Longform
The Longform vertical is here for you whenever you need it. Watch this space for passionate op-eds, musings with word counts that are way past social convention, and, if we dare say so ourselves, well-written pieces that offer a glimpse into the perspective of another human. Just click, scroll, and you’re ready to roll.
Why you don’t have to go to art and design school in Singapore if you’re broke and why I did
January 28, 2020
Why you don’t have to go to art and design school in Singapore if you’re broke and why I did
As a recent graduate, I looked back at the four years I’ve spent in NTU. I do not regret receiving the education I had from my professors and peers. Nevertheless, I will be lying if at some parts of my four years I don’t admit that I was bored, uninspired, and unchallenged. Whether that’s on me or the curriculum, is an entirely different discussion. The conclusion will probably be a mixture of both. (It was me, it was me all along.) The main point of this piece is reflection: is being $40,000 in school debt worth it? Because without the…
How-To Start 2020 with the right insights and networks as a Creative or Digital Marketer with #DMWF 2020!
January 28, 2020
How-To Start 2020 with the right insights and networks as a Creative or Digital Marketer with #DMWF 2020!
“You have to network if you want to get ahead”, is probably one of the most overly recited quotes by anyone who administers career advice. But who cares about networking, right? If our team has learned anything, sometimes it’s not “what you know”, but “who you know” that gets you ahead of the pack. You’ll benefit from reaching out to people and building a network of contacts – that will become indispensable as you progress, no matter where you work. Even more so, if you’re a Creative Professional or a New Media Digital Marketer, where you can also level up…
DANAMIC: 2019 In Review
January 10, 2020
DANAMIC: 2019 In Review
DANAMIC underwent a significant dimension of change in the year 2019. We’ve had successes increasing the discipline of our business, creative and technology strategies, while actively engineering to diversify our portfolio of services with the branching out of the DNMC brands. The DANAMIC collective is positioned for long-term sustainable growth in 2020 — as DNMC Creative seeks to further itself as a Creative Agency, assisted by the DNMC Visuals and DNMC+ Production arms for content creation — amidst rapidly growing and changing creative and corporate climates. Our success over the last year would not have been possible without our incredibly…
The state of Esports: Perception of gaming in Singapore
January 6, 2020
The state of Esports: Perception of gaming in Singapore
Esports. What feeling does that conjure up in you? The thrill of the rush? Excitement? Or perhaps somewhere at the other end of the spectrum like disdain? Whatever it is, you’re probably either on one side or the other, with fewer people sitting in the middle on the subject. As a multi-million dollar subset of a billion-dollar industry, there isn’t any doubt that esports isn’t huge. The sport itself has attracted a worldwide audience of around 400 million – close to competing with traditional sports – as well as garnering close to a billion dollars in revenue, mostly through brand…
Old School Nostalgia: A trip down memory lane
October 3, 2019
Old School Nostalgia: A trip down memory lane
Back when the Internet was still an unknown concept, our only forms of entertainment were trips to the playground, the library, and the mamashop. For the luckier ones, we would own a Nintendo or SEGA gaming consoles that other children could only dream of having. As we grow older, nothing ever seems better than the food, games, and books of our childhood. Join me as I re-visit the artefacts that were a part of the good old times, when everything was much simpler: all we did was read, binge on snacks, and play with our friends. Old School Treats Featured…
We will never have another like Khairul Amri
September 28, 2019
We will never have another like Khairul Amri
It was a moment that I will never forget. Singapore football has had its fair share of glorious moments over the years, but that was the first one I witnessed live with my own eyes albeit through live television. As a young boy not even into his teens, I remember sitting on the sofa watching intently as the second leg of the 2007 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship final played out in Bangkok. The match was finely poised, with the aggregate score at 2-2 after Thailand had levelled the match through a 50th-minute strike from Pipat Thonkanya. With extra-time looming,…
How to be a casual racist in Singapore
August 15, 2019
How to be a casual racist in Singapore
It’s lonely living in a bubble. So what better way to quell that loneliness than to teach people the ways of the casual racist? This article isn’t to make you into Trump, God knows we don’t need another one of him. Rather, this here is made to help you hone your ignorance and deliver an ever so slight stab of bigotry. As they say, the sharpest tongue delivers the deepest cuts. 1. Add salt to your food choices Singapore, the land of food. Walk a couple of metres either from work and home and you’ll be greeted by both the…
Employees use reservist as an excuse to chao keng. Employers should do more to help them.
August 14, 2019
Employees use reservist as an excuse to chao keng. Employers should do more to help them.
For us to continue living the way we do, how much do we need to depend on our international relations? As it turns out, more than you think. A cursory glance through the Department of Statistics Singapore’s surprisingly trendy website reveals that our imports and exports amount to over S$1,000 billion – and that’s just for 2018 alone. From there, it’s one thing to take notice of Japan, China, and the United States which rank among our top trading partners, but another to truly consider just how intrinsically entrenched they have become in our lives. If you find it hard…
‘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…
$54 Huawei phone promo demonstrates the power of “Kiasuism”
August 1, 2019
$54 Huawei phone promo demonstrates the power of “Kiasuism”
Ever heard of this saying in Singapore? “Hell hath no fury like an elderly scorned”. Clearly, Huawei didn’t, seeing as how they have completely botched their whole promotional event for their phones. Specifically, their whole promotion was based on the upcoming 54th National Day and was targeted at people born during or around the Merdeka generation, aptly discounting their Huawei Y6 Pro smartphone to SG$54 from its original SG$198 price. By now you must have already heard about how it has failed spectacularly, with angry uncles and aunties causing a ruckus at various Huawei stores around Singapore. Obviously, the thought…