BECOMING. Erika Tan creates an installation which analyzes how relationships between self, nation, state and the body. It reveals how actions such as oath-taking and role-playing assist in the evolution of oneself. Through Nov 12. City Hall, 3 St. Andrew’s Rd., 6837-9270. Open Mon-Wed, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm; Thu 1-6pm; Fri 10am-9pm. Free.

BLOCK 73C. Revealing that the past is distinguished in relation to the present, this installation by Erika Tan uncovers how exploring old military base Tanglin Camp brings to mind imagined scenarios of an earlier period. Through Nov 12. Tanglin Camp, 73 Loewen Rd., 6837-9270. Open Mon-Wed, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm; Thu 1-6pm; Fri 10am-9pm. Free.

THE BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY PROJECT. A video of a courtroom drama which is accompanied by one of Queen’s hits “Bohemian Rhapsody,” this art piece by Ho Tzu Nyen reveals his passion for film, painting and history. Through Nov 12. City Hall, 3 St. Andrew’s Rd., 6837-9270. Open Mon-Wed, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm; Thu 1-6pm; Fri 10am-9pm. Free.

THE FOG IS RISING. Sound artists George Chua, Alwyn Lim and Yuen Chee Wai collaborate to put up this installation. Aluminium sheets hang from a room in which soft, low frequency sounds resonate, crafting a contemplative ambience. This art work investigates the nature of social relations. Through Nov 12. Tanglin Camp, 73 Loewen Rd., 6837-9270. Open Mon-Wed, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm; Thu 1-6pm; Fri 10am-9pm. Free.

SECRET, INTERIORS: CHRYSALIS (19-22). Donna Ong creates intriguing mix media installations which act as the futile creations of imagined personas such as a scientist or a musician. Her works depict how faith, doubt, reality and delusion motivate one’s actions. Through Nov 12. City Hall, 3 St. Andrew’s Rd., 6837-9270. Open Mon-Wed, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm; Thu 1-6pm; Fri 10am-9pm. Free.

SONTO AL LOYO: THE ELEGY OF A MAN AND HIS WEAPON OF CHOICE. Rizman Putra explores notions of an identity and a spectacle, and unravels the effects of the media. He creates a character Sonto Al Loyo who is a musician, and puts up a series of marketing events which will culminate in a concert. See video clips of what his persona’s talents in this exhibition. Through Nov 12. City Hall, 3 St. Andrew’s Rd., 6837-9270. Open Mon-Wed, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm; Thu 1-6pm; Fri 10am-9pm. Free.

WE LIVE IN A DANGEROUS WORLD. Brian Gothong Tan creates an installation that questions religion, humanity, war and spirituality. Sculptures, photographs, and figures such as the Virgin Mary and a Kuan Yin Buddha adorn a room. Through Nov 12. Tanglin Camp, 73 Loewen Rd., 6837-9270. Open Mon-Wed, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm; Thu 1-6pm; Fri 10am-9pm. Free.

WORTHY TOUR CO (S) PTE LTD. Challenging the concept of an “official culture,” and stressing the multiplicity of perspectives, Amanda Heng sets up a show that fuses installation with performance art. A travel agency which promotes a tour of cultural collections such as Chinese film scripts, paintings and calligraphy works is created. Through Nov 12. City Hall, 3 St. Andrew’s Rd., 6837-9270. Open Mon-Wed, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm; Thu 1-6pm; Fri 10am-9pm. Free.

Sony Ericsson Z550i

The latest phone from Sony Ericsson, the Z550i, sports all the cool features you’ve come to expect, like a 1.3 megapixel camera with a 4x digital zoom, an HTML browser and Bluetooth capabilities. But what really sets it apart is that it’s wrapped in a Sterling Black or Pearl Copper casing that combines premium brushed metal and high gloss material, making it one very fetching phone. The Z550i is available now for $498 at The M1 Shop (#B1-28/29 Paragon, 290 Orchard Rd., Hotline: 1800-843-8383).

