Life Style

Masses of basalt columns rise vertically from the valley floor for 100 metres and more, as if glued together like gigantic organ pipes.The geological phenomenon in the Garni Gorge is called the “Symphony of Stones”, natural works of art in the country of Armenia, which markets itself as a land of “hidden wonders”. It attracts visitors with mountains, monasteries, ruins and vineyards, but it is not overrun by tourist crowds.Yerevan is the gateway to Armenia. The capital city is a balancing act between the old and the avant-garde, between sober Soviet architecture and hip designer bars.Outside the city limits, you rumble over patchworks of tarmac, through mountain landscapes and fertile valleys.Along the road, friendly locals sell their mini harvests of apples, tomatoes, watermelons and pota...

By Lee Gyu-leeAs more people embrace health-conscious living, anti-ageing diets – designed to slow the ageing process – have emerged as a major movement in the food and wellness scene, pushing superfoods into the spotlight.Farro, an Italian word meaning ancient wheat grain, is often used to describe three different grains – einkorn, emmer and spelt – but primarily refers to emmer, which is produced in large quantities in Italy today.Farro has attracted attention in Korea and beyond for its health benefits and versatility. Photo: ShutterstockOriginally cultivated and eaten more than 2,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia and once a staple for Roman soldiers, it is still popular in Italian and other Mediterranean cuisine. It has now attracted renewed attention for its impressive nutritional ...

Former comedian Simon Yin is now the managing director of Stackd, a new indoor pickleball facility in the Hopewell Mall shopping centre in Wan Chai. He spoke to Andrew Sun.I am an emotional eater. When the going gets tough, I eat. My comfort food has always been chicken wings – fried, baked, BBQ, hot, cold, sweet.My wing addiction stems from growing up in a Chinese restaurant in Atlanta, in the US state of Georgia. Legend has it, whenever I cried, my mom would stick a chicken wing in my mouth and that shut me up.For an all-out rockin’ good time, Sushi Kuu (1/F, M88, Wellington Place, 2-8 Wellington Street, Central. Tel: 2971 0180) is my place. Chef Satoru-san never disappoints. Sitting at the counter, it is like we get dinner and a show. Knocking down a couple of Samurai cocktails always h...

When The Last of Us – the smash hit series about a post-apocalyptic society ravaged by a mass fungal infection – arrived on our screens in 2023, the real world was emerging from a pandemic.Now season two, which premieres on April 13 and hinges on themes of conflict and vengeance, will be equally relevant and prescient, promises returning star Pedro Pascal.Part of the show’s strength is its ability “to see human relationships under crisis and in pain, and intelligently draw political allegory, societal allegory, and base it off the world we’re living in”, said the actor, who plays lead character Joel.“Storytelling is cathartic in so many ways … I think there’s a very healthy and sometimes sick pleasure in that kind of catharsis – in a safe space,” he said.In the first season, smuggler Joel ...

This article contains spoilers.4/5 starsThe highest grossing Hong Kong film of all time returns for another crack at the local box office with this extended version, which starts screening on April 4 – just in time for the Ching Ming Festival – with 12 minutes of previously unseen footage.The Last Dance revolves around Dominic (Dayo Wong Tze-wah), a debt-ridden wedding planner who tries his hand at being a funeral agent out of desperation, and Master Man (Michael Hui Koon-man), a Taoist priest who struggles to stay on good terms with his offspring, Ben (Chu Pak-hong) and Yuet (Michelle Wai Sze-nga).The breakthrough third feature of writer-director Anselm Chan Mou-yin, this poignant family drama is the front runner for this month’s Hong Kong Film Awards with 18 nominations, including best p...

It takes Rolex five to seven years to create a new watch model, I just learned.It is March 24, and I am sitting in the Geneva headquarters of the watchmaker with the platinum version of its brand-new, not-yet-announced Rolex Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller in my hands.It is a fresh entry in a lineage that includes such legends as the Datejust, the GMT-Master II, the Submariner and the Cosmograph Daytona.I was summoned to this top-secret meeting to discover the wonders of this new timepiece. A week later, the Land-Dweller will be introduced during the Watches and Wonders trade fair across town in the Swiss city, and within minutes of its debut, collectors and fans around the world will be dissecting it.A close-up of the Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller 40.A totally new collection from Rolex is a...

Saan Saan Cafe, a place for Hong Kong-style dishes at the edge of Vancouver’s Chinatown, feels nostalgic and contemporary at the same time.The high ceiling and pale-pink painted walls make the space feel airy, while leafy plants in Chinese ceramic pots and a dark-blue Kjeldsens butter cookie tin filled with sewing items behind the counter evoke the past.The building in which the cafe is housed has been in founder Eric Siu’s family for decades; his grandparents first settled there in 1950 with his father and aunt.“I learned how to cook rice here, I have my grandmother’s wok. I remember playing outside in the backyard with broken pots that you couldn’t use any more,” Siu, 43, recalls with a chuckle.Eric Siu’s paternal grandparents in the early 1960s, outside the building where Saan Saan Cafe...

As we darted through Addis Ababa’s morning rush hour, my jet lag could not dull the energy of Ethiopia’s capital.We wove through crowds of office workers headed to high-rises and families leading goats home for Orthodox Christmas feasts while our guide explained how one needs at least three weeks to fully experience his country.From the dramatic peaks of Simien Mountains National Park to the sprawling salt plains of the Danakil Depression, natural wonders alone could fill a month of adventure.But there is also plenty for time-pressed travellers like we were.“With a few days, you can get a taste,” guide Yonas Zewede of Landscape Ethiopia Tours assured me.A view of Addis Ababa’s skyline from the rooftop 360 Lounge at the Monarch Parkview Hotel. Photo: APWe embarked on a whirlwind trip that w...

3/5 starsLead cast: Park Hae-soo, Shin Min-a, Lee Hee-joon, Lee Kwang-sooAfter watching the first few episodes of Karma, a gruelling new original Korean thriller presented by Netflix, you might come away with the idea that it is a loosely connected anthology series about desperate characters doing very bad things.That is because those first episodes, which are largely about different characters and narratively self-contained, are reminiscent of the many omnibus films and series that long-time viewers of modern Korean media will be familiar with.While we expect some interconnectedness in omnibus stories, the true scope of the web that is this series only comes into view starting with episode three, when the characters really begin to overlap.

Apple TV+ has a huge hit on its hands with the workplace thriller Severance.Even though its second season has concluded, fans will probably flock to various Reddit channels to decode the puzzle-box-style show and discuss the fate of the Macrodata Refinement team at Lumon Industries.For Apple, the question is whether it will be able to cash in on Severance’s momentum.Unlike Netflix, which has amassed a content library of thousands of titles, Apple TV+ – with only around 270 shows – has prioritised quality over quantity. So far, however, Apple has struggled to attract and retain subscribers despite the popularity of comedy-drama Ted Lasso and critical praise for thriller Slow Horses.Now, thanks to shows like sci-fi drama Silo, comedy-drama Shrinking and Severance, there are signs that might ...