Latest news with #JasonLeung
Business Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Times
Love is in the air at Pan Pacific Orchard
IMAGINE THIS SCENARIO: YOU'RE INVITED to a wedding in the city and your view is one of azure sky, drifting snow-white clouds, and a lush tropical landscape. This is the Cloud Terrace, high above the streets of Orchard Road. Poised on the 18th storey of Pan Pacific Orchard, this landscaped outdoor space is where guests can mingle before entering the Claymore Ballroom – the highest ballroom in Singapore. The building, designed by award-winning Woha Architects, has become an iconic landmark, with the Cloud Terrace as its crown. The other terraces are located in 'voids' cut into the striking orthogonal structure. Jason Leung, general manager of Pan Pacific Orchard, points out that this is the hotel's most celebrated quality, offering 'a rare blend of nature, architecture and elevated hospitality across four open-air terraces – Forest, Beach, Garden and Cloud'. On the 11th floor, the Garden Terrace is another special location for wedding ceremonies. A gargantuan, greenery-wrapped column and a massive mirrored ceiling reflecting the wedding festivities beneath accent this capacious venue. The Garden Terrace. PHOTO: PAN PACIFIC ORCHARD 'Each wedding venue is intentionally designed to offer beauty, versatility and emotional impact, whether couples are planning an intimate solemnisation or a large-scale celebration,' Leung says. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up For instance, the Claymore Ballroom, while providing a traditional large-scale setting, is special due to its elevated location – most enclosed hotel ballrooms are typically on the ground floor with the reception areas. The hotel's culinary team can help couples craft bespoke wedding menus. PHOTO: PAN PACIFIC ORCHARD 'With floor-to-ceiling windows framing panoramic city views, the ballroom is filled with natural light in the day and looks out to a glittering skyline at night,' says Leung. In contrast, the Chairman's Lounge offers utmost privacy and intimacy. The private dining space serves up exquisite Chinese cuisine for pre-wedding meals, and is suited for solemnisations and tea ceremonies. These thoughtfully crafted spaces mean the wedding possibilities at Pan Pacific Orchard are limitless. The nearly 12,000 square metres of greenery across the four themed terraces give the hotel the ambience of a secret garden – right behind the shopping street, but away from traffic bustle, and featuring pockets of vertical gardens. To fully indulge in the hotel's best offerings, couples can select the Pristine or Euphoria wedding package. PHOTO: PAN PACIFIC ORCHARD This uniqueness inspired six wedding themes for 2025 and 2026 that the couples can choose from. These include Enchanting I and II, which comprise eight-course Chinese or four-course Western menus, champagne toasts and other perks. To fully indulge in the hotel's best offerings, couples can select the Pristine or Euphoria wedding package and enjoy two nights' stay at either the Garden Terrace Suite or Cloud Terrace Suite. Pan Pacific Orchard is dedicated to crafting a personalised experience for its clients. PHOTO: PAN PACIFIC ORCHARD Of course, the team at Pan Pacific Orchard tailors these packages to suit each couple. 'We love working closely with each couple to personalise their big day – whether it's transforming the venue for a specific theme, accommodating cultural traditions, or creating a menu that tells their story,' says Leung. For architecture buffs, choosing Pan Pacific Orchard for their celebration means a rare chance to wed in a world-famous building – since opening in June 2023, Pan Pacific Orchard has received numerous accolades, including the Prix Versailles World Selection title for Most Beautiful Hotel. But it is not just the prized architecture that takes the cake – the hotel's statement biophilic architecture means that couples need not travel far to have a 'destination wedding'.
CNA
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Eat, Drink, Singapore - The long lunch experience at Mosella
CNA938 Rewind Why rush through a Sunday meal when you can take your time with Mosella's long lunch - featuring pasta, risotto, tapas and sweet dolci! We find out more behind this concept. Cheryl Goh speaks with Jason Leung, General Manager of Pan Pacific Orchard
The Star
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
China's Baidu looks to patent AI system to decipher animal sounds
What's that, kitty? Scientists have long attempted to decode animal communication, and Baidu's patent represents the latest effort to leverage AI to do so. — Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash BEIJING: Ever wished you could understand what your cat is trying to tell you? A Chinese tech company is exploring whether it's possible to translate those mysterious meows into human language using artificial intelligence. Baidu, owner of China's largest search engine, has filed a patent with China National Intellectual Property Administration proposing a system to convert animal vocalisations into human language, according to a patent document published this week. Scientists have long attempted to decode animal communication, and Baidu's patent represents the latest effort to leverage AI to do so. The document says the system will collect animal data, including vocal sounds, behavioural patterns, and physiological signals, which will be preprocessed and merged before an AI-powered analysis designed to recognise the animal's emotional state. The emotional states would then be mapped to semantic meanings and translated into human language. The system could allow "deeper emotional communication and understanding between animals and humans, improving the accuracy and efficiency of cross-species communication," Baidu said in the patent document. "There has been a lot of interest in the filing of our patent application," a Baidu spokesperson said when asked how soon the company could turn the patent into a product. "Currently, it is still in the research phase." Baidu was among the first major Chinese companies to invest heavily in AI following the 2022 debut of OpenAI's ChatGPT. It unveiled its latest AI model, Ernie 4.5 Turbo, last month, saying it matched the industry's best in several benchmark tests. However, the Ernie chatbot has struggled to gain traction amid fierce competition. A number of efforts are underway outside China to try and interpret what animals want to convey. International researchers at Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) have been using statistical analysis and AI since 2020 to understand how sperm whales communicate, while the Earth Species Project, a non-profit founded in 2017 whose backers include LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman, is also trying to use AI to decode animal communication. Local media reports about Baidu's patent application sparked discussion on Chinese social media platforms late on Wednesday. While some were excited about the possibility of eventually being better able to understand their pets, others were sceptical. "While it sounds impressive, we'll need to see how it performs in real-world applications," commented a user on Weibo. – Reuters