Nokia Nseries Experience Studio

If you’re looking to pick up one of Nokia’s Nseries phones, or if you just want to have a go at their cool features—like photography, videology and music players—you can swing by the new Nokia Nseries Experience Studio (#01-10/11 Scotts Shopping Centre, 6 Scotts Rd., Customer Service Line: 6822-8888). This chic shop allows customers to try out the phones to their hearts content in a chilled out environment that encourages you to linger.

Motorola MOTOMING

The latest smart phone from Motorola, the MOTOMING, is a great mix of style and substance. It’s a svelte and chic mobile device, which features—among other things—cursive handwriting recognition, a music player, instant messaging via IM Wireless Village, video capture and, most importantly, a high performance personal information manager. It’s available now for $818 and you can pick it up at Hello! @ Bugis Junction (#01-50/50A, Parco Bugis Junction, 200 Victoria St., Hotline: 1626).

In its 13th year, the annual Singapore Food Festival is still going strong. This year’s festival of Singapore dishes promises its biggest showcase yet, with 50 events and activities lined up in the whole of July.

Kicking off the festival is an event centered on a dish that’s close to the hearts (or mouths) of Singaporeans—chili crab. If you’re a big fan of this man tou-dipping delicacy, then this event is for you: the Super Crab 101 Buffet will set Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza on fire on Jul 2 ($30 adult, $15 child). If you think there’s only one way to cook the crustacean, think again. Literally 101 crab dishes will be presented at this buffet spread, while 30 stalls will feature their own renditions of the chili crab dish.

The Singapore Food Ball Festival (Jul 6-9, 11am-9:30pm, Bugis Junction) is another much-touted event. This free admission event features, you guessed it, all food spherical—all in the name of World Cup mania. Hainanese chicken rice balls, glutinous rice balls, onde onde, Takpachi octopus balls, ice balls … you get the picture.

How about sampling some edible flowers? At Dining in a Garden City (Jul 12-16, 11am-9:30pm, Plaza Singapura), not only do you dine in a lush and luxuriant garden setting, discover how to make flowers palatable in your food too.

Go to any wedding and you’re always guaranteed a good feed. The Wedding Feast (Jul 28-30, 10am-9pm, Marina Square & Millenia Walk) showcases not one, but three, weddings—Malay, Indian and Chinese—including the food, cultural customs and wedding preparations of each ethnic group. At just $25 per person, this is also cheaper than a regular ang pao. And at $20, you can gorge yourself silly at Marina Square with the longest multicultural wedding cake, sweets, savories and candies.
Look out for food promotions, special menus and discounts at over 100 participating food establishments around the island. For more details, log on to www.singaporefoodfestival.com.

2005 saw many of the hotel restaurants renovate and revamp their buffet spreads. With each competing to bring us bigger and better concepts, there is now a large range of hotel buffets offering gourmet delights. Here’s where to go when three courses just ain’t enough.

Restaurant: Town Restaurant

The Fullerton Hotel, 1 Fullerton Square, 6877-8128.
Lunch $38-42; dinner $38-48.

The Spread: There is a modest spread that includes sashimi, sushi and extremely fresh seafood, as well as hot dishes that change daily. Two counters are devoted to desserts with servings of local and western cakes and fresh fruits.

The Highlights: We highly recommend the very fresh sashimi, lobsters, tiger prawns, and a wide selection of fresh oysters from Tasmania, France and Canada.

Point of Difference: Though the selection may be typical, the quality and standard of food plus the service are excellent. ★★★★✩

Restaurant: The Line

Shangri-La Hotel, 22 Orange Grove Rd., 6213-4275.
Lunch $43-68; dinner $68-88.

The Spread: There are an extraordinary 12 open-kitchen counters serving fresh seafood, sashimi and sushi, salads, grills, Indian, Hong Kong style noodles and three dessert counters with teppanyaki ice cream.

The Highlights: The seafood is the freshest we’ve seen in a buffet with everything sweet and succulent. Baked pastas are magnificent, the grilled meats are delicious and the Indian curries and breads are fantastic.

Point of Difference: This is high quality food that would rank well even on an a la carte menu. Everything is fresh, and the service is excellent. ★★★★★

Restaurant: The Square

7/F, Novotel Clarke Quay Singapore, 177A River Valley Rd., 6433-8790.
Lunch $32; dinner $38.

