Prominent Singaporean comedian Kumar has joined a group of fellow entertainers and politicians in expressing disapproval of Jocelyn Chia’s remarks about Malaysia and the missing Malaysia Airlines plane during one of her stand-up performances.
In a video shared on Instagram last Friday, Kumar offered his apologies to Malaysians on behalf of Chia’s comments. He emphasized the importance of refraining from using stand-up comedy as a platform to channel anger and hatred, urging everyone to learn from this incident.
Directly addressing Chia, who was born in the US but raised in Singapore, Kumar advised her to seek help, as he believed she had some personal issues.
The 54-year-old comedian highlighted the frequent visits of Singaporeans to Malaysia for leisure and work. In his caption, he likened both nations to being “brothers and sisters,” emphasizing that any animosity created would be detrimental to their relationship.
Made fun of tragedy
During a stand-up comedy show in New York on April 7, Chia, an American citizen, made jokes about the MH370 tragedy while poking fun at the rivalry between Singapore and Malaysia.
In an 89-second video clip of her performance posted on Instagram, she humorously mentioned Malaysia’s failure to visit Singapore in 40 years, implying that their airplanes were unable to fly. The audience responded with laughter and gasps.
Chia added, “Why, Malaysia Airlines going missing not funny huh? Some jokes don’t land.” Flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, departed from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014 but never reached its destination. The plane’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Other entertainers weighed in
Other Singaporean entertainers, including Selena Tan and Sebastian Tan, as well as UFM100.3 radio DJ Huang Wenhong, have also commented on the matter.
Sebastian Tan, speaking to Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao, criticized Chia’s comments as vulgar and disrespectful to the victims and families of the MH370 tragedy. Huang Wenhong condemned Chia for exploiting the grief of others for personal gain.
Actress Selena Tan, in an interview with the Chinese Daily, stated that comedy often walks a fine line between humor and offense, as it involves observing sensitive real-life issues.
Minister also steps in
Chia’s remarks have also faced criticism from Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and the Republic’s High Commissioner to Malaysia.
Dr. Balakrishnan expressed his dismay in a tweet posted on Thursday, stating that he was appalled by Chia’s horrendous statements. He emphasized that Chia did not represent the views of Singaporeans and apologized for the offense caused to Malaysians, as Singapore values its ties with family and friends in Malaysia.
Singapore’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Mr. Vanu Gopala Menon, also expressed regret for Chia’s hurtful and offensive comments. In a statement released on Thursday, he clarified that the Singapore Government does not endorse words or actions that cause harm or hurt others. Menon emphasized the strong and multifaceted relationship between Singapore and Malaysia and stressed that Chia’s comments undermined the close trust and friendship shared by both nations and their people.
Singaporean distance runner, Soh Rui Yong, has once again been left out of the Singapore team and will not be participating in the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
On Thursday (Jun 8), the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) released a list of successful appeals, which did not include the 31-year-old runner. This decision comes a month after Soh’s comeback to the national team at the Cambodia SEA Games, where he won a silver medal in the men’s 10,000m race and set a new national record.
Soh’s return to the recent Phnom Penh Games marked the end of his absence of over five years, during which he had several disagreements with the SNOC. These disagreements eventually led to his exclusion from the 2019 and 2021 SEA Games, despite meeting the qualifying criteria for both events.
SNOC told Channel NewsAsia that its appeals committee for the Asian Games reviewed Singapore Athletics’ nomination for Soh’s participation and decided not to select him. A SNOC spokesperson mentioned that Soh had not fulfilled his commitments to the SNOC, which included making “disparaging and derisive” remarks about others in public, even after his participation in the Cambodia 2023 SEA Games. SNOC found this behavior inconsistent with Soh’s previous apology and his assurance to conduct himself in a more positive and professional manner.
SNOC did not provide specific details about the incidents that influenced their decision.
Soh told CNA that he was keeping a positive attitude despite being left out, stating that he is focused on training well and building on the positive momentum from the SEA Games. He remains hopeful that he will eventually be selected and believes he can become the first Singaporean to break the 31-minute barrier for the 10,000m event at the Asian Games.
It is important to note that Soh was also initially excluded from the Asian Games lineup last year, despite being nominated by Singapore Athletics for the men’s 10,000m event.
The Hangzhou Asian Games, which were postponed from 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held from September 23 to October 8.
In its statement, SNOC mentioned that Soh was given the opportunity to represent Singapore at the recent SEA Games after apologizing for his past behavior. The appeals committee for the SEA Games 2023 also considered various commitments made by Soh and Singapore Athletics to develop a positive and respectable off-track profile.
