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Hey before I begin I just want to thank all of you who have joined the patreon, you guys are awesome. Please let me know what other figures, events or other things you want to hear about in the future and I will try to make it happen.   If you are a long time listener to the Pacific War week by week podcast over at KNG or viewer of my youtube channel you have probably heard me talk about Tomoyuki Yamashita, the Tiger of Malaya quite often. It goes without saying when it comes to Japanese generals of WW2 he stands out. Not just to me, from the offset of the war he made a large impression on westerners, he achieved incredible feats early on in the war. Now if you look up books about him, you will pretty much only find information in regards to his infamous war crimes trial. Hell it was so infamous the legal doctrine of hierarchical accountability for war crimes, whereby a commanding officer is legally responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by his subordinates, was created. This is known as the command responsibility or “the Yamashita standard”. His court case was very controversial, he remains a controversial figure, certainly to the people of territories he campaigned in, but I think what can be said of him the most is he was special amongst the Japanese generals. Anyways lets get the show on the road as they say.   So who was Yamashita? When he was 59 years old commanding forces in the Philippines against General Douglas MacArthur, he weighed 220 ls and stood 5 feet 9 inches. His girth pressed out against his green army uniform. He had an egg shaped head, balding, wide spaced eyes and a flat nose. He wore a short mustache, sort of like Hitlers, until it grayed then he shaved it off. He was not a very attractive man, Filipinos referred to him as “old potato face” while Americans called him “a florid, pig faced man”.   Tomobumi Yamashita was born in 1885, he was the second son of Dr. Sakichi Yamashita and Yuu Yamashita in Osugi village, on Shikoku island. Like most males of his day he was indoctrinated into military preparatory school from a young age. Yamashita had no chosen the army as a career, in his words ‘my father suggested the idea, because I was big and healthy, and my mother did not seriously object because she believed, bless her soul, that I would never pass the highly competitive entrance examination. If I had only been cleverer or had worked harder, I would have been a doctor like my brother”Yamashita would graduate from the 18th class of the IJA academy in november of 1905, ranked 16th out of 920 cadets.    In 1908 he was promoted to the rank of Lt and during WW1 he fought against Imperial German and Austro-Hungarian forces in the famous siege of Qingdao, which if you are interested I did an episode over on my Youtube channel about this battle. Its a very overlooked battle, but many histories firsts occurred at it like the first carrier attack. In 1916 he was promoted to captain and attended the 28th class of the Army War college to graduate sixth in his class that year. He also married Hisako Nagayama in 1916, she was the daughter of the retired General Nagayama.    It seems Yamashita's brush against the Germans in 1914 had a huge influence on him, because he became fascinated with Germany and would serve as assistant military attache at Bern and Berlin from 1919-1922. He spent his time in Germany alongside Captain Hideki Tojo, both men would run into each other countless times and become bitter rivals. Both men toured the western front, visiting Hamburg and witnessed first hand the crippling inflation and food prices that came from Germany's defeat. Yamashita said to Tojo then “If Japan ever has to fight any nation, she must never surrender and get herself in a state like this.” He returned to Japan in 1922, was promoted to major and served a few different posts in the Imperial Headquarters and Staff College. Yamashita became a leading member of the Kodoha faction, while Tojo became a leading member of the rival Toseiha faction. In 1927 Yamashita was sent again to Europe, this time to Vienna as a military attache. Just prior to departing he had invested in a business selling thermometers starting by one of his wife's relatives, the business failed horribly and Yamashita was tossed into debt, bailiffs literally came to seize his house. As told to us by his biographer “For a regular officer to have contracted such a debt, however innocently, was a disgrace. He felt he should resign his commission.” Yamashita's brother refused to allow him to quit, instructing him to leave for Vienna, while he resolved his debts. His days in Vienna were the best of his life, professed Yamashita. He studied economics at Vienna university and made friends with a Japanese widow, who introduced him to a German woman named Kitty and they had an affair. This would spring forward his reputation as an eccentric officer. Yamashita was obsessed over hygiene,and refused to eat fruit unless it was thoroughly washed. He avoided ice water, hated dancing and never learnt how to drive a car. One of his most notable quirks was his habit of falling asleep often during meetings where he legendarily would snore. Like I may have said in previous podcast and youtube episodes, this guy was quite a character, often described as a big bear.    Now this is not a full biography on Yamashita so I cant devolve to far into things, such as his first fall from grace. During the February 26th coup incident of 1936, Yamashita was a leading member of the Kodoha faction and helped mediate a peaceful end to the standoff, however in truth he was backing the coup. He simply managed to not get caught red handed at the time doing too much for the mutineers, regardless he lost favor with the outraged Emperor and many young captains whom he loved like sons killed themselves in disgrace. If you want to know more about the February coup of 1936, check out my series on Emperor Hirohito or General Ishawara, they both talk about it in depth and touch upon Yamashita's role a bit.    The coup led to the dissolvement of the Kodoha faction and the dominance of the Toseiha, led by Tojo. Yamashita tried to resign from the IJA, but his superiors dissuade him. He was relegated to a post in Korea, which honestly was a punishment. Yamashita would say “When I was posted to Korea, I felt I had been given a tactful promotion but that in fact my career was over. Even when I was given my first fighting company in North China, I still felt I had no future in the Army, so I was always on the front line, where the bullets flew the thickest. I sought only a place to die.”  He had some time to reflect upon his conduct while in Korea, he began to study Zen Buddhism. He was promoted to Lt General in November of 1937 and when the China war broke out he was one of those speaking out that the incident needed to end swiftly and that peaceful relations must be made with the UK and US. He received a unimportant post in the Kwantung army and in 1938 was assigned command of the IJA 4th division. He led the forces during in northern china against insurgents until he returned to Tokyo in July of 1940. His fellow officers lauded him as Japan's finest general. Meanwhile Tojo had ascended to war minister and one of his first moves was to send a delegation to Germany. Tojo considered Yamashita a ruthless and forceful commander and feared he would become a powerful rival against him one day. Yamashita would go on the record to say then “I have nothing against Tojo, but he apparently has something against me.” You see, Yamashita had no political ambitions, unlike Tojo who was by nature a political monster. “My life, is that of a soldier; I do not seek any other life unless our Emperor calls me.” In late 1940, Tojo asked Yamashita to lead a team of 40 experts on a 6 month train tour of Germany and Italy, a move that kept him out of Tokyo, because Tojo was trying to solidify his political ambitions. This is going to become a looming theme between the two men.   He was presented to Adolf Hitler in January of 1941, passing along messages from Tojo and publicly praising the Fuhrer, though privately he was very unimpressed by the man  “He may be a great orator on a platform, with his gestures and flamboyant way of speaking. But standing behind his desk listening he seems much more like a clerk.” Hitler pressed upon him to push Japan to declare war on Britain and the US. At the time of course Japan was facing China and had two major conflicts with the USSR, thus this was absolutely not in her interest. “My country is still fighting in China, and we must finish that war as soon as possible. We are also afraid that Russia may attack us in Manchuria. This is no time for us to declare war on other countries.” Yamashita hoped to inspect Germany's military techniques and technology to help Japan. Hitler promised open exchanges of information stating “All our secrets are open to you,”, but this would prove to be a lie. “There were several pieces of equipment the Germans did not want us to see. Whenever I tried to persuade the German General Staff to show us things like radar—about which we had a rudimentary knowledge—the conversation always turned to something else.”   Yamashita met with field Marshal Hermann Goring who gave him an overview of the war in europe. Goring would complain about Yamashita falling asleep during lectures and meetings and he believed the man was drunk often. Yamashita met Benito Mussolini in June of 1941 receiving a similar rundown to what he got in Germany. Yamashita visited Kitty in Vienna for a quick fling, but overall the trip deeply impacted Yamashita's resolve that Japan should stay out of the Europeans war and that Germany made a grievous error invading the USSR in June of 1941. This is what he said the members of the commission “You know the results of our inspection as well as I do. I must ask you not to express opinion in favor of expanding the alliance between Japan, Germany and Italy. Never suggest in your report that Japan should declare war on Great Britain and the United States. We must not and cannot rely upon the power of other nations. Japan needs more time, particularly as there may be aggression against us from Russia. We must have time to rebuild our defense system and adjust the whole Japanese war machine. I cannot repeat this to you often enough.” His report was similar, and it really pissed off Tojo who was trying to develop plans for a war against America. Yamashita would then get exiled to Manchuria in July of 1941, but Tojo's resentment towards him could only go so far, because Yamashita was one of their best generals and in his planned war against Britain and America, he would need such a man.   Yamashita's time in Europe reshaped his views on how to conduct war. He saw first hand blitzkrieg warfare, it seems it fascinated him. He consistently urged the implementation of new proposals calling for the streamlining of air arms; to mechanize the Army; to integrate control of the armed forces in a defense ministry coordinated by a chairman of Joint Chiefs of staff; to create a paratroop corps and to employ effective propaganda. Basically he saw what was working for the Germans against the allies and wanted Japan to replicate it. Tojo did not like many of the proposal, hated the fact they were coming from Yamashita, so he obviously was not keen on making them happen. Luckily for Yamashita he would be given a chance to implement some of his ideas in a big way.   On November 6th of 1941, Lt General Yamashita was appointed commander of the 25th Japanese army. His orders were to seize the Malay Peninsula and then the British naval base at Singapore. The Malaya Peninsula snakes 700 miles south of Thailand, a rugged sliver of land that constricts at its narrowest point to about 60 miles wide. It hold mountains that split the peninsula in half, some going as high as 7000 feet. During this time Malaya produced around 40% of the worlds rubber, 60% of its tin, two resources vital for war. At its very southern tip lies Singapore, a diamond shaped island connected to the mainland by a 1115 stone causeway. Singapore's largest asset was its naval base guarding the passage from the Pacific and Indian oceans. Together Malay and Singapore represented the key to controlling what Japan called the Southern Resource Area.   Singapore was known as the gibraltar of the east for good reason. It was a massively fortified naval base. The base had been developed between 1923-1938 and cost 60 million pounds, around 2 billion pounds today. It was 21 square miles, had the largest dry dock in the world, the 3rd largest floating dock and enough fuel tanks to support the entire royal navy for 6 months. She was defended by 15 inch naval guns stationed at the Johre battery, Changi and Buona vista battery. And despite the infamous myth some of you may have heard, these guns were fully capable of turning in all directions including the mainland. For those unaware a myth perpetuated after the fall of Singapore that her large 15 inch guns could not turn to the mainland and that this spelt her doom, no it was not that, it was the fact they mostly had armor piercing shells which are using to hit ships and not land targets. Basically if you fire an armor piercing shell at land it imbeds itself then explodes, while HE shells would have torn any Japanese army to pieces. Alongside the 15 inch monsters, there were countless other artillery pieces such as 9.2 inch guns. By December of 1941 Malaya and Singapore held 164 first line aircraft out of a total of 253 aircraft, but many of the fighters were the obsolete Brewster F2A Buffalo, a pretty slow, fat little beast that could take a licking as it was armored, but against the Zero fighter it was unbelievably outmatched in speed and maneuverability.    The Japanese acquired a major gift prior to the outbreak of war. On november 11th, 1940, the SS Automedon, a German raider attacked the HMS Atlantis which was carrying documents intended for the British far east command. The documents indicated the British fleet was not going to help Singapore; that Britain would not declare war if Thailand was invaded and that Hong Kong was expendable. The Germans gave the documents to the Japanese who were very excited by the information.    Starting in January of 1941, Colonel Masanobu Tsuji led the Taiwan Army Research section based on Formosa to investigate how a campaign could be waged in Malay and Singapore. His findings on the defenses of Malay and Singapore were summed up in these 3 points: 1. Singapore Fortress was solid and strong facing the sea, but vulnerable on the peninsular side facing the Johore Strait;  Newspaper reports of a strong Royal Air Force (RAF) presence were propaganda;  Although British forces in Malaya numbered from five to six divisions (well over 80,000 men), less than half were Europeans.    Now just a little bit about Tsuji as he was to become the chief of staff operations and planning under Yamashita. Tsuji was extremely insubordinate and a political schemer. He was a Toseiha faction fanatic, loyal to Tojo and thus definitely an enemy to Yamashita. Yamashita wrote of Tsuji in his war diary “is egotistical and wily. He is a sly dog and unworthy to serve the country. He is a manipulator to be carefully watched.” Tsuji would go on to have a infamous reputation for ordering atrocities in the name of his superiors, often without them knowing and this would be very much the case under Yamashita. Now using Tsuji's intelligence Yamashita began plans at his HQ at Samah, a port on Hainan island, starting in November of 1941 on how to launch the campaign. He was initially offered 5 divisions for the invasion, but he felt he could accomplish the objective with only three. There are a few reasons why he believed this; first, Tsuji's research suggested the peninsula roads would be the center of the battlefront and that the flanks would extend no more than a km or so to the left or right due to the dense jungle terrain (in fact Yamashita was planning to assault from the jungle specifically); 2nd intelligence indicated the defending troops were not of the highest caliber (the British were busy in Europe thus many of the troops in southeast asia were poorly trained, half were british regulars the rest were Australian, Indian and Malayan); 3rd Yamashita was aware “the Japanese army were in the habit of flinging more troops into the battle than could possibly be maintained” boy oh boy tell that one to the future boys on Guadalcanal. Thus he calculated 3 divisions was the maximum to be fed, equipped and supplied. Based on his recommendations the 25th army was created with 3 divisions; the 5th under Lt General Takuma Matsui; 18th under Lt General Renya Mutaguchi and the Imperial guards division of Lt General Takuma Nishimura. Supporting these would be two regiment of heavy field artillery and the 3rd tank brigade. Something that made Yamashita's campaign quite interesting was the usage and amount of tanks. He was invading with around 200 or so tanks consisting of the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, type 97 Chi-Ha and Type 89 I-Go medium tanks and Type 97 Te-Ke tankettes. For aircraft he had the 3rd Air division, 459 aircraft strong with an additional 159 aircraft from the IJN to support them. The 3rd air division had a variety of aircraft such as Nakajima Ki-27 Nate's, Nakajima ki-43 Oscars, Kitsubishi ki-51 Sonia's, Kawasaki ki-48 Lily's, Mitsubishi ki-21 sally's, Mitsubishi ki-30 Ann's, Mitsubishi ki-15 babs and Mitsubishi ki-46 dinahs. For the IJN it was the 22nd air flotilla using Mitsubishi G3M1 Nell's, Mitsubishi A5M4 Claudes and some A6M Zeros. To say it was a lot of firepower at his disposal is an understatement, Yamashita was packing heat, heat he could use in a blitzkrieg fashion.   His staff at Samah identified 5 operational objectives: 1 Simultaneous capture of Singora and Patani, Thailand and Kota Bharu, Malaya.  2 Capture of all enemy airfields in southern Thailand and Malaya.  3 Occupation of Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.  4 Occupation of Johore Bahru, and control of Johore Strait.  5 Conquest of Singapore.    Colonel Tsuji, appointed Chief of Operations and Planning for the 25th Army, proposed the following plan which was readily approved:  Land the main strength of the 5th Division simultaneously and without warning at Singora and Patani, and at the same time land a powerful section of the 18th Division to attack Kota Bharu.  The troops disembarked at Singora and Patani to press forward immediately to attack the line of the Perak River Hand capture its bridge and the Alor Star aerodrome.  The troops landed at Kota Bharu to press forward along the eastern coast as far as Kuantan.    The landing at Kota Bharu, the only one in Malaya was expected to be opposed and quite risky. But if it was successful, it would create a useful diversion away from the main force landings in Thailand.   The landings took place around 2:15am local time on December 8th, about an hour and 20 minutes before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The landings went largely unopposed, except at Kota Bahru where the Japanese saw heavy resistance. The British had anticipated this landing point and created operation Matador, a plan to pre-emptively invade southern thailand to secure defensive lines against the Japanese, however this plan was never accepted by British high command for obvious political reasons. But on December 5th, with a Japanese invasion looking certain, suddenly London gave permission to the Far east commanders to decide if Operation matador should be activated or not. The commander in Malaya, General Arthur Percival recommended forestalling it, fearing to violate Thai sovereignty, which ultimately would be the doom of a defense for Malaya.   At the battle of Kota Bharu, the 9th infantry division of Major General Barstow attempted holding off the Japanese from taking the important Kota Bharu airfield. The 8th brigade of Billy Key had fortified the beaches with pillboxes, barbed wire and land mines. The Japanese took heavy losses, but they were able to find gaps and fill them up until Brigadier Key had to ask permission to pull out. The royal air force at Kota Bharu tossed Hudson bombers to hit the troop transports, but it was a suicide mission to do so. Meanwhile the IJA 5th division landed at Pattani and Songkhla in Thailand while the Imperial guards division marched over the border from French Indochina. The Japanese encountered very little resistance, the leader of Thailand Plaek Pibulsonggram had been trying to get assurances from the allies and Japanese all the way up until the invasion, once the Japanese landed he knew his best option was to play nice and sign an armistice. This basically spelt doom for malaya as the Japanese were given access to Thailand's airfields which they used to smash the forward airfields in Malaya.   The first day of aerial encounters were a catastrophe for the British. General Percival would comment “The rapidity with which the Japanese got their air attacks going against our aerodromes was quite remarkable. Practically all the aerodromes in Kelantan, Kedah, Province Wellesley, and Penang, were attacked, and in most cases fighters escorted the bombers. The performance of Japanese aircraft of all types, and the accuracy of their bombing, came as an unpleasant surprise. By the evening our own air force had already been seriously weakened.” Brigadier Key withdrew after causing an estimated 800 casualties upon the Japanese while taking roughly 465. While Kota Bharu was being fought over, Percival unleashed Operation Krohcol, a 2.0 of Matador seeing British forces cross into Thailand to intercept the incoming enemy. It was an absolute disaster, the British attackers were defeated not only by the Japanese 5th division, but some Royal Thai police also defended their territory. The operation had basically become a race to who could seize the important focal point first and the Japanese took it first thus winning decisively. To add to that misery, force Z, consisting of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales,, battlecruiser Repulse and 4 destroyers tried to intercept the Japanese invasion fleet only to be utterly destroyed by overwhelming Japanese airforces.   