The Spread: The Square offers a humble range of international cuisines such as French mussels and sashimi, as well as changing themes such as Flavors of Asia and Seafood and Sauvignon.

The Highlights: The French mussels accompanied with chips are fresh and well cooked, the sashimi is similarly good and all the chocolates are hand-made.

Point of Difference: If you’re in Clarke Quay entertaining for business, this has good quality food. ★★★✩✩

Restaurant: Cafebiz

Traders Hotel, 1A Cuscaden Rd., 6738-2222.
Lunch $32; dinner $42-48.

The Spread:The seven counters include the popular show kitchen shared by Chinese Chef Wan and Indian Chef Dinesh. Other counters consist of Japanese appetizers, hot soups, dim sum and diverse international mains. 

The Highlights:The show stealer is the la mian with beef stock, which the international fare pales in comparison to. The refreshing cucumber yogurt shots score on originality.

Point of Difference: Although the varied cuisine is standard in taste, it is reasonably priced for a hearty lunchtime retreat. ★★★✩✩

Restaurant: The Buffet

M Hotel Singapore, 81 Anson Rd., 6224-6128.
Lunch $30; dinner $38.

The Spread: This steamboat buffet consists of a healthy range of faves like seafood, vegetables and yong tau fu. The dessert counters are home to pastries, colorful tarts and cakes.

The Highlights: The fresh Norwegian salmon oozes perfection when doused in steaming tom yum soup, and don’t miss the drunken prawns. The variety of sauces complement the hot pot experience excellently.

Point of Difference: With the choicest ingredients to pick from, this is a satisfying hot pot dinner. ★★★½✩

Restaurant: Straits Kitchen

G/F, Grand Hyatt Singapore, 10 Scotts Rd., 6416-7114.
Lunch and dinner $38. 

The Spread: Singapore’s favorite local dishes are celebrated here. Noodles and stir fries, steaming soups, roasted duck and chicken rice, spicy curries, and traditional desserts.

The Highlights: Straits Kitchen has managed to refine its skills so that they have specialties across most of our local food types. Its rojak is crispy, its roast duck notable, its roti prata is freshly baked.

Point of Difference: Food is prepared a la minute (when ordered) so it’s always fresh and hot. We feel proud of our culture eating here. ★★★★✩

Restaurant: Oscar’s

G/F, Conrad Centennial Singapore, 2 Temasek Blvd., 6432-7481.
Lunch $39; dinner $43-55. 

The Spread: Oscar’s offers daily buffet spreads with seven sections that feature a mix of local and international dishes.

The Highlights: Must-tries include the a la minute Caesar salad that’s tossed in an impressive bowl made of cheese, the large variety of ingredients for 30 kinds of salads and the made-to-order waffles.

Point of Difference: Just the sheer variety and the impressive spread of healthy salads make this hotel buffet stand out. Great for business entertainment.★★★½✩

Restaurant: Melt—The World Café

4/F, The Oriental, 5 Raffles Ave., Marina Sq., 6885-3082.
Lunch $42; dinner $52-58. 

The Spread: One of the most popular buffets in town, especially during dinner time when it’s perpetually packed. Choose from a whopping 12 counters from Indian to local food to sushi to desserts. 

The Highlights: The food here is uniformly good, but the stars are the top notch Indian counter and arguably the best waffles in town.

Point of Difference: The variety is impressive, while the attentive service of the staff here earns Melt extra points. ★★★★✩

Restaurant: Checkers Brasserie

G/F, Hilton Singapore, 581 Orchard Rd., 6737-2233.
Prices vary from $33-48 for various nights.  

The Spread: For small eaters looking for an eclectic selection, Checkers is the one to visit. The concept here is themed buffets—including Thai on Tue, Japanese on Wed and Sat, and Indonesian on Thu. 

The Highlights: Less is more as the narrower selection means high quality. The sashimi cuts are top notch, but our personal favorite is the noodles counter, where fresh ramens and sobas can be found.

Point of Difference: For the weight conscious and fashionistas who frequent the boutiques at the Hilton, Checkers is a good bet. Prices are affordable too. ★★★✩✩

Restaurant: Vibe

The Meritus Negara Singapore, 10 Claymore Rd., 6737-0811
Lunch $29, dinner $39-42.  

