1. Watch: Make A Wish on iQiyi International
This Chinese romance drama with a fantastical, furry twist is part of iQiyi's Sweet On collection of romance series. It is streaming on iQiyi International.
The story follows Chi Yan, an introverted bookstore owner and writer who prefers spending time with books and animals over people.
One day, he saves a white cat from being run down by a car and takes it home to care for it. But overnight, the cat turns into a beautiful woman who has to fulfil a wish of his to repay her debt to him. High jinks, hilarity and love ensue.
Ren You Lun, who plays Chi Yan, may not have the stunning good looks of typical C-drama male leads, but his down-to-earth performance as a kind-hearted man with painful teenage experiences will win viewers over.
Actress Gia Ge is genuinely lovable as the female cat spirit which is later given the name Xiao Xiu. She not only has cat-like eyes, but also incorporates convincingly feline behaviour into her performance.
As a bonus, the heart-warming romance is filled with cute animals. Chi Yan's best friend is a veterinarian, so the drama has plenty of scenes featuring cats, dogs and other animals.
Info: Website
2. Check out: Wildlife rehabilitation on TikTok
The TikTok account @beaverbabyfurrylove went viral last year after users fell in love with a rescued beaver named Beave.
Beave was found by a roadside in May 2020 and lived with wildlife rehabilitation specialist Nancy Coyne in her home in Hudson Valley, New York.
Her videos of Beave's shenanigans, such as trying to create a dam out of items found in her home, or eating a grape, appealed to viewers worldwide. Her account now has 1.4 million followers.
Though her adorable videos are often in a domestic setting, Coyne makes it clear that wild animals are not meant to be pets and that she merely cares for them until they are ready to venture back into the wild.
Beave, whom she suspects was orphaned, returned to the wild about two months ago.
But there are other animals on her TikTok account, such as a goose, an eastern water snake and a baby beaver named Bea, which Coyne took into her care in late June 2021.
Info: @beaverbabyfurrylove on TikTok
3. Listen: Stories Podcast
Working from home with little ones underfoot? Give yourself a break by putting on a story podcast.
Stories Podcast from Wondery features energetic hosts telling stories from fairy tales to originals and even the occasional serialised story.
The audio-only format will not add to kids' screen time, but still keep them entertained.
Stories Podcast has a huge archive, so do not worry about running out of episodes to listen to. It is easily accessible on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.
All episodes are for children of all ages. The length of each episode varies, but usually ranges from 15 to 30 minutes.
Stories Podcast also invites listeners to submit drawings of what the characters in its stories look like. Upload your child's sketch on Instagram and tag @storiespodcast and it might just share the work online.
Info: Stories Podcast's website
4. Tar Pau Nation: Affordable Taiwanese favourites from 8 degrees
One of the places I miss travelling to for food is Taiwan, which boasts good produce as well as delicious and affordable street fare.
So it was no surprise that I woke up one day last week craving for oyster mee sua and lu rou fan (braised pork belly on rice), two hawker dishes I often ate on my visits.
My search online led me to 8 degrees, a Taiwanese eatery in Teck Chye Terrace that recently opened a second outlet in Foch Road.
Its website allows you to choose which branch you want to order from, so pick the one closer to you as the delivery fee is lower and the food will get to you faster.
5. Shelf Care: Finding hope in apocalypse tale Good Omens
Good Omens
By Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Fantasy/Transworld/416 pages/$18.19/Available here
While everyone is waiting with bated breath for the sequel to the hit 2019 Amazon Prime series, why not revisit the book it is based on?
Fans of British fantasy authors Pratchett and Gaiman will have a good time trainspotting which bits were written by which writer.
In this quirky take on 1976 horror film The Omen, the Antichrist baby gets mistakenly placed with a regular, stoic English family instead of an American cultural attache, thanks to the inept machinations of a flighty Satanic nun.
