‘I have another 8 or 9 years to live': HK star Law Kar Ying battles cancer for 4th time
'I have another 8 or 9 years to live': HK star Law Kar Ying battles cancer for 4th time
HONG KONG – Veteran Hong Kong opera star and actor Law Kar Ying has been leading an active lifestyle in recent years.
Despite his seemingly robust appearance, the 78-year-old revealed in a recent interview with Chinese media that he has been diagnosed with cancer for the fourth time.
He is currently on tour in China with Hong Kong actress Athena Chu for a Cantonese stage play.
Although Law said doctors estimate that he may have around eight years to live, the From Beijing With Love (1994) star added he is not fearful and has chosen to forgo chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
'I have another eight or nine years to live. Ninety years old is already a long life. What's the point of living longer? I'm not afraid at all,' he said. 'I won't undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy. I want to be comfortable as I bid my friends goodbye.'
When asked how he is dealing with the latest diagnosis, Law responded: 'You come (into this world) empty-handed and you'll leave empty-handed. I have no worries. That's life.'
His positive attitude and outlook have impressed netizens, with many praising him for appreciating and making the most out of the present moment.
Law, a member of the Hong Kong Celebrity Football Team, is married to Hong Kong actress Liza Wang, 77.
He was first diagnosed with stage three liver cancer in 2004 and had to undergo surgery to remove part of his liver to save his life.
With the support of Wang, he remained optimistic and ultimately overcame the disease. The couple later wed in the United States in 2009.
In 2014, a routine medical check-up revealed a 2cm tumour in Law's liver, and he went for surgery to remove the tumour.
In 2019, doctors found cancerous cells after a prostate biopsy. He underwent a prostatectomy, a procedure to remove part or all of the prostate gland, and was in remission after that. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO Travelling to RWS was not deemed too far when it was home to the now-defunct three-Michelin-starred Joel Robuchon Restaurant and two-Michelin-starred sister outlet L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon – both launched to much fanfare in 2011. Over the years, both RWS and MBS have constantly refreshed their offerings, with more in the pipeline. New developments at MBS include the debut of Cantonese fine-dining restaurant Jin Ting Wan and the reopening of rooftop restaurant-bar Ce La Vi, which has refreshed its interiors and menu. MBS' upcoming fourth tower – expected to be completed in June 2030 – includes 570 suites, luxury retail boutiques and signature rooftop and dining experiences. Over at RWS, the buzz is all about recently opened lifestyle enclave Weave – home to the world's largest Pierre Herme Paris outlet, the first permanent Coach Coffee Shop in Singapore , as well as the upcoming Peking Chamber from Beijing and two new dining concepts by French chef Paul Pairet. Janice Wong Chocolatier Janice Wong at her cafe at Gardens by the Bay's Supertree Observatory. PHOTO: ST FILE In the fickle dining scene, local dessert queen Janice Wong, 42, has always forged her own path. Her 2am: dessertbar has been a fixture in Holland Village since 2007. In 2014, her Pure Imagination brand was established, selling a wide range of confectionery products, including custom chocolate bonbons, cakes and ice cream. Her artistic approach to chocolate- and dessert-making has won her global recognition. She was named Asia's Best Pastry Chef by Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2013 and 2014, and given the Pastry Innovation Award by French restaurant guide La Liste in 2024. She was a guest chef in Season 7 of reality cooking competition MasterChef Australia in 2015, where contestants had to recreate her intricate cassis plum dessert in a pressure test. 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The event, which brings together street food culture from different countries, debuted in Singapore in 2013 and held events in the Philippines till 2017. With his event and business expertise, he was tapped by the late American celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain as a consultant for his Bourdain Market food hall, envisioned as a sprawling space in New York City for street hawkers from around the world. While that project did not materialise, Mr Seetoh launched Singapore-inspired food hall Urban Hawker near Times Square in New York in 2022, in collaboration with Urbanspace, a food hall management company. He no longer manages Urban Hawker, but Makansutra still runs chicken rice outlet Hainan Jones, which has a stall at Urban Hawker, as well as a second outpost at DeKalb Market Hall in Brooklyn. Other projects in Singapore include an event to elevate regional street food into a hotel setting at Raffles Hotel Singapore 's Raffles Courtyard . 