Yah Lah But

In his speech at the Singapore Economic Policy Forum, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong pointed out that the Singapore economy places too much emphasis on cognitive abilities – “head” work – and does not equally value those engaging in more technical “hands-on” work, or service and care roles, which he christened “heart” work. We discuss why this admission is important. Elsewhere, the IMDA has b...

The long-running missing person case of Felicia Teo that started in 2007 has finally reached a resolution; one of the men, initially accused of her murder, has instead been sentenced to jail for several other charges, including unlawfully depositing Ms Teo's corpse in a public place. We talk through the gruesome details of this heartbreaking case, and public opinion about the verdict. Elsewhere, s...

Vogue Singapore, a fashion magazine, was slapped with a stern warning for breaching local content guidelines, and has had its permit shortened from one year to 6 months. Is this move by the authorities justified? Elsewhere, Singaporean OnlyFans creator Titus Low has been fined S$3,000 for sharing obscene photos and videos on the site, and also sentenced to 3 weeks prison for breaching police order...

Aaaaand we're back! In a reversal of a long-criticised policy, Singapore Airlines’ flight attendants will no longer be forced to quit after giving birth. We discuss how this archaic rule has lasted till 2022, and how it will affect SIA’s hiring policies going forward. Elsewhere, the National Population and Talent Division released the results of a survey which found that 50% of single Singapore re...

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, has died at the age of 96. While tributes and condolences from world leaders pour in, we discuss why there’ve been some negative responses as well. Closer to home, the Singapore Armed Forces announced that NSmen can now buy selected SAF products online from their new store on e-commerce platform Lazada. How will shops at the Beach Road Army M...

Shopee is in the news for pulling job offers for positions at its Singapore HQ, including one for a Chinese engineer who had already relocated here with his family to take up a new role. Was there any way they could have handled this better? Also, homegrown bakery franchise Prima Deli was recently called out by an irate customer for using a slice of processed cheese on its cake for a birthday gree...

In a shocking announcement, Singapore’s sporting icon Joseph Schooling confessed to consuming cannabis while overseas training for the SEA Games. We discuss if there's a way back for our Olympic golden boy. In another post-NDR interview, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing suggested that school alumni can help ease teachers’ workload by offering help with career talks and mental health resources; is...

In a wide-ranging interview with The Straits Times, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan detailed the global challenges that Singapore will be facing in the near future. We discuss why the interview was important, and why it’s also making us worried. Also, several SQ passengers were blasted on social media for standing to get their bags while their plane was still taxiing. Yes, what they did was w...

The COVID-19 multi-ministry task force announced that from 29th August, people in Singapore will no longer be required to wear a mask except on public transport and in healthcare facilities. Is Singapore really ready to go mask-free? Elsewhere, a St Andrew’s Secondary School student was caught on video threatening his teacher with very abusive language. The news has since gone viral internationall...

After the bombshell announcement at NDR 2022 that Section 377A will be repealed, Ministers K Shanmugam, Lawrence Wong and Edwin Tong all sat down for interviews with mainstream media outlets to clear up the confusion about the process. What interesting nuggets did we glean from watching both interviews? Also, a researcher found that TikTok's in-app browser can monitor users’ keystrokes, including...

At the National Day Rally 2022, PM Lee Hsien Loong announced that Section 377A will finally be repealed, which ends the criminalisation of gay sex. At the same time, he also announced that the traditional definition of marriage as between a man and a woman would be enshrined in the Constitution, so is it truly a step forward? Elsewhere, Finland’s PM faced backlash after videos of her partying with...

We had the privilege of speaking to Lavaniyah Ganapathy, an inspiring mother whose ​​daughter was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at the age of 6 last year. Since the diagnosis, Lavaniyah has started a blog to share her experience and to educate other families about facing childhood cancer head-on. She tells us how she stays positive even through the most emotional moments of the jour...

In a recent CNA podcast, Singapore's ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh called Singapore a "very snobbish and hierarchical society". We break down his comments and why it needs to be taken in context. Elsewhere, Naomi Neo faced an intense backlash over a prank she played on her son that she subsequently posted as a TikTok video. Is the outrage warranted? Find us here! YLB Subreddit YLB TikTok YLB YouTu...

