Expat Living (Singapore)

Why do people avoid the slow lane? On my regular route on the CTE, there are often cars cruising below the speed limit in the middle two lanes, while the slow lane is empty...

I don’t think being in the slow lane is a weakness – it’s a strength, and we should all be in it more often than we are, still getting things done, still moving forward, but just at a more manageable speed. If we have been really busy, had a big...

EDITOR'S NOTE

I am very grateful that I have the opportunity to live the type of daily life that we have here. There will always be challenges, of course. But I think if we face them, then something good will come out of them. One of the songs my parents used to...

THE POWER OF COUNSELLING

Calendar: What’s on this month?

Painting with Light: Festival of International Films on Art (4 to 14 September) Art meets film at Painting with Light, National Gallery Singapore’s signature film festival dedicated to the study and showcase of moving image art in Singapore,...

I am loving the green rolling hills around my mum’s house in the UK at the moment. A little sparrow is sitting on my windowsill and a wood pigeon in the trees nearby is sharing his news with the world. It is definitely therapeutic.

If you feel you need to experience a bit more greenery and wildlife in Singapore, we’ve got a big round-up of walks and hikes on our website, expatliving.sg – and there are more ideas in this issue if you’re keen for a short break nearby or want to...

EDITOR'S NOTE

I spent most of May “freezing my bits off” – as they say – south of Melbourne. I would sit at my desktop wearing a scarf and “beanie”. Obviously, I’m not good with the cold. And although I sometimes moan about the heat here, I would rather be trying to...

Thirty years ago this month, I was about to have my first child. Some memories are like it was yesterday – things like walking the streets with my mum, two weeks after my due date, trying to encourage her to face the world.

I remember so clearly her face-planting into an ice cream by mistake – before she’d even gone on solids – and then coming out of it saying “num num”. (She’s still keen on ice cream!) Seeing her off on her first day at preschool here in Singapore with a...

EDITOR'S NOTE

It’s not often I just sit. But this morning, I got my coffee and just sat; I listened to the cicadas, the dull moan of the CTE traffic in the background, the roosters, and a realm of other birds all joining in at different times. The butterflies and...

EDITOR'S NOTE

I still appreciate the life here. And even though, all these years later, the heat gets to me, I don’t think I am ready to swap it for the cold. At a British Association get-together recently with some “oldies” – meaning they’d been here a long time –...

Bedroom buys

1 Design concept, interior design, furniture, accessories and styling by Arete Culture 2 Three-panel handpainted room divider, great for privacy while keeping the doors open, or use as a changing corner or movable partition in the bedroom, other...

So it’s now the year of one of the smartest creatures on earth… hopefully we will all learn a bit more over the coming 12 months!

There’s a story I was told a while ago that goes something like this: a snake and a monkey were always seated on either side of “God” as advisors. The monkey goaded the snake fairly constantly, because he wanted to be the only advisor, until one day...

EDITOR'S NOTE

In the early ’70s, there was a film called Soylent Green (starring Charlton Heston) which terrified me. I don’t know why I was allowed to watch it at such a young age! Set in 2022, it showed how pollution, global warming and overpopulation had led to...

EDITOR'S NOTE

Ee by gum, it’s Christmas time already! Did you know this northern English saying was coined as a form of “OMG” in the early 1900’s? They used it so they wouldn’t be seen to be blaspheming. You may never have heard of it, and I’m not sure why it would...

The latest from Brighton College

New Senior School The first cohort of Year 9 pupils began their educational journey in Senior School in August. They will journey towards the IGCSEs with guidance from experienced educators dedicated to helping each Brighton pupil realise their...

Every time I hear someone moan about the state of the world, there’s a voice in my head that says, “It’s always been this way”.

Having just done tours in Italy, France and Spain, I feel more comfortable with that voice. The tour guides told us about plagues, droughts, floods, earthquakes and of course dramatic eruptions like at Pompeii. The political situation wasn’t much...

Calendar: What’s on this month?

(4 TO 6 OCTOBER) Presented by 16 professional women artists in Singapore, this show will feature a diverse range of artistic styles and media in oil, acrylic, mixed media and gouache. It’s open to seasoned collectors and art enthusiasts alike, and...

Tong Chin Sye

Born in 1939, Tong Chin Sye 童振狮 is acknowledged as one of Singapore’s leading second generation artists, trained in both Western and Chinese art. Tong graduated from the Singapore Academy of Arts in 1960, and became a part-time lecturer in Western Art...

Calendar: What’s on this month?

(FROM 29 MAY) The National Heritage Board (NHB) and its Youth Panel have launched Singapore’s first Youth Heritage Blueprint. This initiative is about fostering a deeper engagement between Singapore’s young people and the heritage and museum...