Coming Of Age
Or how to navigate life beyond adolescence.
Articles in Series
Coming Of Age
I Learnt How To Seduce People On A Chair | Sean And The City: Ep 1
Since young, we’ve been taught to focus on our grades and career. But is that all there is to life? Sean and the City follows RICE writer Sean—who has never been on a date before—on a journey of self-discovery and learning to step out of his comfort zone. In this episode, Sean explores h
Coming Of Age
A S$185 Meal Of Food Scraps? Meet the Singaporean Culinary Visionaries Turning Trash Into Treasure
All photography by Liang Jin Tey for RICE Media. I was sipping on a glass of Taittinger, staring at the two slabs of seared foie gras in front of me. Wobbling slightly atop the toasted sourdough bread like savoury jelly, they were served with a generous sprinkling of dark brown crumbs and some fruit
Coming Of Age
Singaporean Men on the Pressures of Searching for the Perfect Wedding Ring
Photography by Ilyas Sholihyn unless otherwise stated. In 2019, I felt that it was time to make an honest woman out of my girlfriend of five years. I remember thinking to myself: She’s a sharp-witted and caring partner, and if I were to give up the freedom, power and opportunity that I (and most c
Coming Of Age
Is It Possible to Ditch the Daily Grind? 3 Singaporeans Tell Us
All images by Zachary Tang. Most of us dream about ditching our day jobs. Some of us even dream of doing it decades before turning 62. This can be partly attributed to our nation’s obsession with chasing productivity. Growing up, we've been led to believe that the rat race is for life, and we ca
Coming Of Age
Many Of Us Will Save For A Wedding, But Not Retirement
All images by Chan Hui Wen for RICE Media. I first meet Marcus and Tiffanie near Queenstown MRT as we head towards their future BTO neighbourhood. At first glance, the newly-weds seem to have it all. My first impression? A power couple. After all, they’re on their way to comfortably ticking off
Coming Of Age
The Secret To Satisfaction In Life Is Having Just Enough
All images by Ansh Sirohi. Note: This is the fourth and concluding episode of our series on financial literacy and ETFs. Here are the first, second and third parts. “Enough” is the principle by which I live my life. Financially, I know that investments make sense most of the time, but I don't
Coming Of Age
When it Comes to The Singaporean Dream, Every Family Has a Different Blueprint
All photography by Zachary Tang. There has been a lot of debate recently about whether the Singaporean Dream is still alive and well. And if so, is it attainable for the vast majority of Singaporeans? This is a tricky question: especially when there’s no longer a set definition of what the
Coming Of Age
It Takes Skills, Not Necessarily Experience, To Career-Switch in a Pandemic
Photography by RICE / Chan Hui Wen Most good stories start with unexpected change; a stumbling block that, surprisingly, nudges the protagonist from a state of inertia to one of fulfilment. And what we have here are three great stories that speak of hope amidst an unexpected global crisis.
Coming Of Age
I Asked A Behavioural Scientist to Help My Colleagues Save More Money
Top image: Marisse Caine / RICE File Photo Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt (“The Nile”), but a running theme in our lives. While we like to think of ourselves as rational decision makers, 70-90% of us also think that we’re above-average drivers. In our own heads, our s
Coming Of Age
The Art of Keeping On: 3 Singaporeans Tell Us What They Learned From Life’s Twists and Turns
Photography: Zachary Tang (Daniel Goh)/ Thaddeus Loh (Zhu Minying and Imran Johri) The first film I watched in 2020—just a few days after the New Year, in what already seems like a different time—was Jojo Rabbit. The film, about a young boy coming of age in Nazi Germany, concludes with these li
Coming Of Age
Financial Literacy and Investing Can’t be Taught. It Has To Come From Experience.
All illustrations by Ansh Sirohi. Note: This is the second part of a series on financial literacy and ETFs. Here’s the first part. Call me crazy, but I’m a skeptic when it comes to one-size-fits-all solutions to ‘financial literacy’. My main objection is that personal finance is too abs
Coming Of Age
To Understand Why Kids Won’t Stay In School, We Need To Look At What Keeps Them Out
Top image: RICE File Photo by Zachary Tang. It’s a simple concept, one so intuitive it seems obvious: children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to struggle in school. Still, the ways in which hardship manifests in children’s daily lives are all the more devastating f
Coming Of Age
80% of Singaporean Children Under 7 Are Already On The Internet. Should We Be Worried?
