S1E11: Why parents should not see teachers as service providers: Chan Chun Sing
Saison 1 · Épisode 11
vendredi 20 septembre 2024 • Durée 41:26
Can there be respect?
Synopsis: The Usual Place host Natasha Ann Zachariah hunts for new perspectives on issues of the day.
Education Minister Chan Chun Seng recently announced at the Ministry of Education Schools Work Plan Seminar, how parents should communicate with teachers from now on. He said teachers are not required to share their personal phone numbers, and do not need to respond to work-related messages after school hours.
Instead, they should use official channels like their e-mail and office number when contacting parents, and respond to work-related messages after school hours only in the event of emergencies, he added.
These guidelines aim to help schools and parents work together more “positively, constructively and respectfully” while also establishing boundaries so that teachers can have “protected time” of their own.
In this episode, Mr Chan dropped by The Usual Place to chat with host Natasha and her special co-host Jaime Ho, who is also the editor of The Straits Times.
Why is this culture the way it is for now? Or is it just down to a seemingly larger issue of over-parenting or parents being unable to go with the flow in general?
Highlights (click/tap above):
4:55 Is there a culture of over-parenting? Avoiding a 'crutch' mentality
9:50 Mr Chan on whether MOE should "over-protect, over-structure or remove all untidiness from life" for children in general
12:50 Social media impact today: The pressure of being compared, how children and also parents feel it in different ways
13:50 The 'spirit' of the new rule: why it matters, and how the culture could evolve
17:25 On the culture of bypassing the system to "get their own way"; on the case example of orientation for parents - not children - at one school
22:37 Mr Chan on why teachers in Singapore are not here to "service us"
32:40 Looking at flexibility for teachers too, while maintaining the "ethos of teaching", in a "code of conduct"; respecting teachers, their "private time" to "recharge"
36:10 Mr Chan's memories of teachers who inspired him
Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: https://str.sg/8Wav
S1E10: Bye-bye 5Cs. Hello, purpose: how we redefine success
Saison 1 · Épisode 10
mercredi 11 septembre 2024 • Durée 44:03
Does living a meaningful, purpose-filled life trump materialistic goals and climbing the corporate ladder these days?
Synopsis: The Usual Place host Natasha Ann Zachariah hunts for new perspectives on issues of the day, and finds out about what young people are talking about.
Talk about the new definition of success has been fronted this year by Singapore’s new prime minister Lawrence Wong, who has called for wider definitions of success.
But can it be done? In this episode, Natasha asks her three guests how possible it is to run on passion, and in redefining success, what does failure look like now? Also, what is one thing that young people need to do if they want to redefine what success looks like to them.
Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Trade and Industry Alvin Tan, founder and executive director of Access Singapore Clarence Ching, and co-founder of River Valley Irregulars Sheila Manokaran speak about how they see the Singaporean dream moving beyond the 5Cs.
The question - or is it an existential crisis? - that millennials and Gen Zs grapple with is about how they can make an impact that counts, even in a 9-to-5 job.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:49 Why is it necessary for us to redefine success now?
9:52 The stumbling blocks on the paths to success
18:35 Can chasing passions put food on the table?
24:54 ”What is the government doing to ensure I have a job?”
33:20 What does failure look like in this new definition of success?
40:25 What we need for a mindset shift
Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: https://str.sg/8Wav
S1E6: Eat, shoot and post: What makes a good food reviewer?
Saison 1 · Épisode 6
jeudi 20 juin 2024 • Durée 37:31
Scroll social media and you’ll likely be served a food recommendation or review, often one that’s either enthused or a takedown of sorts.
Synopsis: The Straits Times’ Natasha Ann Zachariah explores contemporary societal choices and youth perspectives.
If someone takes videos of their food and serves them with a side of honest opinions, does that make them a good food reviewer?
Singapore is a nation of foodies, and we're passionate about what we eat. But it seems like many food creators often go in with quick overviews, giving honest reviews or enthused recommendations without much context on social media.
Intrigued by this proliferation of content creators who feed their audience with clickbaity spiel and pepper their food recommendations with superlatives, I wanted to find out the highlights and pitfalls of online food reviewers in this age of quick-fire social media content.
To help me answer questions I have about this crowded scene, I invited food and lifestyle content creator Chiara Ang, second-generation hawker Melvin Chew, and former home-based baker-turned-marketing entrepreneur Then Zhi Wei to weigh in on the practices that make a good food review.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:35 Are there too many food reviewers on social media?