Within 4 days of the landings, the 5th division advanced from Singora through the town of Jitra to capture the RAF airfield at Alor star, around 100 miles away. Yamashita managed this using flanking techniques that saw his army take town after town and airfield after airfield. There were numerous natural obstacles to the advance such as dense jungles, very long supply lines, torrential rain and heat, but he had a secret weapon, bicycles. At Jitra Percival made his first major stand. Holding Jitra would safeguard the northern airfields of Malaya, but it was a folly to do so as the airfields in question were not provided adequate aircraft and the British lacked something extremely important to be able to defend themselves, tanks. Colonel Tsuji saw the fighting at Jitra first hand and reported “Our tanks were ready on the road, and the twenty or so enemy armored cars ahead were literally trampled underfoot … The enemy armored cars could not escape by running away, and were sandwiched between our medium tanks … It was speed and weight of armor that decided the issue.” The British had spread themselves far too thinly across a 14 mile front with jungle on their right flank and rubber plantations and mangrove swamps to their left. Yamashita used a innovative blitzkrieg like tactic, he combined his air, artillery, tanks and bicycle infantry to punch holes in concentrated attacks forcing allied defenders to withdraw. As Percival would write later in his memoirs “This withdrawal would have been difficult under the most favorable conditions. With the troops tired, units mixed as the result of the fighting, communications broken and the night dark, it was inevitable that orders should be delayed and that in some cases they should never reach the addressees. This is what in fact occurred … the withdrawal, necessary as it may have been, was too fast and too complicated for disorganized and exhausted troops, whose disorganization and exhaustion it only increased”    Yamashita had ingeniously thought of employing large numbers of bicycles for his infantry so they could keep up momentum and speed with his mechanized forces. Oh and he didn't bring thousands of bicycles over to Malaya, the real genius was that they were there ready for him. His intelligence prior to the invasion indicated nearly all civilians in malaya had bicycles, so when the Japanese came over they simply stole them. Half of Yamashitas troops moved in motor vehicles while the rest road on 18,000 bicycles. As noted by Tsuji “With the infantry on bicycles, there was no traffic congestion or delay. Wherever bridges were destroyed the infantry continued their advance, wading across the rivers carrying their bicycles on their shoulders, or crossing on log bridges held up on the shoulders of engineers standing in the stream.” They Japanese overwhelmed the defenders who were forced to fight, flee into the jungles or flee along the roads where they were simply outsped by the faster Japanese. The defenders left numerous stores of food, abandoned vehicles, and supplies that Yamashita's men would dub “churchill's allowance”. British Lt Colonel Spencer Chapmanwas forced to hide on the sides of roads watching Japanese pedal past remarking “The majority were on bicycles in parties of forty or fifty, riding three or four abreast and talking and laughing just as if they were going to a football match.” The Japanese had the ability to carry their gear on the bicycles, giving them an enormous advantage over the allies fleeing on foot. The Japanese could travel faster, further and less fatigued. When the British destroyed 250 bridges during their flight, “the Japanese infantry (to continue) their advance, wading across the rivers carrying their bicycles on their shoulders, or crossing on log bridges held up on the shoulders of engineers standing in the stream”. The British could not escape the bicycle blitzkrieg as it became known, countless were forced to surrender under constant pressure and relentless pursuit.    Alongside the bicycle warfare, whenever Yamashita faced terrain unsuitable for his tanks, he ordered amphibious landings further south to outflank the enemy's  rear.   Meanwhile the war in the air went equally terrible for the allies. The RAF had pulled back its best pilots and aircraft to deal with the war for Britain against the Luftwaffe. 21 airfields were in Malaya and Singapore, few of them had modern facilities, only 15 concrete runways. The heavy rain made the grass airstrips unusable. All the airfields were allocated around 8 heavy and 8 light anti aircraft guns. Quality radar units were completely inadequate. The Super Spitfires and Hyper Hurricanes were mostly in Britain fighting the Germans, while Buffaloes were allocated to Malaya. The Japanese airforces easily overcame the allied opposition and established air superiority quickly. Launching from airfields in Vietnam, they bombed all the airfields into submission and continuously applied pressure to Singapore. . The aerial dominance of the Zero and ‘Oscar' fighters served to undermine the morale of the British infantryman on the ground. As historian H. P. Wilmot has observed, “in the opening phase of the war the Zero-sen was just what the Japanese needed, and the Allies were devastated by the appearance of a ‘super fighter.' To add insult to injury, every airfield taken starting at the most northern going further and further south towards Singapore offered the Japanese new launching points to make for faster attack.   Yamashita's forces reached the southern tip of the peninsula in just 8 weeks, his men had covered some 700 miles, about 12 miles a day on average. They fought 95 large and smaller battles doing so. Multiple lines of defense were erected one after another to try and halt the Japanese advance, to kill their momentum. Starting at the beach landings, to Jitra, then to Kampar, over the Slim river, then Johor. The British failed to employ “leave behind forces” to provide guerilla warfare in lost territories leading not only the Japanese to easily consolidate their gains, the Thai's also came down and grabbed some territory. At the battle of Muar Major General Gordon Bennet deployed the allied defenders south of the Muar River and it was widely believed here they would finally halt the Japanese. Then the Imperial Guards division outflanked them performing an amphibious landing and advancing down the coastal route. The 5th Japanese division followed a parallel route through the center and the 18th division landed near Endau. The allies were thus surrounded and took heavy casualties, countless were forced to flee through swamps and thick jungle abandoned their stuff. Gordons 45th brigade were absolutely shattered, effectively disbanded and left north of the Muar river as the rest of the allies fled south. The defeat at Muar broke the British belief they could hold even a toehold on Malay. Percivals strategy to fight delaying actions until the arrival of reinforcements to Singapore had fatally undermined his troops ability to hold onto defensive positions. As the British governor of the Johore straits settlement, Sir Shenton Thomas would say on January 6th ‘“We … have gone in for mechanized transport to the nth degree. It is a fearsomely cumbersome method. We have pinned our faith to the few roads but the enemy used tracks and paths, and gets round to our rear very much as he likes.”” Yet alongside the conquest came a series of atrocities.    At the Parit Sulong Bridge south of the Muar, Captain Rewi Snelling was left behind with 150 wounded Australian and Indian soldiers not able to trek south. The Imperial guards division herded them into buildings, denied them medical treatment, many of the Indians were beheaded, others shot. This become known as the parit sulong massacre. Its hard to saw what Yamashita would have known about this incident, it technically was under the command of Takuma nishimura. On January 22nd, Nishimura gave the orders for prisoners to be forced outside, doused with petrol and set on fire. Nishimura would be sentenced to life in prison by a Singapore court, but on a flight back to Japan he was hijacked by Australian military police in Hong Kong who grabbed him and held a trial for the Parit Sulong massacre, finding him guilty and hanging him on june 11th of 1951.    When the Japanese reached the straits of Johore, Yamashita took several days to perform reconnaissance, allowing his forces to regroup and prepare to attack the massive fortress. His plan for the invasion would see the Imperial guards perform a feint attack on the northeast side of Singapore, landing on the nearby Palau Ubin island on february 7th. The 5th and 18th division would remain concealed in the jungle until the night of the night of the 8th when they would cross the Johore and hit the northwest side of Singapore. The causeway to Singapore had been blown up by the retreating British, but the ability for Singapore to defend itself from a northern attack was lackluster. When Churchill was told by Wavell the Japanese sat on the other side of the Johore strait ready to attack the fortress he said ““I must confess to being staggered by Wavell's telegram. It never occurred to me for a moment that … Singapore … was not entirely fortified against an attack from the Northwards …””   With barely enough supplies or logistical support for his campaign, Yamashita's rapid advance down the Malay peninsula walked a tightrope of what was possible. His 70,000 men of which 30,000 were frontline troops had overcome a British force double their number. In Japan he garnered the epithet “Tiger of Malaya”, which ironically he was not too happy about. Later on in the war he would bark at a German attache “I am not a tiger. The tiger attacks its prey in stealth but I attack the enemy in a fair play”.   By this point Singapore had swollen from a population of 550,000to nearly a million. Percival had a total of 70,000 infantry of mixed experience plus 15,000 clerks and support staff to man lines if necessary. 38 battalions, 17 Indian, 13 British, 6 Australian and 2 Malayan. He placed his weakest troops west of the causeway, near the abandoned naval base rather than nearby the airfield which he considered was going to be Yamashita's thrust. He placed his best forces over there, which would prove fatally wrong as Yamashita hit west of the causeway. Yamashita meanwhile could only muster 30,000 troops, he was outnumbered 2:1 and amphibious assaults called for the attacker to hold a 2:1 advantage for success. Yamashita's men were exhausted, they had suffered 4565 casualties, roughly 1793 deaths in their 55 day advance south. Worse yet, Yamashita had a critical supply issue. He had greatly exceeded his supply lines and had been surviving on the abandoned churchill stores along the way. His ammunition was critical low, it is said he was down to 18 functional tanks, allowing his men to fire 100 rounds per day, the fuel ran out, and as Yamashita put it “My attack on Singapore was a bluff—a bluff that worked. I had 30,000 men and was outnumbered more than three to one. I knew that if I had to fight for long for Singapore, I would be beaten. That is why the surrender had to be at once. I was very frightened all the time that the British would discover our numerical weakness and lack of supplies and force me into disastrous street fighting.” He told his men of the 5th and 18th division not to build any cooking fires so they could conceal their positions in the jungle as he gathered hundreds of collapsible boats and other crafts to ford the strait. He gathered 40 divisional commanders and senior officers to a rubber plantation and with a flushed red face read out his attack orders while pouring them Kikumasamune (ceremonial wine). He made a traditional toast and said “It is a good place to die; surely we shall conquer”. He had to get the British to surrender quickly, he had to essentially ‘bluff” his enemy. He had to make the British think he was fully armed and supplied for a prolonged siege, how could he do so? He fired his artillery like a mad man, knowing full well they would run out of shells.   Starting on February 3rd,  Yamashita's artillery supported by aerial bombings hit Singapore for 5 days. On the night of the 7th, 400 Imperial Guards crossed to the Ibin island performing their feint attack. Percivals attention was grabbed to the east successfully, while on the night of the 8th the 5th and 18th divisions assembled carefully at the water's edge. At 8:30pm the first wave of 4000 Japanese troops crossed the Johore strait aboard 150 small vessels. The noise of their engines was drowned out by artillery. The thinly spread Australian lines, 3000 or so men led by Major General Bennet were breached fast leading to pockets of surrounded australian troops. As Lewis Gunner cliff olsen recalled “We were horribly spread out and it was pitch black and they [Japanese troops] were very hard to see. They walked through us half the time.” A beachhead was formed, a soon 14,000 Japanese had crossed by dawn.    Communications broke down for the allies, Percival unwilling to believe the Japanese's main thrust was in the west declined to send reinforcements there. When he did finally realize the main thrust was in the west he began to withdraw troops from quiet sectors and built up a reserve. The Japanese held air supremacy and their artillery was fierce. The big 15 inch guns of singapore held mostly armor piercing shells designed to hit ships, there were few HE shells available. When they fired upon the Japanese the shells would hit the ground they would embed deeply before exploding doing little damage. The defenders had no tanks, basically no more aircraft. The last departing ships fled the scene as everything was burning chaos around them. Morale was breaking for the defenders. By the 9th, Japanese bombers were raining bombs on allied positions unopposed. Bennet was forced to pull men back to a new line of defense from the east of the Tengah airfield to the north of Jurong. Poor communications hampered the northern sector of Brigadier Duncan Maxwell whose troops actually battered the hell out of the Imperial Guards who had landed at 10pm on the 9th. The Imperial guards gradually managed a foothold on a beach, but Maxwell feared encirclement and withdrew his men against direct orders of Bennet. The retreat opened up the flank of the 11th indian division who were overrun. All of the beaches west of the causeway fell to the enemy, when they did Yamashita brought over his tanks to smash the new Jurong line. The Japanese could have potentially stormed the city center at this point, but they held back, because in reality, Percival had created a formidable reserve in the middle. The Australian 22nd brigade took the brunt of the fighting.    Yamashita was running out of reserves and his attacks were reaching their limit, but he needed the battle to end swiftly. Yamashita was shocked and shaken when he received a report that the British troop strength within the city was twice what they believed. With covert desperation, Yamashita ordered his artillery to fire until their last rounds and sent Percival a demand for surrender. “In the spirit of chivalry we have the honour of advising your surrender. Your army, founded on the traditional spirit of Great Britain, is defending Singapore, which is completely isolated, and raising the fame of Great Britain by the ut¬ most exertions and heroic feelings. . . . From now on resistance is futile and merely increases the danger to the million civilian inhabitants without good reason, exposing them to infliction of pain by fire and sword. But the development of the general war situation has already sealed the fate of Singapore, and the continuation of futile resistance would only serve to inflict direct harm and in¬ juries to thousands of non-combatants living in the city, throwing them into further miseries and horrors of war. Furthermore we do not feel you will in¬ crease the fame of the British Army by further resistance.”   Singapore had received another order prior to this from Churchill “It is certain that our troops on Singapore Island greatly outnumber any Japanese that have crossed the Straits. We must defeat them. Our whole fighting reputation is at stake and the honour of the British Empire. The Americans have held out on the Bataan Peninsula against far greater odds, the Russians are turning back the picked strength of the Germans, the Chinese with almost complete lack of mod¬ ern equipment have held the Japanese for AVi years. It will be disgraceful if we yield our boasted fortress of Singapore to inferior enemy forces. There must be no thought ofsparing troops or the civil population and no mercy must be shown to weakness in any shape or form. Commanders and senior officers must lead their troops and if necessary die with them. There must be no question or thought of surrender. Every unit must fight it out to the end and in close contact with the enemy. ... I look to you and your men to fight to the end to prove that the fighting spirit that won our Empire still exists to enable us to defend it.”   What was Percival to do? The Japanese had seized control over Singapore water reservoirs, the population would die of thirst within 2-3 days. Japanese shells were causing fires and death everywhere. People were panicking, trying to get on the very last boats leaving the port, even though that surely meant death to the IJN. An American sailor recalled “There was a lot of chaos and people killed on the docks during these bombardments. Everywhere you looked there was death. Even in the water there were dead sharks and people floating all around.” Defeatism was endemic. Australian troops were overheard saying “Chum, to hell with Malaya and Singapore. Navy let us down, air force let us down. If the bungs [natives] won't fight for their bloody country, why pick on me?” Sensing a complete collapse Percival formed a tight defense arc in front of the city, and by the 13th his commanders were telling him they believed Singapore was already doomed. Wavell was asked for approval for surrender, but he replied  “to continue to inflict maximum damage on enemy for as long as possible by house-to-house fighting if necessary.” Percival then told him the water reservoirs were taken, so Wavell sent back “YOUR GALLANT STAND IS SERVING A PURPOSE AND MUST BE CONTINUED TO THE LIMIT OF ENDURANCE”   On the 15th, Percival held a morning conference reported there was no more fuel, field gun nor bofor ammunition. In 24 hours their water would be done. He told them he would ask for a ceasefire at 4pm, by the end of the day Wavell gave him permission to surrender. Over at his HQ on the Bukit Timah heights, Yamashita was staring at a Union Jack fluttering over Fort Canning. Then a field phone rang, and a frontline commander reported the British were sending out a flag of truce.   Meanwhile back on February the 14th, Japanese forces reached the Alexandra Barracks hospital at 1pm. At 1:40pm a British Lt greeting them waving a white flag and was bayoneted on the spot. The Japanese stormed the hospital and murdered the staff and patients. 200 male staff and patients, badly wounded were bound over night and marched to an industrial estate half a mile away. Anyone who collapsed was bayoneted. The survivors of the march were formed into small groups and hacked to death or bayoneted. For a few days over 320 men and women were massacred. Only 5 survivors would give recounts of the event. It is suspected by historians that Tsuji was the architect of the Alexandra hospital massacre. This is because he was the instigator of countless atrocities he ordered unbeknownst to his superior commanders such as Yamashita.    Percival was ordered to go to the Ford motor factory to where he met with Yamashita. Yamashita was hiding his surprise that the surrender party came and as he glanced at the surrender terms he said through his interpreter “The Japanese Army will consider nothing but surrender,” Yamashita knew his forces were on the verge of running out of ammunition and he still held half troops Percival did, he was anxious Percival would figure it out. Percival replied “I fear that we shall not be able to submit our final reply before ten-thirty p.m.,” Percival had no intention of fighting on he simply wanted to work out specific details before signing the surrender. Yamashita was sure Percival was stalling. “Reply to us only whether our terms are acceptable or not. Things must be settled swiftly. We are prepared to resume firing.Unless you do surrender, we will have to carry out our night attack as scheduled.”” Percival replied ““Cannot the Japanese Army remain in its present position? We can resume negotiations again tomorrow at five-thirty A.M”. Yamashita screamed “Nani! I want the hostilities to cease tonight and I want to remind you there can be no arguments.” Percival replied ““We shall discontinue firing by eight-thirty p.m. Had we better remain in our present positions tonight?” Yamashita said yes and that firing would cease at 8:30pm and that 1000 allied men could keep arms to maintain order within the city. Yamashita stated “You have agreed to the terms but you have not yet made yourself clear as to whether you agree to surrender or not.” Percival cleared his throat and gave a simple nod. Yamashita looked at his interpreter “There's no need for all this talk. It is a simple question and I want a simple answer.” He turned to Percival and shouted, “We want to hear ‘Yes' or ‘No' from you! Surrender or fight!” Percival finally blurted out  “Yes, I agree. I have a request to make. Will the Imperial Army protect the women and children and British civilians?”Yamashita replied  “We shall see to it. Please sign this truce agreement”. At 7:50 the surrender was signed off, 40 minutes later Singapore was in the hands of the Japanese. In 70 days Yamashita took at the cost of 9824 casualties, had seized Malaya and Singapore, nearly 120,000 British surrendered. It was the greatest land victory in Japanese history.   Churchill called the fall of Singapore to the Japanese "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history" Churchills physician Lord Moran wrote The fall of Singapore on February 15 stupefied the Prime Minister. How came 100,000 men (half of them of our own race) to hold up their hands to inferior numbers of Japanese? Though his mind had been gradually prepared for its fall, the surrender of the fortress stunned him. He felt it was a disgrace. It left a scar on his mind. One evening, months later, when he was sitting in his bathroom enveloped in a towel, he stopped drying himself and gloomily surveyed the floor: 'I cannot get over Singapore', he said sadly   With the fall of singapore came another atrocity, the Sook Ching massacre. After February 18th, the Japanese military began mass killings of what they deemed undesirables, mostly ethnic Chinese. It was overseen by the Kempeitai and did not stop in Singapore, but spread to Malaya. It seems the aim of the purge was to intimidate the Chinese community from performing any resistance. According to postwar testimony taken from a war correspondent embedded with the 25th army, Colonel Hishakari Takafumi, he stated an order went out to kill 50,000 Chinese, of which 20 percent of the total was issued by senior officials on Yamashita's operations staff, most likely Tsuji. It is certain at the behest of Tsuji the orders were extended to Malay. The death toll is a tricky one, the Japanese went on the record to admit to 6000 murders, the Singaporean Chinese community and the Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew allege 70,000-100,000. Historians analyzing the scale of discovered mass graves after some decades think around 25,000-50,000. How much Yamashita knew of the massacre is debatable, the orders came from his office after all, but it seems Tsuji had orchestrated it. Many of Japan's generals wanted Yamashita to be appointed war minister, a move that obviously threatened then Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who feared his rival. Tojo retaliated, ordering Japan's new war hero back to Manchuria. On the surface, the assignment appeared worthy as Yamashita would serve as the first line of defense against a possible Soviet invasion. But since the two nations had signed a neutrality pact in April 1941, and Soviets were bogged down fighting the Germans, immediate war appeared unlikely. In reality, Tojo had parked Yamashita on the war's sidelines. Tojo went even further, he barred Yamashita any leave in Tokyo, preventing him from visiting his wife as well as from delivering a speech he had written for the emperor. No worries though, an aide of Yamashita's sent him three geishas. Allegedly he said this “I know they want to please me with these girls. But send them back—and don't forget to tip them.” The Tiger of Malaya would maintain a low profile in Manchuria where he received a promotion to full General. As months fell to years Yamashita sat on the sidelines helpless to aid the Japanese forces. His exile would come to an end in 1944 when Tojo was outed and the Tiger was required to try and save the Philippines from General Douglas MacArthur.

