Choo - How to live like a crazy rich Asian: the ultimate guide to the fashion, food, parties, and lifestyle of Singapore

Copyright 2019 by Philip Choo

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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Control Number:2019945261

Cover design by Brian Peterson

Cover photo: Getty Images

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-4683-1

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-4684-8

Printed in China

For my mom and dad.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Nice to see you again, Emily, are you still staying on Emerald Hill? I asked casually after taking my seat at a friends wedding.

Actually, my grandfather passed away recently and my family sold the home to a young couple a few weeks ago, came her reply.

No way! My friends in their thirties just bought a home on Emerald Hill!

As it turned out, Singapore really is that smallone of my friends homes was sold to another friend of mine.

In our sunny city-state of 5.6 million people, it is extremely easy to find common friends and you can easily find connections when discussing school and workplace. Everything from idle gossip to scandals are spread like wildfire once the doors are shut and the backs turned. Like one of the first scenes featured in the movie Crazy Rich Asians, when the news of Nicks decision to bring Rachel to Singapore reached his mother in two minutes, news is spread very easily, which can make it fun and exciting to live here.

On the surface, everyone keeps a poker face and doesnt intrude even if they see a celebrity. Its our culture to be a little reserved and not make a big deal about anything. Sometimes when you see an acquaintance on the streets, you might even walk the other way because you just hugged and said hello two days ago and have run out of lame greetings! People are sometimes not that warm, but the weather is really warm, all year round. However, if you got slapped in public or if you slept with someone new, you can be sure everyoneand I mean everyonewill know about it.

In the next few chapters, I will be sharing some juicy gossip and also the top places to go, and the things to eat or buy in order to channel your inner Crazy Rich Asian. Driving top down in a Ferrari and shaking your Richard Mille watch in peoples faces is clich and not that classy. Over here, the real Crazy Rich Asians have a fabulous lifestyle but may drive a regular Japanese car out of their palace like Astrid. Like how Nick Young says that they are just comfortablebut are actually filthy rich.

CHAPTER 1:

WEDDINGS

SAY I DO IN STYLE!

A wedding is one of the most important events of a persons life, and every couple wants theirs to be perfect. There are many who will go to great length to make their weddings memorablesometimes crazy and crass, sometimes ostentatious, and sometimes just pure magical.

There are weddings in Singapore that are like a never-ending commercial, with everything sponsored and the magic forced. There are also weddings that are dramatic and theatrical, with every family member singing from every corner of the ballroom and the bride and groom putting on a show, high in entertainment with everyone laughing with youor maybe, at you. Sometimes, class is something money cannot buy.

The ideal wedding is stylish and sophisticated without being stiff, heart-warming and fun without being overly dramatic. Though perfection is a relentless pursuit, the two weddings featured here come very close.

A Chinese wedding in Singapore is usually a full day affair, with gate-crashing being the first order of the day. The groom with his groomsmen will go through several stages of obstacles (some may call it torture) designed by the Angpow-hungry bridesmaids before he can win the brides hand in marriage (bridesmaids usually allow the groom and groomsmen to advance in the various stages of torture when they receive a handsome sum of money found in red packets called Angpow). Having deep pockets will make the life of the groom a lot easier. Obstacles could include body contortion into various shapes according to the bridesmaids desire, drinking concoctions that are sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy, meant to represent married life and getting through good and bad times together, doing a crazy dance, and on the extreme end, shaving your legs and armpits, or even eating worms.

This will be followed by a tea ceremony, where heirlooms and blessings will be showered upon the bride and groom after they serve tea to their family. Depending on the religion of the families, a church wedding in the morning or afternoon could also be included. After the affairs in the morning and afternoon, the couple will proceed to the dinner venue for a lavish banquet dinner where their distinguished guests will attend and join in the celebrations.