Soh has been involved in notable incidents in the past, including a dispute with teammate Ashley Liew after the 2015 SEA Games marathon event, and a disagreement with SNOC over sponsorship regulations during the 2017 SEA Games, which prevented Team Singapore athletes from using their names for promotional purposes without permission.
Upon the arrival of the SCDF firefighters, who conducted forced entry into the burning flat, an unconscious person was found inside the unit.
He was then carried out of the unit and brough to the ground floor where emergency medical services personnel performed Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on him.
The SCDF also added that about 50 people from the neighbouring units were evacuated by the SCDF and police as a precautionary measure.
They later updated that the fire resulted in 1 casualty, a 17-year-old boy who died after being conveyed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, according to The Straits Times.
At the time of writing, investigations into the cause of the fire is currently underway.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force’s statement
[Fire @ 783 Yishun Ring Road]
At about 8:55 p.m. today, SCDF was alerted to a fire at the abovementioned location.
Upon arrival, the fire was raging inside a unit on the 12th floor. SCDF firefighters conducted forced entry into the smoke-logged unit to fight the fire.
The fire involved contents of a bedroom and was extinguished by SCDF with a water jet. During the firefighting operation, SCDF found an unconscious person in the unit. The person was carried out of the unit by firefighters and brought to the ground floor.
SCDF’s emergency medical services personnel commenced Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and conveyed the person to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
About 50 persons from neighbouring units were evacuated by the SCDF and Police as a precautionary measure.
On 9 June at Mandai Bird Paradise, White cockatoo attacked my gal suddenly. She was taking photo of something else when that bird flew on her shoulder and attacked her ear suddenly. I told her not to move as we wont know what will happen. I was quick enough to snap a photo as evidence at same time and quickly saved her by using my finger from further biting. Her ear was bleeding non stop. The flesh spilt opened. I was very traumatized while she was calm. She could not feel anything especially that ear helix. The biting on my finger was pain as the beak was very strong. Husband said he pushed away the bird as I was in shock saving her ear.
We had bad experience waiting for help as we cant say we are near or far from entrance. No rangers around. End up we got cleaner to help us call for help. Ranger took 15mins to respond our medical emergency. We ended up to KTPH for further treatment. I myself had to take jab to prevent further infection especially wildlife biting
The ranger mentioned that its not the 1st time that white cockatoo attacked people. Omg, its too dangerous as bird can attack anybody. Biting on ear and cause bleeding is serious matter. I even asked why never capture that bird since it can attack anybody. I even private message Mandai Wildlife Reserve to give suggestion on emergency needs because there was no rangers nearby, they dont seem to be interested on my suggestion and said someone will follow up. Hope this picture will show awareness if you are at Bird Paradise. Its not funny if bird fly on you. They can attack suddenly.
Just an update on 12 June:
1) Both of us are recovering well. Thanks for concern.
2) People are concerned why Mother can take a photo while she was bitten. We read that we need to stay calm when bird flew from her back. We cant frighten the bird as we wont know what will happen. We told her not to move, I happen to have my camera on my hand and had a QUICK shot while we watched in a sec what the bird gonna do. End up I and my husband dashed up to her, use my middle finger to prevent more bites on her ear and my husband to push the bird away. Our action and reaction had been quick and my gal had no idea being bitten as she got no feeling.
3) My gal never provoke the bird. She was standing far from the bird. From her back view, we suspect the bird mistook either her hair, her ear and mask loop. Nobody know what could trigger the bird.
During a recent concert in Australia, Lisa, a member of the popular K-pop group Blackpink, grabbed headlines.
While Blackpink was performing on stage as part of their Born Pink tour, a concert attendee caught Lisa’s eye by holding up a Nintendo Switch.
Without hesitation, the fan offered the device to Lisa, who happily accepted it and took a brief pause from the performance to engage in a game of Mario Kart.
The incident was captured on video and swiftly shared on the social media platform TikTok, rapidly gaining traction.
The footage showcases Lisa completely engrossed in the game while her fellow bandmates continued with the concert.
After a few moments of gaming, Lisa chuckled and decided to end her gameplay, returning the Nintendo Switch to a nearby security guard who then handed it back to the enthusiastic fan.
In a subsequent video, the fan provided an explanation, sharing that he had been playing Mario Kart on his Nintendo Switch during the lengthy waiting period before the concert began.
When the performance commenced, he randomly raised the device, initially catching Jisoo’s attention and eventually capturing Lisa’s interest as well.
The TikTok video swiftly went viral, with users light-heartedly discussing the potential increase in Nintendo Switch sales.
