TRAVEL, FOOD & DRINK, STYLE, ARTS AND TRENDS IN ASIA

February 15-21, 2009

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THE NATION ASIANEWS

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TRAVEL, FOOD & DRINK, STYLE, ARTS AND TRENDS IN ASIA

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February 15-21, 2009

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around Asia

Editor: Phatarawadee Phataranawik | Deputy Editor: Khetsirin Pholdhampalit | Photo Editor: Kriangsak Tangjerdjarad | Photographers: Ekkarat Sukpetch | Writers: Manta Klangboonklong, Pattarawadee Saengmanee | Contributor: Pawit Mahasarinand, JC Eversole | Designers: Nibhon Appakarn, Pradit Phulsarikij, Ekkapob Preechasilp | Copy-editors: Luci Standley and Rod Borrowman | Sub-editor: Paul Dorsey | Contact: www.nationmultimedia.com, e-mail: ace@nationgroup.com. (02) 338 3461-2 ACE is published by NMG News Co LTD at 1854 Bangna-Trat Road, Bangkokt E a m

THE NATION ASIANEWS

WHO’S THE DOLL?

deVil IN A MASK

new Model

ASIA

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teMPleS FOR TIPPLERS

KinG’S For ALL SEASONS

MaKinG CURRY SAFE

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C o v E R P h o T o : A F P P h o T o / T I M M S C h A M B E R G E R

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Pratchaya’s ‘Demonstration’

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What’s Hot

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Wit and Pratchaya make ‘Some Room’ in Hong Kong

Young Thai ar t is ts Wit Pimkanchanapong and Pratchaya Phinthong are

busy preparing for exhibitions overseas. Next stop is Hong Kong, where Wit and Pratchaya will display their installation at the Osage gallery’s group show “Some Room” alongside works by artists from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. Curated by Kate Kittiya, the exhibition focuses on collaborations between artists and curators.

The show runs from February 27 to May 7 before moving on to China’s Osage Shanghai gallery from March 7 to May 24. Visit www.OsageGallery.com.

Best-selling author Stephen King read an extract from his

upcoming novel “Ur” to unveil the Kindle 2 - the l a t e s t v e r s i o n o f A m a z o n ’s p o p u l a r electronic reader – in New York, on Monday.

The Kindle 2 will read a book aloud, is thinner,

faster, has longer battery life and crisper tones than its predecessor and is capable of holding hundreds more books.

The new Kindle costs U S $ 3 5 9 ( a b o u t Bt12,600) at Amazon.com. The first units will arrive here on February 24.

Keep a library in your pocket

Greek chef Virginia Anastasiadou Levi is famous for her chocolate confections but now she’s gone

sweet on fashion. She presented a collection made of chocolate and candies at a fashion show in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. Among the 18 garments for men, women and children made of sugar and spice and all things nice (including chocolate), there was one decorated with little sweet hearts – dedicated, of course, to Valentine’s Day.

Chocaholics drool on the catwalk

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S c o t t R e y b u r n

Damien hirst has defied the slump in British consumer spending by opening a second shop in London.

other Criteria, the artist’s publishing and

merchandising company, opened the store on hinde Street to sells works including some by hirst himself, ranging from his keyrings at 3.50 pounds (Bt177) to limited-edition prints showing pills on mirror-glass shelves, at 4,000 pounds each.

The first branch of other Criteria opened in october on Bond Street next to Sotheby’s.

The previous month, the auction house staged hirst’s 112-million-pound sale “Beautiful Inside My head Forever”. Since then, British retailers have suffered in the economic slump.

“other Criteria makes objects and books created by artists to an exceptional standard,” says hirst. “I

don’t think art has ever been as popular as it is today, and other Criteria aims to sell affordable art of the highest quality to everyone who wants it.”

Next week the new store will be launching a limited-edition resin sculpture by Britain’s Sarah Lucas and France’s olivier Garbay. “Love is a Bird, Love is a Burden” is made in 10 colours in an edition of 15 and costs 3,000 pounds.

The Anglo-French pair has also

collaborated to produce “The Mug”, a 365-page indexed book that explores the artists’ “ideas, thoughts and amusing familiar ways”.

Meanwhile the Stuckists, a group of anti-conceptual artist-activists that is the scourge of the UK’s Turner Prize exhibitions and award ceremonies, has opened its own online store,

www.RedRagToABull.com, selling objects inspired by hirst works.

Stuckists Jamie Reid, who designed graphics for the Sex Pistols, James

Cauty and Billy Childish have produced a range of prints “re-created from random pixels found on the Interweb” and other products satirising hirst’s diamond skull and works by the Chapman Brothers and the urban artist D*Face.

“An exact copy of an image similar to an image of hirst’s ‘For the Love of God’” is priced at 13 pounds on the website.

- Bloomberg

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“For the Love of God”

“Lullaby Spring”

“Arrested Development”

PIchET KLuNchuEN FIRES uP hIS wORLD-AccLAImED cONTEmPORARY TAKE ON cLASSIcAL mASKED DRAmA

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Demonising KhonP a w i t M a h a s a r i n a n d

Five baht, please“I Am a Demon”

performs at Chang Theatre (Pracha Uthit 61, Rajburana) from Thursday to Sunday (February 19 to 22) at 7pm, with post-show talks with the artist. Tickets are five (yes, five) baht, bookable by e-mailing Contact@PKLifeWork.com. For more, call (02) 427 2734.

I am a Demon: traditional khon performers will nod vigorously at Pichet Klunchuen’s verdict on himself. With naked

face and bare chest his Demon unmasks the

ancient mysteries of the classical dance

drama and stirs its depths for relevance to this

day and age. Scandalous.

Dressed in only a pair of short grey pants to accentuate his movements,

Pichet begins his solo show with a

ballet-style warm-up before flowing into ten

sao, a physically demand-ing training exercise compulsory for all khon dancers. The

focus shifts to video footage of Pichet and his master, the late Kru Chaiyot Khummanee, and the audience begins to under-stand the suffering an apprentice khon performer must undergo for his art.

Pichet was initially trained as a demon (Yak) character in khon, which has four major character types-Phra (male), Nang (female), Yak (demon),

and Ling (monkey). But mixing in other genres of dance and theatre has made him an outcast among fellow khon performers. So have his demonic utterences:

“Khon is no longer part of the contemporary life. The art has become static, so we must present something deep inside that can really connect to contemporary society.”

Since its December 2005 debut at Chang Theatre, then in Soi Nai Lert off Wireless Road, “I Am a Demon” has had no problem connecting with audiences in Vienna, Brussels, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Istanbul, Taipei, and Singapore.

“It’s something more than a performing art. When you train as a khon artist, you also learn how to relax-physically and emotionally-amid all the current social, economic and political upheavals. To me, it’s not very different from yoga and meditation.”

The press release for “I Am a Demon” shows a ticket price of five baht for all seats. A typo? A joke? Talking to the Demon himself, we found that he isn’t kidding.

“Many have said they can’t afford the Bt500 I usually charge, so this should mean everyone can see the show.”

P h o T o C o U R T E S y o F E D M U N D L o w

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Patt a raw a d e e S a e n g m a n e e

The little shop comes by its name hon-estly. When people first queued up to buy the beautiful, hand-painted wooden furniture at a fair in Ayutthaya, the typi-cal rave was “so cute!”

So that’s what creative buddies Thi-radech Thepchuay and Napapat Sansomrod named the store they opened in Bangkok, first at JJ Mall and, since last year, on Kaset-Nawamintr Road.

The slogan at So Cute is “Cheap and well”, which brings up the other attribute of the furni-ture and décor items.

They’re all well made, using inexpensive pine, or often Thai-grown hardwoods.

“We emphasise good quality and reason-able prices,” says Napapat.

The strength of the material is disarm-ingly offset, though, by the sweet de-signs – cartoons, teddy bears and sunflowers and other blossoms in bright pastel hues, white and brown.

“Our designs are a mix of modern and vintage styles and tend to be inspired by the beauty of nature.”

You can find whatever you need – ward-robes, coffee tables, dining tables, TV cabi-nets, dressing tables, stools and chairs, spirit houses, mailboxes, mirrors and all kinds of small items.

And Thiradech and Napapat gladly ac-cept custom orders as well.P

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As a buttonSo Cute is at 88/47 Kaset-Nawamintr Road and open daily from 9 to 8.30. Call (089) 071 1205 or (089) 500 3368.

The florallY enhanced furniTure aT So cuTe iS alSo Top qualiTY and inexpenSive

No, we mean REALLY CUTE

Tissue holders with flower motifs cost Bt690.

But a cupboard with a rose pattern for Bt2,900.

A black and white stool with floral details for Bt650.

Mailboxes with teddies and

sunflowers for Bt690.

This great, roomy

table costs

Bt1,500.

A key-ring cabinet

trimmed with blossoms is

Bt750.

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Cover

Barbie: Still a babeTOP FAShION DESIgNERS cELEbRATE A DOLL’S 50Th bIRThDAY wITh 50 NEw FROcKSS a m a n t h a C r i t c h e l l

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COVER

You’ve got to be at the top of your game to be a one-name model: There’s Iman, Naomi, Gisele -

Barbie. The 29-centimetre plastic doll

is still on top as a high-fashion muse as she approaches her 50th birthday, and will make her New york Fashion week catwalk debut on Saturday in 50 outfits by the country’s top designers.