It’s likely that you’d recognise Melissa Leong’s face, she was the first female judge ever on Masterchef Australia; but today’s conversation goes into some very personal places that extend far beyond what you might see on prime time TV. She burst onto our screens in 2020 and made us fall in love with food and cooking. Her new memoir ‘Guts’ is a raw, funny and beautifully written look at her upbringing in a Singaporean - Chinese family, the behind the scenes of the food and entertainment world and some personal stories that she hadn’t shared publicly before. Growing up with strict, authoritarian immigrant parents and ending up in a creative profession Being no contact with her dad The path that led Melissa to not having kids Being single and getting so much connection from other areas of life “How to” divorce if you’re in the public eye and the advice she was given of when and how to announce it When the opportunity to host masterchef came knocking and Melissa didn’t jump at it Dissociating after SA and having memory loss from the time Realising that it is not her shame to bear Happiness being ‘far too fleeting a concept to hang your hat on’ and finding purpose in being content instead Being involved in the UFC - how, why and naked choke holds What’s next for Melissa You can get yourself a copy of “Guts” through this link You can follow Melissa on Instagram And check out her website You can watch us on Youtube Find us on Instagram Join us on tiktok Or join the Facebook Discussion Group Hosted by Britt Hockley & Keeshia Pettit Produced by Keeshia Pettit Video Produced by Vanessa Beckford Recorded on Cammeraygal Land Tell your mum, tell your dad, tell your dog, tell your friend and share the love because WE LOVE LOVE! XxSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melissa Leong is a celebrated food writer, TV host and judge, best known for bringing warmth, intelligence and honesty to Australian screens. The daughter of Singaporean-Chinese parents, Melissa has built a career that celebrates culture, creativity and courage, using food and storytelling as her way of connecting people to what really matters. In this episode, Melissa opens up about growing up different and how feeling like an outsider shaped her sense of self, embracing individuality as a lifelong journey. She shares the importance of releasing shame that isn’t ours and the healing that comes from owning our stories with honesty and grace. Melissa also reflects on why failure is essential to growth and why learning to say no is such a vital part of her self-care. Know someone who'd enjoy this episode? Why not share it with them by tapping the 3 dots above ⬆︎ and passing it on LINKS: Melissa's memoir GUTS is available now wherever you get your books If you loved this chat with Melissa we think you'll love Jess's conversation with Julie Goodwin here If you love what we do, why not follow the show, and rate and review on Apple or Spotify CREDITS:Host: Jessica RoweGuest: Melissa Leong Executive Producer: Nic McClureAudio Producer: Nat Marshall Digital Content Producer: Zoe Panaretos The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show acknowledges the Gadigal people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which we recorded this podcast, and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples here today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She is one of Australia's most recognisable food voices, a critic, writer and television personality whose insights extend far beyond the plate. Yet Melissa Leong's story stretches far beyond cuisine.In this candid and deeply inspiring conversation, Melissa joins Sarah Grynberg to share the untold chapters of her journey from the heartbreak of losing her dream of being a concert pianist to chronic pain, to navigating racism and identity as a first-generation Singaporean Chinese woman, and the courage it took to blow up her life and start again. With honesty, vulnerability and strength, she reveals what it truly means to stay authentic in the face of expectations.You'll learn:*Why food is inseparable from culture, family and identity.*How setbacks, from illness to discrimination, can become catalysts for growth.*Why finding your own voice, and using it, is the bravest act of all.This episode is a powerful reminder that greatness lies not in following the path others expect of you, but in having the guts to create the one that feels true.Purchase Sarah's book: Living A Life Of Greatness here.To purchase Living A Life of Greatness outside Australia here or here.Watch A Life of Greatness Episodes On Youtube here.Sign up for Sarah's newsletter (Greatness Guide) here.Purchase Sarah's Meditations here.Instagram: @sarahgrynberg Website: https://sarahgrynberg.com/Facebook: facebook.com/sarahgrynbergTwitter: twitter.com/sarahgrynberg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She is one of Australia’s most recognisable food voices, a critic, writer and television personality whose insights extend far beyond the plate. Yet Melissa Leong’s story stretches far beyond cuisine. In this candid and deeply inspiring conversation, Melissa joins Sarah Grynberg to share the untold chapters of her journey from the heartbreak of losing her dream of being a concert pianist to chronic pain, to navigating racism and identity as a first-generation Singaporean Chinese woman, and the courage it took to blow up her life and start again. With honesty, vulnerability and strength, she reveals what it truly means to stay authentic in the face of expectations. You’ll learn: *Why food is inseparable from culture, family and identity. *How setbacks, from illness to discrimination, can become catalysts for growth. *Why finding your own voice, and using it, is the bravest act of all. This episode is a powerful reminder that greatness lies not in following the path others expect of you, but in having the guts to create the one that feels true. Purchase Sarah's book: Living A Life Of Greatness here. To purchase Living A Life of Greatness outside Australia here or here. Watch A Life of Greatness Episodes On Youtube here. Sign up for Sarah’s newsletter (Greatness Guide) here. Purchase Sarah's Meditations here. Instagram: @sarahgrynberg Website: https://sarahgrynberg.com/ Facebook: facebook.com/sarahgrynberg Twitter: twitter.com/sarahgrynbergSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tune in as Pride Month continues for its third week on 2CC! Katrina (@katrinaslibrary) is jumping onboard for a review and recap of Fake Dates and Mooncakes, the 2023 YA fake-dating rom-com novel by Sher Lee that follows an aspiring teenage chef who gets caught up in a fake-dating scheme with a rich crush, all while preparing for a mooncake contest that could help him save his aunt's Singaporean Chinese takeout place. Comparing this book to the tropes of k-dramas, the hatability of Theo's wealthy and distant father, and appreciation for the romantic fun and tension of the fake-dating trope comprise a few of the talking points in this episode.TW: grief, parental death (in the past), parental neglect, classism, cancer (in the past), car accident (in the past), alcoholism (in the past), alcohol, dementia, and racismSpoilers start at 28:05Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastrHere's how you can learn more about Palestine and IsraelHere's how you can keep up-to-date on this genocideHere's how you can send eSIM cards to Palestinians in order to help them stay connected onlineGood Word:• Katrina: Fallen Thorns and Rising Ashes by Harvey Oliver Baxter, and Fighting Spirit by Anna Harrison• Arthur: SinnersReach out at email2centscritic@yahoo.com if you want to recommend things to watch and read, share anecdotes, or just say hello!Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or any of your preferred podcasting platforms!Follow Arthur on Twitter, Goodpods, StoryGraph, Letterboxd, and TikTok: @arthur_ant18Follow Arthur on Bluesky: @arthur-ant18Follow the podcast on Twitter: @two_centscriticFollow the podcast on Instagram: @twocentscriticpodFollow Arthur on GoodreadsCheck out 2 Cents Critic Linktree

