Rouge

Episode 13: Mars VS. Venus: Round 2

2008-06-01T14:35:00Z

In the last episode of Rouge, actresses Patricia Mok and Michelle Chong, and owner of Bollywood Veggies Ivy Singh-Lim take centre stage in Round Two of Mars vs. Venus.

Last week, the guys discussed everything from female drivers and bosses, to communicating with women, to irksome female traits. This week, the girls fight back!

The show started off with a blast when the three ladies gave their take on female and male stereotypes in the segment “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”. While the girls agreed that women do get annoyed by men spotting the details (such as noticing their nearest and dearest’s new shoes or haircuts), they concurred that women shouldn’t be too concerned about men noticing these minute details as well.

In the next segment, “When he hears nothing at all” the girls talked about communication and men.

In Patricia’s opinion, men usually don’t listen (especially while watching their favourite TV program) because women love to nag and complain, thus we can’t blame the guys for not wanting to listen! Ivy then offered a refreshing solution on how to make a captive audience out of men – talk to them while they are in the toilet!

Last but not least, the segment “Turf and Surf” got the girls going on about men and how they liked to take control of the remote (their turf!) and channel surf like there’s no tomorrow. But the girls were fair - they vouched that women also channel surf. But when it comes to asking for directions, the men just don’t ask for or take directions because it’s tantamount to, according to Michelle, admitting that they don’t know something that women do.

But of course, when asked what the girls loved about men, they all had something to contribute. Michelle loved men for being easy-going, Patricia enjoys the sense of security men offer while Ivy cherishes having a companion and a soul-mate.

Ending the night off in style, the Rouge audience was ecstatic to find Motorola razr V9 in their Rouge goodie bags!

So that was our last episode. Thanks for all your support, Rouge fans, and you can still give us your opinions, your comments, and your suggestions.

13 episodes, and a great season of Rouge!

Episode 12: Mars VS. Venus: Round 1

2008-05-25T14:35:00Z

What are the differences between men and women? Rouge explores part one of this controversial topic with three special guests – Channel 8 drama actor Tay Ping Hui and Class 95’s Morning Express hosts Glenn Ong and The Flying Dutchman, who will be given men a chance this week to air their grievances.

We kicked off the night by hearing what men have to say about female drivers and bosses in the segment “Driving Men up the Wall”. Although the guys concurred that they didn’t mind and at times preferred female bosses, their views about female drivers clashed.

FD hypothesized that women don’t get involved in accidents because they cause accidents instead! However, Glenn remained adamant against stereotyping and believed that there were both good and bad male and female drivers.

In the next segment, “When she says nothing at all” the guys offered their take on what women mean when they say as “Nothing”, “Fine” and “Anything”. When asked how they would answer a girl if she asked, “Do I look fat?”, the audience had a good laugh at the guys bantering among themselves on how to compliment a woman and tell the truth at the same time.

However, Glenn took a stand and bravely proclaimed that he’d rather lie than face the music of what may come. Nevertheless, the trio agreed unanimously that communication was the key to understanding the opposite sex.

Rouge also caught up with seasoned traveler and host of Globe Trekker, Ian Wright, who gave his take on the differences between men and women when traveling. In last segment, “Shop till the men drop”, the guys talked about female behaviour and the issue on toilet behaviour was raised.

Ping Hui observed that girls visit bathrooms to bond while guys visit bathrooms solely for the purpose of using the toilet.

FD and Ping Hui then argued that it was not proper for men to be carrying a woman’s handbag. FD reiterated that a woman’s handbag is in fact a woman’s accessory and thus, should not become the man’s accessory especially if the woman’s handbag carried anything from makeup to the kitchen sink!

Rounding up the night was a pleasant surprise for the audience from Lancaster who sponsored goodie bags for everyone. Now that the guys’ have had their turn, it’s Round 2 next week where the women fight back.

Episode 11: Fright Night

2008-05-18T14:35:00Z

This week on Rouge, we took a closer look at fears and phobias.

Rouge met up with celebrity starlet Fiona Xie who most recently clinched the female-lead in Kelvin Tong’s horror movie Rule #1. Having a role in the movie was an exciting experience for her, especially being able to star opposite Hong Kong hotshots Ekin Cheng and Shawn Yue. When asked if she had any supernatural stories to share, Fiona recounted hair-raising details of unexplained happenings such as shadows and phantom fetuses while filming the movie and some of her earlier TV programs.

