Trend - Lifestyle/Culture

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Happy New Year!
"But who'll clean up?"
With the exodus of guest workers, this well-organised city gets seriously tested, a brief shortage that may become a feature as China progresses. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Jan 21, 2011

MRT
A little red face
.. As it joins other over-burdened services like public housing and healthcare. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Dec 23, 2011

Maids
A scarcer commodity
As Southeast Asia advances, the supply of maids for Singapore will continue to dwindle until only the rich can afford them. By Seah Chiang Nee
Oct 8, 2011

Newspapers
Frustration grows
With readers complaining of reporting bias, some journalists are starting to question their editors about government control. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Sept 10, 2011

Singapore’s
High cost of travel
Rising COE and bus-train fares will remain the lot for years to come in this city, the world'scond most densely-populated. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Aug 7, 2011

Narrowing
Racial divide
Singaporean Malays and Chinese are slowly putting aside their traditional discords to face a common challenge - mass migrant workers. By Seah Chiang Nee
Jun 25, 2011

Press
Moving away from cynicism
The prime minister needs to remodel a controlled, Internet-besieged media to serve Singapore’s sophisticated society. By Seah Chiang Nee
Jun 4, 2011

Rocketting prices
Making life tougher
Inflation, a global problem, is hitting ‘grow-at-all-costs’ Singapore harder than most advanced countries. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Apr 2, 2011

TV dramas
A creative gap
Despite progress, Singapore still lags behind Hong Kong; meanwhile new players like South Korea, China, etc are bursting onto the scene with awesome talents. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Feb 12, 2011

Under threat
The three-dollar meal
The small mom-and-pop food-stall - last bastion of cheap food in Singapore – is coming under presure from the ogre of rising costs. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Jan 8, 2011

Welcome
To the new Singapore
Soiled panties for sale.. sex with 12-year-old girl .. a public bus ride with a naked woman: These recent headlines herald the advent of a more sexually liberal city. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Jan 1, 2011

Costs
Spiralling again
Awash in foreign money, this city is locked in a permanently high-cost structure like Tokyo or Paris that only a downturn can retard. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Oct 30, 2010

Indians
A surge in immigrants
Surprisingly statistics show Indian permanent residents overwhelming the Chinese, probably aimed at avoiding upsetting the ethnic balance. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Sept 25, 2010

Singles:
Perks for dating
A shocking 42% of men aged 30-34 are single; of all Singaporeans who married last year, four in 10 chose foreign partners. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Aug 15, 2010

Wealth
Millionaires galore
Cheerily, their numbers are skyrocketing - time to prepare for an even higher cost of living in Singapore. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Jun 19, 2010

Religion
The mega-bucks
Government investigates a church’s business practice of raising large amounts of money from followers to ensure things are above board. By Seah Chiang Nee.
May 5, 2010

Language
Drawing a defence line
Singapore strives to prevent her local languages from being further eroded by globalisation and technology. By Seah Chiang Nee.
May 15, 2010

Johor
Here We Come!
Cost-hit Singaporeans are turning more to Johor for relief when shopping for necessities, including hospital treatment. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Apr 4, 2010

Cars
Satellite charging
Exorbitant running costs, fuelled by GPS tracking, will one day drive the car out of reach of most middle class Singaporeans. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Feb 15, 2010

World Cup
Viewing soccer ‘Olympics’
Is TV coverage just another private commercial deal or a social responsibility to citizens like elsewhere? Singaporeans won’t like the answer. By Seah Chang Nee.
Jan 2, 2010

Spotlight on
The middle class
These ‘poorer’ millionaires come from the ranks of high-earning professionals, whose rise reflect Singapore’s economic advancement. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Nov 28, 2009

Casinos...
...And Singapore’s history
In a few months two casinos – costing $12b – will start operation to herald in a new phase, but a little jitter lingers about the potential impact. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Nov 14, 2009

Serangoon Gardens
The big influx
Government's first attempt to house large-scale foreign workers in a private estate gets a hot reception from residents; similar resistance elsewhere likely. By Seah Chiang Nee
Sep 14, 2009

Bad Times
Caviar and regrets
How they affect Singaporeans: Some spend lavishly; some aged folks cry for the non-tech past. By Seah Chiang Nee
Aug 9, 2008

Snubbed:
Nepal's 'playboy' prince
The Singapore resident tries to fit into Singapore's nighlife and a disco subbed him. IANS.
Aug 5, 2008

Singapore 2008
Cosmopolitan, flourishing - worrying
With the large foreign influx, the city's population takes on a new, exciting face and it's not all smiles. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Jul 12, 2008

Society
A core of 65%
As the economy shrinks, Mr. LKY seemingly puts up a ceiling to the foreign influx. What are the implications? Seah Chiang Nee.
Jul 10, 2008

Internet
It's not all dark corners...
Leaders-mainstream media often speak of dangerous web ideas, seldom bloggers' good efforts. Here's an example of one... By Seah Chiang Nee
Jul 9, 2008

A veritable utopia
'The sense of money is everywhere'
Sometimes it takes a foreign observer to see us for what we are, good and the bad.
Jul 7, 2008

Prices
Up, up and up!
For wage earners, structural inflation is blurring the Singapore Dream. By Seah Chiang Nee.
May 3, 2008

SMRT fined
Whooping $400,000 for disruption
Singaporeans now wonder if they themselves will be doing the paying themselves. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Mar 11, 2008

Singapore films
Still a village industry
Restrictions have placed filmmakers in a straitjacket when competing in the world. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Mar 8, 2008

Remembering
History makers
Government wants to name some places, roads after them, but watch for excesses. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Feb 17, 2008

Trend
Population: A redirection
As Singaporeans feel the over-crowdedness, Lee Kuan Yew reduces the optimum size in future to 5.5m. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Feb 13, 2008

Modernity
Without grace
Singaporeans are richer, smarter but short of something that makes them a truly developed people. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Jan 27, 2008