The Usual Place The Straits Times

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 young voters are looking for in Singapore's next PM

12:19 What are these young voters 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 (natashaz@sph.com.sg)

Edited by producers: Teo Tong Kai and Eden Soh

Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong

Filmed by: Joel Chng and Marc Justin De Souza, ST Video

Follow The Usual Place Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm 

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX 

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P 

ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

Read Natasha Zachariah's articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

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Discover more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u

In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt

COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE

Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7

Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN

Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX

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ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa

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Special edition series:

True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2

Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn

Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa

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Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

#tup #tuptr
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

DM Natasha your thoughts on this topic at her IG: https://str.sg/8Wav

Candice Gallagher on TikTok: https://str.sg/KVvw

Shaun Elias Chua on TikTok: https://str.sg/AeCK

Jacey Vong on Twitch: https://str.sg/752E

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

Follow The Usual Place Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm 

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX 

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P 

ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

Read Natasha Zachariah's articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

---

Discover more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u

In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt

COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE

Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7

Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN

Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX

---

ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa

---

Special edition series:

True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2

Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn

Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa

---

Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

#tup #tuptr
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, and flat 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?

DM Natasha your thoughts on this topic at her IG: https://str.sg/8Wav

Watch the video version of this episode: https://str.sg/nZDz

Produced by: Natasha Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Lynda Hong and Studio+65

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai & Eden Soh

Follow The Usual Place Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm 

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX 

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P 

ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

Read Natasha Zachariah's articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

---

Discover more ST podcast channels:

The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u

COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE

Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7

Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN

Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX

Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

---

Special edition series:

True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2

Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn

Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa

---

Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

#tup #tuptr
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.