Kavitha

Remember that guy in high school who took gym class a little too seriously? The one who picked on anybody not wearing a letterman jacket and taped Larry Lester’s buns together? Okay, for many of us this guy might only exist in countless teen movies, but his less-than-kind treatment of people who aren’t like him is reflective of the very real bullies who regularly indulge in shaming others. One such bully owns a highly popular clothing line designed specifically for the “in”-crowd—and for no one else.

A self-proclaimed fan of cool-kid elitism, Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries uses his business to keep bullying alive outside of the high school setting. He shared his exclusionary business ideology with Salon in 2006, saying,

…we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong.

Jeffries makes it clear that A&F is committed to preserving conventional beauty standards (you know, because these standards are so endangered). But now, seven years after his Salon interview, Jeffries’s words have come back to bite him in the butt of his $80 jeans.

Business Insider recently reopened discussion on A&F’s policies, their article highlighting some of the company’s eyebrow-raising practices, including:

• Offering sizes up to XXL for men, but hitting a maximum of size 10 for women.
• Hiring only “good-looking” (thin) people for its stores in order to attract other “good-looking” (thin) people to shop there.
• Marketing exclusively to “cool kids” (who are thin).
• Taking pride in alienating and excluding “not-so-cool kids” (defined, apparently, by women larger than a size 10).

Fashion is known for being exclusionary, prizing ultra-thin (mostly white) bodies over any other. Mainstream advertising has rejected fat bodies for a long time. But Jeffries’s obsession with conventional attractiveness, especially for female consumers, calls particular attention to the retail world’s hand in fatphobic body-shaming—and people don’t like it. Even after Jeffries’s issued a flimsy apology on Facebook, people remained unimpressed with the sizeist CEO.

As it turns out, the “not-so-cool” kids know a bully when they see one, and they’re ready to take a stand against Jeffries and his hateful business model. It should be noted that some demonstrations have been misguided. For example: The guy giving out A&F clothes to the homeless is kind of just using unconsenting homeless people as objects to protest A&F’s body-objectification (whoops). On the whole, however, many are displaying really “cool” ways of advocating body-acceptance.

Here are some highlights:

Attractive & Fat

Blogger Jes Baker of The Militant Baker (pictured above) wrote an open letter to Jeffries that included a collection of black-and-white A&F-style photographs of herself and a topless male model. In her letter, she explains that, although Jeffries’s controversial remarks are not surprising, they are important because they can inspire social change against conventional beauty. The photos, says Baker, are part of that inspiration. She writes,

[Jeffries has] reinforce[d] the original concept that fat women are social failures, valueless and undesirable … [Jeffries] also accidentally created an opportunity to challenge our current social construct. My hope is that the combination of these contrasting bodies will someday be as ubiquitous as the socially accepted ideal [that fat isn't attractive].

Since the letter, Baker’s photos have blown up. Over three days, her blog reached more than two million hits, and her story has been receiving media attention.

Dear Mike

Writer Amy Taylor also wrote an open letter to Jeffries, underlining the problem of bullying and its effects on girls and women, including herself. She urges Jeffries and her readers to realize that one’s body, as well as their perceived imperfections, have nothing to do with one’s worth. “I don’t wear a size 4,” Taylor explains, “but I’m a good person.”

Fitch, Please

Ellen DeGeneres addressed the A&F controversy on her talk show. In her “Fitch, Please” segment, DeGeneres pokes fun at the company’s peculiar sizing regulations and issues with women’s sizes in general, and shares body-positive sentiments. She tells her audience that beauty “isn’t a number at all” and “what’s important is that you’re healthy and happy.”

 

Change.org Petition

Eighteen-year-old activist Benjamin O’Keefe launched a petition on Change.org against Jeffries. On the campaign’s website, O’Keefe shares his own struggles with an eating disorder and how he has been affected by A&F’s ads. The petition demands an apology from Jeffries and larger A&F sizes for men and women.

O’Keefe’s petition has garnered more than 73,000 signatures and gained the attention of A&F, who met with him to hear his criticism. Though Jeffries was not present at the meeting, A&F representatives apologized for the CEO’s remarks and agreed to work against its discriminatory practices.

Using a bully’s hurtful words to create social change is pretty cool, if you ask us.

Photograph from The Militant Baker

 

Sometimes I believe that 100% of readers are uninterested in the political upheavals of the world of book criticism, but (encouragingly for writers like me who also double up as reviewers) (and bloggers), this is arithmetically untrue. Even if books pages in magazines are usually subsidised by more popular and widely-read sections elsewhere in the paper, they remain vital to the broad cultural conversation in which a magazine like Lounge participates. The audience which reads reviews may be far smaller than that which engages with, say, the cricket scores or the provocative political opinion, but it can operate at the same volume. Shut up, IPL fans.

