Young Asian readers seeking the thrill of ghouls and haunted houses no longer turn only to Western favorites to satisfy their itch. Asia’s answer to the record-selling British boy wizard Harry Potter is the Mr Midnight series of books. The appeal, says author Jim Aitchison, is the books’ ability to address an Asian child’s values and sensibilities.
The classroom erupted in delighted cheers at the teacher’s vigorous thrusts into a toilet bowl. The plunger-wielding ”professor” from Japan, Atsuhiro Katsumata, was in Singapore to help the city-state’s toilet cleaners brush up their skills. Singapore, it seems, has yet to take its seat among the ranks of those with the most sparkling urinals.
She seemed to have everything a girl could ask for: a sports car, designer clothes and memberships in the most exclusive clubs in Singapore, all paid for by her doting parents. What more do you give a 19-year-old daughter? If you were the parents of Vivian (not her real name), you would give her a surgical makeover package.
The city-state that banned chewing gum and regulated the flushing of public toilets is loosening up and reinventing itself as a nightlife hub where all-night drinking and bar-top dancing are no longer taboo. Exchanging its nanny gloves for dancing boots, the city’s freer image is already paying off as leading overseas dance clubs move in to Singapore’s expanding scene.
Asian shoppers with an eye for glamour and a wallet for luxury are off to Singapore, where stars such as Gaultier, Ferragamo and Calvin Klein headline the annual fashion festival that begins on Friday. The 10-day showcase brings together international catwalk stars and local designers.