RICE

Social Workers Can’t Afford Pro Photography. So We Shoot for Them, For Free. By Rachel Goh “At events with their beneficiaries, social service workers end up snapping blurry photos on their own phones because there was never budget left over for a photographer with a proper camera. In a world that relies heavily on visual sheen, their work was going unseen.” In this RICE Community Voices piece, Project Obscura co-founder Rachel Goh writes about photographing the communities that don't usually make it into anyone's feed. Read more https://www.ricemedia.co/?p=87037

No Tail, No Mouth: Alexandra Canal, and Everything We Clear Away to Keep Building By Zachary Tang Before it was Alexandra Canal, it was Boh Beh Kang, a river with no tail. Our early settlers could never trace it back to a single source. Neither, it turns out, can the rest of us figure out how to stay rooted. Not in a place that won't stop developing, no matter the cost. Read more https://www.ricemedia.co/?p=86965

The National Day Parade, Through the Eyes of an Indigenous Orang Laut Descendant By Cheyenne Koh "This feels surreal. I never imagined that Singapore's Indigenous island heritage would one day be part of the National Day Parade. It feels like an important step in shaping a more complete Singapore story." When the Orang Laut spent decades on the margins of the national narrative, what does it mean to have a spotlight in NDP 2026? Firdaus Sani, founder of Orang Laut SG, speaks. Read more https://www.ricemedia.co/?p=86861

Property agent June Ling wants her foreign tenants to feel like Singapore can be their home too. And as the first human connection to finding their accommodations here, she goes above and beyond to introduce them to the diverse mix of people they'll actually be living alongside. This National Day, June talks about why she believes everyone—citizen or not—deserves to call Singapore home. 🎬 WATCH: https://bit.ly/4wTyWpC This story, one of many in this year’s PropertyGuru Agent Awards, shines a light on agents who go beyond the transaction to build a more inclusive Singapore. Learn more about shaping a welcoming property landscape with PropertyGuru: http://pgru.co/AgentAwards

How New Singaporeans Knew They Were Singaporean Long Before Attaining Citizenship By Cheyenne Koh At some point in time between their arrival in Singapore and their citizenship ceremony, they’ve already found their place in the country—pink IC or not. Read more https://www.ricemedia.co/?p=86812

A Moral Mezzanine: Returning Home to Massive Attack’s Ban After 11 Nights in Palestine By Suffian Hakim “I was steeling myself for the emotional burnout as a volunteer in Palestine.” “I did not expect the emotional whiplash upon arriving home, where speaking up for the people I’d just stood among got you silenced.” Read more https://www.ricemedia.co/?p=86689

🗣️We're looking for new citizens🗣️ RICE wants to explore the feelings when someone officially becomes Singaporean, and what that milestone actually meant to them. We are looking to talk to Singaporeans who: 🇸🇬 Obtained citizenship in the past year 🏘 Already spent a good chunk of their life here before obtaining citizenship — growing up, studying, working, building a family If you or anyone you know is keen on contributing: 1. Comment below 2. DM us on IG (http://www.instagram.com/ricemedia.co) 3. Join our WhatsApp Community Chat and DM us personally (https://chat.whatsapp.com/BlwHzX7bZUp6BWKZH2LTfA?mode=gi_t)

It's been more than a week since Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim suddenly stepped down, capping two decades in public office. The public is no closer to fully understanding what transpired. ⁠ ⁠ When clarity isn’t forthcoming, what’s left is rampant speculation and collateral damage.⁠ ⁠ Read more: https://bit.ly/4hEMxvY

Sin Hoi Sai Eating House and the Only Child Inheriting Its Late-Night Legacy By Isabelle Tow As an only child, Coen Seow stands to inherit his parents' 44-year-old Katong restaurant: Sin Hoi Sai Eating House. As health scares emerge, Coen's elderly parents can't keep running the legendary zi char institution every day from 4 PM to 3 AM forever. The 29-year-old knows that he’ll have to step up soon—but not before introducing them to the radical notion of rest. Read more https://www.ricemedia.co/?p=86557

