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Independent Singapore
21 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
‘People in Singapore, why you don't say hello to me, your neighbour?' — French woman asks after ‘no one replies' to her 'hellos' in SG
SINGAPORE: French TikToker Audrey Thiloy @audreythiloy just wanted to be friendly and expected a simple 'hello' from her Singaporean neighbours — but instead, she got radio silence and a cultural wake-up call. 'People in Singapore, why you don't say hello to neighbours?' she asked in her now-viral video, looking like a bewildered Disney princess who just moved into a horror movie scene. 'I just moved in and every time I say hello, hi, bonjour, bonsoir, no one replies,' she shared her frustration. @audreythiloy Tag your grumpy neighbour 😾 #tiktoksg #tiktoksg🇸🇬 #sgtiktok #neighbour #neighbors #angmoh #singapore ♬ original sound – Audrey Thiloy Seems like nobody even waved, nodded, or even gave her a half-hearted grunt. 'A little hello costs zero dollars [S$0]. It makes your day better, brightens your day, brightens your future,' she further advised. Unfortunately, Audrey, in Singapore, people, as some say in the comment section, might think you're selling something. Or worse — asking them if you can borrow their money or join an MLM. 'This is Singapore. Just accept it!' The video opened the floodgates for some seriously unfiltered commentary. 💀 'They think you're selling insurance.' 💀 'Hello = [equals] suspicious.' 💀 'We are scared we will be charged GST… Good-Morning Saying Tax.' 💀 'You're in our country… you're the guest… I've never heard of guests telling their hosts what to do.' 💀 'Say 'hello' once, and now we have to do it every day? That's a full-time job lah.' Some even hit the peak of local sarcasm: 'I say good morning to my neighbour. He asked me what's so good about the morning?' 'This is Singapore. Just accept it!' as another expressed, where even greetings are transactional, and if they're not, people assume you're either emotionally unstable, selling insurance, or both. 'I can't accept that, sir. I will continue to say Hello! 🙋🏼♀️' Despite the passive-aggressive feedback and unsolicited social etiquette lessons, Audrey clapped back like a polite queen: 'I can't accept that, sir. I will continue to say Hello! 🙋🏼♀️' Sis is fighting a one-woman war against social apathy — and a serious lack of basic human courtesy. 'If you want our hello, give us your money!' Many commenters weren't even mad — just brutally realistic: 'We have no time for small talk,' as one said. 'Overworked 12 hours a day, silent OT… who has energy to say hello?' said another. 'Stuck with 99-year HDB lease, MRT squeeze… then say hello? No, thanks,' added another. Others blamed introversion, social awkwardness, and generational trauma, such as from awkward CNY family gatherings, as one speculated: 'My neighbours don't even make eye contact. I assume they're introverts silently screaming inside the lift.' One Redditor went philosophical: 'Only money brightens our day. So if you want our hello, give us your money!' And if you think that's dark, one just said: 'We're not very happy people.' 'Come to Malaysia! We'll not only say hello to you, we'll also invite you for a nasi lemak breakfast!' Malaysians, on the other hand, were not going to let this moment and opportunity slide. 'Habibti [my dear], come to Malaysia! We'll not only say hello to you, we'll also invite you for a nasi lemak breakfast!' wrote one. 'Move to JB instead, people are merrier and happier here,' wrote another. 'You say hello to Indonesian people, and they always reply. We are humble,' noted someone from further down, south of Malaysia and Singapore. We're not saying there's a regional rivalry brewing here, but if friendliness were an Olympic sport, it seems Singapore would be disqualified for not showing up. 'People became afraid of getting too close to others… because they might start borrowing things…' Some older Singaporeans got nostalgic about the good ol' kampung days: 'Thirty years ago, in my parents' neighbourhood in Pasir Ris, everyone would greet each other.' Now, when people see someone entering the lift, they suddenly pretend to urgently need to check their email inbox. Another shared this theory: 'After village life, people became afraid of getting too close to others… because they might start borrowing things.' So the fear of lending their wok [cooking pan] to their neighbours might actually be what killed the greeting culture? 'You just met the wrong neighbour…' Finally, a few Singaporeans came to Audrey's and Singapore's defence: ❤️ 'I do [say hello to my neighbour]. You just met the wrong neighbour.' ❤️ 'Move to be my neighbour ❤️ I always say hello.' ❤️ 'Try a little nod and smile. That usually gets a reaction!' ❤️ 'It's nice that you're trying to be friendly. Don't worry if they don't respond.' One even offered this Singapore life hack: 🦉 'Forget bonjour. Try ni hao.' 'In France, the neighbours also never say hello…' To be fair, this isn't just a Singapore thing, as one pointed out: 'In France, the neighbours also never say hello.' So perhaps it's nothing personal. Maybe it's just urban living. Maybe it's just a bad neighbourhood. Maybe it's just capitalism. Maybe it's just TikTok, or maybe people are just tired of being told to 'brighten their future' when they can barely survive their present. However, in the middle of it all, Audrey remains undeterred like a sunbeam in an overcast CBD [ Central Business District ]. She'll keep on waving. She'll keep on smiling. She'll keep on saying hello — until someone eventually says it back. Lower your expectations and raise your tolerance for awkward social silences in Singapore If you're a cheerful foreigner moving into Singapore, lower your expectations and raise your tolerance for awkward social silences. However, if you're a Singaporean reading this — go on, surprise the next Audrey in your neighbourhood with just a little nod, a little smile, or heck, even a grumpy 'hello!' After all, it still costs zero dollars, and no GST, included. 