The Life e-magazine

Highlights from July's issue of The Straits Times e-publication

PHOTO: KEN SPENCE
Meeta tight-knit communityof Singapore private aircraft owners (above, Gregory Ang) who have the skill to pilot their own airplanes. PHOTO: TIFFANY GOH
American designer Diane von Furstenberg PHOTO: OSTERIA ART
Pappardelle With Pork Cheek & Red Wine (above)
Pappardelle With Pork Cheek &
Red Wine (above)
PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

BALLOON OVER BHUTAN

Offering a quixotic alternative to the usual modes of traversing Bhutan is a hot-air balloon ride over the Himalayan kingdom.

Floating over the 400-year-old Gangtey Goenpa monastery, herds of yaks and the majestic Phobjika valley, travel writer Martin Fletcher and his companions attract the attention of schoolchildren and farmers who gaze upwards at the apparition gliding over their heads.

Mystique abounds in the country: reincarnated Buddhist masters, a mournful pipe fashioned from human thigh bones and even a mummified "yeti".

Follow the inaugural flight of the world's highest commercial hot-air balloon service in the July issue of The Life e-magazine.

  • HOW TO DOWNLOAD THE LIFE E-MAGAZINE

  • 1. DownloadThe Straits Times Star E-books app fromApp Store or Google Play for your iPad or Android tablet.

    2. Get The Life magazine inside the app. It's free, along with previous issues of the magazine.The Life is optimised for iPads and Android tablets, and is best downloadedwhenthere is Wi-Fi.

Tan Jia Hui


HIGH ADVENTURE

They describe their adventures in the skies. To them, every flight is magical, every take-off and landing is different, every airplane is unique, and every cent spent on their expensive winged beauties - which can cost millions of dollars - is worthwhile. The Life brings you up close and personal with Singapore's aviators.

Bryna Singh


WRAP-DRESS ROYALTY

In her straight-talking style, American designer Diane von Furstenberg assesses the local fashion scene: "The question, I think, is: Do Singaporeans want to buy from Singapore designers? It's like you need to be well known somewhere else before they buy."

Famous for her sexy, easy wrap dresses, the industry titan is a mentor to young designers.

"The most important thing is to be true to yourself and try to figure out, 'What is my identity?Why am I a designer?'," she says.

She finds herself mulling over similar questions as she prepares her eponymous label for a time when she is no longer around.

Download the latest issue of The Life for the full story.

Gladys Chung


BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Osteria Art in Raffles Place is the latest restaurant by the ilLido Group that ticks all the right boxes. It may be a casual eatery but it looks smart enough for a power lunch. It also works as a venue for a quiet dinner with friends or a date.

The menu offers simple Italian classics that are done very well.Andthe elegant plating makes the prices look evenmore reasonable. The pasta dishes are all good, but the Pappardelle With Pork Cheek & Red Wine is outstanding.

Wong Ah Yoke

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 06, 2015, with the headline The Life e-magazine. Subscribe