VIEWS
China — Large Policies And Niche Opportunities
CHINA has been under pressure to open up its financial sector since it joined t…
Wielding America’s Big Stick In International Waters
IF YOU enjoy aggressive rollercoaster rides, you will be hooked on the takeoff and land…
Low Population Growth Leads To Low Property Values
AT THE current pace that technology is disrupting every industry, changing the flow of …
The New Tech — New Jobs Disconnect
JON A. worked in a major bank for most of his working life. Until he was let go at the …
What’s Next After Fake News Legislation?
THE SELECT Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods made some amendments to the summa…
Swiss Astronaut On The Gravity Of Space
WITH his head way above the clouds, Claude Nicollier has flown the Swiss flag in space.…
Vision Quest And Finding Purpose In Life
EVER since I was an undergraduate in Oklahoma during the mid-1970s, I have been fascina…
Fake News: Teaching Before Blindly Punishing?
EARLIER this month, Sri Lanka restricted access to the internet and blocked Fa…
TPG’s Gift Has Byte
TPG TELECOM comes bearing gifts for Singapore’s seniors. The Sydney-based telco announc…
Active Rise Of Passive Investments
THE WORLD'S central bank has paved the way for more scrutiny on the impact of exchange…
Family Planning — Cause And Effect
Family planning has gone full circle in Singapore since the early decades of ind…
A Different Sort Of Fishing Tale
THE RECENT Budget announcement pointed to the need for more funds to support i…
Carbon Tax — Seeds For A New Exchange
A DISPROPORTIONATE 0.02% of Singapore’s 140,000 businesses are responsible for 80% of S…
Actor Kamal Haasan — Poetic In Politics
ANOTHER actor turns politician, with Padma Bhushan Kamal Haasan launching his new party…
Time To Budget For An End To Debt Slavery
THE REPORTING on Budget 2018 in the mainstream media is a good example of why a…
Why Does Malaysia’s EPF Pay A Better Return Than The CPF?
MALAYSIA'S Employees Provident Fund (EPF) paid a 6.9% dividend for 2017 recent…
7 Danger Signals About Your Digital Valentine
WHETHER you're lucky or desperate in love, you're likely to be messed up in the heart a…
Should We Reprogram Our AI Programs?
HUMANS have survived thus far by being alert and adaptable. Through the arrival of each…
The Yard Closes And Another Icon Is Gone
CREATURES of habit and journalists who quenched their creative thirsts at The …
Too Early To Celebrate The Residential Market Recovery?
WHILE the property price index is on the rise, and en bloc sale frenzy continues to be …
WEF and Equality — On The Same Stage?
THE World Economic Forum states as its mission that it is “committed to improving the…
Singapore’s Positive Train Of Thought
BILATERAL ties between Singapore and Malaysia went up another notch with the si…
Risks And Returns Of Nation Building
AFTER Singapore’s first Cabinet was installed in Singapore in 1959, Minister of Financ…
Wet Weather Woes
TWO INCIDENTS yesterday prompted me to sit back and think about today's society. The fi…
How Long Would You Queue For $20?
SINGAPORE'S GDP per capital stood at close to US$53,000 in 2016, among the highest in…
Unwrapping 2018
THIS IS the time of the year that predictions for the following year are made. Such p…
Problems With Convenient Solutions
The chief executive of a private company, Changi Airport Group (CAG), said something …
Bonuses To Cope With Coming Tax Hikes?
ALL 84,000 civil servants in Singapore’s 16 Ministries will get their biggest year-end …
The High Cost Of Running Singapore Inc.
AT THE recent annual convention of the People Action’s Party, Prime Minister Lee Hsien …
Derailing Singapore’s Reputation
SOCIAL media was alive with barbed chatter about the collision between two SMRT trains …
Goal Or Own Goal For Singapore Football?
ON AN open-air futsal court on the fifth floor of a warehouse in Tagore Lane, a group o…
The 3 Drivers Of Luxury In Singapore
THE PURSUIT of luxury will continue unabated in Singapore, regardless of global changes…
Entitlement And Your Motoring Money
SINGAPORE'S small size and constrained road and public transportation infrastructure ha…
Why Do You Hit The Like Button?
THE CREATOR of the “like” button on Facebook is somewhat disillusioned by his creation.…
Who Owns The Roads?
