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Discover The Peranakan Gallery at Orchard Road, Singapore

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Phoenix in flight, dancing dragons and peonies in full bloom; visitors to The Peranakan Gallery at Orchard Road will be enthralled by artful depictions of these colourful and iconic Peranakan symbols throughout a gallery space that focuses on tracing the 500-year-old story of the Straits Chinese population in Southeast Asia.

Beginning from the arrival of Chinese Admiral Cheng Ho’s fleet in the early 15th Century, the Peranakans embraced cultural practices and aesthetics from local Malays and occupying Europeans over 300 years to shape a hybrid culture rich in its own tapestry of traditions.

Discover The Peranakan Gallery at Orchard Road, Singapore

The Peranakan Gallery brings to life this remarkable heritage within a setting that is accessible and intriguing to visitors with all levels of understanding of the Straits Chinese culture.

At the entrance, guests are greeted by a typical Peranakan shophouse facade complete with an ornately-carved Pintu Pagar (fence door). It is a traditional privacy screen placed in front of the home’s main entrance.

Furthermore, there is a table set-up for a game of Cherki (a olden card game similar to gin rummy) beckons within. Meanwhile, another large section is dedicated to the art of embroidering and wearing the iconic Sarong Kebaya and Kasut Manek (beaded slippers) traditionally worn by Peranakan women.

Authentic Peranakan Flavour The Peranakan Gallery’s main exhibit centers around an elaborate 20-seater Tok Panjang table set. On the table, there are exquisitely-crafted Nyonya ceramics, Chinese porcelain and Waterford crystalware. This a nod to the Malay, Mandarin and European influences beloved by the Peranakans and assimilated into their aesthetic.

Tok Panjang is a grand spread of dishes laid out with great care upon a table, in celebration of special occasions such as weddings, anniversaries and hallmark birthdays.

Centering this table at the heart of The Peranakan Gallery spotlights the importance that Babas (men) and Nyonyas (women) place on their distinct culinary heritage.

Visitors will be heartened to know that this Tok Panjang table isn’t merely a museum display. The gallery’s adjoining restaurant, The Peranakan, is able to serve up an authentic Tok Panjang feast comprising over 12 signature items at the table.

Encircling this centerpiece are displays of items and furnishings typical to Straits Chinese homes of yesteryear. From black and white family portraits, treasured and antique Kam Cheng, there is even a collection of vintage tiffin carriers and even enamel chamber pots.

Discover The Peranakan Gallery at Orchard Road, Singapore
The gallery is a celebration of life

Baba Raymond Khoo, founder of The Peranakan Gallery and also executive chef of The Peranakan shares, “The Peranakan Gallery is a celebration of our Straits Chinese way of life, created to transport visitors to the golden age of Peranakan heritage through an experience that is visually captivating and highly-immersive. We hope the gallery inspires each visitor to discover more about our unique hybrid culture that embraces East and West, and to be an active advocate for all things Peranakan. Our efforts in encouraging people to participate in and promote Singapore’s Peranakan culture stems from a passion to preserve our ancestral heritage for generations to come.”

Sharing more on the Orchard district’s Peranakan history, Baba Raymond explains, “Orchard Road was home to one of Singapore’s original Peranakan enclaves in the 1800s. We hope this exciting project both celebrates the heritage of Orchard Road whilst transforming the typical mall visit with an enriching insight into Peranakan culture.”

Discover The Peranakan Gallery at Orchard Road, Singapore

The Peranakan Gallery is opened in collaboration with Claymore Connect, a mall by CDL Hospitality Trusts (CDLHT).

The Peranakan Gallery is open daily from 11am to 10pm and is conveniently located at Level 2 of Claymore Connect Mall, 442 Orchard Road Singapore 238879.

The admission fee of S$15nett per person is waived for all visitors who present a hotel key card or a receipt from any outlet located at Claymore Connect.

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How the story of SS Vyner Brooke will break your heart

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SS Vyner Brooke started her service as the royal yacht of Sarawak. The Scottish-built steamship also worked as a merchant ship used between Singapore and Kuching.

However at the beginning of World War II, this ship owned by Sarawak Steamship Co Ltd, had a tragic ending.

Here are 5 things to know about SS Vyner Brooke:

1.She was named after the third White Rajah of Sarawak

The ship was named after Vyner Brooke. His wife Ranee Sylvia launched it on Nov 10, 1927 at Leith, north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Then the ship sailed from Leith for Singapore on Apr 17, 1928.

