The number one condom brand in Japan, Okamoto, has partnered with internationally-acclaimed Singaporean film director Eric Khoo to launch a campaign celebrating the female orgasm.

Alongside tongue-in-cheek visuals, the campaign features a 30-second video that seeks to capture the beauty of women at the height of their pleasure. Okamoto deemed it natural to rope in Eric Khoo to direct this piece as sexuality has always been a strong and consistent theme in his movies (from his debut feature Mee Pok Man to 12 Storeys to Be With Me).

“When the idea was first shared with me, I was intrigued by the concept. Shooting this piece, I wanted to capture the beauty of the female orgasm in its raw cinematic form.” Shared Khoo.

Okamoto’s flagship 003 series is marketed as one of the thinnest and softest condoms ever made. Thay are made of Sheerlon – a process that produces rubber condoms from natural latex. Condoms in the series include the flagship 003 Platinum, 003 Aloe, 003 Real Fit and 003 Hyaluronic Acid. These are available at leading convenience stores, supermarkets, petrol service stations, pharmacies and personal care stores. Price ranges from S$5.95 to S$14.90 for a pack of 4s or 10s.

Singtel’s popular news app, NewsLoop, is now customised for the Apple Watch! The locally developed app is one of the first local news and lifestyle content apps available for the Apple Watch when it launched in Singapore last week:

If you do not have the app on your mobile, here are reasons for you to download – the app enjoys over 2.2 million downloads and has content from over 600 publishers across 30 content categories. NewsLoop is also the highest rated news app on Singapore’s Apple App Store and Google Play. It was named “one of Singapore’s essential apps” by Stuff magazine in 2014, and ranked “one of the world’s best apps” by HardwareMag in the same year.

Best of all for the tech aficionados, it is also available on the Apple Watch now!

Synced with the iPhone and designed for the wearable’s user interface, NewsLoop now incorporates quintessential Apple Watch features such as Glances, actionable notifications and Handoff to offer users a highly customised and convenient multi-device app experience.

You can keep track of top stories, receive breaking news notifications and key images of top articles and save them to read later on your iPhone. The NewsLoop for Apple Watch app can be downloaded for free on the Apple App Store.

Featuring a newly revamped iPhone and iPad user interface, NewsLoop now showcases a sleeker Dashboard with one-touch access to “Add/Manage Categories”, a more visually appealing grid-style “Categories” layout and a “Do Not Disturb” setting to manage news alerts.

Curating content customised based on your preferences, NewsLoop presents the latest in local and international news and a myriad of top trending lifestyle topics ranging from luxury, health, beauty, to sports news and tech news. You can choose what matters most to you and personalise your NewsLoop experience with news you can use from trusted sources such as Channel NewsAsia, BBC, New York Times, ESPN, CNET Asia and MTV.

Get NewsLoop on your mobile and Apple Watch today! 

This post has been sponsored by Singtel.

Myanmar’s national carrier, Myanmar National Airlines (MNA), celebrated a momentous new chapter earlier today with the arrival of its Yangon-Singapore service at Changi Interntional Airport. The airline’s first international route in 22 years.

For Singapore residents, there’s now another airline to consider if you are flying to Myanmar.

“We are pleased to now offer guests flying between Singapore and Yangon our top-class services aboard our new leading-edge Boeing 737-800NG,” said Captain Than Tun, Chief Executive Officer of MNA.

“MNA is committed to providing streamlined travel experiences to Myanmar and beyond and we proudly invite passengers to fly with us for the journey of a lifetime and experience Myanmar’s unique warmth and culture,” added Captain Than Tun.

MNA’s service between Changi International Airport, Terminal 3 and Yangon International Airport is as follows:

To celebrate the launch of the new route, MNA is offering amazing promotional launch fares starting at SGD 289(round-trip) from Singapore and USD 239(round-trip) from Yangon respectively. Do watch out for these attractive fares if you are planning a trip to Yangon!

Boasting a legacy spanning more than 67 years, MNA made history in 2014 as the country’s first government operation to corporatise and subsequently underwent major operational upgrades to meet the latest international standards for safety, security and service.

In June 2015, it received the first in a series of new Boeing Next-Generation 737s joining its fleet. The first arrival is one of six Boeing Next-Generation 737-800s and four 737-Max 8s MNA ordered as part of a multi-million dollar strategy to re-invigorate its brand and signal the re-emergence of Myanmar as a competitive member of the global aviation market. On top of this, the airline is also adding six ATR 72-600s to service its domestic network, with the first two planes arriving this year.

Singapore Ticketing Information:

For ticketing information and to book flights, visit the official website or email flymna@discovertheworld.com.sg. Additionally, you can call +65 6238 8603 for any queries, visit the MNA Sales Office at The Bencoolen Office Tower, 180B Bencoolen Street #03-02, Singapore 189648 or visit the airline’s official Facebook page. Flight tickets are also available for purchase at authorised travel agents.

Atta Chicken – an ancient recipe made famous by Chef Oberoi again

Here’s a piece of culinary good news for fans of indian haute cuisine – from 15 to 22 August, The Fullerton Hotel’s riverside restaurant, Town Restaurant will host Chef Hemant Oberoi for a week long culinary promotion which will add a wide selection of Indian haute cuisine to the restaurant’s dinner buffet.

Who is Chef Hermant Oberoi?

He is a well-known multi-award-winning chef armed with more than 4 decades of culinary experience. Chef Oberoi was formerly the Grand Executive Chef at Taj Mahal Palace at Mumbai as well as a Corporate Chef for the Luxury division of the Taj Group of Hotels.

Under Chef Oberoi’s guidance, various culinary teams from Taj went to Osaka, Thailand, Belgium, London, Switzerland and America to introduce and promote Indian cuisine. Chef Oberoi is also the man who created several award-winning restaurants like Wasabi by Morimoto for Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces – the Mumbai branch has been ranked in the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 3 consecutive years from 2013 to 2015.

Me with Rebecca Ko, one of the contributors to our sister site, Asia361.com and Chef Oberoi

Currently, as a consultant for Taj Group, Chef Oberoi continues to share his knowledge and passion for Indian cuisine and strives to bring the cuisine to world-class gourmet standards. Besides being a revered culinary personality, Chef Oberoi has also been the personal chef to many Prime Ministers and Presidents. His culinary guests include a list of some of the world’s most powerful people like Barack Obama and Narendra Modi.

A specialist in contemporary Indian and Western cuisine, Chef Oberoi has developed and presented many innovative concepts to the culinary world.

I was invited for a media preview last week and these were the items we sampled:

Amuse Bouche – avocado in panni poori tamarind dressing

Varqui Crab – tellicherry pepper, curry leaf crab, tandoori shrimps

Makai Shorbha – roasted fresh corn soup

Yes, those are popcorns in the centre

Mango lassi

Galouti Kebabs and Ganderi Kebabs

Melt in your mouth lamb kebab

Chicken kebab on sugar cane stick

Atta Chicken – chicken wrapped in chapati dough

The succulent fresh of the atta chicken

Uppu Kari – lamb curry

Guchi aur khumb – morel mushrooms

Beef raj Mirch

Yellow Dal

Naans

The chef calls this indian pizza – good stuff

As above, guests can expect an array of creations. Among the colourful selection are Mutton Shikampuri Kebab, Chicken Saagwala Curry, Sali Gosht (mutton curry served with fried potatoes), Jhinga Anardana (fresh prawns tossed on a griddle with roasted coriander seeds and kashmir chilies, topped with pomegranate seeds), savoury Haleem (slow-cooked lamb and lentil stew), Atta Chicken (slow cooked dough wrapped chicken) as well as freshly made Naan.

