Immerse yourself in the slew of great events coming your way this weekend!

Ballet Under the Stars
Date: 17 to 19 July 2009 (Fri to Sun)
Venue: Fort Canning Green
Pre-show performance: 6.30pm to 7.15pm
Main performance: 7.30pm onwards

The Singapore Dance Theatre presents its 15th edition of Ballet Under the Stars (BUTS) this weekend at Fort Canning Green. The main performances include Stand Up For Singapore (as a celebration of Singapore’s 44th birthday), Sleeping Beauty, Double Contrasts by renowned choreographer Goh Choo San, and more. Pre-show performances by students from NUS, LASALLE, NAFA will whet your appetite for the main performances scheduled to begin at 7.30pm. Tickets cost $25/person, or $15/person for students, NSmen and senior citizens. (Admission is free for children under 6 years old.)

Lit Up Singapore 2009 – Opening Ceremony
Date: 18 July 2009 (Sat)
Time: 7.30pm to 9.30pm
Venue: The Chamber @ The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane

Lit Up Singapore is a week-long festival for young writers and readers, showcasing the works of literary geniuses. The opening ceremony this Saturday is chock-full of performances in music, poetry, prose, and let’s not forget, free food. Other festival events to look out for include open mic nights from Saturday to Thursday (at different locations each night), a fashion parade (24 July), forums from Tuesday to Thursday, and more. Admission is free! (Visit www.litup.sg for details.)

Jazz by the Beach
Date: Every Saturday (July 2009)
Time: 6pm to 10.30pm
Venue: Cool Deck, Siloso Beach, Sentosa

Be serenaded by local and international jazz artistes as they deliver soothing melodies executed with vocal flair. It’s also a great opportunity to catch up on some R&R with friends as you bask in the twilight surrounded by sand and sea. Admission is free, although island admission and transport charges still apply.

Food
Ever heard the phrase “there’s always room for dessert”? Whether you’re bursting at the seams from dinner or just craving a small midday snack, a little ice cream or chocolatey sweetness will almost always hit the spot. Here are two great options for filling that dessert-shaped hole in your stomach – an ice cream parlour for those with smaller budgets, and a dessert bar for those with bigger wallets.

Pukka Ice Cream
Location: 6 Clementi Road (near Fong Seng at West Coast); 19 Aroozoo Avenue (near Kovan MRT)
Best known for: Mixing ice cream on a cold slab (ala Cold Rock Ice Creamery) but at lower prices

2am:dessertbar
Location: 21A Lorong Liput, Holland Village
Best known for: Desserts such as tiramisu, warm chocolate tart with blood orange sorbet, toffee pudding, and more – all of which come with recommendations on the best accompanying wines

Shopping
This might not be the last Friday of the month, but late-night shopping is still an option for those who don’t mind taking their sprees off the pavements of Orchard Road. Take your pick from either of these...

Flea-tique
Date: 10-11 July 2009 (Fri-Sat)
Time: 7pm to 2am
Venue: Singapore Art Museum Courtyard
Featuring: Locally-designed crafts, pre-loved clothing and accessories, vintage items, and more

Night Festival 2009 Bazaar
Date: 10-11 July 2009 (Fri-Sat)
Time: 6pm to 2am
Venue: SMU Green & National Museum Garden
Featuring: A branded warehouse sale, outdoor movie screening, ‘live’ performances in dance and music, and more

IKEA Annual Clearance Sale
IKEA friends Sale Preview: 3 July 2009, 8am-10am (By Invitation Only)
Official sale period: 3-26 July 2009

Get ready for great deals and bargain steals at IKEA's anual sale, happening in the month of July! From now till 26 July, both IKEA outlets will be extending their opening hours to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Besides receiving an invitation to the sale preview, friends of IKEA will also enjoy exclusive offers during this period.


Hair For Hope 2009 - A Project by Children's Cancer Foundation
Date: 5 July 2009
Time: 12pm to 7pm
Venue: Velocity, Novena Square

Come Sunday, a total of 691 people with a heart for cancer-stricken children will be shaving their heads to raise funds for the Children's Cancer Foundation. To date, $332,455.70 has been raised through online pledges for these shavees, comprising 538 males and 153 females. Head down to Velocity to watch (and perhaps throw in a donation of any amount) as they get their locks chopped for a noble cause!

