Antique timepieces rest beside mobile chargers and colourful plastic jewellery. A Barbie sits patiently, her dress a little weathered but still pretty. Underneath a table, an old photo of a man in his youthful glory is captured with an auric glow. These remnants of the past may seem useless, but new owners can be found at Sungei Road Market – also frequently named Thieves’ Market for its origins. Forgotten but functional, Singapore oldest flea mart is all about second chances.

Flowers wither. Chocolates get eaten. But memories…stay forever. And yet, capturing those Valentine’s Day moments is easily one of the most overlooked aspects for the day. With the spotlight on the date, flowers and gifts, snapshots become an afterthought – a shame, given the many iconic moments that may happen. This Valentine’s, try moving photography up on your priorities list. You don’t need to be Murad Osmann. Here are some tips to get you on the right track.

After the book and movie Eat, Pray, Love, Bali has cemented itself as one of the world’s choice destination to find oneself. It’s thoughtful, it’s beautiful, it’s exotic – and lucky us, it’s also less than three hours away. And with budget flights readily available, it’s a no-brainer to rejuvenate your soul at our southern neighbour’s famed island.

If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know the surprisingly clear premise of Split - the latest film from M. Night Shyamalan. A mysterious man kidnaps three girls and traps them in an unknown location. As they struggle to escape, it would seem that he has accomplices - except it turns out, “they” are him. It’s all him. James McAvoy is Kevin, the kidnapper who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). We start the film when he is controlled by the stern and OCD-inflicted “Dennis”, kidnapping Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), Claire (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula) for a mysterious reason, with his companion personalities, “Ms Patricia” and “Hedwig”. Together, they are considered “the Horde”; three of twenty-three personalities taking turns to be “in the light” inside Kevin. This only turns more disturbing, as words like “The Beast” and “sacred food” are whispered by the trio, and the girls, naturally panic-stricken, work towards finding their way out of their jail.

Unlike its sibling city of Ho Chi Minh, where the steer towards development has been clearly imprinted, Hanoi seems to thrive in its organic growth – a messy checkerboard of old and new businesses – mostly short buildings leaning whimsically like some fairy-tale town, dressed up with the copious tinsel of ancient wires – the lifeblood of power and telecommunications. To suss out the city’s logic and layout, one must be willing to invest in exploring her many streets, which makes Hanoi at least

Emerging from the famous rainforests of Sarawak is a jungle of another kind. Dubbed The Land of the Hornbills, you’ll be hard-pressed to actually sight one of the majestic birds if you ever visit Sarawak, but you might find in its stead, from the other end of the spectrum, a rising destination for MICE events.

Murat Salman shares his induction into Singapore’s lifestyle, with lingo to match. Amidst the bustle of the Starbucks at Change Alley, Mr Salman chuckles as he recollects his first days here in Singapore. “Now, going back about seven to eight years, I can smile at those moments.” 

One moment I was in the urban confines of Tangs, a multi-brand departmental store in the hub-buzz of Orchard; the next, a wood cabin in the fringe mountains of Tibet, redolent with the musky aromas of hanging herbs, chopped roots and bubbling butter tea.

So you, the proud business owner, have everything in place – a shop, a system, and more than enough spirit. You give out flyers, go social on Facebook and Instagram, offer promotions and even had a little dalliance with Groupon (shhh, we won’t tell). But try as you might, sustaining results is proving to be a full-time job. And we know you’ve already got a lot on your plate.

Christmas in the tropics is never the same as our pole-inclined neighbours. Visions of white can only be found floating around as soapy foam; or laid out in cotton pillows on sparkly trees during the yuletide season. For bakeries, scenes of unfamiliar snow are fastidiously recreated on fallen logs of sponge and cream.

A polished gem with innumerable facets, Jewel Kilcher shines brightly as one of the few reigning artistes that has reached out and inspired her fans with diverse lyrical tunes reflecting several of humanity’s condition.

You will most probably remember their whimsical ditty about ‘… car crashes, tv shows, a drunkard on the side of the road, people running.” Now who can make that sort of lyrics and get away with a top hit in Singapore?