The Atta Chicken is highly recommended.

The dish was a common folks dish in olden indian, but was revived again recently by Chef Oberoi when he reintroduced it. The chicken is succulent and soft, with flavours of the spices slow cooked into the meat.

For those with a sweet tooth, complete your meal with delicious treats like Masala Chai Crème Brûlée (crème brûlée with a hint of Chai tea), soft and fluffy Hot Gulab Jamun (dumplings in a sweet syrup), and Kulfi Ice Cream:

Desserts

Masala Tea Creme Brulee

Kulfi – indian ice cream

In general, I find Singaporeans to be less adventurous in trying indian fine dining cuisines, maybe because of the misconception that everything is spicy. Quite the contrary, many of the dishes are not spicy or just mildly spicy. Some are even sweet. Real good food do not burn your tongues, instead they tease you.

Here’s a good introductory buffet to the art of indian haute dining, curated by one of the very best chef.

Town Restaurant’s Art of Indian Haute Dinner Buffet will take place from 15 to 22 August 2015, from 6.30pm to 10.30pm at $55 per adult and $28 per child (6 to 11 years old) from Sundays to Tuesdays, $69 per adult with a seafood selection, or $89 per adult with a free flow of draught beer and Singapore sling, and $34 per child from Wednesdays to Saturdays.

It also includes a local spread with favourites like Laksa (Spicy Noodle Soup), Singapore Satay (marinated chicken or beef on bamboo skewer accompanied with spicy peanut sauce) and Bak Kut Teh (pork ribs served with spicy broth).

For reservations and enquiries, please call (65) 6877 8128 or email town@fullertonhotel.com.

Tried this before?

To celebrate a decade of growth and milestones, Skyline Luge Sentosa will be hosting a 10-tastic! carnival from 21 to 30 August 2015, offering a slew of amazing activities, offers and promotions to customers.

The Skyline Luge Sentosa journey started on 26 August 2005, with just 191 luge rides recorded for that day. Last November, the attraction achieved its 10 millionth-ride milestone and has close to 4,000 luge rides zooming down their trails every day.

My wife and son enjoying the gondola ride up the slope for our luge rides down

I was one of the many riders who contributed to the 10 million rides:

10-tastic Carnival

Business is really good over the weekends – look at the queue!

Packed with exciting activities such as games, caricature and balloon-sculpting stalls, magic performances as well as popcorn and exclusive Luge 10th Anniversary sticker tattoo giveaways, the carnival will be held between 2pm and 6pm on weekdays and 10.30am to 2.30pm on weekends at the Skyline Luge itself for all guests.

10-tastic Deals

Over the 10 days Luge will be running special deals at different timings throughout each day:

• All day: 50% off Luge rider license membership at $25 for individuals (UP $50) and $60 for families of four (UP $120)
• 10am to 10.30am: Free photo with every purchase of five Luge & Skyride combo (UP $53)
• 12pm to 12.30pm: $10 off each ‘Ten-ride Family Pass’ (UP $79)
• 2pm to 2.30pm: $10 for single photo purchase (UP $15)
• 4pm to 4.30pm: $10 for two Luge & Skyride combo upgrade

In addition, Luge is offering a free Luge & Skyride combo and a special Luge pop-up birthday card on 26 August to anyone who shares the same birthday with Skyline Luge Sentosa!

Brought my wife and son to ride on the luge

Other 10-tastic Activities

Besides the carnival, Luge will also be holding the Spot the Luge Helmet activity, whereby the public can win attractive tickets for Luge and Skyrides by spotting a person wearing the Luge helmet who will be roaming at various parts of Singapore from 21 to 30 August 2015.

Participants just need to take a selfie with the person wearing the helmet and post on Facebook or Instagram with #skylinelugesentosa #luge #skyride #onceisneverenough #luge10tastic #luge10bday.

For more details, check out their official Facebook page.

Skyline Luge Sentosa – Key Milestones

By the way, they have a new addition to one of the two luge trails. A canopy has been added to one of the trail to simulate a cave. This is what it looks like at the moment:

It will take some time before the vegetation will fully cover the canopy. After that, it will be more fun when you find yourself speeding down a dark man-made ‘cave’.

Watch for this in a couple months time!

Hotel Jen Tanglin Singapore (formerly known as Traders Hotel Singapore), which has entered its last phase of refurbishment, engaged the Band of Doodlers, a group of young local artists to doodle, draw and illustrate in an interactive art showcase over the weekend on its premises.

Around 150 guests and members of the public attended the interactive art event at Hotel Jen Tanglin Singapore on Saturday, 15 August. My family and I were among those who visited:

It was a casual and fun event. I even got to doodle a Mr Kiasu on the wall. Can you spot it in this picture below?

Hotel Jen Tanglin Singapore has undergone a major refurbishment, following the rebranding from Traders Hotel to Hotel Jen last year. Works started in December 2014 with the renovating of the Club Lounge, 15 Suites and 550 Guest Rooms. The hotel is now in the last phase of refurbishment with completion expected by end-November.

The ground floor is the focus area for this last phase of refurbishment, and a large hoarding wall has been put up to close off the renovation space on the ground floor.

Spotted a blogger friend, Phoebe, doodling a retro Singapore Dragon Playground

The Band of Doodlers, a group of professional young local artists, was invited to illustrate and doodle over the 17-meter long hoarding. The group was engaged to mark the beginning of this last part of the journey as the hotel aims to become a platform for young and emerging local talents to showcase their art pieces and products.

The artwork epitomizes some of the future design and spirit of Hotel Jen Tanglin Singapore, and reflects the journey of discovery and the sense of adventure that travellers and guests seek and experience.

Artists from the Band of Doodlers drew live portraits on the hoarding, with a speech bubble to encourage guest participation through penning their thoughts, or adding on to the art piece.

Other than the doodling on the hoarding, there is also a mural in the lobby which allows locals to make recommendations on places to visit and food to try out in Singapore:

The mural looks like this

I made this recommendation

The hotel will unveil the new lobby and all day dining restaurant in December 2015, and will introduce the line-up of more new art pieces and artists in due course.

Stay tuned!

Earlier this month, AXA Life Insurance Singapore launched a new campaign, entitled AXA Young Families, to provide targeted protection for the whole family at different life stages, from pregnancy to birth and raising kids. While it is common for kiasu Singaporean parents to sacrifice our time and money on our children, AXA would like to shine a spotlight on (not just the kids) the often-neglected parents:

As a parent to a four-year-old son, I get it.

Getting an insurance plan for my child is not just about shopping for him alone, but it is for the whole family. His healthcare coverage and saving plans affects both my wife and I.

Protection for the Whole Family

As part of their campaign launch, AXA unveiled a first-of-its-kind pre-natal plan package, AXA Family Advantage, to allow couples, when expecting a child, the flexibility to select from 8 different types of protection, savings and investment plans for ourselves to prepare for the responsible role of being parents.

The plan simultaneously offers pre-natal coverage for an expectant mother, and subsequently, when the child is born, the parents can choose to insure the child in a straightforward process with no health questions asked.

