Inject me with this news. As a relieving end to the infamous trainwreck that was 2020, COVID-19 vaccinations are being rolled out progressively across the world. In fact, Singapore’s healthcare workers have already begun receiving them from 30 Dec 2020. Despite our reduction in community cases, there is still a new UK COVID-19 strain that’s…

We’re not sure which is the lesser evil: sitting through numerous skills examinations for a job position that you may never get, or getting rejected based on your horoscope. Some companies believe that horoscope hiring might, in fact, help to thwart evil. So the next time you feel stricken and dejected by rejection from yet another…

Mother Tongues and Second Languages For a long time now, since 1965, children have taken examinations for their mother tongue or a second language, as part of Singapore’s bilingual policy. While many have argued in its favour, modern times and globalisation has led to an increased debate on whether bilingualism is really still relevant to…

Fill Me In The Malays are Singapore’s largest ethnic minority. Handy introductions to their stories may be many, but hard to find. This new book on Singapore’s bicentennial and the role of Malay/Muslim communities will perhaps make their rich history more easily accessible. Beyond Bicentennial: Perspectives On Malays is a collection of 45 essays on…

Fill Me In If Japan and the Oxford English Dictionary were people, Oxford would undoubtedly be the person of many words. For Word of The Year (WOTY), Japan chose a word that was blatantly tied to COVID-19, and naturally so. Oxford, on the other hand, has expanded its annual selection to a whole list in…

Colours of the year? Why… Pantone has labelled its colors of the year for 2021, and they’re very much a reflection of how the world is feeling during COVID-19. For more than 20 years now, Pantone Color has studied the world for its colour influences, delving into the areas of entertainment and fashion, socio-economic conditions,…

Fill Me In When faced with old age, there probably aren’t many people who’d consider a PhD being a necessity. This is particularly so in a country like Singapore, where educational achievements are deeply pinned to achieving material progression in life. But here’s a story of the world’s oldest PhD student. He is so old…

Fill Me In With global political spheres trudging in and out of treacherous waters, the best that Singapore can do to protect itself from external threats is with diplomacy. This year, our country celebrates more than one diplomatic milestone with another nation. And more than a mark of safety, these diplomatic milestones also serve as…