6:59 Being brutally honest
13:00 Eating at an establishment where you find your dish to be sub-par: To post or not to post online?
18:36 Adding value with food content
27:35 Showcase more than just the menu
34:07 What consumers should look out for when consuming 'social media' food reviews
Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: https://str.sg/8Wav
Edited by producers: Teo Tong Kai, Eden Soh and Zachary Lim
S1E5: Are young people breaking up with dating apps?
Saison 1 · Épisode 5
mercredi 5 juin 2024 • Durée 42:29
Swiping for love used to be the way for millennials to find a connection, but there seems to be growing dating app disillusionment among the young.
Synopsis: The Straits Times’ Natasha Ann Zachariah explores contemporary societal choices and youth perspectives.
Bernice Fong, Dhareeni Shanmugam and John Lim are three under-30s who have had different experiences with dating apps over the years.
John, who runs a content agency, finds that with everyone having many options, he feels “like a piece of meat” - an experience the 28-year-old finds can be dehumanising.
Meanwhile Bernice has sworn off dating apps. The 28-year-old brand and marketing manager felt jaded and tired from swiping through but not quite finding the match she wanted.
Dhareeni, a 26-year-old account executive for a public relations agency, shares why she swiped right on her boyfriend, and why she was drawn to his “niche preference” for fish.
Host Natasha wants to find out why there’s no love lost between young people and dating apps.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:16 Are younger people ditching dating apps?
7:52 Making dating intentions clear
16:20 Getting dating app fatigue
27:54 Have young adults lost the art of conversation?
38:38 Is it more difficult for young people to date these days?
Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: https://str.sg/8Wav
Edited by producers: Teo Tong Kai, Eden Soh and Zachary Lim
Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong
Filmed by: Joel Chng and Marc Justin De Souza, ST Video
S1E4: Titus Low: From SG's most famous OnlyFans creator to real estate agent?
Saison 1 · Épisode 4
mercredi 15 mai 2024 • Durée 26:17
Singapore’s most well-known OnlyFans creator Titus Low is slowly moving on from the platform that has brought him fame, money and drama. Lots of it.
Synopsis: The Straits Times’ Natasha Ann Zachariah explores contemporary societal choices and youth perspectives and digs deeper into issues of the day.
Sitting down with The Usual Place’s host Natasha Ann Zachariah, Titus opens up about asking to work with his family’s business and pursuing his childhood dream of becoming a real estate agent.
He shares the lessons learnt and the fallout from baring all online.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:10 What is Titus up to these days?
9.00 His post-pandemic popularity has dipped, no thanks to today's economic situation
14.26 Dealing with mental health issues
23.30 Why he has become more cautious about sharing his life online
Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: https://str.sg/8Wav
S1E3: Youths on their expectations of Singapore's next PM Lawrence Wong
Saison 1 · Épisode 3
jeudi 2 mai 2024 • Durée 47:19
Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong becomes Singapore’s fourth prime minister on May 15, 2024, when he succeeds current PM Lee Hsien Loong.
Synopsis: The Straits Times’ Natasha Ann Zachariah explores contemporary societal choices and youth perspectives and digs deeper into issues of the day.
The upcoming leadership transition - when Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong becomes Singapore’s fourth prime minister on May 15 - has ignited discussions about where Singapore goes from here.
In particular, what issues are youths most concerned about before they go to the ballot box in the next General Election?
In this episode of The Usual Place, Natasha hosts three guests:
Joel Lim, 31, host of Political Prude: The Podcast
Gautham Vijayan Kumaran, 26, a final-year student at the National University of Singapore
Carissa Cheow, 28, the chief strategy officer for a tech firm and a career counsellor
From expectations of DPM Wong when he takes over as prime minister, to their thoughts of how the impending general election will play out, these three guests candidly share their views and shed some insight on what youths might want to see from their future political leaders.
Highlights (Click/tap above):
4:18 Qualities youth are looking for in Singapore's next PM
12:19 What youth are looking for when the next election comes around
19:31 Is there a dichotomy between traditional bread-and-butter concerns and wider, all-encompassing issues such as climate change and civil liberties?
21:58: Are younger voters harder to convince?
31:51: How will scandals of politicians in 2023 factor into the next election?
