What's Up This Week

TIME CHALLENGE

Italian luxury diving watch brand Panerai is launching its own interactive content platform on Instagram and Facebook. The multi-part online series called #OwnYourTime will feature the brand's various global ambassadors sharing about how they make the most of each moment of their lives. Last week's theme was exploration and it featured a Q&A with South African-born Swiss professional explorer Mike Horn, and a TED Talk by freediving champion Guillaume Néry about his deep-dive discoveries and expeditions in the oceans. Wildlife photographer and safari guide, Marlon Du Toit, also shared a session on his wildest photography experiences. Up next are Team Director and Skipper for the Luna Rossa Team, Max Sirena; American climber and filmmaker, Jimmy Chin (Free Solo); and Italian Olympic team swimmer, Gregorio Paltrinieri. ~ Dylan Tan

Check www.panerai.com or follow @panerai on Instagram to find out more.

PREMIUM BERRIES

Korean strawberries have always lagged a little behind their Japanese counterparts in terms of pedigree, but a new range of premium berries developed by the Korean government's agricultural scientists could well even out the competition. Two of its top-of-the-line strawberries are available in Culina this season - Jukhyang (until end-May) and Merryqueen (end-April) from Damyang country in South Jeolla Province, one of the country's richest farming belts. Much of Korea's best produce rarely makes it out of the country so this is a chance to taste some of it while you can. Both Jukhyang ("bamboo scent") and Merryqueen are cultivated for their high sugar content which makes them sweet enough to eat au naturel, with a lovely fruity fragrance that puts them a world apart from the mass market ones you get in local supermarkets. ~ Jaime Ee

Priced at S$28 (Jukhyang) and S$27 (Merryqueen) at Culina Market in Dempsey.

GIFT A MEAL

Just because we can't mingle doesn't mean we can't treat friends, family and healthcare workers to a meal while supporting local F&B businesses which are offering food delivery services. MyTreat is a new initiative that lets you buy someone a meal post the details on Instagram or Facebook through a template provided and the hashtag #mytreatsg. It indicates what you bought, for whom and why. There's also a template for recipients to show their appreciation. Alternatively, make a donation to OurTreat, an offshoot from MyTreat. The money raised will go towards buying meals for frontline staff. The movement is started by food writer Anette Tan, and public relations professional Lyla Lin, who hope that MyTreat will encourage people to be supportive of each in these uncertain times. ~ Tay Suan Chiang

See instagram.com/mytreatsg.

NINE LIVES

Nine Years Theatre, arguably the best Mandarin theatre company in Singapore, has had two of its productions, First Fleet and Three Sisters, cancelled because of the pandemic. It is now releasing video recordings of its older productions for a limited period to help you stay home. They are Pissed Julie (Apr 16 - 22), a radical reimagining of Strindberg's Miss Julie; Lear Is Dead (Apr 23 - 29), a reinterpretation of Shakespeare's King Lear; and FAUST/US (Apr 30 - May 6), based on Goethe's classic Faust. You can the find the videos on Nine Year Theatre's Facebook page, and you can also donate to the company at www.giving.sg/nineyearstheatre. ~ Helmi Yusof

VIRTUAL COCKTAILS

All bars are now closed but you can still watch your favourite bartenders in action on Zoom. Distiller William Grant & Sons (WG&S), has launched the 1887 Virtual Bar, named after the year the company was founded. The virtual bar will have weekly guest shifts hosted by bartenders from local drinking establishments such as Shin Gi Tai, Nutmeg & Clove and Tess Bar. Consumers can purchase a digital cocktail off the menu for S$20, which they can redeem for a drink when the bar resumes operations. In addition, WG&S will match the value of every purchase made, to show solidarity with the local bartending community. Guest shifts will happen every Thursday night via Zoom, at https://bit.ly/2yDThXu. ~ Tay Suan Chiang

Buy a cocktail at ticketmelon.com/WGS/1887virtualbar

MICHELIN ON ZOOM

If you're hankering to host a dinner party, then visit the two Michelin-starred Saint Pierre virtual restaurant, where chef-owner Emmanuel Stroobant appears at your house via the Zoom app. For a minimum of 15 people at S$180++ or S$220++ a head, a beautifully packed omakase meal will be delivered to your house (and that of your guests) by someone in a suit, not a Grab uniform with a cooler bag strapped to his back. Via a Zoom link, Chef Stroobant will appear to introduce the menu to you, which includes a selection of miniature cold dishes from amuse bouche to mains, cheese and dessert. With every order, Saint Pierre will buy a care pack from Project Chulia Street to benefit migrant workers. It's also donating 100 meals a week to frontline healthcare workers until the Circuit Breaker is lifted. ~ Jaime Ee

For reservations, email info@saintpierre.com.sg or call +65 6438 0887.

KEEP CALM AND COLOUR ON

In these uncertain times, colouring books for adults have once again become a popular source of therapy. But if their typically ornate floral images have started to feel a little staid, how about colouring some memorable Shakespeare scenes instead? The free Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Colouring Book features 35 illustrations taken from the classic 19th century book The Plays Of William Shakespeare, edited and annotated by Charles and Mary Cowden Clarke. Each gorgeously detailed image depicts an iconic scene from the play, such as King Hamlet being poisoned in his sleep (pictured), the deathbed sequence in Romeo & Juliet, and Puck playing tricks on Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream. ~ Helmi Yusof

Download the book at shakespeareillustration.org.

LIVE AID

About a third of the world's population is currently holed up at home, thanks to Covid-19. To make isolation a little more bearable, Lady Gaga, along with the World Health Organisation and Global Citizen, have come together to stage One World: Together At Home. The star-studded Live-Aid-style concert will be streamed 'live' across multiple platforms including FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Hosted by late night talk show MCs Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, it will include inspiring stories from the world's frontline healthcare heroes; as well as appearances by Idris and Sabrina Elba, Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, David Beckham and more. Musical guests performing include Billie Eilish, Andrea Bocelli, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Chris Martin (Coldplay), Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), Stevie Wonder and more. ~ Dylan Tan

Catch One World : Together At Home on April 19, 2020 at 8am SGT (April 18 8:00pm EDT). Visit www.globalcitizen.org/togetherathome for more info.