4 Out Of 7 Golds For Aussie Wines

Other winners at Wine&SpiritsAsia Challenge 2008 — which heightens a wine’s international recognition and marketing exposure — include Germany, Austria and Italy
By James P. Ong

AUSTRALIAN wines emerged with the most number of gold awards at last week’s Wine&SpiritsAsia Challenge (if you’re wondering why the words are so close to each other, it could be because the logo designer was doing some wine-tasting on his own!) at the Singapore Expo.

What happens at a Wine Challenge? “A Vineyard Story” tells us: “Wines in such competitions are always tasted blind and in a controlled environment: temperature of wines, aroma-free tasting glasses, good lighting, and of course, good servers. All wines will be tasted in flights (batches), to be completed in a given time frame. And NO, you are not allowed in such a ‘tensed’ environment of tasting, no visitors allowed! Authorised personnel only! And I’m sorry if your Gold Medal Wine from somewhere only gets a Bronze Medal here, no appeals will be entertained.”

Read more about the Wine&SpiritsAsia Challenge 2008.

Rock And Roll Straight Up At HGR Event

The Rakes played so hard one of their supporting guitarist ripped his shirt by the second song
by Mavis Ang

“WE’RE not a metal band. We’re from England,” Alan Danahoe proclaimed, and proceeded to adjust his collar. Perhaps when faced with a half-enthusiastic crowd, The Rakes felt the need for formal introduction midway into the set.

UK indie band The Rakes made their debut performance at Heineken Green Room’s (HGR) latest session at Zouk last Thursday night. As Heineken’s exclusive community organizes nightlife events that are limited to invite-only entries, it has gotten common music lovers in Singapore worked up and frustrated.

Alan Jemeny, 22, has been a fan of The Rakes since they were in the early stages of fame. He felt it was a shame to deprive other supporters from getting into the gig, and considers himself a very lucky fan.

Read more about The Rakes at the HGR Event.

Last Chance To Jam With The Rakes

Exclusive Heineken music group runs contest for rare tickets to UK band’s concert
By Mavis Ang

THE people at Heineken Green Room (HGR) are playing hard to get. Set up as an exclusive community of trendsetters and leaders among the local music scene, HGR has been holding invite-only events which common music-loving folk like us can only dream of attending.

HGR elevates Singapore’s nightlife scene to steeper heights with live music and a DJ set from UK art-rockers The Rakes for the next HGR session at Zouk on March 27. It marks the first South East Asian performance for The Rakes, but for the HGR team, it’s just yet another exceptional event put together.

Read more about the Heineken Green Room.

Metrofunk.com Launches Club Metrofunk

Invite-only online social network for trendsetters in NY launches its own ‘Club’

NEW YORK — Metrofunk.com, the first metropolitan-based online social network built by trendsetters for trendsetters, has announced that they will celebrate the company’s launch into public beta on Wednesday, March 19th at Club Metrofunk, located at 532 West 27th Street. If the address sounds familiar, that is because it is the address of the popular Manhattan nightclub, Home.

New York nightclubs have been known to be at the forefront of style, culture, and class. Many trends in the late 80s and early 90s such as break dancing, various fashion fads, and music artists like: Prince, C+C Music Factory, George Michael, Wham, and Information Society were born from nightclubs when the nightlife scene encouraged outrageous personalities and unique styles. Metrofunk.com and Home have collaborated in an effort to revitalize this long lost New York nightlife culture by dedicating Wednesday nights specifically to trendsetters in the nightlife, fashion, film, and music industries. Starting Wednesday March 19th and continuing every Wednesday thereafter, Home will officially be renamed Club Metrofunk.

Read more about Club Metrofunk.

[iRecommend] Ice Cold Beer

Interview by Mavis Ang

Who swears by it: Shayne Koh, Flight Attendant.

For 24 year old flight attendant Shayne Koh, finding time to catch up with friends is nearly impossible, so when she’s in town, she goes to just one place. “Ice Cold Beer [ Located in a converted shophouse off Orchard Road ] is definitely a place to chill and have crazy times with my friends because you need not lower your noise level even if you’re laughing or talking at the top of your voice,” Shayne said.

To read more about this food review, visit 88DB iRecommend.

Relive the 80s at Zouk’s Outdated is in this Friday

By Mavis Ang

Party with Singapore’s scenesters at Zouk on 9th November as local street magazine JUICE celebrates its ninth birthday with an electro-themed party. Named Robo Electro, JUICE’s birthday bash will bring back all things hip and in during the 80’s to the early 90’s.

Getting to party with the hip crowd requires some underground knowledge, and if you haven’t been a loyal reader of JUICE, you might not have heard the term new rave before.

Sure, it’s an 80’s themed party, but fashion evolves, so don’t be mislead into going for the bad hair spray and coats with big shoulder pads look. Instead, go new rave. It’s the term for a whole new underground culture inspired by fashion and music from the 80s.

