Life Style

Long before the Icelandic-Chinese artist Laufey became recognised the world over for her neoclassical-jazz-meets-pop music, she was a student answering a familiar yearbook prompt: “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”Her answer: move to the United States, sign a record deal and win a Grammy. The 26-year-old has done all three.“I must have been so confident to write that because I remember that being a very far-sought kind of thing,” the musician born Laufey Lin Jonsdottir says.Those are not her only accomplishments: She has collaborated with Barbra Streisand and shared the stage with Hozier, Noah Kahan and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.Laufey says her goal is to encourage young people to learn instruments and explore their own sound. Photo: Instagram/laufeyLaufey’s third album, A Matter ...

Photographer and cinematographer Guy Bertrand has co-directed a new documentary, Cha Guo, about a New Territories village called Kwu Tung that is in danger of disappearing due to redevelopment. He spoke to Andrew Sun.I grew up in Montreal, Canada, so classic Québécois dishes were always on the table – things like pea soup, tourtière, which is a delicious seasoned ground beef pie, and pâté chinois, a cousin of shepherd’s pie but with a layer of corn.There was also a strong influence of French cuisine. My mum’s cassoulet remains my ultimate comfort food.I have called Hong Kong home for over 20 years, and I love local staples like dim sum, wonton and beef brisket noodles. One spot I really like is On Lee Noodle Soup (22 Shau Kei Wan Main Street East, Shau Kei Wan. Tel: 2513 8398). Their wonto...

2.5/5 starsIn My First of May, a former star athlete sidelined by an old career-ending injury must emerge from his despair to care for the disabled teenage daughter he has long ignored.This gentle effort by James Hung Ling-ching (The Seventh Lie), the latest in a long line of Hong Kong films in the past decade to look to home for bittersweet sentiment, is a warm-hearted but clichéd family drama that makes little attempt to conceal its calculated moves to wring tears from its viewers.The writer-director has his trio of leading performers – Aaron Kwok Fu-shing, Natalie Hsu En-yi and Nina Paw Hee-ching – to thank for keeping the paper-thin plot watchable.Kwok plays Tang Suk-yin, a three-time Hong Kong squash champion who has fallen on hard times since retiring after a leg injury more than a d...

As with his iconic comedy sketches for Saturday Night Live or Mr Show, just give actor Bob Odenkirk a moment with an idea and he will come up with a premise unique and funny enough to steal attention.Being able to draw out the funny side in characters such as the scheming Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul helped him find the balance between dark humour and extreme violence in the original Nobody (2021).“I’m not a handsome guy or a young guy,” says Odenkirk, 62. “I think I work well on the screen as a regular guy who has a certain amount of pressure.”In the second instalment of the franchise, Odenkirk returns as Hutch Mansell, the mild-mannered suburban husband and dad with a dark past who stumbles into trouble while taking his family on holiday. On cue, he releases his pent...

Lead cast: Uhm Jung-hwa, Song Seung-heonLatest Nielsen rating: 1.9 per centTwo years after the smash hit Doctor Cha, Korean screen icon Uhm Jung-hwa returns as the titular protagonist of the fantasy comedy My Troublesome Star, alongside Song Seung-heon, last seen in The Player 2: Master of Swindlers.Uhm plays Im Se-ra, a 1990s star who suddenly wakes up from a 26-year coma in 2025 to find a very different reality.When the series begins, in 1999, Se-ra is played by Jang Da-a (Pyramid Game). She is a beloved rising star dubbed “Korea’s first love” who has already conquered the world of K-dramas and ads and is on the cusp of becoming a full-blown film star.

Netflix is ramping up production of content in Thailand after investing more than US$200 million in the past four years, underscoring the Southeast Asian nation’s growing role as a regional hub for production.The world’s largest platform has been pumping out original content from Thailand, such as the mystery thriller series Master of the House, helping attract 750 million viewing hours of Thai content in 2024 alone. Netflix is planning to create nine original titles this year, including a zombie-survival film, Ziam.“We are ramping up local storytelling with local investments. We are also training the next generation of Thai storytellers and crew,” Malobika Banerji, director of content for Southeast Asia at Netflix, said at a briefing on Wednesday.“This puts us in a unique position in the ...

This weekend is set to be a celebration of food, wellness and community in Hong Kong. Embrace the last of the summer vibes with experiences that nourish both body and spirit. From lively brunches that blend culinary excellence with entertainment, to wellness-focused events that promote sustainability and mindfulness, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.Dive into the refreshing offerings around the city and make the most of the (hopefully) sun-soaked weekend, where good food and good vibes come together.Saturday, August 23Weekend brunch at Aqua Hong Kong. Photo: HandoutOne of Hong Kong’s most iconic brunch destinations has refreshed its weekend offering with Aqua’s Summer Weekend Brunch.The Italian-Japanese brunch spot brings back crowd-favourite dishes with the addition of more than 10...

Whether you choose not to fly for environmental reasons or you just love trains, many wonderful rail journeys across Europe are out there just waiting to be enjoyed.Ideally, you do not want to be in a hurry, as travelling by rail and road is usually slower than flying, and destinations more than about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) away almost always take longer to reach.The journey itself, however, often makes up for the lost time, as it becomes a part of your holiday experience. Plus, if you are travelling for business, you can work more effectively on a train than on a plane.Europe’s long-haul sleeper trains are experiencing a revival. Photo: dpaIf you want to put your rail trip together by yourself, the online journey planner Rome2Rio shows the many ways – from flights to trains – that y...

At the Michelin Guide Taiwan 2025 official unveiling ceremony in Taipei on 19 August, eight restaurants received their first star, and three were elevated from one- to two-star status.Now in its eighth edition, the Taiwan guide has expanded its coverage for the first time to encompass New Taipei City and Hsinchu.“This is a testament to Taiwan’s openness and confidence in embracing both tradition and innovation,” says Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Michelin Guide.The three restaurants to earn a second Michelin star this year were Restaurant A, Eika and Yu Kapo.Alain Huang of Restaurant A prepares a dish. The restaurant was one of three in Taiwan to be elevated from one- to two-Michelin-star status this year. Photo: Instagram/restaurant.a_taipeiAmong the new one-Michel...

People experience wake-up calls at various stages in their lives. For Derry Ainsworth, his big one came in 2024 while lying alone in pain in a Hong Kong hospital bed surrounded by the screams of sick and dying patients.The Hong Kong-based British photographer’s health nightmare started on July 24, 2024, when he woke up with what he thought was a mild hangover. Then severe abdominal pain took over.He called an ambulance and, in hospital, spent the first few hours crying in pain on a toilet floor until a nurse rushed him for a CAT scan and gave him morphine.The diagnosis was severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), a serious condition in which the pancreas – a gland behind the stomach that plays a vital role in both digestion and blood sugar regulation – becomes severely inflamed. This can lead to o...