2.The interior of SS Vyner Brooke was clearly described in an issue of The Sarawak Gazette
How the story of SS Vyner Brooke will break your heart
A screenshot of The Sarawak Gazette published on Nov 1, 1927.

On Nov 1, 1927, The Sarawak Gazette published an article on the launching of SS Vyner Brooke.

It described the specifications and interiors of the royal yacht.

The main deck had accommodation for crews as well as a cold store room designed for temperature -2 degree Celsius.

Meanwhile, the upper deck cabin could accommodate 44 first class passengers and a large saloon for dining. The saloon was ‘panelled to the full height with polished mahogany and is provided with twenty large windows of Laycock type’.

In fact, all furniture is of mahogany and the chairs came with leather seats.

For passengers who were looking for entertainment and exercise, there was a room for deck quoits and deck tennis.

As for safety, she was equipped with lifeboats, rafts and lifebelts enough for six hundred and fifty people.

3.She was requisitioned by the Britain’s Royal Navy as an armed trader

Before the war, she sailed the waters between Singapore and Kuching under the flag of the Sarawak Steamship Company. She usually carried about 12 passengers in addition to her 47 crew.

When the war broke out, SS Vyner Brooke was considered a militarily-useful vessel. So the British Royal Navy requisitioned it as an armed trader.

Now known as HMS Vyner Brooke, the ship was painted gray and armed with guns. The crew was made of members of Malay Royal Navy Reserve as well as survivors of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse.

Both HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse were sunk by Japanese aircraft on Dec 10, 1941. The wrecks now rest near Kuantan, Pahang in the South China Sea.

4.SS Vyner Brooke was bombed by Japanese aircraft and sunk

Unfortunately, the former crew of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse could not survived a Japanese attack for the second time.

On the evening of Feb 12, 1942, HMS Vyner Brooke was one of the last ships carrying evacuees leaving Singapore.

This was right before Singapore fell into Japanese hands on Feb 15, 1942.

On top of her 47 crew, there were 181 passengers, including the last 65 nurses of the Australian Army Nursing Service in Singapore, wounded servicemen as well as civilian men, women and children.

In the late afternoon on Feb 13, she was attacked by a Japanese aircraft. Fortunately, there were no casualties. By sunset, she set her sail for Palembang passing through Bangka Straits.

The next day on Valentine’s day at about 2pm, HMS Vyner Brooke was attacked by several Japanese aircraft. This time she did not survive. Within 30 minutes, she rolled over and sunk bow first.

Altogether, it is believed that 44 ships were carrying evacuees from Singapore between Feb 12 to 14. All but four were bombed and sunk as they sailed through the Bangka Straits.

Thousands of people died before any of them could reach land.

5.Some of the survivors died during the Bangka Island Massacre

According to records, there were approximately 150 survivors washed up ashore at different parts of Bangka island, east of Sumatra.

Unfortunately, Japanese troops had already occupied the then Dutch East Indies island. On Radji beach of Bangka island, a group of survivors from HMS Vyner Brooke gathered together with survivors from other vessels bombings.

What happened to them after the sinking is now known as the Bangka Island Massacre.

At first, they tried to ask for help and food from the locals but were denied due to the locals’ fear of the Japanese.

One unnamed officer from HMS Vyner Brooke had an idea. Since they had no food, no help for the injured and no chance of rescue, they considered giving themselves up as prisoners of war (POWs).

The group agreed and the officer walked to Muntok to inform the Japanese that they surrendered.

While he was away, one of the nurses – Matron Irene Drummond – instructed a group of civilian women and children to walk toward Muntok.

Those who remained on Radji beach were 22 Australian nurses from HMS Vyner Brooke and the injured.

The Massacre and aftermath

Several hours later, the officer returned with about 20 Japanese soldiers (some records stated 15).

The nurses were confident that the Japanese would not hurt them as they wore their Red Cross armbands. By right, they were Non-combatants and therefore protected under the international treaties of the Geneva Convention.

However, the Japanese started to divide the survivors into three groups. The first two groups were the male survivors who were capable of walking.

The Japanese soldiers escorted the groups down to Radji Beach and around a headland, out of the nurses’ sight.

When they heard gunshots from a distance, the survivors knew that the Japanese were not accepting their surrender.

All 22 Australian nurses and one civilian woman were in the third group. They were instructed to walk into the sea until they were waist deep.