So what do new rave-rs wear to electro parties this the one this Friday? Here are 8 simple items to mix and match with, and if dressed with the right attitude, you’d easily pass off as one of the hippest hipster in town.

To read more about this party at Zouk, visit 88DB Lifestyle.

Sexy, Not Slutty

The difference between sluttiness and beauty is class
By Xin

THINK sexy, and images of Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johanssen and Jessica Alba come to mind. But there is only one main pin-up girl for slutty, and that is Paris Hilton. Sexiness is attractive and alluring and can make you stand out. But while being sexy is good, there are times when the fine line between sexy and slutty is blurred.

Here’s a simple guide on how to look sexy without venturing into unwanted territory. Just what it is that separates the two? You’d be surprised.

1) Don’t overdo it. The three often-flaunted body parts of women are the legs, cleavage and midriff. The rule of thumb is to just reveal just one part, anything more than that would be overwhelming. For example, a short skirt with a tube top would definitely be a little over the top, but when matched with a slightly more conservative top, the skirt would draw the attention to your legs. Always know which part of your body is most flattering, and choose to highlight it, whenever possible, with the right choice of clothes.

2) A is for Attitude. You can be decked out in the latest Chanel garb and have your hair styled by a $1000-an-hour hair stylist but if you mannerisms isn’t on par with your looks, then you are really not doing justice to your outfit. Imagine a beautiful woman sashaying into a room, her curvy figure accentuated with a simple yet tasteful flowing dress, an enchanting smile on her face. Then all of a sudden, she sits down with her legs wide open and starts laughing, snorts punctuating her laughter. Not a very pretty sight, and the initial good impressions of her replaced by a creeping sense of disgust. Well, you get the idea.

3) Your choice of words matter. Fact is, steering clear of profanities might not make you a better person. But it will do wonders to leave positive impressions on people. Words, when used wrongly, cuts deeper than knifes sometimes. Should you want to get to know someone better, coming across as aggressive is definitely not what you should aim for. Say, “Hey, your office is just a few minutes away by car! Let’s do lunch sometime together shall we?” instead of “Damn! You’re that near? We should so get drunk together in the pub after work soon!” What a world of a difference a few words make!

4) Be subtle. Forget what you see in movies where men seem to be smitten by women with outlandish flirtatious gestures, such as the unabashed fluttering eyelashes and playing footsie. In reality, this will probably scare men away and you’d be stuck with an unflattering label forever. What would really work in real-life situations is to be subtler and less sexual. From the light touching of your hair as you speak to the undulating eye contact, a little does go a long way.

Places to party this Halloween weeknight

Prepare yourself for some ghostly dark eye rings next morning.

POP/RE/TART Halloween
Crash it at: The Butter Factory
Spook out from: 9 pm – 3 am
Hell notes needed: $0 (if you’re a lady or in a costume), $15 if you’re a lazy guy who refuses to dress up
Slurp up: House pours and draft beers at 1 for 1 offer all night long
Dance to: Disco / New Rave / Electro

Heat Ultra Lounge
Crash it at: Heat Ultra Lounge
Spook out from: 9 pm – 3 am
Hell notes needed: $35
Slurp up: Free flow of house pour spirits, tiger draft, house wines, martinis and caipirinhas from 7 pm – 11 pm
Dance to: Ambient and Latin house music

RedBar
Crash it at: RedBar
Spook out from: 6 pm – 4 am
Hell notes needed: $10
Slurp up: $10 house pour jugs and $0.10 tequilas from 10 pm – 10.10 pm
Dance to: RnB

Every other club

Thank god Halloween falls on a Ladies’ night this year! So who says you can’t dress outrageously like those London clubbers and go partying even though it’s not a Halloween costume party!

Gather all your guts and dare to dress to kill (and slaughter) this Wednesday night.

Halloween or Bus!

I know what you did last weekend — you rode the famous Halloween Bus Tour and got wild…
By Harriet Ann Dy

DON’T be surprised if you bump into rotting rockstars doing a club crawl this Halloween. Last weekend, the damned got glam, Thriller fashion, for the 12th annual Halloween Bus Tour organised by Clifford Clement Chua (aka as THEPARTYMAN) and John Bosco Lopez (FUNK GURU). The popular tour was anything but spooky.

“The whole idea is to get a group of friends out on a piss without the hassle of waiting for taxis,” says Chua, who developed the idea while working at a beach bar in Sentosa. From the original 30 friends and one bus, the tour had 300 confirmed participants, booked on five buses this year, with a waitlist that was getting longer and longer.

This is reflects freaky growth of Halloween industry worldwide in a microcosm. In the US, a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation shows that consumers are expected to spend $5.07 billion for fright night, up 20% from two years ago, according to About.com.

