NDP 2025: Show segment to extend from Padang to Marina Bay
The show segment of the National Day Parade 2025 will feature performances that will expand from the Padang to the Marina Bay. The bay area will include water floats and a performance on a floating stage that's synchronised with the live show at the Padang. 39 artistes and over 3,000 performers will be involved in this year's show segment. Alxis Thng reports.
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Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Independent Singapore
Jobseeker confused after interviewers ask about blood type, zodiac sign and K-drama habits instead of her experience
SINGAPORE: A 27-year-old woman recently shared that she went through one of the strangest job interviews she's ever had. Posting on a local forum, she explained that she had applied to a well-known company and was initially impressed by how friendly the interviewers seemed. However, things quickly took a bizarre turn when the questions veered away from her résumé. Instead of focusing on her work experience or skills, the interviewers asked about her blood type, horoscope, Chinese zodiac sign, and even whether she watched Korean dramas. 'Apparently B+ blood type is favoured (luckily, I'm B+),' she wrote on the r/askSingapore subreddit on Thursday (Jun 26). This is the first time I've been asked such questions in an interview. We basically rushed through my CV and focused on these questions. I'm so confused.' She then asked other locals, 'What's the weirdest SG interview question you've been asked?' 'It's a vibe check. Hope you passed the vibes.' The post quickly gained traction on the platform. Some Singaporean Redditors joked that the interviewers seemed more interested in dating her than hiring her, which could explain all the personal questions. A few others also chimed in with their own stories of unusual interview experiences. One Redditor shared, 'In 2014, I went for an interview for the role of an engineer in an MNC. I was asked whether I preferred Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.' Another wrote, 'Some years ago when I was about to grad I interviewed for this SME doing fireproof doors as an engineer. The foreign hiring manager asked me if I had went to ocs and what my parents did for a living. Crazy. I walked out.' Additionally, several Redditors shared their thoughts on why the woman's interviewers might have behaved that way. They suggested that the questions were probably meant to see if the interviewers could 'vibe' with the candidate and get a better sense of their personality. Some felt it was a way to figure out what kind of person the applicant really was, since most people tend to give rehearsed answers and put on a front during interviews. One shared, 'My ex manager would ask weird questions during interviews specifically to throw people off. It was actually low-key genius because I was on some interviews with him and you could see all the masks drop for a second and kinda tell who were good-natured about it and who were internally freaking out and couldn't push their way out of it.' Another simply stated, 'It's a vibe check. Hope you passed the vibes.' In related news, a job seeker was shocked when one of the panel members made an inappropriate comment about her marital status during a job interview. On March 11, she shared her experience on Reddit's 'Singapore Raw' forum, stating,'I had an interview this morning, and before it even started, one of the interview panel members asked if I was married. I said no, and then he looked at the other panel member and said, 'Aha! You bet wrongly!' I'm not sure if I'm overreacting, but is it just me, or was that a bit off-putting?' Read more: Female job seeker shocked by inappropriate comment during job interview, says panel members 'bet' on her marital status Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
How 3 childhood friends created a Singapore perfume brand celebrating their Indian roots
When you think of a niche fragrance brand, you might picture it emerging from Paris or Milan – not Singapore. Rahasya, a new scent label inspired by modern Indian identity and memory, is rewriting that narrative. Founded by three childhood friends – Sai Pogaru who is Singaporean, Sachit Sood and Utkarsh Vijayvargiya who are both Indians – Rahasya is the first Singapore-based fragrance brand to earn a coveted spot at Amaris, home to some of the most respected names in niche perfumery, including Juliette Has A Gun and Nishane. This incredible feat came just five months after the brand's launch last November. 'When we spoke to other perfume brands, they said it was pretty unlikely to get our brand into Amaris, so don't even try because they only work with big brands,' said 32-year-old co-founder Sood. 'We thought, there's no harm in trying, so we did. It means a lot to us that Amaris was impressed with what we were doing and took a chance on us.' When we spoke to other perfume brands, they said it was pretty unlikely to get our brand into Amaris, so don't even try because they only work with big brands. TIES THAT BIND At its heart, Rahasya is a story of friendship. Sood and Vijayvargiya grew up in Jakarta, where their families – both originally from Delhi – were close. When Sood moved to Singapore for primary school, he met Pogaru, a classmate with roots in Visakhapatnam in South India. The three eventually became inseparable, connected by their third-culture upbringing. The idea for Rahasya sparked from a simple moment of curiosity. Thirty-two year old Pogaru, the most fragrance-obsessed among the trio, had called Sood after shopping at Amaris. 'He said he couldn't find something that tells our story – specifically something of Indian origin,' recalled Sood. That comment led to a deeper conversation. Despite India's centuries-old legacy in perfumery, there were few modern brands representing its culture through scent. What existed often leaned into cliche – all nostalgia, palaces, and colonial tropes. But the India they knew felt different: youthful, messy, and vibrant. 'We wanted to build a fragrance brand that captured the energy of modern India, while honouring its roots,' said Sood. Vijayvargiya, 33, quickly came onboard – another fragrance enthusiast, his college dorm room used to be an unofficial 'get ready' hub for his mates thanks to an extensive perfume collection. The trio found natural synergy in their shared interests, and the desire to tell a more contemporary Indian story through scent. And so Rahasya – the Sanskrit word for 'secret' or 'mystery" – was born. 