The Spread: The buffet offers salads, cold seafood and meats, and a choice of soups served at your table. There’s also a pasta section and a main course section with a modest range of stews, meats and sides. 

The Highlights: The meats in the churrasco are tasty, juicy and cooked just right. We highly recommend the chocolate fountain. The range of dippers is excellent—fresh fruit, dried fruit, marshmallows, biscuits.

Point of Difference: Come here for the churrasco. It really is good quality. ★★★★✩

more buffet restaurants in Singapore

With mushy love letters in hand and dressed in our Sunday best, we nervously chat up two dames from our very own local bands. A date with the feisty Ginette Chittick from Astreal or the cool Linda Ong from Lunarin is up for grabs in a charity auction, a highlight of the music event Broadcast. Ng Hui Hsien finds out what makes them tick.

Ginette Chittick:

What kind of vibes do you think you give out?
I’d like to think I’m pretty approachable, if approached in the right way.

So what’s so special about you?
Nothing much really, except for the fact that I can levitate.

How do you know when you are in love?
When I hold his hand and I get giddy. Like for real.

What is your ideal date like?
My fiancé brought me out for a beautiful date once. We went to the far end of the East Coast beach and set up camp near the woods. It was late afternoon. The sky was perfect, the weather was great, and we had clam chowder, which he made over a fire. We stayed till night fell and the stars came out. Just being there with my soulmate, I never wanted to leave.

What is the sweetest thing a date has done for you?
He brought me to a beautiful tree, read a book to me while I lay on his lap. It was one of the most perfect evenings.

Tell us a sure way to win your heart.
Be really funny and make sure you don’t smell bad.

Mummy’s boy or devilish biker?
Mummy’s devilish boy biker.

Are you more domineering or passive in a relationship?
Most of the time, it’s equal and I like it this way. I used to be the more domineering one when I was in my teens.

Tell us about your secret fantasy.
My secret fantasy is to be a militant animal rights activist. Like really militant. I once watched a documentary about a man who got himself a huge trawler with a crew and they’d go to the oceans and cut whaling nets and hose down whaling ship crews with giant jets of water. Brilliant!

How do you eat your ice cream—lick it till it’s gone, or swallow it whole?
I bite at it—hard.

Linda Ong:

What kind of vibes do you think you give out?
Depending on the situation, it can range from kid sister vibes, bad-ass lawyer from hell vibes or artsy pretentious philosophy student vibes. I am extremely adaptable to my surroundings.

So what’s so special about you?
Unlike most women, I have not discovered the wonders of manicures.

How do you know when you are in love?
When cartoons make me tear. I wept buckets when watching Finding Nemo.

What is your ideal date like?
An ideal date would be someone intelligent, has a wicked sense of humor and is not averse to alcohol.

What is the sweetest thing a date has done for you?
This sweet boy wrote me a note asking me to marry him after a date. I think I was eight years old at the time.

Tell us a sure way to win your heart.
Impress me with your knowledge of Tori Amos lyrics, red wines and Milan Kundera’s Immortality. I am a sucker for the aforesaid.

Mummy’s boy or devilish biker?
I am not sure, but I do know my boyfriend has five bikes …

Are you more domineering or passive in a relationship?
I prefer the phrase “collaborator/ partner in crime.”

Tell us about your secret fantasy.
Let’s just say it would involve a rooftop terrace, olive oil, a leash and small furry creatures.

How do you eat your ice cream—lick it till it’s gone, or swallow it whole?
Well, it depends. If it is creamy gelato I will lick it. If it is a Magnum bar I will chew it.

What is your current state of mind?
Pure energy.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
In between showbiz and medicine, but I wasn’t sure which one made more money.

What inspires you?
Good energy and love.

What personal trait do you appreciate the most in others?
I appreciate people who give, who are honest and straightforward.

Do you have a cause or do you support one?
My own personal cause: I go to Ethiopia twice a year with my boyfriend, just to spend time there on our own, befriend the children and village folks, and travel and explore. It brings me down to earth and in touch with the realities of life.

Which living person do you admire most and would like to invite for dinner?
Woody Allen.