Knowing what would happen to them, Drummond reportedly called out, “Chin up girls. I’m proud of you and I love you all.” Then, the Japanese began to shoot them down.

A nurse, Vivian Bullwinkel was the only one who survived the shooting.

Of the 65 Australian nurses on board the HMS Vyner Brooke, 12 were killed during the air attack, 21 were shot dead at Radji Beach, and 32 became POWs. Eight of the nurses did not survive the internment.

Two of its crew were taken as POWs. Some of the non-European crew members who died on board of HMS Vyner Brooke were Ahmad Rashid, Awang Adam Awang Nong, Li Wong Chuan and Phiaw Chew Teck.

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5 fast food chains we wish would come to Sarawak

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Sarawakians are known to be proud for our own local food but we also appreciate foreign flavours even – and in some cases, especially – if it comes in the form of fast food chains.

While Sarawak already enjoys KFC, McDonalds, Nando’s, Subway, Burger King and Pizza Hut, most of us want more.

Here are 5 fast food chains we wish would come to Sarawak:

  1. Domino’s Pizza

Although in February 2018, Domino’s Pizza became the largest pizza seller worldwide, it has yet come to Sarawak.

Now there are two pizza restaurant chains in Sarawak, Pizza Hut and Pezzo.

A post shared by Domino’s Pizza (@dominos) on

2. In-N-Out Burger
For celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain who called our Sarawak laksa the breakfast of the gods, he called In-N-Out “the only fast food chain that I actually like, and think is reasonably good for the world.”

If Bourdain thought In-N-Out Burger was reasonably good for the world, it is good for us Sarawakians.

Their menu features three burger varieties; hamburger, cheeseburger and double-double (two patties and two slices of cheese).

A post shared by In-N-Out Burger (@innout) on

3. Jollibee

This Filipino fast food chain serves American style dishes such as burgers, spaghetti, chicken on top of some Filipino dishes.

Jollibee also offers a range of rice meals include Garlic Pepper Beef, Ultimate Burger Steak, All-day Garlic Bangus (milkfish) and Burger Steak.

As of April 2018, there are about 1,200 Jollibee outlets worldwide. Interestingly, the only Jollibee opened in Malaysia was closed down due to the 1997 financial crisis. Perhaps the next one will open in Sarawak?

A post shared by Jollibee (@jollibee) on

4. Dunkin’ Donuts

Sabah has Dunkin’ Donuts… so how come Sarawak doesn’t have one?

When it comes to doughnuts in Sarawak, we have to settle with local bakeries and Big Apple Donuts.

If we were to compare these two joints, Dunkin’ Donuts serve better coffee than Big Apple Donuts. What do you think?

5 fast food chains we wish would come to Sarawak
A piece of doughnut goes well with a cup of coffee. Credits: Pixabay.

5. 4Fingers Crispy Chicken

At 4Fingers Crispy Chicken, the food is only prepared when you order which is why you can taste the crispiness of the chickens right away.

They serve Korean-styled fried chicken, which is usually seasoned with spices both before and after being fried.

Another highlight of this food joint, is its kimslaw, a side dish made of kimchi and coleslaw.

As for the fries, you pick your own flavour such as kimchi or seaweed.

This Singapore fast food chain was only established few years ago in 2009.

Now it has expanded its business to Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia.

5 fast food chains we wish would come to Sarawak
4Fingers Crispy Chicken

Any fast food chains you wish would come to our shore? Let us know in the comment box.

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Get animated with Cartoon Network in Singapore

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The Powerpuff Girls, We Bare Bears, Adventure Time and Ben 10 come to life with giant inflatables, carnival games and workshops

Animate Your Life @ Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

26 May – 10 June 2018; Prices start from RM37.50++

Get animated with Cartoon Network in SingaporeLooking for something to do with the entire family? Cartoon Network invites you to enter a world of animation at the Animate Your Life festival in Singapore – a 16-day celebration of fans, fun and fans of fun!

From Saturday 26 May to Sunday 10 June, Cartoon Network Animate Your Life will transform Gardens by the Bay’s Bayfront Plaza into a thriving world of cartoons. Bringing characters from hit shows – The Powerpuff Girls, We Bare Bears, Adventure Time and Ben 10 to life – the festival will offer a fairground of fun inflatable obstacle courses, carnival games and creative workshops.