With the Integrated Resorts at Marina Bay and Sentosa slated to open their doors in the next six months, you can expect Singapore's landscape – both physical and economic – to evolve quite drastically.

To prepare for the road ahead (as well as to allay concerns over the potential negative impact of the IRs as their opening day draws near), the authorities have undertaken various initiatives to ensure their operations remain good and clean.

Starting yesterday, a two-day training symposium is being held for officers from the Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID). There, they will learn to tackle and curb organised crime and money laundering from casino industry experts from the United States, Australia and Macau.

"We are very good at the effective regulation of our financial sector. However, the casinos bring with them a whole variety of related problems and pose an operational paradigm challenge even for police officers who are generally used to dealing with people who are law abiding," said Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam, during the opening address at the symposium.

Indeed, the unique dynamism and business structure within the casino industry makes it a whole other ball game altogether. To meet these challenges head-on, CRA has also called for the casinos to have regulatory systems in place, such as the mechanical shuffling of cards and the use of bar-coded vouchers instead of tokens for slot-machine wins, amongst other anti-fraud measures.

However, should these prove ineffective, not all is lost. There will always be our trusty Neighbourhood Police Centres (NPC) to fall back on – the newly-opened Marina Bay NPC for the Marina Bay IR, and Bukit Merah West NPC if you're further south in Sentosa.

With the current economic crisis, businesses have become more cautious in hiring and expenditure. Hence it comes as no surprise that 2008 has seen a smaller wage increase amongst the workforce in the private sector, as compared to the year before.

The 2008 wage report released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) highlights that within the private sector, total wages (which includes bonuses) increased by merely 4.2%, compared to 5.9% in 2007; while bonuses dropped to an average of 2.31 months, compared to 2.36 months in 2007.

After taking into account the rise in Consumer Price Index by 6.5% in 2008, real wages actually decreased by 2.3% – a stark contrast to the increase of 3.8% the year before.

Amongst the three categories of employees, rank-and-file employees experienced the steepest decline in wage increase (5.4% to 3.2%), followed by senior employees (6.1% to 4.8%), and junior management (6.9% to 5.8%).

Visit MOM for more details on the 2008 wage report.

Anyone realised that this Sunday is Fathers’ Day? For some reason, this occasion receives much less fanfare compared to its counterpart. To prevent that from happening this year, we offer some suggestions for taking your Fathers’ Day celebrations up a notch, so Dad will feel extra loved, extra special...

Sweet tidings
Buy your dad a box of cupcakes – one for each year that he has lovingly nurtured you into who you are today. These days, cupcakes make pretty gifts for those who appreciate the regular cake n’ coffee pick-me-up. A delectable range is available at Marmalade Pantry, Bakerzin and online shop Cupcake Momma.

Dad’s Night Out
If Dad enjoys quality and quantity when it comes to food, take him to the Bar & Billiard Room at Raffles Hotel, either for dinner on Saturday or brunch on Sunday. The buffet spread at BBR boasts fresh seafood, roast meats, an array of desserts, and much, much more! For reservations, call 6412 1816. Dress code is smart casual.

Make it personal
If a scrumptious home-cooked meal rocks his boat, learn how to cook up a storm from Shermay’s Cooking School, where celebrity chefs and cookbook authors impart culinary skills to the uninitiated. Learn from guest chef Christopher Tan (co-author of Cooking With Asian Leaves and former food editor of Wine & Dine magazine) this weekend, or choose from other cooking classes in the weeks ahead. Visit www.shermay.com for membership and class details.

Shopping
With the Great Singapore Sale (GSS) just round the corner (29 May to 26 July), now’s the time to hone your bargain-finding, elbow-jostling skills by going for these weekend sales. However, remember to keep a tight rein on your purse strings... The last thing you want is to expend your shopping budget even before the launch of GSS!

