailers. /TISG Read also: Two Singapore writers share 2021 Epigram Books Fiction Prize
Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Straits Times
Save money, bigger home: Actor Shaun Chen on why he moved to JB with his family
Actor Shaun Chen with his wife Celine Chen and their two daughters. The family moved to Johor Bahru in August 2024. PHOTO: SHAUNCHENHONGYU/INSTAGRAM Save money, bigger home: Actor Shaun Chen on why he moved to JB with his family SINGAPORE – Malaysian actor Shaun Chen, who was previously living in Singapore for over a decade, did not beat around the bush on why he and his family permanently moved to Johor Bahru (JB) in August 2024. He is residing in the Eco Botanic township with his Malaysian wife Celine Chen, who is in her mid-30s, and their two daughters. Aged nine and seven, the children are enrolled in an international school. In the June 6 episode of Call Us Daddy, Singapore-based Chinese-American actor-host Allan Wu's podcast, the 46-year-old star opened up about the rationale behind the relocation. Chen, who is a Singapore permanent resident, said: 'I think the main reason is because we are both Malaysians. Secondly, we can save on costs – about 30 to 50 per cent. Thirdly, in JB, we can afford to live in a bigger and more comfortable home.' He added: 'My work has not changed. I am still a Mediacorp artiste. I'm still filming. And I can just travel (to Singapore) whenever I have work. Like today, I drove in to Singapore for work. Whenever it's needed, I make the commute to and fro.' He is also grateful that the 'the traffic situation now is much better than before'. 'When we film until the wee hours and are so tired, the thought of seeing our children and our family makes it not tiring any more. I try to think of it that way. The travelling time of 45 minutes to an hour is okay with me, not too bad.' He added: 'The good thing about JB is that it forces Singaporeans to be more alert. When you go to Malaysia and learn how to be more aware of your surroundings, no matter where you travel to, you will naturally be more alert. This also helps your children to be more alert as well.' Chen also explained that moving across the Causeway was a 'natural and logical' choice, given how the couple have extended family in Malaysia and none in Singapore After making his acting debut in 2003 in television series like True Heroes (2003) and Holland V (2003), his breakthrough came in 2015, when he snagged Best Actor for his role in The Journey: Tumultuous Times (2014) at the annual Star Awards. Chen recently starred in the Mediacorp blockbuster drama Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story (2025) as Zhang Jinhai, the oldest son of the Zhang household and husband to Li Shuyu (played by Jojo Goh). Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
13 hours ago
- CNA
Labubu human-sized figure sells for over US$150,000 at Beijing auction
BEIJING/SHANGHAI: A Beijing auction house sold a human-sized Labubu figure for 1.08 million yuan (US$150,275.51, S$193,320) on Tuesday (Jun 10), setting a new record for the "blind box" toy as it moves from craze to collectible. The event held by Yongle International Auction, which traditionally specialises in modern art as well as jewellery, marked the first ever auction dedicated to Labubu, toothy monster figurines that are mainly sold by China's toy company Pop Mart and have been at the centre of a global frenzy for the past year. The auction offered 48 lots for sale and was attended in person by roughly 200 people, while over a thousand bidders put down offers via Yongle's mobile app, the auction house said. The starting price for all the items started at zero and it eventually raised a total of 3.73 million yuan. The highest grossing item, a mint green, 131cm tall Labubu figure, received several bids to sell for 1.08 million yuan. The auctioneer said it was the only one available in the world. A set of three Labubu sculptures, about 40cm tall and made of PVC material, sold for 510,000 yuan. The set, from a series called "Three Wise Labubu", was limited to a run of 120 sets in 2017 and another one sold for HKD 203,200 (US$25,889.64, S$33,322) at Sotheby's most recent auction in Hong Kong. Labubu was created a decade ago by Hong Kong artist and illustrator Kasing Lung. In 2019, Lung agreed to let them be sold by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company that markets collectable figurines often sold in "blind boxes". A buyer of a blind box toy does not know exactly what design they will receive until they open the packaging. The starting price for Labubu blind box toys sold in Pop Mart's stores is around 50 yuan. The character's popularity skyrocketed after Lisa of the Korean pop music group Blackpink was spotted with a Labubu and praised the doll in interviews and online posts. Many celebrities followed. In May, British football star David Beckham shared a photo on Instagram of his Labubu attached to a bag. One Yongle auction bidder, a restaurant owner who only gave her surname as Du, said she had planned to spend a maximum of 20,000 yuan but walked away empty handed as the final prices were too high.