The Singapore police announced that licences for club and bar operators in Orchard Towers will not be renewed beyond May 2023 due to concerns about law and order. What does this mean for the Orchard Road nightlife scene? Also, at NDP, the image of an audience member crying during the singing of the national anthem went viral, sparking discussions online about how appropriate a reaction it is. Is i...

It’s been a long time coming, but we finally managed to get writer/commentator and now Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh onto YLB to tell us about his exciting new media outfit, Jom, and about his explosive e-book about the Lee family Oxley Road saga, THE BATTLE OVER LEE KUAN YEW’S LAST WILL. Find us here! YLB Subreddit YLB TikTok YLB YouTube YLB IG Find Sudhir here! Sudhir's personal blog, M...

Get your own Folklory at www. Folklory.com ! On Monday, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong detailed the rationale behind terminating the public-private partnership with Sports Hub Pte Ltd, and taking over the management of Singapore Sports Hub. We discuss what’s ahead for the sporting facility. Also, a road cyclist who got thrown off his bicycle when his front wheel got stuck in...

And after our short COVID holiday, we are back! And so is Will Smith, who got us to “take a minute, just sit right there” to watch his apology video on his YouTube channel, 4 months after slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. We discuss the backlash to his video, and what he really needs to do to get out of this PR nightmare. Closer to home, people got angsty when a seafood stall in a Bishan kopitiam...

We get honest (and humbling) thoughts from Rishi about the behind-the-scenes of NDP 2022 and being hand picked as one of the 4 hosts. We also chat about the motivation behind his 110-day physical transformation, the future of SG comedy & more. And we also discuss the recent 1,200-person ”Protect Singapore” town hall against repealing 377A. Did they do anything wrong? What about the LGBTQ+ comm...

An annual audit of government agencies conducted by the Auditor-General's Office found lapses in the procurement processes of the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Home Affairs. We run through the report and discuss how these lapses might have happened. Also, an NDP video segment featuring several aunties dancing to a K-pop tune has divided opinions on the internet. We...

This week, a Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) school counsellor was suspended from conducting further sex-ed lessons after making a presentation containing anti-LGBTQ content to students. Since then, HCI, Pink Dot, truelove.is and other organisations have come out with their official responses, so we dissect the content of their statements. Down under in Melbourne, a viral TikTok video featuring a cont...

The Woke Salaryman is Singapore’s top personal finance webcomic, and in this episode, we got to pick the brains of the founders, Goh Wei Choon and He Ruiming, for almost 2 hours! Hear about how spitefulness motivated them to start, why they believe generational wealth creates problems, and why Singapore is “f***ing awesome”! Find us here! YLB Subreddit YLB TikTok YLB YouTube YLB IG One Shiok Thing...

On 18th July, Grab will officially cut the grace waiting time for ride-hailing bookings from 5min to 3min. This announcement stirred a lot of unhappiness among customers, but was cheered by drivers. Is this really the best way to address the pain points faced by Grab drivers? Also, the Government revealed their proposal to protect young social media users from harmful content. We weigh in on how s...

And we’re back from the fresh COVID wave! The woman at the center of the viral road rage incident at Tuas Second Link has called for the harassment of her and her son to stop. How did she end up in this situation anyway? Elsewhere, an NUS student to tried to protest the death penalty while receiving his graduation certificate. Was NUS justified in cutting him from the video of the event? Find us h...

In parliament, Opposition MP Jamus Lim suggested some government actions, like letting the currency appreciate, to counter the rising cost of living in Singapore. Sounds easy, but is it really? We discuss whether Minister of State Alvin Tan said enough in his rebuttal to calm anxious Singaporeans. Also, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee stated that “by controlling rent, we could end up...

The chairman of Chang Cheng Group, the new owner of the Yishun coffeeshop which was recently sold for $40 million, has promised not to raise coffee and cai png prices when he takes over in October. We examine the recent trend of coffeeshops being sold for staggering sums of money, and discuss what this means for your average cai png customer. Elsewhere,  Cathay busker Jeff Ng’s viral rise to fame...