Top image by Lydia Tan. The first computer my family bought boasted a CPU that was thicc. It had a Pentium II chip and came with Windows 95, which the boxy monitor displayed in all its 640x480p glory. At 6, I didn’t understand any of that; I didn’t even know how to switch on the computer. All
Coming Of Age
A Father’s Love Letter to His Daughter On Her Education Journey
Dear Emily, You’re six now. Next year, you’ll be in primary school. Your education journey has only just begun, and as your father, I’m scared as hell. I’m scared because the choices you make determine the nature of your journey, especially early on in school. Teachers, subjects, CCAs, exa
Coming Of Age
How To Have Your Steak And Eat It Too: A RICE Guide To Exchange-Traded Funds
Image credit: Vitaliy Zalishchyker on Unsplash You know, what's the difference between someone who invests and someone who doesn't? A S$500 steak. You heard me. An 8-year-old aged succulent steak from one of the finest restaurants here, which poor old me will never touch with a 10-foot pol
Coming Of Age
An Alternative Ecosystem: How Bitcoin is Changing Transactions for Singapore
What if, hypothetically, you and everyone else in the world, have an awareness of where every single printed dollar is, where and when they were transferred, transacted, which accounts, all at the same time? What if … you can go back in time, notice someone siphon US$4.5b in cash value from every
Coming Of Age
If Office Group Chats Are So Bad, Then Why Are They Everywhere?
Top image: RICE File Photo Stop me if this sounds familiar: It is a weeknight. You are having dinner with your friends. Midway through an engaging conversation, a flicker of annoyance passes over your friend’s face. Their mood darkens visibly as a message notification pops up. They mumble an ap
Coming Of Age
Convincing Our Parents To Let Us Take Care of Them Is Hard. But We Must
Images courtesy of Elliott Chong. All names have been changed. We will always remain a child in the eyes of our parents. Even when we’re 40 and they’re approaching their 80s, they will, with their wobbly legs and murky eyes, still want to protect us and carry our burdens. This is what Elliott
Coming Of Age
How To Stay Sane Whilst Staying Home
When the circuit-breaker was announced, the introverted me threw my arms in the air and sighed with relief. Hurray, no more awkward small talk in the morning, a mandate not to join large parties. At long last, I can hide at home forever and shall be so much more efficient and happy without having to
Coming Of Age
These Millennials Bought A House, Then Covid-19 Hit. How Are They Coping?
Top image: Zachary Tang / RICE File Photo It’s a process every Singaporean knows by heart: meet someone, date for a few years, apply for a flat, save up, get married, move in, settle down, and gradually pay off the mortgage. Getting your foot on the ‘adulting escalator’, as I
Coming Of Age
A Super-Realistic Account of What It Means to Own 4 Properties by 40-Years-Old
Disclaimer: This story is a contribution by Eng Khang (not his real name), who just turned 44 and works in the corporate sector. This is not a paid editorial. Anyone who says you can retire early by investing in property (or multiple properties) is usually not telling the entire story. Beyond mor
Coming Of Age
This Couple’s Secret to a 54-Year Marriage: Ditch Texting for Love Letters
All images by Zachary Tang. Love, at first sight, seems like an impossible phenomenon to someone as cynical as me. The perfect example of how I relate to love would be when I came across this video of a child many years ago, explaining what she thought love was. “Love is a neurochemical co
Alt Ctrl Health
You Think Running is Just About Fitness, Until It Changes Your Life
All images by author. At its core, running is about discovering your capacity to surprise yourself when you push your boundaries. When I catch Rebecca Hatten at the boardwalk outside Marina Bay Sands, she’s decked in a tank top and tights. Her outfit barely shows off her stomach bump, which I o
Coming Of Age
Welcome to Singapore, Where Having a Home is Tied to Your Self-Worth
All illustrations by Sharon Yang. The article has been edited for clarity. In Singapore, having a physical space to feel safe in is an often overlooked aspect of looking after one’s mental health. Without this space, Singapore’s homeless citizens lack an intrinsic sense of self-worth and va
Coming Of Age
How to Be Less Terrible at Adulting: Start Reading Children’s Books
Top image: Unsplash “Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories.” — American author, Zadie Smith As a child who often hid beneath my covers and retreated into the imaginary world of storybooks whenever my parents fought, I was forced to learn a
Coming Of Age
Enough With Excessive Humility. Let’s Be Kinder to Ourselves.
Top image: Unsplash Few things make me more uncomfortable than celebrating my birthday. It’s not about the unnecessary attention and fanfare or the occasional substandard cake, although these certainly heighten my lack of enthusiasm every time the month rolls around. I simply don’t like
Coming Of Age
Singaporeans Would Be Happier If We Stopped Our Obsession With Retirement
Top image: Tristan Le on Pexels. All images Rice file photos by Zachary Tang unless otherwise stated. PM Lee must be feeling pretty relieved right now, the way any politician would when they’ve delivered potentially unwelcome news without a hitch. During last Sunday’s National Day Rally, h
Coming Of Age
How Childhood Abuse Taught Me To Give My Parents The Love They Lacked As Children
Images from the author, editing by Marisse Caine. “Do you think it’s easier to build strong children or repair broken adults?” I asked my mum as I plonked myself on the edge of her bed. She smiled, put her arms around me and whispered: “I don’t know.” “But you’re still my daug