By an accident of medium, the culture of book reviewing is a responsive, textually productive one. For over a hundred years we have all been bound by the same technology; not just ink and paper, by which the reviewer responds to the published author and the letter-writer to the reviewer, but by language itself. The reviewer is judged by exactly the same criteria she uses to judge a book. We are all rattling the same sabres. It’s not an even battlefield — but it can be more even than some others.

This is why few other fields of reviewing are subject to navel-gazing as prolonged as book crit. Please brace yourself as I try to summarise the conflict which has been riveting certain small, grandiloquent sections of the English-speaking world for the last few weeks. It started with a provocative editorial on Slate written by Jacob Silverman called “Against Enthusiasm.” Silverman’s contention: social media, especially the “literary Twittersphere,” is over-infected with niceness, a world in which there remain few boundaries between readers and writers. Critics, sometimes because of the nature of the medium and sometimes out of a professional interest, get caught up in a culture of friendly conversation which unduly influences the way they judge the work of an author they have “friended” or “followed,” liked and favourited. Result: bland book reviews which give middling authors more sops than they deserve.

The fleeting but perverse satisfaction every reader gets at a moment when someone has said something mean overtook Silverman’s readership briefly. Support followed. Dwight Garner in the tremendously influential New York Times extended the argument: ” Since childhood I’ve been a loather of America’s feel-good, everyone-on-tiptoes culture,” he wrote. “Give me some straight talk. Give me a little humor. Give me something real. Above all, give me an argument.”

Arguments there were in plenty. Laura Miller, in a piece titled “The case for positive book reviews“, did not succeed in making a case for “niceness” but pointed out some practical reasons why “nice” reviews take precedence over nasty ones in many newspapers and magazines today — we simply don’t have enough space to print all the reviews we want, and given a choice, would prefer to talk in detail about books which we think are important and engaging, instead of pontificating on things we hated. Michelle Dean in The Awl was spot-on when she pointed out that the Silverman argument is typically gendered.

She writes: “It’s curious that when examples of “too much niceness” get bandied around, it’s almost always midlist female novelists who are chosen as examples—and not, say, a writer like Chad Harbach.” (Please don’t waste time trying to dredge up counter-examples because you won’t find any.) She follows on from Roxane Gay’s piece, where Gay wrote:

“…Only a white man would believe that the online literary culture — or anything on the Internet — suffers from too much niceness. If you’re a woman, person of color, or member of the LGBT community, the online literary culture is, more often than not, far less hospitable and criticism is directed to the person rather than the person’s ideas. Has a man writing in the public sphere ever been called fat, ugly or a whore within the context of their writing? I doubt it. It is a privilege to have had no encounters that might lead you to believe the online culture is anything but nice.”

I’ll stop at this point, emphasising that I’m only posting a few examples of a long and complicated chain of response, which I happened to read and agree with. I thought I would write a response to Silverman when his piece first started doing the rounds (largely approvingly circulated among Indian readers, who appeared to think it closely mirrors the situation in South Asian letters today), but was overcome by the biological impulse not to hurt anyone’s feelings. I’m kidding.

For my part, I think that niceness/nastiness is a false dichotomy in the way we judge book reviews. These are descriptions, not evaluations. Our favourite reviews are ones which speak deeply of an reviewer’s experience with the book, offer us some context, either because the reviewer knows a lot about the book’s subject, or knows a lot about the author’s oeuvre, and are written well. We respond first to their quality: and this is not always dependent on the quality of the book.

To do justice to a book, we require honesty. For that, we need to think ethically about how conflicts of interest apply to reviews. I’m surprised Silverman didn’t, even once, suggest that perhaps the key to the problem of social media over-friendliness lies with editors, who can always choose to assign a review to someone who isn’t from the same social circles as their author. Or is that too old-fashioned? I know there’s no easy way to measure conflict of interest in the Twittersphere — individual mileage varies so much — but it is sometimes possible to find reviewers who care more about a book than about a Twitter personality.

 

By Richa Wadhera 

with inputs from Jia Singh

As little girls, we all told our best friends – “I want to be a model.” Come adolescence, and a very uncomplimentary growth spurt later, a lot of us went with “I just want to be thin.” This we did while at pizza lunches, on post beak-up ice cream binges, or chomping on popcorn and nachos while Cameron Diaz danced around in her underwear flaunting her washboard abs on screen. By high school, we were turning to nutritionists around town, {most of us on the sly, till we bumped into each other at their receptions, our vitals being called out for all and sundry present}. After weeks on ‘veggies, salads and curd,’ we’d meet to discuss progress and what we’d wear when we were finally thin. This we did at pizza lunches…you get the drift.