Amber Chen is a Singaporean-Chinese author of SFF and contemporary fiction. She spends much of her free time living within Chinese fantasy novels and dramas, and also drinks one too many cups of bubble tea. One of her webnovels, The Cutting Edge, has been adapted for television. Today, we'll chat about her latest novel, Of Jade and Dragons, a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee. Learn more at ambercwrites.comSpecial thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy. Intro reel, Writing Table Podcast 2024 Outro RecordingFollow the Writing Table:On Twitter/X: @writingtablepcEverywhere else: @writingtablepodcastEmail questions or tell us who you'd like us to invite to the Writing Table: writingtablepodcast@gmail.com.

Jia Sung is a Singaporean Chinese artist and educator whose practice spans painting, artist books, textiles, printmaking, writing, and translation. Drawing on motifs from Chinese mythology and Buddhist iconography, Sung uses the familiar visual language of folklore to examine and subvert conventional archetypes of femininity, queerness and otherness. Her recent work explores threads of ecofeminism, ethnoecology, the ecological capacities of the body, invasive species as family, and the potentials of collective and constant human transformation through interspecies dynamics. Her approach draws from that of the Chinese zhiguai tradition, that genre of ‘strange tales' cannot be translated directly through the lens of horror. The supernatural, the monstrous, the spiritual, seep into the tidy confines of ordinary existence, often humorous, arbitrary, smearing at the boundaries of our reality and then slinking away just as rapidly. Here is shapeshifter, here is trickster, things that inhabit liminal space and refuse to be held in place or form; the profane invades the interior, wilderness enters the domestic space, phenomena defy causation and morality, creature refutes taxonomy. Topics Discussed In This Episode:  Jia's childhood, early influences, and why she chose to dedicate her life to the arts (00:06:14) Formative books, films, and mythologies for Jia, Jennifer, and Yoshino (00:08:05) Art as a lifestyle and sketching/journaling as a form of expression (00:15:52) Jia explains her experiences going to RISD (00:17:03) Teaching art and guiding students – Jia shares her approach to teaching, focusing on personal expression over technique (00:18:46) Returning to unfinished work (00:22:42) Balancing chaos and creativity – reflections on how emotional turmoil can fuel or take away from creative work (00:28:11) Identity, ego, and output in art – how artists' identities are tied to their creative output and the challenges that brings (00:33:32) Discussing various levels of consciousness (00:40:44) Challenges of art school and institutional expectations – Jia reflects on the pressures and baggage that come from a formal art education (00:43:48) Breaking away from art jargon and structured critique to find a personal voice (00:54:27)  Lightheartedly discussing astrology (01:04:04) The Artist Decoded Tarot and Jia's “The Trickster's Journey” tarot (01:10:27) Discussing the potential future of AI (01:18:17)  Jia's advice to her younger self (01:30:41) Episode co-host: Jennifer Sodini artistdecoded.com jia-sung.com instagram.com/jiazilla

