Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Living better, fuller, more joyful lives: ideas from Jomfest”, by Jom * Videos of each of the four Jomfest sessions: keynote by Teo You Yenn; arts; food; and sports panels. It’s been a big week. America’s 250th, the...
Key issues, ideas, and insights from our very first half-day event.
Existential questions for Singapore; politics update; physiotherapists stretched in public health institutions; big tech’s attempts to lend cultural legitimacy to creepy smart glasses; and Singaporean music bands.
Dear Jomrade, This is Abhishek. We’re on our usual mid-year break—just the newsletter this week, no “Singapore This Week” or essay. It’s shocking that we’re already halfway through the year. Resolutions have been consigned to mental landfills, that insurance policy still awaits signatures, and most...
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Everyday Economics #8: The price of everything”, by Serene Koh First, next week is our usual mid-year break. The only thing we’ll be publishing is this newsletter, which will be written by Abhishek, our head of content,...
How do concepts of value differ between owners and re-sellers of scarce goods like the new Royal Pop?
The problems with university rankings, new workplace report studies youth disengagement; blood lust; sex and liberation in the early 20th century Malay world; “Dear You” and Singapore’s relationship with dialects; and more.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Slow style, formal pleasure”, by Faris Joraimi With almost 60 percent of humans living in urban areas, projected to rise to almost 70 percent by 2050, what better place for mayors and urbanists to gather than a city-state...
Our ritual of dress acts on our bodies, opening up possibilities beyond what bodies can achieve.
New men’s mental health movement; the rising threat of deepfakes; why we love queues; Yakult, Singapore icon; marathons, and our ability to tahan
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Saving Singapore football”, by Robert Jeffery In a few hours, SpaceX, rocket and satellite maker, will go public and become the world’s most valuable company. And Elon Musk, its founder, may become the world’s first trillionaire. SpaceX’...
A newcomer to Singapore shores offers a fresh perspective on why our quest for football excellence remains elusive.
The rise of India’s Cockroach Janata Party; racist videos about “CECA Indians”; Laurence Lien makes it to TIME’s 100 Philanthropy 2026 list; why the elderly like to jaywalk; political machinations in Negeri Sembilan; obituary of gallerist Valentine Willie; and more.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Notes from a rental flat dweller”, by Sakinah Safiee This was another week to savour our little red dot’s diversity. From the Shangri-La Dialogue to the WP’s leadership crisis; from the passing of Lionel Tan, acclaimed...
Precarity, gossip, aspirations, and “Melayu makan Melayu”.
High and lowlights from the Shangri-La Dialogue; Raeesah-gate rumbles on for WP; are charred wok hei bits bad for you; Pink Dot returns, refreshed; seeing 1933 Singapore in 2026; and more.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Everyday Economics: Bill, please”, by Serene Koh How do we share space, culture, time, money, and other resources with each other? This was on my mind this week, partly because of our latest Everyday Economics column (more below), but...
The way your group splits its food bill reveals much about your particular history, informal rules, and sense of fairness.
Koh Poh Koon resigns; AI discourse needs caution, not just jubilation; better protection for individuals at risk of HIV exposure; legalising drugs in sport; and more.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “The fight for Singapore’s wild spaces”, by Choo Yi Feng Ebola. Flotilla. Iran, lah. There’s a lot of depressing global news at the moment. And as our little red dot is valourised yet again as a safe...
Ecology, land use, and environmental activism in a development-obsessed state.
Expectation and exhaustion in Singapore; the next mental health challenge; SQ321; pressing the button on nuclear energy; salvaging stories from shipwrecks; and more.
Dear Jomrade, This week we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Healing the lovesick in the Malay World”, by Faizah Zakaria Jomfest, 1-6pm, May 19th, ACM. See you in four days! We’ve got fewer than 10 tickets left. Get yours now GE2025, one year on. Lots of...
What can 18th century Malay charms can tell us about love, desire, and their erstwhile connections with the natural world?
The importance of social capital; the Mount Dukono tragedy; tut-tutting is a national hobby; Godzilla El Niño in the offing; and piano teaching becoming a coveted career.
Dear Jomrade, This week we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “The Kadayanallur Muslim thread in our fabric”, by Abhishek Mehrotra * Snippets from the Labour Day Rally 2026, by Jom Jomfest, 1-6pm, May 19th, ACM. Early-bird pricing is over. We’ve got a few regular-priced tickets...
