Attempting a staycation at ParkRoyal on Pickering resulted in royal treatment and a view to match, Gerard Ward says.

I’ve been eyeing the building ever since my first week at ANZA – we were working on the topic of fancy and green architecture that month, and its unique shape and coverage of plants on different floors made it a standout structure for me.

Given its location between Clarke Quay and Chinatown, it’s hard to avoid the towering spectacle of Parkroyal on Pickering. Buses pass by it, pedestrians ogle it, and for a night, my partner and I finally made it inside its walls.

The thing to remember with staycations is forgetting what you know. A first-time visitor would consider this hotel to be right in the middle of Singapore, with a great view of the business district. What I already know is that nearby are some fantastic cocktail bars that pride themselves on being hidden – 28 HongKong Street for example – and cafes that I have also gushed over two issues ago. Chinatown is home to a smörgåsbord of cuisines from all over Asia – with the debauchery of Clarke Quay obscured by Clarke Quay Central and Swissotel. But I must return to a mind of a blissful, curious fellow who wants to enjoy some time away from home – no matter how close via MRT it may be.

Parkroyal on Pickering is the more lavish of the Pan Pacific Hotels Group’s occupancy in Singapore. What looks to be three buildings attached by a bridge is actually a structure built to make the most of the sunlight it gets each day. Covered in green gardens on various levels, the hotel-in-a-garden concept has been winning praise for its environmental initatives – as well as winning Asia’s Leading Green Hotel award late last year.

One of the birdcage seats along the fifth floor.

Before heading to my room I check out the fifth floor where the pool is, finding colourful birdcage-shaped seats hovering above the northward-facing infinity pool. Surely these seats offer optimal shade in weather that can at times be very cruel, but luckily the sun is out, with a breeze that passes through. On the other side is a little garden with mint, rosemary, Thai basil, ginger and turmeric to give kids an idea what different plants look – and smell – like.

Floors 6 to 15 are for the rooms. Walking into my room, I notice a large fern outside of the window obscuring a bit of the view – though I don’t mind, oddly enough. It’s a natural reaction to think of it as a distraction, but I wanted to stay here because of the greenery. How I would be eating my words if I complained about it. This particular room has a bathtub outside of the bathroom, with small windows to stare out into the distance when soaking the bones from what I assume is a full day of exploring.

The bedroom with a green view of the city.

Seeing as I felt the know-it-all of the Telok Ayer area, I wanted to make use of the Orchid Room on the 16th floor – when reserving your room, there is an option to have access to a space intended for adults wanting a bit of quiet.

With couches, marble tables and modern wood cupboards and shelving, it’s a considerably nicer space to hang out in than your room – though the room’s office desk and chair is more than enough if you wanted your own work space. The free-flow of Gryphon teas, espresso-based coffees and juices all day is a benefit in itself – I’m sure ordering a couple of teas at hotel prices adds up quick – but hopping up here offsets that cost quite quickly.

Sitting in the Orchid Room during afternoon tea, there are some light snacks and sandwiches – from beef pastrami to salmon – with some dumplings and bite-sized cakes. Indeed, there’s something on offer three times in the day, meaning it would make sense to take advantage of all three meals if you wanted to save on money. Afternoon tea started at 2pm, and while working away for a couple of hours, eventually the cocktails and bites kick in at 6pm – as well as wine and beer. A standing cook whips up some spicy aglio olio and spaghetti Bolognese. Next to him is a table of cakes, dumplings, a cheese platter and some duck rillettes.

The Orchid Room on the 16th floor.

The big windows give a great view of the city, and as the lights of the city begin to pop on, it makes me wonder what a thunderstorm would look like from up here. The infinity swimming pool at night is calm, tranquil even, with the surrounding birdcage seating, the muted music coming from the nearby gym, and the lights of the city beginning to turn on to face a Saturday night.

After a good night’s rest, we pop back up to the Orchid Room in the morning, champagne breakfast is on offer – all included. A chef whips up omelettes, crispy bacon, pork and chicken sausages, fruits and squeezed orange juice. ‘Does the champagne breakfast have champagne?’ I coyly ask. ‘Of course!’ one of the server smiles, coming back with a flute of Piper-Heidsieck.

I’ve not taken the time to explore Lime Restaurant, the hotel’s attraction for brunch fans and those who need a little more choice than space in the stomach. The spacious restaurant has a lot of stations to visit, with visitors seeing the Alice in Wonderland-esque dessert table first – a clever tactic for those knowing to reserve space for sweets.