Not getting pre-natal coverage for Asher was one of the biggest regret for Rachel and I. On hindsight, we wished someone had given us this piece of advice then.

What I like about the AXA Family Advantage is that it’s a 2-in-1 – both the pregnant mother and your unborn child are covered and your child can continue to be covered based on your choice from the 8 different plans offered later on.

Much thought musts have gone into crafting a plan that integrates seamlessly into a family’s life stages, offering the appropriate kind of protection at the right juncture.

It is almost paternalistic, letting your insurer handhold you and your child through your crucial phases in life:

Recognise the song in the video? It’s 500 Miles by the The Proclaimers, a hit song from the 80s. In the video, it is performed by a choir of daddies.

AXA Daddy Rescue Contest

In conjuction with launch of the AXA Family Advantage, AXA is running a 5-week long radio contest on Class95 FM called AXA Daddy Rescue.

Three lucky winners will enjoy a home cleaning session, courtesy of AXA, where a team of daddies will wipe, mop, clean and even perform a special Acapella singing, in the comfort of your home!

I kid you not. The prize is real, just like in the video!

Starting from 6 August 2014, mumy and daddy participants can submit our most creative caption to AXA, telling them why we deserve to be rescued by the AXA Daddy Rescue team.

To join, send in SMS entries to 76677 with AXA <space> Name <space> NRIC <space> Why you deserve it.

The 3 winners will be announced weekly on Fridays (21 August, 28 August and 4 September). Home visits by the AXA Daddy Rescue team will be on the following Saturdays (29 August, 5 September and 12 September).

That’s not all!

All participants of AXA Daddy Rescue will also automatically qualify for the grand prize of a weekend 2D1N “Babycation” at Capella, Sentosa, worth S$2000!

Hurry and send in your SMS now!

Contest ends 17 September and the grand prize winner will be announced on 18 September.

picture via NSP’s facebook page

The tagline for the National Solidarity Party (NSP) reads “Singaporeans Deserves Better!”. I agree. However, NSP is likely not going to be the political party to deliver that.

At the last general election, it was clear to everyone that NSP was revitalised and carried along by one single shining candidate – Nicole Seah. In fact, many people even jokingly referred to the NSP as “Nicole Seah’s Party”.

The party was on a high. Among the opposition parties, they contested the most seats in GE2011 and Singaporeans begun to take note of NSP.

With just that one strong candidate they came close to winning Marine Parade GRC, helmed by former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. Some even came up with the term “the Nicole Seah effect” to explain the phenomenal.

Sadly for NSP, Nicole Seah said she would not be contesting in GE2015.

Worse still, their very credible acting secretary-general, Hazel Poa has just resigned from the party too. This was over differences with the CEC on contesting in Macpherson SMC.

In an emailed statement, she said: “The CEC of NSP decided to support Steve Chia’s request to contest in MacPherson SMC in a 3 cornered fight against WP and PAP. It was a decision I strongly disagreed with, and hence not one I can implement. As the direction that the party has decided to pursue deviates greatly from my own, I see no choice other than to resign from the NSP.”

What’s left of NSP without Nicole Seah and Hazel Poa?

Hazel Poa is a former government scholarship holder and one of the party’s star candidates in the GE2011. I follow some of her speeches and online postings and find her a credible voice. Reasoned and smart.

I looked through the list of names of their 16th Central Executive Committee. A list of has-beens and unknowns or deserters from other parties. The only names I can recognise are former Non-constituency Member of Parliament, Steve Chia and a one-term Member of Parliament, Cheo Chai Chen, when he competed under the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), led by Chiam See Tong then. Both of them are past their prime and likely would not attract younger voters who are not familiar with them.

NSP seems to contest all over Singapore with no strategic overview. Chiam See Tong only managed to win over the Potong Pasir voters after THREE tries. Same with the incumbent MP for Potong Pasir, the People’s Action Party (PAP)’s Sitoh Yih Pin. He went back to Potong Pasir for the third time in GE2011 before he was able to win the residents over with his perseverance. The WP team spent years walking the ground and only managed to capture Aljunied GRC after a second try.

Voters are not stupid. We can see who did their ground work, who are the serious ones and who are the opportunists. The NSP currently strikes me as opportunists.

NSP’s Steve Chia contested in Pioneer SMC in GE2011. Why is he not back there to increase his vote margin for GE2015? Is it because the PAP’s Tin Pei Ling is perceived to be a weaker opponent compared to Cedric Foo in Pioneer SMC?

Worse of all – NSP went back against their words when they announced earlier that they will leave Marine Parade GRC and Macpherson SMC to WP to compete against the PAP.

If NSP wants to contest in Macpherson, fine.

However, the worse thing a political party can do is to flip flop like roti prata. How can I trust a party like this to represent me in parliament?

If you want to contest in Macpherson, why issue an earlier statement saying you would not do so for oppostion unity?

Good luck NSP.

I think the party has just committed hara-kiri at no one’s urging by flip flopping on their words. In web lingo, they did a SELF-PWNED.

I am sorry, but I believe for GE2015, the NSP is nothing without Nicole Seah.

Oh, and did I add that NSP’s Kevryn Lim is NOT the new Nicole Seah? 

In the lead-up to the 2015 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX, Singapore Airlines is inviting everyone to join in for a weekend of fun and excitement at their Light Up the Night Carnival.

Race down to the F1 Pit Building along Republic Boulevard on 22 or 23 August 2015 from 1 to 9pm and stand a chance to win F1 race day tickets when you take part in activities.

Returning as a two-day event due to the overwhelming response last year, the Singapore Airlines Light Up the Night Carnival offers a plethora of activities for everyone. Admission is free!

I went down to the event yesterday noon together with my family of three and my friend, Mark and his family of three. Both our kids had lots of fun. The adults too as Mark and I got to race on go-karts and drool over the supercars.

Here are five awesome activities to do, out of the many other activities available:

1.

Go-Karting

Mark and I

Ready to go

Round and round the track

Our most loyal spectators

Take the driver’s seat and put pedal to the metal. Take part in the time trials and see if you can finish tops at a nominal fee of S$5 where proceeds will go to Community Chest. Note that as a safety requirement, participants must be of a minimum height of 1.5m and properly attired with covered shoes.

2.

Drool over showcase of 40 supercars

Supercars everywhere

Which one should I buy?

Mark says this one costs S$5 million

Mark’s family with the supercars

Catch 40 supercars in a roving showcase of performance motoring around town and gather at the Pit Building for the ultimate supercar showcase.

3.

Take a picture with Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel 

The two stars

Lift the trophy with a SIA girl!

Take photos with Madame Tussauds wax figures of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. Also, you can get up close with the replica of the 2015 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX winner’s trophy and snap a picture together with a SIA girl. In addition, there is a display of the Singapore Airlines Seats in Economy, Business Class and First Class at the carnival for visitors to pose for photos with:

Rachel and Kelly in the SIA Business Class seat

4.

Remote control car race for the kids

The track

Mark and I with our respective kid

Have a go at remote control car racing and see how you compare against the rest. This is great fun for the little ones! There are also giant board games, free movie screening as well as F1 race simulators to keep them entertained:

Giant board game

5.

Stunt Driving Performances

Witness first-hand some of the most exhilarating acts in stunt driving.

