Author: Noor Syafiq

Working at home definitely has its perks, but it also comes with its fair share of cons. Staying home all day to work can be dull and monotonous to some, in turn dampening the mind and making us less productive. Some of us can’t function without leaving the house, because home is a place we restrict to relaxing and winding down. It’s hard to focus when we’re surrounded by comfort items like our bed and our favourite entertainment gadgets. Are you having problems being productive while working from home? Or perhaps, simply miss being in the office? Well, if you…

As a Singaporean, it is fair to assume that most of us know what Hungry Ghost Festival is—it’s a month filled with rituals and reverence to the deceased within the Buddhist and Taoist community, and this year, it falls on August 19. Devotees believe that on the 15th day of the 7th month in the Lunar Calendar, the gates of hell open, allowing the spirits of their dead ancestors to return to earth and visit their families. They religiously observe this sombre ceremony every year, presenting food and burning a variety of paper offerings out of respect for their deceased…

Remember huddling around the television set with the whole family on weekday nights at 8pm to watch local series like Under One Roof and Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd on Channel 5? Gone are the days where our only options on television were limited to local shows like these and boy, were they good. To commemorate the release of 106 local films, Netflix collaborated with a bunch of talented, young designers from Lasalle to revitalise these dated shows in the form of quirky and unique graphic design posters. Some of these students were infants when these shows were aired, so…

For $64, I think a pair of Crocs are grossly overpriced. I’ve never liked the design, and having never owned a pair because of that reason, I can’t say much when it comes to comfort. Seeing how they’re vastly popular, I’ve always assumed them to be extremely comfortable, you know, to make up for their lack of aesthetic. So when I came across local YouTuber Shawneydepp’s video of him walking 36km across Singapore in Crocs, I was curious—I was finally able to see these shoes being put to the test. While watching the video, I was instead pleasantly surprised at…

Surrounding yourself with the right music can really make a difference to your mood, especially when it’s stay-at-home season. When it comes to making your home comfortable, IKEA seems to always have the solution. We all know the Swedish brand for their impeccable furniture and meatballs, so naturally it wouldn’t be the first place we go to for electronic devices like speakers. Well, come September, that’s all about to change. IKEA, in collaboration with sound giants Sonos, announced in-store that they will be releasing a pair of speakers that integrate seamlessly with your home decor in September. They are called…

Who can resist a steaming bowl of Laksa after a hard day’s work, or a tightly packed Nasi Lemak wrapped in a fragrant banana leaf to start the day? Nasi Lemak, Roti Prata, and Laksa—these are three classic dishes synonymous with Singapore’s vibrant culture. Many Singaporeans know these dishes and are used to seeing them on a plate—but how about wearing them on your feet? Rejoice, sneakerheads! Peep these limited edition pairs of shoes that feature the iconic colours of these quintessential dishes. The collection consists of three Nike classic sneaker models—the Air Max 90, the Air Jordan 1 and…

If you lived through the 90s, you’d probably know who Michael Fay is. Michael Fay was an 18-year-old American teenager who found himself in the heart of a massive controversy which involved intense back-to-back negotiations between the Singapore government and then-US-president Bill Clinton. In 1994, the media attention it attracted was global. Michael Fay was caught spray-painting several cars in Singapore, and as a result, was liable for the punishment of caning as per Singapore’s laws. People around the world were shocked at Singapore’s hard stance towards crimes they deemed petty and accused our government of being overly-rigid and excessively…

The year has been drab by all accounts for many people so far, but the people who suffer the most are certainly the ardent travellers. Those who religiously save for new, unexplored places to wander must surely be getting restless from the global lockdown that has halted Earth’s air traffic. Not to worry, however, for 2021 is geared to offer some exciting things to look forward to. A lead example—there is currently a magnificent outdoor camping site that is being constructed within the serene waterfalls and dense forests of Japan, set to be completed next year. Located in Uga Valley,…

Over time, the clothes we wear on our backs are forgotten—as our personalities and style change with age, the threads of our youth become forlorn and are reduced to dust collectors in the abysses of our wardrobes. Like old stories, old clothes do little to serve our new image, so most people let them go. For the most part, their functionality remains though, and these abandoned threads represent an opportunity for recycling and a second shot at life for the avid thrift shopper and imaginative fashion buff. Case in point—creative fashion designer and Instagram user Alfri (@alfri.deconstruct). Feeding off donations…

Set before the temple spires of Ancient Java, a royal couple is bewitched with a horrible curse. Their son, and heir to his father’s throne, is born with a monstrous deformity—he’s a human with the face and body of a pig. This is the premise of “Hikayat Raja Babi”, or the Malay Tale of the Pig King—a piece of fiction originally written 245 years ago in 1775 by Javanese merchant Usup Abdul Kadir. For a great length of time, the original Jawi manuscript was kept hidden in The British Library, where it sat forgotten in their voluminous archives. Fast forward…

No matter your background, every Singaporean can concur if we say that 2020 has turned out to be the complete opposite of how we all thought it should be when we were making our New Year resolutions in late 2019. Whether you’re working or in school, the pandemic has forced us all to accept big changes in our daily routines—for the first time many of us are confined to working from home, eating at home, attending school from home, and canceling all our travel plans. As we approach a National Day celebration like we’ve never seen before, now is the…

While the Samsung Galaxy Note20 was noticeably the main attraction on Wednesday’s unveiling, let’s not forget to shine the spotlight on the other three devices completing the Galaxy 2020 Ecosystem—the Galaxy Tab S7, Galaxy Watch3, and Galaxy Buds Live. It’s work from home season, so having dependable devices that work for you day in and day out at home is now more crucial than ever. Calling IT to help solve our technical problems has become obsolete, so if there has ever been a point of time where we need our electronics working on full-tilt, the time is now. Powerful, flexible…

If you’re an Android fanatic, you’ll love this. The dust has finally settled on Samsung’s latest virtual unveiling yesterday with the spotlight directly focused on the sparkling Samsung Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. Lauded as the “most powerful note series yet”, brace yourself because Samsung is about to take your handheld experience into a whole different realm. The latest phones are sleek and bedecked with cutting-edge technology. Imagine this—you’re on your way home from work, crammed in a train cabin and it’s going to be at least another 30 minutes before you get off. You’ve found yourself a seat,…

For all of you working hard as ever from home in your comfy boxers, here’s something you’d definitely want to consider adding to your house for a work environment like no other. As we trudge towards the second half of a year spent working from home, there has never been a more fitting time to maintain an exotic and joy-sparking atmosphere in the household. Introducing, Oudhini’s magical Oudh incense. With natural smells ranging from an array of spices, woods, desert flowers, and rare herbs, these Middle-Eastern scents are set to charm and take you on a carpet ride to the…

Once again, the fashion galaxy has shifted in favour of Earth’s sneaker freakers, as the colossal stars of Pharell Williams and Adidas collide. Out of this blinding supernova arises a brand-new collaboration—the Adidas X Pharrell Williams PW Boost Slides. It’s plush, it’s chic, and it’s guaranteed to give you a million-and-a-half style points the next time you head down for a walk around your neighbourhood. People love slides because they’re easy to wear and are incredibly comfortable. Once restricted to pool-sides and locker rooms, the slides are now finding themselves gracing the floors of fashion runways. In fact, most major…