Category Archives: Op-Ed

Consumerist Philanthropy is Crap

When I was a kid, we used to get these donation forms every year to raise funds for the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). The official record will state differently, but the fact of the matter was that: 1) At 14 … Continue reading

Posted in Life, Op-Ed | 4 Comments

The Problem with Singaporeans

Expect this post to be full of sweeping, stereotypical gender bias signifiers. This CNNGo article by Alexis Ong seems to place the burden of the relationship on the man, because, well, we can’t talk, and we carry our girlfriend’s handbags … Continue reading

Posted in Life, Op-Ed | Comments Off

Dear Mr Ng Eng Hen,

I refer to the article “Most Youths will defend S’pore” in my paper, Nov 03 2010, where the results of a National Education survey of 74,000 students found that 95% of them would stay and defend Singapore in event of … Continue reading

Posted in Op-Ed | 3 Comments

On Sandcastle (The Movie) and Politics

While I was presenting Sandcastle at the London Film Festival last week, some people were confused—perplexed, even—at my telling them to not focus on the politics so much, and that it may have been in conflict with the director’s vision. … Continue reading

Posted in Op-Ed | 10 Comments

On Looking Back… And Looking Forward (2006-2013)

In 2006, I graduated from Temasek Design School with a Diploma in Visual Communication. Four years later (and pending approval of my student visa), I am about to pursue a degree in Media and Communications at Goldsmiths—a school ranked equal … Continue reading

Posted in Life, Op-Ed | 2 Comments

How to Treat Your Bands Right

Dear budding gig organizers, if you are going to engage a band like us for a show, please take the following suggestions to heart: 1) Sound checks In our tech rider, there is a provision for a 30- to 45-minute … Continue reading

Posted in Music, Op-Ed | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

We Don’t Care About Album Sales (But Our Labels Do)

On the 14th of March, I had the pleasure of watching Au Revoir Simone perform at the Heineken Music Club here in Singapore. I managed to score a short conversation with them after the show while they were giving autographs, … Continue reading

Posted in Music, Op-Ed | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The Value of Design

A while ago, I was approached by an acquaintance to create a logo for her blog shop — she asked how much it would cost, and I quoted my usual rate for jobs like these. Her reaction when I replied … Continue reading

Posted in Design, Op-Ed | 2 Comments

Singfest: State of the Union

So Michael Hosking of Midas Promotions got name-dropped in today’s Life! Entertainment power list. There have been a few disagreements with the way he (or his company) handles things with regard to security and local acts (ref. [1] 88db Review, … Continue reading

Posted in Music, Op-Ed | 3 Comments