Participants are also invited to capture their most memorable moments using #RacewithSIA, and post it on social media for a chance to win exclusive SIA F1  goodie bags. Also, strike a creative pose with a Krisflyer balloon (given out free at the carnival) on instagram with the hashtag #krisflyer50k and stand to win 50,000 airline miles with Krisflyer!

The free balloons

Today is the LAST DAY.

Go join in the fun if you are looking for something to do today. Visit SIAnightrace.com for more details.

If you are sick of reading political news from the mainstream media owned by the two media giants in Singapore, Singapore Press Holdings and Mediacorp, here’s a list of alternative news sites to follow.

They have been sprouting up like mushrooms lately, maybe because of the looming Singapore General Elections and the upcoming Presidential Election next year.

Here’s the list of 15, ranked in order of their respective site traffic via similarweb.com:

1. 

AllSingaporestuff.com – 650,000 page views per month

The writing style is very similar to the defunct TheRealSingapore.com, formerly, the top ranked alternative news site in Singapore with over 2.6 million page views am month.

I am not a fan of this site, but it keeps popping up on my social feeds. Be aware that there is a lot of misleading headlines and click baits.

2. 

Theonlinecitizen.com – 570,000 page views per month

One of the first alternative news site in Singapore that is still surviving and growing from strength to strength, The Online Citizen is very active in updates during the elections and is one of my recommended alternative news sites to read.

3.

Mothership.sg – 550,000 page views per month

The site boasts a strong team of high profile contributors like George Yeo, Philip Yeo and Nicole Seah. It is highly focused on social and political news in Singapore and one of the few alternative sites with a roster of full-time editorial staff.

4.

Mustsharenews.com – 330,000 page views per month

Jointly owned by Gushcloud and Thesmartlocal.com, the site is a social and political news site formed by marrying an online influencers agency and a lifestyle content portal.

5.

Tremeritus.com – 190,000 page views per month

Another site with similar, but more moderate gutter content compared to sites like AllSingaporestuff.com and TheRealSingapore.com.

6.

Statetimesreview.com – 150,000 page views per month

This is the new TheRealSingapore.com, founded by the same team who brought you the now defunct site. Expect sensational and click bait content.

7.

Themiddleground.sg – 80,000 page views per month

One of the key contributors to this site is veteran journalist turned online columnist, Bertha Henson, a one-woman newsroom not to be messed with. Mostly, I just read the articles written by her.

8.

Thehearttruths.com – 40,000 page views per month

Roy Ngerng, better known as the blogger who got slapped with a defamation suit by the current prime minister of Singapore, has a decent following online. He may be fielded as a candidate by the Reform Party in Ang Mo Kio GRC to face his nemesis.

9.

Yawningbread.wordpress.com – 35,000 page views per month

Alex Au was one of my favourite bloggers to read. However, he seem to have stop writing recently after his run-in with the Attorney-General of Singapore. A pity because he writes well. Nonetheless, he still gets good traffic each month for a mostly dormant site. Maybe his blog may come alive again during the elections.

10.

SingaporeDaily.net – 30,000 page views per month

This is more of an aggregator site where they curate and share socio-political news articles from a variety of online sources. It’s a good one-stop source for alternative news.

11.

Atan1.wordpress.com – 20,000 page views per month

Also known as ‘Thoughts of a Cynical Investor”, the writer is anonymous, but writes well and appears knowledgable.

12.

Sonofadud.com – 15,000 page views per month

Written by Kenneth Jeyaratnam, the Secretary-General of the Reform Party and the eldest son of the late opposition figure, J.B. Jeyaratnam, the site has a niche following in Singapore.

13.

Anyhowhantam.blogspot.com – 15,000 page views per month

The site is written by a young undergraduate, Ariffin Sha, who is very politically mature for his age. Good stuff. I wish more of our younger generations can be as politically and socially aware as him.

14.

Tankinlian.blogspot.sg – 7,000 page views per month

Tan Kin Lian is an ex-presidential election candidate and former Director and CEO of NTUC Income. His blog is quite fun to read as he makes weird offbeat remarks and interesting insights here and there.

15.

Inconvenientquestions.sg – 4,000 page views per month

This relatively new socio-political site is founded by Viswa Sadasivan, a former Nominated Member of Parliament. It is worth mentioning them in spite of the low traffic as they recently did a full video recording of the GE2015 Political Dialogue by the National University of Singapore Society:

Now that you have seen the full list, which alternative news site do you like best? Remember to bookmark this page or add it to your browser as a ‘favourite’.

If you are a frequent traveller, especially for business, be introduced to Blacklane, a professional driver service based in Europe, but offering limousine and chauffeur services in over 180 cities in 50 countries, including Singapore.

Cost varies depending on distance travelled and other factors. What I really like is that the cost is very transparent. You can calculate the cost and pay for your booking online directly via credit cards, just like how we purchase airline tickets. This is especially handy when it comes to booking overseas airports and hotels transfers. No bill shock and no need to haggle with the driver on the prices if they go the wrong way or got lost.

In fact, Blacklane guarantees low, fixed and all-inclusive rates with licensed and insured drivers, confirmed at the moment you book. Blacklane never charges additional fees, taxes, tolls, surges or gratuities.

One-way or hourly rides can be scheduled with Blacklane from an hour’s notice to months ahead of time. Booking can also be done for yourself or someone else.

For my last family vacation to Boracay in the Philippines, I arranged for a pick-up from our home to Changi Airport with their First Class sedan and another pick-up from Changi Airport to our home with their Business Van/SUV:

Our assigned car for the First Class booking

Rachel loading our stuff

Drop-off at Changi Airport

Pick-up at the airport

Loading up our luggages

Spacious interior

Heading home

How Blacklane works

1. Make a booking online or via mobile

Booking can be done online or via Blacklane’s mobile app. Enter your pick-up and drop-off locations or the number of hours you wish to book a car and driver for. Indicate your desired pick-up time, select your preferred car class (Business Class, Business Van/SUV, First Class) which best suits your needs and budget, then make payment.  Note that the displayed rate includes all taxes, tolls and tip.

2. Receive booking confirmation

After booking, you will receive an email indicating that your ride request has been received. Blacklane will then let you know as soon as they have found the perfect driver for your trip. All very intuitive and convenient.

3. Get connected with your assigned driver and car

On the day of the booked ride, I received two emails and SMS updates – one informing me that your car is on its way, and a second letting me know as soon as my driver has arrived at the pick-up location. Each ride includes 15 minutes’ waiting time for standard pick-ups and 1 hour for airport pick-ups. Even if the driver has arrived early, your included waiting time starts from the time you booked your ride.

I think the key unique selling proposition of Blacklane is the fixed, all-inclusive rates which they offer. It saves the hassle of bargaining and arguing with dishonest drivers. Also, if you fly frequently and do not wish to carry too much foreign currencies on hand, the bookings and payments can all be made online prior to the trips.

Visit Blacklane’s official website to find out more about their services. 

The Royal Mail is a quiet, hidden gem, tucked away on the second floor of the non-descript Ascott Raffles Place serviced apartment building. It is conveniently located in the CBD, but hidden from sight.

I was invited for a tasting sometime back and thoroughly enjoyed the items served. The Royal Mail specialises in contemporary British cuisine, with an emphasis on roasts.

What is contemporary British cuisine? I was thinking about Gordon Ramsay and was probably close.

