​Taiwanese host Hsu Nai-lin has found himself in hot soup after an anonymous construction company accused the 59-year-old of committing real estate fraud. According to the construction company, they purchased a luxury mansion from Nai-lin.

However, even after the construction company paid up, the host did not transfer the rights to the property over to them. It was then suspected that Nai-lin had no intentions of selling the mansion, and had committed real estate fraud. Reports estimate the amount involved in this case to be NT$80 million (S$3.5 million).

Following the reports, Nai-lin announced that he will be holding a press conference on May 22 to clear the air. During the press conference, Nai-lin shared that he had ample paperwork confirming that the sale of the luxury mansion to the construction company did not break the law. 

Revealing that the house originally cost NT$70 million (approximately S$3.06 million), Nai-lin added that the property had been sold to a construction company owned by Mr Cai for NT$69.4 million (approximately S$3.04 million). However, even though the rights to the property had been transferred to Mr Cai, Nai-lin had only received NT$2 million (approximately S$87 614) in payment. Therefore, it was Mr Cai who had breached their contract and committed fraud.

Soon after, however, Mr Cai, as well as a Miss Cao walked into the press conference venue to share their side of the story, accusing Nai-lin of lying. 

The duo, who came prepared with call logs and documents, shared that they also had a voice recording documenting Nai-lin’s involvement in illegal gambling. They also shared that they had a witness with them, who had confessed that Nai-lin owed her NT$3 million (S$131,000). Taken aback, all Nai-lin could do was to repeatedly question the duo, asking, “Did I borrow money from you?”

In 2017, Nai-lin was reported to be involved in a similar case, where his residence in Neihu, Taiwan had been converted into an illegal gambling den. When asked about the case at a recent media appearance, he had replied, “That was two years ago, neither the police nor the courts have called me up (about it), what else can I say?"

Mr Cai also shared that he had been watching a live-stream of Nai-lin’s press conference, when he heard the host accuse him of defaulting on payments. As a result, he decided to rush down to the venue to share his side of the story. Mr Cai was then cut off by Nai-lin, who expressed that this was his press conference, restricting Mr Cai and Miss Cao from speaking. Describing them as the “guilty parties who are the first to accuse others of wrongdoing”, Nai-lin then ended the press conference.

​Taiwan will legalise same-sex marriage from May 24 (Friday), and is reportedly the first Asian country to do so. The bill was successfully passed through the courts on May 17, and a number of celebrities expressing their support.

Among those, Taiwanese singer A-Mei has stood out for her vocal support. Last night, the 46-year-old had a live stream, where she announced that she will be signing on the marriage registration certificates of 20 same-sex couples who will be registering their marriage at the Taipei City Xinyi District Household Registration Office as a memento for them. She also implored for those who were planning to tie the knot to “cherish this chance, and protect this marriage that did not come easy”.

A-Mei also revealed that she was the first celebrity to sign on the bill to show her support for same-sex marriages, and that she was looking forward to being able to sign on the marriage registration certificates of the 20 couples.

“I really hoped that the people around me are able to achieve happiness and feel protected, and I’m really happy that this is now a reality. Our rainbow is now complete, “ she shared.

She reiterated that everyone should “cherish this opportunity”, especially since they have “fought so hard to obtain something that they should have had in the first place”.

“We must respect and protect this right, so that those who don’t support it can understand, and even support us,” she said.

Leon Lai participated in a recording for the Community Chest Charity Show in Hong Kong.
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To raise money for charity, the singer-actor joined hands with Hong Kong Council of Social Service chairman, Bernard Charnwut Chan, to climb 50 storeys of stairs each. Both men successfully completed their tasks and raised a total of HK$3.1 million (about S$545,000).

Impressively, Leon did not appear to be out of breath even after climbing so many storeys. He clarified that he did not practice climbing steps before the event, and remarked that although the air in the stairwell wasn’t the best, at least the surroundings were clean, and there were people stationed at certain levels with towels and water in case he needed them.