34:28: Will social media be the dominant platform among voters at the next GE?
Host: Natasha Zachariah ()
S1E2: TMI: Has social media made us oversharers?
Saison 1 · Épisode 2
jeudi 18 avril 2024 • Durée 42:59
How much is too much when sharing details of your life online?
Synopsis: The Straits Times’ Natasha Ann Zachariah explores contemporary societal choices and youth perspectives and digs deeper into issues of the day.
Why do people feel so comfortable sharing intimate details of their lives online?
The Usual Place’s host Natasha Ann Zachariah sits down with TikTokers Candice Gallagher and Shaun Elias Chua, and Twitch streamer Jacey Vong, to find out why they started sharing personal details of their lives online.
When everything now becomes free game, is there a line that crosses into oversharing and how do they deal with negative comments?
Highlights (click/tap above):
4:33: Why do the three of them put out so much of their lives on social media?
16:36: Is it weird that virtual strangers know small details about their lives?
23:15: Dealing with haters - why not just quit instead?
33:20: Being cancelled - the risk of sharing their opinions
Produced by: Natasha Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Lynda Hong, Teo Tong Kai, Eden Soh, Joel Chng and Marc Justin De Souza
Edited by: Teo Tong Kai & Eden Soh
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S1E1: Having babies: Natural next step after marriage or thank you, next?
Saison 1 · Épisode 1
jeudi 4 avril 2024 • Durée 35:55
Our guests discuss if parenthood is an expectation or choice.
Synopsis: The Straits Times’ Natasha Ann Zachariah explores contemporary societal choices and youth perspectives and digs deeper into issues of the day.
In Singapore, where preliminary estimates indicate its Total Fertility Rate hit a record low of 0.97 in 2023, some are opting to remain child-free.
In the first episode of our new podcast series, The Usual Place’s host Natasha Ann Zachariah brings together two guests who hold opposing views on being parents.
Joan Chong, 35, never wants kids. She never yearned for them before she got married, andflat out told her partner when they started dating, that she did not want to be a parent.
Meanwhile, Dainial Lim is a passionate voice in favour of embracing the joys of parenthood. To him, having children is a natural path in life after getting married, and it would have been a relationship dealbreaker for him if his wife was not for it.
They sit down with Natasha to dissect their personal choices in a candid and unfiltered conversation. What unfolds is a discussion about their choices and dissecting the misconceptions that come with it.
Highlights (click/tap above):
3:56 Is it still taboo to say you want to be childfree
6:48 Do women still bear the burden of raising children?
9:44 Joan’s realities of being childfree
14:31 The scary part about having children
17:16 How kids changed Dainial’s life
23:05 Does Joan feel left out for not receiving government incentives?
25:17 Are Singaporean parents entitled?
31:25 If anyone’s on the fence about having children, what would Joan and Dainial tell them?
S1E9: Flexibility at work: The secret sauce to more babies?
Saison 1 · Épisode 9
mardi 3 septembre 2024 • Durée 24:18
We ask Indranee Rajah - Minister in the Prime Minister's Office - to explain the mindset shift aim of the enhanced parental leave scheme, announced on Aug 18.
Synopsis: The Usual Place host Natasha Ann Zachariah hunts for new perspectives on issues of the day, and finds out about what young people are talking about.
When it was announced at the National Day Rally that the parental leave scheme would be enhanced starting in April 2025, Ms Indranee recalls young parents being happy to hear the news.
Employers, she adds, on the other hand, are cautiously welcoming the news as they put forth their concerns about managing schedules and workloads.
Ms Indranee talks about the need for a well-designed workplace to make shared parental leave work for all, not just parents of newborns.
This would mean fathers giving advance notice of when they want to take their leave or compensating those who take on a parent’s workload - with the money freed up by the government-paid paternity leave.
Natasha asks Ms Indranee why fathers haven’t been so keen to take up the existing provisions - reluctant line managers seem to be standing in the way - and if this would be the game-changing move couples need to support their aspirations to start and grow their families?
Highlights (click/tap above)
1:56 Who’s happy, post-National Day Rally?
6:40 Sending a signal that dads should be more involved in child-raising
10:57 A mindset change and cultural shift in the workplace
19:06 Will the enhanced parental leave improve Singapore’s TFR?
21:42 Making a family-friendly Singapore
Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: https://str.sg/8Wav
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