John Cheng

One of Singapore's finest actors has passed away after John Cheng collapsed at the back of a Chinese nightclub. He had been performing on the stage a few hours earlier but had what looks like a heart attack. He was age 52. Cheng's life was a real rags to riches story, and can prove that anyone with talent and ambition has got half a chance of getting to the very top and turning their luck around. He was the archetypal anti-hero, but was loved and adored as the ‘bad guy' in his movies. You could even draw comparisons between him and Vinnie Jones, who also often plays the gangster tough guy in films.

It is not right to dwell on his death without looking back at his life and celebrating the man that he was. He came from a tough background and admitted in interviews he had been a loan shark when he was younger. But the movie business offered him salvation, and perhaps because of his upbringing he often portrayed thuggish characters.

One thing he had the power to do was to engage an audience and make them believe in his performance. That is all any actor or actress can achieve at the end of the day, an authentic portrayal that brings the audience into the story. Singapore getai singer and actor John Cheng You Nam, also known as "Ah Nan" or "Ah Nam", stared his career in the highly successful “Money No Enough”. This was his breakthrough role and his tough talking appearance enamoured him to the Singaporean people immediately.

Cheng was a great friend of Singapore director Jack Neo who he collaborated with on numerous occasions, including "I Not Stupid" and "Where Got Ghost". However, the film that he is truly remembered for and which propelled him onto the red carpet in his home country was Liang Po Po.

His great friend Neo was obviously devastated by the loss and tweeted, "My old friend Ah Nan has gone."

First Woman Speaker

In recent years women have been able to advance up the political ladder like never before, with Hilary Clinton occupying what is arguably the second most powerful position in the world right now. There are more numerous examples of women being taken into office across the world in developing countries, yet there is still some way to go if they are to get to the level of men. But now Singapore has taken steps to show that it is not behind the times by electing Halimah Yacob as the city-states first female Speaker in Parliament.

After being nominated for the post by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, she has been ordained into the seat and now takes over the reins from the disgraced Michael Palmer, 44, who left the job in disrepute after having an affair. It will take some time to rebuild the image of the speaker but Halimah has time to assert her own stamp on proceedings.

The job is very similar to that of the speaker in the Houses of Parliament in Great Britain, with John Bercow occupying the seat right there. Parliament can get quite lively with many people trying at once to express their views. Halimah, 58, will supervise debates that go on inside the House and will be able to crack her whip if anyone gets out of line. There are many rules within the standing orders which stop people from shouting out or name calling, and this ensures Parliament can run in an orderly fashion. Without the speaker, it would have the potential to descend into absolute chaos.

Halimah had to give up her former job as Minister of State for the Ministry of Social and Family Development immediately. This is because the speaker must be impartial and therefore cannot be a Members of Parliament because they have a role in the decision making.

Prime Minister Lee obviously thinks he has made a shrewd decision and described Halimah as a person who spoke "with a practical, compassionate voice, helping us to shape effective policies with a human touch".

Art Stage Singapore

Many famous painters have flocked to the French Riviera in the past, citing the perfect light conditions for their move. But a sense of ‘place' has a very important role in the work of the artist, to find inspiration in your surroundings is essential. And surely there is no better place to find inspiration for your work than the gorgeous Singapore, where there is something of an art renaissance in motion right now.

There are a whole host of art museums, gallery and exhibition spaces to enjoy here, and one of the best and most ambitious of these is Art Stage Singapore. This institution is readying itself for the yearly presentation of artworks from around South East Asia and further afield. Every year there is a theme, and this time around it is: the Indonesian Pavilion.

This will provide the perfect backdrop to curate some of Indonesia's best Contemporary art which will be hung in specially made gallery booths. The head of Art Stage Singapore Lorenzo Rudolf said: “Art Stage Singapore is very happy to host this never-seen-before international platform for Indonesian artists and galleries in our 2013 edition.”

Never before has there been an exhibition of so many artists from Indonesia under the same roof, with up to 50 artists on show in this space. Many of these men and women have never had their work seen outside of Indonesia, so it is a very exciting process for all involved.

It is also an extremely appetising venture for art collectors who like to see new art for them to invest in. One of these is Oei Hong Djien, owner of OHD Museum in Magelang, Central Java, and he believes there are no limitations in this showcase, saying: “Usually if artists exhibit at a gallery there is a limit of space and limit of the size of the artwork. The artists are very happy because they have a huge amount of space. There is no limit, so our artists are coming out with 10-meter-long works or a piece that is 6 x 6 meters … I think it will be a blockbuster.”

Apple Announce ‘Red Friday'

Ever since Steve Jobs passed away

Apple

have galvanised in the face of a tough economic downturn and streaked ahead of their competitors as the largest company in the world. New gadgets, sleek designs and amazing features are synonymous with the

Apple

brand which gave us the iPod and iPad.

There is one area in the world that can't get enough of their products and the answer is South East Asia. It is places like Singapore and Thailand which are driving the digital revolution currently, and Apple want to get a strong foothold in these markets and dominate for years to come.

Not one to miss an opportunity, Apple has decided it will hold a special event in Jan 2013 to celebrate the Chinese New Year. This will culminate in one special day of frenzied shopping for consumers in a selection of countries from around Asia. This day will go under the moniker of ‘Red Friday', and red is of course a colour that is synonymous with the Far East.

This is not an unprecedented occurrence however, as

Apple

have done this before under different titles. It is an excellent marketing ploy and usually results in increased sales. But the rest of the world have similar types of privileges like the ‘Black Friday' which has similar offers on the table. One of the best aspects of this day is that shipping costs will be totally free, so you won't have to pay anything extra for the postage and packaging. This offer is going to be available for most of their stock presumably.

The lucky nations that are entitled for this deal include Singapore, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. This will also coincide with the recent release of the iPhone 5 which

Apple

will hope can generate some huge business in the area. Usually, young people queue up for days outside the Apple store, some even camping overnight, just to get their hands on their very own model. Technology is an obsession.