Latest news with #SingaporeanChinese
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Legends (of the Golden Arches) review – a giddy, witty journey into a phantasmagoric hell
In the program notes to Legends (of the Golden Arches), performer and co-creator Joe Paradise Lui writes of the 'yearning for a once-common-thing-now-lost': the migrant experience writ large, 'as unfortunate as it is universal'. It's an idea that could also function as this show's organising principle, grappling as it does with the long tendrils of the past – with legacy, culture and the pain of individuation. Legends starts, as all theatre does, with ritual: in this case, the folding and burning of paper as a funerary rite. Fellow creator and performer Merlynn Tong is contentedly performing the ceremony for a recently passed relative, but Lui refuses to participate on moral grounds. This slight disagreement between friends soon spins out into a larger discussion of tradition and observance, of the expectations and cultural burdens they endure as members of the Singaporean-Chinese diaspora. Lui finds it all rather vague and problematic, and if Tong secretly agrees, she sees no harm in humouring the gods for the sake of some connection to her heritage. Lui's central issue is with the seemingly capitalist leanings of these rituals, meant to provide ancestors with luxury and comfort in the afterlife. Tong says they're designed to appease the gods, so they might shepherd the souls of their lost relatives through Diyu, or Chinese hell. Lui thinks this is worse: a bribing of celestial figures who should by nature be above such corruption. Both friends conjure gods to boost their arguments, which only results in more confusion (although happily not for the audience). Eventually, Lui and Tong descend into Diyu – a wondrous phantasmagoria of inflatable gods, neon-bright costumes and dodgy karaoke – on a mission of self-realisation and forgiveness. There they encounter the Heibai Wuchang, two deities that represent the undying loyalty of friendship, as well as the God of War, Guan Yu and the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin. These beings mock them, threaten them and, in the process, maybe cure them of their doubts and hesitancies. There is a giddy, self-aware sense of abandon to Legends (of the Golden Arches) that disguises a very real and serious examination of beliefs and spiritual philosophy. Lui and Tong are clever and astute theatre-makers with a firm grip on theme and metaphor, who are unafraid of folding painful biographical details into their material while simultaneously taking the piss out of themselves and each other. Tong's loss of her mother to suicide and Lui's decision to evade Singaporean military service for a career in the arts give the work an undeniable depth and poignancy – but their maximalist approach to stagecraft, abundance of wit and some wild imagery helps avoid mawkishness or didacticism. References are broadly sourced– from McDonald's Filet-O-Fish to the 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms – but precisely targeted. The production feels a little unhinged, even when it's carefully calibrated. Cherish Marrington's set is constantly surprising and Nicole Marrington's costumes are hilarious in their blinking, garish excess. Kate Baldwin's lighting design augments the swift mood changes and Wendy Yu's superb video and AV design is totally transportive – although on opening night technical problems with the projections caused a significant delay. Lui's own compositions are eclectic and savvy. While the tenderness of their rapport gives the show its heart and complexity, as performers Lui and Tong are slightly mismatched; Tong is sharper and more controlled than Lui, whose physicality can be awkward and unpolished. Vocally, she is stronger and more richly modulated. But Lui's probing intellectualism and crackling wit is crucial to the show's success. Together they make a winning team. Lofty ideals constantly fall victim to quotidian pressures in Legends (of the Golden Arches), and the result is a kind of toggling between modes – the exalted smashing up against the squalid at every turn. This provides much of the humour, but also underlines a central thesis: any war we wage with the gods must be fought not on the battlefields of honour, but in the streets, bedrooms and kitchenettes of our everyday lives. And sometimes, a dead relative is just hankering for a burger. Legends (of the Golden Arches) is on at Melbourne Theatre Company's Southbank Theatre until 28 June, as part of Rising festival.