Each station focuses on cuisines, from the pile of Malay satay sticks, Indian live prata chef and sushi plates to roasted prime rib with horseradish jus and Yorkshire pudding for the English roast fans. One of the live chef stations is advertising eggs benedict with lobster, which I scoop up.

Lime Restaurant’s forest-themed dessert bar.

Another station serves lobster laksa. Lobster seems the favoured meat, and turns out it’s also around the same time as Lobsterfest – a separate offering later in the day that Lime runs.
Between plates there’s a drink trolley rolling around for diners to try some sangria if they wish – and wish I did. My almost failure in finishing was not for want of trying, but my eyes got the better of me, and I needed to rest. I don’t go to buffets like this, and greed got the best of me.

Making use of the final space reserved for dessert, I take a piece of sticky honeycomb candy with sweet gula melaka and vintage strawberry ice-cream scoops – only then noticing the nitrogen red velvet ice-cream with red velvet sponge crumbs, which now in hindsight I wish I made room for.

Australian DJ Natalie Dekker – AKA Dekkadence – is ready to show Singapore her skills at this year’s ZoukOut 2016.

Congratulations on your win at Sydney’s ‘Your Shot’ competition. What was the whole process like?
Thank you! The moment they announced me as the winner was one of the craziest moments of my life. To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. From being anxious on the first day of auditions to playing live on stage in front of a massive crowd, the whole experience was just amazing. We trained every week with DJ Zannon – he taught us so much about how to use the decks and prepared us for comp day. He was stuck with five girls in his training class, so there was a lot of laughing, dancing and eating chicken nuggets.

Which DJs got you into the kind of music you’re into today?
There have been so many DJs that have not only influenced me but changed my style over the past few years. I started out listening to Hannah Wants and Chris Lorenzo who have a UK garage/house sound. I love Flava D, Tchami and Mikey B. I’m also loving Tech House artists such as Claude Von Stroke, Destructo, Motez, AC Slater. My two ultimate favourites are Flume and What So Not.

How would you describe the kind of music you play?
I love mixing house music, whether it be deep, ghetto or tech,. I love to mash that with a garage/house sound. I love playing a sexy beat that’s mixed with – as we say in Australia – some wobbles.

What do you think makes music so powerful an art form?
Music is a powerful art form because it’s an expression, just like painting or dancing it makes you feel things. The emotions, the way it moves people, the imagination and talent behind it, and of course the finished product is always a masterpiece.

On your Instagram I noticed you’ve worked as a nanny at one point. What’s more work: keeping a whole audience entertained, or small children?
[Laughs] I’d say they’re both pretty similar, as soon as you lose their focus or aren’t enthusiastic enough they lose interest and wander off. Children are definitely hard work though, they require you to be silly and entertaining 24/7.

You’re heading over to Singapore for ZoukOut. Any DJs at the show that you’re hoping to check out while you’re here?
I can’t wait to see Dillon Francis, Fritz Kalbrenn, TIGA, Hot Since 82 and the other local talents. I have never seen Martin Garrix or Hardwell before so very excited for that. Actually I’m excited for everyone.

What’s it like to get to tour outside of Australia?
It’s the most amazing feeling! When I am on the plane over I will be pinching myself knowing that I am about to DJ in Singapore with so many big named DJs.

ZoukOut runs from 9-10 December at Siloso Beach, Sentosa.

A benefit to the public and a bane to salespeople, vending machines are beginning to be a little more creative in Singapore.

Book Vending Machine

BooksActually
9 Yong Siak St, 168645
6222 9195
booksactuallyshop.com

Indie bookstore BooksActually took the plunge into the vending machine world back in June, dropping off a few machines stocking books from Singaporean publishers – from the Sherlock Sam comics of A. J. Low to Jeremy Tiang’s novel It Never Rains on National Day – in order to promote reading in Singapore.

Book vending machines are not a new concept – machines in the late 1940’s like the Book-O-Mat sold pocket books for 25c. What makes this a special idea is the awareness and representation of Singaporean talent in an easily accessible format – bookstores are harder to come across.

If you’ve been lucky enough to see one of these vending machines in the wild, you might’ve noticed a whole bunch of books covered up in white paper. At varying prices ($10-$19), these secret novels labelled simply as ‘BA MYSTERY BOOK’ contain fiction and non-fiction books for people to take a chance on what to read.

