Longform

“He said, one day you’ll leave this world behind So live a life you will remember. My father told me when I was just a child These are the nights that never die.” – The Nights, Avicii It’s unmistakable that the past decade was dominated by a flurry of progressive house music – among other EDM genres – and with DJs such as Calvin Harris, David Guetta, and Swedish House Mafia churning out hits after hits, one name stood out to me, more than any other: Avicii. As one of the few pioneers in the EDM house music scene, Tim…

It’s undeniable that the OG Californian Girl remains unforgettable, consistently churning out number 1 hit singles in every album cycle since the start of her decade-long career in 2007. Katy’s discography has also evolved alongside her, channelling influences from her personal life experiences and the zeitgeist of the day. Her brand of music is known for being quirky and relatable, often drawing fans with playful lyrics and undauntedly pushes against accepted boundaries, through its discussion of social taboos. Brandishing a genuine frankness, she has been able to cut a swathe through the years, establishing herself as a constant in a…

“In the moment that you are waiting for your food, do you not become the waiter?” Puns aside, most teenagers from middle-class families probably have no idea what it’s like to be serving someone else at the other end of the table. As a fresh JC kid back in 2014, I was looking for a way to kill time and to pick up a little life experience and thus chose to venture into that other side. This decision would eventually lead to a part-time stint at Sunday Folks, a humble, quaint ice cream café situated in Holland V. Having no…

Listening to music while we commute, the chatter of friends, and the general ambiance of a crowded office are all pretty mundane detail for many of us. Yet, trying to come to terms with our world of sound slowly turning silent, is something completely unfathomable altogether. Meet Edmund Koh, who was only formally diagnosed with hearing impairment at the age of 17, thanks to the pre-enlistment medical checkup for Singapore’s National Service (well thanks, NS!). Although he faced difficulties in hearing his teachers back in his old school days, he coped by choosing seats closer to the front of the classroom…

This reflection started off with a close buddy of mine asking: “How in the world do you deal with life? I mean, like with that many messages from so many different chats!?”  Maybe it’s because a million thoughts go through my head a day, or that I’m probably just an asshole. Either way, I almost always forget to text people back, and sometimes I really just don’t give a damn to do so (which makes me want to put my money on me being the latter). Anyway, on average there’s Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, Telegram and WhatsApp, all of which are just…

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 get it, entertaining the visiting relatives isn’t the most enjoyable nor profitable use of your time. But really, cut them some slack – Chinese New Year doesn’t happen every day. While you’re being anti-social by reading this on your phone, let’s take a moment to imagine your relatives as monkeys (Year of the Monkey, yes?) and see if the ones we chose matched yours. Just a word of warning: if you can’t suppress your uncontrollable giggling, don’t read this out in the open where everyone can see you. We won’t be held responsible for the subsequent death glares from…

I sauntered into the grocery store, basket in one hand, shopping list in another, ready to embark on my usual therapeutic routine: shopping for my beloved groceries and jamming along to the latest Ariana Grande tune while grooving to those insane falsettos. It was then when the sirens of doom hit me. That ridiculously and blaring noise screaming through those accursed speakers; yes, I have heard them before. They are not the alluring tunes sang by mermaids to lead sailors to their doom. They are those fateful songs that play on loop to torture even the coldest of criminals, to shred…

“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…

Co-written with Manfred Tham If Social Media were a class, discussions about ads and its place would be an ongoing assignment. The popular selfie and brunch-photo sharing app, Instagram, recently announced plans to monetise its business through ads – sponsored posts that will appear on timelines masquerading as updates from your friends and stalkees. Naturally, the response online has been… unbridled, to say the least. It all fits into the 3 logic laws of the Internet: 1) Never click on ads that contain the words “FREE” or “Congratulations”, 2) Never read a comment section, and 3) Always complain every time there is a new…