Next up, Eunice took a ghost walk with the Singapore Paranormal Investigators (SPI) in search of supernatural activities at two spooky locations in Singapore. After witnessing the spontaneous combustion of a pile of joss paper and visiting a site in which a baby corpse was once found, Eunice swore off going to any of the two sites alone.

Two SPI invesitgators, Desmond and Brushup were invited to the studio who shared some of their spooky investigative stories with the Rouge audience. The investigators also brought with them their investigative equipment such as the temperature gun and electromagnetic gauge, to explain their use during an investigation. If you’d like to join the SPI or take part in one of their ghost walks, log onto www.spi.com.sg to find out more.

Finally, Rouge uncovered what En Bloc actor Darren Lim is most fearful of - a yellow fruit that is most common during Chinese New Year that comes in the form of tarts. Can you guess what it is? (That’s right, it’s the pineapple!) Calling it “That Thing”, Darren refuses to mention its name, think about it or be near it after having a traumatic incident that happened when he was three years old.

Rouge ended off with little experiment that tested the extent of Darren’s fear.

Eunice fished out a pineapple and immediately, the actor stated that his legs felt weak and he felt a sour and queasy sensation in his mouth. Not wanting to take the test too far, Eunice left the fruit a safe distance away from the actor.

Episode 10: Mother’s Day Special

2008-05-11T14:35:00Z

What did you do for your mother this Mothers’ Day? This week on Rouge, our programme was packed back to back with celebrities and their mums as we pay a special tribute to mums.

We caught up with former TV presenter, Diana Ser, who is now a media trainer and co-directs a PR consultancy. Currently pregnant with her second child, Diana recalled how badly postnatal blues affected her after she gave birth to her first child, Jake. She remembers feeling ugly and depressed, and even entertained thoughts of suicide. What’s worse was that she denied the fact that depression could even hit her, for she had always viewed herself as strong and independent.

Luckily for her, it was through speaking with a friend that Diana finally came to admit that she was suffering from post natal blues. Immediately, Diana began to speak out and it was through the support of her loving husband, James, family and friends that Diana managed to recover from depression.

Next up, Eunice teamed up with British singing prodigy, Connie Talbot, to perform “Over the Rainbow” as a tribute to all the mothers’. Connie was only 6 when she became a finalist in Britain’s Got Talent and has since become the youngest recording artist to debut in the UK. You can check out Connie’s website and CD at http://www.connietalbot.com/

Also, Rouge revealed the winner of the Rouge Mother’s Day spa treat.

Sarah Chia, together with her sisters, wrote in to nominate their mother, Madam Tan Lee Tin, for all the hard work she put in to take care of them. Sarah’s father passed away suddenly when she was only 5 and Madam Tan was left to raise 6 daughters on her own. The Rouge team was so moved by their story that they awarded the Rustic Nirvana Mother’s Day spa treat to this strong and brave mother whose perseverance remains a source of inspiration to all her daughters.

Rouge met up with 80s pop sensation, Debbie Gibson, who’s now known as Deborah Gibson. She expressed her excitement in doing a new musical, Superhero Diaries, by Toy Factory Productions right here in Singapore! Superhero Diaries is about young Nora Mowwend who conjures up an imaginary world as an antidote to her troubled life. Deborah plays Diana Mowwend, the mother of Nora and the villain, Black Azira in Nora’s imagination.

Playing Nora Mowwend is 12-year-old Julia Roman Abueva, who came to the studio with her mother Regina Abueva. They told the Rouge audience how they celebrate Mother’s Day and Julia expressed her excitement in starring in her own musical. Wrapping up the night, Julia wowed the audience with her powerful vocals when she performed “Arms of Love” from Superhero Diaries. You can get tickets from any SISTIC outlet if you want to catch Superhero Diaries on the 22nd and 23rd of August at the Singapore Indoor stadium.

Episode 9: Weighing the Issue

2008-05-04T14:35:00Z

Putting it on: Easy. Taking it off: Who knew it’d be this hard! Weight – its an ever growing problem and Rouge took it up. Why is it so difficult to lose weight? Do diets really work? And to what lengths will people go to lose unwanted pounds?

Actress and theatre director, Beatrice-Chia Richmond, recounted how she struggled with anorexia nervosa and bulimia through the ages of 14-18. Victims of anorexia are commonly known to control body weight through means of voluntary starvation and excessive exercise, while bulimic patients tend to binge and induce vomiting or other extreme weight control measures in an effort to stay thin. Her weight plummeted dramatically and she suffered frequent fainting spells and had anemia. And though these two conditions manifest physically as weight control problems, the Rouge audience learnt that they have psychological roots. Beatrice explained that for sufferers, the conditions tend to become a perverse way of controlling their own lives.

