The nation's indie game was strong this year, running as it did through movies, music, fashion, food and drink. It is a sign of confidence, of artists and audiences willing to take risks, to embrace the edgy and unfamiliar, never mind if there is no pay-off.

In reel life, Crazy Rich Asians, based on the novel by Singapore-born Kevin Kwan, made a big splash at the box office, with its focus on the shiny, gilded part of the East. The world looked at Asians with new eyes - the men are hot, the women steely and sophisticated, the shenanigans world-class. Singapore, where the movie was set, looked impossibly glossy.