Barbie’s life-size stand-ins will strut in a red carpet-worthy gown by Marchesa, a hot-pink wrap dress by Diane von Fursten-berg and an outrageous green party dress by Betsey Johnson.

The fact that Barbie is just shy of her 50th birthday — offi-cially marked on March 9 — doesn’t seem to matter in a fashion industry that worships youth.

“There’s been an epic display of unity around Barbie as a muse,” says Richard Dickson, general manager of the Barbie

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brand at Mattel. “Barbie is 50. what’s the

next chapter?”hello Kitty is also getting

her own Fashion week party, but there’s little doubt

about who’s top doll. Barbie even knocked

down the Bratz girls last year, resulting

in a legal decision that essentially will

end sales of the edgier tween

dolls. “A major-ity of

design-ers

have had some run-in with Bar-bie,” says Carmen Marc valvo. “She’s an American icon, and there has to be an interesting association between play and Barbie, and creativity and fashion.”

valvo insists he’s never had his own Barbie, but he was surrounded by his sisters’ as a kid, and his very first design was a Barbie dress — a Renaissance gown for a school project.

It’s proudly displayed in his office, even though the dress is lacking properly cut armholes, a skill he did not yet have.

valvo’s new life-size Barbie dress is a frothy black strapless cocktail number with pleats that reminds him of Barbie’s early wardrobe of gowns. This one will be worn with hot-pink Christian Louboutin shoes: “It looks like a Bon Bon.”

Nicole Miller’s checkerboard trapeze dress and swing coat is the third outfit she has done for Barbie, filling a childhood void from a time when her French-born mother wouldn’t let her have one of the dolls.

“I always envision Barbie in

that ’60s mode — I made her mid- to late-’60s

mod,” says Miller. It’s a version of a dress Miller put in

her very first runway show, worn by Linda Evangelista. “It was the season she was a blonde. I immediately thought of that outfit.”

Tommy hilfiger, who will put Barbie in a hand-beaded white mini-dress, sees her Barbie as an American pop-culture icon that translates to other cultures and countries.

There have been countless Barbies produced in the traditional dress of faraway lands, including a Korean bride in a hanbok and a Kenyan doll wearing wooden bead necklaces.

The dark-skinned Barbie even boosted the self-esteem of a young Rachel Roy, a designer with mixed Dutch and Indian heritage. “It helped me understand that brown was beautiful,” she says.

Many of the Barbie styles are headed straight for Bloomingdale’s flagship store — but they’ll be on display, not for sale.

- Associated Press

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Vera Wang’s dress

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Ma n t a K l a n g b o o n k r o n g

Clubs and bars come and go on f a s t - p a c e d sukhumvit soi 11 — the key to

longevity, the folks at the new temples irish Bar believe, is tak ing good care and maintaining top standards.

hardly your average, green irish pub, temples is compact and colourful.

it ’s modern on the outside but the Celtic mood filters through the indoors in the comfortable wooden seating, long bar, sports on the tv, low-key music and, of course, Guinness and irish stew.

it’s right next to the Citadines hotel, in a superb location, halfway between the top of soi 11 and the cluster of popular clubs within — the perfect pit stop for pre-party food and drinks.

sitting outside watching the street come to life is fun, and you can have a puff or even a shisha for Bt300.

Drinks-wise, besides the standard cocktails and beers, they serve wild designer cocktails starting from Bt200.

try the Chocolate martini with chocolate liqueur, Khalua and milk, or

get a little sassy w i t h t h e m e l o n i o u s monk, a fusion of vodka, melon l i q u e u r a n d lime juice.

the Guinness meets anyone’s top standards for irish suds, and it starts to flow at 6am for breakfast. Yes, there’s plenty o f f u l l - m e a l

platters — thai and Japanese as well as irish.

When it comes to music, don’t expect the usual murk of old-school tunes normally heard in pubs. they play funky, trendy tracks from the late ’80s to recent, with an occasional live DJ set.

But they keep the volume down, so you don’t have to shout at your friends.

Worshipping at Temples

Consult the Melonious Monk before St Patrick’s Day gets here

Haunted by spiritsTemples Irish Bar is on Sukhumvit Soi 11 near the Nana Skytrain stop and open daily from 6am to 2am. Phone ‘em up at (02) 253 1057 or visit online at www.TemplesBkk.com.

A look on the bright sideBy JC Eversole

Making lemonade out of lemons may be the man-tra of more than a few five-star hotel GMs these days. Fresh on the job at

Shangri-La from the corporation’s Syd-ney hotel, Michael Cottan hasn’t missed a step in making the best of a less than perfect situation. Cottan, who is also

regional vice presi-dent responsible for several of the hotel’s other Asian proper-ties, recently hosted a handful of Bang-kok-based writers at the newly renovated Angelini restaurant and explained how

he is dealing with the economic and po-litical crises that have hit the Thai hospi-tality industry hard over these past five months.

“We are in the middle of an extensive two-year renovation project that will be completed early next year,” said Cottan in an effort to put a positive spin on a se-rious problem.

The Shangri-La is pumping US$60 million (Bt2.1 billion) into the massive re-modelling project, which includes every-thing from a brand new main swimming pool featuring large shallow areas for sunbathing while soaking, to refitting all 690 rooms in the main wing of the two-structure property. All restaurants will have river views, if not actual riverside dining patios.

Cottan’s dinner gathering mirrored the new look and attitude the hotel wants to project.

Creative cocktails influenced by Thai additions, such as galangal in a Moscow mule and vanilla and sage in a mojito, were accompanied by a delicious menu of scallops, lamb shank tortellini, wagyu beef tenderloin and snow fish.

Wine fanciers weren’t left out, with options for a Rocca delle Macie Chianti and a Nautilus sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.

“When we put the finishing touches on our renovation work, we hope every-one will refer to us as the New Shangri-La,” said Cottan.

Angelini and the just reopened and re-set Next2 riverside venue are functioning fine as construction proceeds elsewhere, and each is well worth trying in this more relaxed atmosphere.

Hip Hangout

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People in hong Kong make delicious use of their skyscrapers by opening restaurants on top of them, and that’s the idea with the Chinese

dining at the stella palace, 79 floors up in the Baiyoke sky hotel.

the stella’s new Luxury Caravan Buffet is a tummy-challenging tour of the world, featuring more than 60 of the most popular dishes from the hotel’s other restaurants — hong Kong Chinese, Japanese, thai and european.

it’s a buffet, yes, but it’s first-class, meaning you just sit there and relax and the waiters will do all the travelling, bringing the buffet to you on a flotilla of golden pushcarts.

there are 200 seats and eight private rooms for family dining and karaoke get-togethers.

a typical Caravan evening begins with a mammoth tray of fusion appetisers — spicy crispy salmon, rice noodles with mixed vegetable and deep-fried spring rolls.

From europe arrive yummy cheeses, a terrine parma, honeyed ham and smoked salmon.

then things get healthy and light with organic vegetables served with a tempting choice of salad dressings.

too light? try the hong Kong salad, which has fried beef and pork cooked in the Chinese style called yao.

Next up, a big cup of shark’s-fin and lobster soup with a hot plate of pad thai, hoi tod fried mussels and rad nar pla tao see — Chinese fried noodles with fish.

meanwhile Japanese chef masaru toyada is whipping up a trolley full of fresh sushi and sashimi.

Not to be outdone, chef vichai sukkhi shows up with main-course dishes prepared in the traditional hong Kong fashion.

and the fifth and sixth caravans involve unnecessarily big plates of peking duck, roast suckling pig, baked jumbo New Zealand mussels and steamed crabs and king prawns.

You really should be leaving now, but here comes French chef Julien maury with several offers than cannot be

refused: beef strip loin and tenderloin, lamb chops, salmon and sea bass.

thank God Chinese desserts lean to the lighter side. on offer are si see ron — which is water chestnuts, kidney beans, gingko nuts and lotus seeds served in a hot syrup — plus sago and cantaloupe in coconut milk.

unfortunately for your digestive system, another waiter is lurking nearby with a tray of crepe suzettes, chocolate-dipped fruit and mousse with ice cream.

this is putting the hog back in “living high on the hog”.

The boldest buffet in town

Way up in the Baiyoke you can ride the Stella Palace gustatory caravan

HappiLy HiGHThe Baiyoke Sky Hotel is on Rajprarop Road. Walk up all 79 storeys to the Stella Palace to make sure you’re good and hungry. It’s open from 6 to 11pm daily. The Caravan costs Bt920, but if you somehow manage to eat absolutely everything on your table, they’ll give you back Bt200 cash and the phone number of a decent gym. Call (02) 656 3000, extension 4, or visit www.BaiyokeHotel.com.

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Not every city is best seen through the lens of a Lonely Planet guidebook

Av i va We s t

You might think that after living and working in hanoi for two years, i would know all the places to go.

the truth is, there are some cities that can only be learned and relearned over time — the capital of vietnam is one.

after being away for two months, i flew into hanoi’s unassuming Noi Bai international airport ready for a weekend in what’s probably the most relaxing big city in asia.

