Light to Night Singapore 2025: A Spectacular Celebration of Identity and Art

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

In a landmark year celebrating Singapore's 60th birthday and National Gallery Singapore's 10th anniversary, Light to Night Singapore 2025 returns to transform the Civic District into an immersive canvas of light, art, and reflection. Running from January 17 to February 6, 2025, this marquee event of Singapore Art Week poses a thought-provoking question through its theme: "Do You See Me?"

The festival promises to illuminate the city with over 70 artworks and programmes, creating a vibrant tapestry that celebrates both established and emerging voices in Singapore's art scene.

Honoring Singapore's Artistic Legacy

For the first time in the festival's history, the iconic façade of National Gallery Singapore will showcase projection mappings featuring the works of three seminal local artists, including two posthumous tributes. The late printmaker and Cultural Medallion recipient Chng Seok Tin's "Spirit of Resilience" explores her artistic journey despite losing her vision, while "The Perception of Beauty" celebrates the revolutionary batik work of the late Jaafar Latiff. Completing the trio is Cultural Medallion recipient Goh Beng Kwan's "Imprinted Memory," which chronicles his monumental artistic journey.

At the Padang, renowned sculptor and Cultural Medallion recipient Han Sai Por presents "Travelling Through the Tropical Rainforest," featuring six colossal inflatable sculptures resembling tropical palms. This installation offers a powerful commentary on the delicate balance between urban development and nature in Singapore's evolving landscape.

New Perspectives on Identity and Inclusion

The festival makes significant strides in amplifying diverse voices through several groundbreaking installations. Claire Teo, a visually impaired artist from ART:DIS, presents "Through The Looking Glass," an immersive multi-sensory installation that challenges conventional perceptions of sight and visibility. The installation will be complemented by live performances featuring artists sharing deeply personal narratives about love, loss, identity, and the longing to be understood.

Street art gains prominence with TraseOne's "Now You See Us?" projection on The Arts House at the Old Parliament facade, tracing the evolution of Singapore's graffiti scene from underground movement to mainstream acceptance. Meanwhile, the festival collaborates with the Ministry of Manpower to present "Our Migrants' Leisure," a photo exhibition showcasing the vibrant lives of Singapore's migrant community beyond their daily work.

Interactive Spaces and Community Engagement

The festival introduces several new features designed to enhance community interaction. The Singapore Courtyard at the Gallery will be transformed into "The Living Room," a cozy communal space hosting artist talks, workshops, and DJ sets by EATMEPOPTART. The Art X Social: Festival Street will operate across all three festival weekends, offering food, beverages, and live performances along St Andrew's Road.

For those seeking more immersive experiences, Rainshadow Studios presents "Scarce City," an interactive installation combining art, technology, and gameplay to explore themes of resource management and sustainability. Theatre enthusiasts can participate in "Escaped the Art," an interactive performance where historical figures mysteriously escape from their paintings, challenging participants to uncover their stories and true identities.

Practical Information

The festival will run from January 17 to February 6, 2025, with extended hours until 11 PM during festival weekends (Friday to Sunday). While general admission is free, some programmes require pre-booking through the festival website. During the festival weekends, visitors can enjoy free entry to all Gallery exhibitions, including solo exhibitions featuring local trailblazers Kim Lim, Lim Tze Peng, and Teo Eng Seng.

As Executive Director Ms Ong Zhen Min notes, "Light to Night Singapore 2025 explores the complex identities that make up our communities to prompt new perspectives on self, others, diversity and belonging." In doing so, the festival not only illuminates the city's iconic buildings but also sheds light on the multifaceted stories that make up Singapore's cultural fabric.

For the latest updates and programme information, visitors can check the festival website at lighttonight.sg or follow National Gallery Singapore's social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Cathay Pacific Returns to Rome in Summer 2025: Connecting Asia to Italy’s Iconic Capital

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Cathay Pacific proudly announces the expansion of its global network with the launch of direct flights between Hong Kong and Rome starting June 5, 2025. This milestone marks Cathay Pacific's 12th European destination and a significant step towards the airline group's ambitious goal of serving 100 global destinations by 2025.

A Historic Return to the Eternal City

Cathay Pacific’s return to Rome isn’t just about reconnecting two global cities—it’s a revival of a route that holds nearly 40 years of history. First launched in 1986, the Hong Kong-Rome route has long been a symbol of seamless connectivity between East and West.

With three weekly flights operating during the summer season, this service complements Cathay Pacific’s existing route to Milan, which will increase to daily flights this summer.

Rome Awaits: History, Culture, and Celebration

Travelers from Asia will now have unparalleled access to one of Europe’s most iconic cities. Rome is a treasure trove of ancient monuments, world-famous landmarks, historic museums, and architectural wonders.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect—2025 marks the Catholic Church's Year of Jubilee, an event celebrated once every 25 years. With Vatican City and Rome hosting grand events and festivities throughout the year, Cathay Pacific’s direct flights offer a timely and convenient travel option for pilgrims, tourists, and culture enthusiasts alike.

World-Class Travel Experience with Cathay Pacific

Passengers on the Hong Kong-Rome route will travel aboard Cathay Pacific’s state-of-the-art Airbus A350-900 aircraft, designed for maximum comfort and efficiency:

Business Class: Fully flat beds for ultimate relaxation.

Premium Economy: Spacious seating for enhanced comfort.

Economy Class: Thoughtfully designed seats for a pleasant journey.

Cathay Pacific's Global Expansion

The launch of the Hong Kong-Rome route is part of a larger expansion strategy by the Cathay Group. In 2025, the airline will also introduce direct flights to Hyderabad, Dallas, Munich, and Brussels, with HK Express launching flights to Sendai in January.