We were always told that achieving and maintaining a good, healthy body was not about diets – it was a lifestyle choice. Many years later {and I’m not saying how many} and more diets later, I’ve finally learnt that this, in fact, is true. And it took a very serious relationship to teach me this. A relationship we all seem to be in today – with our smartphones.

From dictating your exercise regimen and counting your calorie intake, to tracking your workout and providing an online support group, we’ve found fitness apps that’ll shape you up to look and feel like you never have before.

Here are some of the cool fitness apps and sites we’ve been using |

What you are looking at | Fitsugar

www.fitsugar.com

What’s on offer | This website has everything from recipes to workouts, gym fashion {for those who care enough about looking good at the gym}, home workouts, 1 minute power blasters, and workout music, and some superb exercises that ACTUALLY WORK.

 If  YOU… are a serious foodie and party alot, the calorie section is especially interesting, with videos that’ll kill most ‘healthy food’ myths, and even recommend low calorie cocktails!

 

  

What you are looking at |  Nike Training

https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/nike-training-club/id301521403?mt=8

What’s on offer |  The lean, mean IPhone training machine covers everything from getting lean, to toning, and has plenty of incentives to keep you charged. Plug in your headphones, roll out a mat at home  and werk.it.out.sistah.

If YOU… are targeting a specific body part, this is the app for you, with workout videos that demonstrate a step by step breakdown of each exercise, and you can pick basis the body part you want to work.

 

 

What you are looking at | Blogilates

www.blogilates.com

What’s on offer | Train like a beast, look like a beauty – the baseline pretty much sums up the founder’s mantra. Cassey is taking over the world, one pop pilates move at a time. The monthly calendar’s she features gives you a day by day break down of what to do and what to eat. She was just recently named the Best Healthy Living Blogger of 2012 by FITNESS Magazine and am the #2 most influential online personality by Sharecare…only second to Jillian Michaels.

If YOU… love cute and motivational workout wear, check out her line – that’s what first brought Cassey into the limelight.

 

What you are looking at | Bodyrock.tv

www.bodyrock.tv

What’s on offer | The site features some seriously sculpted bodies, and one look will tell you that it demands some serious commitment. Nevertheless, it is an active community of people who share workouts and diet plans.

If YOU… need to see intense dedication to keep your juices flowing, this is the site for you.

 

What you are looking at |  Fitbottomed girls

www.fitbottomedgirls.com

What’s on offer | Incredible tips to, as they put it, “Keep a lid on the junk in the trunk.” From playlists for different moods and different workouts – motivational, sundown, high energy – to training and diet book recommendations, this one has the usual and more.

If YOU… want to read success stories, and new and innovative home workouts {there’s even one you can do with your pet pooch} this is the site for you.

 

What you are looking at | Runtastic

www.runtastic.com

What’s on offer | The rage for runners right now, Runtastic gives you everything you need to manage your run, from courses, to training to calculating speed, distance etc, and literally tracking you as you run. As it says – you can only manage what you can measure.

If YOU… like to tune out the world and focus on your run, this is like your very own trainer plugged into your ears. And if you’re having a good day, you could publish your Runtastic workout on Facebook.

 

What you are looking at |  Myfitnesspal

www.myfitnesspal.com

What’s on offer | If you’ve already got a trainer, or just enjoy your evening run or power yoga classes, this’ll help you watch your calorie intake. Your very own diet and exercise journal, create a profile with a daily calorie goal, count your calories through the day and without dieting, you’ll be surprised when you step on that scale in a month. You can also enter your workout and calculate the calories you burned, which automatically gets updated in your calorie count for the day.

If YOU.. keep nibbling through the day, this app keeps you in check when you see it all adding up. The best part is, the app accounts for home food like aloo gobi sabzee and dal tadka, so nothing is left to interpretation.

 

The post Get App and at it! LBBD’s Guide to Fitness on your phone appeared first on Little Black Book, Delhi.

By Akanksha Mishra

Travellers have polarized opinions about Singapore. Some might call it a concrete jungle, resembling a neatly stacked lego model. I can see how being orderly, structured with an overt emphasis on cleanliness may overwhelm a few; I wholeheartedly believe this city is alive, supremely dynamic & relentlessly evolving {sometimes outdoing itself!}. If you are ‘bored’ in Singapore, you must know whom to blame! Allowing your self to enjoy the variety & quirkiness it epitomizes, to be indulgent & appreciate what actually keeps it ticking; is what works for me! Definitely one of the safest cities in the world (Ladies, pack your bags, you won’t regret it!)

BAGS PACKED? LET’S GO!