First stop is my favourite part of the city and the place i called home for two years, the small community on the shores of truc Bach, one of the smaller lakes that dot hanoi. the bronze works of the sculptors this “village” was once famous for can still be seen in the den (temples) and chua (pagodas) of the capital.

Nowadays, truc Bach is a community of families and expats,

Hidden Hanoi

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with a healthy dose of tea stands and food vendors — try the pho cuon, thinly sliced beef wrapped in rice paper with fragrant herbs.

after a night snuggled in warm, thick blankets (hanoi temperatures can drop to 10 degrees C in the winter), the perfect place for breakfast is a tiny little cafe called puku. For its

fantastic food and laid-back feel make your way to 60 hang trong street and up the narrow staircase. then head for an empty sofa or a lush balcony to sip delicious coffee and drool over the menu.

hanoi’s nightlife happens in some pretty unusual locations too. With bars and clubs often closing at midnight, young vietnamese get their kicks driving m o t o r c y c l e s around the city’s lakes. or there’s t h e m e g a s t a r Cineplex, at Ba tr i e u s t r e e t ’ s v i n c o m C i t y t o w e r s . t h e capital’s only major cinema, it plays recent releases in english with vietnamese subtitles.

Between shopping in the old Quarter and taking in the typical tourist sites (the temple of Literature, the Water puppet show, uncle ho’s mausoleum), i always make sure to visit at least one chua.

my favourite is Chua Kim Lien, nestled on the banks of West Lake.

Like most vietnamese places of worship, Kim Lien is a small and almost decrepit Buddhist shrine with a pond full of lotus flowers dappled by tree shade. the only other souls on my whistle-stop pilgrimage were two young vietnamese artists sketching beside the pond and a single Buddhist nun arranging stacks of “spirit

money” for sale. the silence makes for a wonderfully relaxing afternoon.

But if you’re hungry for the bustle of the streets, head to a market.

the Quang an night flower market in West Lake District is probably the city’s most enthralling. Late at night when most people are asleep, flower growers from surrounding provinces ride into the capital with their

m o t o r b i k e s overflowing with f r e s h b l o o m s . everything from orchids to kumquat trees to marigolds and poinsettias are for sale for about 1 0 , 0 0 0 v N D (Bt21) a bunch. During the day, young women on

bikes wearing conical hats peddle throughout the city hawking their blooms.

take in these scenes of daily life, and you’ll find the real hanoi quietly budding before your eyes.

— Asia News Network

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Laid-back

With five storeys, the new All Seasons Sathorn doesn’ t threaten i t s neighbouring towers in scale, but it

brings to South Sathorn Road the charm of an earlier era and freshly modern delights too.

It’s a completely revamped incarnation of the 1955-vintage King’s Hotel, which was among Bangkok’s most modern inns in its day, hosting celebrities like Hollywood star Kirk Douglas.

That’s Catherine Zeta Jones’ father-in-law to young people like entrepreneur Pamong-kol Chayavichitsilp, who looked at the King’s long-faded glory and came up with two words for its rebirth: budget and boutique.

“I love the classic design, so I was eager to refurbish it as a new lifestyle-and-design hotel for young executives and budget trav-ellers,” says Pamongkol, 24.

His father Manat founded the Meko beauty clinic, and his mother Wannapar subsidised his 30-year lease on the King’s property.

The Accor hotels chain is managing the new All Seasons Sathorn.

Pamongkol recruited architect Kongsak Yuktasevi of the Leo International Design Group to restore the building’s lustre.

Kongsak retained some of the grand old flourishes to honour the building’s long his-tory, including the extensive corridors with mosaic tiling and louvered windows, and the wooden stairs with wood-turned railings.

The cosy lobby and Bar 31 on the first floor are warmly lit and decorated with eccentric rattan chairs, ceiling lamps made from bark and paintings of tree trunks.

In sharp contrast, the superior and deluxe rooms have been given playful and dynamic touches, with splashes of citrus yellow and lime green set against vivid-red armchairs and black-and-white graphics.

All the rooms have open closets, flat-screen TVs, free wireless Internet and bathrooms with rain showers.

While the superiors and deluxes share a lively urban spirit, the executive rooms are classy and natural, with wooden furniture and trimmings (and you don’t have to check out until 6pm).

The fifth floor is dedicated to leisure, with a fitness centre, pool table and even a golf-putting course.

Local and international cuisine is served in the hotel restaurant, Baan Sathorn, which is decorated in minimalist sombre black.

Diners can view old photos of the King’s Hotel or browse through a large selection of magazines.

The veneraBle KinG’S hoTel haS Been lovinGlY reneWed aS The all SeaSonS SaThorn, loSinG none of iTS charm

K h e t s i r i n P h o l d h a m p a l i t

Isn’t that Kirk Douglas?The hotel’s all-inclusive prices are Bt1,861 for a superior room, Bt2,161 for a deluxe and Bt2,450 for an executive. Call (02) 343 6333 or visit www.AllSeasons-Sathorn.com

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reborn to its glory

Wellness

The digital age isn’t as rough on our digits as it is on our shoul-

ders and arms, which desk-dwellers tend to jerk back and forth so many times in the course of a day that they suffer the aches of “repetitive stress inju-ry”.

Well, take those aches to Spa Botanica at the Sukhothai Hotel, where they’ ll hammer out the dents and, while they’re at it, purify your skin too.

No dim rooms at the Botanica. The seven treatment rooms have big windows onto an intensely trop-ical garden and the daylight pours in the natural freshness.

With wooden floors and furniture, the rooms have their own appeal as the ther-apists – male or female, your choice – get to work with the seaweed extract and other goodies.

It’s a 90-minute revitalisation regime that begins with a gentle marine-life body scrub of the back and shoulders. This gets rid of the dead skin cells.

Next, Plasmalg gel is layered on to en-courage blood circulation and perspira-tion and to get some more minerals into your skin.

By now you’re starting to glow, so you

dull down a bit with thick layers of miner-al-rich algae, which will get busy detoxify-ing your skin.

And now you’re go-ing to be mummified. Relax, it’s only 20 min-utes in a cosy, self-heated pack that bol-sters deep cleansing.

You wash off with warm water, getting those pores open, and finally it’s time for an invigorating deep-tis-sue massage with

warm oil, a smoothing extract of lemon-grass, geranium and lavender.

Here’s where the therapist’s gentle yet firm pressure on each part of the back leaves no stress standing.

The spa has done its part – now it’s your job to stay healthy. You absolutely have to remind yourself to sit up straight at your desk and make sure the desk and chair are properly aligned to your hands, forearms and back.

And you have to take occasional breaks, away from the computer. Even if it’s just for a minute here and there, get up and stretch a bit.

You have to do this repeatedly so that the stress doesn’t repeat its nasty little crimes.

K h e t s i r i n P h o l d h a m p a l i t

once unScreWed from The deSK, TaKe Your crippled BoneS To Spa BoTanica, Where STreSS doeSn’T STand a chance

Tune up the Olympic way

Swim your way to health and fitness at the Olympic Club, the lifestyle centre on the eighth floor of the Pathumwan Princess Hotel.

The indoor gym is fitted with state-of-the art equip-ment, and the 25-metre out-door pool is ideal for de-stressing laps. Get a classy sport bag and a coupon for a makeover by joining now at (02) 216 3700, extension 20805, or www.TheOlym-pic-Club.com.

Up front about autism

Autism Spectrum Disor-der will be discussed at the ASD conference being host-ed on Saturday by TRIA – the Integrative Wellness Spa at Piyavate Hospital on Rama IX Road.

Experts will explain top-ics ranging from the impli-cations for environmental toxicity to biomedical ap-proaches, and individual consultations can be ar-ranged. Call (02) 660 2602 or visit www.TriaIntegra-tiveWellness.com.

Spa Cenvaree has it all

Pop into the Centara Grand’s Spa Cenvaree at Lifestyle on 26 any after-noon between 1 and 6 before March 31 and enjoy treat-ments at discounted prices.

Hour-long Royal Thai, hai muea and Swedish mas-sages cost Bt900, and there are gym classes, tennis and Lotus foot massages as well. Call (02) 100 1234, exten-sion 6513.

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Feels good, is goodThe revitalising back and shoulders treatment costs Bt3,900+ all this month. Spa Botanica is open daily from 9am to 10pm. Call (02) 344 8900, extension 5910 or 5911.

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Life itself restored

Fe b r u a r y 1 5 - 2 1 , 2 0 0 9

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PHOTO ESSAY

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A record number of boats joined this year’s Phang Nga Bay Regatta despite the

economic crisis and sponsorship cutbacks. yachts and crew from as far away as Darwin, Australia; Bali, Indonesia and even vienna, Austria all sailed into Phuket for the 12th annual regatta. Stunning scenery, fair weather and beautiful tropical hideaways have helped to make the Phang Na Bay Regatta one of the most popular in Asia.

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ROBERT DAVIS CONTRIBUTOR

Off To Sea

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ARTS & CULTURE

KUALA LUMPUR

Kee Hua Chee The Star

Temples are not just places of worship, but also an enduring testimony to humanity’s faith in the sublime and the infi-nite. Some temples are hum-

ble structures, but others are humbling.here are 10 spectacular temples that

take the breath away and inspire in us a sense of wonder.

tiger’s Nest monastery (Bhutan)Perched precariously on a 3,000m

high cliff above Paro valley, Tiger’s Nest Monastery is one of the holiest places in Bhutan and its most spectacular.