What are you reading?
A book my boyfriend gave me called Prodavnica Tajni (The Mysterious Boutique) by Dino Bucati, a famous Italian writer. I like it as it’s a collection of short stories that is easy to read.

How do you spend your Sunday mornings?
Sleep late and laze around till late noon, take it easy, go for brunch with my boyfriend, go out in our boat and chill out, watch the birds fly and enjoy a quiet lazy Sunday together.

What is your idea of hell?
War is hell.

What is your guilty pleasure?
None, as everything that is pleasurable should not be guilt-ridden. But oh, wait, there’s one: Coming to Singapore for the first time and staying just one day. Next time, I’ll have to stay at least two weeks and travel around Asia.

How do you recharge?
Going to Ethiopia and traveling for leisure, and not for work.

What’s playing in your Ipod/MP3/CD player?
Brazilian music, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Marianne Faithful.

What do you collect?
Jewelry.

Where would you like to live?
I’m happy to be living in New York now, and pretty much can live anywhere else, including Singapore.

What is your favorite item of clothing?
My shoes.

What accessory sets you apart?
Rings, jewelry and bags.

What about you scares others?
My energy.

If you had to play a character in a movie, which movie and which character?
An everyday person in a Woody Allen movie.

What did you believe at 18 that you wish you still believed now?
That life is perfect and once you’ve reached a goal, that’s it. But it’s not so, as we’re constantly working to the next thing. It never stops, life goes on.

How long have you been swallowing fire?
We have been doing this for the past 10 to 11 years. We started off as traditional dancers at first until one day we caught a Maori fire dance on television. After that we decided to add that extra fiery element in our dance.

How often do you train for this?
Usually between four to five hours a day. There have been some changes in our dance moves and fire acts since we first arrived in the Night Safari, so we had to adjust and re-choreograph our moves.

Do your parents approve of this?
(Smiles) Definitely not at first. But they eventually gave in … about two to three years later.

Would you allow your children to follow the same footsteps?
Yong is the only one who has children, two daughters aged four and two and both of them can twirl a firestick. He doesn’t mind and I won’t mind either.

What qualities and equipment do you need to pick up this hobby?
You have to have the willingness to learn and you have to be brave, of course. We actually make our own equipment. This is because the equipment is customized according to our height and arm length. In addition, we want to be responsible for our own act and by using our own handmade equipment, we can ensure the quality and safety of our act.

Doesn’t the fire eating burn your tongue?
It did at first. But we have been doing this for eight to nine years now. We have mastered the technique and trust us–it is not black magic or any spiritual mumbo-jumbo.

Do you only use kerosene and has anybody experienced side effects from accidentally swallowing kerosene?
We have used other liquids like turpentine and alcohol, but kerosene thus far has been the best option. It is suitable for indoors and it burns slower, which gives us more control over the flame. We can gauge when the flame is getting too close when we blow fire so we know when to stop. The side effect from swallowing kerosene is usually diarrhea, yet interestingly, back home in East Malaysia, we actually use small amounts of kerosene to prevent constipation, especially in babies.

What are some of the painful incidents you guys have experienced when training?
It’s the usual minor burns around the mouth and lips but we have been careful so far. However, we have seen other friends who have been admitted into intensive care. Breathing is an important aspect in a fire act like this. If you breathe in too much, you run the risk of burning your organs, which has happened to our friends.

I realized most of the guys have long hair. Has anybody’s hair ever caught fire?
Definitely, burnt hair, eyebrows and other facial hair.

What is your current state of mind?
I’m feeling very at ease with my current status in life. I’m healthy, have a beautiful wife and I represent my country in a sport that I am very passionate about.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I think I was born to play rugby though I played football for a short spell too. Growing up, I’ve never thought of becoming anything else.

What is your biggest achievement?
Helping Fiji to win the Rugby World Cup Sevens Championship.

How do you spend your Sunday mornings?
If it’s not a competition or training weekend, I like to sleep in and laze around.

What is your idea of hell?
Going shopping with a group of women.

What is your guilty pleasure?
Afternoon naps.

How do you recharge?
Going on holidays.

