50 year old Caleb Joshua Chai Shanmugam, a renovation firm director who fled Singapore after allegedly killing his business partner, 27-year-old Rachael Ang Qi Ying, was discharged from Changi General Hospital on 30 November, according to The Straits Times.

He will be remanded at the Central Police Division for a week, and he will be taken out during his remand to assist the police with their investigations.

Chai requested to speak to his wife during a brief court mention yesterday (2 December) but was rejected by the judge, who said that it was up to his investigation officer’s discretion.

Recap

50-year-old Caleb Joshua Chai Shanmugam, is being accused of killing 27-year-old Rachael Ang Qi Ying at a ground floor unit at 2 Beach Road, on 9 November at about 7pm.

Ang was reportedly missing for 4 days before being found dead at the shop in Beach Road, where she was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Shanmugam and Ang were co-directors of a renovation company called Smart Click Services, which is registered to an address at Peninsula Plaza and the two were listed as directors from 1 October 2021, according to The Straits Times.

The police were alerted to a case of unnatural death on 13 November, and identified the 50-year-old in connection to the case after a missing person report was made on 10 November.

Shanmugam had left for Malaysia on 10 November and the Singapore police then sought the help of the Royal Malaysia Police, and he was then arrested in JB and handed over to the Singapore Police.

He is being represented by Suang Wijaya and Sophia Ng from the Eugene Thuraisingam law firm and he was charged at Changi General Hospital with murder.

If convicted, he faces the death penalty.

About 15 empty shipping containers at Keppel Terminal fell into the sea yesterday (1 December) because of strong winds, according to The Straits Times.

There were no injuries reported from the incident and the containers are currently in the midst of being recovered from the sea.

ST reported that the containers had dropped from the wharf due to strong winds from a sudden gust, and pictures emerged on social media showing the containers floating in the sea.

A spokesperson for PSA Corp said that they are recovering the containers.

They added that port operations have not been disrupted by the incident and that there were no injuries reported as well.

The Port Authority of Singapore has also yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

First, apologies for the poor quality of the photo. It was taken at the end of a long day when my staff and I took the trash to the refuse centre deep in the bowels of the building. As you can imagine, we weren’t exactly in the mood for a glamour shot.

Jokes aside, this is the reality of what my staff (and those of other countless F&B joints) go through each and every day. After an unforgiving day standing behind a hot stove or in front of a 200° oven, they have to scrub the floor, wash the pots and pans, wipe down the equipment, clear the trash, and, of course, prepare for the following day.

It’s a back-breaking job. I know it because I do it with them. I do it because I want to know what it’s like to walk a mile in their shoes.

And it is no wonder that few Singaporeans want the job.

But just imagine if no one did it. Where would we go to have that nice lunch or evening out with friends and family?

And it’s the time when we’re most relaxed and in the mood for fun – weekends and year-ends – that service workers have to work the hardest and forego their leisure time. Behind that merry-making are people who slog to serve and clean up after us.

So, the next time you visit Orange & Teal – and I hope you do especially this time of the year when the two outlets are all decked in our Christmas best – say hello to the servers. I know I walk with an extra spring in my step whenever I see you smile and hear you pay a kind compliment. I’m sure they do, too.

Whether it’s Chef Anabel or Operations Manager Irene (whom many of you have met and who was also my election agent during the last GE), my staff come in every single day and give nothing but their all.

Of course, we don’t always hit the mark. We’ve messed up many times with your orders or not have your dish exactly the way you want it.

For that I apologise, the fault is mine and mine alone. Despite our best efforts, we come up short. All I can promise you is that we give our 100% and will continue to do that.

But if you’ve enjoyed your time at O&T, and I know many of you have, please consider leaving a tip for my staff – those who serve you in front and the others in the kitchen you don’t see.

I don’t levy the 10% service charge. I prefer it to come from your heart. Believe me, they work their hearts out and earn every cent of their wages.

Which brings me to a more philosophic question: What’s a person worth? Why do some people make $100,000 (or more) a month just because they have the megaphone to tell you that they are a bargain for that price while others have to quietly sacrifice and slog to take home $3,000? How do we determine the value of each human being, anyway?

This is the political me speaking again. But I’ll leave the topic for another occasion.

For now, I just want to wish you and your loved ones a happy Holiday Season. It’s that time of the year when we cherish that most important thing in our lives – family and friends.

So, come to Orange & Teal to spend some of that time with them, won’t you? I hope to see you there.