Tiger’s Nest appears to float in mid-air, especially on a misty day. Its Shan-grila-like setting makes it look like a surreal dream palace rather than a place of worship. Amazingly, it was completed in 1692 without the aid of modern technology. Even today the place is accessible only by foot.

Wat Rong Khun (thailand)wat Rong Khun in Chiang Mai is

unlike any Buddhist temple in the world. It is pristine white, as opposed to the riot of colour that is the traditional Thai temple with its signature red, gold and green roofs, multi-coloured deities and guardians.

This relatively new temple was initi-ated by one of Thailand’s most famous artists, Chalermchai Kositpipat, in honour of the King of Thailand.

Prambanan (Indonesia)Prambanan is the biggest hindu

temple dedicated to Shiva in central Java. Built in 850AD, it has eight main shrines and many smaller ones that re-portedly make up a grand total of 1,000.

Shwedagon Pagoda (Burma)Shwedagon was first built in the 6th

century when Rangoon was still known as Dagon. Its name ‘shwe dagon’ means “Golden Dagon”, and this is due to the fact that the temple is filled with thou-sands of statues of the Buddha in solid and plated gold.

Still in use, Shwedagon is the holiest temple in all of Burma. The main stupa reached its present height of 98m in the 15th century. Its tip glitters gloriously from 5,448 diamonds (totaling 1,800 carats) and 2,317 Burmese rubies. The pinnacle is crowned by a flawless, 76-carat diamond and the entire edifice is plated with 24-carat gold.

Shwedagon is said to be the only temple to contain relics from all the four known Buddhas, including eight strands of hair from Gautama Buddha. The last and fifth enlightened being, the Buddha of the future, is called Mai-treya and will appear to save humanity

in its darkest hour.

temple of Heaven (China)The Temple of heaven is a Taoist

temple in Beijing. It was the most im-portant temple for the emperors of yore because it was here that he came twice a year to commune with heaven.

The temple was constructed in the 14th century by Emperor yongle during the Ming Dynasty. In keeping with the yin-yang concept, there is also a Temple of Earth — a clone of Temple of heaven.

At 2.7 million sq m, the temple’s overall area is bigger than the Forbid-den City’s, and this was because the Son of heaven dared not live in premises larger than the heavenly realm.

Chion-in temple (Japan)Chion-in Temple was built in 1234

to honour the priest honen, founder of Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism, who fast-ed until death here in 1212. This fa-mous temple in Kyoto is considered one of the most important in Japan.

honen taught that everyone could be reborn into the Pure Land and escape

Temples have been built across cultures since there have been human settlements, from the massive Egyptian temples, to the ornate examples in the Indian sub-continent, to the palatial edifices in the Far East

when Faith takes Form

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the cycle of rebirth. his simple teach-ings and practical advice made the Jodo branch of Buddhism one of the most popular in the Land of the Rising Sun.

The bell in Chion-in is Japan’s heavi-est at 74 tons, and requires 17 priests to ring it during the New year ceremony.

Borobudur (Indonesia)one of the wonders of the world,

Borobudur was built with 55,000 cu-bic metres of stone and boasts 504 Buddha statues and 2,700 relief panels that tell a story as they are viewed in clockwise direction as you walk to-wards the top.

The main dome at the apex of this nine-tier monument has 72 life-sized Buddha statues, each seated inside a perforated stupa. however, the central stupa is empty, denoting the state of nirvana when everything is one and all is nothing.

Built in the 9th century when Ma-hayana Buddhism was at its peak, Borobudur fell into disrepair in the 14th century when Java embraced Is-

lam. The temple was reclaimed from the jungles in 1814 when Sir Stamford Raffles was notified of its existence.

This Unesco world heritage site is still used as the focal point of a pilgrim-age route once a year during wesak Day. Borobudur is Indonesia’s single biggest tourist attraction and requires at least four hours to explore.

the Golden temple of amritsar (India)Shimmering like a golden dream on

a lake, the harmandir Sahib (Abode of God) or simply the Golden Temple of Amritsar in Punjab, India, is the most sacred shrine of Sikhism. The Adi Granth or holy Book of the Sikhs is kept here and constantly recited within its walls.

Also known as Temple of God or Di-vine Court, the Golden Temple, con-ceived by Guru Arjan Sahib, the 5th Guru Nanak, was completed in 1601.

The temple has four main doors that are always open. They represent the four compass directions and welcome everyone from everywhere regardless of caste, creed, religion or sex. The temple

is open 24/7.Sri Ranganathaswany temple (India)

Sri Ranganathaswany Temple in Tiruchira-palli, Tamil Nadu, en-compasses 156 acres and is the largest function-ing hindu temple in the world. Dedicated to Lord Raganatha, a man-ifestation of vishnu, the temple is considered the first and most impor-tant of the 108 holy abodes of vishnu.

It is enclosed by seven concentric walls stretch-ing over six miles and guarded by 21 towers. The celebrated hall of 1,000 Pillars actually has only 953 and is con-sidered a masterpiece of hindu archi tecture . Non-hindus can visit up to the sixth wall but may not enter the gold-topped inner sanctum.

Devotees believe Lord Narayana ac-tually resides here.

angkor Wat (Cambodia)Last but not least is the largest and

perhaps most breathtaking temple in history — Angkor wat.

Its architecture is simply amazing. Unlike other Khmer temples, Ang-kor wat faces west instead of east, giving rise to speculation that it was also meant as a tomb for its build-er, King Suryavarman II, who ruled from 1113 to 1150.

Angkor was originally meant as a capital city, palace and state temple dedicated to vishnu. It is meant to rep-resent Mt Meru, the celestial abode of the gods in Buddhism and hinduism. By the 15th century, it had become a Theravada Buddhist temple.

Angkor is the most spectacular of among more than 100 temples here but the famous, enigmatic smiling faces of Suryavarman II carved in stone are at the nearby Bayon Temple. Angkor’s fame lies in its graceful architecture and its elaborate stone friezes which detail

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ARTS & CULTURE

HA NOI

Thanh Trung and Ngoc TuanViet Nam News

Countless pieces of literature, music and art have captured the memory of the battle in 1954 that marked the end of the French occupation of

viet Nam. But few know the story of the artists who were actually in the fray—the two film crews who crossed the thin red line to bring people at home a piece of the action.

War epicover half a century later, People’s

Artist (highest honour accorded to an artist) Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, who worked as an assistant cameraman in one of the crews, tells his story.

“There were four people in our team, mobilised from different establish-ments. I was a photo correspondent from the political affairs department. In my crew there was the principal

cameraman Nguyen Tien Loi, who had been a self-employed photographer, but joined the revolution to become the official photographer of the 308 brigade. There was Quy Luc, an officer at the yen Bai Province People’s Committee, and an assistant like myself. Nguyen Sinh, a Thai youth, was responsible for transporting the equipment and taking care of the logistics. All of us went through a quick intensive training course before we went to the front,” he says.

“we all knew we were going to record an important moment in history for our country. As soon as we joined the crew, we received the order to get ready to join the campaign.”

The campaign in question ended up being one of the biggest victories in the country’s history, and one that ended the French occupation in viet Nam.

of course, none of the crew knew that at the time, says Loi, principal camera-man at Dien Bien Phu, who later became deputy director of the viet Nam Feature Film Company. “we had no idea

what was going to happen, let alone that we were going to Dien Bien Phu.”

Finding the right tools for the job was a challenge though, says Loi. “The best camera we could find in ha Noi in those days was the Swiss-made Paya Bolex 16mm. we knew the model was only used for home use in the west though, and what we really needed was a professional 35mm lens.”

But to the newly-founded film crew, during war-time even a 16mm lens camera could make history.

The whole crew had only about 900m of celluloid film, which Loi says they had to smuggle from French-occupied areas like ha Noi, hai Phong and Sai Gon.

The crew lived with the soldiers for nearly a month, but they dared not hit the record button because all the purchased film had to be saved for the upcoming campaign. Then it was time to march north.

The crew accompanied the soldiers through the mountains and jungle, past lines of troops and volunteers supplying

DEfININg mOmENT: A soldier waves the Vietnamese flag from the top of a captured De Castries’ bunker, putting an end to the nine-year long resistance war against the French colonialists.

THEY SHOT FOOTAgE OF ONE OF VIET NAM’S MOST FAMOUS VICTORIES, DIEN BIEN PHU. NOW THE FILM CREW TELL THE STORY FROM BEHIND THE SCENES

Viet Nam’sHistoric Battle

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ammunition and stores. “There was this unstoppable festive atmosphere,” says Loi. “Unfortunately, we didn’t record much footage at that time.”

The crew helped entertain the soldiers when they had time to rest, says Loi. “we used to sit and tell the soldiers about the latest feature films we’d seen. Cinematic art was very new to the people then, so the soldiers and volunteers sat around in grand circles to listen to us.”

In June 1953, the film crew departed from viet Bac, passing Au Lau wharf in yen Bai, and climbed through 30km of mountain passes. Then, they joined the 308 Brigade to walk to Tuan Giao in Lai Chau Province—they had finally entered Dien Bien Phu valley.