The mysterious book.

I ordered ‘BA MYSTERY BOOK #5317’, having no idea what the topic was, or the format. What makes the mystery of the title so intriguing is taking away the strife of decision-making – I fall prey to ‘umm’ing and ‘ahh’ing my way out of bookstores – and serving up a curated book.

So what was contained in BA MYSTERY BOOK #5317? I won’t reveal the title, but The Wall Street Journal said: ‘A sly, fast-paced and darkly comic novel about a suburban marriage that’s going to hell, fast’.

Vending Machine Cafe

Chef in Box
320C Anchorvale Drive, 543320
chefinbox.com.sg

Sometimes we take 24-hour eateries for granted. Getting that flaky prata at three in the morning is one of those true Singaporean moments. For some places, that kind of service isn’t available. The mental cost of having someone awake so late – or early, depending on how you look at it – is even more worrying.

Sitting in the void deck of an HDB in Sengkang is Chef in Box – a series of large, bright orange vending machines with touch screens. Each one is dedicated to a particular cuisine – the local food machine for example can serve up a vegetarian nasi briyani, and the snack windows have sandwiches and cookies.

My curry chicken with rice ($4) took three minutes to make – all while a montage video of a chef handcrafting my meal plays on screen. The food is similar to what you would get in a decent airline meal, and at $4, is a reasonable price.

The food takes roughly three minutes to cook.

The orange juicer ($2) – a machine that has made its appearance elsewhere in town – takes three oranges and presses them, then is sealed by a plastic film sealer.

The meals are all pre-made and restocked when the machines are running low, requiring minimal manpower to run.

If you have an old phone lying around at home, chances are you have an opportunity to help a family in a big way.

By April 2017, Singapore’s mobile networks will cease its offering of 2G band connectivity to its customers. For most of us, this is not going to be a problem – chances are you either have a smartphone or a mobile phone that has 3G capabilities. Essentially if you’re able to browse the internet, send pictures via SMS and so on – or can see ‘H+’, ‘3G’, ‘4G’ or ‘LTE’ at the top of your phone – you have a 3G-capable phone.

This is not the case for a lot of foreign workers here in Singapore who rely on older model phones that use 2G mobiles. With almost a million foreign workers living in Singapore, this can cause a huge problem for those who have suffered injuries or have not been properly paid – not just to find out how to get help, but contact their families back home.

Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping foreign workers who have been injured, unpaid or facing abuse from their employers. From construction and sanitation to domestic work, the advocacy group helps a considerable amount of people here in Singapore.

The latest initiative created by TWC2 is that of donating old 3G phones. Many workers rely on their phones to call home to speak to their families, and use associations like TWC2 to ask questions about their current work situation and so on.

With the 2G network being switched off in April next year, those mobile phones will be rendered unusable, stopping a lot of people from being able to contact loved ones and having access to information when it’s most needed. Money to purchase a new phone may not be available to them, putting them in a difficult situation if something goes wrong with wages or unlawful deportation. ‘Being injured or salary-unpaid leaves these workers with no income stream at all,’ TWC2’s Alex Au says. ‘Yet they are the ones most dependent on phone communication to get help.’

If you have an old phone that you’re no longer using, along with a charger, drop it off at TWC2’s office – visit the website for full details. Call 6247 7001 to find the closest office to you – you can also donate money for the group to purchase second-hand phones.

Singapore’s history through the eyes of a comic book artist is an incredible sight to see – even if he isn’t real – Gerard Ward learns.

The book The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye is a biography of a Singaporean comic book artist whose work went largely unnoticed throughout his career. The only twist? Chan Hock Chye is not a real person. That’s the premise of the graphic novel by Singaporean comic book artist and illustrator Sonny Liew.

While Chan Hock Chye may not be a real person, the Singapore around him surely is. The book is a combination between chronicling the comics of Chan Hock Chye, and interview snippets with Liew. ‘It’s kind of a different thing that I was doing from my mainstream stuff,’ Liew says about the graphic novel. ‘I wanted to do something that was different. I took a risk, I suppose, to actually work on this book for two years.’

The real artist, Sonny Liew, has had an interest in art his whole life – his first break in the industry was when he had a comic strip in the local newspaper. ‘I was back on holiday from school and I just started to draw comics and sent them to newspapers,’ Liew says. ‘I drew like a dozen strips and then I sent it to The Straits Times and The New Paper, and it just happened that The New Paper at the time was looking for new creators.’