Some even speculated that Lisa may have encountered a challenging “side quest” in the game, leading her to abandon it halfway through.
All in all, this incident contributed to the overall concert experience of Blackpink, creating a memorable moment for their fans in Australia and sparking significant online buzz.
Netizens’ comments
Nintendo switch touched by Lisa $500
Nintendo switch sales goes up
I would never clean my nintendo switch
Lisa completed a side quest
playing mario kart during blackpink is wild
Rose saying Lisa’s playing nintendo I have no idea why
I am a PHV driver for Grab, who only wanted a change of car and ended up an unwilling victim of a scam, involving a big famous reputable company who clearly does not want to take responsibility for their own staff. Just like that, I have been scammed of $172,000 and the ownership of my own car. I may not be able to get my money back, and God knows where the ownership of my vehicle is transferred to but I hope to share my story to everyone to at least raise the awareness that this, too, can happen to you.
On 25th April 2023, I made multiple enquiries online and browsed through ads on getting a new car. I have been very keen on getting a Toyota Voxy for awhile now. I went to look went down to *name/address redacted* to look around hoping to find what I was looking for. That’s when I met *name redacted*. He was a salesman at *name redacted*. Unfortunately, they did not have the car I was looking for so I left.
2 days later, I was contacted by *name redacted* via Whatsapp. He asked me if he could bring down another alternative vehicle, a Toyota Noah, for viewing at my convenience. I agreed to it because it was non-obligational too. I was reluctant at first because it was not the car I wanted initially but eventually agreed to it. I then made a deposit of $10,000 via scanning a QR code provided by him through his phone.
On the 28th April 2023, I contacted *name redacted* to inform him that after giving it much thought, I wanted to go for a Toyota Yaris Cross instead, and was even willing to deal with full cash, partially due to concerns taking up a loan. He came down, voided the previous agreement, issued a new one and after some discussions, I transferred another $50,000 via a UOB bank account number given by him. 1-2 days later, he told me that car will be ready for collection before 22nd May 2023, and that I could drive down my vehicle to do a swap on the day itself. Needless to say, I was happy to hear that. I was okay with the wait. The next few correspondence was about COE bidding, the rims I want and color to be done up, etc.
On 18th May 2023,*name redacted* came down to my place and he quoted me a price of $105,000 for my trade-in, which is a Honda Shuttle, and made me sign the agreement. I made the balance payment of $7,000 via the QR code again. He also assisted me to do the transfer of ownership of my trade-in vehicle to *name redacted* which I was very grateful for as I am not IT savvy, but ended up regretting later on.
On the 22nd May 2023, the day I was supposed to collect the car, he called me and told me that car was not ready for collection due to port delay and that it was still pending inspection by LTA. I was upset, but he gave me his word that by the 25th, the car will be ready for collection with PHV decal that he agreed to get done for me. As I had a tour trip out of Singapore from the 24th-29th, So I told him that we would do the exchange of vehicles on 30th May in the morning at their Ubi branch.
While on my tour, I attempted to call him to get some updates but to no avail. Even called his office hotline but was told by a lady that he has been on MC for about a week and have not been in the office. I felt more uneasy than ever. I went straight to their office the moment I was back from my tour and I was referred to the sales manager. He told me that the vehicle was ready for collection and they were just waiting for my payment. I was baffled. All payment that needed to be made have been paid so what could he possibly mean? He requested payment proof of everything which I complied. All payment proof was sent to them to do the relevant checking. Within the same day, the sales manager called me and informed me they did not received ANY of the payments I have made thus far, nor was the ownership of my vehicle transferred to them. They were not even aware of the trade-in as the agreement was altered by *name redacted* before handing it to them and that he must have sold it elsewhere. They told me that it will be dealt with accordingly but what will happen to the money I have paid for? Where on earth was the ownership transferred to? Will I be able to get everything back? My heart sank and I felt so lost. The only thing I could think about was to make a police report about it and so I did.
On 1st June 2023, the sales manager contacted me for a meet up with the MD, *name redacted*. I thought that this time, I could get some updates to the situation or maybe some sincere heartfelt apologies to ease my heavy heart but nothing came close. He pointed to the clause stated on sales agreement indicating that “All Payment Above $3,000 must be in cheque/CO made payable to *name redacted*, as if the instructions given to me were not given by their own salesman. To make matters worse, he also added on saying that they are victims themselves and the whole thing ended with me being told to just wait for police investigations to be done for both my money. It was on that day that I made a separate police report regarding my trade-in vehicle.
