Growing up with Vitiligo, Monica was bullied by kids in her school. The foundation and glasses were her defence against the bullies, and slowly, she sunk so deep into this new identity that she lost herself. Fast forward a decade, and not even her boyfriends would see her without makeup, nor would she have sex without it on—unless the lights were off. This is the story of how she found peace with herself. © 2020 by Rice Media. Published online in Singapore by Rice Media, recorded by Storys...

For 70 years, the Gurkha Contingent has been Singapore's elite guard and counter-terrorism force. To ensure their neutrality, they live in their own compound in Mount Vernon Camp, which caters to their housing, necessities, and recreation. Gurkha children are born and raised in Singapore, with the full knowledge that they will one day be repatriated from the country they grew up in. So what is it like growing up as the child of a Gurkha? © 2019 by Rice Media. Published online in Singapore ...

Despite its ubiquity and popularity, Mala Xiang Guo's history and origins are unknown. Search results on Google or Baidu throw up approximately 9 million recipes but not a single reliable account of how the MLXG was invented, or by whom. Find out how this spicy dish arrived on the sunny shores of Singapore and how the craze for this Mala dish all began. © 2019 by Rice Media. Published online in Singapore by Rice Media, recorded by Storyside 2019.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a man who wants to receive his bride on their wedding day must overcome hellish obstacles designed by a sadistic gaggle of bridesmaids in a traditional activity popularly termed as 'gatecrashing'. Contrary to popular belief, gatecrashing is hardly a time-honoured Chinese wedding tradition. So how did this activity attain its hallowed position in Singapore Chinese culture today? A writer attempts to find out how gatecrashing in Singapore came abou...

In May 2018, Spotify for Artists made it easier for Spotify users to share the albums, tracks, playlists, and artists they were listening to with their followers on Instagram Stories. The function was designed to help people discover new music and expand their aural tastes, but the collaboration ended up creating this generation's equivalent of the MSN nickname—an equally evasive way to express how one felt without actually talking about one's feelings; it allows us to talk about our feeli...

With JianHao, the cameras are always rolling, as if he were in a Singaporean version of The Truman Show. But unlike Truman Burbank, who—spoiler alert—is unaware that his life is being broadcast to the whole world as a television show, JianHao never loses sight of the fact that millions of eyes are trained on him with a laser-sharp focus. Thus, regardless of how much he wants to be able to introduce himself as the dude "who makes fun YouTube videos", he can't—and won't—shed the identity he ...

School-taught 'Social Studies' is a fairly sanitised affair. We learn about Britain, Lee Kuan Yew, and the paramount importance of free trade. We also learn about food and the origins of Chicken Rice. However, what comes out is just as important as what goes in, because Singapore's history is also a fecal history—of dysentery, nightsoil, quacks and more. In short, it's a story of shit. © 2019 by Rice Media. Published online in Singapore by Rice Media, recorded by Storyside 2019.

For most, the name 'Lucky Plaza' alone is inseparable from its association with the local Filipino community; to say the words 'Lucky Plaza' is to mean 'Little Manila'. It's a place most Singaporeans would rarely think to visit, other than as another place to eat at when in Orchard Road (and even then, this is limited to either the ayam penyet restaurants or the famous yong tau foo joint on the sixth floor). But going around with a guide makes all the difference. © 2019 by Rice Media. Publ...

A few years ago, a picture of a cow entering a HDB lift in Yishun went viral. Many Singaporeans didn't understand that this was a Hindu ritual. Even fewer understood what the ritual was for. Rice Media's quest to find out for themselves led them to Durga and Rani, just 2 of the 60 cows that belong to the Viknesh Dairy Farm. © 2017 by Rice Media. Published online in Singapore by Rice Media, recorded by Storyside 2019.

We know that an undercut requires work to pull off, but we struggle with the idea that this degree of effort is something a man should concern himself with. The undercut forces its wearer to care. And what kind of guy cares the most about his appearance? Yup, the fuckboys and the douchebags. © 2019 by Rice Media. Published online in Singapore by Rice Media, recorded by Storyside 2019.

Bloomberg calls it the world's most valuable liquor but it remains a total mystery to most Singaporeans, who've never encountered it in any way, shape or form. Baijiu (literally 'white liquor') is a high-proof, distilled spirit made from Sorghum—a grain that is often planted in parts of China where rice grows poorly, and acquiring a taste for it takes time and many bottles. © 2020 by Rice Media. Published online in Singapore by Rice Media, recorded by Storyside 2020.

All tales of religion start with a good miracle story—"a narrative involving a report of supposed special divine action," as defined by theologians Wendy Cotter and Graham H. Twelftree. For the Looi family, their embracing of Tibetan Buddhism came about when their father, the late Alvin Looi, once wheelchair-bound, started walking again miraculously. © 2020 by Rice Media. Published online in Singapore by Rice Media, recorded by Storyside 2020.