The Legacy of Void Deck Tarawih Prayers
For over 30 years, qaryahs (community groups) across Singapore’s neighbourhoods have been setting up prayer spaces at void decks for Muslim residents to perform nightly tarawih prayers during Ramadan....
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‘Doesn’t Seem Fair’: Migrant Workers Speak About Request To Perform Eid...
Top Image: Zachary Tang / RICE File Photo Singapore is literally shaped by the hands of migrant workers. How they go about their lives here, however, is shaped by ours. The plight of isolated...
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The Reality of Ramadan for Muslim Men Who Can’t Fast
Top Image: Ethan Hu / Unsplash It was Ramadan in 2016 when Mus, then 27, nearly slipped into a diabetic coma from fasting. “I was sleeping and just felt really cold,” he recalls. “I felt my body...
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It’s Really Not That Hard To Return Halal Trays Where They Belong at Hawker...
Top image: Complaint Singapore / Facebook Putting things where they belong is a no-brainer—or is it? Even before we learn how to write, most of us learn the concept of sorting (square pegs, round...
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What Is a Moral Uplifting Society, and How Did One End Up in Orchard Road?
All images by Stephanie Lee for RICE Media A large patch of overgrown grass sits between the Four Seasons Hotel and Hard Rock Cafe along 90 Cuscaden Road. The road leads to a dead end; nothing of...
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The 24-Year-Old Student Who Accidentally Became a Taoist Priest
All images by Stephanie Lee for RICE Media Polaroid snaps, a cat condo, and a neon ‘Open’ sign greet me when I set eyes on Lee Chee Tong’s room. Quintessential Gen Z vibes. But as my colleagues and I...
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Singaporeans Speak on the Joy of Deepavali
Top Image: Tey Liang Jin / RICE File Photo The festive lights and vibrant decorations are lit at Little India. Shoppers navigate the narrow streets hoping to complete some last-minute shopping for...
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How To Be a Model Minority in an Elite School
Top image: Helen Huang / RICE file photo “Regardless of race, language, and religion” is a line I raise an eyebrow at every morning in my junior college, a particular institution that’s pretty much...
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The Kaleidoscope of Kinship: An Intimate Look at Singapore’s Diverse Family...
Top image: Zachary Tang / RICE file photo ‘Family’ can mean all sorts of things. On The Bear (and inside bustling restaurant kitchens), the term conveys a lavish feast, a communal respite before the...
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The ‘Not Chinese Enough’ Dilemma Among Biracial Singaporeans Every CNY
Top Image: Stephanie Lee / RICE File Photo In the blink of an eye, we’ve made it to February—and with it comes the Chinese New Year festivities. While it signifies fresh starts and joyous reunions for...
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Silent Slights: The Microinsults Faced by Filipinos in Singapore’s Workplaces
Top image: Zachary Tang / RICE file photo It was barely noon on 14 March 2021 when Lara*, a Filipino expat, and her female Singaporean colleague settled on a table at the crowded Lau Pa Sat hawker...
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What Singapore’s Indigenous Seafarers Can Teach Us About How to Live
All images courtesy of Drama Box; rehearsal photos by Joseph Nair From the way history has been taught in Singapore, we might not realise that a plethora of cultures and religions are indigenous to...
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What Happens at an Interfaith Durian Party?
All images by Xue Qi Ow Yeong for RICE Media. On the way to the Mormon Church, I prayed that no one would broach a polarising topic like “Golan Heights” or “that drag queen last supper”. I’m sure some...
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The Doctor Who Makes Room for the Supernatural in Palliative Care
All illustrations by Audrey Halim for RICE Media. While writhing in pain, former secret society members have told Doctor Norhisham Main: “It’s ok, I am suffering because of my transgressions. This is...
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Meet Malika, the Singaporean Hitchhiker Turned Medicine Woman
In ‘Singaporeans Abroad’, we share the stories of locals who—thanks to living in a globalised world—have found success in different corners of the globe, whether financially, romantically, or for the...
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The Perks of Relearning Your Own Mother Tongue
Top image: Marisse Caine / RICE File Photo The Singapore Kenneth Michael Bong remembers from his childhood was a multi-lingual melting pot. The corners of the 70-year-old retiree’s eyes crinkle as he...
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A Lapsed Catholic’s Search for Meaning at the Papal Mass
All images by Nicholas Chang for RICE Media unless stated otherwise. I met Pope Francis last week. Or, at least, I saw him in his Popemobile trundling less than 20 metres away from me. Attending the...
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