Crocs Sale at Expo
Date: 22-24 May 09
Time: 10am-8pm
Venue: Hall 4A, Singapore Expo

Philips Carnival Sale 2009
Date: 23-24 May 09
Time: 9am-6pm
Venue: Philips Electronics Singapore, 620A Lorong 1 Toa Payoh

Food

Haato
5 Ridgewood Close, Unit G1
Opening hours: 11am to 10.30pm (Sun to Thu); 11am to 11pm (Fri & Sat); Kitchen closes at 9.30pm

With outlets at Liang Court, Marina Square and Suntec City, Haato is an increasingly popular home-grown brand of ice cream. Its flagship outlet at Ridgewood Close also serves hot food such as chicken katsu curry don, smoked salmon arrabiata, focaccia sandwiches, as well as finger food. However, customers usually frequent Haato for its crispy-on-the-outside-fluffy-on-the-inside waffles and unique gelato flavours such as green tea with red bean, yuzu (citrus) sorbet, and sweet potato with honey and chestnut.

Irvin’s Seafood Sze Char
397 River Valley Road (opposite Great World City)
Opening hours: 5pm to 10pm (Mon); 11.30am to 10.30pm (Tue to Sun)
For reservations or delivery: 6836 5020

With its neon lights and large banners screaming “$18 for Sri Lankan crabs”, Irvin’s might come across as just another restaurant that’s all talk with nothing to show for. However, have a meal there and you’ll realise you were sorely mistaken. Each crab dish is indeed $18, except for a handful of premium items such as Crab with Salted Egg Yolk, which is popular for its buttery egg yolk sauce.

Unknown to newcomers, there are two unique dishes not listed on the menu – Curry Hor Fun and Fried Shredded Kailan. Despite being immersed in curry sauce, the hor fun amazingly still retains its smoky wok-fried flavour. Meanwhile, the kailan vegetables are finely shredded and fried to a crisp. Both dishes are about $6 to $8 each, and worth every cent!

Food

Al Dente Trattoria
22 Lorong Mambong
Opening hours: 11.30am to 3pm (lunch); 6pm to 10.30pm (dinner); Open till 11pm on weekends and public holidays
For reservations: 6468 4688

From now until 30 April 09, Citibank cardholders can enjoy up to 50% off their meals at Al Dente (only applicable for a la carte lunch). Some of the chef’s recommendations include Spaghetti Arragosta (spaghetti with fresh lobster meat, zucchini and mushrooms, with your choice of tomato stew or a light creamy garlic sauce), Braised Beef Cheeks (tender cuts of beef glazed with port and truffle sauce, served with asparagus and garlic-infused mash), and the signature dessert – Tiramisu.

Riders Café
51 Fairways Drive
Opening hours: 8am to 10pm, Tuesdays to Sundays
For reservations: 6466 9819

Looking for a scrumptious breakfast to ease yourself into a relaxing weekend? At Riders Café, hearty meals such as Eggs Benedict, Norwegian Salmon Benedict, and fluffy pancakes with berry compote and extraordinarily light whipped cream await! Located at Bukit Timah Saddle Club, the café is a favourite haunt of locals and foreigners alike. With the quietly scenic drive into the club and horses trotting by the café every once in awhile, you'll feel as though you’re in the Australian countryside!

Food & Entertainment

World Gourmet Summit 2009
Date: 19 April 09 to 2 May 09

Gourmands, chefs, and aspiring chefs can look forward to two weeks of divine immersion in all things culinary. True to its name, this gastronomic extravaganza features enticing events such as wine and culinary master classes, workshops by world-renowned industry professionals, dinners graced with the work of Michelin-star chefs, and more. But hurry, tickets are running out fast. Visit www.worldgourmetsummit.com for details.


Light Years Ahead! – The Zouk 18th Anniversary
Date: 18 April 09 (Sat)
Time: Doors open 10am; showtime 11pm
Admission: (For non-members, inc. two drinks) $18 before 10pm, $25/$30 after 10pm

Join the epitome in “nightlife” as it celebrates its 18th anniversary with a bang! After close to two decades, Zouk continues to unite people through music, create a culture of its own, and bring life to the night. A “dance-umentary” of the event will be filmed, so remember to abide by the dress code – shiny, shimmery, splendid!