SINGAPORE – While heavy showers blanketed parts of Singapore on the third day of Chinese New Year on Monday (Jan 30), there was something for Singaporeans to cheer about after the rain – a double rainbow event.

Photos of the rare occurrence quickly made their way onto social media, with sightings concentrated mainly in central Singapore and the Central Business District area.

In Chinese culture, a double rainbow is considered auspicious and a reason for reflection and mediation.

The phenomenon occurs when light reflects inside raindrops twice, creating a second spectrum across the sky.

The second rainbow is usually fainter because sunlight is reflected internally twice by the same raindrops.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) had earlier on Monday warned of thundery showers over many areas in the late afternoon.

It was a particularly wet Chinese New Year for Singapore this year, due to a monsoon surge affecting the South China Sea and the surrounding region.

A double rainbow was last reported in Singapore on Sept 30 last year.

This article was first published on Jan 30, 2017.
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SINGAPORE – An elderly man who tripped and fell on the road at Lorong Ong Lye on Sunday (Jan 29) afternoon was fortunate to meet several good samaritans who came to his aid.

Music teacher Jeremy See, who first shared the heartwarming story with citizen journalism website Stomp, was on his way to visit relatives on the second day of the Chinese New Year when he spotted the man walking along the pavement at around 4.45pm.

“There was some construction going on and a part of the pavement was cordoned off; I think he tripped and fell as he was trying to avoid some of the cones,” Mr See, 41, told The Straits Times.

A Caucasian man in his late 40s who was pushing a stroller also saw what happened and immediately crossed the road to render assistance.

Mr See also stopped his car to help the man – whom he estimated to be in his late 70s – as he had hurt his head and was bleeding from his mouth.

“He refused an ambulance so we decided to clean him up as best we could with tissues before hailing a passing taxi to send him home, as he said he lived nearby,” Mr See said.

Hearteningly, the gracious driver refused to accept any money from Mr See for the fare.

“It was just great to see everyone come together and help a fellow human being in need, especially during Chinese New Year,” Mr See added.

This article was first published on Jan 30, 2017.
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SINGAPORE – Singapore’s strength comes from its individual cultures – Chinese, Malay, Indian – and the fact that these are not exclusive, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam said on Monday (Jan 30).

Speaking at an annual Chinese New Year gathering at the new Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) at Shenton Way, he emphasised that the Republic’s culture is unique.

“We are not China Chinese, we are not Indian Indians, we are not Malaysian Malays,” he said. “We are Singaporean Chinese, we are Singaporean Indians and we are Singaporean Malays. And that is different from all these countries.”

And the Chinese community in Singapore has strongly supported that overarching Singaporean approach even as it highlights the importance of its own culture, he said.

Mr Shanmugam noted that culture is key to helping Singaporeans navigate an uncertain global environment, citing the populist uprisings in Western countries which have resulted in political leaders taking extreme measures “which may or may not work”.

He said: “To have the courage and conviction, you need to be strongly rooted, and rooting comes from culture. (If) we forget that, I think Singapore will not be Singapore, and we will be buffeted and turned over at the first big wave.”

That is why the new Chinese Cultural Centre is essential to Singapore’s success, as it will help develop and promote the country’s unique Chinese culture among the younger generation, he said.

First announced in January 2012, the $110 million, 11-storey centre has a multi-purpose hall, a 532-seat theatre, a rooftop garden, studios for recitals and music recordings and rooms for talks and exhibitions.

Mr Shanmugam said the centre “has a purpose far beyond just the organisation of cultural activities”.

“It has to become a centre for our people to fuse together and build our own culture, taking and drawing from 5,000 years of history,” he added. “That is what will make us strong.”

More than 800 community leaders, government officials and representatives from all sectors of society attended the event, jointly organised by SCCC, the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations (SFCCA) and Business China.

A number of Ministers and MPs were also present. Apart from Mr Shanmugam who was guest-of-honour, the others included Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing, and Education Ministers Ng Chee Meng and Ong Ye Kung.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa, an MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, said the centre is a sign of the Chinese community moving ahead with the times.

Its location downtown will help reach out to professionals working nearby, who can take part in activities and programmes after work, he added.

SFCCA president Chua Thian Poh said some Chinese values transcend race, and “act as pillars of support for racial harmony and social stability” in multi-racial Singapore.

“It is therefore a worthwhile exercise to ensure such values are passed down to future generations, and to encourage our youth and other communities to understand these values in greater depth,” he added.

roysim@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 30, 2017.
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Last Friday, Ms Stephanie Toh hosted a reunion dinner in her own home for the first time.

Her nine guests were welcomed into her three-room Housing Board flat in Yishun, the first she has owned.

The 27-year-old divorced mother of two girls, aged eight and five, previously lived in a two-room rental flat.

“There was not much you could call your own. My daughters and I had to make do with one queen-size mattress to sleep every night,” said Ms Toh, an accounts assistant in an auditing firm.

With the help of government grants, she is now the sole owner of a Sale of Balance Flat (SBF) .

Ms Toh and her daughters now have their own rooms and beds.

She said: “The girls have so much room to run around and play hide-and-seek.

“We even have a storeroom for their bicycles and they can have more new toys.”

Ms Toh, who divorced in 2014, lived in a rental flat for five years.

Money was a concern for the single mother when applying for a flat, but Ms Toh managed to obtain $65,000 in grants from HDB.

According to HDB, more than 80 per cent of rental tenants have received either the Additional CPF Housing Grant, the Special CPF Housing Grant or both to help them with the purchase of an HDB flat.

Since 2012, nearly 3,000 rental tenants have become first-time home buyers in Build-To-Order (BTO) or SBF sales exercises.

The grants have allowed Ms Toh to pay the rest of the price of the flat, which was $210,000, entirely through her Central Provident Fund (CPF).

Coming home has never been more satisfying for Ms Toh.

She now has her own kitchen, a luxury compared with the small stove she had in a corner of her rental flat.

“I feel like my home is complete now,” she said.

“Getting my own flat was really a huge accomplishment in my life.”

chualel@sph.com.sg

Read also: Tiger Beer unites families with free taxi rides home for Chinese New Year

This article was first published on Jan 31, 2017.
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