Fortunately for Beatrice, she had a very strong survival instinct and she also got a wakeup call in the form of kidney patients who gave a talk at her school. Realizing how lucky she was, she was determined to stop. It took her 2 years to succeed, but she did and she advises people who have the conditions to seek professional help.

Next up, we had Dr. Ben Tan from the Singapore Sports Medicine Centre tell us about a weight management programme that’s based on scientific data. The SSMC offers weight management programs catered to all fitness levels and has a wide range of rehabilitation facilities. To achieve that ideal weight, the SSMC’s program takes on a three-tiered approach of dietary restriction, structure exercise and increased daily activities. Currently, the Centre has had at least 2000 patients and each of them has achieved an average weight loss of 8kg and an 8.3 cm waistline reduction. By the end of the holistic program, the patient is equipped with the skills and knowledge to sustain the desired weight for the rest of his or her life.

Dr Tan, a former Olympic sailor, also cleared up some fallacies on losing weight, (no such thing as spot reduction, sorry, people!), and answered questions from the audience about slimming pills and meal replacements. He stressed the need for people to realize that there are no short cuts to losing weight and achieving that desired body shape and weight. To learn more about the Singapore Sports Medicine Centre, log onto http://www.ssmc.sg/index.html

To top the night off, we had a group from Yoga East who showed us a fun way to exercise with Bhangra Aerobics! The Rouge audience got onto their feet with Eunice as they took part in a short Bhangra Aerobics workout that got their heart pumping and feet tapping.

Want to pick up a dancercise today? Check out http://www.yogaeastsingapore.com/index.htm !

In memory of Madam Chan Yoke Chan

2008-04-29T10:08:00Z

The Rouge team was shocked and deeply saddened when we heard the news of Madam Chan Yoke Chan's passing. She belonged to a group of brave women, the Pink Paddlers, whom the team had the privilege of getting to know and work with. We are sorry for Mr Chan’s and the Pink Paddlers’ loss. The team sends our deepest condolences and well wishes to Madam Chan’s family and friends.

In addition, we also want to convey a message from one of Rouge’s former guests, Mr Raymond Fernando, who has penned a poem for Madam Chan’s family.

The Lighted Candle:

A condolence message specially dedicated to Mr Chan Gee Kan & family

Dear Mr Chan,

I am deeply saddened by your wife’s untimely demise
Madam Chan Yoke Chan’s passing caught many of us by surprise
We are shocked and we can all see the tears in your eyes
Today, I will light a candle for you and your family
To remember your wife, and to set your heart free
As painful as it is, refocus and rebuild your life
For I am sure that is the wish of your beloved wife
Madam Chan was a cancer survivor and she was strong
I’ll pray for you and your loved ones so that you all remain strong
And hopefully over time, your sorrow will be gone

Life is unpredictable and often circumstances cause so much hurt
But, be comforted that your wife is now in a better place than earth
My wife and I offer our deepest sympathy to you and your family
Our lighted candle burns for your wife and to remove your pain
We wish you well and hope that you can rebuild your life, all over again

Sincerely,

Raymond Anthony Fernando
Caregiver

Tel: 64594740

Ep 8 – For Your Eyes Only

2008-04-27T14:35:00Z

The eyes had it as Rouge brought in two experts – a doctor to talk about the facts of lasik surgery, and a celebrity makeup artist and stylist to give 2 lucky viewers a fabulous makeover with emphasis on the eyes.

Dr Marc Tay of the Lasik Surgery Clinic fielded questions such as:

How safe is lasik?
What conditions can lasik correct?
Who’s suitable for lasik?
What’s the whole process like?
What are the complications that can occur during surgery?
What are the side effects of the surgery?
How long do the effects of the surgery last?

Lawyer Siti Zubaidah, who’s a patient of Dr Tay, recounted her personal experience – whether the operation was painful, what her most nerve-wracking moment was, and what precautions she had to take.

The Rouge audience had the privilege of watching a video of the lasik procedure, from the pre-evaluation process to the actual operation.

And because Dr Tay has done over 10,000 lasik operations, his familiarity with patients’ eyes in Singapore enabled him to comment on whether there are characteristics in these eyes that make it easier or harder to operate on them.

He also talked about a book that the Lasik Surgery Clinic has recently launched, titled “Vision Reborn”, which answers questions that people have about lasik. If you need more information about the book or you’d like to find out more about lasik surgery, log onto www.lsc.sg.

