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Annabelle Chang is an undergraduate at Singapore Management University. In this op-ed, she argues that employers should be barred from asking for grades during hiring—a push Singapore might need to ease its obsession with academic results. Top image: Albert Vincent Wu via Unsplash Grades are supposedly not everything, until one applies for a job. Telling students—especially the ones about to enter the workforce—that grades don’t define their future is hard to reconcile with reali

All images by Jein Eriza and Lynn Wen Wen for RICE Media At 2 AM, through the back door of Eng Tiang Huat Chinese Cultural Shop, Geylang reveals its true geometry.  Outside, along the slick concrete pavement of Lorong 24, Pentecostal Christians prepare garlands, incense, and buckets of holy water dutifully, their serenity contrasting with the din of gambling tables, glares from brothel lookouts, and the exchange of illicit pills in open secret. For decades, the shopfront has anchored th

Andriel Cheong, 24, is a sociology and political science undergraduate at Singapore Management University and co-founder of the Ichthyological Society of Singapore (ichthyology is the study of fish). In this op-ed for RICE, he argues that environmental heritage and sociocultural value should carry as much weight as the tangible, measurable metrics in impact assessments for Singapore’s development projects. Top image: Andriel Cheong First it was Maju Forest. Then came Western

Imran Johri is a marketing strategist, an editorial veteran, and a father of three. When his first marriage ended, he avoided facing his grief by becoming a martial-arts-obsessed serial dater in Kuala Lumpur.  In this op-ed for RICE, he writes about the years it took him to recognise the sparring and the dating for what they were: a way to look like he was holding it together as a man. Top image: Stephanie Lee / RICE file photo At 31, I was alone in bed, in an upmarket apartmen

All images by Zachary Tang for RICE Media unless otherwise stated. Equipment support by Leica Store Singapore. As I try to step onto a community fitness corner’s elliptical machine, Jovan Tang stops me. “You’re wearing a dress—let me do it,” he says decidedly. Just a few hours ago, a senior Whampoa resident had told him this particular exercise equipment at the foot of this MacNair HDB block had a rickety hinge.  I step aside, and Jovan enthusiastically hops on the machine a

Sean Lim, 27, is an Associate Psychologist with a penchant for buying little treats—and he’s gotten pretty good at justifying them.  In this RICE Community Voices piece, he argues that Gen Z’s small indulgences are how a generation locks in when everything else is out of their hands. Top image: RICE file photo The vintage store I walk into is a cosy spot tucked into the shell of an old building, filled with racks of secondhand denim and shelves of colourful knick-kn

This story was brought to you by the Land Transport Authority. All images by Zachary Tang and Jack Soh for RICE Media. Boy, was it rough living in Woodlands in the pre-Thomson-East Coast Line era. If you were, like me, a car-less, motorbike-less teenager working in the CBD in those distant years, you just had to accept that two hours of your day would be buggered on a dreary train commute.  When trips to and fro the city felt like ten-year odysseys (three of them stuck on the

On August 16 2026, activist group SG Climate Rally held Maju For The People at Hong Lim Park, calling on Singaporeans to show up for the natural spaces facing redevelopment—Maju Forest, Gillman Barracks, East Coast Park and other green spaces—before decisions are locked in for good. The singsongy voice of 14-year-old Safwah blasts through the speakers, echoing into the sweltering air above Hong Lim Park.  It takes guts to speak in front of a crowd—more so at a massive Sunday r

Rachel Goh, 23, is the co-founder of Project Obscura, a youth-led initiative that provides pro bono professional photography services to underprivileged communities.  In this RICE Community Voices piece, she reflects on how Project Obscura uses photography to make overlooked communities visible—and why everyone deserves the chance to preserve their memories. Top image: Ethan Tan / Project Obscura Do you believe in magic?  The weather forecast had warned of rain and gloo

Text and images by Zachary Tang. Equipment support by Leica Store Singapore. It’s a Thursday night, and everyone else left hours ago. I’m alone writing this in the RICE Media office, which through its many iterations—Jalan Besar, then Ann Siang—has now found itself in an industrial building in Redhill. Alexandra Canal sits right across the road. It’s the unwitting subject of this photo essay.  Boh Beh Kang, as the early Chinese settlers called it, since it lacked a clear, visible sour