The crew had to dig trenches in the mountain, bathe in the rain and share balls of rice with the soldiers. “Like any soldier, we prayed to each other that none of us would die in the fighting,” then assistant cameraman Quynh said.

Blood and smokeAt 5pm on March 13, 1954, viet-

namese troops opened fire on him Lam hill. It was the first of 56-days of fierce fighting.

Loi says he was pumped with

adrenalin. “we filmed our troops advancing to capture the enemy’s posts, and enemy planes dropping bombs on the battlefield. we lived the hardship and brutality of war and followed the frontline soldiers into battle.”

Sometimes the crew came as close as 100m to the enemy, Loi says. “we hid in newly-captured posts and pointed our cameras out to the battlefield to film in the smoke.”

Quynh nods: “when we were filming from the post, Quy Luc and I had to take turns crawling out to clear away the broken tree branches that were in front of the lens. It was the only way to spare our limited amount of film.

“I could feel the camera shaking amid the chaotic sounds of the bombing

and exploding ammunition. The thin line between life and death was so slim, a cameraman could easily become a target.”

This was particularly dangerous on the frontline, Quynh says. “Areas of land were changing hands so quickly. one night a peak might belong to us, the next day the enemy would take it. There were many hidden dangers for us.”

one particularly hairy moment came when the crew headed back to one of their posts after filming on a hill. “Suddenly, we heard artillery fire aimed at us,” Quynh says. “we rushed to a shelter, which was as small as a table. There were many times we lost consciousness. when we woke up, there was dirt in our mouths, eyes and noses.

“As soon as we woke up, we rushed back to work. we made shelters with earth, branches and leaves. we didn’t have enough water and had to fetch from very far away, because the nearby Nam Rom River was filled with bodies. we were covered from head to toe with red dust.

“During low days, we went back to the rear to edit our film and buy new rolls. we crossed the empty fields, crawled under the barbed wire fences. we went back and forth twice and gathered 1,000m of

celluloid. In all we had 2,000m for the whole campaign,” says Quynh.

LandminesThe second film crew was made up of

Nguyen Thu, director Nguyen hong Nghi, cameramen Nguyen Phu Can, Nhu Ai and Nguyen Dang Bay. It was their job to enter the field once the battle was drawing to a close. They worked mostly on routes leading to Dien Bien Phu and filmed the work of soldiers, volunteers transporting foods, rice, drugs and ammunition to the front.

During a trip to film a prisoner of war exchange in a Thai hamlet, the crew had to walk through a grassy field. It was eerily quiet. Suddenly, a blast shot out, Thu had stepped on a landmine.

The crew had to take Thu to a French doctor, who was treating wounded enemy soldiers nearby. There was no anaesthetic available, so the doctor had to clean the wound with surgical alcohol and saw off his foot.

Thu didn’t utter a word.

time to healwhen ha Noi was finally liberated,

Thu had to be hospitalised three more times until his foot fully healed. he received visits from the prominent Soviet documentary film-maker Roman Karmen. Touched by Thu’s loss, Karmen encouraged him to pursue further film studies in the then Soviet Union.

In 1959, Thu returned to Dien Bien with his crew to make the documen-tary Return to Dien Bien. It had been only four years since Dien Bien was liberated, but the town was changing fast. Many soldiers who fought in the battle had stayed on to rebuild the town in peace.

Thu’s film was a great success, burst-ing with intense emotion, love of life and joy to see the land, which he had shed blood for, now growing in peace.

The documentary won the Lumumba Grand Prix at the Asian and African Film Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1964.

Thu died in 2002 from illness.Today, more than half a century has

passed and Victory in Dien Bien Phu is broadcast every year in May to commemorate the milestone in viet Nam’s modern history.

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Food

SINGAPORE

Huang Lijie The Straits Times

Japanese curry is finding favour with Singaporean diners, even if it is not as spicy as Indian curry or as lemak (milky) as the Malay version.

The dish has made its way onto the menus of more Japanese restaurants here, and at least three eateries specialising in the curry dish have opened in the last two years.

To widen its appeal, some restaurants are even pairing it with pizza and pasta instead of the more traditional rice and noodles.

one of the new speciality curry shops is Mr Curry in The Central. The 58-seat eatery by the waraku group of Japanese restaurants opened last December.

A waraku spokesman says: “we noticed that there is a market for restaurants selling Japanese curry because the curry dishes at our waraku restaurants, such as curry udon, have always been a hit with our customers.”

Indeed, the appetite for Japanese curry here has grown in recent years to allow the 75-seat restaurant Curry Favor, which opened in Stamford Road in 2004, to spawn a larger 100-seat outlet at Novena Square in 2007.

veteran curry eatery Romantic Kobe, which has been selling Japanese curry in the basement of Liang Court since 1995, has also seen its business increase by some 10 per cent every year.

It is not just Japanese expatriates who are patronising these curry shops.

At wakashachiya, a curry udon (noodle) restaurant with 64 branches in Japan and an outlet in The Central, Singaporeans make up 70 per cent of its diners here while Japanese expatriates constitute the remaining 30 per cent.

Unlike Indian, Malay or Chinese curries, which the Singaporean palate is used to, Japanese curry tends to be less spicy, slightly sweeter and of a thicker consistency.

Teaching assistant James Chan, 50, admits

Japanese Curry FlavoursSINgAPOREANS ARE WON OVER BY ITS LESS SPICY AND MILKY TASTE

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that he found the taste of Japanese curry “a bit weird” when he first tried it 10 years ago while on holiday in Japan.

he says: “It wasn’t as spicy and its gravy had a creamier texture than the Chinese-style curry I was used to eating.”

however, he has grown to appreci-ate these qualities of Japanese curry and is now a regular customer at wakashachiya.

For housewife Ellen Lim, 52, who is a fan of the curry tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlet) at Japanese chain restau-rant Tonkichi, the appeal of Japanese curry lies in the absence of coconut milk in the gravy.

She says: “Japanese curry does not use coconut milk so it is not as oily as other Asian-style curries. Not only is it healthier, but it is also less jelat (Malay for overwhelming) to eat.”

Curry—the Indian version—was introduced to Japan in the late 1800s and was subsequently modified to suit the Japanese palate.

The dish gained popularity in the 1950s with instant curry mixes and roux bricks available for sale on supermarket shelves.

Potato, carrot, onion and curry powder are common ingredients used

to make Japanese curry, although variations of the recipe exist.

At Mr Curry, mango chutney is used to enhance the taste of its homemade curry sauce, which comes in four flavours: original, cream, tomato and squid ink.

For the Shokudo chain of Japanese restaurants, where curry dishes are one of its top sellers, its curry sauce is made from imported curry paste and powder from Japan, as well as tonkatsu sauce, Fuji apples and Japanese soya sauce.

And at wakashachiya, the soup for its curry udon uses wadashi - stock boiled from dried bonito flakes.

Japanese curry is traditionally eaten with rice or noodles, and accompanied with sides such as deep-fried meat

cutlets and vegetables. Chefs here, however,

have taken to pairing the gravy creatively with pastas and pizzas because it does not have an overpowering flavour.

At Shokudo outlets, Japanese curry is paired with omu rice (tomato fried rice wrapped in an omelette) and also used as a topping in its hokkai-

do-style Curry Mashed Potato Cheese Pizza.

Similarly, Mr Curry offers its Japanese curry with risotto (a creamy Italian rice dish) as well as in its naan bread (an Indian flatbread) pizzas as a pizza sauce base.

For fans of Japanese curry, these newfangled variations are much welcomed.

Account director Lily Chow, 32, who is a regular at Mr Curry, says: “These different types of Japanese curry and new ways of eating it, in pastas and pizzas, keeps me excited and wanting more. For example, I’ve not eaten the squid ink curry at Mr Curry but I am keen to try it because I like squid ink spaghetti.”

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Fashion

KOLKATA

Derek BoseThe Statesman

Late last year, when the promos of Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi started storm-ing the television screens, many fans of Indian superstar

Shah Rukh Khan did a double take. how could their hero look so down-market? Even a corporation clerk would not wear those ill-fitting shirts and loose trousers with double pleats in the front and side pockets. And what were those silly spectacles doing? on top of all that, a wig!

of course, the character had an alter-ego in the film—a dashing and debo-nair Raj who (literally) sweeps the her-oine off her feet.

It can always be argued that Shah Rukh can never go wrong because he enjoys such a large and loyal fan follow-ing that no matter what he does or wears on screen, it would always work at the

box office. In 2004, he came in as a non-resident Indian wearing a simple checked shirt (when he was not in a vest) and jeans in Swades. he then tied a turban and be-came a ghost in Paheli. Thereafter, he limped his way through Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna as the bitter footballer retired-hurt. Soon after, he became a disgraced coach of a women’s hockey team in Chak De India. And then he turned into a s t r u g g l i n g actor of the ‘70s (who becomes a superstar in after-l i f e ) in O m Shanti Om.

Barring a fast and furious crime thriller, Don in 2006, all his screen ap-pearances during these last five years have been a far cry from the slick and suave Shah Rukh Khan we have seen from his younger days of Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Dil Se, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Josh and so on.