The migratory history of a remarkable micro-community from south India.
Two Labour Days in Singapore; winners and losers in state lotteries; the terrors of tuberculosis; historical nostalgia for tech-drenched Gen Zs; and more.
Dear Jomrade, This week we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Everyday economics: No cycling”, by Serene Koh Jomfest, 1-6pm, May 19th, ACM. Early-bird pricing is over. We’ve sold 122 tickets and still have some regular-priced ones left. Get yours now Jom Baca book club:...
By negotiating our use of shared space directly, while being mindful of others’ needs, we can nurture a compassionate, empathetic society
Singaporeans vie for a spot on MrBeast’s Amazon TV reality show; prediction markets heating up; clean chits all around in SPH probe; Persians and Persianate culture in Singapore; China stomps on Meta-Manus deal; and more.
Dear Jomrade, This week we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Why Singaporeans should boycott (most of) the World Cup”, by Abhishek Mehrotra and me Jomfest, 1-6pm, May 19th, ACM. Early-bird pricing is over. We’ve sold over 100 tickets but still have some regular-priced ones...
The longer fans ignore football’s rotten governance, the more complicit we become. Change will take a long time, but we can start with small steps today.
Slopaganda the latest frontier in global info wars; labour day rally; will banning straws save the planet; should bullies be caned; and our stuffed wardrobes.
Dear Jomrade, This week we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Beyond access: disability arts, labour, and inclusion in Singapore”, by Maya Viswa Jomfest, 1-6pm, May 19th, ACM. Our first ever event microsite is now live! Big thanks to Scott, our new tech lead, for building it. There...
The arts in Singapore are far more inclusive than even a few years ago, but progress has been uneven and much more needs to be done, both in terms of institutional processes as well as societal understanding.
Rising prices expose our plastic dependence; pickleball pains; a ballad of heroic animals; the world before UNCLOS; and the SG Art Book Fair saga.
Dear Jomrade, This week we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Designing for truth”, by Dr Kanwaljit Soin * “Spilling the tea on social media politics”, by Jo Teo Jomfest, 1-6pm, May 19th, ACM. Early bird sales expire at the end of Monday, April 13th. Ticket prices double after...
Are we cooked?
On March 25th, the Harvard Club of Singapore (HCS) announced that Dr Kanwaljit Soin had won its 2026 Fellow Award. This is her acceptance speech, which Jom felt deserved a wider audience. We’re grateful to Dr Soin for allowing us to republish it.
Support for residents as a precarious ceasefire slows Middle East hostilities; more students going on neighbourhood exchanges; the promises of 3D printing; HYROX for the win; and more.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “All in good time: the poetics and politics of partying in Singapore”, by Sakinah Safiee * “Letters to the editor”. herna efendy questions the power of Singapore’s tuition industry, in a response to “Beyond the rankings: how does Singapore...
Early nights, no alcohol, and a vibe to call their own. How a motley crew of party collectives is changing the ethos of partying in Singapore.
Baey Yam Keng; tech and its malcontents; the unseen cost of the US-Israel-Iran war; Singapore versus Bangladesh at the National Stadium; Nathania Ong and Lea Salonga on CNA; and more.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Beyond the rankings: how does Singapore fare against PISA peers?”, by EveryChild.SG Research Team It’s been a month since Israel and the US attacked Iran, and the concerns of Singaporeans about the likely short- and long-term...
Singapore’s consistently dizzying PISA rankings point to the latent potential in the nation’s children. But is the system set up to nurture it to its fullest?
POFMAs; denials of entry; how other countries do tax; trust eroding in the age of technological, political, and environmental uncertainty; and Singapore’s high-flying translators.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Building Blocks: space, time and the Singapore Biennale”, by Sasha Han This is Abhishek by the way, subbing in for Sudhir, who’s enjoying a well-deserved rest. Normally, I would have ribbed him for this—minions toiling while...
In a year of political spectacle, the Singapore Biennale turns its gaze to the decidedly unspectacular. What might we find in the basic building blocks— mall units, shoebox flats, cookie-cutter classrooms—that form our country? Our writer explores the sprawling exhibition to see if she can find out.