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Speciality coffee – with its focus on higher-quality beans, where the beans are grown and the roasting process – was just taking off in Singapore. Mr Foo, 42, built Papa Palheta, now called PPP Coffee, into a successful business. There are now three cafes – Chye Seng Huat Hardware in Tyrwhitt Road, and PPP Coffee at New Bahru and Funan mall. He also has Stellar M, which supplies coffee equipment such as espresso machines and coffee grinders for homes and businesses. In 2020, he decided to take on Nespresso by designing his own coffee capsule machine. Morning, his start-up, launched The Morning Machine in 2021. It has raised more than $17 million in funding and is on track to be profitable in 2026. The genius is in the design of the machine and the ecosystem around it. Unlike with Nespresso machines, users can adjust the brewing temperature and pressure on their Morning machine, which also comes with a built-in scale. Or they can use the app to scan the box of capsules they are using, so the pre-programmed settings are transmitted to the machine for it to brew a cuppa to the roaster's specifications. Morning also provides a marketplace with more than 150 varieties of capsules from over 60 roasters all over the world. The Morning Machine, priced at $660, has sold more than 18,000 units in 40 countries since 2021. There is also The Morning Mini ($399), which has sold more than 5,000 units since 2024, and The Morning Dream ($495) milk steamer and frother, which has sold more than 6,000 units since 2024. Not bad for a coffee pioneer who once had 'capsules are dead' printed on saucers in his cafe. Queueing for food A queue for bak kwa in Chinatown before Chinese New Year in 2024. PHOTO: ST FILE Never mind that the shops are open year round and rarely does a customer have to wait long to be served. 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They were proteges of Shanghainese chef Luo Chen at Cathay Restaurant in the 1950s before going on to open their own restaurants. In 1974, they came together to open Red Star. They also made waves by 'inventing' the Chinese New Year staple of yusheng. They turned the humble plate of sliced raw fish, dressed with sesame oil and scallions and eaten with congee, into a show-stopping dish. Finely shredded vegetables, toasted seeds and nuts, pickled and preserved vegetables as well as raw fish are tossed at the table with plum dressing by diners wielding chopsticks and shouting auspicious sayings. At its peak , the restaurant was the place to hold wedding banquets and other important celebrations. It even boasts a stage for those events. Today, chefs Sin, 98, and Hooi, 86, run the restaurant with their sons Paul Sin, 64, and Chris Hooi, 60. The restaurant, one of very few left that serve dim sum from push carts, is still busy, with regulars jostling with newer diners looking for a taste of nostalgia in Singapore. Violet Oon Cooking doyenne Violet Oon (centre) with her children Tay Yiming (left) and Tay Su-lyn at their flagship restaurant in Dempsey. ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN Food writer, restaurant critic, cookbook author, television personality, ambassador for Singapore food and restaurateur – Violet Oon's life in food has made her one of Singapore's most recognisable icons. The 76-year-old, who in her heyday could make or break a restaurant or hawker stall with her reviews, has become one of the go-to people for those wanting to find out more about Singapore food. She amassed that knowledge growing up with Peranakan relatives who taught her to cook, from speaking to chefs as part of her work, and from eating widely and deeply in Singapore and abroad. She now has three Violet Oon restaurants – at the National Gallery Singapore and Ion Orchard, and in Dempsey Road. More will follow. Some of her years have been rocky. Her restaurant businesses did not always succeed. In 2014, she suffered a stroke. She was, she says, a model patient during her month-long stay in hospital and recovered. In 2022, she and her children, with whom she runs the restaurants, brought a shareholder oppression suit against former business partner Manoj Murjani and his company Group MMM. They won in 2024. Ms Oon, her daughter Tay Su-lyn, 48, and her son Tay Yiming, 43, now have full control of the company. Her children stepped in to help her in 2012 and she credits them with making her restaurant business a success. Together, they ensure the Violet Oon name remains front and centre in diners' minds and her legacy continues.