THE TRAGIC road death of a four-year old in Bukit Batok Central recently spawned a lot …
Basic Apology Training
YOU messed up, and now you need to apologise. Start by saying "Sorry". Be sincere about…
Too Hot In The Kitchen?
WHATEVER the reason may be for Taiwanese chef Andre Chiang leaving Singapore, it begs …
Do Not Lose Touch With Money
MUCH has been said both for and against the topic, since PM Lee Hsien Loong pushed the …
Behaviour Failure In The Smart Nation
THE CAR I’m test driving is running low on charge, so I pull into a car park that has a…
Transportation Delays — Should We Be Compensated?
TRAFFIC congestion is a dreaded reality in cities around the world. It is an indicato…
Mr Brown Swops Islands For A Better Life
AFTER a life of entertaining the masses on air and at shows in Singapore, radio persona…
Building A Cybersecurity Eco-System
IMPROVING cybersecurity is a clear priority for many countries invested in global bus…
More Than Skin Deep
THE RISE of Korea’s popular culture has seen supporting industries grow along with it. …
The Race To Win At All Costs
IN A WEEK of significance, when a new President ghosted in uncontested, a long drawn ou…
Marcus Ericsson — Racing From 20th To 6th Position
SAUBER Formula 1 driver, Marcus Ericsson gets quizzed by three young local racing drive…
The New President — Managing Optics?
IN DECEMBER 1965, the Constitution (Amendment) Bill was presented in Parliament that …
8 “What Ifs” To Open Your Mind
THE SCIENCE of analytics has come into its own with Big Data to hand and computers of p…
Mooncakes To Sweeten The Mid-Autumn Festival
WITH THE Mooncake festival fast waxing, we will soon be hunting down those sweet treats…
Money In Wallets, Please…
IT INVARIABLY comes down to pay. Singaporeans are not happy with their work because t…
9 Steps To Boost Your Personal Energy Flow
RATHER than flogging the tired worker to perform better it would be worth your while to…
The Struggle To Balance Aging Population Policies
SINGAPORE recently saw the launch of its first inter-generational playground and childc…
Listen & Learn: Build A Track Record — Stephen Riady
DR. STEPHEN RIADY, Executive Chairman, OUE talks about thinking big and building track …
6 Things Only You Can Sustain
IN A case of missing the forest for the trees, we sometimes spend too much time chasing…
Just How Passionate Are We?
“PASSION” and “Singapore” are not often mentioned in the same b…
Vernetta Lopez Cross Stitches For Charity
RADIO and TV personality Vernetta Lopez takes to cross stitching and telling tales in h…
Mixed Grains And Mixed Messages — NDR 2017
TO THE detached observer, this year's National Day Rally (NDR) Message seemed less prim…
2 Pills To Solve The Orchard Road Ills
IT IS no longer a surprise to see large clusters of vacant shops in malls all over Sing…
A Bitcoin Bubble Forming?
THE RISE the cryptocurrency has been driven by heavy demand and limited supply. In part…
Usain Bolt’s Historic Run
IF EVER there was a story that was too good to be true, it would be the tale of the Jam…
Demystifying Bitcoin And Its Intentions
IT CAN be hard to wrap your head around the spectacular rise in value of cryptocurrenci…
Leaders Don’t Drift Off Between Sunset And Sunrise
EVERY individual, every business, every organisation, every country finds itself drifti…
The Safety Video Selling Singapore
AN AIRLINE safety video without a plane in sight is not an entirely novel idea. Virgin …
Armenia Mining For Future Riches
A TROUBLED past, a difficult present, but a brighter future lies ahead for Armenia. Thi…
Giving Wonder Boy His Break
MANY memories live on, but just in our minds. Seldom do we get the opportunity to see t…
Riding The Cryptocurrency Current
MONEY typically has three main functions: A medium of exchange; A store of value; and U…
In Search Of Greater Retirement Returns
THE IMPENDING 3Q launch of Lu International in Singapore is a highly significant develo…
You Are … Then You Aren’t … What Then?
