Blogging is a criminal hobby, part 1

There are so many laws and regulations, the average blogger must surely be violating one or more of them. And they are vague too, so you can never be sure. Full essay.

Happy to eat apart

Have you noticed that at some food courts, there are no more halal-certified stalls? Full essay.

Supreme Court victory in Nepal

A gay group in Nepal obtained a favourable ruling from the country's Supreme Court, but what effect will it have? Full essay.

DIY self-portraits, part 2

Why it is important to zoom in, and why the camera shouldn't be closer than 2.5 or 3 metres. Full essay.

Tips for the vision-impaired

How to enlarge text and graphics to make it easier for yourself. Full essay.

My mother's Christmas

Earlier this week, my mother was rushed, again, to hospital. I was prepared for the worst. Full essay.

Futsal on International Migrants Day

A number of non-governmental organisations organised a friendly futsal competition for foreign workers and Singaporeans. Photo essay.

New highs in ministerial salaries, new lows in media credibility

The second phase of salary increases for ministers and top civil servants kicks in next month. What a relief it's finally done, says a letter writer to the Straits Times Forum. Full essay.

After 24 years, passing through, speaking up

A former expatriate who helped grow the Singapore Arts Festival 24 years ago, came back for a visit while the gay debate was in progress. Guest essay.

Christopher de Souza's four rebuttals

Even though the parliamentary debate about Section 377A is over, it is necessary, for the record, to point out how poor are the arguments some MPs made, starting with Christopher de Souza. Full essay.

Hady did Singapore proud, part 2

Interesting political angles from Hady Mirza's Asian Idol victory. Full essay.

Hady did Singapore proud

Hady Mirza represented Singapore at the inaugural Asian Idol contest in Jakarta. With our small population, his chances may well be the slimmest, but he performed admirably. Full essay.

DIY self-portraits

How to take some nice pictures of yourself, entirely by yourself, with an inexpensive camera. Full essay.

What lurks beyond globalisation and capitalism

Driven by higher pay for the already well-off and flatter taxation, the income gap has widened across the world. Will this trend continue without end? Full essay.

A skipped floor

Some years ago, I met this guy at a convention. His room was 2 floors below mine in the same hotel... Full essay.

Who shall watch the Watchmen?

A young man is killed in a hate crime. But how is a hate crime (as distinguished from hate speech) defined? Does Singapore have a law against hate crime? Full essay.

Migrants should be required to take English courses

After 40 years of getting Singaporeans to accept English as a neutral inter-ethnic link language, this achievement is under threat from new migrants from China. Singapore's majority Chinese need to understand how alienating this is to our ethnic-minority fellow citizens. Full essay.