Note from the Editor
Stories, insights and perspectives from across Southeast Asia. Best served hot, best eaten spicy.
Be a patron, support our content.
Be a patron, support our content.
Recent Articles
Here are some stories from the past few weeks that’ve made it to your dinner table discussions.
Another Tech Startup Fails: How AAQUA Did Its Singapore Employees Dirty
This is the story of AAQUA who promised its employees the world. Salaries that can’t be beat, generous employment benefits, and a chance to ‘do good’.
But a tech startup built on a foundation of distrust and overpromises, and a CEO that is less than forthcoming, is bound to fail.
And fail it did.
Bad Manager or Bad Employee? A Contentious Dive Into Quiet Firing in Singapore
Quiet firing might be more efficient for managers to handle difficult employees, but with less agency, employees bear the brunt of this insidious workplace tactic.
Still, it’s not that clear-cut. Sometimes, as one interviewee for this story explains, some employees deserve to be quiet fired.
Sign up for the newsletter
If you want relevant updates occasionally, sign up for the private newsletter. Your email is never shared.
01
![Why Sex Workers in Asia Are Turning to Crypto]()
Why Sex Workers in Asia Are Turning to Crypto
Increasingly, traditional payment processors have banned sex workers from their platforms. Cryptocurrencies may hold the key to their financial independence.
02
![The Confusing Anatomy of a Singaporean Ex-Incel]()
The Confusing Anatomy of a Singaporean Ex-Incel
Phoenix is a typical Singaporean young man. Except for the fact that he once identified as an incel—someone with radical, negative beliefs about women. He believes it's firmly in his past. We’re not quite sure that’s true.
03
![Meet Ryhan, the Singaporean Who Fell Out of Love and Became a Tea Farmer in Japan]()
Meet Ryhan, the Singaporean Who Fell Out of Love and Became a Tea Farmer in Japan
What does one do when one gets their heart broken? Move to Japan and become a tea farmer, of course.
04
![Lashed and Whipped To Investigate Singapore’s Forbidden Art of Kuda Kepang]()
Lashed and Whipped To Investigate Singapore’s Forbidden Art of Kuda Kepang
For a long time, Kuda Kepang was a mainstay at numerous functions within the Malay community. And then it all went away. We dug deep to investigate its disappearance—and how a group of practitioners are petitioning for it to be brought back to life.
05
![‘Bring On the Gentrification,’ Says Katong-Joo Chiat’s Traditional Store Owners]()
‘Bring On the Gentrification,’ Says Katong-Joo Chiat’s Traditional Store Owners
When it comes to the forces of gentrification, these store owners show us that perhaps, the key is not to fight but to flow with it.
07
![Singaporean Quiet Quitters Set The Record Straight on Quiet Quitting]()
Singaporean Quiet Quitters Set The Record Straight on Quiet Quitting
It's an open secret. Overwhelmed employees are Quiet Quitting. And, people are none the wiser. Local Quiet Quitters dish on why they do it.
08
![What Does Repealing Section 377A Change?]()
What Does Repealing Section 377A Change?
Though more widely discussed, the topic proves to be stubbornly divisive—many people we interviewed did not want to be filmed for fear of reprisal.
09
![Section 377A No More — a New Reality and Recovery Begins]()
10
![The Furry Community in Singapore Is Tired of Being Misunderstood]()
The Furry Community in Singapore Is Tired of Being Misunderstood
The Furry subculture is gaining ground in Singapore. But "popular culture likes to [wrongly] paint us as sex maniacs," one Furry tells us.
11
![Finding Community and Love in a Betta (Fish) Place]()
Finding Community and Love in a Betta (Fish) Place
Yes, it may be hard to believe, but offline, non-digital hobbies exist.
13
![Grief and Sacrifices Aside, Dementia Caregivers Find the Heart to Love]()
![Choice is a Luxury I Cannot Afford: Being Strapped for Cash in University]()
3:31
![Off Beat: Jazz of All Trades]()
4:28
![Re-Route, and the Things We Saw En Route Little India’s Hidden Spaces]()
![What Are Singaporeans Truly Afraid Of? An AI Generates Their Fears]()
![A Ukrainian Independence Day in Singapore, 6 Months Into the War]()
![This Is How It Feels To Be Lonely in Singapore]()
![A Photographer’s Ode to Heritage Mom-and-Pop Shops (Before They’re Gone)]()
![Gym Bros Are The Face Of Toxic Masculinity. True or False?]()
Grief and Sacrifices Aside, Dementia Caregivers Find the Heart to Love
Children of parents with dementia speak about filial piety, avoiding burnout, and guiding their loved ones through the fog.
14
![Bell of the Ball: A Tribute to Long John Silver’s, Fast Food Underdog]()
Bell of the Ball: A Tribute to Long John Silver’s, Fast Food Underdog
The battered fish and fries of Long John Silver's needs no introduction. She’s an icon, a legend, and deserves the #maincharacter moniker.
15
![Happiness is Fleeting. It’s Time We Rethink the Work-Life Equation.]()
Happiness is Fleeting. It’s Time We Rethink the Work-Life Equation.
Underneath their polished personas, high-flying insurance agents struggle to have it all too.
16
![Can Young Singaporean Parents Maintain a Sex Life While Raising Kids?]()
Can Young Singaporean Parents Maintain a Sex Life While Raising Kids?
Adulting is hard. Having sex while kids run down the hallway is harder.
Random Opinion
Perhaps what Singapore employees need today is an emotional distance that can put work into perspective. At the very least, we can discover whether work-related activities are something we’d genuinely feel is the best use of our time.
Video
Choice is a Luxury I Cannot Afford: Being Strapped for Cash in University
Going on overseas student exchange trips—is this actually accessible to all? For one SMU student, her family’s financial circumstances are a daily reminder of the practical sacrifices she has to make while her peers enjoy the luxury of choice.
3:31
Off Beat: Jazz of All Trades
Music producer. Bass guitar sessionist. Father. Colin Yong juggles all his roles with aplomb, but not without some thorny thoughts about the local music industry. Despite never making practical use of his Economics university degree, Colin’s perspective offers a pragmatic view of the socioeconomics at play in the music scene.
4:28
Photo Stories