Now, Shah Rukh is not the only top star to have mellowed down on his looks. Take Aamir Khan, before he be-came a vengeful beast with that bizarre tennis ball haircut in Ghajini last De-cember. In Taare Zameen Par, he was as cool and casual as any young school teacher can be in jeans and a non-de-script T-shirt. Before that, there were films like Fanaa, Rang De Basanti and Dil Chahta Hai in which he could easily have been another face in the crowd. The reasons for his un-derstated dressing were of course, dictated by the roles Aamir had to play in those films. But then, this is one Bolly-wood star known to be extremely fastidi-ous about his screen

i m a g e —

Dressing and looks of Hindi film industry actors were defined by the roles they played, which in turn reflected the concerns of society from time to time

Ordinariness Is Fashionable

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whether it was with his fierce twirled-up moustache in Mangal Pandey, or that famous bare-torso look in Lagaan or the spiky hair and beard-let he sports in Dil Chahta Hai. Now, all too sud-denly, he seems to have lost interest in

making a style statement.The same can be said of the four other Bolly-wood biggies: Akshay Kumar (Namastey London, Heyy Baby, Welcome, Singh Is Kingg), Salman Khan

(Partner, Hello, God Tussi Great Ho, Yuv-vraaj), Saif Ali Khan (Tara Rum Pum , Race, Tashan, Thoda

Pyar Thoda Magic) and hrithik Roshan (Dhoom 2).

There is nothing distinctive about their dressing styles, let alone sartorial eloquence, to leave a lasting impression. From all appearances, they would much rather copy the common man in everyday clothes than look larger-than-life or become trendsetters in fashion like some of their predecessors had. (Exceptions are costume dra-

mas like Jodhaa Akbar and Chandni Chowk To China in parts, as

well as superhero films like Krishh, Drona and Love 2050.) Second and third rung heroes, from Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan to

Abhishek Bachchan and Shahid Kapoor are similarly

swimming with the tide, more out of compulsion than choice. Quite clearly, the days of our he-

roes wanting to be seen as role mod-els of dressing are over.

It is however, a misconception that yesteryear heroes were, in any manner, at the cutting edge of contemporary fashion. That distinction rested with the villains, right from the days of KN Singh, Ajit, Jeevan, Pran and Prem Chopra. In their well-cut western suits and fancy cars, they were the most styl-ish of screen characters. Their look al-ways spoke of wealth and (consequent-ly) power, whereas the hero appeared as

an idealistic and vulnerable sort, typi-cally in dhoti-kurta or as a country bumpkin. Some like Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor who specialised in playing romantic city slickers, managed to come up with a distinctive trend-setting style once in a while but their dressing and looks were defined by the roles they played in films, which in turn reflected the concerns of society from time to time. And it is that tradition that has been carried forward by Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar today.

The only ones to buck this trend are our leading ladies. They are the ones expected to infuse all the glamour and glitz to a film, though style-wise, their clothes have not always been the true barometers of contemporary fashion. There were some defining moments in Bollywood styling during in the early ‘90s when Urmila Matondkar pranced about in those skimpy designer outfits in Rangeela or say, when Madhuri Dix-it flaunted her backless choli in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. But today, barring some item numbers and party scenes (where those very outfits are still being recycled with minor variations), the style statement of heroines is being spoken of in terms of size zero figure, attitude and get-up. At the most, a ref-erence to ‘casual chic’ could raise a buzz, as in the recent case of Kareena Kapoor pulling off a loose, outsized T-shirt and a mismatched Patiala salwar with con-viction in Jab We Met. Likewise, Shilpa Shetty’s deglamourised look in Life.

In a metro with long skirts and muf-fler around her neck had become a talk-ing point in fashion circles last year.

The popularity of ordinariness can be attributed to three crucial factors. one, films are hardly made on extraordinary people in extraordinary circumstances these days. Ever since the multiplex revolution began a decade ago, the ap-proach to story-telling and the nature of key characters in a narrative have changed. The hero is no longer the ide-alistic, self-righteous, handsome hunk he used to be. Instead, he is a regular guy with normal habits, strengths and weaknesses. Similarly, the heroine has ceased to play the archetypal virgin-in-white, self-sacrificing and beautiful.

She is today like any other girl next door, intelligent and approachable, and with as many shades of grey as the male lead. Nobody is holier-than-thou, ex-ceptionally gifted or extra-special. And they all dress the part. This has contrib-uted immensely to hindi cinema com-ing across as closer to reality. Audiences have no difficulty identifying with the characters they see on screen.

The second reason for Indian actors to be dressing down is the advent of several high profile couturiers like Manish Malhotra, Ritu Beri, Neeta Lulla and Aki Narula in films. over the past decade or so, these trained profes-sionals have not only replaced the dress makers of yore, they are increasingly calling the shots in every department of filmmaking. They understand cinema and with their background in fashion design (most of them have their own designer labels) are able to decide on the look of an actor in keeping with the spirit of a film.

The third important reason for un-derstated chic in hindi cinema is the rising popularity of the so-called ‘non-heroic heroes like vinay Pathak (Bheja Fry, Dasvidaniya, Oh My God), Rajat Kapoor (Monsoon Wedding, Krazzy 4, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na) and Ranvir Shorey (Khosla Ka Ghosla, Traffic Sig-nal, Ugly Aur Pagli). It is in their ordi-nariness that they have found an ap-preciat ive audience, something established stars like Shah Rukh, Ak-shay and Aamir are now waking up to.

Style Statements

Here are some unforgettable fashion fads from the past directly associated with film stars:

Full-sleeve shirt with buttoned-up col-lar: Dev Anand

Guru kurta and bell bottom trousers: Rajesh Khanna

Loose shirt knotted in the front: Am-itabh Bachchan

Neck-scarf and pipe: Raaj KumarWhite trousers and white shoes: Jee-

tendraBody-hugging churidar-kameez and

bouffant: SadhanaMadhuri Dixit: Backless choli

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People

SINGAPORE

John Lui The Straits Times

The business bug bit Ivan Lee, 33, CEo of the Thai Express group of restaurants, early in life. At 11, to be exact.

That was when the boy, then the owner of the only Nintendo game console in his neighbourhood, began renting out the unit to other children. he charged $1 an hour.

“People kept coming, so I bought an organiser. After a while, my book was full. Business was good.”

he made about $10 (US$6.63) a day, but his profits were literally being eaten away. “The kids started to ransack my fridge. I was making a

loss.” So the lad sold instant noodles at $1

(66 US cents) a bowl. A slice of luncheon meat was 50 cents. It is fitting that the same dish is now raking in the dollars at his Xin wang hong Kong Cafés. Now it costs $8.90 (US$5.90)—though, to be fair, it includes service charge and a fried egg.

his latest Xin wang opened in the Northpoint Mall in Singapore last November. It is a fact that he likes to mention to friends and family who had told him that Singaporeans would never pay café prices for instant noodles.

“I love rubbing it in,” he says, with a grin.

The Thai Express group’s seven restaurant brands now have 76 outlets in the Asia-Pacific region--including Mongolia, Australia and China--and a

sales turnover of $100 million (US$66.3 million) last year. his achievements earned him the fourth spot last year in the annual lifestyle power list compiled by Straits Times’ Life!

Dressed in a simple white office shirt and dark slacks, he spoke to Life! at the Thai Express headquarters in the spartan Delta house industrial building on Alexandra Road.

his personal space, like the rest of the premises, is spare with beige walls, simple furniture and comput-ers. The business, which employs about 1,800 staff in the region, needs loading and warehouse space that is close to the central area, which the building provides.

In the six years since the company’s first Thai Express outlet in holland village, he has built the largest Thai casual-dining chain in the world. with nine branches, Xin wang is the largest hong Kong cafe chain in Singapore. Another brand, Shokudo, in Raffles City and in The heeren, offers two of the island’s largest Japanese cuisine dining areas.

The New york New york cafe and deli outlets grew at the rate of nine outlets in just over two years.

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Young Man in a hurryTHE THAI ExPRESS FOUNDER IS FIERCELY DRIVEN TO SUCCEED— ONLY ON HIS OWN TERMS—AND HE HAS

INSTANT SUCCESS: No one believed that Singaporeans would pay cafe prices for instant noodles but Ivan lee proved his detractors wrong.

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And there is the strange patriotic pleasure of seeing a Singapore-based company running a Thai eatery in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia. A New york New york is also planned to open there.

But it is the Xin wang chain which holds a special place in Lee’s heart.

he had a hunch that Singaporeans would pay double or triple hawker centre rates for no-frills fare such as French toast, shaved ice desserts and, yes, instant noodles.

But no one believed it would work. Among the critics was his father-in-law.

Self-made millionaire Tommie Goh, 60, is former executive chairman of electronics firm JIT holdings, and now chairman of investment company 2G Capital.

he recalls: “I said, why do people want to eat instant noodles and luncheon meat at a cafe? They can jolly well buy them from the NTUC supermart.”

But Lee bet on his hunch and opened the first Xin wang in hou-gang’s heartland Mall in late 2005.

The outlet was swamped from day one. Its success proved that Lee could trust his instincts, even if no one else did.

Goh today says he is very happy to have been proven wrong by his son-in-aw, whom he describes as ‘a strong character’.

