An Interview with Dr. Georgia Lee Wanna know what it's like to be a socialite in Singapore? HOOKED chats up with Dr. Lee, a prominent figure in Singapore's high society, to find that socialites need not be all about play and no work.
SCENE'N'HEARD Cleo Bachelors Finals Party 2008 - School's out! Every self-respecting lady should arm herself with a man worthy of her. HOOKED troops down to the party in search of the most eligible man for you.
SCENE'N'HEARD An Evening with Broken Social Scene Less than half of its contingent came, yet Broken Social Scene has doubled the expectations. HOOKED spends an evening with these talented musicians for a night of hyper-kinetic fun.
CAMPUSRAVE Fake it 'til you make it:
The Elitist Complex Does plastering yourself with branded clothing alleviate your social status? With the rising number of brand-conscious upstarts seen around campus, HOOKED attempts to make sense of such atas behaviour.
REALLIFE Living the High Life:
Not All About Money What is it that separates the bourgeoisie from the aristocrats? HOOKED explains why cold, hard cash is not enough to buy your way into the high society.
HE SAYS SHE SAYS How Low Would You Go? They say love can transcend all boundaries, but can it really overcome class differences? HOOKED examines how important it is to have an equal footing in a relationship between He and She.
GLAMOURUS Fashionable Elites or Elitist Fashion? Fashion may be part and parcel of our lives, yet it still seems elusive to most of us. Is Fashion only for the elites? Let HOOKED's resident fashionista tell you what it takes to get on the Fashion highway.
FOODTALK Atas Makan Places Check out HOOKED's list of posh restaurants to see and be seen in! Don't be silly; it has nothing to do with how good the food taste.
E-REVIEWS The Atas Guide to Museum-Hopping in Singapore We don't only review movies and albums. This time, HOOKED assesses our local museums where you could cultivate the atas soul in you.
E-REVIEWS Crows Zero: Of Blood-thumping Violence If being refined is not for you, how about watching some blood and violence to release your pent-up frustration?
ETCETCETC 10 Ways To Bluff Your Way Into Being Atas HOOKED teaches you how to fake your way into the upper class. Whether you make it or not, however, is another story altogether.
Search us..
Who's Online
We have 1 guest online
Home
HOOKED presents to you…The Atas Issue.
Written by Nadia Arianna
Dear Readers,
According
to the Coxford Singlish Dictionary, "Atas" (pronounced as 'ah-tahs')
is used to describe someone as "snobbish, hoity-toity, affected or
arrogant". Adding on to this colorful definition, "Atas" would
also describe a certain class (or if you like, breed) of people
who live the elite lifestyle of the rich and the famous. Think Gossip
Girl, The Hills, The OC and anyone living in Balmoral, Mount Sophia, Tanglin or Sixth Avenue.
Magazines, the
back page of our official English newspaper and even certain industries
have wholly dedicated themselves to the atas crowd in Singapore.
This fascination with the "Atas" crowd is a global phenomenon with
the saturation of socialites in tabloids that were once filled with
movie stars and singers. It was only a matter of time before it hit
our sunny shores.
Since imitation
is the greatest form of flattery, do as they do by heading down to some
of the atas restaurants we've lined up for you. It's
only the tip of the iceberg as there are plenty more restaurants (and
completely out of our NUSSU-backed budget to actually review the majority
of them personally) for you to rub your Gucci-covered shoulders with.
Another feast for the senses is none other than the upcoming Singapore
Fashion Festival (SFF). We'll show you just how much the SFF means
to one of our journalists as he educates you on fashion
and how to tell if you've made it in the elite fashion
crowd.
Being part of the arts scene and festivals seems to be a requisite
for being part of the atas crowd these days.
HOOKED made its way
down to the booming Mosaic Music Festival and for the young ‘uns,
got into the Broken Social Scene. Not entirely chi-chi easy listening
music, but hey, who can argue with good music?
Art has had
a long history of being associated with the upper echelon of society.
And it still holds some truth to it. Get cultured and follow our museum trail.
Not wanting to merely skim the surface of the subject, HOOKED also delves into what it takes to lead the High Life, which is not always about the money.
That's about
it for now, dear readers. I bid you adieu! Enjoy The Atas Issue!
XOXO,
P.S. Congratulations to Ng Yuan Xin for winning our last issue's CLEO contest!
With our annual HOOKED Awards coming up, we need your vote on the Most Popular HOOKED Issue, as well as the Best HOOKED Article 2007/2008! You are not doing it for nothing! One year of CLEO magazine subscriptions will be yours if you could back your votes with sound reasons. Check here for all lifestyle articles or backtrack all our events articles here!
HOOKED Readers' Corner
Written by HOOKED Readers
HOOKED Star Letter
Suggestions for HOOKED
1) While the Edison Chen scandal might be a tad overhyped and will blow over in time, it might be interesting to have a theme on the strange fetishes of youths today, e.g. ranging from collecting limited edition sneakers, avant-garde fashion cult labels, and obsession with nip-tucks to erm, cam-whoring of all kinds.
Might be interesting to include a little survey on how many of us in NUS actually viewed the collection of pictures and their take on the controversy. A variation of this idea might be a "scandalized"/exposé theme, coupled with the most sensational gossip in town/university - things like student-teacher scandals and behind-the-door hall scandals. Basically, articles which reflect the (disturbing) social mores today.
2) A social-networking/techno-networking theme: something that reflects the advent of technology and pervasiveness of networking tools like Facebook, Friendster, STomp, blogging etc. Perhaps, score an interview with our blogging babes, e.g. Dawn Yang, coupled with Xiaxue, for a fiery exchange of views and electrifying chemistry to sizzle things up a little? Forget about Steven Lim and his politically correct answers!
3) A theme on the "ATAS" phenomenon, or the rise of rich, young tertiary kids on the block who embrace a lifestyle of fine dining, luxury fashion brands, fast cars and exclusive club memberships.
For more scribe-worthy news, ambush the personalities tucked away at the lush Bukit Timah Campus, what with the increase in mini-coopers scurrying around and occasional sightings of Ferraris parked along the road (the latter might belong to the lecturers though). I'm sure Kent Ridge has its fair share too!
14 June, 10am - 5pm. Olio Cafe, Arts Canteen, NUS.
Blokus Trigon. Settlers of Catan. Dividends. Cartagena.
Over $800 worth of prizes to be won!
Register at: http://nus.mensa.org.sg/ba (http://nus.mensa.org.sg/ba)