😉 In other news, Audrey's cultural confusion didn't just stop at the 'hello' dilemma. In another TikTok video, she asked: 'I'm in the MRT in Singapore, and every time I am on the Blue Line, the MRT lady keeps telling, 'Happy, happy.' Please, people from Singapore, tell me what 'Happy Happy' means.' You, too, can hear it — or maybe not — in one of her first commuting experiences over here: French woman hears 'Happy Happy' in MRT announcement, asks Singaporeans what it means See also Motorcyclist falls off bike, slides across Jurong junction
Business Times
a day ago
- Business Times
Louis Vuitton launches long-awaited beauty products next week
[SINGAPORE] It took a while, but Louis Vuitton is finally introducing its cosmetics line, debuting with lipsticks, lip balms and eyeshadows, available online from Monday (Aug 25) and in global stores from Aug 29. Customers in China will get first dibs from Aug 20, though. Louis Vuitton fans have new things to spend on. PHOTO: LOUIS VUITTON Behind the collection is Pat McGrath, an influential figure in the makeup world who has been working backstage for the French brand's fashion shows for over two decades. 'The beauty universe is about so much more than just product, and what we are creating here will unlock a new level in luxury beauty,' says McGrath, who is creative director of cosmetics, La Beaute Louis Vuitton. The 896 Monogram Rouge is a signature colour for Louis Vuitton. The collection will kick off with 55 shades of LV Rouge lipsticks – a subtle nod to the Roman numerals for the brand's acronym, LV – across two finishes. There will be 27 creamy satin hues and 28 velvety matte shades, each promising to deliver 'richly pigmented colour'. The lipsticks are formulated with upcycled waxes from rose, jasmine and mimosa flowers, so they carry a distinct fragrance. They are also enriched with shea butter and hyaluronic acid that are supposed to provide long-lasting comfort, as well as 12-hour-long wear for the matte finish and 24-hour hydration for the satin one. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up There are also 10 LV Baume shades of lip balms scented with mint and raspberry, and eight LV Ombres eyeshadow palettes. Each palette comprises four eyeshadows – three everyday shades and one with 'a standout hue that shifts the mood, adds dimension, or ignites a spark of luxurious glamour'. The eyeshadows cover six finishes, from ultra-matte to gleaming glitter. 'The eyeshadows really set the tone for La Beaute Louis Vuitton – they are bold, intentional, and made to be remembered,' says McGrath. The cosmetics are packaged in cases created by German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic. PHOTO: LOUIS VUITTON The cosmetics come in aluminium and brass cases created by German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic. Among other features, he designed a monogram lipstick bullet with the name of the colour engraved on the refill, a window at the top of its casing so the shade can be viewed, and a floral motif lock system that allows only lipsticks and eyeshadows from La Beaute Louis Vuitton to be housed in these cases. Louis Vuitton's lipsticks and lip balms are priced at S$220 each, with refills costing S$94 apiece. Eyeshadow palettes will set you back S$345, with refills at S$125. There are also eyeliner brushes at S$140, and shading and blending brushes at S$155 each. While these cosmetics are the first for the maison, the luxury brand has made vanity cases and beauty tools such as tortoiseshell hairbrushes, carved ivory mirrors and compacts and glass perfume flacons since the 1920s. Among the items preserved in the maison's archives are a 1925 bespoke vanity made for the soprano Marthe Chenal and a toiletry case created for the Polish composer, Jan Paderewski. Go the whole hog with Louis Vuitton's vanity trunk makeup station. PHOTO: LOUIS VUITTON Along with La Beaute's launch, the maison has created a vanity trunk – a makeup station that 'pays homage to both Louis Vuitton's early 20th-century beauty commissions and McGrath's modern-day backstage beauty station'. A dedicated line of small leather goods featuring the brand's iconic monogram canvas has also been designed to go with the products. Limited-edition lipstick pouches and beauty cases will be released in three signature shades as well. A lipstick trunk in the brand's iconic monogram canvas. PHOTO: LOUIS VUITTON There are limited-edition lipstick pouches in the mix. PHOTO: LOUIS VUITTON The brand is positioning the products in its new beauty line as keepsakes and objects of desire. These will add to the Louis Vuitton ensemble of the brand's diehard fans, while those with more modest budgets will find a less forbidding entry point into the maison's universe. Last month, LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, reported a first-half profit that fell 15 per cent to 9.01 billion euros (S$13.5 billion). While its fashion and leather goods sales fell 9 per cent in the second quarter, its beauty sales grew 1 per cent.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Today in Pictures, Aug 18, 2025
Inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games in China, Indonesia's 80th Independence Day, and other photos from around the world in Today in Pictures.
