[Post 401] I Spent 14 Years As A Stay-At-Home Dad For My Son. Here’s Why It’s Time To Reclaim My Life

Summary

“Why is an abled-bodied man being a stay-home dad?” For 14 years, father of two, Lee Kwong Luen dedicated his time and energy to caring full-time for his son, Jue Ming who has autism and bleeding disorder, haemophilia B. 

He shares candidly about the criticism he faces, his struggle with social isolation and depression, and how he’s slowly reclaiming his identity after putting his career and life on hold for over 10 years. 

[Post 400] Why Japan’s Economy Is So Fiercely Inefficient | WSJ

Summary

Japan is a country of contradictions. From bullet trains to pioneering robotics, it’s often seen as a land of innovation; but it also has a strong attachment to tradition with practices like hanko. Japan used to be the third largest economy in the world but lost the title to Germany last year. So why is the country falling behind?

WSJ’s Peter Landers explains how being fiercely traditional is weighing down Japan’s economy.

[Post 399] Our Japanese Bakery In A Hawker Centre: Meet The Shio Pan Sisters | On The Red Dot - I Am A Hawker

Summary

It had always been 28-year-old Danielle Tan’s dream to be a baker and own a bakery. She honed her skills by baking and selling cakes at pop-up stalls both as a student and a working adult. After two years of working, Danielle decided to start her own pastry business, specializing in “shio pan” – a Japanese salt bun. Teaming up with her 32-year-old sister Serene, they opened Butter Town.

Butter Town quickly became a roaring success, consistently selling out their breads within two hours of opening. However, their small oven, single mixer, and few trays couldn’t keep up with the overwhelming demand. Within three months, the sisters faced the urgent challenge of scaling up their operations to meet their customers’ needs.

[Post 398] Investing In Singapore REITs: Key Sub-sectors And Indicators To Watch In 2024 | Money Mind | REITs

Summary

Down but not out - why market watchers are optimistic about S-REITs.

[Post 397] From Hospitality Graduate To Noodle Hawker: My COVID Career Switch | On The Red Dot - I Am A Hawker

Summary

26-year-old Catherine graduated with a degree in hospitality, while her sister, 27-year-old Chong Kai En is a nursing graduate. Neither imagined that they would end up running a hawker stall specialising in noodles when finding a job during the COVID-19 period proved extremely challenging.

Neither sister knew how to cook, so they had to learn to cook the dishes, handle tough customers, and deal with financial struggles. Despite all that, they managed to grow their one noodle stall into three noodle stalls, a vegetarian food stall, and even a vegetarian restaurant. How did these sisters beat the odds and thrive in the competitive hawker scene?

[Post 396] Ultimate World Cruise: What's it like to spend 9 months on a cruise that goes to 60 countries?

Summary

What is it like to live 274 days on a cruise ship that's been closely followed by the entire world on TikTok? CNA Lifestyle talked to some passengers from Royal Caribbean's Ultimate World Cruise to find out, during a recent Singapore stopover. (Video: Joyee Koo)

[Post 395] The man who eats IKEA food for a living gives us insights on their famous meatballs and more

Summary

Ever wondered how IKEA makes its famous meatballs and popular chicken wings? How do they come up with new menu items? IKEA Singapore’s food manager Aeson Ong invited us into the kitchen to find out – and even got us to try some of their brand new dishes.