Guests can look forward to the following activities:

Get animated with Cartoon Network in Singapore

Enter the famous city of Townsville and soar with Bubbles, Blossom and Buttercup on a giant trampoline ride! Also make sure to check out the Cartoon Network art gallery, where a series of international artworks will be displayed in celebration of The Powerpuff Girls’ 20th anniversary.

Looking to get creative? Cartoon Network has also partnered with local artist group, Band of Doodlers to create a special Powerpuff Girls tribute. The live installation will be unveiled on Sunday, 27 May from 4pm; and everyone is invited to leave their mark!

Get animated with Cartoon Network in Singapore

Take a trip to the Land of Ooo and get lost in a maze with best buds Finn and Jake! Then, step into a magical Candy Kingdom with your favourite Adventure Time characters; Marceline, Princess Bubblegum and Lumpy Space Princess!

Get animated with Cartoon Network in Singapore

The bear bros are in the house and ready for fun! Splash-down the log-ride inflatable slide into a colourful ball-pit. Match-up and stack-up with a giant Bear Stack, or just snap a selfie in the cave that Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear call home.

Get animated with Cartoon Network in Singapore

It’s Hero Time! Ben Tennyson has harnessed the power of the Omnitrix and wants to put it in your hands! Join the Ben 10 Boot Camp and navigate through a series of exciting obstacles courses. Then, get a group photo with Ben and his aliens in front of a cool trick-mirror.

If that isn’t enough to get you to make your way down to Singapore, Cartoon Network Animate Your Life will also offer a mix of fun activities including:

  1. An interactive Animate Yourself booth where you can create your own likeness as your favourite character and print it on a t-shirt.
  2. A mix of exciting carnival games testing your agility, accuracy and skill.
  3. A chance to learn more about Cartoon Network’s first branded cruise liner – Cartoon Network Wave. Designed for everyone who’s young at heart, Cartoon Network Wave presents an immersive fun zone, giving you a glimpse of adventures on-board the world’s first toon vacation at sea.
  4. A line-up of weekend workshops hosted by leading figures from the animation world primed to spark your creativity. Conducted every Saturday and Sunday at 4.30pm, 5.30pm and 6.30pm; the workshops will teach you how to draw some of Cartoon Network’s most loved characters, offer voice-over challenges and give you a chance to participate in making a stop-animation video. [For more information about each workshop session, refer to Annex A below]

Cartoon Network Animate Your Life will open from Monday to Thursday 3-9pm and from Friday to Sunday from 3-11pm. Games, mascot appearances and show screenings are also scheduled throughout the day.

Visit Animate.CartoonNetworkAsia.com for more details and hashtag #CartoonNetwork and #CNAnimateYourLife to share the fun. 

Cartoon Network Animate Your Life is co-presented by Prudential Singapore and Cartoon Network Wave, the soon-to-launch, fully-branded cruise liner. The event is also supported by Singapore Tourism Board’s Leisure Events Fund, Official Radio Partner CLASS 95 and Supporting Radio Partner 987, and Official Multimedia Partner Singtel.

Admission details

Visitors can purchase same-day tickets at the site entrance, or pre-order online at http://www.apactix.com/events/detail/CN-animate-your-life. Ticket prices and special bundle prices as listed below:

Adult Ticket (Age 18+) RM 54 + GST
Child Ticket (Age 2-12) RM 37.50 + GST
Student Ticket (up to Tertiary with student card) RM 45 + GST
Family Pack (2 Adults + 2 Kids) RM 150 + GST (18% discount)
Friends Pack (4 Students up to Tertiary with student card) RM 144 + GST (20% discount)

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Asian horror movies based on real haunted places

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Art imitates life, even in Asian horror movies, which shows how movie-makers draw their inspirations from their surroundings when making a film. And what more inspiration for a horror movie other than an actual haunted place?

Here are some Asian horror movies inspired by places with supernatural and unexplained histories:

1.Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)

The Movie: The crew of a horror web series go to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast. In true horror flick fashion, the whole trip becomes their worst nightmare.

Watch the trailer here.

The Haunted Place: This South Korean movie is based on one of the freakiest places on the planet according to CNN.

Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital in Gwangju was once a fully operational medical centre when suddenly, according to local legend, patients started dying mysteriously.

Now, it is an abandoned building filled with urban legends and ghost stories.

Urban legends vary, some claim there was a mad doctor who tormented patients and one of the more famous versions is that the owner himself was insane. He was said to be keeping his patients incarcerated until he fled to the US in 1996.

