A Letter To My Tamil Singaporean Daughter About The Singapore We Want

Dear Sahana, On July 10, we (your Appa and I) will cast our vote for the party of our choice, as Singapore’s 14th general election comes to a close. I don’t know how I’ll feel when I wake up on Saturday morning. I might be crestfallen, I might be ecstatic.  Whatever the outcome,

by Vinita Ramani

July 8, 2020

Behind Closed Gates: Life During the Lockdown At Wildlife Reserves Singapore

Top Image: Wildlife Reserves Singapore Closing the gates For the first time in its 46-year history, Wildlife Reserves Singapore shuttered its gates to visitors on April 7th, when the nationwide circuit breaker was instituted. Wildlife Reserves Singapore website The impact of b

by Vinita Ramani

May 27, 2020

Cancer and Covid-19: 10 Questions With Medical Oncologist Dr. Choo Su Pin

Top image: Sissi Kaplan Singapore currently has over 30,400 cases of Covid-19 and 23 deaths. While we grapple like the rest of the world with a global pandemic, medical professionals have faced unprecedented challenges in the diagnosis and treatment for serious illnesses during a lockdown.  D

by Vinita Ramani

May 23, 2020

Where was Kim Jong-un? Six Whacky Theories

Top Image: Random Institute / Unsplash This week, we finally have a definitive update on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s whereabouts after he disappeared from the public’s view for three weeks. The North Korean news agency reported that he’s been at the opening ceremony of a fertilizer fa

by Vinita Ramani

May 2, 2020

After 2 Weeks of HBL, Is the Work Being Divided Equally At Home?

Top image: Dennis Khung / RICE File Photo Welcome To The New Normal Singapore is just over two weeks into a lockdown. Yes, a lockdown.  To date, Singapore has 6588 cases of infections and 11 deaths. The New Normal here is littered with acronyms: SHN, CB, HBL, LOA, WFH. These tidy terms, d

by Vinita Ramani

April 20, 2020

8 More Headlines You Missed Because of Covid-19, 17/4 Edition

Top image: Arthur Savary / Unsplash 1. First it Was Australia, Now it’s Chernobyl: Apocalyptic Wildfires Continue to Rage As if a separatist struggle and a pandemic were not enough, locals in Ukraine set fire to grass (an offence that carries a fine). Since April 4 the blaze has spread, cree

by Vinita Ramani

April 17, 2020

Covid-19: Does The Singapore Government Really Think We Can Self-Regulate During A Pandemic?

All images from RICE File Photos unless otherwise stated. For the first time in my 29 years in Singapore, I am disturbed and baffled by a strange reversal. I think the Singapore government has been too liberal, and my head is filled with a longing for top-down, blanket control.  Given that Iâ

by Vinita Ramani

April 2, 2020

What Happens When You Test Positive For Covid-19? Case #362 Tells Us

All photos contributed by Case #362. Because patients with Covid-19 are not allowed to reveal their identities, this account was related to our editor, and has been written in the first person.  A Trip to Europe & the Covid-19 Test When I left Singapore for the Netherlands and Germany on

by Vinita Ramani

March 27, 2020

Malaysians Have Shown Grace Under Covid-19 Pressure, And Singapore Can Learn From It

All images by Marisse Caine. Renga, a 41-year old Malaysian who works in F&B in Singapore, is a burly man with a serious demeanour. I often see him on shift at the café I go to, when I’m hunkering down to write. A man of few words, he is nonetheless, impeccably polite. So when we sat down

by Vinita Ramani

March 19, 2020

The Safra Jurong Cluster Happened Because Singapore Cares Too Much About ‘Showing Face’

So it’s official. On March 11th, the World Health Organization (WHO) called Covid-19 a pandemic, after global figures tipped 118,000. Over 114 countries have reported cases, and there have been more than 4,000 deaths.  Singapore’s current tally of Covid-19 cases is at 178, of which 40 (or cl

by Vinita Ramani

March 12, 2020

Hashtags, Photo-Ops, Vague Aspirations: Why International Women’s Day Turns Me Into A Hostile Woman

Illustration credit: Angelina Bambina Women in Singapore: it’s International Women’s Day! Put down that hand sanitiser for just a moment, stop washing your hands, take off the mask and boldly Strike the Pose. If you don’t know how to do it, because the only pose you’ve been striking these

by Vinita Ramani

March 8, 2020