All images courtesy of Firdaus Sani Ask a local about Singapore’s origin story, and you’ll get similar versions of the same arc: we went from a mudflat to a modern city, to a metropolis. We’re an independent nation willed into being by hardworking immigrants and innovative post-independence planning.  As inspiring as it sounds, it’s a narrative that tends to forget the people who were here from the start. The indigenous communities who lived along our coasts and in our seas long

Top image courtesy of Ammar Born-and-raised Singaporeans have never had to stake a claim to their citizenship. It’s something intrinsic and ingrained, like a surname, blood type, or disgust over AI-slop National Day banners. But for non-Singaporeans who grew up here, the journey to attaining Singaporean status is an upstream swim that could span decades. By the time someone attains citizenship, it’s likely that they’ve cried over the Ten Year Series in preparation for ‘O’

All images courtesy of Suffian Hakim unless otherwise stated. When I told one of my buddies about my trip to Palestine, he quipped, “Bro, you live too long already, is it?” The insinuation there is that a trip to Palestine is a death sentence. It was a joke, of course, but this trip was, to be fair, an insurer’s nightmare at the very least. On July 15, I packed my bags and left for Amman, the capital of Jordan. The Gulf Air flight included a 14-hour layover in Bahrain, during which I staye

All images by Zachary Tang for RICE Media unless otherwise stated. Equipment supported by Leica Store Singapore. “Table 9, 里面六号,” I chant under my breath. Table 9, inside, Table 6. Teetering at the threshold separating the kitchen from the dining area of Sin Hoi Sai Eating House, I count in twos from Table 3, scanning the row to locate my first target.  It’s the third day of my part-time stint as a server at the zi char restaurant. It’s also the second day of Chinese New Year. Reunion

Anthea Ong is a public educator, author, and former Nominated Member of Parliament. She has founded and supported initiatives spanning mental health, organisational wellbeing, social inclusion, and migrant worker wellbeing. Anthea writes regularly on governance, wellbeing, identity, and collective flourishing. As Singapore’s fertility rate falls to a record low, the former NMP argues that the more fundamental question may not be how to raise it, but what role fertility is expected to pl

Imran Johri is a marketing strategist, an editorial veteran, and a father of three. He also grew up under the stereotypical expectation that he’d be good at football because of his ethnicity—a promise the universe never delivered on. In this op-ed for RICE, he reflects on going through another World Cup, performing the part of a seasoned Malay football unc. Top image: Arun Sharma / Unsplash “France looks strong. It’s their year.”This was my best, uneducated guess when I was as

All images by Zachary Tang for RICE Media. It’s 4 AM, still dark in the circular premises of Tampines Round Market & Food Centre. There’s light emanating from under the semi-closed shutters of Tok Ayah Delights Comfort Food, where Ayuni Fatin is mixing soup bases from scratch hours before her regulars come by for their hearty morning fix of mee rebus, mee siam, and soto ayam. The vegetables still need prepping, the fresh noodles are still on the way, and the chicken thighs nee

Jayvier Chua, 16, is a student at Victoria Junior College and the founder of Youths for Humans, a youth group advocating against the unethical use of AI.  In this RICE Community Voices piece, he argues for a critical re-evaluation of AI’s implications for Singaporeans. Top image: Zachary Tang / RICE file photo I don’t hate Artificial Intelligence; I just want to know where the line is. A friend of mine—a sweet, well-mannered gentleman—has a well-publicised reputa

Noor Huda Ismail is a Visiting Fellow at NTU’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and a strategic communication consultant for Southeast Asia with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). He also runs the award-winning interactive community website, ruangobrol.id. In this op-ed, published in RSIS Commentary and republished on RICE, he argues that policymakers, educators, and communities need to start reckoning with a modern radicalisation process now scatt

Natalie Tan, 27, is a Sociology graduate who lets Singapore’s social dynamics live in her head rent-free. In this RICE Community Voices piece, she questions the decline of casual hangouts and sees the possibility of bringing them back. Top image: Xue Qi Ow Yeong / RICE file photo One particular question from my close friends scares me. “What are you doing today? Wanna hang?”  I almost feel anxious. The discomfort stems, I think, from checking my schedule, weighing the c