Get ready to dive into the vibrant tapestry of Chinese New Year celebrations in Singapore on this special episode of Truly Expat Podcast! Join hosts Paula and Rachel as they explore the rich tapestry of traditions and events surrounding the Lunar New Year.The episode features an exclusive interview with Andy Jeremiah Lam, a local Singaporean and the founder of Ah Fok Media, sharing insights into the essence of Chinese New Year festivities. We delve into the significance of reunion dinners, the joy of receiving red packets, and the mesmerizing Dragon Dance. Learn about the cultural nuances of the celebrations and discover how Singapore transforms into a haven of festivity during this auspicious time.For all the information and more you can find everything right here on our dedicated blog: https://trulyexpatlifestyle.com/cny/Glossary:恭喜发财 (gōng xǐ fā cái) – May you be happy and prosperous财源广进 (cái yuán guǎng jìn) – May your money and treasures be plentiful招财进宝 (zhāo cái jìn bǎo) – May wealth and treasures fill your home新年大吉 (xīn nián dà jí) – Wishing you luck for the new year吉星高照 (jí xīng gāo zhào) – May good fortune fall upon you工作顺利 (gōng zuò shùn lì) — May your work go smoothlyTossing of a Salad (Yu Sheng or Lo Hei): A ritual where a group tosses a salad violently to increase wealth and prosperity. The salad typically contains carrots, white radish, cucumber, oil, plum sauce, pepper, five spice powders, sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, raw fish (usually salmon), lime, and deep-fried flour crisps.Cheongsam: A traditional Chinese fitted dress with a collar and buttons up the side.Ang Bao: Red Packet: A traditional gift containing money, symbolizing good luck and blessings.Johor Bahru (JB): The southern peninsular of Malaysia, easily accessed from Singapore, is known for affordable shopping.Da Bao: Takeaway.Chu Si (初四): The fourth day of the Lunar New Year.Mei Cai Kou Rou: Salted or Sweet Preserved vegetable with braised pork.Singapore Dialect Groups: Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hakka, Hock Chew, Hainan.Kidney-shaped Wooden Peg: Divination Block / Moon Block (筊杯 Jiao Bei).Nian: Bad luck.Huan: Wishing prosperity for the business (Ground Peanuts).Guai 乖: Obedient, well-behaved.Pineapple (凤梨): In Hokkien, called “Ong Lai,” resembling "旺来“ (Wang Lai), meaning Prosperity Comes.Baba: Peranakan term for a male.Nonya: Peranakan term for a female.Mahjong: A Chinese game played with tiles and chips (money).Contact Information:Email: podcast@trulyexpat.comFacebook Page: Truly Expat PodcastInstagram: @trulyexpatpodcastTikTok: @trulyexpatpodcastFeel free to reach out for inquiries, suggestions, or to share your own expat stories. We're here to help you navigate expat life with confidence.Disclaimer:The content provided in this episode is for informational and cultural purposes only. While we strive to ensure accuracy, the dynamic nature of Chinese New Year celebrations and traditions may vary. The hosts and guests are not experts on cultural practices, and decisions made based on the information presented are at your discretion. Thanks for tuning in to our latest episode. Subscribe for more valuable insights and information for expats in Singapore and beyond.

Seraphina Chong is a sophomore at Gordon College majoring in marine biology with a passion for discovering God through His creation. Born and raised Singaporean Chinese, she moved to Johor Bahru, Malaysia, when she was 12, where her family currently resides. She is the second out of five siblings. Besides cooking Asian food on Saturdays, she enjoys playing guitar, studying, and watching anime or Korean drama with her friends at Gordon. Because of her passion for teaching, her goal for the future is to open an affordable Christian marine biology school where children and teenagers can learn about God's amazing design for every aspect of His creation. Please enjoy this conversation about God's creation with Seraphina!

