Everyone’s favourite nonagenarian who tried a McSpicy burger for the first time (and was not loving it) is back. This time, the sprightly 91-year-old took a crack at another fare treasured by Singaporean millennials: dalgona coffee.
Encouraged by the overwhelming response to his first video, Emerson Gideon Ng took to the Subtle Asian Traits Facebook group once again to feature his now-famous grandfather trying out the fluffy, pillowy drink that everyone started crafting at home during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused many disruptions to regular life, and we’re not just talking about on work and social fronts.
Flights were cancelled, strict quarantine measures put in place, and all construction activities grounded to a halt in Singapore. These changes have caused more problems than say, the minor inconvenience of not being able to get your daily bubble tea fix.
As for how this has impacted me personally? As a result of the virus outbreak, I’ve also not seen my husband for three months.
Nothing can keep Jeremy Chew apart from the orangutans at the Singapore Zoo, not even a bad traffic accident.
The Deputy Head Keeper of Great Apes at Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) joined the Zoo in 1997 and has looked after the orangutans since then.
But in November 2004, Jeremy was involved in a traffic accident and had to stop working. His doctor wasn’t sure if he could walk again and it took Jeremy almost four years to return to his normal life without requiring crutches or a wheelchair.
However, according to him, “the call from the wild was too hard to resist” and almost seven years after his accident, he rejoined the Zoo in October 2011.
So it’s no surprise that he says his family consists of not only his wife and daughter, but also the “many hairy kids at the zoo” – referring fondly to the orangutans. As the 46-year-old puts it, “every one of them has a distinctive personality, they are so like humans and you can’t help but fall in love with all their little quirks”.
SINGAPORE – Two former Progress Singapore Party (PSP) members have registered a new political party named Red Dot United, with the intention of contesting the next general election.
Ravi Philemon and Michelle Lee, who resigned separately from the party led by Dr Tan Cheng Bock earlier this year, said they submitted the application for the party to the Registry of Societies on Tuesday (May 26). The party currently has 12 members aged between 25 and 55.
If approved, it will bring the total number of opposition parties here up to 12.
Philemon, who will be the secretary-general of Red Dot United, said during a virtual media conference: “Our goal is to build a political-social platform, and not just another political party. Matters of government and policy must be accessible and easily understood by all Singaporeans, whether old or young, or a new citizen.”
He said that as the world and Singapore are changing, even before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Singaporeans need to be more politically active to get the Government to focus on issues which affect ordinary Singaporeans, instead of just trusting their leaders.
Singaporeans might have a new penchant for naming and shaming those who flout circuit breaker measures, but some netizens were not too pleased when one woman tried to call out attendees at a funeral wake in Ang Mo Kio.
Sharmila Sivarajin took to Facebook on May 26 saying that people at the wake had been smoking, drinking and flouting safe-distancing rules, and urging the town council and Neighbourhood Police Centre to look into the matter.
She shared a photo which shows at least four people sitting in a cluster at a void deck, one of whom appears to be holding a cigarette.
She wrote: “Not being a racist or whatsoever you think about me… But come on… We are going through circuit breaker and the rules applies to all… Right? [sic]”
SINGAPORE: Member of Parliament for Hougang Png Eng Huat said on Friday (May 29) that mosquitoes were found breeding inside containers that were “hidden” in trees at a park in his constituency.
The receptacles were “planted in the trees along the footpath” at a park located between Blocks 341 and 351 on Hougang Ave 7, said Mr Png in a Facebook post in which he noted the rising trend of dengue cases across the country.
“Mosquitoes were found breeding inside these containers. Some containers were well hidden, making the job of the property team difficult when they go on a ‘search and destroy’ run,” he said.
Mr Png said as Singaporeans fought “the spread of COVID-19, we should not forget to keep dengue at bay too”, citing a warning by the National Environment Agency (NEA) that dengue cases were on the rise and may surpass last year’s figure.
The Workers’ Party MP said while town council staff members and cleaners have been kept busy by the COVID-19 pandemic, they have “managed to keep the number of dengue cases low in Hougang SMC (Single Member Constituency)”.
“We are asking residents living in the two blocks of flats overlooking the park to help us keep an eye on the activities there, and to report to the town council if they do spot something suspicious,” said Mr Png.