There were a few local and regional creators at the time doing comic strips, and through pure luck of timing, The New Paper published a daily strip by Liew for about a year – the first time he was paid to draw.

That process of creating comics from ideas and seeing them published was such an engaging feeling that it solidified his desire to do something art-related as a career. ‘It took me a couple more years to go to art school and figure out how to become a comic artist,’ he says.

Returning to Singapore after graduating from Clare College in Cambridge, Liew was unsure of what he wanted to do. He went on to work for a year producing illustrations for educational math and science CD-ROMs – but still wanted to try out comics. Liew’s sister had returned from studying in the US – bringing with her a handful of brochures to art schools. ‘So I applied for art schools,’ Liew says.

Studying at the Rhode Island School of Design for three years was an eye-opener for Liew, who was a self-taught artist in the beginning. ‘For me to go to art school and do a painting, or do an illustration, it’s the kind of things you do after you finish your homework or essays at school,’ Liew reflects. ‘All I knew how to use was paper and ink for drawings, so learning about colour and different mediums was something I wanted to do at art school – and by and large, the teachers there could guide you to try these new things.’

While the projects Liew worked on at school were a lot of fun – one of which, Malinky Robot, was later published – he had an eye-opening experience regarding race. ‘It can be paradoxically hard to notice structural racism around you because it’s so pervasive and woven into everything around you,’ Liew says. ‘When you’re in the majority you don’t really see it, but once you’re overseas, it actually makes a big difference, being a minority. I’ve been exposed to British and American culture through TV, so probably the biggest shock was probably people just shouting racial slurs at you.’

Sonny Liew in his studio.

Being Malaysian-born but living in Singapore since kindergarten, it wasn’t until the 2011 general election in Singapore that Liew wanted to become a Singaporean citizen. ‘It was the first elections in Singapore where social media played a big role,’ he says. ‘You could connect with people who shared similar ideas, and there was a sense of engagement with the process that made me want to be more involved as an actual citizen of the country.’

Liew’s career has seen him work on big projects with big-name comic brands Marvel Comics, Disney and DC Vertigo. His style of drawing has transcended between different genres, from illustrating Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility to just finishing up on DC Comics’ Doctor Fate series. What has grabbed the most attention – and rightfully so – is a two-year project he both wrote and illustrated called The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye.

The graphic novel is a tale of the fictional comic book artist living in Singapore. Born in 1938, Chan Hock Chye talks to a caricaturised version of Sonny Liew about his life as an artist. The son of a shopkeeper is heavily influenced by the works of Japanese comic artist Osamu Tezuka – famous for Astro Boy – and talks about his progression into comics.

Throughout the book, the character talks about how events happening alongside – events that actually occurred during that time – influenced the comics he was creating. From the formation of Malaysia in 1963 to winning independence from Britain in 1965, these events in turn influence the kind of comics that Chan Hock Chye creates – from sci-fi tales like the British children’s comics found in the Eagle periodical to the political satire of a Walt Kelly Pogo comic, where well-known figures are anthropomorphised, to creating portraits with oil on canvas. ‘I had to make a timeline to match the events and what comics were available at the time,’ Liew says. Every single drawing, sketch and painting is created by Sonny Liew. It’s an amazing display of artistic talent to pull this off.

There are clippings, sketches, old photos stuck on to the page with sticky tape – even ticket stubs from an old cinema – that just feel real. That’s the magic of this book. ‘Things like that provoke a sense of nostalgia for me, even if I’d only seen the tail end of a lot of it in the 80s,’ Liew says. ‘And I thought they’d create a resonance for readers as well, provide a tangible visual connection to the past.’

While technology and Photoshop has made things a little easier to add effects – like aged paper – Liew still had an affinity for ‘going into bookstores and buying old books for the one blank page that they have on the front, and scanning it’. ‘You can find templates online, but it’s not the same because it’s predesigned, and it doesn’t look quite right,’ Liew says of computer-generated effects. Liew found a lot of old books and antiques at his grandma and grandpa’s place in old cupboards. ‘I was a bit of a collector, so I brought them all back to Singapore to scan and look at,’ he says. ‘I’m a bit of a hoarder, for sure, but maybe this book gives me a bit of an excuse for that habit.’

The softback and hardback covers for The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye.