Here are the items I tried:

Scallop Carpaccio and Tuna (S$26) – Hokkaido Scallop Carpaccio and Lightly-seared Tuna with Capers, Olive, Corriander, Preserved Lemon and Fresh Vegetables Ribbon

Trio of Tomatoes (V) (S$18) – Cherry Tomato Confit, Semi-dried Tomato, Fresh Yellow Cherry Tomato with Bocconcini and Pesto

Seafood Bouillabaisse (S$28) – Red Malabar Snapper, Whole Langoustine, Blue Mussel in Bouillabaisse Broth

Honey Glazed Kurobuta Pork (S$56) – with Mesclun Salad, White Wine Apple and Apple Butter Sauce

I can’t get enough of this dish! Look at how beautiful the cut is.

Miso Black Cod (S$42) – with Leek Fondue, Seaweed Butter, Sesame Tuille and Bonito Flakes

Japanese Yellow Sea Bream (S$78) – specially air-flown from Japan for freshness

The eyes are glassy and the flesh is firm, fresh from the sea

Beautifully roasted garlic

The moist, firm flesh

Enhanced Bergamot Earl Grey Jelly (S$15) – with Frozen Yoghurt, Passionfruit Coulis and Macerated Berries

Peanut Butter Jelly (S$18) – Toasted Brioche, Cranberry Jelly, Chocolate Ganache and Caramelised Banana

Sticky Date Pudding (S$15) – with Vanilla Brandy Sauce, Vanilla Ice-cream

Eton Mess (S$18) – Strawberries, Meringue, Hazelnut Crunch, Salted Caramel and Devon Cream

Enhanced Bergamot Earl Grey Jelly (S$15) – with Frozen Yoghurt, Passionfruit Coulis and Macerated Berries

My recommendation is to go for the Honey Glazed Kurobuta Pork and the Seafood Bouillabaisse. Both were crowd-pleasers, especially the Kurobuta pork which I can do with a second or even a third helping!

I am not much of a dessert person as I am not fond of sweet food, but I like the creative take on some of the traditional British desserts like Eton Mess and Sticky Date Pudding. Not bad in taste and they are really pretty to look at.

As you can see, prices are on the steep side at The Royal Mail. However, you are paying for quality – just look at the ingredients used. The chef seems to have a penchant for top notch Japanese ingredients btw.

This is a nice little restaurant for a romantic date or a quiet business meal.

Definitely worth another visit.

Here’s the chef behind all the wonderful creations

The Royal Mail
Ascott Raffles Place, 2 Finlayson Green
65093589
Mon – Fri: 12:00 – 15:00, 18:30 – 23:00
Sat: 18:30 – 23:00, Sun: 07:00 – 11:00

Singaporeans are the fussiest and also the easiest with food. Fussy because we all have our own opinions on which hawker stall or restaurant serves ‘the best’ laksa or some other local dishes; easy because we are very open-minded about trying different cuisines from different culture, whether in Singapore or abroad.

When talking to Singaporeans, food is a topic that never goes wrong and you can expect us to ramble on and on about our favourite dining hangouts. There is a reason why more than half of the top bloggers in Singapore are all food bloggers – we are food-obsessed as a nation!

If food is such an important part of Singapore’s culture and heritage, what makes a meal satisfying in Singapore?

After a long day at work yesterday, I was pondering this question when dining with my wife at Albert Centre Market & Food Centre.

We ordered a serving of wok-fried tze char dish each and I had a can of Coca-Cola® to go with the meal:

This is a pretty standard order at hawker centres in Singapore, but the meal was strangely satisfying to me. At least it was satisfying enough to make me ponder.

Why was this meal satisfying to me? Five reasons:

1.
Cheap Eat

My fried rice with egg costs S$3.50 while my wife’s order of sweet and sour pork with rice and egg costs S$4. The can of Coca-Cola costs S$1.40. Total cost: S$8.90 for a meal for two!

2.
Fast Food

I travel a fair bit for work, about two trips each month. As such, I eat out frequently. Food is served very quickly in Singapore, especially at the hawker centres. In the skilled hands of experienced hawkers, they can whip out bowls of wanton noodles, plates of chicken rice or even wok-fried delights in less than a minute per serving! If you are hungry and craving for a quick eat, Singapore is about as fast as it gets in this part of the world. Same goes for beverages, a can of ice-cold Coca-Cola is never more than a minute away from any drink stalls around the island.

3.
Perception of Variety

Why do Singaporeans like to head down to mega food centres like Albert Centre Market & Food Centre? If you have a craving for chicken rice, why not head to the best chicken rice specialty restaurant or hawker? It’s the perception of variety at work, which is so gratifying. Why do we pay for expensive hotel buffets when we know that we can never sample everything on display? That’s because our eyes tricked us into thinking we have feasted on everything. Dining is as much of a visual experience on top of just tastes and smells. Hawker centres are visual foodporn – even though we are likely to end up ordering just one or two dish, we feel as if we had feasted on everything in the food centre.

4.
Social

Enjoying good food is a social occasion for Singaporeans. We love to enjoy good food together. My wife and I both have very busy schedules and being able to enjoy dinner together on a weekday is a rarity. Good companionship matters for an overall satisfying meal, paired with the happiness that a can of Coca-Cola brings.

5.
Comfort Food

Wok-fried food may not be the healthiest dish, but they are comfort food after a long day at work. I just want to unwind, relax and indulge. It’s okay, I can have healthy meals on other days.

If I need a choice of beverage with no sugar and zero calories, I can always opt for a can of Coke light or Coke zero.

6.
Something cold and refreshing

Singapore is sweltering hot for most of the year. As such, I find it very important to enjoy my food with an ice cold, refreshing beverage – like a can of Coca-Cola! Nothing beats gulping down a can of Coca-Cola on a crazy hot day while enjoying my favourite comfort food.

This is my list to fulfil for a satisfying meal. It doesn’t have to be an expensive meal in a fancy restaurant. As long as these six criteria are fulfilled, I am a happy man. What about you? What defines a satisfying meal? Let’s talk about it over a dinner gathering and maybe I can treat everyone an ice-cold can of Coca-Cola each to go around. ☺

This article is brought to you in partnership with Coca-Cola.

This post is by Amelia Chen who was in Bangkok, Thailand during the Bangkok blast.

Previously, I wrote about my close shave with death during #BangkokBlast when I was on a solo holiday in Thailand. This is a continuation of the night and the day after.

I was at the shopping mall when suddenly friends messaged me and asked “Are you OK?”. That’s when I realised a bomb had exploded near me. My buddy had warned that there might be more bombs in the area – and he was right. Immediately, I headed back to my hotel and reported to my family that I was safe.

Tonight in #Bangkok: One bomb exploded & then two more unexploded bombs found nearby – RT @jin_nation: ระเบิดแล้ว 1 ลูก เจออีก 2 ลูก

— Richard Barrow (@RichardBarrow) August 17, 2015

The news reported that Singaporeans overseas in Bangkok should register their itinerary on the MFA website. So I went to check it out… and it’s under maintenance. hokay.

There were news and tweets requesting for urgent blood donors and Chinese translators to help the victims. It was heartwarming to hear that people were going forward to donate blood to help in whatever they could.

People flock to donate blood following bomb blast http://t.co/RvLPiMLxQx pic.twitter.com/6y6SwCK83m

— ThaiVisa News (@georgebkk) August 18, 2015

The next day when I ordered lunch, the staff asked me with a concerned look on her face: “Does it scare you? What happened last night?”

