Singapore

Mesut Özil is fully focused on the upcoming Premier League season with Arsenal, despite being caught in the centre of a raging debate following his retirement from international football on Sunday night. That was the view of former Gunners midfielder Ray Parlour, who is currently in Singapore in his role as a club ambassador for the International Champions Cup (ICC). Özil cited “racism and disrespect” shown towards him by the German Football Association (DFB) as the main reason behind his retirement in a lengthy, no-holds-barred statement released on his various social media pages. This led to widespread concerns that the…

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…

Playing for the very first time in Singapore and at an intimate setting at Hard Rock Cafe at Cuscaden, I didn’t think I was ready for a night full of surprises and pure blithe. Upon receiving my complimentary choice of Cola as I entered the concert venue, I was glad that arriving 30 minutes before the expected starting time did not obstruct my view of the stage. By the time PVRIS came on stage, the crowd was expectantly raring to go with screams of exhilaration; comprised of teenagers and young adults, it is hardly surprising of the demographics of PVRIS’…

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…

Rejoice, LEGO fans! While we will not be able to take a month-long June Holidays’ break that the children and teenagers get, LEGO Singapore is out to spice things up for the child in all of us. To get things started, LEGO Singapore will be breaking in the holidays by launching over 50 novelty LEGO sets! These include sets from LEGO City, LEGO Friends, LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Superheros, and many more. There are sets for all ages, so why not get one to reward the kids at home too and have some bonding time over LEGO? Check out the entire…

Organised by Red Bull Product of Europe, the global event organiser is looking for the best football team to be sent on an all-expense paid trip to the Neymar Jr’s Five World Final in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr from 18 to 21 July 2018. To compete before Neymar Jr’s very eyes and meet him in person, amateur teams must first win the Neymar Jr’s Five Singapore Qualifiers 2018 held on 10 June 2018 at The Cage @ Bukit Timah. Neymar Jr's Five Singapore 2018 Ten minutes. Five players. No keeper. Are you ready for Neymar…

Kehlani made her highly-anticipated Singapore debut last Wednesday on 23 May for the very first time. Organised by LAMC Productions, the concert was held at Zepp@Bigbox, which is an indoor venue that was air-conditioned and made for a perfect stomping ground to contain the excitement exuded from every single attendee. The crowd consisted mostly of millennials and young adults, who seemed to be mostly between 15 to 25 years of age, with some of them who are just slightly older than that. As was heard through the grapevine (that was the crowd), some had stood in line since 10 in…

At a tender age of 22 years old, Kehlani has already scored two GRAMMY nominations: one for her R&B hit single “Distraction” for ‘Best R&B Performance’ in 2017, and another for her second mixtape “You Should Be Here” for ‘Best Urban Contemporary Album’ in 2015. The queer R&B singer is also an LGBT icon ever since she opened up about her sexual orientation, and is well-loved for her strong advocacy for this community. After numerous false media reports on her sexual orientation, Kehlani has clarified that she is “not bi, not straight” and that “love lies in every gender there…

The hotly-contested carpooling and private-hire car scene in Singapore is certainly interesting to both consumers and industry players alike. In March 2018, Grab announced acquiring Uber’s Southeast Asian operations, thus marking its almost-monopolistic position in the region’s private-hire car industry. Just a little more than a month later, homegrown 4-year old carpooling app Ryde launched RydeX, a snark “in-your-face” move to Grab, thwarting the latter’s position for an assumed monopoly. With Ryde’s launch of its private-hire car service – RydeX – from today (2 May 2018) onwards, consumers can rejoice as this not only means more options, but also more…

Did you know that there are currently over 800,000 pets in Singapore? It’s no wonder that Pet Expo was such a huge success over the years! The largest pet fair in Singapore returned for its fifth edition from 6 to 8 April 2018, promising a fun-filled weekend of pawisitive art and wellness – it certainly delivered. For the uninitiated, Pet Expo started in 2014 as a platform for members of pet communities to congregate, share their experiences, gather insights on pet ownership, and network with other pet owners at the event. Visitors will find the best deals on the latest…