Which begs the question; what was the meet up even for? Just for *name redacted* to tell me that they have zero part to play in this and to insinuate that it is my fault and due to my negligence, even though we both know that I am not the only one and there are other customers that have fallen victim to this? Is the man that scammed me not your staff? I trusted your company and merely followed the instructions given by your salesman, and yet you have the audacity to turn this back on me? It was your salesman, carrying your company’s brand, who I trusted to do the transfer of the ownership of my car too. I never thought that this would happen to me, especially not with such a reputable company. Do I, as a consumer, as somebody who patronized your business deserve this? To have what happened to me treated so nonchalantly. The man has since been apprehended and many would argue that it is true, that I would have to wait for the police to do their jobs but was there not a better way for *name redacted* to deal with this? Just when I thought there was nothing anybody could do to make me feel worse too. I am enraged, upset, disappointed all at once. I feel betrayed by the company I have trusted enough to patronized. I thought I was careful, or perhaps prejudiced in a way, to go for well-renowned dealerships than smaller ones. Some people may even say that I should have been more cautious and checked on my part but this would be something you would never expect to happen to you. Especially when you’re dealing with company that has multiple big-shots, influencers, celebs and what-nots as their brand ambassadors.
To those who took their time to read my post, thank you and I appreciate it. And to those who are looking to do business with them, think twice because you may risk losing what I have lost and not a care in the world would be given to you. I have learned my lesson the hardest way and I hope nothing like this would ever happen to anyone else.
Is this the kind of company you wish to support? Think again.
A Singaporean climber who went missing after climbing Mount Everest on 19 May, Shrinivas Sainis, remains missing to this day.
In an additional heartbreaking development, his wife experienced another loss more than two weeks after his disappearance—their beloved canine companion.
Unexpectedly, the dog fell seriously ill on the same day her owner went missing.
On 23 May, an organization called Chained Dog Awareness in Singapore (CDAS) made a Facebook post stating that Latte, Shrinivas Sainis’ dog, had been exhibiting a loss of appetite for a few weeks prior.
Latte’s health had taken a turn for the worse on 19 May, coinciding with her owner’s disappearance. She vomited blood while at home that day.
When Latte was taken to a veterinary clinic, she experienced a seizure.
A diagnosis revealed advanced-stage kidney failure and a suspected adrenal gland tumor.
Latte’s medical condition deteriorated further on 5 June and tragically, she passed away the next day.
This unfortunate event occurred just over a week after Shrinivas Sainis was reported missing on Everest and four days before Latte’s scheduled surgery.
Despite receiving treatment, Latte’s condition rapidly declined to the point where she could no longer eat and was in pain.
Ultimately, the difficult decision was made to euthanize her to prevent further suffering.
CDAS expressed the belief that Latte is now free from suffering and has reunited with her beloved owner in a place of happiness and optimism.
Latte, previously a chained dog, found a caring home with Shrinivas Sainis and his wife
In a Facebook post, CDAS shared that Latte, a 14-year-old dog, was originally rescued as a chained dog.
Despite Latte’s severe food aggression and a history of biting, Shrinivas Sainis and his wife, Sushma Soma, chose to adopt her.
Latte spent two joyful years living with them.
CDAS stated that Shrinivas Sainis and Latte shared a special bond, describing him as a quiet, kind individual who remained dedicated to his pet despite the challenges they faced.
Sushma Soma, in an emotional tribute posted on Instagram, emphasized the beautiful connection between Latte and her husband.
Sushma Soma revealed that Latte had spent a significant part of her life chained in a small bathroom, which contributed to her tendency to bite people.
After being rescued, Latte was adopted by another family but was later returned to CDAS after biting them 11 times.
Despite initial difficulties, Shrinivas Sainis made the decision to provide a home for Latte, even though she also bit him and his wife initially.
Their persistence paid off, and Latte eventually grew to love them.
Sushma Soma expressed that Latte’s true life began when she entered Shrinivas Sainis’ world, highlighting the profound bond they shared.
While Sushma Soma grieves the loss of her dear pet, she finds solace in the profound love they all experienced, leaving her with a heart that feels “full” despite the emptiness in their home.