To comment on such pivotal moments in Singapore’s history, as well as feature prominent political figures in Singapore’s history, Liew made sure he did his research. The footnotes at the bottom of pages refer to the back of the book, where readers can familiarise themselves about the May 13 incident in 1969 and the Bukit Ho Swee Fire of 1961.

For an artist to re-create the feel of a Singapore before he was even born however, Liew went to the source. ‘Most of the research that I’ve done on history was not what I would call primary research,’ Liew mentions. ‘I did interview people about how things felt like living in the 50’s and 60’s. I talked to the old folks about what it was like, asking how they felt about the changes happening in Singapore at the time.’

Singapore’s National Arts Council (NAC) offered Liew an SGD $8,000 grant, but moments before the book’s release, revoked it – with the reasoning relating to ‘sensitive content’ in the book. While Liew was cautious that the kind of topics discussed in The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye would make it unlikely to win the grant, once it was approved Liew assumed everything was fine. ‘The text was all there, and that was why it was surprising that they withdrew it later,’ Liew says.

The book went on to become a New York Times bestseller, and the first graphic novel to win the Singapore Literature Prize for fiction in 2016. The controversy surrounding the pulling of the grant could’ve been a reason why it become so popular. ‘The NAC has a somewhat schizophrenic approach to the book’, Liew reflects. ‘Officially they can’t support the book itself, but they can support me as an artist. I hope that in the longer term all this would have at least helped start a conversation about the relationship between the government and the arts, and contributed to the discussion about ways of looking at Singapore’s history.’

Since The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye was released, critics worldwide have been praising the book’s ability to engage the reader, with an almost impossible to put down tale of a man and his comics, and a country with incredible growth. The amount of history implemented into Chan Hock Chye’s narrative is incredible, and visually stunning.

The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye is available to purchase at bookstores or online from epigrambooks.sg. Images courtesy Epigram Books and Sonny Liew. Hardcover design by Wong Wen Yeu.

Keen Singapore street photographer Sandra Macheroux meets the man making all the murals around town.

A while back I came across some eye catching murals on a photography walk in Tiong Bahru. Intrigued by these nostalgic and obviously heartfelt paintings I consulted good old Google and found out that they were painted by Yip Yew Chong – also known as YC.

Since I had taken quite a few photos of the murals I decided to send them to YC via Facebook – it’s amazing how easy it is to connect to people via social media. His response was very lovely and genuine.

We exchanged a few messages, and he let me know that he was commissioned to paint a new mural – called ‘Satay Club’ – for Hotel NuVe in Jalan Pinang, Kampong Glam. This seemed like a fabulous opportunity to meet the artist, photograph him in action and to ask him lots of questions. It was an absolute pleasure to meet Yew Chong, his friends and even his family in this relaxed and creative setting. He is a very kind and softly spoken man, but also has a great sense of humour – and an incredible talent. His ‘Provision Shop’ mural made it onto ANZA Magazine’s January cover.

Photos by Sandra Macheroux.

He is devoted to his craft and ensures all his murals accurately represent street scenes in the olden days. He seeks out guidance and information from senior citizens and historic records. It is so great to see that he is becoming very well known for his wonderful art especially because he only started just over a year ago. During the week he works in corporate finance, and on weekends he creates beautiful art in historic sites all over Singapore.

YC has a fantastic blog (yipyc.com) and is great at keeping his Facebook page updated (facebook.com/yip.yewchong). He enjoys meeting people, and is so appreciative of positive feedback – so maybe you should go up to him and meet him while he’s creating yet another Singapore masterpiece. Here’s our chat with the artist himself.

What was your first mural, and how did it come about?
My first mural is ‘Amah’, painted on an old house perimeter wall at Everton Road. I was taking a break from work and decided to try painting murals after spotting the murals on Victoria Street painted by the acclaimed Penang-based artist Ernest Zacharevic. I contacted the owner [of the building] to allow me to use his house wall as a canvas.

When did you first start painting?
I can’t remember. It must be when I was a few years old. It was probably drawing rather than painting.

What would be your dream mural location or subject matter?
I dream of painting a Chinese Opera tented stage scene in Chinatown – where I was born and grew up. I’ve spotted a wall at Kreta Ayer Square, however the town council and MP rejected the idea, citing the wall needs to be white and blank in case of events – to be [used as] a screen for projection of images. I am disappointed with the reason, but I have moved on to look for new walls in Chinatown. In fact, I am dreaming of making the project much bigger – motivated by the rejection. I am planning to do four murals depicting scenes of Chinatown, and am lobbying for support. I hope the public will also help me to gain support from the government agencies.