More mental health professionals needed in Singapore; men dropping out of the workforce to be full-time caregivers; our habitual bird feeders; one of Singapore’s earliest citizen-historians passes on; as does Jessie Wee, creator of the beloved Mooty.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Everyday economics: What the fruit uncle knows”, by Serene Koh Last week we wrote about the brave Iranian women footballers playing in Australia. Subsequent events—Iran branding them as traitors for not singing the national anthem, one of them...
You can get your groceries at the wet market, the supermarket, or through delivery apps—and each offers you different information to guide your choice. But information isn't the same as guidance.
Montfort Junior School goes co-ed; sign-on bonuses to attract more bus drivers; getting Singaporeans to make more close friends; final bows on homeground before Finnish maestro Hannu Lintu is to helm Singapore Symphony Orchestra; and more.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Raka Maitra’s migration of forms”, by Charmaine Poh Like all of you, I’ve been left shocked and speechless by the conflict in the Gulf. This week feels sort of 9/11ish, in that one has to stumble...
Raka Maitra dances; therefore she is.
Iran; parliament update; ways to shore up Singapore’s TFR; Ramadan bazaars in the age of the attention economy; China’s museum souvenir fad; and more.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Where is Singapore’s ‘Strategy for Children’?”, by Pooja Bhandari Inequality has been in the news, with the revelation this week that the top 1 percent of households here hold about 14 percent of total household wealth, comparable to...
A national body overseeing child and youth welfare would make it easier for caregivers and all others who interact with children to navigate the patchwork of support and services available.
What should be done with the budget surplus; the Singaporean duo allegedly in the IDF; the many stresses of caregiving; the last video rental store shuts; rattan and our relationship with corporal punishment; and more.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Everyday economics: the quiet logic of hawker centres”, by Serene Koh * “Letters to the editor”. Joshua Tan responds to Shen Chenzi’s essay on young Chinese migrant women. This was the week of feasting and fasting, one to witness...
Of tissues, trays, and trade-offs—and how they help hawker centres function.
Regulating blind boxes; the birth and evolution of Paris Baguette; a new tourism gimmick; more options to invest CPF savings; Orang Seletar; and more.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Chinese with a Singaporean passport: stories of young migrant women”, by Shen Chenzi “Are you going to write about ministerial salaries?” a friend asked over dinner last night. It was in the news after a former politician trotted out...
Drawn here by scholarships, and often offered a pathway to citizenship, the lives of migrant Chinese female students in Singapore are a mix of promise and pressure, complicating feelings towards their adopted home.
Tender sharing at End FGC Singapore’s fifth birthday; finally, a clearer, if still imperfect, picture of inequality in Singapore; Thai elections throw up a shock; can illegal football streaming ever be stopped; and the changing nature of dating.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Flipping the script: Migrant Writers of Singapore”, by Miguel de la Fuente-Lau It’s been a terribly busy but fulfilling week at Jom, conducting performance reviews and finalising the recruitment of our new tech lead. We’ve also...
The Migrant Writers of Singapore creates spaces of belonging for workers looking to practice their craft through community. But can their stories present a new narrative about migrant lives and push our cosmopolitan, capitalist nation-state to pay closer attention?
Tharman calls for enlightened AI governance; reconsidering our policies towards sex workers; a wall to protect us from rising seas; Singapore’s first-ever fantasy renaissance fair; the curtain comes down on Pangdemonium; and more.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “The past and future of Singapore’s foreign policy”, by Abhishek Mehrotra Jomfest. Many of you have attended our Jom events, including one with The Economist’s Sue-Lin Wong, another with Yale historian Sunil Amrith, as well as...
International waters grow more treacherous, and voices at home clamour for greater say in foreign policy direction. What course will Singapore strike?
Jamus Lim questions Temasek, GIC performance; dignity for our seniors, in life and in death; balancing competition with cohesion; Kampong Gelam’s kitsch; Singaporean musician yeule on NPR’s Tiny Desk; and more.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Everyday Economics: Streaks”, by Serene Koh This week is four years since Charmaine, Jean, Waye, and I huddled together in a small office on Carpenter Street, our first proper meeting, and started brainstorming names for what would become Jom....
Loyalty programmes and fitness apps rely on the power of streaks and the behaviours they incentivise. Understand them, and use them productively.
WP snubs PAP offer; school canteen micro-cultures disappearing; the distortionary effect of billionaires; lessons for Gen Z entrepreneurs; microplastics controversy; Warong Nasi Pariaman shutters; and more.