We’re building a commuting playlist! Track Record is the collective soundtrack of our travels across Singapore—an amalgamation of the tunes that got us to our destinations. Send us the song, the artist, and the story behind why it's the one you reach for on your commute. The best stories make it onto the playlist, which debuts at our event, GETTING THERE, this Friday. 1. Comment below 2. DM us on IG (instagram.com/ricemedia.co) 3. Join our WhatsApp Community Chat and DM us personally (bit.ly/3TG3CM2)

Tan Boon Liat Building, the 50-year-old brutalist behemoth along Outram Road, was never built to be a furniture and design destination. But as tenants like Journey East moved in and formed a little community dedicated to art, lifestyle, home decor, and design, they made it one. A place like this feels irreplaceable to some of its tenants, yet it is due to be replaced. How can we weigh the worth of a place beyond the price of its land? Equipment support by Leica Store SG Watch: https://bit.ly/4pFMmSY

The World Cup just wrapped, and Singapore is riding that high into a tournament it could actually win: the ASEAN Hyundai Cup. Underneath it, however, is a lingering doubt among the masses that we could ever lift the trophy again. ⁠ ⁠ Ahead of the ASEAN Championship match against Cambodia tomorrow, all eyes are on Gavin Lee, the young head coach who officially took over last November. How is Gavin staying optimistic despite all the cynicism about Singapore football?⁠ Read more: https://bit.ly/4wSBL9H

Singapore Wants More Babies, but to What End? By Anthea Ong Fertility is discussed emotionally and culturally. Immigration is discussed economically and administratively. But are they truly separable? Can we have a meaningful conversation about fertility without also having a conversation about immigration? Read more https://www.ricemedia.co/?p=86518

🗣️We're looking for commuters🗣️ RICE is filming a short documentary about how Singaporeans get around through transfers, not straight lines. We're looking to talk to Singaporeans who: 🚶‍♀️Cross a good part of the island to get to work or school — more than an hour, door to door 🚌 Use more than two modes to do it: bus, MRT, LRT, walking, bike-share 📹 Are open to being filmed on their actual route (clearances are on us) If you or anyone you know is keen on contributing: 1. Comment below 2. DM us on IG (http://www.instagram.com/ricemedia.co) 3. Join our WhatsApp Community Chat and DM us personally (https://chat.whatsapp.com/BlwHzX7bZUp6BWKZH2LTfA?mode=gi_t)

"No more Indian tenants." That's what a landlord once told Kerrine. As a former medical social worker, Kerrine wants to bring the same values of empathy and respect she learned into real estate, even when it means having hard conversations. This Racial Harmony Day, Kerrine talks about navigating the conversations most agents avoid—and why she believes everyone deserves a fair chance to find a home. 🎬 WATCH: bit.ly/4b2KcqC 🎬 This story, one of many in this year’s PropertyGuru Agent Awards, shines a light on agents who go beyond the transaction to build a more inclusive Singapore. Learn more about shaping a welcoming property landscape with PropertyGuru: pgru.co/AgentAwards

Faking My Way Through Another World Cup as a ‘Kaki Bangku’ Malay Uncle By Imran Johri To call a Malay boy ‘kaki bangku’ (literally, ‘stool legs’) is to suggest a near-mythological failure of ethnic promise. Imran Johri, 52, just spent yet another World Cup season pretending to know plenty about football. He reflects on a lifetime failing to live up to the expectation of being good—or even interested—in the beautiful game. Read more https://www.ricemedia.co/?p=86439

A job at the crossroads of governance and tech would seem like the safest bet in this age, but the recent layoffs at GovTech said otherwise. ⁠ ⁠ When the iron rice bowl starts to crack and shatter, would you still bet your career on holding onto one?⁠ Read more: bit.ly/4f9GNZG

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