The SG Air Special |

Enjoy special offers on accommodation, food, attractions, shopping valid for 7 days with your Singapore Air boarding pass {April 2013 to Sept 2013}. Check this link out for more. 

Getting Around |

• Since the weather here is either hot, or hot and raining, the underground walkways, covered escalators and the super efficient MRT system come to your rescue!

Tip – Get Ez-link card for bus and MRT

Tip –  Mobile app for buses – SBS.

• Taxis are safe and available, but be prepared to queue up during peak hours; MRT is probably faster if you don’t want to wait around.

Tip –  queue up at the big hotels – guests returning and taxi drivers hoping for a handsome fare to the airport will help you hail a cab faster.

RETAIL THERAPY |

• The mega mall culture on Orchard Road will cater to your every desire. Ion Mall – call it monster mall for its futuristic look – has a mind-boggling number of designer brands. Other malls include Wisma Atria, Takashimaya, CK Tang and Paragon.
• If quirky boutique fashion is your calling or if you belong to the anti-mall cult, you’ve arrived at the right place! Wander around Haji lane {a little lane off the main Bugis area} for surprising vintage finds, hip and trendy shops and playful graffiti (unexpectedly allowed!). A heritage feel with a doze of quirkiness!
• Marina Bay Sands  is your one-stop-shop for all the big brands. Get dinner at Osteria Mozza after, and. don’t forget to watch the amazing laser show from this side, done on a screen of water.

 

TOURIST MUST-DO’S |

• Singapore Zoo | The chimps here are used to posing with people!
• Night Safari | Be one with the nocturnal creatures
• Singapore Flyer | Taller than the London Eye, this 30 minute ride is best done at dusk {so you see the city in natural light} and at night time
• Jurong Bird Park | The giant aviaries house almost every bird!
• Chinatown Heritage Centre | For those looking for culture. Entire sets of bedrooms, kitchens and streets from late 19th century and early 20th century have been recreated. Buy a kitschy souvenir on your way out {a great place for bargains}
• Gardens by the Bay
• Botanical Gardens
• Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay | Asia’s answer to Sydney’s iconic Opera house?! Apart from the scenic outdoor view, it boasts of concert halls, theatres, recital studios and dining options
• Sentosa Island {hive of activities/chilling} | Take a cable car ride, and enjoy the Merlion statue and Universal Studios
• Universal studios | Smaller than the one in the U.S, but exciting nevertheless
• Marina Bay Sands Hotel | Singapore’s youngest architectural icon, enjoy the free 15 minute light and water laser show at 8pm, 9:30pm and 11pm {only on weekends}
• Merlion Park at One Fullerton | Singapore’s tourist icon, look for the MBS laser show
• Buddha tooth relic temple | It is one of the most beautiful temples in Singapore, with minute architectural detailing and thousands of little Buddha on the walls. Go to the roof to find peace amidst the lotus ponds and the stunningly beautiful prayer wheel
• Botanical gardens | Visit the orchid garden; it has the most exotic orchids and will not disappoint!

 

Can’t leave without seeing

• Tanjong Beach Club | On Sundays, they have a club house beach party 3pm onwards. Make sure you check for updates before finalizing your plans.
• Sentosa | This island is the hive of activities and family chilling. Hop on a Cable Car Ride, check out the Merlion statue and rediscover your inner child at Universal Studios.
• Haji Lane | Shopping on your mind? Get ready to drop dough at Haji Lane.
• Orchard Road | This is THE street for all mall, luxury and high street shoppers. You have Ion, Wisma Atria, Takashimaya, CK Tang, and Paragon to choose from.

 

If you have time, check out

• Fort Canning Park
• Suntec City/Milenia Walk area

Word of caution | Watch out for your vertigo! Singapore boasts of multiple vantage points for 360 degrees views of the bright lights of the city. On a clear night, as far as Indonesia is visible – with a perpetual cloud cover in the P.M, good luck with spotting that though!

AHH… BUT THERE’S MORE |

• If gambling is your game, head to Marina Bay Sands to indulge

Tip – do carry your passport

• Rent a yacht for a few hours

Tip – check for weather updates

• Wish to be transposed to a bygone era of pre-Independence Singapore, into opulent colonial luxury? Raffles hotel is your answer! Enjoy the charming colonial vibe while you sip on the original Singapore Sling or, if you fancy, high tea
• F1 street night race | If you’re a fan you’d know the world’s only night race is held in September so plan your vacation accordingly!

Tip - you can utilize the SG Air Special Offers until September!

• Post a letter at the Fullerton Hotel | The hotel launched the Fullerton Heritage Gallery and to recreate the 19^th century vibe, a red pillar post box that found its way to Singapore during colonial rule was installed there.  Guests can posts letters that ununiformed postmasters’ sort everyday.
• Reverse bungee at Clark Quay
• Get in line to Line-Dance | Every Friday & Sunday evenings at Far East Square

Tip – the troupe may ask you to join in, so definitely give it a go!