The question of who is Chinese and how Chineseness as an identity is constituted has been a recurring question, particularly in the context of the extensive Chinese diasporic community. In Contesting Chineseness: Nationality, Class, Gender and New Chinese Migrants (Amsterdam University Press in 2022), Dr Sylvia Ang investigates these questions in the context of Singapore, with a specific focus on unravelling why tensions exist between Singaporean-born Chinese and new Chinese migrants from the mainland despite a shared sense of ethnicity, heritage, and culture. Combining traditional and digital ethnographic methods, she brings to life the intricate contests between Singaporean Chinese and new Chinese migrants on what it means to be Chinese. Contesting Chineseness is a valuable and timely contribution to the literature on the Chinese overseas, which demonstrates how an intersection of local and global developments have come to shape the experiences of contemporary Chinese migrants working and living in Singapore. Bernard Z. Keo is Lecturer in Asian History at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia and specialises in decolonisation and nation-building in Southeast Asia. He can be contacted at: b.keo@latrobe.edu.au. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

The question of who is Chinese and how Chineseness as an identity is constituted has been a recurring question, particularly in the context of the extensive Chinese diasporic community. In Contesting Chineseness: Nationality, Class, Gender and New Chinese Migrants (Amsterdam University Press in 2022), Dr Sylvia Ang investigates these questions in the context of Singapore, with a specific focus on unravelling why tensions exist between Singaporean-born Chinese and new Chinese migrants from the mainland despite a shared sense of ethnicity, heritage, and culture. Combining traditional and digital ethnographic methods, she brings to life the intricate contests between Singaporean Chinese and new Chinese migrants on what it means to be Chinese. Contesting Chineseness is a valuable and timely contribution to the literature on the Chinese overseas, which demonstrates how an intersection of local and global developments have come to shape the experiences of contemporary Chinese migrants working and living in Singapore. Bernard Z. Keo is Lecturer in Asian History at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia and specialises in decolonisation and nation-building in Southeast Asia. He can be contacted at: b.keo@latrobe.edu.au. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The question of who is Chinese and how Chineseness as an identity is constituted has been a recurring question, particularly in the context of the extensive Chinese diasporic community. In Contesting Chineseness: Nationality, Class, Gender and New Chinese Migrants (Amsterdam University Press in 2022), Dr Sylvia Ang investigates these questions in the context of Singapore, with a specific focus on unravelling why tensions exist between Singaporean-born Chinese and new Chinese migrants from the mainland despite a shared sense of ethnicity, heritage, and culture. Combining traditional and digital ethnographic methods, she brings to life the intricate contests between Singaporean Chinese and new Chinese migrants on what it means to be Chinese. Contesting Chineseness is a valuable and timely contribution to the literature on the Chinese overseas, which demonstrates how an intersection of local and global developments have come to shape the experiences of contemporary Chinese migrants working and living in Singapore. Bernard Z. Keo is Lecturer in Asian History at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia and specialises in decolonisation and nation-building in Southeast Asia. He can be contacted at: b.keo@latrobe.edu.au. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/southeast-asian-studies

The question of who is Chinese and how Chineseness as an identity is constituted has been a recurring question, particularly in the context of the extensive Chinese diasporic community. In Contesting Chineseness: Nationality, Class, Gender and New Chinese Migrants (Amsterdam University Press in 2022), Dr Sylvia Ang investigates these questions in the context of Singapore, with a specific focus on unravelling why tensions exist between Singaporean-born Chinese and new Chinese migrants from the mainland despite a shared sense of ethnicity, heritage, and culture. Combining traditional and digital ethnographic methods, she brings to life the intricate contests between Singaporean Chinese and new Chinese migrants on what it means to be Chinese. Contesting Chineseness is a valuable and timely contribution to the literature on the Chinese overseas, which demonstrates how an intersection of local and global developments have come to shape the experiences of contemporary Chinese migrants working and living in Singapore. Bernard Z. Keo is Lecturer in Asian History at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia and specialises in decolonisation and nation-building in Southeast Asia. He can be contacted at: b.keo@latrobe.edu.au. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

The question of who is Chinese and how Chineseness as an identity is constituted has been a recurring question, particularly in the context of the extensive Chinese diasporic community. In Contesting Chineseness: Nationality, Class, Gender and New Chinese Migrants (Amsterdam University Press in 2022), Dr Sylvia Ang investigates these questions in the context of Singapore, with a specific focus on unravelling why tensions exist between Singaporean-born Chinese and new Chinese migrants from the mainland despite a shared sense of ethnicity, heritage, and culture. Combining traditional and digital ethnographic methods, she brings to life the intricate contests between Singaporean Chinese and new Chinese migrants on what it means to be Chinese. Contesting Chineseness is a valuable and timely contribution to the literature on the Chinese overseas, which demonstrates how an intersection of local and global developments have come to shape the experiences of contemporary Chinese migrants working and living in Singapore. Bernard Z. Keo is Lecturer in Asian History at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia and specialises in decolonisation and nation-building in Southeast Asia. He can be contacted at: b.keo@latrobe.edu.au. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

September, 2011. Singaporean-Chinese medical student Kouk Leong Jin, vanishes in the Greek capital of Athens while visiting for a conference. He left his hotel and hasn't been seen since, and not a trace of what happened to Leong Jin has been uncovered in over a decade. Today, we will look at the disappearance of this promising young medical student, and what could have happened to him. Theme music: ⁣ Undertow by Scott Buckley | https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley⁣ Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com⁣ Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)⁣ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Casey Yeoh / KC YO is of Malaysian and Singaporean-Chinese descent, she's a multidisciplinary creative - a graphic designer, photographer, director, editor and cinematographer. She also has creative and personal ties to the awesome musical duo Imugi. If you're familiar with Imugi, then chances are that you've seen her work. This is a fun episode where we talk about dreaming and work, and we also talk about family stuff, spiritual stuff, fan fiction stuff, personal development-stuff - the works! Follow Casey: https://www.instagram.com/kc.yoo SUPPORT Asian in Aotearoa: https://ko-fi.com/asianinaotearoa FOLLOW @asianinaotearoa on Instagram VISIT asianinaotearoa.com ___ ABOUT THE PODCAST Hosted by Jenna Wee, Asian in Aotearoa (New Zealand) explores the lives of Asian creatives, one uncensored convo at a time. Questioning our concept of home, identity, family, relationships, sex, racism, body/beauty, healing, decolonisation, navigating whiteness - and how this shapes the way we move through the world and influences our creative work. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asianinaotearoa/message

5 Ways to be an Epic LoverAir Date: Monday, 4 April 2022 at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PTTuesday, 5 April 2022 at 9:00 AM SingaporeWatch the Livestream on the OMTimes Magazine Facebook, OMTimes Radio & TV Facebook, or OMTimesTV YoutubeIn this episode, Eros Evolution host, Relationship Counselor and Clinical Sexologist Dr Martha Lee will share her top five tips to be a better lover regardless of your gender identity and sexual orientation! They include: 1) where you touch; 2) how you touch; 3) how you build up sexual pleasure; 4) sexual communication; and 5) mirroring!Born and bred Singaporean Chinese, Dr. Martha Tara Lee is Relationship Counselor and Clinical Sexologist of Eros Coaching. She has a doctorate in human sexuality, masters in counselling and two other degrees. In practice for 12 years, Dr. Lee is also the appointed Resident Sexologist for sexual wellness boutique PinkLifestyle.com and Clinical Sexologist of Singapore Cancer Society. She was recognised as one of ‘Top 50 Inspiring Women under 40' by Her World in July 2010, and one of ‘Top 100 Inspiring Women' by CozyCot in March 2011. She is the author of Love, Sex and Everything In-Between (2013), Orgasmic Yoga: Masturbation, Meditation and Everything In-Between (2015), From Princess to Queen: Heartbreaks, Heartgasms and Everything In-Between (2017), and {Un}Inhihibited (2019).Download freebie herehttps://www.eroscoaching.com/reclaiming-your-sexuality/https://www.youtube.com/user/drmarthaleehttps://www.facebook.com/eroscoachinghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leemartha/https://www.instagram.com/eroscoaching/https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=5891155#EpicLover #ErosEvolution #DrMarthaTaraLeeVisit the Eros Evolution show page https://omtimes.com/iom/shows/eros-evolution/Connect with Dr. Martha at http://www.eroscoaching.com/ Subscribe to our Newsletter https://omtimes.com/subscribe-omtimes-magazine/ Connect with OMTimes on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Omtimes.Magazine/ and OMTimes Radio https://www.facebook.com/ConsciousRadiowebtv.OMTimes/Twitter: https://twitter.com/OmTimes/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omtimes/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2798417/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/omtimes/

This week: getting personal with Nigel Stanislaus, a Singaporean-Chinese hair and makeup artist living in Melbourne whose celebrity client list spans Bella and Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner , John Legend , Jenna Dewan, Tina Arena, Troye Sivan, Olivia Newton John, Peaches Geldoff, Ruby Rose and Michael Bublé.   Born and raised by strong, resilient women, Nigel was compelled into the artistry life by the glamour, the strength, the flexibility and the attitude on how to survive, and how to thrive!   With an impressive repertoire of clients, industry experience and portfolio of work:   Editorials include L'Officiel , Harpers Bazaar, Elle, & Marie Claire. Former Mr Maybelline and  Asia's Next Top Model Judge. NYC resident and makeup director to almost 200 shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia. Whether you're just starting out or have been in the industry for a long time, tune in now, check out the key takeaways and subscribe for future podcasts below. KEY TAKEAWAYS: SET YOURSELF A GOAL Whether you're working to pay bills, unleashing your creativity or aiming to be top dog - it's important to set yourself a goal. Nigel believes that if you manifest things, life will take you there. Sure there's bound to be a few u-turns and bends in the road - but you will eventually get to your destination. Not sure where to start? For Nigel, it was the fear of failure that always pushed him to have a plan, show up, be present and be the absolute best that he could be. Start by writing out your goals for the next week, month or year ahead - and see where it takes you.   LOVE WHAT YOU DO Artists love to be inspired by the world around them. Nigel is passionate about his work and enthuses that, ‘makeup should make you feel something, it should give you emotional energy - like you've been dancing for hours'. Our industry is tough, you need passion, skill and a whole lot of tenacity and grit to make it. Nigel (aka Mr Maybelline) always dons a big smile and love of learning. Inspired by boots he saw in Rome or flicking through instagram, Nigel's life goal is to teach kids who want to do makeup to know that it's a beauty blender. Whatever you're feeling - angry, sad, scared, hungry, excited - just paint it out. Use your passion, use your emotion to give your work substance and you'll always love what you do.   “When people say, ‘oh, the glam is here' to me, it's not really like that. It's deeper, more personal... It's business for me, it's my career, it's my identity - it is so much more than just magnetic lashes or painting someone..” Nigel Stanislaus GIVING BACK (TO ARTISTS) Taking kids off the street as his assistant, Nigel boasts that the hard work and commitment from those who assisted him out of High School, are the ones to watch out for in the industry today. These kids are now directors, artists in demand, entrepreneurs of up and coming brands… Giving back to the community and having young artists coming up the ranks around you is so important. As a senior artist you can influence a lot of change. Having an assistant is really critical for your workload, but the role is also an important mentorship, showing them how to develop hair and makeup skills, as well as an understanding of the industry. Nigel confides that although he may not be the kindest mentor (in fact, many would argue he is quite militant), he is serious about his craft and had to fight to get where he is today. “I'm not your therapist and I'm not going to be your BFF. I'm here to work, you're here to work - let's get it sorted. You need to have thick skin and a good attitude. Don't even think about talking back to me with a potato cake in your hand, I will break you with my Tony Bianco heel!” Nigel Stanislaus   Join TMI Email List  Follow TMI on IG  Follow Vanessa on IG Podcast Cheat Sheets  Assisting Sign Up 