'The name felt right because we wanted to uncover the hidden richness of Indian perfumery,' explained Pogaru. 'It was also appealing because the name has the same meaning in Bahasa Indonesia, which Karsh [Vijayvargiya] and Sachit [Sood] both speak.' STARTING FROM SCRATCH Leaving behind their corporate jobs – Pogaru and Vijayvargiya were in tech, Sood in consulting – the three pooled S$25,000 each to launch the brand and begin building their vision from scratch. 'The very next day, all of us literally Googled 'how to start a perfume brand',' Pogaru laughed. But they were serious about getting it right. The trio flew to India for a month-long deep dive into the fragrance landscape, researching local brands and trying to understand why no Indian fragrance house had broken through globally. Pogaru now leads marketing, Vijayvargiya handles design and branding, while Sood oversees business development and operations for Rahasya. They spent Sundays training their noses, smelling hundreds of perfumes to refine their instincts. 'We've probably smelled over a thousand by now,' said Pogaru. It paid off. When they sent their first creative briefs to European perfumer DSM-Firmenich, the feedback was instant: 'They told us it was the best brief they'd ever received,' shared Sood. 'They could see exactly what we wanted to evoke.' CRAFTING CULTURAL NARRATIVES What sets Rahasya apart isn't just the use of distinctly Indian notes like cardamom, saffron, marigold, black tea, and oud – it's how these notes are layered with memory, place, and emotion. Rahasya's debut collection features four genderless fragrances, each inspired by a distinct moment in the founders' lives: View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Elephant Room Singapore (@elephantroomsg) Chapter One channels Sood's childhood visits to old Indian bookstores – a warm, nostalgic blend of paper, ink, and tobacco that was 'hardest to get right' due to its complexity. Cutting Rain captures Vijayvargiya's memory of sipping tea on his grandparents' veranda after a monsoon shower: fresh, floral, and grounded with a black tea note. Oud Mangifera, Pogaru's creation, captures the sultry heat of an Indian summer with a heady, smoky take on mangoes. The scent also nods to the fruit's origin: the Alphonso mango, native to India, is known botanically as Mangifera indica. Love Marriage is a collective tribute to big Indian weddings. The founders agree this sweet, boozy scent with rose, marigold, saffron and rum notes is their 'most polarising' creation. 'It's not for everyone, but when people love it, they really love it,' noted Vijayvargiya. True to its name, each 50ml Rahasya bottle hides a secret: A discreet 2ml vial tucked into the packaging. Known only as Mystery X (with X as a running number), these unreleased scents come with no name, notes, or description – just a completely unexpected olfactory experience. That said, some secrets are too good to stay hidden – two Mystery scents will soon be unveiled as part of Rahasya's next collection, set to launch this July. SCENT-FIRST, STORY-DRIVEN APPROACH Eschewing mass sampling and influencer blitzes, Rahasya leans into sensory-first marketing. In May, they organised a month-long cocktail trail hosted across three Singapore bars. At each venue, guests were invited to smell three ceramic vessels featuring different Rahasya fragrances and pick a cocktail based purely on scent, without tasting notes or descriptions. That same offbeat, immersive ethos carries into Rahasya's product design and campaign visuals. The bottles themselves are sculptural – glossy, black, and capped with pebble-like asymmetrical toppers – while the labels feature bold, distorted typography. The campaigns are equally striking, with a tongue-in-cheek aesthetic. One features a woman in a lavish sari and oversized sunnies posing at a wet market, balancing a Rahasya bottle on a silver thali, while another shows perfume flowing from a hot pink water cooler surrounded by flowers. Surreal and self-aware, the imagery reclaims Indian-ness on its own terms – neither romanticised nor exoticised. Since launching in late 2024, Rahasya has sold over 650 bottles, with around 60 percent of sales from Indian customers. Their 50ml bottles retail at S$168 and are currently available via their website and Amaris, with two more upcoming retail locations – The Scent Parlor, a fragrance boutique at Boat Quay, and Design Orchard. There are also plans to launch in the US and UK soon. While the team dreams of eventually opening a dedicated boutique – "in order to control the full experience,' Sood explained – they're holding out until their product line expands. 'Maybe in 2027,' he teased. THE REAL REWARD 'The happiest moment for me? When someone told me our fragrance brings them joy. That's crazy. This brand didn't even exist a year ago, and now there are people in the US, UK, and Australia wearing something we made. We haven't had a lot of time to reflect on our wins, but this is something that I think about from time to time, and it's what keeps me going,' said Vijayvargiya. The others agree. 'We got so excited the first time we spotted someone carrying our tote on the street,' added Pogaru. 'Fragrances are invisible, but that moment made it feel real.' 'My wife says I'm just happier all the time now,' shared Sood, who confessed to feeling burned out at his previous consultancy job. 'I was working very, very long hours. Even though I still work long hours now and I'm tired sometimes, it's like the happy kind of tired.' They joke about seeing too much of each other – even on public holidays – but there's an ease to their dynamic that's impossible to fake. Some of their best meetings have happened over drinks. 'Three's a good number,' they laughed. 'There's always a tiebreaker.'
CNA
11 hours ago
- CNA
NDP 2025: Show segment to extend from Padang to Marina Bay
The show segment of the National Day Parade 2025 will feature performances that will expand from the Padang to the Marina Bay. The bay area will include water floats and a performance on a floating stage that's synchronised with the live show at the Padang. 39 artistes and over 3,000 performers will be involved in this year's show segment. Alxis Thng reports.
