Celebrate SG60 with Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree

Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree joins Singapore’s 60th birthday celebrations with a room package with S$60 nett room credits, buffet dinner at Planter’s Shed and exclusive gifts at the Banyan Tree Gallery. Nestled within the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, the resort provides convenient access to the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Rainforest Wild Asia.

SG60 collection

Source: Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree. Facade.

To honour six decades of progress and resilience, Banyan Tree Gallery’s SG60 Collection features commemorative Blooming in Harmony gift sets adorned with six Vanda Miss Joaquim orchids, symbolising strength, beauty and Singapore’s enduring spirit. The mini set (S$60) features a crystal stone diffuser and aromatherapy oil from the Banyan Tree Spa, with the full set (S$160) also providing an upcycled cassava wireless charging tray.

Dining accessories showcasing the orchid motifs are also available, with linen table runners (S$260), linen table placemats (S$160 for four), and ceramic coasters (S$60 for four) on offer. The collection is available from now to 31 August. 

Buffet dinner at Planter’s Shed 

The resort’s all-day dining destination, Planter’s Shed, invites guests to celebrate Singapore’s Diamond Jubilee year with a dinner buffet at S$60++ per adult (usual price S$68++ per adult), available only from 4 to 10 August 2025. 

The buffet showcases of local signature flavours such as Planter Shed’s laksa and big prawn noodle, brought to life through live cooking stations. Known for its selection of local and international cuisine, Planter’s Shed promises a relaxed yet immersive dining experience surrounded by lush greenery.

SG60 room credit

From 1 to 31 August 2025, guests staying at Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree will receive a S$60 nett resort credit per room, per stay. This credit can be enjoyed across the resort’s signature experiences—dining at Forage and Planter’s Shed, treatments at the Banyan Tree Spa, or at Banyan Tree Gallery. Book from now to 31 August 2025.

“Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree is proud to be part of this national celebration,” said Glen Cook, GM.

“From revitalising spa experiences and exclusive keepsakes to interactive nature walks, we offer a truly unique way to celebrate Singapore’s 60th birthday, surrounded by the beauty of mother nature.”

Details

Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree
60 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729979

Reserve at https://www.banyantree.com/singapore/mandai-rainforest-resort-by-banyan-tree/sg60-in-the-wild, or email PlantersShed-MandaiRainforest@banyantree.com for reservations at Planter’s Shed.

Singapore restaurant, art gallery bring hypebeast artworks to diners

From today till March 2021, fans of contemporary pop culture and Japanese food in Singapore can enjoy a collaboration that brings together contemporary art and specialist food in one setting.

Source: simpleArte by iCare.4u. Artworks by the featured artists participating in Hypebeast@Uni.

Doraemon Here We Go by Takashi Murakami (left), Hero number 12 by Shen Jingdong (right, top left quadrant), Chiho Aoshima, artist (right, top right quadrant), Sky Year by Aoshima (right, bottom right quadrant), and Steven Harrington (right, bottom left quadrant).

Pop art gallery simpleArte by iCare.4u has teamed up with specialist sea urchin restaurant Uni Gallery at The Plaza on Beach Road to offer diners the chance to tap into the ‘hypebeast’ movement - with a series of collectible pop prints showcasing some of the world’s best-known contemporary artists. ‘Hypebeast’ refers to a movement based on street fashion that is currently a significant force in contemporary culture.

Featuring original prints by visual proponents Takashi Murakami, Chiho Aoshima, Steven Harrington, Shen Jingdong and up-and-coming Dutch doodle artist Stijn Valentijn, the contemporary art will be for sale while diners eat - with 10% of all income going to the Children’s Society of Singapore. The art pieces are on display in the main dining area and private dining rooms at Uni Gallery. They will be refreshed every time a sale is made.

“We support modern culture in all its forms, and given that the art is so fresh and contemporary, we felt it was a great chance to connect our food with this movement,” said Jason Ong, Owner of Uni Gallery, of the hypebeast movement.

“Hypebeast@Uni will offer diners the chance to experience modern street art first-hand as simpleArte brings an artistic perspective to the movement often characterised by high-priced sneakers and urban streetwear,“ said Glen Tay, Curator at simpleArte.

“You can buy a hypebeast t-shirt, get the insanely-priced sneakers … and now you can also own a piece of iconic, limited-edition print from the same movement,” said Tay. “Hypebeast is the most contemporary of all street culture right now, and our artists are among the frontrunners.”