Eros Evolution is back!Air Date: Monday, 31 January 2022 at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PTTuesday, 1 February 2022 at 9:00 AM SingaporeWatch the Livestream on the OMTimes Magazine Facebook, OMTimes Radio & TV Facebook, or OMTimesTV YoutubeAfter a 5-year hiatus, Eros Evolution is back! What happened to Dr. Martha Tara Lee? How has she evolved? What has she been up to? Older, wiser, and maybe a bit smarter? What can you expect in Eros Evolution moving forward? Join us for all these and more!BIO:A born and bred Singaporean Chinese, Dr. Martha Tara Lee is a Relationship Counselor and Clinical Sexologist of Eros Coaching. She has a doctorate in human sexuality, masters in counselling and two other degrees. In practice for 12 years, Dr. Lee is also the appointed Resident Sexologist for sexual wellness boutique PinkLifestyle.com and Clinical Sexologist of Singapore Cancer Society. She was recognised as one of ‘Top 50 Inspiring Women under 40' by Her World in July 2010, and one of ‘Top 100 Inspiring Women' by CozyCot in March 2011. She is the author of Love, Sex and Everything In-Between (2013), Orgasmic Yoga: Masturbation, Meditation and Everything In-Between (2015), From Princess to Queen: Heartbreaks, Heartgasms and Everything In-Between (2017), and {Un}Inhihibited (2019).SOCIAL MEDIAWebsite: http://www.eroscoaching.comYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/user/drmarthaleeFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/eroscoachingLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leemartha/IG: https://www.instagram.com/eroscoaching/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=5891155Visit the Eros Evolution show page https://omtimes.com/iom/shows/eros-evolution/ Connect with Dr. Martha at http://www.eroscoaching.com#ErosEvolutionShow #DrMarthaTaraLeeSubscribe to our Newsletter https://omtimes.com/subscribe-omtimes-magazine/Connect with OMTimes on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Omtimes.Magazine/ and OMTimes Radio https://www.facebook.com/ConsciousRadiowebtv.OMTimes/Twitter: https://twitter.com/OmTimes/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omtimes/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2798417/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/omtimes/

ABOUT NUR JANNAH CHAN @ JAYINA.CFormerly a Singapore Airlines cabin crew who was an agnostic, Nur Jannah Chan is a Singaporean Chinese who grew up in a family of Chinese customs and traditions. Curious about religion and the existence of God since young, she did not question it as she was advised to ignore it. Despite the many challenges faced in finding her spirituality, sister Jannah got curious about Islam through one of her flights to Turkey. She eventually reverted to Islam in 2014 and is now a successful businesswoman behind a baby food business, Anya Meals.Points in Discussion- What were Nur Jannah's background and her beliefs?- How did she come to find out about Islam and eventually embrace it?- What was it particularly in Islam that attracted her?- What are her challenges before and after embracing Islam?- How does Islam play a key role in her current business?

Acknowledgement of Country// Headlines// Artist, writer and curator SJ Norman joined Rosie earlier this week to speak about his recently released collection of short stories Permafrost. Permafrost 'inverts and queers the gothic and romantic traditions, each story represents a different take on the concept of a haunting or the haunted.' The collection is published by University of Queensland Press.// Lady Lash is a Kokatha and Greek musician who has brought her magic to stages including the Sydney Opera House, prime rooftop bars, grass roots festivals and arts venues across the country. As a family woman searching for deeper meaning through sound and voice, Lash's is a musical vision of eclectic rarities that is embodied by culture and experience. She caught up with Priya earlier in the week to speak about her new album Spiritual Misfit, which was released with Heavy Machinery Records on 22 November.// Content warning: the following interview contains themes of domestic and family violence, which may be distressing to some listeners. Support is available at 1800 RESPECT/1800 737 732, as well as at inTouch/1800 755 988.//Amani Haydar is an award winning artist, lawyer, mother, and author of The Mother Wound, published by Pan MacMillan Australia. Amani speaks on the familial and cultural contexts in which family and domestic violence operate. The Mother Wound is a story that explores intergenerational trauma, dispels myths about victim/survivors, and explores how to grow around your grief with writing that is hopeful, devastating, and impactful.// Matt Chun and Jennine Khalik join us to talk about The Sunday Paper, a new publication launching 6 December that displays the strong solidarity and co-resistances between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Palestinian communities in so-called Australia. Jennine Khalik is a Palestinian writer who has 8 years of experience working as a journalist in Australian newsrooms. Matt Chun is an artist and writer whose latest self-published work Do You Ever Wonder? came out earlier this month. The Sunday Paper is available for pre-order here. Lew Ching or LC speaks with us about the impacts of current travel restrictions with the new COVID-19 variant on international students at Australian universities. LC is a Singaporean Chinese psychology major and youth work student at the Australian National University, and has been living in Canberra since 2017. LC also works part time as a peer support worker and as a youth worker.// Songs//Crest of Gold - Lady Lash//

Surrounded by friends who were sexually inhibited and struck by dire lack of positive conversations around sex and sexuality in Singapore, Dr. Martha Tara Lee decided to take it upon herself to be an advocate for positive sexuality in 2007. She set out to make a positive difference in embarking on her doctorate in human sexuality, then launching Eros Coaching in 2009. Today, she also has a masters in counseling and remains dedicated to working with individuals and couples to lead self-actualized and pleasure-filled lives. She has worked with a lot of couples (international and local) who have unconsummated marriage; men and women with sexual inhibitions and sexual desire discrepancies; men with erection and ejaculation concerns; as well as with GLBTQQ and kink folks. A born and bred Singaporean Chinese, Martha welcomes individuals as well as couples of all sexual orientations, and is available via Skype or face-to-face in Singapore. Martha speaks English and Mandarin. Dr. Lee strives to be one of the best sexologists in the world and takes pride in making sure all her events are fun, educational, and sex-positive. This comes easily to her because even though she is extremely dedicated and serious about her work, she fundamentally believes that sex is meant to be fun, wonderful, amazing and sacred. Follow Dr. Martha Tara Lee: PleazeMe: https://pleazeme.com/channel/ErosCoaching/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmarthalee/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/drmarthalee FB: https://www.facebook.com/eroscoaching LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leemartha/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drmarthalee Official Site: https://www.eroscoaching.com/ Have you checked out https://pleazeme.com? It is a social media platform where adults can be adults. We created the 7 Worlds of PleazeMe so that every person would have a place to privately explore their sexuality with like-minded people. We believe in love, sexuality, and the power of inclusion. People of all shapes and sizes, colors and ethnicities, genders and sexualities are valuable and deserve to feel included. Everyone should have a safe place they can go to connect, discover and express themselves without fear of being judged, censored or discriminated against.

Chin Yuqin (Casey) is a Singaporean Chinese artist and writer, curious about language, play, and imagining the otherworldly. Casey works with mixed media, including illustration, writing, sculpture, and film. You can see more at: chinyuqin.carrd.co Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zooming with Chloé Zhao - what could better typify the pandemic era? Alison Willmore (@alisonwillmore) takes us inside how she did her recent cover story for New York magazine about Zhao. We also hear about what it’s like to be a critic - from panning the remake of Mulan to championing foreign movies that get much less attention in the United States Countries featured: USA, UK Publications featured: IFC, IndieWire, BuzzFeed News, New York magazine, Vulture Alison discusses growing up in the Bay Area with a Singaporean-Chinese mom and British dad (8:22), using Craigslist to get her first apartment and first job at IFC in New York (16:02), getting hired by IndieWire to launch a TV vertical (21:48), Apple Watches and cold hard cash at BuzzFeed News (24:50), the art of the bad movie review (32:48), Bacurau and foreign films (38:15), how being a critic changed how she views movies for pleasure (44:43), a dream assignment involving Martin Scorcese that came at the wrong time (49:10), reporting her profile of Chloé Zhao (51:39) and finally the lightning round (1:01:33).   Here are links to some of the things we talked about: Alison’s review of Nobody - https://bit.ly/3o1g6u3 Her essay on Asian American character actors - https://bit.ly/3f1Tc1r Her interview with Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow - https://bit.ly/3uz5bdc Her review of Mulan - https://bit.ly/3vY7dnP Her top 10 movies of 2020 - https://bit.ly/2PZXsG8 Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation - https://bit.ly/2SxUmtT Alison’s cover story on Chloé Zhao - https://bit.ly/3exJu85 Nick Pinkerton’s Substack - https://bit.ly/33tkNDe Ryan Broderick’s Garbage Day newsletter - https://bit.ly/3hcqQ7b NYT story on anti-Asian hate crimes - https://nyti.ms/3f8bfDd The Black Tapes podcast - https://bit.ly/3y7YLnQ The collection that includes Justin M. Damiano - https://amzn.to/3nZhkG1   Follow us on Twitter @foreignpod or on Facebook at facebook.com/foreignpod Music: LoveChances (makaihbeats.net) by Makaih Beats From: freemusicarchive.org CC BY NC

Nahum is a Singaporean of Chinese descent who's learned Korean to a professional level rather than Mandarin and his family's Chinese dialect. How should we feel about learning a language that's not the one we've inherited from our parents and grandparents? And how much do we really lose without this 'mother tongue'? Sneak peek of this episode: Navigating the motivations for learning one language over another Responsibility (?) and value of knowing Mandarin as an ethnic Chinese in the workplace Significance of Mandarin as it differs across geographies Requirements to identify as a Chinese person Also featuring inputs from: Brian, a Chinese-American in Singapore learning Mandarin to do business in Asia Clare, a Singaporean Chinese who uses Mandarin extensively in the workplace

Ethel Hoon: “To the women that I grew up with that cooked, being frugal is key. You bought something and you didn't waste anything. It is very jarring to see when you go work in a place that only uses prime things…” Hoon joins Singapore Noodles founder Pamelia Chia to share about her journey of re-discovering Singaporean Chinese cooking, plus: *Why we should embrace the idea of fusion* *The beauty of wok-cooking* *Why she thinks European cooking is placed on a pedestal in Singapore* *How to embrace a spirit of frugality and reduce food waste in the kitchen* *Foraging, sustainability, farm-to-table in the context of Singapore* *Challenges in eating less meat in Singapore*

Episode 32: We review two books: Contemporary Indonesian Fashion: Through the Looking Glass by Alessandra Lopez Y Royo, and Fashion and Postcolonial Critique, edited by Elke Gaugele and Monica Titton. We talk about their strengths and weaknesses well as what more can be written from an “insider” perspective. To that end, we highlight three Instagram accounts that do this well: @fashioningtheself, @dumplingcommons and @miromoda_. We also talk about a graduating student, Tess Eu @thelesangproject, who will have an essay on Singaporean Chinese mourning dress and rituals published in @biasjournal's 'Death' issue.