• Pulao Ubin Island | This untouched beauty resonates Singapore from the 1970s. Rent a bike, grab coconut water, and eat at the one little hawker they have. It’s a 10 min boat ride from Changi, and the water is a pristine aquamarine blue; makes you feel like you are in a different place altogether
• Sail club and dinner at Changi | View the islands and white yachts against a pink setting sun as you get dinner by the ocean
• Marina barrage |  For exotic kite flying; these kites are massive! A walk through this setting is lovely {walk all the way to the golf course}

 

FOODIE’S PARADISE: GET YOUR GRUB ON PEOPLE!

While Singapore has something for everyone, you just cannot leave without ticking off at least more than half of these must-try’s |

• Din Tai Fung at Paragon Mall and Wisma Atria | Veg dimsums are a must have.
• Indo chine at Supertree | I’d go here just for the gorgeous views of Singapore City! Dinner bookings? Check!
• Marche {No table service} at Somerset | Styled around a traditional European marketplace, Marche’s belgian waffles, gelato, crepes, salad bar, rosti and paella are to die for!
• Twelve cupcakes at Basement 4 ION Mall {branches all over the city as well} |  Cupcakes are to die for!
• Francisca at Raffles Boulevard | I devoured their macaroons, maple pancake cupcakes and apple cinnamon waffles
• Ladurée Macarons at Takashimaya | This French institution comes to Singapore! Try the strawberry with marshmallow & salted caramel macaroons {at about $4/piece, double the average price but worth a try!}
• Jone’s the Grocer at Dempsey Hill | Has a great selection of cheese & meat cuts, wine and specialty groceries. It’s ideal for a weekend brunch, with an array of coffees to choose from!

 

Other must-haves…

• Long Beach at Dempsey Hill | Try their chilli crabs for sure
• Jumbo Seafood at Clark Quay | Another hit destination for chilli crabs
• Itacho at Orchard Road | for sushi
• Tatsuya at Goodwood Park Hotel, Scotts Road | for Japanese
• Arab Street | A hot-spot for authentic hummus & baba ghanoush

 

Have a particular cuisine in mind? I have recommendations for you!

Café / All day Breakfast

• P.S Café at Dempsey Hill | This is lovely café, nestled in lush and green settings! They have mouth-watering deserts.
• Chopsuey at Dempsey Hill | This chic Asian café is housed in a corner black and white colonial house, and is lovely place to spend a nice afternoon.
• Book café at Off Robertson Walk | Here, breakfast ends at 10:30pm! Surround yourself with bookshelves, read and dig into food.
• Hatched at Orchard | If eggs are on your mind, then Hatched is your mecca!
• Wild Honey at Scotts Square | Options, options everywhere! Their menu is extensive, and there’s something for everyone at Wild Honey.

Also Noteworthy

• Department of Caffeine atDuxton
• Kith Café at Robertson Quay

 

Italian

• La Forketta at Dempsey Hill | Watch wood fire oven pizzas being made in front of you! I also quite liked the lasagna
• OTTO at Tanjong Pagar | This chic, upmarket Italian joint promises great food & limoncello
• Latteria Mozzarella at Duxton Hill | Their menu’s got plenty of cheesey options to choose from
• No Menu at back streets of Central Business District | This family run establishment offers warm service & lip smacking food
• Etna at Duxton Hill | Though they don’t use the old school wood fired oven, their thin crust pizzas made on gas-powered flames are divine.
• Crust at Holland Village | For your gluten free pizza crust craving!

 

Mexican

• Margarita’s at Dempsey Hill | While there, you must order nachos and “margarita” of course!
• Lucha Loco at Duxton Hill | Think Taqueria/Mexican street food in a casual setting. I loved their Passion fruit Margarita, and the other cocktails are pretty delicious as well. Tip – make a reservation for a busy Friday evening.
• Café Iguana at Clark quay | Dig into salsa chips/burrito while sipping on Pink Guava or Mango margarita. Oh, and happy hours before 8pm!

 

Chinese

• Min Jian Restaurant at Goodwood park Hotel, Scotts Road | I loved this hotel for it’s colonial style ambience and it’s delectable Chinese food.
• Tim Ho Wan at Plaza Singapura | This Michelin starred dimsum restaurant must be on your agenda. Be prepared for long queues, but it’s worth the wait!
• Crystal Jade at Orchard Road | Best to go in a group to sample several dishes. Else, a bowl of steaming hot noodles or dumplings are a safe bet.