Guests can look forward to new limited editions in a series of four shows. The inaugural showcase will feature iconic pieces by the featured artists. Takashi Murakami's most expensive piece to date sold for US$13,500,000 at Sotheby's New York in 2008, while Steven Harrington is the leader of a contemporary Californian psychedelic-pop aesthetic. Chiho Aoshima has worked with legendary Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, while Shen Jingdong is a contemporary artist in China. Last but not least, Stijn Valentijn describes himself as ‘a part-time student of neurosciences and full-time visual artist’.

Uni Gallery by OosterBay is a sashimi restaurant specialising in sea urchin dishes, while simpleArte is known for bringing pop art to Singapore. Hypebeast@Uni forms a part of an ongoing series for 2021. The next installment in April will feature art prints by Old Master Q.

Details:

Takashi Murakami

Drawing from traditional Japanese painting, sci-fi, anime, and the global art market, Murakami creates paintings, sculptures and films populated by repeated motifs and mutating characters of his own creation.

Steven Harrington

US-based artist and designer Harrington is best known for his bright, iconic style and playful yet contemplative work, which is inspired by California’s mystique, vastly diverse landscape, and thriving mix of cultures.

Chiho Aoshima

Influenced by anime and manga cartoons, Aoshima explores of dark currents lying beneath Japanese pop imagery. She presents nature at odds with man, girls at odds with traditional gender roles, and visions of renewal after the apocalypse. She has worked for Murakami, and is now a member of his Kaikai Kiki collective.

Shen Jingdong

Shen's artistic career evolved quickly from 2008. He became an important contemporary artist of the new wave with his Hero series. He created into different kinds of people the image of the soldier and of the icons of Chinese life as represented in new forms, sometimes in expressive colours.

Stijn Valentijn

Valentijn said: “I wake up and go to sleep with art on my mind.” A relative newcomer to the contemporary art scene, Stijn has nevertheless caught the attention of galleries worldwide.

Uni Gallery

7500A Beach Rd, B1-310 The Plaza

Singapore 199591

Tel: +65 9838 8209

Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday

Lunch : 11.30 am to 2.45 pm (last order)

Dinner: 6 pm to 10 pm (last order)

Drinks : Till 10:30 pm

SimpleArte by iCare.4U

237 Pandan Loop, Westech Building

Unit 04-06, Singapore 128424

MAS unveils 2019 Year of Boar Almanac coins

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has unveiled the 2019 Year of the Boar Almanac coins, the third issue in the Singapore Fourth Chinese Almanac Coin Series. 

Source: MAS. A gold and silver set of coins.

The series is issued over a span of 12 years, from 2017 to 2028. Each year’s issue depicts a zodiac animal in a park or natural landscape setting in Singapore. 

The 2019 Year of the Boar coins, to be issued on 1 January 2019, will feature the boar with Pulau Ubin in the background. Pulau Ubin is Singapore’s second largest offshore island. There are 10 different versions, comprising various metallic compositions, minting relief effects and shapes. Special premium sets consisting of various coin combinations will also be available. 

The obverse of the coins bears the Singapore coat of arms with the year 2019.

Details: 

The coins will be sold by The Singapore Mint. For enquiries and orders, call +65 6566 2626 or check online. Orders must reach The Singapore Mint by 16 December 2018. The coins will be subjected to balloting if oversubscribed.

Singapore to launch The Splendour of Native Orchids Series coin set

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has launched The Splendour of Native Orchids Series coin set, comprising 10 999 fine silver proof coins featuring orchids from the Native Orchids of Singapore coin series issued from 2011 to 2015. The Native Orchids of Singapore coin series celebrates the beauty of orchids that once thrived in Singapore, some of which are still found in our forests today.

Source: MAS.

Each coin has a face value of S$1, weighs 8.56 grams and has a diameter of 24.66 mm. Four thousand sets will be minted. The coin set will be issued on 24 June 2016.

The coin designs are adapted from the Native Orchids of Singapore coin series and feature the following native orchids:

i. Cymbidium finlaysonianum
This species produces pendulous inflorescences of delicate flowers that are of an unusual olive colour complemented by an intense purple lip with a yellow tinge. Its narrow leaves are thick and leathery, growing up to 75cm in length and 4cm in width. 

ii. Grammatophyllum speciosum
This species is the world’s largest growing orchid plant. A fully mature plant can weigh over a ton. It forms clumps that resemble the sugar cane plant with its individual fleshy stems growing to a height of 3m. When flowering, its inflorescences that can be longer than 2m, bearing over 30 flowers. The flowers resemble the coat of a tiger, hence its common name, tiger orchid.