What’s playing in your Ipod/MP3/CD player?
Mostly hip hop and pop music.

What are you reading?
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

What do you collect?
Tries and victories.

Where would you like to live?
Nowhere but Fiji. As players, we spend a fair bit of time on the road, so I’d really like to spend as much time in my homeland as possible.

What inspires you?
The person who inspires me the most is my mentor, Waisale Serevi. He taught me all that I know about the game. Without him, I am nothing.

What personal trait do you appreciate the most in others?
Godliness.

Do you have a cause or do you support one?
None at the moment, but I think I’d like to be involved with something to do with kids and serve as some form of inspiration to them.

Which living person do you admire most and would like to invite for dinner?
Nelson Mandela.

What about you that scares others?
My speed and the hunger I have to win each time I step on the pitch. When I get on the pitch, I feel happy and really want to fight, like a lion that wants to eat its prey. As soon as I hold the ball, I want to take it to the try line because I know that I can make it.

If you had to play a character in a movie, which movie and which character?
I like Russell Crowe’s character in Gladiator.

What did you believe at 18 that you wish you still believed now?
That size is all that matters.

What’s your current state of mind?
Mahasajahn. It’s one of my favorite Thai words, very retro, from the 1930s or ’40s, and it means “marvelous.” I have a lot of good fortune in my life, and it would be ridiculous to feel anything else.

What’s your fondest memory from your time with I-S?
Oh, definitely Mid-Autumn Festival every year, which heralded the arrival of boxes and boxes and boxes of durian mooncakes from all our favorite hotels.

What’s the weirdest thing that ever happened to you at the old offices in Singapore?
There was the time termites ate through two cartons of I-S Restaurant Guides, and it went undiscovered until I opened the boxes one day to find something so weird and disgusting I can’t even begin to describe it. There were the numerous (!) visits from irate restaurant owners who got past our Attila the Hun reception desk and sat across from me and berated me about an I-S restaurant review until they started to cry. Or the time one of the daily papers, which shall remain nameless, plagiarized a story from I-S, and when I called the editor to complain, he acknowledged it but told me I should be flattered. There was also the time, of course, when I-S lost its publishing license for a month in 1997; the ensuing dealings were a bit like entering The Twilight Zone.

Was there any local celebrity that you had wanted to meet, but never did?
Does a Minister Mentor count as a celebrity?

Whom did you meet that you wish you had invited to dinner?
I have a peculiar soft spot for Singapore taxi drivers.

Looking back, would you have done anything any differently?
I’m not sure we’d do it differently, but to this day, the acronym I-S still befuddles people. That was one of the decisions we labored over longest, because in 1995, SG hadn’t yet become the Internet extension for Singapore, S was too stark, and SQ was already taken. Pay attention everyone: It means IN SINGAPORE.

What’s your most unique buy in Singapore?
A book by Chee Soon Juan that I bought from the man himself one lunchtime at Amoy Street hawker center. (Although I still haven’t read it.)

What about you scares others?
I am the world’s fastest walker. High heels, high temperatures, high curbs ... doesn’t matter.

What’s your biggest achievement?
Starting a company 17 years ago with two of my favorite people in the whole world, who, 17 years later, are still two of my favorite people in the whole world.
  
What did you believe 10 years ago that you wish you still believed now?
For better or worse, most of my beliefs have stayed the same.

I can’t believe I-S Magazine is 10 years old. When did it start?
Our first issue came out on Aug 7, 1995.

If you started in 1995, how come you’re just doing this issue now?
It’s very un-Singaporean of us, but we decided to take a non-kiasu approach and celebrate our anniversary at a leisurely pace. We did our 10th Anniversary Readers’ Choice Awards in September, our 10-year retrospective issue now, and stay tuned for a big, upcoming, celebration event happening soon. Hell, we’re 10 all year long, so what’s the rush?

Don’t you guys ever get in trouble for the stuff you write?
Absolutely not, unless you count the time we got our publishing license taken away for a month due to personals ads which were said to “promote alternative lifestyles,” or the time we got taken to task for a story criticizing the development of Pulau Ubin, or the time we were the victim of a letter-writing campaign against Dan Savage’s raunchy sex advice, or the time we were advised to tone down our coverage of gay issues, or the countless letters and phone calls we’ve gotten from restaurants who received a less-than-stellar review. And let’s not even talk about the people who spew venom over Terry Ong’s film and theater commentaries. Basically, it’s just another day at the office.