 

Thai

• Sabai Fine Thai on the bay at Collyer Quay | Dig into their Thai green curry while you enjoy a panoramic view of Marina Bay.
• Jim Thompson at Dempsey Hill | This is a paradise for vegetarians; in fact, they have a separate Thai vegetarian menu!

 

Mediterranean & Spanish

• Esmaralda at Tanglin area | Their paella & chicken skewers are excellent. Participate in their unique ritual of breaking plates at around 9pm!
• Wine connection {Tapas bar & bistro} at Robertson Quay | I quite liked their sleek modern layout, and of course a great choice of wine on offer!
• The Screening Room at Chinatown Ann Siang Road | Giving a distinct vibe over 5 levels, this place guarantees a unique dining experience where the menu is paired with a film screening! Chill out at their rooftop deck as well {La Terezza Rooftop Bar}.
• White Rabbit at Dempsey Hill
• Botega y Tapas at Tanglin area | You must try their sangrias! One of the best I had in Singapore.

 

Keep it authentic

If you truly want to sample Singapore’s food culture, head to any of the hawker centers in the heartland. Maxwell road hawker center is iconic and the Tian Tian chicken rice stall must be tried! You’re likely to find these popular items at hawker centres:

• Kaya toast | Some locals simply can’t function without a kickstart breakfast of white bread grilled over coals and spread with thick coconut and pandan jam and some boiled eggs on the side. {Note: try Tong Ah Eating House – toast for only 60 cents a piece}
• Hainanese chicken rice | This is a dish of poached chicken, chicken-flavored steamed rice and chicken soup, served with dark soy, chilli and ginger sauces.
• Laksa | A classic rich, spicy, coconutty soup filled with round rice noodles, fried tofu, bean shoots and fish/shrimp.
• Singaporean chilli crab | Considered a national dish that is a must try for sea food lovers. The secret of chilli crab is its thick, sweet, spicy, tomato sauce.
• Satay | the ultimate snack! Nuff said.
• Newton Circus food court | Get sugarcane juice with lime and ginger and some spicy char kway teow.

 

Light on the wallet & food to-go

• Get a decent chunk of ice cream enveloped in soft, fluffy bread at Ice Cream Uncle on Orchard Road.
• For freshly squeezed juice, your best bet is Orchard {opposite lucky plaza} or food courts – they’re safe to consume.
• 24-hour Kopitiam {local coffee shops} outlets on Waterloo Street and Orchard Road {check out Tong Ah Eating House}

 

Also Noteworthy

• ION Food Court
• Wisma Food Republic
• Spizza {affordable yet authentic thin-crusted wood-fired pizzas}

 

 

WHERE WE’LL BE CHILLING |

• Clark Quay/Boat Quay/Robinson Quay | Packed with alfresco pubs and restaurants by the riverside place, these places are ideal for relaxing after a long day of sightseeing. You’re guaranteed a lively atmosphere on any day of the week.
• Duxton Hill | For post-work unwinding amidst a charming ambience, hop over here! It’s surrounded by preserved shop-houses and paved streets, and has plenty of really nice bars & restaurants along the entire street. {It’s right in between Central Business District & Chinatown.}
• Arab street | As the name suggests, this is where SG residents head for Sheesha and Lebanese street food. It’s casual, informal and cool!
• Holland Village | Two words for you – easy-breezy. Think cozy cafes, ritzy restaurants & wine bars. You’ll also find stores housing antiques and unique household wares, gourmet emporiums and art galleries. It transforms into a space that guarantees a laid-back, street atmosphere by night.

 

 

CLUBS, BARS & LOUNGES GALORE |

• Altitude Lounge at Raffles Place | It’s on the 66th floor, so you’re bound to get a great view
• Avalon at Marina Bay Sands | This club by the water has reverse vantage views!
• Ku De Ta  {Rooftop bar/lounge/club} at MBS | You must have their sangria pitcher! If you’re up for an early drink, make sure you check out the glorious sunset from here.
• New Asia Bar {Club} at Swiss Hotel The Stamford | This chic nightspot finds a spot on the 71^st floor
• Bar stories at Haji Lane | Set for a cocktail adventure? At this quirky little bar, you need to tell the servers your preference and they’ll whip up interesting concoctions just for you!
• Brewerkz at Clark Quay | Best for handcrafted beers and indulgent American food.
• The Library {Bar} at Outram Park | This is Singapore’s answer to speak-easy bars! Concealed at the end of a hallway full of bookshelves, you need to get the password from the convenience store down the road.
• Lantern {Lounge} at The Fullerton Hotel | If you have vertigo, this is where you go! Lantern’s setting is classy, it’s housed on the 5^th Floor, and is fancy like that
• B28 {Bar} at The Club Hotel, Ann Siang Road | If whiskey is your ultimate choice of drink, head to this underground bar. They have an exquisite selection that’ll whisk{ey} you away!
• Long Bar at Raffles | This is where the Singapore Sling {a hangover inducing drink} was first created. Get drunk, for history’s sake.
• Mad Men Attic Bar at Raffles Place, North Canal Road | It’s where I’d go post work, to unwind with house special Mojitos and live music.
• CUT at MBS | If splurging on steak at Wolfgang Puck’s Cut is not your to your fancy, delight yourself with their innovative tea based cocktails & simply soak in the Master Chef’s acclaimed hospitality

