https://www.scmp.com/rss/319415/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com One week before Sean Lee started his campus life, he pulled out of university. He preferred to pursue photography, a hobby he picked up right after junior college. “I was not good at anything, and average at everything. I had to study very hard to get my grades, and even though I ran 12km every day, I couldn’t make the school cross-country team,” he said. “But I had a feeling that I’d be good at photography.” For years, his instinct seemed more crazy than clever. “I had zero assignments for a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/business/article/2152079/singapores-university-challenge-value-skills-much-degrees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/business/article/2152079/singapores-university-challenge-value-skills-much-degrees?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Jun 2018 00:30:45 +0000 Before settling down in his seat, celebrity chef Justin Quek turns to his wait staff and rattles off a list of dishes to serve for lunch. He decides to go Asian, starting with a tangy treat to whet the appetite – hot and sour soup. He’s supposed to be talking about what he does in his spare time, though given the frenetic pace of his trendy French-Asian restaurant Sky on 57 at the top of Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands, it’s a wonder he gets any. On this occasion, he juggles being interviewed with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/2009567/how-singapores-celebrity-chef-justin-quek-spends-his-private-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/2009567/how-singapores-celebrity-chef-justin-quek-spends-his-private-time?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Aug 2016 03:02:28 +0000 When Wendy Ting splashed out S$4,000 (HK$23,000) renting a pushcart to sell Japanese cuddly toys in a busy suburban mall in Singapore, her hope was simply to eke out a small profit. Despite being parked in the middle of AMK Hub, a mall linked to the subway in one of the city’s most densely populated housing estates, Ting sold just S$1,000 worth of toys over two months. Read more from This Week in Asia “Lots of kids were interested but the parents kept saying, ‘so expensive, no money to buy’,”... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/1999505/singapore-heading-recession?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/1999505/singapore-heading-recession?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Aug 2016 01:00:00 +0000 In the weeks leading up to the death of Lee Kuan Yew, many Singaporeans were rooting for his recovery, hoping that the founding prime minister could be well enough to witness the city state's golden celebration. But fate and time were not on his side. He died in March, a few months shy of Singapore's 50th Independence Day next Sunday - August 9. His absence makes for not only a poignant jubilee, but also a bittersweet turning point for an unlikely country which has leapt from third world to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1845748/singapore-gets-ready-celebrate-its-50th-birthday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1845748/singapore-gets-ready-celebrate-its-50th-birthday?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Aug 2015 17:32:14 +0000 The most expensive penthouse in Singapore has been snapped up by Chinese billionaire Sun Tongyu, co-founder of e-commerce site Alibaba, signalling renewed interest among mainland buyers for luxury apartments in the city-state. Sun, a Singapore permanent resident, paid a record-breaking S$51 million (HK$291 million) for the only penthouse unit at Le Nouvel Ardmore. Located in the prime district at Ardmore Road, the swanky freehold development has only 43 large apartments. This purchase works out... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/money-wealth/article/1818245/rich-chinese-target-singapore-skyline-high-end-property?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/money-wealth/article/1818245/rich-chinese-target-singapore-skyline-high-end-property?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jun 2015 15:15:00 +0000