The singer-actress Rui En was nowhere near as frosty as I expected. Sure, there were times when she appeared guarded but in truth, she was polite enough, and — on the rare moments she let her guard down — even friendly. But for a media celebrity who, in her own words, is very “home-centric,” she is an anomaly in the entertainment industry. An oxymoron, a contradiction of sorts.

Looking at him now, he doesn’t look it one bit, but yes, the 1.86m actor was once so unfit and fat, he tipped the scales at almost 100 kilograms.

Don’t be too surprised if you run into action superstar Jet Li and his equally glam wife Nina Li Chi along the aisle of your local NTUC supermarket, or see the likes of Chinese actress Gong Li while shopping along Orchard Road.

Far-fetched? Not quite.

More global celebrities are calling Singapore their home, with an increasing number of VVIPs taking on citizenship here in recent years.