 

Also Noteworthy

• Pangea at MBS crystal pavilion
• KYO  for great music.
• Cufflink club has amazing drinks; it’s a mixology bar, similar to the ones in New York
• Kinki rooftop is fun for after-work drinks {and has yummy Japanese food}

 

Phew! My little black book’s filled, and I can’t wait to discover more of this ever growing metropolis. If you have recommendations for other places to see, explore and uncover in Singapore, please drop a comment.

Till the next time, safe travels!

About the Author | Co-founder at TriggrZ, a start-up for ‘accumulating good karma by supporting causes you believe in’, Akanksha travels to have fun, dig into delectable food, cherish all-day-walking-bone-aches, & also to passionately share insights of that a-ha moment every trip entails. She needs her coffee, doze of laughter and the prospect of a next trip on the horizon.

Featured Image courtesy | www.mandarinoriental.com

The post Singapore Calling! Your Curated Guide to the City appeared first on Little Black Book, Delhi.

By Koval Bhatia

It has taken me a fair bit of time to get around to writing this, and LBBD’s Suchita will vouch for that. The primary reason being that while everyone loves movie lists and recommendations, when it comes down to actually writing one, it feels like a pretty big commitment. In a way, the writer’s actually being presumptuous enough to say that some stuff out there is worth mentioning over the rest, and that he/she is somehow in a position to decide this. For me, that is a pretty daunting prospect. Moreover, like anybody else, I am limited by my exposure, personal preferences and many other factors.

Being in the ‘film-making industry’, I often meet people who feel like they are limited by resources, budgets, technical skills, and that this limitation stops them from making films. What’s cool is that there’s a breed of films and filmmakers who are dispelling this notion; that you need anything apart from a great idea and a bit of resourcefulness to tell a brilliant story. I’ve always romanticized the whole Tarantino notion of going to the movies instead of going to film school {to the point I really wish I hadn’t done the latter}. I do believe that watching a good film can teach you and enthrall you enough to make amazing cinema of your own.

So yes, here’s a list, not of low budget films that went on to be ridiculously successful {so Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch Project do not feature here}. This is more of a tribute to cinema; films made with sheer passion and in ways that have inspired me tremendously.

In the spirit of cinephilia, here goes..

The Man from Earth by Richard Schenkman |

There are two kinds of science fiction. There’s the sort that involves really big machines, pretty cool gadgets, dystopia and all that jazz. Then there’s this kind of film; The sort that plays out in the head, and at the level of ideas and conversation. However, what is truly remarkable about this film is that it is set in a single room, with a small bunch of actors, and not once does it feel monotonous. That’s what brilliant writing can do, So for all those who feel limited by resources or technical skill, watch this movie to see what a good script and a small collection of decent actors are capable of.

Man Bites Dog by 3 Belgian Filmmaking Students |

This film is one of the “cult” variety. The reason I mention it here is because I love the story behind the film as much as I love the film itself. This really eager bunch of aspiring filmmakers refused to be tied down by niggling details like having no money and barely any equipment. That said, the resource constraints did not stop the student filmmakers behind this movie from going balls-out crazy and making a movie that is disturbing at so many levels. It also raises some pretty interesting questions about the nature of reality/documentary media, while being really funny in the darkest way possible. Oh, and you can watch it on youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58g-gFAsuYA

Ten by Abbas Kiarostami |

Again, I mention this film here for one reason above others {not taking away from its overall brilliance in any way} – it was shot in a car with two digital cameras taped to the dashboard. And it explores, in a wonderful way, some very important social issues. I do consider that a pretty remarkable feat. Truth be told, owing to the political climate of Iran, some of the most ingenuous filmmaking has come from that country. If you want to see how people with courage and commitment to storytelling can circumvent the harshest cultural impositions, censorship and lack of organized infrastructure, you should explore Iranian cinema.

Once by John Carney |

The former bassist of The Frames really wanted to make a film about busking and the highs and lows in the life of anonymous musicians. When Cilian Murphy pulled out, taking any prospect of financial support with him, Carney asked his longtime friend Glen Hansard to play the lead. This movie stars Hansard and MarketaIglova, both beautiful musicians but untrained actors, which I believe is one of the strengths of this film. The scene where Hansard and Iglova end up performing Falling Slowly is probably one of the most sincere and genuine moments in film I have ever seen.

