There are lots of things about Singapore that are open to debate—whether our hawker food is really that good, whether there’s a thriving arts scene, whether you should be sent...

Hands up all those Singaporeans who were forced to endure piano or violin lessons as kids! Chances are you struggled to play your way through those Mozart pieces, and silently...

Expats often look upon adult Singaporeans living with their parents with a mixture of disgust and scorn, regarding them as overgrown babies and freeloaders who are taking advantage of their...

On the surface, Singaporeans don’t look like glass-is-half-full, optimistic rays of sunshine. We’ve gained a reputation for being kiasee worriers who always anticipate the worst.

So, apparently Singaporeans are some of the world’s wealthiest people. If this recent report is to be believed, the average household wealth in Singapore is 277,000 USD (394,000 SGD).

Look around your office on a Monday morning, and the first adjective that immediately jumps out at you is, “SIAN”. You find yourself in a sea of black faces, all...

Ask any Singaporean about the economy, and he’s likely to turn to you with a black face. Everybody knows the economy is in trouble, but what does that actually mean?...

You might believe that brilliant business idea of yours proves that you’re a genius, but guess what—ideas are a dime a dozen. Even your bovine colleague who grunts at you...

There are many good things to be said about Singaporeans—hard-working, unaggressive and rule-abiding. But cheery and optimistic are definitely not Singaporean traits.

The end of the financial year ranks right up there with Christmas on the scale of most-hotly-anticipated days, because for many employees it means it’s time to find out what...

If there’s one thing a Singaporean loves more than shopping and eating on home ground, it’s shopping and eating on an overseas holiday. The thought of sitting down to a...

Everybody wants to meet that mentor who’ll haul them up to the pinnacle of their career. But instead, you often find that the people around you hold you back instead,...

Christmas is a time for opening presents in front of the fireplace, spreading the holiday cheer amongst friends, family and colleagues alike, and doing our bit to share with those...

Secondary school kids complain like crazy about having to complete their 2.4 km run under the hot sun. But hey, at least it’s free!

The City of Love Singapore is not. We’re not people who wear our hearts on our sleeves. In fact, a Singaporean couple is more likely to get married when it’s...

We all have that friend who always has the best “lobang”, and who seems to bump into someone he knows every three seconds. These guys are never afraid of losing...

The Baby Bonus isn’t the only cash incentive that doesn’t seem to be working. The government’s Work-Life Grant, which attempts to persuade businesses to put in place formal flexi-work arrangements,...

You’ve been slogging away during the school term, and now it’s finally the holidays. Woohoo. The only problem is that while your well-off peers are spending their parents’ money on...

Groupthink is strong in Singapore. That’s why people here love queuing so much even if we don’t know what it’s for—there’s something about standing in line with a bunch of...

Spend an afternoon at Raffles Place, and you’ll feel the stress practically sticking to you. People run stoney-faced from the MRT station to their offices, from their offices to lunch...

Hands up everyone who hates their telco for overcharging them every month for a pathetic amount of data, but is helpless because, uh, we only have three and it often...

We all know finding a place to live in Singapore is freaking expensive, weak property market notwithstanding, especially considering living in a tent is officially illegal. But what about staying...

$5 doesn’t take you very far in Singapore. It’s a sum of money you can spend without even realising it—on a tasteless meal at some cookie cutter food court that...

The Christmas season brings to mind wintry scenes and happy families, chestnuts roasting on an open fire and presents under the tree.

Most Singaporeans have some awareness of how expensive falling sick can get here. But guess what—it seems like, for all our complaining, we’re still not fully aware of the financial...