With this robust growth plan, Cathay Pacific and HK Express aim to operate passenger services to 100 destinations worldwide by the end of 2025.

Travelers from Europe to Hong Kong can also enjoy seamless connections to Asia-Pacific destinations, including 19 cities in Mainland China served by Cathay Pacific and HK Express.

A Statement from Cathay Pacific Leadership

Lavinia Lau, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer at Cathay Pacific, shared her excitement:

"Cathay Pacific’s history in Italy stretches back close to 40 years when we first launched direct flights between Hong Kong and Rome in 1986. We know our customers have been eagerly anticipating the return of this route, and we are delighted to be returning to Italy’s marvellous capital this summer. Whether they are travelling for business, leisure, or the 2025 Jubilee celebrations, we look forward to welcoming customers onboard our flights to experience our world-class service."

Plan Your Journey

Experience the timeless charm of Rome and the exceptional service of Cathay Pacific. Book your flights now and be part of this exciting chapter in global connectivity.

Let’s Debunk These 10 Myths about Online Casino Gaming

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Whether you’re talking about the NBA, e-sport leagues, or online casinos, superstitions, and other funny ideas seem to be a common feature that ties all gaming together. It’s no surprise, then, that the precipitous rise of online casinos in the Philippines has created a rich mythos in its wake.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Putting on a pair of lucky underwear before you log on to an online casino Philippines-based players trust isn’t harming anyone, and it could even give you a welcome sense of confidence. However, sharing inaccurate information about online casinos is another thing altogether. 

Spreading misinformation on online gaming or anything else can actually create real harm. It can spread unnecessary fear and mistrust, discourage critical thinking on other subjects, and keep responsible players from enjoying themselves. At worst, these false assumptions could even lead to tension between legitimate industry workers and their loved ones.

At some level, the stigma against online casinos is understandable. Traditional gaming hasn’t always had a stellar past, and some of that legacy has spread online. Negative experiences also tend to dominate media representations of online casino gaming, even when they are statistically a very small fraction of all gaming interactions. Of course, there are also scam websites that target unwitting gamers, damaging the reputation of legitimate platforms in the process.

The most important factor in the spread of these myths is the rapid and uneven digital transformation in a country like the Philippines. While Filipinos are prolific users of emerging electronic media, many are not fully prepared to analyze the truth behind what they see or read online. This lack of preparedness has made it easy for unverified claims on online casinos to gain traction.

Hopefully, we can all be part of the solution. Let’s address the most common myths head-on so you’ll have a truthful understanding of the emerging online gaming world:

Myth 1: All Online Casino Games are Rigged

Online casinos that are licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) must use functioning Random Number Generators (RNGs) to guarantee fairness. These RNGs are audited by PAGCOR so that game outcomes are truly completely random and not manipulated at the back end. Indeed, PAGCOR requires platform operators to meet a long list of technical standards to guarantee complete fairness.

Myth 2: Players Never Win

It’s hard to deny that “the house always wins,” but this is just a quirk of statistics that naturally occurs when you have many games and income streams happening at scale. The math makes it so that there is no need for legitimate gaming sites to commit fraud of any kind. What’s more, in games like poker and blackjack, skill can also greatly influence results, potentially putting things in the player’s favor. If winning was never a possibility, online gaming simply wouldn’t be as popular as it is today.

Myth 3: Online Casinos are Illegal in the Philippines

Licensed offshore online casinos can legally offer their services to Filipinos. However, players must always check if the platform they’re on is licensed by PAGCOR or another recognized authority.

Myth 4: Online Gaming Platforms Can’t Be Trusted

Because they’re an obvious target for cybercriminals, legitimate gaming platforms invest heavily in advanced encryption and security technology to protect their transactions. Because of all the extra layers of cybersecurity integrated into gaming sites, your data is probably more vulnerable on a typical business website than it is on a vetted gaming platform.

Myth 5: Promotional Offers Aren’t Real

On licensed platforms, these promos are indeed real. These have to be, as all promotional offers on gaming platforms are regulated by PAGCOR.

Myth 6: Online Casino Gaming Inevitably Leads to Addiction

Unprepared individuals may develop unhealthy habits, but this can be true of any pastime. Responsible gaming and using tools like deposit limits and self-exclusion options when available can help players maintain control over their habits.

Myth 7: Only Techies Can Play

For iGaming, the opposite is true. Gaming platform developers invest heavily in guaranteeing a smooth, user-friendly experience for players of all skill levels. Most now offer tutorials as well as extensive customer support to help new players understand how the games and platforms work.

Myth 8: You Won’t Get Payouts

This is certainly true on scam sites, but not on licensed gaming sites. If there is ever a delay, this can likely be attributed to incomplete verification or the winner’s bank flagging the transaction. It’s exceedingly rare for payout issues to be the responsibility of the platform itself.

Myth 9: You Need to Be Rich to Get into Online Gaming

Online casinos now cater to people of all income levels, allowing them to set limits on their spending. Many platforms even go so far as to provide free, no-stakes demo games that can be entertaining in their own right.

Myth 10: Online Casinos are Scams

To be clear, fraudulent casino sites do exist. However, there are fraudulent sites related to virtually every industry. Similar to most other industries, scam casino sites are largely the exception, not the rule. Licenses, platform reviews, and common sense can all help you differentiate between untrustworthy gaming sites and illicit operations. 

Breaking Myths, Embracing Fun

These are just some of the more harmful myths that have come up in response to iGaming. If you come across these myths online, be sure to share what the real score is.

Ultimately, to get the most fun out of online casino gaming, you have to take it for what it is—a fun, occasionally rewarding way to pass the time. If you keep yourself informed, set limits to your gaming habits, and choose duly licensed platforms, you really can’t go wrong.