Meanwhile, celebrity makeup artist and stylist Greg O was busy fashioning beautiful eyes, and more, for 2 Rouge viewers who were fortunate enough to get a makeover from him.

Amanda and Tiffany were already attractive…

Greg O worked his magic and transformed them into ultra hot dates for the evening…

Rouge also uncovered a quirky little shop called Lim Kay Khee at 330 Balestier Road (tel: 62524902) that sells retro spectacle frames. So if you’re looking for that unique pair of specs or sunnies to go with that ‘70s outfit you’ve just bought, or you’d just like to up your fashion cred, pop into the shop anytime from Monday to Saturday, 9.30 am – 8 pm.

Episode 7: Can you save the world? (Telecast on 20 April 2008)

2008-04-20T14:35:00Z

The world celebrates Earth Day on 22 April, and Rouge paid an early tribute to the event by featuring people who are making a difference to the world.

First up, the Naked Hermit Crabs, a group of nature lovers who spread their message of conservation and awareness by bringing people on guided walks along shores such as Chek Jawa’s.

Guests Ivan Kwan and November Tan spoke about the rich biodiversity of life in Singapore waters, especially along our Southern Shores. The Rouge team paid a visit to Pulau Semakau with November, and contrary to popular belief that the island is a wasteland because of its function as a landfill, it is actually a haven to a rich variety of coral life and marine creatures.

Eunice was tickled by the fact that she shared something in common with a Giant Reef worm whose genus name was - Eunice! And to her surprise, she was conferred the status of Honorary Naked Hermit Crab!

To learn more about the Naked Hermit Crabs or to join one of their walks, check out their blogsite: http://nakedhermitcrabs.blogspot.com/

If you’re interested in taking part in a nature walk to Pulau Semakau, or other islands, log onto www.wildsingapore.com.

Social entrepreneur and founder of Studio You, Lois Ng, recounted her struggles in building a business from scratch for people with physical or intellectual disabilities. Lois’ hope is to empower them with skills that will help them be recognized as contributors to society and not dependants of charity.

Studio You designs and makes gifts such as cards, tile clips and tile magnets that are fit for both the retail and corporate markets. And true to Lois’ spirit of generosity, a Tile Story clip was given to everyone in the studio. Check out http://you.com.sg/ to find out more about Studio You and their products!

Finally, we caught up with One Singapore president, Vernetta Lopez, and co-founder of One Singapore, Michael Switow. One Singapore’s belief is that people in this modern age have the means and the ability to make poverty history. Besides raising awareness and inviting individuals to join their cause, One Singapore also takes concrete action by reaching out to those in need.

To learn more, Eunice accompanied Vernetta to Little India and came face to face with the squalid conditions that foreign workers, who have been swindled by rogue agents with the promise of work, live in.

One Singapore is doing all it can to alleviate the workers’ situations by providing them food and shelter, and you can do your part to end poverty by visiting http://www.onesingapore.org/ and finding out how you can help.

Doris’ Recipes

2008-04-19T05:46:00Z

Sharing with us her love for cooking, Doris and her husband, Raymond, have kindly submitted two recipes from her recipe book “Cook with Love” for all our Rouge viewers.

Thank you Doris and Raymond!

LAKSA

(Meal for 4 persons)

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients to be grinded finely:

10 small onions (each cut into half)

30 grams dried prawns

4 buah keras (candlenuts)

1 small piece blachan

1 small piece lengkwas (cut into small pieces)

1 small piece tumeric (yellow ginger – cut into small pieces)

1 piece lemon grass (serai)- sliced 5 or 6 pieces from root end

1½ tablespoons chilli paste to be mixed with grinded ingredients

600 grams mee/laksa beehoon

2 pieces fishcake sliced finely

5 pieces brown tauhu (taupok) sliced in pieces

$1/- grated coconut (add 1.5 litres water and squeeze to get milk)

20 cents kersome leaves (to be cut finely)

4 eggs boiled and cut into fours (quail eggs can be substituted)

*Cockles (Optional)

1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon aji-no-moto

METHOD

1. Fry grinded ingredients with 1 soupspoon oil.

2. Add in coconut gravy and let the mixture boil.

3. Separately, pour hot water over the mee (if you are using mee).

For the beehoon, just loosen it – no need to pour hot water.