Since I had a few hours before my flight, I headed to Police General Hospital to see if they still needed any volunteers to help with Chinese translation. When I arrived, I realised it was just beside Erawan Shrine…

Quite busy at the hospital – didn’t really know who to approach. Everyone spoke in Thai.

I went over to the main counter where a volunteer was making announcements in Mandarin. They told me the need for translators was only urgent last night, and they have enough volunteers now, so I took my leave.

There were cleaners, police and media reporters with videographers along the road. The rest were other people were at the junction, where the tragedy struck, to see the aftermath and give some prayers. The Erawan shrine reopened its doors to the public barely two days after the fatal explosion.

Thai people mourn victims of the #Bangkok blast that claimed more than 20 lives and injured over 100 pic.twitter.com/4N1u58ePv1

— CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) August 19, 2015

I headed back to the hotel because I was told that airport security has tightened and queues would be longer, so I arrived earlier than intended for my flight at 5.35pm. On the way to the airport, a second bomb went off. This time at another tourist spot near Chao Phraya River. Thankfully there are no casualties because it landed in the river. If it had hit the ground, it would have been drastic. The police believe the perpetrator had wanted to throw the pipe bomb onto a busy pedestrian platform leading to the pier, but missed…

Everybody must be on high alert now. But no matter how prepared we can be, can we ever prevent such events from happening? It all happened so fast. Thai culture is Buddhist and values religious tolerance, so it was unlikely that the attack had a political agenda. The identified suspect ‘Mohamad Museyin’ had carefully planted the bomb at a small area, at a religious site with high human traffic during rush hour. 20 casualities and 125 injured.

“This operation was carried out by a big network. There must be a preparation for materials and explosives. There must be people who scout the route. There must be people who survey the site, people who would cover and look after the bomber. There must be people who know escape route and take the bomber to do it.” – Royal Thai Police Commissioner Gen. Somyot Poompanmoung

It was all so deliberate – some people would have guessed that the act was intended to harm the country’s tourism industry and economy. I have some friends who had earlier booked tickets and decided to forego their planned trip as they did not want to cause worry to their loved ones.

Just yesterday evening, another bomb was found and deactivated at a construction site around Sukhumvit. Even though it was not believed to be linked to the #BangkokBlast last week, it’s still scary to know that there are plots to terrorize civilians and hurt innocent lives.

Unexploded bomb found on the sand at an apartment block construction site. It didn’t explode – RT @c72b7dbff318414: pic.twitter.com/VDCr60MDAt

— Richard Barrow (@RichardBarrow) August 24, 2015

It’s obvious that security in Bangkok is not as strict as Singapore’s – the authorities have taken it for granted that in a Buddhist country no one would cause harm to a religious, sacred site – but it happened. The Thai government is now putting measures to enhance security, but civilians still must remain vigilant no matter where we are. As my Krav Maga instructor would have put it, “Singapore is an ‘uncommonly safe’ country” – we may feel so safe here but we should always be aware of our surroundings and stay alert.

I am thankful to have escaped this tragedy because it could have happened to anyone. If I had decided to walk along the roadside instead, if I had been at the wrong spot at the wrong time, it could have been me. Every day is now an extra day in my life.

RIP to all the innocent victims and may their families find peace… #PrayForBKK #StrongerTogether

Picture via ALIENCO PHOTOGRAPHY’s project showcase page on Bridestory

I remember when Rachel and I were planning for our wedding five years ago; a lot of the sourcing for vendors was all done at physical shops and through face-to-face contacts or referrals from friends.

Since then, a lot of stuff can now be done online or even on mobile. Five years ago, I could never have envisioned a day when I could use a mobile app to grab taxis or find part-time domestic cleaners. Yet this is the reality today.

The same goes for planning a perfect wedding.

What if I share with you that there is a website that allows you to plan and customise your perfect wedding online, in the comfort of your own home?

Enter Bridestory.

Established in April 2014, Bridestory is a leading online wedding vendor which has a strong social media presence among Indonesian and international audiences. Bridestory’s main focus is to build an advanced wedding platform that connects engaged couples with wedding vendors around the world.

Why Bridestory makes so much sense

You only do it once in a lifetime and you want to do it right. However, precisely because most couples only get wedded once, wedding vendors do not get much repeat business. As such, referral may not be that relevant, as it will often be based on that one consumer experience.

Also, the price difference and quality varies vastly from one vendor to another. Take a wedding photographer for instance; how do you tell an amateur from a professional? What is the price difference you are willing to pay for better quality?

Bridestory helps to solve all these issues by offering vendor listings with transparent pricings, as well as peer reviews.

Selection of photographers to choose from on Bridestory

A search under their photographer category revealed a variety of vendors, each with reviews, pricing and even a beautiful portfolio page for you to sieve through their past wedding projects.

Without a pushy salesperson pressuring you to sign up for a hefty wedding photography package, you can explore each vendor slowly in the comfort of your own home, browsing through their portfolios and selecting what make sense for you.

Beautiful layout with intuitive site navigation

If you frequent e-commerce sites, you will be familiar with the messy layout and confusing site navigation on some of the largest shopping sites like Amazon, Taobao and Gmarket. There is a reason for this, as it encourages impulse buys and purchases where you are confused over how much you are actually paying for the product.

At Bridestory, they understand that shopping for a wedding is part of the journey for a perfect wedding.

The site navigation is simple and easy to get information. Moving from one point to another is like flipping a beautifully curated magazine. The user experience is pretty good.

Browsing one of the photography vendor’s project showcase page – its like browsing a chic wedding magazine online

Don’t take my words for it. Visit the site yourself to try it out!

If you are getting married or helping someone to plan a wedding, do check out Bridestory to see if they can assist you in your journey towards that perfect wedding.

A general election has been called in Singapore and Polling Day will be on 11 September. Nomination Day is on 1 September, just a few days away. As such potential candidates from various political parties and independent candidates have been making their way to the Elections’ Department’s headquarters at Prinsep Link to collect nomination papers.

There are the serious contenders, like those from established parties like the People’s Action Party (PAP) and the Workers Party (WP); and there are the odd ones, mostly those looking to contest as independent candidates.

The election deposit for GE2015 has been set at S$14,500 and it will be forfeited if a candidate in a single-member constituency (SMC) or a team in a group representation constituency (GRC) receives less than 12.5 per cent of the votes in their constituency.

As of August 26, at least three people have collected nomination forms and appeared to be interested in standing as independent candidates. They are Uber driver Shirwin Eu, 32; real estate executive Ooi Boon Ewe, 74; and former businessman Zeng Guoyuan, 63.

I always find independent candidates an interesting bunch. Most of them are good for laughs, but there are good ones too. For instance, Chiam See Tong, one of the most respected opposition leaders in Singapore and secretary-general of the Singapore People’s Party, contested his first election as an independent candidate before he went on to establish the Singapore Democratic Party.

If a person has S$14,500 to spare for a self-promotion marketing campaign, running as an election candidate may be quite worth it. I am seeing this from the point of view of a marketeer. Even if you failed to secure 12.5 per cent of votes and lose your deposit, S$14,500 is still much lesser than a typical marketing campaign in Singapore. Just one full page full colour ad in the national newspaper will likely cost more than that. Let’s not even add in television and radio coverages.