AsiaOne
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
Half-Singaporean Katseye member Megan comes out as bisexual during livestream, Entertainment News
Coming out can be a difficult thing to do, but what better time to announce it than Pride Month? Megan Meiyok Skiendiel from the girl group Katseye revealed her sexuality during a Weverse livestream yesterday (June 6). The 19-year-old, who has a Singaporean Chinese mother and an American father, was applying hair extensions with fellow member Lara Rajagopalan. Megan wished her a happy Pride Month during the broadcast. Lara, who previously came out as queer, responded: "Thank you Megan, you too." This prompted Megan to whisper: "Should I just do it?" before revealing on the count of three: "Guys, I'm coming out. I'm bisexual." The two women can then be seen clapping and jumping in excitement. KATSEYE's Megan comes out as bisexual in a recent Weverse livestream. — Pop Base (@PopBase) June 6, 2025 Back in March, Lara wrote on Weverse: "I knew I was half fruitcake when I was like eight, so I really was wanting everybody. Honestly, probably before eight. "Isn't half fruitcake such a good way to explain it without saying it?" The 19-year-old was presented the Blooming Impact Award by the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and Megan, who presented it to Lara in May, joked during their livestream that she should receive it next year for coming out as well. "Guys, I came out on Pride Month... so give me that award, girl,' Megan said. Lara responded: "Next time she gets the Blooming Impact Award, I'm gonna present it to [her] and be like, 'Hey, I was the first, you were the second'." [embed] Lara then said she was proud of Megan and asked the audience to proclaim: "We love bisexuals!" "We love bisexuals," Megan said, adding: "And while I'm at it, let me also raise awareness about psoriasis. I have psoriasis." [[nid:699496]] drimac@
Straits Times
24-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
1 in 4 rental listings on PropertyGuru welcomes all regardless of race and gender
The "Everyone Welcome" feature addresses a pressing need in the market as rental discrimination remains a persistent issue for some. PHOTO: PROPERTYGURU 1 in 4 rental listings on PropertyGuru welcomes all regardless of race and gender SINGAPORE – Local property platform PropertyGuru launched an 'Everyone Welcome' feature in December that allows landlords to tag their listings as being open to tenants of all races, genders, religions and sexual orientations. According to PropertyGuru, one in four rental listings – or around 10,000 of the 40,000 on the platform – are now tagged as 'Everyone Welcome'. The company shared this alongside the release of its 2024 Sustainability Report, published on May 21. Dr Tan Tee Khoon, country manager for PropertyGuru Singapore, says the feature addresses a pressing need in the market as rental discrimination remains a persistent issue for some. 'In Singapore, one in four Singaporeans has faced racial discrimination when looking to rent property,' he says, pointing to data from a 2019 YouGov survey of over 1,500 Singaporeans. 'While values of a multicultural society are broadly accepted, unconscious bias and stereotypes still influence some decisions when it comes to renting personal spaces, like homes,' he adds. Dr Tan describes adoption of the 'Everyone Welcome' tag in Singapore as 'promising', though the company hopes to see more properties carry the tag in the future. The platform also plans to roll out the feature on its Malaysian portal, where it says rental discrimination is also a concern. This feature complements PropertyGuru's other anti-discrimination features. The platform's content guidelines and acceptable use policy prohibit agents from indicating race or ethnic preferences when creating listings. The platform also uses content moderation in the form of a tool which detects and removes listings with discriminatory language before they are posted, as well as a feature allowing users to report listings with unfair practices. 'Building tools is just part of the solution,' said Dr Tan. 'To really address the root causes of discrimination, we must also partner with agents to encourage non-discriminatory practices, empowering them to guide property owners towards more inclusive choices.' In its report , PropertyGuru also reported a 17 per cent reduction in its carbon emissions in 2024 – as well as 63 per cent female representation in the company's employees. A 2022 survey of more than 2,000 Singapore residents by media outlet CNA and the Institute of Policy Studies found that over 90 per cent said they would rent a property they own to a Singaporean Chinese. In contrast, only 62 per cent of those surveyed said they would accept Singaporean Malay tenants in a property they own, and 57 per cent, Singaporean Indian tenants. In response to a parliamentary question about rental discrimination in 2022, the Ministry of National Development noted that members of the public can lodge a complaint with the Council for Estate Agencies if they come across discriminatory advertisements by property agents. The council's regulatory guidelines require agents to be sensitive to the multicultural nature of Singapore's society. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
New Paper
23-05-2025
- Business
- New Paper
1 in 4 rental listings on PropertyGuru welcome to all regardless of race and gender
Property platform PropertyGuru launched an "Everyone Welcome" feature in December that allows landlords to tag their listings as being open to tenants of all races, genders, religions and sexual orientations. According to PropertyGuru, one in four rental listings - or around 10,000 of the 40,000 on the platform - are now tagged as "Everyone Welcome". The company shared this alongside the release of its 2024 Sustainability Report, published on May 21. Dr Tan Tee Khoon, country manager for PropertyGuru Singapore, says the feature addresses a pressing need in the market as rental discrimination remains a persistent issue for some. "In Singapore, one in four Singaporeans has faced racial discrimination when looking to rent property," he says, pointing to data from a 2019 YouGov survey of over 1,500 Singaporeans. "While values of a multicultural society are broadly accepted, unconscious bias and stereotypes still influence some decisions when it comes to renting personal spaces, like homes," he adds. Dr Tan describes adoption of the "Everyone Welcome" tag in Singapore as "promising," though the company hopes to see more properties carry the tag in the future. The platform also plans to roll out the feature in Malaysia, where it says rental discrimination is also a concern. This feature complements PropertyGuru's other anti-discrimination features. The platform's content guidelines and acceptable use policy prohibit agents from indicating race or ethnic preferences when creating listings. The platform also uses content moderation in the form of a tool which detects and removes listings with discriminatory language before they are posted, as well as a feature allowing users to report listings with unfair practices. "Building tools is just part of the solution," said Dr Tan. "To really address the root causes of discrimination, we must also partner with agents to encourage non-discriminatory practices, empowering them to guide property owners towards more inclusive choices." In its report, PropertyGuru also reported a 17 per cent reduction in its carbon emissions in 2024 - as well as 63 per cent female representation in the company's employees. A 2022 survey of more than 2,000 Singapore residents by CNA and the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) found that over 90 per cent said they would rent a property they own to a Singaporean Chinese. In contrast, only 62 per cent of those surveyed said they would accept Singaporean Malay tenants in a property they own, and 57 per cent, Singaporean Indian tenants. In response to a parliamentary question about rental discrimination in 2022, the Ministry of National Development noted that members of the public can lodge a complaint with the Council for Estate Agencies if they come across discriminatory advertisements by property agents. The council's regulatory guidelines require agents to be sensitive to the multicultural nature of Singapore's society.