4. Once mixture boils, add in salt, fishcake, taupok and aji-no-moto.

5. Serve hot with eggs and kersome leaves.

Doris Lau Siew Lang

Author of “ Cook with Love”

CRAB CURRY

(Meal for 4 persons)

INGREDIENTS

8 pieces blue-flower crabs

$1/- curry paste for crabs

(Curry powder mixed with pounded big onions, garlic, ginger, etc. bought from market stall selling curry powder)

1 stalk curry leaf

250 ml water

A pinch of salt

METHOD

1. Clean the crabs thoroughly and cut into halves.

2. In frying pan, add 3 tablespoons oil and fry curry paste and curry leaf nicely.

3. Add in crabs and stir-fry until the crabs are covered with the curry paste.

4. Add water, a pinch of salt and cover frying pan.

5. When curry boils, stir the crabs again.

6. Once cooked, close fire and serve hot with rice.

Doris Lau Siew Lang

Author of “ Cook with Love”

Episode 6: Love on a Leash (Telecast on 13 April 2008)

2008-04-13T14:35:00Z

It was all about pets this week on Rouge and Eunice had a co-host Shelley, the Shetland Sheep-dog.

The volunteer group Therapy Dogs of Singapore (TDS) took to the catwalk with their pooches and they revealed to us the two different ways in which the TDS helps those in need.

The Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) are casual “meet and greet” sessions that involves pets visiting people while the Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a treatment plan for patients with specific needs such as physiotherapy, or speech therapy. Because they interact with the dogs, the patients are thus encouraged to use their limbs or enhance their creativity and social skills with activities such as dumb-bell mathematics and doggie dress-ups. To find out more about the TDS or how you can volunteer, log onto www.tdspore.org.

Next up, we got an expert’s opinion on caring for your pet with veterinarian and Miss Singapore Universe 2005, Cheryl Tay, who brought Joey, her 5 year old miniature bull terrier to the studio! She shared with us her experiences as a vet, both sad and heartwarming stories, and advised pet owners to take their pets for regular checkups.

Rouge also checked out three places where you and your pet can dine side by side! The Urban Pooch Café and Dog boutique offers pet grooming and day-care services and doubles up as a café so that you can enjoy a cup of coffee while you wait for your pet to get all spruced up! The Pawtobello Café and Pet Boutique is where you can take your pooch for lunch or dinner and do some pet shopping all at the same time. And for desert, pamper your pet with some cookies, pies or tarts from the U.S. doggie bakery.

Log onto these websites to find out more:

http://www.urbanpooch.com.sg/

http://pawtobello.com/index.html

http://www.usdb.com.sg/

Selina Sebastian, the education executive from the S.P.C.A, brought with her two adorable kittens – Tabitha and Gemma, who are up for adoption. She explained why the S.P.C.A needed to put some animals to sleep and encourages the public to avoid buying pets on an impulse as caring for a pet takes responsibility and time. If you have what it takes to adopt a pet, or become a volunteer, you can log onto www.spca.org.sg , or contact the S.P.C.A at 6287 5355 or visit them at 31 Mount Vernon Road.

Episode 5: A Date with Destiny (Telecast on 6 April 2008)

2008-04-06T14:20:00Z

Looking for love but your hectic schedule just doesn’t allow it? Episode five of Rouge explored the dating culture in Singapore with Anisa Hassan, a former TV journalist who now heads the Singapore office of “It’s Just Lunch”.

She talked about the revolution of the dating culture in this day and age where singles have turned to modern day matchmaking services as a means of finding their other half. And “It’s Just Lunch” is just one of the many avenues today where singles can meet up with like-minded individuals!

Joyce Tia, a client of dating service “Lunch Actually” recounted her dating experiences. Eunice joined Joyce at the “Lunch Actually Dining Xpress Event” for a great night out where she mingled with some newfound friends over dinner and wine.

What’s more, Eunice got some heart-pumping action when she took part in some paintball game with Hitchoo.com, an online auction dating site that offers a platform for site members to organize and manage their own events. Check out these websites to find out more on what’s new in the dating scene:

www.ItsJustLunchSingapore.com

www.lunchactually.com

www.hitchoo.com

Up next was Dr. Gregory Tan, a PR consultant and NTU lecturer, who gave us an insight on the body language of love.

Rouge gave him two scenarios – at a bar and at a restaurant – and got him to analyze the body language of the couples. The audience even got his expert opinion on their personal dating experiences!

And a special end to the show: Rouge invited Californian singer-songwriter, Colbie Calliat, to perform her hit song, “Bubbly”. Colbie also shared with Eunice her inspiration for writing “Bubbly” and her dating experiences. To top the night off, our studio audience got to take home Colbie’s debut album, “CoCo”! Log onto http://www.colbiecaillatmusic.com/ to find out more about Colbie Calliat!