Primer by Shane Carruth |

This is another science fiction film driven entirely by a brilliant concept. And, the guy who made the film actually spent a lot of time understanding the physics behind the subject he was making the film about, and substituted budget with complexity of idea. While the film can be accused of being deliberately obscure, it still feels more honest than the travesty that is Nolan’s Inception. If you’re one of those people who spends a lot of time deliberating vague concepts of time travel, parallel dimensions and suchlike, this film should inspire you to turn your drunken theories into something remarkable.

The Seventh Seal by Ingmar Bergman |

This film does not really go with the rest of the list, for a variety of reasons. The primary reason is that this is the film that inspired me to want to be a filmmaker. The idea that all the nagging, ‘existentialist’ questions one has in mind can be expressed by the portrayal of a chess game; the fact that such complexities can be depicted so simply if the storyteller decides to break it all down – it floored me. For me, this film showed me what visual storytelling is capable of achieving, at its best and brightest.

There are thousands of such films out there, where ideas replace budgets, passion substitutes resources and sheer love for storytelling shines through. Robert Rodriguez started his career with El Mariachi, with a crew of 5 and literally no money. Christopher Nolan made Following, and Darren Aronofsky made Pi – both stunning films with brilliant ideas at the core, with negligible budgets.

The point being that one doesn’t have to wait for funding or go and struggle for years to get noticed and finally get a chance to “be a director”. If you have an idea that you truly believe in, and are resourceful enough, then nothing should get in your way.  We all choose our comfort zones and the joy of consuming what others create, on a daily basis. I believe that the only way to find out whether you can be a great storyteller is to go ahead and just tell it, any way you can.

And keep reminding yourself that any limitations that hold you back are, in fact, excuses and nothing more.

*

About the Author | Koval started A Little Anarky Films right after college {Jamia Millia Islamia Institute} at 23. For about a year, she scripted, shot, edited everything by herself and has overtime built a strong team of 15 fulltime people. She’s been trying to balance commissioned work and self-motivated work all the time, so she can afford the original dream behind anarky- to create a platform where people can come create great content and also earn a living off their skills. Koval’s team shot a breathtaking video for our Lake Bhatti walk. Check it out, here!

The post Real Ideas, Reel Magic appeared first on Little Black Book, Delhi.

Soulful drawings of sorrow and love by the young and insecure artist.

In 1961, legendary editor Ursula Norstrom sent young Maurice Sendak an exquisite letter of creative encouragement as he was spiraling into self-doubt while working on a children’s adaptation of Nikolenka’s Childhood (public library) by Leo Tolstoy, originally published in 1852 — an intense, expressionistic chronicle of the inner life of a young boy, the first novel in the author’s autobiographical trilogy.

Thanks to Nordstrom’s steadfast support, Sendak did finish the project and it was published two years later, the same year Sendak’s own now-iconic Where the Wild Things Are was released. His youthful insecurity, however, presents a beautiful parallel to the coming-of-age themes Tolstoy explores. The illustrations, presented here from a surviving copy of the 1963 gem, are as tender and soulful as young Sendak’s spirit:

The closing pages of the book echo the ideas and ideals of Tolstoy’s personal magnum opus, his Calendar of Wisdom, as he describes the final moments of the family’s lovable servant, Natalya Savishna:

She left this life without regret, did not fear death, and accepted it as a boon. This is often said, but how seldom it really is so! … Her whole life had been pure unselfish love and self-sacrifice.

What if her beliefs might have been more lofty and her life devoted to higher aims — was that pure soul therefore less worthy of love and admiration?

She accomplished the best and greatest thing in life — she died without regrets or fear.

Though long out of print, used copies of the Sendak-illustrated Nikolenka’s Childhood can still be found online. Complement it with Sendak’s posthumous love letter to the world and his unreleased drawings and intaglio prints.

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The Women of Asgarda | In the Ukraine, a country where females are victims of sexual trafficking and gender oppression, a new tribe of empowered women is emerging. Calling themselves the “Asgarda”, the women seek complete autonomy from men. Residing in the Carpathian Mountains, the tribe is comprised of 150 women of varying ages, primarily students, led by 30 year-old Katerina Tarnouska. Reviving the tribal traditions of the Scythian Amazons of ancient Greek mythology, the Asgarda train in martial arts, taught by former Soviet karate master, Volodymyr Stepanovytch, and learn life skills and sciences in order to become ideal women. 

Not only is it cool, but this ‘Tribe’ is one of the many sources of inspiration for this certain SRSister’s comic!