“We intend to catch the perpetrator because the health of our residents matters.”
CNA has sought comment from NEA on the matter.
The containers are “hidden” in trees, says Hougang Member of Parliament Png Eng Huat. (Photo: Facebook/Png Eng Huat)
The number dengue cases in the week ending May 23 was 623, the highest so far this year, according to NEA data.
“This is the third consecutive week we have seen the weekly dengue cases exceed 500 and we have just entered the warmer months of May to September (when) there will usually be higher transmission of dengue in Singapore,” NEA said on its website.
There are 469 cases so far this week as of Thursday at 3pm. This compares with around 400 weekly cases this time last year.
SINGAPORE – Home buyers who could not apply for a Build-To-Order (BTO) Housing Board flat in May because of the circuit breaker will be able to do so in three months’ time, as the flats originally scheduled for launch this month will be combined with the August BTO exercise.
HDB will offer about 7,800 BTO flats in Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Choa Chu Kang, Geylang, Pasir Ris, Tampines, Tengah and Woodlands in August.
Another 5,700 flats in Bishan, Sembawang, Tampines, Tengah and Toa Payoh will be offered in November.
Of these, the flats in Choa Chu Kang and Tampines North from the August launch, and those in Tengah from the November launch, will have shorter waiting times, HDB said in a statement on Friday (May 29).
However, some BTO projects are expected to be delayed by up to six months because of the suspension of construction activities amid the circuit breaker period.
SINGAPORE: Mental health, future job opportunities and environmental sustainability were among the issues in focus among youths who participated in engagement sessions as part of the SG Youth Action Plan.
The initiative, started by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) in May 2019, involves a panel of 14 youth leaders, plus the co-chairs Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Sim Ann and Mr Edward Chia, CEO of Timbre Group.
The aim is to engage young Singaporeans in shaping their vision for the country, and developing plans for youth, community organisations and businesses.
“We reached out to more than 400,000 youths and we’ve engaged more than 70,000 youths,” said Ms Sim. “We’re very excited because we’ve had very good participation and ideas from our young people.”
Speaking to the media on Wednesday (May 27), Ms Sim outlined the progress that the SG Youth Action plan has made in the past year.
This will culminate in a Youth Action Challenge digital summit that will be held from Jul 13 to 19.
Twelve teams will present their ground-up initiatives, which are guided by the key themes that have emerged from the engagement sessions.
While the summit was supposed to be held in April – it was postponed due to COVID-19 circuit breaker measures – Ms Sim said this gave the youths the chance to update their projects in light of coronavirus situation.
“Much of the themes are evergreen – like sustainability, helping the vulnerable in society and the economy. But in terms of the execution, there’s bound to be some aspects which they need to update because of our ongoing fight against a pandemic,” she explained.
“The pandemic is really a test of preparedness … (the SG Youth Action Plan) helps to get them ready to play a very proactive role.”
MENTAL HEALTH AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT
On the topic of mental health, Mr Chia said that the panel managed to make “good headway” in championing support for the issue, for instance, by working on providing peer support training.
“When youths have issues, they tend to want to talk to their friends first, rather than knock on the doors of the school counsellor. (But) sometimes their friends might not also know how to react effectively and know what is the quick first response,” he added.
Ms Sim noted that mental health ranked second in terms of participants’ concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with the top concern being interaction with friends.
“We are glad that we started keeping tabs on this issue early,” she said.
The SG Youth Action Plan will have a new dedicated website, which includes a special COVID-19 subpage, said Mr Chia.
“We have come up with a depository – how youths can take action for themselves and if they require additional help, there are also links that we have provided for.”
“It’s important firstly to let the youths know that they are not alone in this situation.”
One of the youth engagement sessions. (Photo: MCCY)
Another area that SG Youth Action Plan is focusing on is promoting mentorship as a way to empower youths to fulfil their potential. This is done through matching youths to mentors, industry professional and job opportunities.
It’s an area that has come to the fore given that “traditional methods” of job search have changed with the coronavirus outbreak, said Ms Sim.
“You’re not going to have in-person job fairs and networking sessions, so it’s all the more important to provide that assurance to young people,” she explained.