Leon, who recently held his Metro Live 2.0 concert in Guangzhou, then shared some interesting childhood stories from his time in the Chinese city. “While the adults were talking, the naughty me stuck my head between the railings on the balcony! I couldn’t get free for at least half an hour,” he chuckled, arousing laughter from the listening crowd.

​Taipei - Lawrence Hiew, dubbed as Asia's most good looking Chef from his variety program 'Chef Lawrence', recently put his looks and cooking skills to test. His job was to perfect a bowl of handmade shaved Noodle in Sesame sauce as well as baby squid pan fried angel hair noodles.

The CEO of NoodleMix (禮面作) invited Lawrence to try his hand on perfecting a bowl of handmade shaved noodles in Sesame sauce. Every steps is in precision- time for boiling the noodles and noodles tossing techniques.

After looking at the chef going through the full process, Lawrence began his quest. So far so good at boiling the noodles. But things got tricky when he was at the tossing portion of the cooking process. It requires a special technique to toss the noodles inwards to allow the texture of the noodles to be more tangy and have a better biting texture.

​After a round of cooking expedition with the shaved noodles as well as the pan fried noodles, Lawrence concluded it was not as easy as he thought.

"The Baby Squid Pan Fried Angel Hair noodles is indeed challenging. The control over the fire has to be right so that the noodles do not burn yet cooked on the inside. I'd better in recommending the delicious food instead," joked Lawrence.

The CEO also generously prepared many other signature dishes for Lawrence to try out. Just by looking at the presentation of those dishes, they looked mouth-watering.

​Lawrence was delighted to have found this gem store which served traditional Taiwanese handmade noodles and he hoped to revisit them again to savour on their other  newly created dishes. 

Noodlemix 禮面作 台北新生店Taipei New District
No. 3, Lane 48, Section 2, Jinan Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, 100

Noodle Mix 禮面作 台北芝山店
No. 128 Lane 1 Section 2, Fuhua Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111

Hong Kong singer-actress Toby Leung is set to walk down the aisle a second time.

The 36-year-old went public with her non-celebrity boyfriend, Jonathan last year. Since then, the couple has been spotted out numerous times doing volunteer work together. Yesterday (May 22), they announced that they will be getting married.

According to the notice, Jonathan currently works as a wealth management senior manager, and is eight years younger than Toby.

​When contacted for a statement, Toby confirmed that they intend to tie the knot soon. “Firstly, I’m very thankful for your care and concern towards us,” she said. “My relationship with Jon has always been stable, which is why we got engaged last year and plan to register our marriage within the year. As Jon is not a celebrity, we hope to have a low-key ceremony. I hope that (the public) will give us their blessings, thank you.”

Toby was previously married to businessman Aaron Wong. The former couple tied the knot in 2011, and divorced a year later.

​TFBOYS member Roy Wang found himself in the hot seat this week as photos of him smoking in a restaurant surfaced online, quickly garnering thousands of disapproving comments.

For one, there is a nationwide ban on smoking indoors, which includes eating establishments. However, the singer was spotted lighting up while having a meal with Chinese actor Jia Nailiang and idol group member Yang Chaoyue.

In addition, netizens commented that he looked to be a seasoned smoker from the way that he puffed on the cigarette, sparking further criticism that the 18-year-old was likely to have started smoking when he was much younger.

The majority of TFBOYS fans have been surveyed to be young, impressionable teenagers, and netizens shared that seeing their idol smoking might result in the wrong message of ‘smoking is cool’ being conveyed to Roy’s fans.

In addition, the president of Beijing Tobacco Control Association also spoke up on the issue, reminding everyone that smoking indoors is prohibited in the city. He added that Roy, as a public figure, has an important role in conveying the right values to the public.

Roy has since taken to his Weibo to apologise for the photos. “This incident made me reflect on my actions. I’m sorry for the negative influence I might have had on people and I regret being a bad role model. I will accept the consequences and receive the appropriate punishment,” he said.