In this week's episode, our friend Kew Lin joins us on our podcast where we deep dive into the audio and transcript of entertainment lawyer Samuel Seow where he allegedly hits his niece before going on a tirade against his fellow co-workers. For our non-Singaporean listeners, rest assured that we have translated the mandarin bits into bite-size understandable English for you. Reference link: https://mothership.sg/2018/05/samuel-seow-assault-niece-employee-call-police/?fbclid=IwAR15xZ2jVYRMsjp_04A5e6U9vUJpHgd7GA_ey9v7GsrFqJf2jPWehCPAs8Q Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Uni0Jy iTunes: https://apple.co/2UTH731

When Apple invited me to do a live podcast in their Dubai Mall store for International Women’s Day, I immediately thought of bringing Sharene and Morrad on the show. I love that this couple defies numerous stereotypes, and that their values seemed aligned with those of Apple: innovation and execution. This husband and wife team have together started and sold multiple businesses from the US to Dubai to Malaysia… All while raising 6 children.  Sharene Lee is a Singaporean Chinese who I KNOW is always smiling under her niqab. She had founded and sold 2 businesses in Los Angeles and Paris before her 25th birthday. Morrad Irsane is French Algerian. Having been raised in a family of 13 children, buying and selling second-hand has always been a way of life; so much so that Morrad’s illiterate mother built a thriving business on this trade, and eventually was able to afford a 13-bedroom house in Algeria. Inspired by his mother’s entrepreneurship journey, Morrad modeled their latest business venture on his mother’s – but made it digital. In 2014, Sharene and Morrad cofounded Melltoo, a secondhand e-commerce platform that connects buyers and sellers and focuses on a triple bottom line: people, planet and profit. We discussed a variety of things: from Morrad’s hand-me-downs to his mother’s entrepreneurial success. I asked about the couple’s coffee shop in a dodgy part of Los Angeles, how they furnished it for free and used the Los Angeles Police Dept as a marketing tool! We talked about exiting businesses at the right price. I asked about their large family and I loved Sharene’s tip that the best tool for a better life is “lower expectations”! Finally, the pair disagreed on entrepreneurship, whether it is a learned skill or something you are born with. What do you think? If you would like to learn more, please head to the Melltoo website. This episode was recorded live in the Dubai Mall Apple Store as a Today @ Apple event, so you may hear babies, mobile phones or sound chops from time to time! A huge thank you to Lubna, Rob and the Apple team for hosting us. Finally, please remember wherever you are to subscribe to the podcast, and do rate and review it when you can. Thank you!

About 2 years ago the rent went up on a much loved cookie shop near the Civic in Auckland. Moustache Milk and Cookie Bar was facing a 40% hike. Owner/founder/manager Deanna Yang, a constant presence in the store and online through her energetic, revealing blog that charted the ups and down of business wasn’t going to take this.As an entrepreneur in her early twenties, from a single parent family, young, a woman and a kiwi of Singaporean Chinese descent she had faced a lot of uphill battles so far and she wasn’t going to let this one get her down. She’d baked, invented, shared and given a lot back in her short run in business and used this community as a springboard to a successful $91,000 crowdfund. Even Lorde was keen to #savemoustache. Deanna used this to evolve the business, ditch the OTT rent, fit out a bus and tour the country taking the cookies to the people and now open three stores. All in less than 6 years in business. These goals have all been set and nailed, against the odds and against an environment that NZers like to think is pretty easy for people that aren’t pakeha, but in Deanna’s experience, it isn’t plain sailing, but there are a lot of good people out there too. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meditation has been around for thousands of years, but it’s recently become popular with a broad audience. Modern people need it to create peace from a frenzied world with unrelenting distractions and demands. Typically, mediation is thought of as the practice of sitting still in the crossed leg position, for an extended period of time to quiet the mind. Bruce Lee practiced meditation through movement, such as running, practicing punching, on his exercise bike, or just walking around his backyard in quiet contemplation. He used natural movement as a way to meditate and connect to himself. “It is not a technique of introversion by which one seeks to exclude matter and the external world, to eliminate distracting thoughts, to sit in silence emptying the mind of images, and to concentrate on the purity of one’s own spiritual essence. Meditation is not a mysticism of “introversion” and “withdrawal.” It is not “acquired contemplation.” To think that this insight is a subjective experience “attainable” by some kind of process of mental purification is to doom oneself to error and absurdity.” “We do not arrive, we are. Don’t strive to become, but be.” “Do not separate meditation as a means from enlightenment as an end.” When we’re in our normal, everyday headspace, we are often in “list” mode, thinking about all the things we have to do or fix. In the moment of meditation you don’t need to be goal or purpose oriented. “Any effort the mind makes will further limit the mind.” When we are meditating we are the unattached observer, existing without concentrating on any particular thing. In meditation, just letting something ”be” is the practice of being non-judgmental for a short time. “A simple mind is one that functions, that thinks and feels without motive. Where there is a motive, there must be a way, a method, a system of discipline. The motive is brought about by the desire for an end, for a goal, to achieve that goal there must be a way, etc. Meditation is a freeing of the mind from all motives.” Take Action: Try meditating for a week, five minutes a day or longer if you want. Try different types of mediation to figure out what works for you—sitting, walking, bathing, dancing—whatever connects you to this effortless space where your mind is free of motives. Notice how it feels in your body to connect to this calmness. Podcast Challenge: Starting this Monday June 12th, 2017, join Shannon and Sharon in a 2-week Action Challenge to practice Bruce Lee’s philosophies. One winner will be picked to be a guest on the Bruce Lee Podcast and receive a Bruce Lee gift bag! Find the rules and challenges at Brucelee.com/podcastchallenge #AAHA Our shout-out goes to English actress Jessica Henwick. She’s the daughter of a Singaporean Chinese mother and a Zambian-English father. In 2009, she was the first actress of East Asian descent to play a role in a British TV series when she was cast in the lead role of Bo for the BBC show Spirit Warriors. She went on to be in Game of Thrones, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Iron Fist. Her acting chops continue to be praised and she’s become a fan favorite. Jessica, you’re doing great work and we think you’re awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week our moment is from listener Thom: “I wind up with a philosophy degree plan after some soul-searching, but before I could complete my final year, I suffered a stroke. I don't remember what or how it came about that I landed on "Just Remember to Breathe, " but when I say that to myself I recognize my thoughts are just that, thoughts. All the possible outcomes of my day boil down to one, my emotions are reined back, my mind clears a bit and I recognize the past can't be undone, the future is unwritten, so what's left? Now. It's all we got. Time to act.” Share your #AAHAs, #BruceLeeMoments, and #TakeAction progress with us at hello@brucelee.com Find the full version of our show notes at BruceLee.com/podcast

Sharon Swift, Author, Entrepreneur and Seasoned Expat, has been on the move since birth. Sharon has lived across five continents, and has experienced life and cultures of 14 countries over her lifetime so far. Sharon’s move to Sydney in 2005 was her 18th international relocation. Sharon spent her 14 years corporate career working for multi-national organizations including Siemens USA, Abbott Laboratories Germany, Nielsen UK, and WPP’s Kantar Australia. Passionate about helping busy professionals, Sharon established her concierge business in 2011. Sharon is the founder of The Expat Concierge which helps expats with all aspects of their move from the UK to Australia. She works on an intimate basis with executives relocating to Australia, and helps many more via an online relocation tool, SETTLEto. As a veteran expat, Sharon has become a leading commentator on how expats and ‘wannabe’ expats. Sharon is an Official Huffington Post Blogger and contributor to The CEO Magazine, Human Resources Director Magazine and HR Monthly, Sharon has also been featured in Business Insider and now lives in Sydney with her husband Ian and chocolate Labrador, Dillon. We have a chat about her early days growing up the daughter of a British father and a Singaporean Chinese mother, finding her way in her corporate career across the globe after gaining a business degree at university. Her transitions have provided her with a strong grounding to venture into entrepreneurship with incredible success and we learn all about her international Expat Concierge business. We also discuss what it’s like to be a ‘third culture’ kid – calling everywhere and nowhere ‘home.’ Listen to Sharon’s fascinating journey and find her at www.theexpatconcierge.com

Dave Rogers talks to Singapore leading Sexologist Dr Martha Lee. Founder of Eros Coaching, Dr. Martha (Tara) Lee is a Clinical Sexologist who conducts sexuality and intimacy coaching, and runs sexuality education events in Asia. She is compassionate, practical, honest, interactive and solution-focused. Dr. Lee incorporates a blend of conventional and alternative approaches and draws upon a variety of styles and techniques to support each client as they work to resolve both current problems and long-standing patterns. Based in Singapore, Dr. Lee utilizes her years of experience in professional communications and volunteer counseling to optimize her coaching work. A well-traveled Singaporean Chinese, Martha welcomes individuals as well as couples of all sexual orientations. www.eroscoaching.com

Dave Rogers talks to Singapore leading Sexologist Dr Martha Lee. Founder of Eros Coaching, Dr. Martha (Tara) Lee is a Clinical Sexologist who conducts sexuality and intimacy coaching, and runs sexuality education events in Asia. She is compassionate, practical, honest, interactive and solution-focused. Dr. Lee incorporates a blend of conventional and alternative approaches and draws upon a variety of styles and techniques to support each client as they work to resolve both current problems and long-standing patterns. Based in Singapore, Dr. Lee utilizes her years of experience in professional communications and volunteer counseling to optimize her coaching work. A well-traveled Singaporean Chinese, Martha welcomes individuals as well as couples of all sexual orientations. www.eroscoaching.com