New Paper
23-05-2025
- Business
- New Paper
Spell it wrong, cook it right: Meet the smiling owner of Happy Briyani
Mr Shaun Ho happily runs Happy Briyani in Holland Village, never mind if biryani is wrongly spelt on his signboard. "My business partner called it Happy Briyani because I'm always smiling," Mr Ho said. As for the misspelling of biryani on the signboard? "It was a typo," he admitted shyly. "But it was already printed, so we kept it." Tucked away in Holland Village Market & Food Centre, Mr Ho's hawker stall stands out - it sells chicken biryani on one side and oriental-style dough fritters on the other. Though Singapore is known for its culinary diversity, it's rare to find a hawker stall that offers such an unexpected combination, but the choice to do so was a practical one. "We needed only half the stall to prepare the biryani, so we thought why not use the rest of the space to sell something else?" Mr Ho, 33, explained. The original plan was to sell Indian rojak and snacks like onion bhaji and samosas but, without a supplier, he and his business partner had to pivot. So they settled on chicken biryani - which Mr Ho learnt to make from watching YouTube videos - and dough fritters sourced from local supplier Deli Snacks. The fritters was a smart move given their popularity as a breakfast staple among the older Singaporean Chinese, but why chicken biryani? Said Mr Ho: "It was all my business partner's idea. A month before we opened, he surprised me by telling me that he had placed a bid for an Indian food stall." Certain stalls in each hawker centre are designated for Indian cuisine and are usually located within the halal food area. The National Environment Agency provides a list of Indian dishes that can be sold in such stalls. Said Mr Ho: "The examples were vadai, roti prata, thosai, nasi biryani, putu mayam and tandoori chicken. Out of these, I chose biryani." While the fritters attract the morning crowd, the giant pot of simmering chicken curry on the biryani side of the stall, catches their attention. A win-win situation. Located a short walk from Holland Village MRT station, Happy Briyani opened on March 4 this year. Mr Ho, who had never cooked Indian food before, developed his chicken biryani recipe simply by watching many YouTube videos. "I anyhow whack one," he said - a Singaporean way of saying he winged it. Still, he's no amateur. With years of hawker experience and an International Diploma in Culinary Arts from SHATEC in Bukit Batok, Mr Ho certainly knows his way around a kitchen. As a teen, he worked at a western food stall, followed by a stint at the locally well-known Jin Jin dessert stall in ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre in Bukit Merah. After SHATEC, he worked in sales and as a Grab driver before returning to the hawker industry, starting his own stall at Toa Payoh Industrial Park selling satay and chicken wings during the Covid pandemic. His passion for cooking was born out of necessity. After his parents divorced when he was one, he moved in with his father. "He didn't know how to cook, so in order to survive I learnt how to cook for the both of us," he said. He experimented with cooking Chinese dishes like roast pork and Singaporean western food classics like chicken chop, fish and chips, all based on YouTube tutorials. "Everything I learned is from YouTube," Mr Ho said. For just $5 a plate, Mr Ho offers a generous portion of fragrant biryani rice and a large chicken leg served with a boiled egg and achar (Peranakan-style pickled vegetables). To top it off, a hefty ladle of curry is poured over the chicken and rice. A fusion of Indian and Chinese flavours, the chicken curry features a coconut cream base that gives it a rich creamy texture that coats each grain of biryani rice. Yet the spices like garam masala, cardamom and chilli aren't toned down, delivering a satisfying kick with each mouthful. The price is a steal, especially in swanky Holland Village where other biryanis can easily cost $20 a plate. It's no surprise that Happy Briyani is able to sell around 60 plates a day. Most of the stall's customers are Chinese and tend to be retail workers from the many high-end restaurants and shops that surround the food centre. However, Mr Ho hopes to attract more Indian customers. A Malaysian Indian customer once told him that his biryani was "power" and reminded him of the chicken biryani back home. Needless to say, it made Mr
