Author: Vera Leng

Having long been under fire for hateful and even abusive content floating around on its platform, Twitter has stepped up their filtering mechanisms in an effort to nip the problem in the bud. To stop the problem from birthing even before it happens, Twitter will start testing an algorithm that prompts users before they send out potentially “offensive or hurtful language”. And this is why I don’t use twitter anymore. A lot of negativity down here. Do people like just come here when they are upset or unhappy? — JianHao F² Tan (@thejianhaotan) May 2, 2020 As seen from the…

Well, will you look at that? Half of Circuit Breaker’s done, with only half more to go. If by now, you’re entertaining the thought of shelving your day job (and extremely difficult clients), responsibilities at home, and social obligations to retreat into a cosy hole, I totally get it. It’s alright not to have your s**t together all the time—we are going through a global pandemic after all. Since you’ve probably had enough of work and company resources in general, let me propose something you can do for nobody but yourself. For zero dollars. Taking a course in an area…

Gather ’round makeup fans from lands far and wide, for beauty leader Sephora has once again swooped in to bestow us with a store-wide discount to ease our shopaholic hearts. Whether you’re itching to try out that new shade of purple for your next stay-home makeup tutorial or you’re just stocking up to be ready to see the light of day again, the beauty pass sale waits for no woman (or man). Happening only online for obvious reasons, Sephora members can gain access to the sale at different timings, based on their membership tiers. Here’s where it gets slightly complicated,…

Just when you’ve spent the weekend wringing your streaming accounts dry of series and films, another edition of Netflix Mondays is here to be your knight in shining armour with a list refresh. Perhaps you’ve already given your room its long-overdue makeover, and you’ve added this list of shows premiering throughout April to your ‘must-watch’ list. This week, we’ve got a line-up that screams positivity and delight—just the remedy to turn that frown upside down amidst a dreary, stormy time. Since we’ve got another month of the Circuit Breaker to go, might as well strap in and get comfortable. You’ll…

LEW is a local singer-songwriter whom many know and love, and has released music that truly capture intangible, raw emotion that many can relate to. In 2017, he released his debut album, “Lullacry”, and it reached #1 on the Singapore iTunes Charts, #6 in China, and #9 in Taiwan respectively. It has now amassed over 2.6 million plays on Spotify. LEW has participated and completed the Noise Singapore Music Mentorship Program, and received the NOISE Award for 2015. His latest single, Red Flags, was released earlier this year on 17 Jan. LEW has performed for various festivals and stages including…

Let’s be real. The coronavirus has long overrun its stay, especially considering that it was never welcomed in the first place. I think most will resonate with me when I say that if COVID-19 manifested itself as a physical entity, I’d gear up and kick it in the a** so that we can all just return to life as per normal. But unfortunately, reality is most times disappointing, and many of us might be feeling dejected at the helplessness of the whole situation. If you and your friends have been sitting around betting on when the whole pandemic might end,…

Driven by sheer will to invoke positive change in the lives of Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs), MaidForMore was founded by sister duo Nessa and Phoebe Swinn. It is a group of youth advocates dedicated to the betterment of the beneficiaries above and has been lauded as young advocates for the dignity and fair treatment of migrant domestic workers in Singapore. Some of their key initiatives include Valentine’s Day Fundraiser for HOME, their #Looklikeamaid 2019 Christmas campaign (Collaboration with local jewellery brand Crimson & Clover), Rolling Family Features series on exemplary employer-employee households, and a Cooking Tag video with Roz Pho…

Last week, Gov.sg introduced fictional superhero quintet—the Virus Vanguard—featuring characters meant to embody the traits of the model Circuit Breaker citizen. But after the comic failed to take off, or rather, drew attention for the wrong reasons, the government-based site promptly took down the page, citing that it was under review. Amidst criticisms, the founder of Band of Doodlers—the illustration company behind the artwork—has announced that he will step down from his position, taking responsibility for the misstep. While the outcome proved unfortunate for the Band of Doodlers, other illustrators took it upon themselves to conjure alternatives to the short-lived…

Now that the news of Extended Circuit Breakers has well sunken in, you might be pained at the thought of the prolonged period you’re going to have to spend indoors. And just like many of us, you’re also probably searching for means and ways to improve your quality of life at home—anything, really, at this point. While I cannot guarantee that the next six weeks to come will be easy, what I can do is to suggest just a few ways that might help. If the desire to own the items I’m about to unfold had never crossed your mind…

With acting, singing, song-writing, producing, and filmmaking under her belt, SGAG’s Annette Lee has shown us that there’s just about nothing she can’t do. The multi-faceted entertainer wears many hats⁠—but many will recognise her from the screen of SGAG, a popular Singaporean entertainment channel. Annette shares meaningful messages with her audience through her music, which is centered around the themes of weakness and struggles of humanity. She released her debut EP “All Our Achilles Heels” in 2017, and her second EP “Song For The Underdog” debuted earlier this year. Today, Annette shares the five songs that make up her life.…

Following the announcement of the Extended Circuit Breaker period yesterday, our local CCB is quickly evolving into a KNNBCCB. Now get your mind out of the gutter, it’s not what you think. These acronyms don’t stand for the vile, uncouth, cuss phrases that might’ve come to mind, no. Instead, let me educate you. In this realm, at least, CCB stands for Community Circuit Breaker, and KNNBCCB is short for Keep Nation Nimble But Continue Circuit Breaker. Still confused? I’ll explain. Ever since the early days of Singapore’s first phase of Circuit Breakers, the I AM A CCB website was birthed, in…

We now live in a weird time. Staying away from your friends and not visiting your grandparents are now considered acts of love, and the term ‘masks’ is no longer immediately associated with the hundreds of beauty sheets you’ve lugged home from your recent trip to South Korea. So let’s back up to greener pastures, shall we? As we all try our very best to stay productive and cooperative within our homes during this time of extended Circuit Breakers, let’s not forget the one very important aspect that is often lost amidst work and play—wellness. Wellness has a bigger role…

Following the announcement of the extended Circuit Breaker period earlier this afternoon, there has been much uncertainty surrounding subject matter of public school holidays, and how that will play out in the face of an extended Circuit Breaker. Minister of Education Ong Ye Kung has broken the silence with regards to doubts. June holidays to be brought forward In an official statement on Facebook, Ong Ye Kung has debunked rumours that Home-Based Learning (HBL) will be further extended as well. Instead of extending HBL and using it as a “prolonged substitute for school”, the yearly June Holidays will be brought…

Following PM Lee’s most recent nation-wide address today, the multi ministry task force has too, held a press conference, to further elaborate on the announcements made by our Prime Minister. Joined by Josephine Teo, Minister of Manpower, and Assoc Prof Kenneth Mak, the task force answers tough questions about the measures moving forward. Gan Kim Yong — Opening Updates The virus situation, even outside dormitory cases, remains uncertain. This is because many still go undetected due to mild symptoms but still remain infectious nonetheless. This group of people may be contributing factors to the ‘reservoir’ of unlinked cases thus far.…

It is now almost a routine—Singaporeans clinging onto the edge of our seats whenever a new address by PM Lee is announced. The last time this happened was well over 2 weeks ago on 3 April, when we had just learnt that our lives were about to be changed forever. Well, not forever, but for a good period of time at least. It’s only April, and yet 2020 feels like it’s already four months too long. Initially hailed as the poster child for handling the COVID-19 outbreak, Singapore, admittedly, has seen better times. The surge in new infections, attributed to…