How did I-S Magazine start?
Like any successful business venture, it grew out of a genuine market need. In our case, the need to get invited to a better class of cocktail parties.

I love your Restaurant Guide. How can I get a copy?
Friend, you’re in luck. The latest edition of the Restaurant Guide has just been published. You can get one (or 10, they’re great for gifts) by sending $5 per copy to: Asia City Publishing Pte. Ltd., Restaurant Guide 2006, I-S Magazine, #13-01 Bangkok Bank Bldg., 180 Cecil St., Singapore 069546.

Will you write about my (choose one): restaurant; nightclub; product launch; sure-fire-hit show; fading career; revolutionary business idea that is destined to change the world?
See below.

All the other magazines write about us when we buy ads. Why not I-S Magazine?
We love to write about our advertisers, and very often do. The difference with us is that the decision of when and how to write about advertisers (and non-advertisers, for that matter) is made by our editorial department, not our ad department. Sometimes this gets us into trouble. Sometimes (shock! horror! break our hearts!) it costs us ad contracts. Very often it makes our sales team pull their hair out, smoke far too many cigarettes and have collective nervous breakdowns. Why go to all the trouble? Because our readers are smart enough to know an honest opinion from a fake one, and because letting advertisers control the content of independent publications is ultimately not good for either the advertiser or the publication.

Who writes the Page 3 editorial?
Various members of our senior editorial staff have contributed over the years, and it’s usually a joint effort. But most of the credit has to go to the many wacky people who say and do such outrageous things. We see ourselves more as scribes or diarists recording the news of the day, with just a little twist.

Is the media environment in Singapore opening up?
Yes, but progress is glacial. There does seem to be more room for political commentary these days, but less for content related to non-traditional sexuality. Change in Singapore occurs through a process of three steps forward, and two steps back. Right now, we’re in the two-steps-back stage.

Who writes your restaurant reviews? Do they really go undercover?
They are written by our super-sneaky team of reviewers who go, order, eat, pay and digest without the knowledge of the restaurant they are reviewing. We choose which places to review and when, always trying to stay on top of new spots and returning to old favorites regularly for an update. Reviewers include our edit staff, plus some trusted freelancers. We write from a typical diners’ perspective, and cover the gamut from fine dining to local holes-in-the-wall. Restaurants do not pay for reviews (and, frankly, some would probably pay us not to come).

Why can’t I ever find you? and Do you do subscriptions?
You’re obviously hanging out in the wrong 365 groovy restaurants, cool coffeeshops, hip health clubs, sophisticated arts venues, and trendy retail shops every Friday, or else you’re just too slow off the mark. Get with the program. Copies go fast, you snooze you lose. No, we don’t offer subscriptions. It’s survival of the fittest.

Gosh, when did you go weekly?
July 2004.

Do you know there’s a magazine in Hong Kong that looks like a rip-off of I-S Magazine?
Yes, we do. And if we’re doing anything at all right, there’s also one that looks like us in Bangkok, and even Shanghai. We all belong to the same company and actually talk to each other (though not enough) and sometimes even plan regional stories together. Like our recent sex survey which revealed that 53% of male and 25% of female readers across Asia have masturbated at work. Where else would you get such vital and riveting facts?

What’s your circulation?
OK, here are the numbers: our average audited pick-up rate per issue currently stands at 28,605 every week. (We are audited by Media Circulations Services of Singapore.) In addition, we mail out or hand out another 865 copies each week on average. That means 29,470 copies are getting into the hands of readers. We print a total of 30,000 copies each issue, so there are only about 500 copies left over at the end of the day – that’s less than two percent of our total print run.

Why do you use American spellings?
In pre-George W. Bush days, we were actually proud that all three founders of our company were from the US (plus, we had already bought the dictionaries). Now we are considering changing the official language of all our magazines to Albanian.

Why is your magazine so big?
Why are the others so small?

Why is I-S Magazine free?
Because the best things in life always are.