Culture
Watching Chingay Blossom: The Tale of Chingay and Sneak Peek into Chingay 2024!
January 30, 2024
Watching Chingay Blossom: The Tale of Chingay and Sneak Peek into Chingay 2024!
Chingay has come a long way since the pandemic disrupted it. As Chingay 2024 arrives, let's take a look back at how the parade has blossomed.
Musing on the Mid-Autumn Festival: How Can it Stay Meaningful to Youths?
September 14, 2022
Musing on the Mid-Autumn Festival: How Can it Stay Meaningful to Youths?
As the giddy euphoria of weekend festivities fades, we are left to ponder whether the celebrations are still relevant to the young.
Hawker Stories on TikTok: Spotlighting Love and Labour
August 30, 2022
Hawker Stories on TikTok: Spotlighting Love and Labour
Influencer Raphael Hugh documents the daily lives of hawkers behind Botak Cantonese Porridge as part of his TikTok series.
Deepavali 2021: The Festival of Lights in this Endless Night
November 4, 2021
Deepavali 2021: The Festival of Lights in this Endless Night
Deepavali is a important day for Indian culture in Singapore. Take a closer look at how it's celebrated, particularly in a time of restriction
Dear Singapore: Our 56th Letter to an Old Friend
August 9, 2021
Dear Singapore: Our 56th Letter to an Old Friend
Delayed hopes and overwhelming nostalgia, here's a letter to our very dear old Singapore, who's turning 56 this year.
‘Bicentennial’ is 2019’s ‘it’ word, and it’s annoying
August 13, 2019
‘Bicentennial’ is 2019’s ‘it’ word, and it’s annoying
Four years ago, we had ‘SG50’ plastered all over every possible physical and digital space around us. This year, we have the b-word; yes, you guessed it, the word is ‘bicentennial’. 2019 saw many new and recurring Singaporean events jumping on board the ‘Bicentennial edition’ bandwagon. Is it just me, or is the b-word starting to become so overused? If I had a dollar every time “Bicentennial Edition” is said, I’ll probably have enough to buy a S$20 bicentennial note from Carousell’s black market. I’m not exaggerating here. With the exception of Bicentennial-special events such as the Raffles in Southeast…
Perception of Mother Tongue in Singapore (and why it can be limiting)
May 30, 2019
Perception of Mother Tongue in Singapore (and why it can be limiting)
The Mother Tongue has always occupied an awkward position in Singaporean society. A simple search on the official Ministry of Education’s (MOE) website leads to an expectedly idealistic dictum: “The learning of Mother Tongue Language (MTL) is a lifelong endeavour. The MTL policy seeks to nurture our students to become effective communicators in MTL and supports our students to study MTL to as high a level as possible.” At the same time, however, with different races in Singapore, the English language asserts its dominance as a common ground to facilitate communication. Easily observable on a societal level, English — as…
The Trump-Kim Singapore Summit: The Best of Times, The Worst of Times
June 11, 2018
The Trump-Kim Singapore Summit: The Best of Times, The Worst of Times
American President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un are preparing for an unprecedented summit, on June 12 at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island in our very own, sunny Singapore. The meeting has been fraught with international drama, leading many to wonder if it will happen at all. Previously, President Trump has called off the meeting, citing Chairman Kim’s belligerence, while the North Koreans are still concerned about the bellicose rhetoric emerging from the American side, particularly in comments made about comparing North Korea to other military targets. Ironically, the Trump-Kim Singapore summit is happening at what seems…
To Mama, Grandma, Aunties, and “Mr. Mum”
May 7, 2016
To Mama, Grandma, Aunties, and “Mr. Mum”
This Mother’s Day, DANamic.ORG writer Hannah Halim pens her thoughts on spending the occasion in Brisbane, away from the Singapore she grew up in. For the past week (or longer) my inbox has basically been spammed with promotional emails for exciting gifts to pamper Mama for Mother’s Day. While I find the bags on offer to be way beyond my daily purchase limit, being 6,150 km away means I can’t even make a surprise breakfast in bed for her. Growing up, I’m lucky that Mama has always been a constant. I guess it’s partly the reason why being away for…
We Need To Learn How To Accept Compliments This CNY
February 7, 2016
We Need To Learn How To Accept Compliments This CNY
“Wah your ah boy in secondary school already ah? Heard he score very well leh. Aiyo your ah boy so smart!” “No lah no lah, he very lazy one.” For many of the larger families in Singapore, the Lunar New Year is a time of compulsory gatherings, discussed and arranged in the usual clandestine manner that middle-aged folks communicate in (i.e. hours of whispering between aunties over a landline). Planning the gathering, however, is nothing compared to being at the actual gathering. Amidst the slightly awkward dialogues and faltering false starts lie the true terror: finding a conversation starter with people you…