I’ve somehow found myself in an interesting position of getting to be the only Singaporean in a room full of foreigners and strangers talking about Singapore. I’ve been in this position several times, and I mostly feel like most people miss most of the point most of the time.

In my experience, most Singaporeans are too busy living their lives or arguing with each other to spend a lot of time on the often-fruitless, often-futile task of trying to make sure that we’re not misunderstood by outsiders.

So… what could my contribution be? How do I put together a picture of my country, my complicated, complex, lovable, annoying, beautiful, frustrating country?

No single person can do it justice, but I’d like to try.

1. Twitter thread about Singapore

2. “We know that even if we let the tape roll, there is no way an editor would approve this footage. There is too much glee here, giddiness almost, which would be wholly inappropriate for the late night bulletin.” – Journalism and Jiujitsu, by Joanne Leow

3. “Lee Kuan Yew was stung by this sharp critique of the education policy. He saw it as an attack on hard work and the heavy emphasis on examinations. The next day, he demanded her head. He wanted her sacked.” – this is a quote from OB Markers, the memoir of former Straits Times editor Cheong Yip Seng. It led me to look up Mary’s column, which I’ve reproduced here. It went viral, and Mary Lee herself penned some thoughts reflecting on it all. “…it recalled the blow an all-powerful politician and his knuckle-duster bureaucrats struck on my life.”

4. Lots of people ask me for book recommendations to “make sense of Singapore”. Currently, the top of my list is The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, by Sonny Liew.