Hong Kong actress Fala Chen is now a married woman. She confirmed the news with a simple Instagram post, when she posted a photo of her and husband Emmanuel Straschnov’s hands with their respective wedding bands.

On the same day, she updated her social media platforms with photos of her big day, and confirmed that they tied the knot on May 18.

The ceremony, which took place in France, was attended only by close friends and family. Fala’s ring in particular has attracted a lot of attention from netizens as the stunner, which features a pink diamond, is said to have been personally designed by Emmanuel.

At the wedding, Fala moved some to tears during her short speech. “What makes me the happiest is to see friends and family from all corners of the earth gathering here today. I’m touched to receive blessings from all of you today,” she shared.

Emmanuel, who is a French entrepreneur, speaks Mandarin fluently and promised Fala’s parents that he will look after their precious daughter for the rest of his life.

​Singapore – Amidst the scorching heat here, Japanese artiste Yuhei Shirakawa has taken a liking towards Super Dream’s Purple Rice Yogurt drink at Bugis Street, thanks to Friends of Super Dream Lawrence Hiew and Danielle Gan.

Super Dream is the first store in Singapore to introduce Yogurt Drink that has Purple Rice as their topping instead of the usual pearls or jelly that we often see. This further increase the health benefits while just drinking a cup of beverage. The Purple Rice has good anti-oxidant properties while yogurt can aid in digestion. It is no wonder Yuhei love the cup of goodness.

“It is so refreshing. The purple rice is not entirely hard to chew and it gives off another kind of aroma. The combination with the yogurt drink is just perfect.”

​Lawrence and Danielle expressed that they were glad Yuhei liked the yogurt drink that they recommended and also mentioned their favourite were the yogurt drinks with purple rice. 

Remember to visit Super Dream conveniently located at Bugis Street (in front of bus stop) for a cup of yummilicious yogurt drink which comes in different fruity flavors. Also available are milk tea and other beverages.

Taiwanese singer-songwriter Deserts Chang, who is currently five months pregnant, attended a promotional event for skincare brand Dr. Hauschka in Taipei.

When asked about the gender of her unborn child, Deserts said that it should be a boy. “Our nickname for him is ‘Matchsticks’ because his limbs are very long,” she explained.

As an ambassador for Dr. Hauschka, Deserts had travelled to Germany for an event while she was already expecting. “I was suffering from a very severe stage of morning sickness then,” she recalled. “I kept puking all over the roadside, about a dozen times a day. Clearly, I’m not young anymore! (Laughs)”

She was also very candid about her current feelings towards her pregnancy. “To be honest, it’s very uncomfortable, and there are a lot of physical and mental changes,” she shared. “Not every mother-to-be is always healthy, calm, and full of love during her pregnancy. When I feel my baby kicking, I feel like swearing!”

“But I’m trying to adjust my attitude and accept this new experience,” she continued. “For example, when I feel my baby kicking at night, I will think, ‘Are you trying to tell me something? Are you having a difficult time right now?’”

Mayday attended the premiere of their 3D concert film, Mayday Life 3D, in Hong Kong.
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According to the Taiwanese rock band, this film has improved a lot in terms of production quality and shooting technique compared to their previous two concert films. All five members had a hand in writing the script, and they even invited actors Huang Bo and Tony Leung Ka Fai to be part of the picture.

“We were very happy to work with these two highly respected talents,” gushed Guan You. “Tony was like a big brother and took really good care of us on set. I really hope we have another chance to work with him in the future.”

When asked which member of the band they think has the best acting skills, Masa named Guan You. “In the film, Guan You plays a mechanical genius, which is nothing like him in real life at all!” he explained, as Stone added, “He’s also someone who doesn’t really care about money, but in the film, he plays a character who keeps wanting to save money. You’ve worked hard, Guan You!”

Ashin then took the opportunity to urge fans to bring all their friends to watch the movie in cinemas. “We’ve been meeting Hong Kong fans in May every year for 13 years now,” he said. “If our film does well at the box office here, only then will we be able to face our fans again every May from now on!”