Goh first laid eyes on the brash young man when he showed up one day with his daughter, Grace. The couple met while taking the honours philosophy course at NUS.

his daughter was zipping around campus in a Porsche Boxster convertible while Lee was riding a honda 400 cc racer motorcycle.

Goh’s first impression of him was that he was ‘a young man in a hurry’. Fearing for his daughter’s safety, he offered to subsidise the purchase of a car if Lee would give up the bike. To his dismay, Lee declined the offer.

Today, Grace Goh, 31, laughs at the memory. She says that she would never have dared to ride a bike, not even one handled by her then boyfriend.

Lee used his own family’s car instead

when they went out on dates. he later bought a car with his own money.

The couple now have two girls, aged 14 months and three years.

when the couple first met as first-year students, the sparks that flew were far from romantic.

“I thought he was this loud, arrogant fella in colourful, tight T-shirts and he thought I was this snobbish rich girl,” she says, laughing. he had an ‘annoy-ing’ habit of getting on the dean’s list without studying. he seemed to prefer hanging out with a group of male friends and was not shy about teasing girls, she says.

It was only three years later when they were in the same small honours class that they had their first proper conversation. That led to their first date.

Goh knew how hard it must have been for a boy from Ang Mo Kio estate to date a girl with her own sports car, especially for someone as driven to succeed as her husband.

he paid for their dates which were simple affairs. For example, he says with a laugh that for their first date, they ate at the wee Nam Kee chicken rice eatery near Novena MRT station.

Lee’s own parents were also entrepreneurs. his mother, Lenice Cheng, 60, is a retired beautician who ran her own parlours and his father, Lee hock Seng, 57, runs a stevedore firm. when he was in Primary 6, his parents divorced.

Cheng hired a maid to help her look after Lee and his younger brother and sister.

Lee did well enough to go from Anderson Secondary School to Anderson Junior College and then to NUS, where he took up economics and philosophy. on the side, he set up a mortgage broking and insurance sales business with a friend, which gave him some pocket money.

he and Grace came out of university with plans to marry but also to test a somewhat offbeat cafe-cum-nail bar concept with his mother.

The three pooled their money and the onyx Café in Siglap opened in 2000. The eatery limped along but created the cash flow to help fund their second venture in 2002, the first Thai Express in holland village. This was an instant hit and onyx was turned

into the second Thai Express outlet, which is still open today.

“we were just surviving. with a few small changes, we could turn onyx into a Thai Express,” he says.

The idea for Thai Express came to him when he saw that while there were Japanese casual dining chains such as Sakae Sushi and western chains such as Swenson’s, there was no such outlets for Thai food despite its popularity here. The profits from the first few restaurants were put back into expansion.

“I had this strong, overwhelming sense that I could turn things around,” he says, following the dismal perfor-mance of onyx.

At the current rate of expansion, he has more than turned things around, but he says he is far from done.

At 33, Ivan Lee is still a young man in a hurry, though one who has travelled very far in a very short time.

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People

SINGAPORE

Jocelyn Lee The Straits Times

As perhaps befits a diva who has been in showbusiness for 40 years, hong Kong star Liza wang has little patience with the media.

She gave short, crisp answers and sounded like she was in a rush to end the phone interview with Life! where she talked about her upcoming concert in Singapore on February 21.

when it comes to pleasing her fans, however, the Shanghai-born singer and actress is much more patient, never mind if she has to sing her old hits which she has probably performed ad nauseam.

without revealing details , she says: “I will definitely be singing many of my classic songs from the past four decades.”

Evening Primrose and Rose, I Love You are two of her famous tunes.

At her concert here celebrating her four decades in the entertainment scene, she plans to surprise her fans with a few medleys of her evergreen songs and dance sets. Fans can also look forward to eye-catching costumes, a trademark of hers at concerts.

Enhancing the nostalgic mood, wang, 61, who has been acting in mov-ies and on Tv since 1967, will screen snippets of her most well-known shows

during the concert. “The excerpts of my shows, together

with my songs, will bring back a lot of old memories for the fans.”

her special guest, as at many of her other concerts, will be long-time boy-friend Law Kar ying, 59, an actor and opera singer.

They will be performing duets. wang, who last performed here with

the Singapore Chinese orchestra in 2007, has a good impression of her fans here. She remembers them as being at-tentive and not rowdy.

As an actress, she is still going strong. her most recent Tv show, period dra-ma When Easterly Showers Fall On The Sunny West, was aired last year in hong Kong.

In 2005, she won a best actress award for playing a shrewish, unrea-sonable mother-in-law in the period drama War Of In-laws. Some viewers have observed that this dragon lady role

seemed like a case of art imitating life, because she has a reputation for not be-ing the easiest person to work with.

But wang says she is fine with trying out all kinds of roles.

“As an actor, I must play many differ-ent roles and not be picky. If my com-pany gives me the role, I will just accept it without complaints.”

She has also been busy preparing to headline a new musical comedy, which is about her attitude towards life. The musical will debut in hong Kong in April.

Apart from entertainment, the diva has ventured into politics. She was a delegate to China’s National People’s Congress from 1988 to 1998 and is cur-rently a member of the Chinese Peo-ple’s Political Consultative Conference.

Nevertheless, there is no doubt where her heart ultimately belongs. Given the chance to live her life all over again, she says she would still want to be an entertainer.

“I get to experience things that other people cannot do. over the years, I have acted in many different roles and pre-tended to be different people, and that has been fun.”

Liza Wang 40th anniversary Concert When: February 21, 7:30pm Where: The Max Pavilion, Singapore Expo Admission: $68 (US$45), $98 (US$65),

$128 (US$85) and $148 (US$98) from Sistic (www.sistic.com.sg, tel: 65 6348-5555)

A Walk Down 40 Years BE PREPARED FOR A NIgHT OF MEMORIES, HONg KONg DIVA LIzA WANg TELLS FANS gOINg FOR HER CONCERT THIS MONTH

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SINGAPORE

Noelle Loh The Straits Times

Singapore’s top pop ex-port is hitting the right notes on the fashion front too. The pixie-faced Stefanie Sun—

Singapore’s first recording artiste to crack the regional market in a huge way, selling over 10 million albums in Asia since her 2000 debut—has been snapped up as a cover girl on magazines because of her looks and style.

Sun has graced at least 50 magazine covers in Singapore, Taiwan, hong Kong and China since her debut album Yan Zi in 2000.

This includes a fashion spread in the April 2005 issue of influen-tial British design magazine i-D.

She has graced the cover of local Chinese fashion title Nuyou five times—the latest in December.

An advertiser’s darling who has sold brands ranging from sportswear label adidas to food brand New Moon, she currently stars in SK Jewellery’s 2009 ad campaign, which was shot in Mel-bourne last october.

She has been the face of the home-grown jewellery brand since 2006.

with all that under her slender 25-inch belt, the 30-year-old Singapore-based star blazes a trail for local artistes in the way that music stars elsewhere now double as trendsetters.

For example, the music industry’s Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday are as much watched for what the stars wear as for their rock

and pop achievements.Case in point: who can forget a heav-

ily pregnant Gwen Stefani rocking the red carpet in a leopard print empire-waist toga dress in 2006?

No wonder, then, that Sun, with her fresh-faced look, sparkling eyes and clothes hanger frame, has been dubbed the Kate Moss of Singapore by some in the fashion circles.

Insiders love the occasionally edgy, always individualistic take she gives to a look.

Grace Lee, 42, editor of Chinese-language fashion title Nuyou, cites as an example: “She would wear adidas sneakers with a very pretty dress or girly blouse.”

She adds: “There are so many singers out there who don’t re-alise that looking dressed up doesn’t necessarily mean you have style.”

veteran stylist Johnny Khoo, who is in his late 30s and has worked with Sun since 2006, adds that she is a versatile model, in part because she has ‘very good’ body proportion.

he says: “when I throw in lit-tle surprises into a look for her, such as a leather jacket over what is supposed to be a very girly out-fit, she carries it off just as well.

“That’s something I can’t do with a lot of other celebrities.”

Sun’s star style has, without doubt, lent a shine to SK Jewel-lery, says the company’s senior brand manager hor Su-Ann, 29.

The singer has shot four cam-paigns for the brand—two set here and the others in Prague and Melbourne—each costing a six-figure sum.

Says hor: “Stefanie is a Sin-gapore artiste who is well-recognised in the region, in particular Malaysia, China and hong Kong where we also have a presence. She is also very

stylish and has a youthful energy—all traits of our brand.”

She adds that the brand has seen its customer profile expand from the tar-get group of those aged 28 to 45 to in-clude those under 25, especially after the launch of the 2008 Prague cam-paign which featured Sun with a re-freshing new image.

Singapore’s Kate MossSHE BLAzES A TRAIL FOR LOCAL ARTISTES IN THE WAY THAT MUSIC STARS ELSEWHERE NOW DOUBLE AS TRENDSETTERS

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Explore

LHOKSEUMAWE

Trisha Sertori The Jakarta Post

Aceh—the word alone fires the imagination. Its history of wars, a tsunami that killed more than 150,000, Islamic law and

multi-cultural roots from which blue-eyed, dark skinned beauties have sprung forth make for an extraordinary social mix.

Add to that lot the many years the province was closed to outsiders—as a sort of Indonesian Forbidden City— and the opportunity to visit the region becomes irresistible.