The hospital was forced to close seemingly in hurry because medical records, patients’ private possessions were still there.

A less exciting, yet equally grisly explanation for the condition of Gonjiam Psychiatric hospital is that it closed due to unsanitary living conditions along with a malfunctioning sewage disposal system and that its owner just fled the country instead.

2. Lawang Sewu: Dendam Kuntilanak (2007)

The Movie: A group of high school students from Jakarta are trapped in Lawang Sewu in Semarang, Indonesia. After one of them urinates in the complex but does not reappear, the rest come to look for her. One of them also happens to be menstruating when she enters the complex, which incurs the additional wrath of the ghosts and spirits within Lawang Sewu.

To their horror, they are haunted by several ghosts and angry spirits which include that of a Dutch woman, a man who had a ball and chain wrapped around his leg, and of course a Kuntilanak (an Indonesian version of a vampire).

Watch the trailer here.

The Haunted Place: According to urban legend, a Dutch woman is believed to have committed suicide in Lawang Sewu. On top of that, when the Japanese invaded in the 1940s during World War II, they used part of the building as a prison where apparently some executions took place. Five employees working there and Indonesian fighters also died when Dutch forces attempted to retake Semarang by sneaking back into the city through the building’s tunnel systems.

So if you’re the superstitious type, there’s a lot of potentially unsettled spirits in this building.

Despite its haunted reputation, Lawang Sewu is actually an intricate, colonial era building. Lawang Sewu itself means ‘thousand doors’ in Javanese which derived from the building’s numerous doors and about 600 large windows.

Construction started in 1904 and was used by the first Dutch East Indies railway company Nederlandsch-Indische Maatshappij in the Dutch East Indies in 1907.

Although renovations over the years have not returned the building to its full glory, the Semarang city government is still working on shedding Lawang Sewu’s supernatural reputation by repurposing it into an active social space.

3. Highland Tower (2013)

The Movie: Highland Tower (2013) is a Malay-language film directed by Pierre Andre. It follows a TV host named Shima working on a documentary based on the 1993 Highland Towers collapse.

Watch the trailer here.

The Haunted Place: The Highland Towers were three similar 13-storey apartment buildings in Ulu Klang, in Selangor, Malaysia.

Sadly on Dec 11, 1993, Block 1 of the Highland Towers collapsed resulting in the deaths of 48 people. The remaining two blocks were evacuated due to safety reasons.

This led to the two remaining buildings becoming a hideout for criminals and drug addicts.

4.Villa Nabila (2015)

The Movie: The film starts with a disappearance of a teenager at an abandoned house called Villa Nabila in Johor.

It is presented in documentary style in which a few people who claim to experience the supernatural were interviewed.

Watch the trailer here.

The Haunted place: Villa Nabila is an abandoned house in Johor Bahru, Malaysia overlooking the Straits of Johor.

According to local legend, there was once a wealthy Caucasian family that lived there. Tragically, somebody murdered the whole family.

Another tale shares a story of wealthy parents who died leaving a daughter named Nabila.

Allegedly, the maid killed Nabila and cemented her body in one of the walls of the house.

5.Karak (2011)

The Movie: Asian horror movies love to revolve around horrified students just like those in Karak (2011).

This film tells the story of four students heading back to their college in Kuantan after a night out in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

They encounter a massive traffic jam on the Karak highway and decide to use an alternative route.

And that is when the horror begins.

Watch the trailer here.

The Haunted Place: Karak Highway was built in 1970 and was opened to the public in 1977. One of the famous tragedies that took place there was a road accident in 1990 which saw 17 people killed.

The death toll includes 11 Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) police personnel during a collision involving more than 10 vehicles.

This 60km highway also carries a number of other ghost stories such as a yellow Volkswagen which disrupts road users and a wandering school boy looking for his mother.

6.Haunted Changi (2010)

The Movie: Asian horror movies, like their western counterparts, like to explore the terrifying experience of fimmakers or TV crew with behind-the-scenes or found footage concepts.

This is what you’ll find with Singaporean movie Haunted Changi (2010) which follows a group of local filmmakers investigating Old Changi Hospital.

Watch the trailer here.

The Haunted Place: The British government built this hospital in 1935. It was used as a military hospital during Japanese occupation in World War II.

Unsurprisingly, some said the souls of Japanese occupation victims roam this site.

Moreover, there have been reported sightings of homeless ghosts, patients who died in the hospital and a nurse carrying a baby.

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