For example, SG Youth Action Plan panelist Ms Swedha Rajaram, who is also part of Advisory Singapore, started the Advisory Mentorship Programme Online to match students with industry mentors amidst concerns due to COVID-19.
Mr Chia added that there would be a heightened level of “urgency” faced by the youths who are graduating and entering the workforce this year.
“We hope to resource more of such organisations that will provide such mentorship,” he told reporters.
MORE SUPPORT FOR YOUTHS TO TAKE ACTION
To empower youths to do more in this time of crisis, the National Youth Council (NYC) has introduced a COVID-19 edition of the Young ChangeMakers Grant, to provide seed funding for ground-up initiatives related to the coronavirus situation.
Singaporeans and permanent residents aged between 15 and 35 can apply, and their projects should benefit the Singapore community in line with national objectives around COVID-19.
There are three priority areas for projects – jobs, supporting vulnerable groups and mental wellbeing.
The funding criteria has been relaxed, said Ms Sim to make it easier for young people to implement plans and help the vulnerable.
For instance, applicants can now tap the grant for fundraising projects for local beneficiaries.
“In the past, we’ve been focusing the funding on the operational aspect (of projects), but we also recognise that we are in a very different time right now and the needs are acute,” said Ms Sim.
Approvals and disbursements will be faster, she added.
Upon approval, up to 50 per cent of the approved grant will be disbursed within seven working days, compared to two to three weeks previously.
Additionally, S$30 million from the National Youth Fund has been set aside over the next five years for partnerships with youths to champion ground-up initiatives that are in line with the SG Youth Action Plan.
“This serves as an encouragement,” said Ms Sim. “As long as there are good ideas, we are very prepared to listen and we’re very prepared to support.”
One project that received funding from the National Youth Fund last year is the Happiness Initiative, a social enterprise that takes a preventive approach towards mental health by equipping youth with “the science of happiness”.
Based on positive psychology, the Happiness Initiative works with schools and corporations to promote practical ways in which one can “flourish” and “find their purpose”, said its co-founder Sherman Ho.
“We try to run activities that are engaging and interesting rather than just throwing out jargon.”
One example is the Happiness Film Festival held last year, with the support of the National Youth Fund. “People relate very much to stories, so we use all these films to facilitate conversations,” the 31-year-old added.
The Happiness Film Festival in 2019. (Photo: Happiness Initiative)
Since they can no longer hold physical events, the social enterprise has moved online and is now compiling a four-week webinar series that discusses “resilience and resolve”.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, Ms Sim remains positive about the various ideas, adding that youths can be “pathfinders”.
“We hope that many of them will feel equipped and empowered to put their ideas into action, help themselves, and also help others and help us navigate this post COVID-19 world,” she said.
It was a sight to behold — a guard rail wrapped around a Bentley convertible, a Mercedes Benz with its bonnet ripped off, and a Toyota van with scratches on its bumper.
The 67-year-old driver of the Bentley is believed to have lost control of her vehicle in a carpark at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 on Friday (May 29) morning.
A Facebook post suggested that the convertible hit the other vehicles before it was stopped by the guard rail.
Photos shared on SG Road Vigilante showed that the impact uprooted part of the guard rail, and knocked a nearby lamp post askew. A sizeable chunk of earth from the dislodged guard rail rested on the boot of the Bentley.
Fans were heartbroken when McDonald’s announced a closure of all outlets island-wide due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and rejoiced when the fast food chain resumed operations for deliveries and takeaways three weeks later.
This love for the fast food giant is evident in two men who felt passionate enough to get into an argument over the queue at a McDonald’s outlet in Clementi last Thursday (May 21).
Stomp contributor Tim had witnessed the two men in a dispute at McDonald’s Block 451 Clementi Avenue 3 outlet at around noon that day.
A video submitted by Tim shows one man asking the other: “Why are you there? No need to queue ah? Cut queue ah?”
The man can also be heard saying repeatedly: “Your father’s road ah?”
Tim recounted: “They engaged in close staring and verbal scolding for around five minutes, after one guy apparently cut the queue to buy Coca-Cola.
.jpg "amkwake-6.jpg")