As Confucius said, "the humane enjoy mountains, and live long lives". PHILOSOPHERS have…
The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye Wins Big
WE HAVE what it takes for Singaporeans to make it on the global stage on their own stea…
ETFs — Bucking The Trend For Want Of A Quick Buck
IS SOMETHING amiss with Exchange-Traded Funds funds (ETFs) in Singapore? They seem to …
3 Insults From Trump The Terrible At G20
IF THE Chairman of a major International Company had to leave his seat at a conference …
Ransomware — The Line Between Crime And Terror
THE RECENT ransomware infections, “WannaCry” and “Petya”, are a worrying trend for the …
Killing Light And Living In The Dark
FROM THE brilliance of invention, mankind has plunged into the depths of soulless mater…
Charger Award — Taking Stock Of The Market
IT WOULD seem that Singapore’s stock market (SGX) needs all the help it can get. Even t…
House And Home Divided
SUDDENLY, it’s become lonelier at the top. The dramatic public nature of the spat betwe…
The Certainty Of Uncertainty Ahead
THE NOISE in the global economy is getting louder. The noise in Singapore is also growi…
Conform Or Perform? Singapore’s Dilemma
THE MILLENNIALS are certainly wired differently to previous generations. And they may r…
In Need Of A Brand New Brand Strategy?
ONE of the first things that strikes you when you read Koh Buck Song’s Brand Singapore …
Feeling Blue Or Seeing Red?
THE EMIRATES F.A. Cup drew to a close a well-contested season of English football. The …
Must Political Change Come From Within?
PROMINENT local architect Tay Kheng Soon was interviewed on radio recently. While he ha…
Faking It For Effect?
IN A recent poll, some 40% of Singaporeans wondered whether the news they read was true…
Weaving Words And Spinning Yarns
THE POWER of the story to hold one’s attention is evident around us. Yet, many do not m…
May Day! Repetitious Vicious Circle Ahead!
THE VARIOUS May Day messages from government and labour leaders in the last few years h…
Winning In A Time Of Losing
STORM picked up another award for its print version at WAN-IFRA's Publish Asia awards h…
Video Referee — For Justice Or Ratings?
IN A technologically enriched world, it is curious indeed that video refereeing doesn’t…
Should Orchard Road Traffic Be Stopped?
ORCHARD Road started off as a site for nutmeg and fruit plantations and when the world …
I Hear And Listen To … The Silence
IN A noisy world, the value of silence is often lost on society. From the noise of ince…
Causeway Jams — In A Pickle And A Bind
AHEAD of the Easter long weekend, people going into Malaysia via the road links will ha…
Is Healthy Eating, Unhealthy?
THE ONGOING quest for health and healthy eating could result in a negative reaction. So…
The Unsettling Growing Wealth Disparity
SINGAPORE’S wealth is evident in the bulging pockets of some, but not reflected across …
Negotiating Watery Depths
WHEN you want to make a point, you should make it with a big splash. At least that’s ho…
It’s Never Too Late To Connect
TECHNOLOGY can be used to take us into the future, but can also help us today to bridge…
Big Data Is The New Balance Sheet
AT A recent conference at fintech hub Lattice80 in Singapore, one of the panels of indu…
Your Mind Has Been Colonised!
FOR THE highly regarded Kenyan author, Professor Ngugi wa Thiong'o, the world is still …
Going Ape With Bernard Harrison
DESPITE having left the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari several years ago, Bernard H…
Cash In The Bank Or Cash And Carry?
THE DATA suggests that Singapore’s reputation as a shopping paradise is taking a beatin…
Magic Babe Goes Mental
CAREFUL what's on your mind when you're around Ning Cai. The former Magic Babe Ning tur…
Why The 30% Water Hike Deceives The CPI
THE FURORE over the announcement that water prices will be hiked by 30% in two steps—fr…
BMW 5 Hits A High
THE LAUNCH of the new BMW 5 Series raised the bar for the car industry. Anyone expectin…
How Tourism Affects Our Population Numbers
THE ANNOUNCEMENT that water prices will be hiked by 30% in Singapore, and the message t…
Growing CPF Returns…Work In Progress
A LONG-STANDING gripe against the financial industry comes from retail investors who of…
Good Leaders Must KISS And Tell
Leaders must be effective communicators, and to be so, you must be able to KISS. Simply…
Need A Licence To Surf The Internet?
SHOULD you be required to have a licence to use the Internet? You wouldn't let someone …
Teaming Up At Start Up To Avoid Break Ups
IN RECENT years, the annual listing of start ups to watch in Singapore have focused on …
The Game Of The Name
Are you spending because it's Bond or Craig? Twocoms / Shutterstock.com JAMES Bond is s…
Not The Magnificent 7 — CFE Report
AFTER one year of talking about it to over 9,000 stakeholders, the future of Singapore …
Meddling With The Middleman
THE middleman's role in today's business environment is that of a tightrope walker bala…
Trump Wants To Even The Score
ONE THING you have to say about US President Donald Trump is that he’s trying his best …
Fake News Broadens The Mind?