This writer recently had the oppor-tunity and grabbed it with both hands—the only problem was I had not heard about the latest flare up of the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM) or Free Aceh Movement—machine guns included. I was unwittingly heading into GAM heartland, Lhokseumawe, in North Aceh, about half-way between Medan and Banda Aceh; I

also knew nothing about the dodol. Dodol is a sweet made from jackfruit

and is common throughout Indone-sia— the Acehnese variety has an unexpected kick from the addition of a special herb not used in the rest of the country. As a Special Region, Aceh has its own laws that reflect its culture and includes a ban on alcohol; however, other products banned in the rest of the country are acceptable here.

As for the GAM, despite a laying down of arms under the helsinki Memorandum of Understanding in 2005, tensions are still high.

The first night of my stay in the region was heralded by a machine gun attack on a political candidate’s office, just down the road. No one was injured in the attack, but people on the street warned that with the upcoming national elections, emotions will be strained and random violence will escalate.

During the six-hour drive from Medan, our driver, who plies the route to Lhokseumawe regularly, filled us in on the dangers we would face in North Aceh. he didn’t think it necessary to

mention that travelling on the roads here is a near death experience; we were sandwiched between a bus and a truck and traveling at a high speed— time literally stopped as our car slipped between the two Goliaths with just a few centimetres between us and the grave.

“we have to get to Lhokseumawe before dark. The roads are way too dangerous at night. Kidnappings might start again. Last week a car in another city was blown up with a grenade,” the driver informed us.

when asked if it was safe to visit small villages, he shook his head and said: “I hope so.”

Residents of these small villages in the former separatist heartland aren’t shy about expressing disappointment in the current system and, given the history of machine gun diplomacy, say that the region grows more dangerous daily. These same villagers are also unfailingly friendly and welcoming.

It was a sort of back-handed comfort when a respected villager, possibly with former GAM associa-tions, pointed out that I was perfectly

indonesia’s Forbidden ProvinceA JOURNEY THROUgH NORTH ACEH WHERE CRAB AND ASPARAgUS SOUP IS AS COMMONPLACE AS MACHINE gUN

TYPICAL: Two Acehnese women

pass Indonesian soldiers patrolling in

an armoured personnel carrier in

Banda Aceh.

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safe, “because GAM knows you are here and is happy about it”.

This got me thinking about being born in the province. To say it has been a tough ride for the Acehenese is an understatement of massive propor-tions: For more than three decades the fiercely independent Acehenese fought Dutch colonialism in the 1900s; post 1945 they were on a collision course with Indonesia’s central government.

Fighting for an equitable share of the region’s priceless natural resources and, for some, the forma-tion of a sovereign nation separate from the unitary state of Indonesia erupted in 1976.

During those long and heart breaking years many thousands disappeared, their fates still unknown. “That’s the bridge where the bodies were dumped. victims from both sides in the conflict,” our driver said two hours outside of Lhokseumawe.

one young teacher, who was a daily witness to the conflict and sorry fate of her pupils, bares her compassion like an open wound.

“After the tsunami I was working

in west Aceh. I was a new teacher - it was 2005. one day I dropped my pen and the students fled; the sound of a pen dropping was enough to terrify them.

here in Lhokseumawe I had one boy whose father disappeared during the conflict. he still does not know if his dad is alive or dead,” the teacher, who requested anonymity, said.

her words echo the abyss of horror suffered by locals and the impossibility of it easing, except with time and tenderness. “As teachers all we can do is give our students space to grieve when they must.”

Like the people of so many other war-torn regions around the world, the people of Lhokseumawe make the best of what they have.

Land-mine ridden Mozambique in Africa is famous for its joyous music that blasts from drums and speakers, thumbing its nose at death and disfigurement. Lhokseumawe cel-ebrates life with food—meals in this most dangerous province are well worth risking life and limb to discover.

Come evening the streets of Lhokseu-

mawe bustle with stoves, tables and plastic chairs set up as makeshift restaurants for the night’s feasting. This is street food that would knock many a French chef off his pedestal. we settled on Kota Intan on Jalan Sukaramai, which locals say is one of the best warung (stall) in the small city.

For starters we had the crab and asparagus soup—the crab was so fresh you could break a tooth on fragments of its carapace, delightful evidence that this as crab from the sea, not from a can. Next up was calamari with batter as light and crisp as a wafer. The deep-fried gourami fish shone like gold, its white flesh as moist as a kiss.

To get the oil to a tem-perature that transmutes this base batter into gold, the street-chef rolled the gas bottle with his foot to bump up the gas-pressure to an almost explosive level.

The oil flashed into life as the battered fish was sub-merged into this cauldron of

burning oil—an exciting and terrify-ing vision of a master chef at work.

Fresh from the jungle is the main course of Mongolian venison or rusa. At US$3.50 for a meal like no other; the venison slices are as soft as butter and flash jungle scents across the palate as the slight gamey flavors mix with capsicum and greens.

In most countries a meal of venison will set you back a month’s wages, but here in Lhokseumawe its common fare.

A dining companion, at first loathe to nibble on Bambi, is wonder struck at the taste and tosses up the idea of quitting Jakarta and going bush in North Aceh so she can hunt down an inexhaustible supply of the delicacy.

Around the corner, another street chef was cooking up Roti Canai (flatbread) with curry. The Roti Canai here is as good as in Padang on Sumatra’s southwest coast—well known as the best in the country.

Despite elections, GAM and machine gun diplomacy, life goes on here in Aceh, celebrated daily over a fine meal with friends.

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SAIDAIJISaIDaIJI Eyo

This is a spectacular naked festival in Japan dating back to the 14th century. Wearing only loincloth, up to 10,000 men battle in the

middle of the night during midwinter to get hold of the sacred wooden sticks (shingi) which are tossed into the crowd by priests. The men who successfully clutch the sticks are the lucky men of the year and their happiness is promised for the whole year.

When: February 21Where: Okayama Prefecture

BAGO CITYBaBayLaN FEStIvaL

The Babaylan Festival is celebrated during the Philippine city’s Char-

ter Anniversary and is based on the rituals performed by the Babaylans, like rituals on marriage, baptism, healing, harvest and others. Babay-lans get their healing powers from unseen spirits.

During the festival, the public gets a rare view into the simulated rituals of mystics, ancient healers and priests in various ceremonies.

The festival was conceived to highlight a unique brand of Filipino heritage, one that dates back to the pre-Spanish period. This unique festival aims to rediscover the region’s indigenous music, literature, dances, rituals and other artistic endeavors. It explores the Babaylan folktales and other artistic endeavors of the early Bagonhons.

When: February 19

LANGKAWIIRoNmaN maLaySIa tRIatHLoN

More than 300 participants head for Langkawi for the gruelling Ironman Malaysia Triathlon. The race is made up of a 3.8km

swim, 180.3km cycle and 42.2km marathon. Temperatures can reach 43 degrees celsius, so be prepared to sweat it out!

When: February 28

PHUKETINtERNatIoNaL BLuES RoCK FEStIvaL

The 2009 Phuket International Blues Rock Festival promises to be bigger than ever with at least 12 acts performing on stage during

the two-night event. The festival attracts top blues bands from around Thailand, Australia and the US.

Ricky Zen will again emcee the event. Main headliner is Eric Bibb, one of the greatest contemporary folk blues artists.

Also on the list is California’s Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88s, Sweden’s top rated blues duo Bert Deivert & Janne Zander and KNIKI from Australia.

Rich Harper will return along with The Blues Machine and Bang-kok’s Cannonball.

Thailand’s Groove Doctors fronted by Tony ‘Hacksaw’ Wilson will also be back.

The 2009 festival will see a tribute act for the first time: “Chasing Jimi” - a Tribute to Jimi Hendrix featuring Jimmy Fame of the US.

When: February 19-22Where: Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa

SINGAPOREmuSIC FoR vaLENtINE’S Day

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra will serenade couples at the Esplanade Concert Hall with the Music for Valentine’s Day concert.

Pieces by Wagner, Liszt, Ravel and Strauss will all be featured on the programme.

When: February 14Where: Esplanade

INDIAmaHa SHIvaRatRI

Maha Shivaratri is celebrat-ed all over India on the

night when the Lord Shiva is said to have performed the Tandava, or the dance of pri-mordial creation, preservation and destruction.

Sri Maha Shivaratri literally means ‘The Night of Shiva’. Thus, the ceremonies are held chiefly at night. Shiva was mar-ried to Parvati on this day.

People repeat the Panchak-shara Mantra as it is said that anyone who utters the names of Shiva during Shivaratri, with perfect devotion and concentration, is freed from all sins. One reaches the abode of Shiva and lives there happily. One is liberated from the wheel of births and deaths.

During this festival many pilgrims flock to Shiva temples.

When: February 23

Information correct as at 02/2007

We’ve developed a concept where all our member airlines come together at one terminal, under one roof: we call them Co-Location airports. It means much faster connections between flights. For instance, at Terminal One at Narita in Japan, we’ve cut the waiting times by over 50%. There’ll be six more by the end of 2008, in Bangkok, Miami, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore and Seoul. That’s one more innovation from the Star Alliance network to make your journey easier.

To find out more, visit www.staralliance.com

www.staralliance.com

FASTERTRANSFER TIMES

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