Longform

Here we are again. In the space of two hours and six minutes on 18th February, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced the Budget 2019 – a breakdown of how the government plans to use our nation’s funds for the year ahead.   Naturally, this is a hot-button topic, and as with every other year, financial analysts all over Singapore and news sites have been dissecting the budget plan and sharing their insights. As Minister Heng mentioned, this was a very lengthy speech and if you have not been keeping up with the news, delving into two hours’ worth of…

Everybody wants to know what everyone else thinks about Crazy Rich Asians (CRA), particularly, if you’re Asian. Many commentators have already weighed in about how CRA is either a triumph of representation for the Asian community, or an opulent neo-colonial misrepresentation of the Singaporean, Asian, and Asian-American ethnic groups, and an actively discriminatory film. These are critical issues that deserve attention, but they ultimately grapple with the contexts that the film interacts with, and not the heart of the film itself. If we want to understand what the film means to the people who are watching it, then we should…

Over a decade ago, Mobileye could hardly conceptualize of a future where cars would drive themselves. Today, they are at the forefront of a transportation revolution. In a meeting with ASIC Manager Mois Navon, one of the key people blazing the trail at Mobileye, the discussion around the history and progress of Mobileye threw up fresh ethical issues that every self-respecting commuter should be aware of today. Mois Navon cuts a stately, almost imposing, figure, but his welcoming smile and warm tone could make you believe for a moment that he was inviting you into his very home. This is…

Queerness scares people – that’s the truth. But the truth is rarely pure and never simple. What does it mean to be queer? If you wanted the pure and simple truth, then it just refers to being anything other than heterosexual or cisgender. But the world we live in doesn’t abide by dictionary definitions – neither does judgement nor discrimination. To be queer is to be invisible, to be seen through pejorative glances, to be the antipode of normal. In the small city-state of Singapore like anywhere else, the history of queerness is the history of marginalisation. Although many assume…

Once again, it did not come home, but this time there was solace rather than sorrow in defeat. 24 June 2004. I still remember the date vividly. It is a date that has stayed with me throughout the years. It is the date of my first real heartbreak as a football fan. Unbeknownst to my then eight-year-old self, this was just the start of many harrowing years that were to follow in my journey as a supporter of the England national football team. I was just a shy and unassuming young boy, with barely any knowledge of the world around…

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…

It was a drizzling Friday night when I met Lincoln Lim at a bar in a nondescript corner of Bugis. He greeted me as if I was an old friend, extending his hands out warmly with a wide smile and said: “Hi, you must be Stacey!” Surprised by his nice reception, I shook his hands and greeted him back. Although he was scheduled to perform at the Jalan Klapa bar at about 7.30pm and it was already a little over 7.15pm when I had arrived, he assured me that he would have enough time to have a quick chat with…