iii. Arundina graminifolia
Commonly known as the bamboo orchid for its strong resemblance to the bamboo plant, this orchid has reedy stems which are capable of reaching more than 1.5m in height, covered with slender bamboo-like leaves that are alternately arranged. The flowers are a contrasting amalgamation of white and lavender or a deep violet-pink combination with a subtle hint of bright yellow in the throat.

iv. Bulbophyllum macranthum
This orchid has flowers where the lip is situated at the top, giving it an “upside-down” orientation. The sepals are creamy-yellow or white, with specks of dark purple. The flowers emit a spicy odour to attract its pollinators. Its leaves grow on separate pseudobulbs and have a leathery texture.

v. Bulbophyllum flabellum-veneris
This orchid has a fan-shaped umbel formed by up to 10 flowers. These individual flowers, measuring 2.5 cm long and 8 mm across, form a semi-circle. The flowers are yellow with flushed red and purple highlights at the base of the petals.

vi. Dendrobium crumenatum
Commonly known as the pigeon orchid for its strong resemblance to a flying pigeon, this orchid produces sweet scented flowers nine days after heavy rainstorms. The flowers are white, measuring 4cm to 5cm across, and are highlighted with a subtle tint of yellow in its throat.

vii. Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi
The Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi is characterised by star-shaped flowers which are yellow with specks of deep maroon. The flowers measure about 3cm to 4cm in diameter and usually long-lasting.

viii. Coelogyne rochussenii
The Coelogyne rochussenii has pale yellowish-green flowers, with the sidelobes of its white lip containing brown pigments. The lemon-scented flowers measure about 5cm in diameter, and each hanging flower spray can reach 70cm in length with more than 30 flowers. 

ix. Dendrobium leonis
The Dendrobium leonis has creamy yellow petals with a tinge of red and a protruding broad lip. The vanilla-scented flowers measure about 1.2cm to 1.5cm in diameter. Each orchid bears many sprays of stems with thick, flattened, triangular leaves arranged in alternating rows.

x. Dendrobium secundum
The Dendrobium secundum is commonly known as the toothbrush orchid. It has sprays of densely packed purplish pink flowers with a contrasting orange lip. The individual flowers are unidirectional and arranged in neat rows like a toothbrush. Each individual flower measures 1.8cm long and 0.6cm wide. Depending on the size of the orchid plant, each flower spray can measure up to 12cm in length.

Each orchid is featured in full colour, set against a sandblasted background. The name of the orchid is minted on the shiny upper circumference of the coin. The obverse of the coins bears the Singapore Coat of Arms with the year 2016.

Interested?

For enquiries, the public can contact The Singapore Mint at +65 6566 2626, +65 6895 0288 or +65 6844 9947. The coin set will be subjected to balloting if oversubscribed.

BNM issues commemorative coins to celebrate RTM's 70th anniversary

Source: BNM. Detail of the silver commemorative coin.

Bank Negara Malaysia has issued commemorative coins in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM). RTM is the first broadcaster in Malaysia, responsible for radio broadcast on 1 April 1946 and television broadcast on 28 December 1963.

The commemorative coins are available in silver and Nordic gold. Nordic gold, which does not contain gold, is an alloy consisting of 89% copper, 5% zinc, 5% aluminium, and 1% tin. It is used in Euro coins of the 10, 20 and 50 cent denominations.

The centre of the coin on the obverse side shows the iconic image of RTM’s headquarters, Angkasapuri. The building features a unique facade decorated with a motif based on the shape of the tongue. The words RADIO TELEVISYEN MALAYSIA are on the upper circumference and the years 1946 – 2016 are inscribed below.

The words BANK NEGARA MALAYSIA as the issuing authority of the commemorative coin is featured on the upper circumference of the coin on the reverse side, with the face value of the coin is inscribed on the lower circumference. The event logo for the 70th Anniversary of Radio Televisyen Malaysia is featured on centre of the coin. 

Silver commemorative coin (proof)

This proof coin - an early mintage of a particular coin, often created in larger numbers as collectibles - is made of fine silver with 99.9 purity and weighs 31.1g. It has a face value of RM10 and will be sold at RM212 a piece. There are only 500 pieces available.

Nordic gold brilliant uncirculated (B.U) commemorative coin

The Nordic gold (B.U) coin has a face value of RM1 and will be sold at RM10.60 each. There are 10,000 pieces available.

Interested?

The commemorative coins are available separately or as a set of two. A total of 2,000 sets are available for sale, priced at RM265.

The coins will be available for sale at Bank Negara Malaysia’s Museum and Art Gallery (MAG), at its regional offices and branch located in Pulau Pinang, Johor Bahru, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, Malaysia.

Note: All prices stated are inclusive of 6% GST