Given the amount of press coverage received by weirdos like Ooi boon Ewe who likes to talk big and often end up not contesting in all sorts of elections from the general election to the presidential election to by-elections, it is really a cheap and effective way of marketing.

Zeng Guoyuan, better known as “Parrot Man”, has a full article dedicated to him on the Straits Times, providing updates on his life. He was diagnosed with nose cancer last year and had to undergo surgery, leaving a gaping hole in his face where his nose used to be. Zeng now makes a living selling tissue papers. I am sorry to read of his plight and I wish him all the best in health as well as in life. Yes, he is going through a difficult phase in his life, but a lot of ordinary Singaporeans go through such experiences too and they are not given press coverage. The difference between them and Zeng is that the latter went to collect the nomination forms.

My favourite promotion guy has got to be Uber driver Shirwin Eu. Thanks to him, Uber got mentioned all over the local press and social media shares, generating lots of value in public relations (PR) for the private taxi brand. Eu said he wants to champion transports issues and even appeared in video interviews with the local media. Wow.

I am not sure if Uber is using Eu as a marketing tool, but wow. If this is a guerilla campaign, it’s simply brilliant.

If I the marketing guy at Grabtaxi/Grabcar, Uber’s rival, I will send one of my own driver down the next day to collection nomination forms and claim to want to champion transports issues too.

After that, both private car companies will have a field day fanning the local tabloid about their respective business propositions and ‘candidates’, generating even more PR value.

The best thing is, these potential candidates need not even really contest!

They just need to express interest to contest, get their free media coverage and then disappear. Appear on television – done; get quoted in the newspaper – done; be heard speaking on radio – done. Congratulations! You have just unlocked the achievement of trolling the media!

Who’s going to collect nomination papers together with me tomorrow after reading this article?

By the way, I really like the approved symbols for independent candidates for the coming election. These include really weird stuff like a whale, a rooster, a helicopter, a laptop, a rhinoceros, a ceiling fan, an ear, a piece of paper and a lighthouse:

Who decide and design all these random symbols? Do you use a random word generator and churn out a series of random words to pick these?

If only the independent candidates can choose their own symbols to use intead of just the approved ones. The Uber driver will get to use the Uber logo and promote it all over Singapore if he really runs for election.

Okay, enough fun. The election is serious business as the PAP says it is about choosing Singapore’s leadership for the next 50 years while the WP says it is about us being able to have a say in the future we want.

Vote wisely. If there are independent candidates contesting in your ward, do consider carefully if you want an ear, a laptop, a flower or a ceiling fan to lead you for the next 50 years or talk to you about your future.

The ASEAN Power Shift 2015 (APS15) was a three-day conference held in Singapore from 24 to 26 July 2015. More details about the event are available via the official website.

During the UN Climate Negotiations in Lima, Peru in 2014, it came to the attention of the Singapore Youth Delegation that youth in Asia, especially those that are from the ASEAN member countries, have a weak presence in these negotiations. This was an obvious observation given the lack of participation of NGOs from the region.

That was how the ASEAN Power Shift event was birthed – out of a need to foster youth volunteerism for a stronger ASEAN voice.

Someone needed to step up and lead the region and the youths in Singapore did precisely that.

About 200 youth environmental advocates from Southeast Asia converged at the inaugural ASEAN Power Shift, amongst them 67 delegates in representation of all 10 ASEAN countries came together to formulate an ASEAN youth position for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) to be held in Paris later this year.

The event was organised and spearheaded by Team Young NTUC 350 Singapore – one of Young NTUC’s affinity groups and the Singapore chapter to the global 350.org movement.

Yes, NTUC, beyond being just a trade union, is invested in promoting youth volunteerism too.

Going beyond the realm of work, Young NTUC’s holistic approach to develop our youth has resulted in young activists rising up to the occasion to realise their aspirations and influence other youths to do the same.

“Young NTUC believes that it is important for our youth to pursue their passions and fulfil their aspirations in order for them to grow as individuals. We therefore actively support them in doing so, in our efforts to empower our youth to make a difference in society and take the lead in shaping Singapore’s future.

The inaugural ASEAN Power Shift is just one showcase of our youth activists’ efforts, and we are very heartened that they have taken the lead to further a cause they believe in.” Shared Desmond Choo, Executive Secretary of Young NTUC.

He added that the ASEAN Power Shift exemplifies what the youth wing of the Labour Movement seeks to achieve.

350 Singapore was founded by Young NTUC in March 2010.

The group aims to raise awareness on the need to lower the carbon level for a greener future. 350 is widely believed by many scientists to be the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Measured in parts per million (ppm), the measurement today reads 400ppm. There is an urgent need for us to bring the level back down.

The team members from 350 Singapore are environmentalists with lofty ambitions. The issues they are discussing and addressing are not the kind that can be solved within a week or even a year or by a single government. Instead, they require global actions and global resolves.

Through the ASEAN Power Shift event, participating youth from the various ASEAN countries got to learn life-long skills from environmental workshops, interact with guest speakers and other like-minded youth, as well as exchange experiences and skills. These all contributed towards nurturing a unified regional youth network and voice for the ASEAN region on the global stage.

If you are interested to contribute on saving the environment FOR REAL (as cliché as it may sounds), consider joining 350 Singapore or the Young NTUC.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

Why did Young NTUC get involved in something so lofty like 350 Singapore?

Nor Lastrina Binte Hamid, Lead Activist of Team Young NTUC 350 Singapore and Chairperson of ASEAN Power Shift Organising Committee shared: “I am glad to see the organising team’s hard work for the past few months come to fruition, and am grateful to Young NTUC for understanding the passions of us youths and empowering us to fulfil them. Through the three- day conference, I am glad that many participants and delegates have been able to gather good learning materials that can help to catalyse ground up activities in their own nations which some have already indicated interest to do so.”

At the upcoming COP21 later this year in Paris, perhaps we will get to see the fruits of this initiative.

We need to let the world know that ASEAN matters on the global stage and to do that, it all starts from youth volunteerism at the local level, then interaction and collaboration at the regional level.

ASEAN matters, ASEAN youth matters too. And Singapore and our youths can play a part to make ASEAN matters.

“I am very happy to see youths from Singapore taking the lead to organise such a platform for all ASEAN nations. I hope cooperation between ASEAN youths on climate action will continue beyond this inaugural event.” Said ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General, H.E. Dr. AKP Mochtan.

As Nomination Day draws nearer for GE2015, other than the serious candidates, wacky independent candidates are joining the fray and so are online trolls:

Popular online troll, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) had posted on their Facebook page that they are interested in contesting for GE2015 and launched a Teh Tarik Party today with a serious looking website, a Facebook page, a Twitter account and an Instagram account.

The Teh Tarik Party has yet to announce any potential candidates, but the website highlighted four main issues which they would like to focus on in their manifesto: Family Development & Care; Tax; Immigration; and Education.

They even come up with serious solutions for each of the issues:

It remains to be seen if this is just massive trolling at the national level or whether the secretive group behind SMRT Ltd (Feedback) is a serious contender. My guess is it’s more likely they are just doing what they are best at.

Seriously speaking, while SMRT Ltd (Feedback) is well known online for their vigilante work and acid jibes at political and social issues in Singapore, they are not that well-known offline among the older folks and obviously, people who are not web savvy. Not exactly the right recipes for winning at the polls.