Dear Jomrade, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Whose feelings? The Albatross Files”, by Faris Joraimi And today we’ve migrated to a new e-mail newsletter distribution system. What do you think? Well if you absolutely hate it, there isn’t toooo much we can do....
The history of a few emotional men and a great white bird.
Pritam Singh deposed; a call to create citizenship pathways for our Gurkhas; ManusAI’s troubles mount; hagiographical histories; The Projector, rebirthed; and more.
Dear reader, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “Obituary: M Ravi”, by Jom Happy new year! I hope you’ve spent the last few weeks resting, and in communion with loved ones, wherever you’ve been. It’s been an interesting, and invigorating, period for journalists, startled...
Madasamy Ravi, better known as M Ravi, a human rights lawyer and activist, died on December 24th 2025, aged 56.
Trump amok; new year, old troubles for Pritam Singh; NMPs and party affiliations; a tribute to M Ravi; the experience economy; domestic violence against men; funfairs; and more.
A gift may be an economic decision, but behavioural science reveals the real drivers: signalling, warm-glow, and the social rules that shape how we give.
Jom staff share their picks for books, music, podcasts, movies, TV, and more.
Glitches in the LawSoc matrix; the oppressive economics of parcel delivery; culling crows in our City in Nature; another rich Singaporean buys a football club; and more.
Dear reader, Holiday shopping with Jom. Last chance for you to grab Jom merch before we go on break. Get our new print issue No. 3, print issue No. 2, and/or our tote. All orders received by December 18th will be shipped by the following weekend. Today we’ve...
Now more than fifty years old, the zombie-like persistence of Sentosa’s Japanese surrender waxworks suggests there is more to the exhibit than meets the eye. A Singapore story cast without Singaporeans, it tells us as much about those who observe, as those depicted.
Finally, some scrutiny of GIC, Temasek; Aussie kids banned from social media; our relationship with skateboarding; perfumes, scents, and odours; a ride through Singapore’s playgrounds; a safe and Sinophone year for the Cultural Medallion; and more.
We honour the public figures who left for the great beyond this year after indelibly shaping Singapore’s social, cultural, political, and artistic worlds.
Dear reader, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week”, by Jom * “The AI will see you now”, by Nicole Chan News that caught our eye this week: “job hugging”, as fewer Singaporeans changed jobs in 2025; a great atmospheric science explainer in The Straits Times about Cyclone Senyar, which has...
What happens when we turn to machines that approximate humanity, for our very human troubles?
Anjani Sinha; Raeesah-gate finally closes; new treatment modalities for mild depression; South-east Asia’s winds of fate; the young and the homeless; and more.
A distorted Confucianism in service of the state may not allow open mutiny but rebellion can still flower within, as Tan Siyou’s award-winning film “Amoeba” movingly shows through its schoolgirl protagonists.
Lawrence Wong incurs Chinese ire; our designer future; more executed under MDP for drugs; rhino woes; avians and architecture; and more.
Dear reader, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week” by Jom * “Winged woes: a historical look at birds in Singapore”, by Xiaoyun Neo with illustrations by Jay Wong This week, Singaporeans celebrated a historic, come-from-behind 2-1 victory by our national football team over Hong Kong’s, to...
The recent sighting in Sungei Buloh of the Rhinoceros hornbill, thought to be locally extinct, brought joy. It was a sobering reminder too, of what we’ve lost in our headlong, heedless rush toward modernity.
Philanthropy on social media; malnutrition among the elderly; the downstream effects of childhood privilege; the sleazy Ken Lim and Achraf Arjaouy; the first Malay woman to undergo gender-affirming surgery, in 1974; Singapore’s only stunt school closing; and more.
Dear reader, Today we’ve published: * “Singapore This Week” by Jom * “The bougainvilleas outside”, my (hopefully) last piece on 38 Oxley Road Letters. I’m glad that many of you are as thrilled as all of us at Jom about our first-ever regular column, Everyday Economics by Serene Koh....
What does the 38 Oxley Road saga reveal about us as a people?
The PAP’s big bash; KKH and Salmon’s Maternity Home; the pros and cons of Buy Now, Pay Later; the road to sustainable cooling in a world that is heating up; RF Kuang at the Singapore Writers Festival, and more.
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