Images courtesy of Far East Hospitality, used with permission.

With the Great Singapore Sale coming up at the end of May, finding a hotel in the Orchard Road shopping hotspot is more important than ever. So Far East Hospitality has come through with special offers on their Serviced Residences along Orchard Road, ideal for the mid- to long-term visitor to Singapore! (Keep in mind that the Great Singapore Sale lasts from May 25 to July 22!)

For just SGD 3,500 a week, you can kick back in luxury at a two- or three-bedroom apartment in the Orchard Parksuites (compare rates) or Orchard Scotts Residences (pictured above; compare rates).

To sweeten the deal for the duration of the Great Singapore Sale, Far East Hospitality is giving away SGD 300-400 worth of Orchard Central Shopping Vouchers if you stay at Orchard Parksuites or Orchard Scotts Residences! Read More...

Image of Sea Villas, Pangkor Laut Resort © YTL Hotels, used with permission.

If you were thinking of getting your own tropical island retreat for your summer vacation... look no further. YTL Hotels' all-inclusive Summer Holidays Specials get you what you were wishing for, just book online via the YTL Hotels Great Escape page (www.ytlhotels.com.my/summer_holiday_special.html) over the next seven days.

The special offer covers breakfasts, two-course lunches, dinners and select complimentary activities, available for a minimum two nights' stay at YTL Hotels' award-winning Malaysian beach properties, Pangkor Laut Resort and Tanjong Jara Resort. The stay can also be enhanced with chargeable meal, spa and activity upgrades. Read More...

Devotees release lanterns into the air at the end of last year's Vesak celebrations at Borobudur. Image courtesy of Getty Images.

This weekend, Borobudur in Central Java, Indonesia will come to life, as the most important day of the year for Southeast Asia's millions of Buddhists comes to pass: Vesak. The day celebrates three different points in the Buddha's life: his birth, enlightenment, and final attainment of Nirvana upon his death.

The name (and often the date) depends on where you go: this year, Waisak in Indonesia (and Visakha Puja in Thailand) culminates on May 6, while in Cambodia, Visak Bochea is celebrated officially on May 5, as it is in Singapore.

Buddhists believe that making merit on Vesak weighs far more in their favor compared to other days, so they perform merit-making activities like helping the poor or setting animals free. The latter has alarmed some quarters; in Singapore the authorities are begging devotees not to release animals into the wild.

For more information on this major Buddhist holiday, read this article: Vesak in Southeast Asia, or peruse this gallery: Images of Vesak in Southeast Asia.

Image courtesy of the ArtScience Museum, used with permission.

We've written before about the ArtScience Museum at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore - an avant-garde space dedicated to showcasing the finest exhibits from both the artistic and scientific realms. Fresh from its success telling the story of the Titanic, the ArtScience Museum is moving on to a more current crop of exhibits, featuring two different sides to modern pop culture.

Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal. Even 25 years after his death, Andy Warhol's work continues to make an impact on the contemporary art scene. Even Southeast Asia has not been immune to his influence: as you'll see in the exhibit called Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal, the lamented Pop-art icon continues to influence artists in the region.

Over 16 artworks and associated documentation are shown at these exhibits, each reflecting a visual language similar to Warhol's, but infused with distinctive cultural elements. Specially curated by the museum for the exhibition, the artworks draw on common themes and techniques made famous by the iconic Pop Artist, for example his interest in mass consumer, pop and celebrity culture, and the use of mass reproduction techniques for art. Read More...