It is also unlikely they will suddenly reveal all their identities after hiding for so long. They were able to get away with a lot of the stuff they post, precisely because they are anonymous. Would they want to unmask themselves for this?

I find the group of five people who called themselves “concerned citizens” in a CNA report to be more intriguing and likely to contest as real-life trolls.

According to the report, all five are prepared to contest the elections as independent candidates.

One of the five, architect Fatimah Akhtar, 46, who is also a former member of the Singaporeans First Party said: “We are sending out a message to all political parties that whatever it is, you should be sending candidates who are qualified and capable.”

Akhtar, speaking for the group to The Straits Times, said they were eyeing Tanjong Pagar, Jurong or Ang Mo Kio. They are prepared to contest if they feel the candidates fielded in any of these GRCs is not up to the mark.

The 5 “concerned citizens”, picture via CNA

“Some of the candidates fielded inspired me to run, because with their background, my potted plant can be an MP.”

I like this quote.

She is effectively telling the Singaporeans First Party and the Reform Party contesting the three GRCs which her group is eyeing to get their acts together to field credible candidates or face getting trolled by her group in real-life.

Nice.

Btw, here’s an old video of Akhtar speaking at one of the protest events at Hong Lim Park:

The four others in this real-life troll group are Dr David Tan, 62, chief executive of a regional medical group, businessman Eric Seow, who is in his 60s, and two retirees: Mr Eddie Ng, 72 and Ms Soon Siew Tin, 58.

Oh last but not least, let’s not forget my favourite troll of all time – Han Hui Hui!

Picture via Han’s Facebook page

She is going against the Reform Party to contest in Radin Mas SMC, getting into a three-cornered fight with the incumbent People’s Action Party.

Wait.

Her good friends, M. Ravi, Roy Ngerng and Gilbert Goh are contesting in Ang Mo Kio GRC under the Reform Party. I thought she would be part of their dream team:

However, it seems Han is not invited. Is this how things got ugly?

Troll or not, she managed to raise a total of S$10,034.96 as of 27 August. There are still donations streaming in to fund her campaign.

Wow.

Well done Singapore. Feed the trolls.

So, today is Nomination Day for GE2015 and Singapore’s top online troll, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) just revealed one of the administrators for their Facebook page – a Azly J. Nor:

They claimed on their Facebook page that they will be backing Azly and the Teh Tarik Party to contest in GE2015. Will it happen? Or is it just trolling again?

A real person seems to have been revealed. Last I checked, I have one mutual friend with Azly. Shit just got serious?

Then again, these guys are such high level trolls that I won’t be surprised if it’s all a big game again to stir up conspiracy theories!

Most interestingly, they seem to hint at contesting in Radin Mas SMC – where the incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate, Sam Tan, 57, will be defending his seat; where the Reform Party is sending in Kumar Appavoo, 46, director of an oil and gas company and where post-90 social activist and blogger, Han Hui Hui wants to contest as an independent candidate.

If Azly and the Teh Tarik Party goes in to compete in Radin Mas, it will result in an exciting four-cornered fight.

I don’t know why everyone is eyeing Radin Mas. Previously, the National Solidarity Party (NSP) wanted to compete there too, but backed out in exchange for the Reform Party to give way to them in Pioneer SMC.

Sam Tan is not a pushover. He is currently Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, as well as the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. He had previously served as a Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I have met and worked with him previously on some projects and he is a smart guy, well-connected to the grassroots.

In GE2011, he thrashed NSP’s Yip Yew Weng with 67.1% of the valid vote, a comfortable 7% higher than the national average for the other PAP wards.

At first it was just the NSP trolling the Reform Party on competing in Radin Mas, so as to force the latter to give up competing in Pioneer.

Next, it was Han Hui Hui trolling the Reform Party. Many of her friends are contesting in Ang Mo Kio GRC against Lee Hsien Loong and his team. Han was left out. 

Now, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) is trolling Han Hui Hui?

Or trolling the whole Singapore?

Who is Azly J. Nor?

He has covered his online trails sufficiently such that I cannot dig out much about him. However, a close friend whom had met Azly before in-person had verified that he is indeed, an administrator on the SMRT Ltd (Feedback) Facebook page.

In a long post titled “What I Do In The Shadows” on his personal Facebook, Azly detailed how SMRT Ltd (Feedback) started – from an IRC channel, #brainy, “where like-minded people with an interest in everything that’s to do with human intelligence come together to have a banter”.

Azly went on to detail the inner workings of the group and how they ensured everyone is kept anonymous. He also claimed to be the one responsible for creating the manifesto on the Teh Tarik Party website and shared on his upbringing as well as career path.

Citizens of Radin Mas:

Would you vote for someone mysterious like Azly?

Or a controversial post-90 new citizen, Han Hui Hui?

Or the Reform Party, an opposition party which promises to arm-twist the PAP for changes?

Or boring old Sam Tan from the PAP?

It’s fun to live in Radin Mas.

All the trolls seem to congregate there!

Recently, the Singapore Tourism Board engaged a popular indie Filipino band, Up Dharma Down to travel to Singapore to search for inspiration for their latest single, “All the Good Things”. The result is this spiffy music video featuring Singapore’s cityscape:

The song has attracted much hype online, both in the Philippines and in Singapore.

Beyond the song and the music video, how well does Up Dharma Down knows Singapore?

The band was in Singapore for a concert on Sunday, 30 August. We got a chance to show lead vocalist Armi Millare and guitarist Carlos Tanada a video clip of one of Singapore’s most famous “Filipino actresses” to catch their reactions:

Celebrity Maid Leticia Bongnino is played by award-winning actress Michelle Chong on popular Singapore-produced comedy-satire show, The Noose. The show is a parody of news programs in Singapore and Leticia is one of the most popular characters.

The video we showed the band features Leticia and her Bangladeshi boyfriend complaining about having to work on their off days:

Armi and Carlos gave Michelle Chong some tips on how to play a more convincing Leticia, and shared what it is like for domestic helpers to work in the Philippines.

In the video, both Armi and Carlos figured out that Michelle Chong was trying to copy the Filipino accent, and they were very impressed.

“At first I thought she’s one of our Filipina celebrities, but on a closer look I realised it’s not,” said Carlos, and Armi said Leticia’s accent was very close, “maybe 75 to 80 per cent,” she said.

Carlos’s tip for Leticia was for her to pause more in mid-sentence, and say “ahh”, and Armi’s tip was for Leticia to scratch her head more often.

They thought the video was funny, although it might be stereotyping what Filipinos do for a living.

“We have a lot of Filipinos working in different industries,” said Armi.

In the Philippines, Armi shared, most people are particular about calling helpers “maids”. Both of them had helpers growing up, and they called them by their first names, or endearing terms like “Yaya”, meaning “nanny” in English. Carlos shared that though his helper didn’t have a Bangladeshi boyfriend, she did end up dating his family’s driver.

Amri added that in the Philippines, everyone mimics accents just for the fun of it.

“We hope they make more of this (video),” both of them said.

Both appeared pleasantly receptive of Leticia and were very polite in their replies. This must be why the Singapore Tourism Board chose to work with them – professional and open-minded.

What do you think of Up Dharma Down‘s response to Leticia Bongnino?

What if the band was to make a music video together with Leticia? Do you think it will be a good idea?