If someone wanted to commission you, how should they go about it?
They can contact me with an idea of what they want on the wall, with a photograph of the wall and a budget. However, since I’ve rejoined the corporate world and have a limited time to paint on weekends, I am dedicated to do only publicly accessible street art. Although money is not my motivation, I do not do painting for free as I want to uphold the value of arts and crafts in Singapore, which is very often taken for granted as ‘free’. On rare genuine charitable causes or occasions, I do it for free to supervise volunteers, or pass on my experience to younger generations.

Have you got plans for another mural in SG? Can you reveal the location?
I just completed a heritage mural at ground floor of Plaza Singapura. I have a line-up of projects until early next year in Singapore. I normally don’t disclose this because there may be changes to plans by the owners or approving authorities.

YC with his family, including his mum, sister, brother-in-law and his niece and nephew.

Whether for a personal challenge or the charitable feel-good factor, here are some good runs to join for the rest of 2016.

Garfield Run

12 November 2016
The Promontory @ Marina Bay
$55-$110
1km, 3km, 5km
garfieldrun.com
You’re lucky it’s not on a Monday, or else Garfield wouldn’t be up for it. A fun kids’ run around Marina Bay, the event helps raise money for the Cat Welfare Society – helping continue the charity’s work of homing stray cats and proper sterilisation. Those who donate $10 or more when they register also get an exclusive Cat Welfare Society souvenir.

BounceOFF!

12 November 2016
Marina South Pier
$98
bounceoff.com.sg
Having the ‘Largest Inflatable Obstacle Course’ – awarded by the Singapore Book Of Records – at 3.2km, the playful run is a worthy invitation for adults to join in the fun that only a bouncy castle could evoke. Kids and parents – and anyone happy to join in – can be a part of the run. The BounceOff! Bazaar at the end of the run is set up to satisfy runners needing a few more bouncy activities – like the Gladiator Arena, Human Flywall and inflatable rock climbing wall. Those not participating in the run can purchase a ticket to the bazaar as well.

Swissôtel Vertical Marathon 2016

20 November 2016
Swissôtel The Stamford
$56
swissotelverticalmarathon.com
Are you the type of person who prefers to take the stairs? This run might change or blow your mind, depending on your attitude. Swissôtel The Stamford’s 73-storey high staircase is your running track. Adding to that the option to run early in the morning to catch the sunrise on the roof’s helipad, and you have yourself a very memorable way of running 226 metres – or 1,336 steps.

The North Face 100

26 November 2016
MacRitchie Reservoir
$60-$220
13km, 25km, 50km, 2x50km (team of two)
thenorthface100.com.sg
Don’t let the name fool you; it’s only 50km for each runner. Team up with a friend and smash out a marathon-and-a-quarter trail run each around MacRitchie Reservoir. The travelling running series makes its stop in Singapore, pushing people through the reservoir and around Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. With a compulsory hydration rule – meaning you need a water bag in order to compete – and minimal hand-holding, it’s one of Singapore’s toughest runs.

Santa Run for Wishes

26 November 2016
Gardens by the Bay East
$28-$38
2km, 5km
santarunforwishes.sg
Put on your best Santa suit and have a merry jog with the family. Having gone around Marina Bay and Sentosa, families will be putting their merry shoes along Gardens by the Bay East – with a gorgeous view of the city to gawk at. Grab the kids and walk for a great cause – raising money for Make-A-Wish Singapore. It’s what Saint Nick would want us to do. All registration and donation proceeds go to Make-A-Wish Singapore. Drop off a gift for a child when picking up your race pack and NTUC FairPrice Foundation will pledge $10 to the charity. At the end there’ll be a Christmas carnival with games, rides, bouncy castles and more.

Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2016

3-4 December 2016
$25-$100
800m, 10km, 21.1km, 42.195km
singaporemarathon.com
Usually the first marathon that pops into your head is this bank’s annual run – bringing over 50,000 participants every year. Beginning from Orchard MRT, the marathon pushes runners around Fort Canning Park, Chinatown and Marina Bay, then onward to Singapore Sports Hub, East Coast Park and eventually finishing at the Padang. Take on the challenge yourself, or join five friends to compete in an Ekiden run – a relay where a sash is passed on to each participant along the run. There are discounts to Standard Chartered cardholders.