What used to be about taking the kids trick-or-treating has morphed into a billion-dollar industry for children and adults alike. From Cinderella costumes to foam headstones to three feet cages with skeletons (at Toys R Us) machines, business is booming.

At No.1 Costume, Singapore’s top costume outpost, shoppers can become Marie Antoinette, or a sexy French maid, among 15,000 other dress-up options. The store expanded its retail space by 40% from its original Neil Road location four years ago, and their make-believe inventory is a theatrical delight. Here’s a tip: Grab a flyer at the Zouk foyer, and get 15% on your next purchase. Once you’re in character, head over to the clubs hosting parties on the 31st.

Homes will be dressed up as well. Senior systems analyst Jennifer Lim says a glowing Jack O’ Lantern, fake spiders and cobwebs are definitely in order. She also plans to buy candies, jellies, and Japanese snacks to give to kids. “My main theme is orange and black, with silver and neon green,” she says. Even the Singapore Night Safari got creepy with a transformation to a haunted rainforest in the spirit of the occasion until last weekend.

Meanwhile, sign up for next year’s bus tour, which will again begin at 8 pm and go on “until last man/woman standing.” “I’ve actually seen people in their costumes having breakfast at coffee shops,” says Chua. “It’s just about having a good time.”

Last-minute D.I.Y. Scary Costumes

You don’t think of Halloween costumes as investment dressing, but still dying to wear something at the last minute? Here are some sure-hit great ideas. Boo!
By Mavis Ang

SINCE Singaporeans don’t practice trick or treating here in our cramped HDB flats, it’s not worth the effort renting or making an outfit from scratch. So here’s a list of eight practical DIY outfits you can don for some Halloween night clubbing!

The Bum
a) Gather a few torn pajamas or unwanted clothes
b) Patch them up haphazardly and crumple them up
c) Mess up your hair. Hold up a bunch of your hair and tangle it by repeatedly brushing it in a reverse-combing motion.
d) Apply some darker-than-your-skin-tone makeup foundation on your face to make it look unwashed.
e) Hold a wooden bowl with a few coins in it, and rattle it as you walk.

Result: You might even end up a few dollars richer by night’s end!

The Sexy Secretary
a) Tuck a formal looking shirt into a tight pencil skirt with the top three buttons opened
b) Add thick black-framed spectacles (to be tilted slightly down your nose so that you can look up teasingly)
c) Tie your hair up to a bun and apply scarlet lipstick.
d) Hold a clipboard and chew on a pen seductively.

Advice: Do it only if you’re super hot. Actually, you can still do it as a joke if you’re neither slim nor sexy. It’s called irony, darling.

The Traffic Light
Guys
a) Red shirt
b) Orange belt
c) Green pants

Girls
a) Red top
b) Orange skirt
c) Green stockings

Advantage: Easy to put together, and definitely noticeable with such bold colours!

The Tampon
a) Pick an entirely white outfit
b) Paint your face and spray your hair white as well for maximum effect
c) Attach a long white string from the top of your head
d) Lastly, make a band to wear around your waist, which reads: “Tampax”

Caveat: This outfit is more effective for guys, since you would be able to execute a million cheesy pick up lines for the night in this costume.

The Fashionable Student
a) Bring out your former school uniform
b) Tie your hair up and add as many bright multi-coloured pins in your hair
c) Colourful earrings in multiple ear piercings
d) Loads friendship bands around your wrists
e) A Roxy bag over your shoulder
f) Finally, sport shoes with ankle socks

Accessorise: Braces and a nice tan would be a nice touch to the outfit too.

The Angsty Teenager
a) A black band T-shirt, black pants or skirt, black sneakers
b) Black nails and eyeliner
c) Draw a few thin lines across your wrists with red lipstick.

Don’t forget: The I-hate-the-entire-world look in your eyes.

The Celebrity
Olsen Twins
a) Big sunglasses
b) A long baggy top with footless leggings
c) Unkempt looking hair
d) The most important accessory: a takeaway Starbucks in hand

Paris Hilton
a) Pink from head to toe (Hello Kitty preferred)
b) Oh, and leave your brains behind, too

Rihanna
a) Black corset matched with a black mini skirt
b) Fishnet stockings
c) A black umbrella

Team work: Talk a bunch of friends into playing the roles of paparazzis so that you can make a grand exit out of the taxi.

A Couple Outfit: The Romance Novel Book Cover
Guys
a) White shirt with as many buttons opened, exposing (hopefully) tanned rippling chest muscles.
b) Tight, tight, tight leather pants
c) Boots

Girls
a) Put on a sheer Greek goddess-like dress, in white or skin-coloured.
b) Blow your hair to get Farah Fawcett’s flippy look.

Must-do: Arrive in a passionate embrace with wind in your hair.