Author: Vera Leng

When it comes to local personalities, Benjamin Kheng needs no introduction. From his The Sam Willow days, to The BenZi Project with equally well-loved YouTuber Hirzi, Ben has more than proved his creative prowess. Multi-talented and highly favoured, Benjamin has also dabbled in theatre, unbeknownst to some. We distinctly remember him in Wild Rice’s iteration of The Emperor’s New Clothes, and Ken Chow in the Ah Boys To Men Musical. Between his career and engagement to Naomi (congrats, Ben!), some true gems that Ben has gifted us with would definitely be the hilarious Tik Toks only he can pull off.…

Stereotypes—no matter how covert or implicit—can be, and often are, hurtful. Being a cis-gendered, straight Chinese female, my existence is drenched in privilege. I’ve never had to conceal parts of me that are integral to my identity, and I’ve never feared rejection because of who I love. For some of us, daily life isn’t that simple. Picture this—you’re a contributing member of society who is excellent at your job. Much like the rest of your peers, you’re trying to navigate through the intricacies of life in Singapore. Job hunting is fierce, expenses are high, and dining isn’t any cheaper. It’s…

I remember the glory days of departmental store Metro, and how strolling through its aisles were a common family activity. Even if you leave empty-handed, spending an hour or two at departmental stores just window shopping can be therapeutic and fun. Though only two brick-and-mortar Metro stores remain—Causeway Point and Paragon—you can still get the same deals online. Unbeknownst to many, Metro has actually hopped on the Lazada bandwagon and now has its own Flagship Store on LazMall. To honour our fond memories of Metro, we’ve picked out 10 interesting and exciting buys you can get from Metro-Lazada today. 1.…

Since the announcement of Singapore’s General Elections earlier this week, opposition and ruling parties alike have wasted no time in getting to work. The state might see a possible record number of 12 opposition parties this year seeking to pit themselves against the People’s Action party (PAP), four more than in the last post. Analysts expect keen contest all across the island, especially with more seats up for grabs—93 this year, as compared to 89 previously. In 2015, opposition parties contested for all seats, and similar circumstances are expected to play out once again. Dr Mustafa Izzuddin from Solaris Strategies…

When Do-It-Yourself (DIY) crafts are mentioned, what comes to mind are often the conventional embroidery or leather artistry kits. And since everyone’s been stuck at home for the past three months, you’ve probably done all there is to do where hands-on homemade activities are concerned. Despite the economy reopening in Phase 2, many of us will continue to work from home for the next few months to come. Don’t worry. You won’t have to stomach yet another failed batch of brownies or a loaf of sourdough bread that takes the “sour” in its name a little too seriously. Spend your…

Shortly after yesterday’s announcement of the Parliament Dissolution, Workers’ Party (WP) released a GE video featuring a mix of party leaders. Of the 12 people featured, some are new, and some might be familiar to the general public. One might remember Ms Nicole Seah who used to be from the National Solidarity Party (NSP), and contested for the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC) back in 2011. Back then, she was the youngest female candidate standing in the election at a mere 24 years old. She quickly gained favour and was even described as the second most popular politician online,…

With Phase 2 in progress and Elections Day drawing near, the last few weeks have certainly been a lot for Singaporeans to take in. As you slowly resume dining-in at restaurants again, you may have noticed strict safe distancing measures in place—and some creative ways at that. If you loved the way stuffed capybaras force diners to social distance in this zoo cafe in Japan, you’ll also like this local iteration of that. Colonel Sanders—yes, the man of KFC himself—will personally be there to gaze lovingly at you as you chomp on your juicy fried chicken. Spot the legendary Colonel…

We know the drill—whenever there’s something big that awaits us, a live address by our Prime Minister is sure to preface it. Now that Singapore is a few days into Phase 2 of the economy’s reopening, what follows next could be anyone’s guess. Tune in into our live blog to keep up with the address with us.

The other half of Singapore’s well-loved and well-known actress twins, Hayley Woo is adored by many far and wide. She shares an unbreakable bond with her identical twin sister Jayley, and the two can often be spotted together on their socials. With an impressive repertoire under her belt, her filmography includes TV shows like Zero Calling 2 and Doppelganger as well as films such as Ah Boys To Men 3: Frogmen and That Girl in Pinafore. This week, we sat down with Hayley on the five soundtracks that make up her life. Tell us your name, and how you’d describe…

“Writer? Write what ah?” is one of the most common responses that I get when I introduce myself as a writer. Based on my interactions, most people have a highly binary idea of what being a writer is—and understandably so. Throughout our education, we’re taught that a career in writing exists only in the form of an author or journalist. So literature majors must surely find themselves in one or the other. In truth, language is all around us, and where words exist, writers must too. We pay little to no attention to the UX writer who executed your favourite…

If, by the stroke of misfortune and a riveting Sunday Times’ survey, you have been deemed Non-Essential, then congratulations—you have earned the right to don this series of T-Shirts. Many have been outraged, hurt, and downright upset that many overlooked yet important roles and positions were labelled as non-essential in a recent survey consisting of Singaporean corespondents. And as expected, there has been no shortage of memes and satire flooding our social media timelines, calling out the ignorance of this claim. While we scroll and chuckle at jokes while trying to conceal our tears from being dismissed as non-essential, why…

It’s nice to see our little red dot being represented in mainstream media more often these days. Following Overwatch’s addition of Singaporean character ‘Echo’ who voices “alamak!” and “jialat!” in game, we will now get to see the terrifying creatures we spun tales about—those that we never expected to grace our screens. Yes, I’m talking about the familiar eerie Pontianak that lies in wait under the shady banana tree, the Jiangshi springing back to life, and the lesser-known Komodo Wizard, a cross between a Komodo Lizard and a wizard. Singaporean game developer Andrew Teo developed Ghostlore as a personal project…

In celebration of Korean Boy Band BTS’ seventh anniversary—or as the ARMYs say—seven years with Bang Tan, Samsung is releasing a BTS Edition of both their well-loved Galaxy S20+ phone and Galaxy Buds+ earpieces. The Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy Buds+ BTS Editions will be made available in Singapore from 9 July 2020 with a recommended retail price of S$1,598 for the smartphone, and S$298 for the wireless earbuds. If you’re itching to get your hands on them like the true Bang Tan fan you are, pre-orders are underway. The Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition will be available for pre-order on Singtel,…

Juggling school and being a content creator, Nicholas Teo has gone above and beyond in excelling at both. He flaunts his creative prowess at YouTube channel Wah! Banana! in the form of both acting and filmmaking. With a following of 11.9k fans on Instagram, Nicholas needs no introduction when it comes to the local creative scene. This week, we sat down with Nicholas on the five soundtracks that make up his life. Tell us your name, and how you’d describe yourself to someone whom you’re meeting for the first time. Hi my name is Nicholas Teo and I’m an actor…

By now, it seems like a monthly affair for government bodies to release adorable COVID-19-themed virtual stickers to bring a little cheer to our online interactions. First, we had this series of themed stickers from MCCY, and then we had Gov.sg’s “It’s A Wonderfood Life” sticker pack. The latest addition to the party is the Safety Creatures sticker pack which features an adorable range of otter, cat, lion, and monkey characters that remind Singaporeans to keep safe as Circuit Breaker measures gradually ease up. These stickers remind us to “mask up!” and keep at least a 1 metre distance from…