I am 31 years old and recently ROM-ed with my boyfriend of the past 4 years. anyways, we decided to consummate the marriage since we are now legally married.
it was my first time having S. well, i always expected it to be very pleasurable. however, it wasnt. and i didnt get to climax with him. and i guess i expected his d to be bigger, cos it is really very small (around 2 inches i think).
i really regret not havingS before marriage. before him, i have had a few other partners (all short flings that lasted less than a year). and whenever they suggested S, i always stuck to my principles that i wanted to keep my virginity till after i get married. this was even the reason i broke up with one of my previous partners.
im quite disappointed with my husband’s performance in the bedroom. if we had tried having S before this, perhaps i would have made a different choice as to whether to be with him forever. but other than that, he is a really nice to me, so i know i should not let such shallow things as S pleasure hinder our marriage. anyways, if i want to climax i can always just use a S toyor something… 🙁
i guess i always imagined life after marriage to be filled with pleasurable S. really wish i got to experience S with other men, so that at least i know how it is supposed to feel like with a normal sized d. but now if i were to have S with other men it would be considered adultery…
does anyone have any suggestions on positions to make S more enjoyable with a very small d? im quite sad…
just felt like reflecting on some stuff. For some reason when me and my ex broke up i didnt grief as much as i did in a previous relationship, and thinking about it i felt it may be because i know i deserve alot more than what she had to afford, which were just bare minimum or sometimes even not.
She was broken when she entered the rs and i tried my best to help her and “fix” her but in the process had also lost myself. She doesnt rly make me feel loved, i receive the most dry “gd morning” text from her, it doesnt seem like she is excited to spend time with me too and never once gave me any reassurance, especially since she hangs out with alot of guys and even go out 1 on 1 afew times, and im not talking about sweet text(which NEVER happened ONCE throughout the time we dated). She also wears shirts that belongs to other guys which i personally feel is unacceptable( i wld understand if it was a new shirt given as a gift).
She’s lowkey a gold digger also because i realise i always end up spending at least half of whatever money i have each month on her. And while im taking time to heal now she’s going ard seeking affirmation from other guys trying to fill the void i left which is kind of toxic in my opinion.
That doesnt bother me though because her next relationship wont end up lasting seeing how she treats the whole situation and she’ll probably end up continuously filling that void till she finally wakes up and realise her own mistakes. At least i get to laugh at her glow down while i have my glow up and watch my bank account grow and eventually find someone else to give the world to and spend my money on. And if she sees this i hope she’ll realise that it is her loss because someone who she once complained about being poor is now 10 times richer and she lost someone that would do anything for her while all i lost was someone who couldnt give me the simplest words of affirmation.
You may think u got the better end of the breakup but deep down you know u’ve messed up;)
I am here to seek advice about the psychology of girls. It is a long story. I was in a relationship with this girl three years ago, when I was a fresh graduate from NUS and started my first job, and she was a final-year high school student in my home country, going to study overseas in a Western country (for our background, we are not Singaporeans, and are from an Asia-Pacific country). Our relationship finished several months after she travelled overseas.
In fact, we did not have any conflict. She was the one who started ignoring my messages, and as it was a long-distance relationship, I had no choice but to finish it after a few weeks of awkwardness. After that, I just simply moved on; however, right after we stopped keeping contact, I noticed a significant change in her mind and behaviour (it was all based on my observation on social media). Previously, she was an energetic girl with dark brown skin.
She was a kind of person who can make friend with everyone, had a great sense of humour, and actively participated in a lot of co-curricular activities. Her posts and photos on social media attracted a lot of likes and comments, and she also enthusiastically interacted with friends online. However, after we stopped keeping contact, she seemed to change a lot, both physically and mentally. Until now, to some extent, I can say that the change is quite extreme.
1/ She follows a lot of groups/pages about make-up, beauty, cosmetic, clothes.
Especially, she follows many groups/pages which give advices to girls (the main ideas are sth like the importance of virgin, girls should never have s*x before marriage, girls should be beautiful and wait for ‘Mr. Right’ instead of being active in a relationship, and ‘Mr. Right’ will do everything for the girl, and so on).
2/ Her skin became brighter and pale, and her hair became softer and unnatural. She always wears long, colourful and vintage dresses (instead of casual clothes such as jeans and T-shirt).
To easily imagine, you can think of Western women in late 19th / early 20th century, like in Gone with the wind, and Titanic.
3/ On social media, her interaction with people become less enthusiastic. Her replies to others comments seem to be careful and distant, which is a sharp contrast to her humorous, friendly and energetic behaviour in the past. Gradually, less people interact with her on social media.
4/ Despite the less activeness on social media, she starts practicing to have a Youtube channel, and an Instagram about cooking. However, they do not last long. Overall, the whole story was in three years ago.
I stopped thinking about it for a long time and also have experiences with several other girls after that. However, I recently got an offer to study in the same city with her (in that Western country). Hence, I start remembered about the past and I think of contacting her again. To be honest, I really loved her personality in the past when we was in relationship; however, I am confused about her new personality.
My post is to seek advices and explanations i.e. what could be the reasons of her change in personality, what does it mean, and what should I do to deal with it. Thanks a lot!