Lightspring / Shutterstock.com TWO epic events occurred last year that got more …
High Speed Rail Impact
AhXiong / Shutterstock.com WHILE a high speed rail (HSR) link between Singapore and Kua…
Valiant Asian Knight In Valencia
LevanteMedia / Shutterstock.com ASTUTE decisions, a willingness (and ability) to wait t…
2017 – Off To A Rubbish Start
Svetlana Maslova / Shutterstock.com AS THE festivities came to an end early on S…
Hello It’s Hallyu Time
THE Korean wave — Hallyu — has been a big draw for Singapore this year, based o…
Insuring Against Future Road Mishaps?
WOULD the right training and some insurance buy-in help bring down road fatalities? Tha…
The World Needs Stronger Leaders
THERE is a protest movement taking place against governments around the world, observes…
I AM ANGRY! What Do I Do Next?
rangizzz / Shutterstock.com AT some point, we will blow our top. There is more t…
Racing Strategy And Checkered Fortunes
Strategy is a vital ingredient in sport, business or life. After all, it's commonly bel…
Trump — The Dawn Of A Dark Age
THE election of Donald Trump to the Presidency of the USA and the decision by the UK to…
The Metal Mole Tunnelling Under Singapore
STORM takes you underground on a mole's-eye tour of the tunnelling process that will ev…
Book Of Life Stories
A small book rich with the views of life’s lessons could make for a gift that goes a lo…
3 Types of Praising To Avoid
If you feel praising a child is helping them feel good about themselves, think again. P…
Martina Navratilova Still Holds Court
Martina Navratilova still serving up winners on the mic. In a wide-ranging chat, tennis…
Hunger In A Food Paradise
On World Food Day, many are going hungry. Hunger in a land filled with food and foodies…
Legacy Of King Bhumibol
A Millennial Thai recalls with fondness how King Bhumibol Adulyadej led the nation alon…
Quit Clowning Around
They once brought joy, but in a complicated world, some people have grown to fear clown…
Are You Afraid Of Clowns?
They used to make you laugh and announce the arrival of the circus. But today’s clowns …
Going For More Than Gold
Grabbing gold at the Olympics is the pinnacle of achievement, but sport can do more to …
‘Sup WhatsApp?
WhatsApp users are up in arms about the fact their data will be handed over to parent c…
The Cost Of An Olympian
What is the cost of creating an Olympic gold medal athlete? Beyond the grit and determi…
It’s The Message That Matters
Stand and deliver is the normal practice, but does it always have to be so? By Kannan C…
Living The Dream
Fresh from his winning exploits in the Olympic pool in Rio, Joseph Schooling returned t…
The Benefits Of Schooling
The young lad, Joseph Schooling, has come of age in so many ways, bringing together a n…
Smartly Plugging In
We are being groomed to become mobile couch potatoes. Habitap wants to create a seamles…
Seeing Stars
The Michelin Guide rolls into town bringing with it that delicious mix of choice restau…
Exit Strategy
As Brexit becomes a reality, will that signal to other blocs that nothing is cast in st…
Can Pragmatists Read For Pleasure?
With the advent of mobile devices and the onset of rapid urbanisation, Singaporeans are…
When Winning Is Losing
There’s no such thing as a sure thing. Even when you’ve got your hands on the prize, yo…
The Rise of Society
The third instalment of The Coming Wars grapples with the constantly shifting and disru…
Popping Up At The Wrong Place
Pop-up stores are inevitable at a time when customers rae easily jaded and constantly o…
3 Key Commitments Of The Dalai Lama
THE wisdom and peace-loving ways of the Dalai Lama have developed a strong following gl…
6 Dalai Lama Perspectives
DURING his visit to the US for the Interfaith Discussion, the Dalai Lama offered words …
A Vulnerable Future
His journey from runaway to President is well documented. Many parts of S.R. Nathan's j…
Cycles Of Torture — Tour de France
THE ANNUAL Tour de France grips Europe and a watching world as the drama on wheels pits…
The Cheating Cycles
THE TEMPTATION is great. The risks are remote. Would you cheat if you knew you could ge…
