MOVE over, wine bars. The art of wine appreciation and food to match may well be losing its appeal if the recent activity in the beer scene is anything to go by.

CHUA Ek Kay was a Chinese ink painter with a difference, an eminent Singaporean artist best known for an artistic style that successfully combined the eastern and western sensibilities of art.

ART and politics are close relatives. Art often reflects the political and social environment in which it is created.

I ATTENDED an ethnic wedding at the National Museum the other evening, and even though I didn't know any of the other guests or, for that matter, the bride and groom, and it was merely a dress rehearsal, I had a pretty good time. In fact, it was more fun than some real weddings I've been to.

THE live spectacle that best captures the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat is upon us once again - and I'm not talking about the Winter Olympics or American Idol.

SOME people have been around the block a few times in their lives, but Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is the kind of guy who makes it a daily habit - and all before breakfast.

THERE'S something satisfyingly cathartic about watching disaster movies, which tend to make us grateful for the mundane monotony of our lives, as well as envious of the opportunities for dramatic heroism actors seem to revel in.

ANYONE who complains that today's music all sounds the same simply hasn't listened widely enough to what's out there.

IT has taken a long time but there are distinct signs that Riesling is at last beginning to feature in Singapore as a viable alternative to Chardonnay when white wine is being thought of.

IT'S suitably sunny the day Mitch Albom holds his first press conference in Singapore.

THE very notion of video gaming is intrinsically linked to fun and entertainment, but Singapore's been looking for ways to keep the former while stripping out the latter.