Racism is a touchy topic in Singapore, but there has been a resurgence in dialogue in light of recent events that highlight the problem of racism in Singapore. The voices are many, and highly polarized. So how do we talk about this effectively? We chat with Mohd Suhaile, a former journalist, Syafiqah Taufek, a grad student in the Department of Malay Studies, NUS, and Daniel Goh, Associate Professor of Sociology, NUS.

This is part of the series Coming Together, a collaboration with NGO The Whitehatters.

In the wake of rising anti-foreigner sentiments in a country that has always been labeled an "expat paradise", what do foreigners need to know, when arriving in Singapore?

We have a chat with expats Melissa and Amanda.

This episode is part of the series "Coming Together", a collaboration with The Whitehatters, a local NGO that seeks to foster dialogue between various communities of topics of social cohesion.

What makes a Singaporean "Singaporean"? We have a conversation about Singaporean identity,  about notions of "true blue Singaporeans" and "new Singaporeans",  and why this is prevalent in contemporary discourse today.

Our guest is Danny Koordi, a podcast producer and founder of the local podcaster community Podcast SG.

In the first episode of the series "Coming Together" in collaboration with the NGO theWhiteHatters.sg, we have a conversation about the local sentiments of foreigners seemingly not integrating in Singapore, and what the word "integration" actually means.

I have a chat with two friends Tomas and Michele about the metal genre, and the scene in Singapore.

In the fourth episode of the series "Understanding Xenophobia in Singapore", I chat with Singaporeans I know to get their takes on the issue of rising nativism, nationalism and protectionism during COVID times, and even before that.

Huge shoutout to Gary Tan of "Not Again Podcast"; Deeban, Josiah and Shaun of "Lords of Lobang"; and Jon Wang of "Longkangkitties" for being part of this and providing their insight!

Jasmin and I talk about interracial dating in Singapore, our experiences with dating across cultural and racial lines, and how we handle perceptions other people have of our love lives.

I have a chat with Avijit Das Patnaik, an Indian citizen who was a target of online vitriol over a contentious facebook post he shared in 2018. We talk about how he incurred the wrath of the internet, how it changed his and his family's lives, and why that incident got the reaction that it did.

Check out the other episodes on the series "Understanding Xenophobia in Singapore" here: https://livingitupinlioncity.com/tag/uxs/

I chat with good friend Nikki, a Singaporean living in Estonia. We talk about living life as a foreigner, the startup scene in Tallinn, and most importantly, we talk about food.

We recorded this episode way back in February 2020, right before COVID took the world by storm.

I seek to understand what cultural intelligence means, with Ling Ling Tai, a seasoned learning and development professional on increasing intercultural awareness, and cultivating inclusive workplaces. She's the founder of Culture Spark Global, that focuses on exactly this, and also the host of the podcast Leaders of Learning, which is the top podcast in South East Asia on personal and organizational development.

https://www.culturesparkglobal.com/

https://leadersoflearning.asia/

https://leadersoflearning.asia/

This is Part 2 of the series on "Understanding Xenophobia in Singapore".

This episode, we analyze the nature of local discomfort over foreigners in Singapore.

More links to references can be found on the website here:

http://livingitupinlioncity.com/podcast/understanding-xenophobia-in-singapore-part-2-the-nature-of-local-discomfort-over-foreigners/

Recent conversations with friends and observations around social media have highlighted the pervasive "otherness" of Chinese people in popular culture, during the COVID19 coronavirus crisis, and even outside of that. Rooted in history, propaganda and internet culture, I try to understand why people struggle to find Chinese people "relatable".

Liziqi's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/cnliziqi

background music credits: https://www.purple-planet.com/

This is Part 1 of the series on "Understanding Xenophobia in Singapore".

In this episode the history of immigration in Singapore, and various events along the way that built up the anti-foreigner narrative here. As a foreigner myself, I believe it's important to understand the hows and the whys, and how to deal with the situation.

I referenced a whole bunch of sources for this podcast series - I've listed them in the podcast website. Do check them out, some make for fantastic reading!

http://livingitupinlioncity.com/podcast/xenophobia-in-singapore/

Happy new year!

It's 2020, and I talk about some of the cool things that happened last year, and some things you all can look forward to, this year.

Enjoy!

Geylang is widely known as the 'red light district' of Singapore, a den of sin and debauchery that should be given wide berth, as common wisdom goes. What's it really like though? Friends and I talk about the history of this infamous neighbourhood, and personal experiences living here.

We recorded this episode two days after the ban was announced. We asked two friends who do food delivery about the ban and how it would affect them.

Suraj and I talk about a book we've been reading, called "200 years of Singapore and the United Kingdom". It's an interesting book that aims to provide a more balanced understanding of Singapore's history, viewed through the lens of both Singaporean and British voices.

We also talk about the Singapore Bicentennial Experience at Fort Canning. If you haven't seen it yet, CHECK IT OUT NOW! It's pretty awesome.

What makes a city boring? Friends from Singapore, Spain and Belgium weigh in.