A Chinese family visiting Singapore was alarmed when their two-year-old girl was bitten by a snake near the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) on the night of Oct. 4.

The family had been taking a stroll along a pavement outside the ACM, the girl's mother recounted in a Xiaohongshu post that has since been deleted.

They did not walk on the grass nor disturb any wildlife, she said.

Then, all of a sudden, the girl's ankle was bitten hard by a snake.

The wound immediately turned red and swelled up, and the girl kept crying in pain.

The family quickly called an ambulance, and later contacted the National Parks Board (NParks) to alert them about the snake.

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they received a call for assistance at 1 Empress Place at about 10:25pm that night.

They conveyed one person to KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

Condition has improved

After the girl was brought to the hospital, the family paid for the medical bills themselves, the girl's mother said.

According to HK01, she updated in the comments section on Oct. 6 that her daughter's condition had improved significantly.

In her post, the mother added that a friend of hers has lived in Singapore for over 20 years and has never seen a snake there before.

She warned families travelling in Singapore not to take the safety around tourist attractions as guaranteed, and to watch their step closely when they bring children out at night.

No snake found by NParks

NParks was alerted to the snake bite incident, confirmed NParks' group director for wildlife management How Choon Beng.

In a statement, he said that NParks carried out a survey of the area immediately, but no snake was located.

NParks will continue to monitor the area and relocate any snakes sighted.

How added that based on photos, the snake is likely to be a reticulated python.

The species, native to Singapore, can occasionally be encountered in urban areas.

"It is non-venomous and generally poses little threat to humans, especially if undisturbed," he said.

He also reminded members of public who encounter a snake in a public area to observe from a safe distance, stay calm, and back away slowly to give it space to retreat.

If bitten by a snake, they should seek medical attention immediately.

The snake should also be left alone, especially if it is in its natural habitat.

If assistance is required, members of the public can call the Animal Response Centre helpline at 1800-476-1600.

Singapore must ensure that it continues to have good government, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Oct. 8.

To do so, ministers' salaries must remain "competitive" to attract good talent, he added.

PM Wong made these comments at the 24th Forbes Global CEO Conference, an invitation-only conference that gathers hundreds of leading executives and industry leaders from across the world.

He participated in a dialogue with Steve Forbes, the chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes.

In the dialogue, PM Wong discussed and commented on a diverse range of subjects, including geopolitics, AI, and economic policy.

Ministers' salary framework must be "competitive"

In response to Forbes' question on ministerial salaries, PM Wong asked:

"Well, our starting point is: Is government important? Is good government important? And I believe most of us will say 'Yes. Good government is important.' Then, if good government is important, what do you need to do to get good government?"

He continued that to create a "good government", the government must attract "the best" of every cohort by identifying individuals with good character and values, and appeal to their "sense of purpose".

However, a "practical issue" of getting such individuals to join politics is that they are often successful in their own careers, he explained, citing examples of these people being doctors, lawyers or businessmen.

And as high salary earners, "they would have made their own financial commitments for themselves, their spouses, and their children".

Singapore thus tries to have a "competitive" salary framework for ministers — this will not match their private sector pay, but is "broadly competitive".

PM Wong stated that the aim is to reduce the "burden and the financial loss and the hurdle of entering politics".

Under this principle, Singapore has been able to attract and retain good talent in the government over the past 60 years.

He pointed out that as Prime Minister, his mission is not only to complete his term, but to ensure that he is able to attract the next generation of leaders that he can pass the baton to.

His comments follow an announcement in September that political appointment holders will get a one-off adjustment of up to 9 per cent from Oct. 15, sparking debate in Parliament.

Expensive city?

In another instance, Forbes remarked to PM Wong on the country's cost of living, stating that "Singapore is not a cheap place to live."

"Not at all," he admitted.

However, PM Wong raised that cost and incomes go hand in hand and are "two sides of the same coin", pointing out that one "cannot ask for high incomes and low prices because the services that you consume, what you pay, forms a salary for the people who provide those services".

As such, the "critical" statistics are rather real incomes, accounting for inflation, as well as income inequality.

Singapore has been ensuring that real incomes continue to rise across all segments of society — "not just at the top level... but especially at the lower end — while aiming for income inequalities to go down, he added.

He also stressed that high prices are "legitimate price signals", rejecting the idea that the government should intervene to cap prices as it may generate unintended consequences.

He further explained that during the energy crisis, Singapore was buying oil at market price.

"So if prices are high, we accept that these are market prices."

In such situations, instead of intervening to cap the price, Singapore chose to provide targeted support to low- and middle-income households through utility rebates or cash support.

The AI-tech boom

In response to Forbes pointing out that Singapore makes 10 per cent of the world's semiconductors and about one-fifth of the equipment used to make them, PM Wong said that the semiconductor industry was a "big part of our economy".

While Singapore does not make the most advanced AI chips, firms such as GlobalFoundries and Micron make memory chips and specialty chips here, which AI increases the demand for.

The economy has grown at 5 per cent for the last three years, including 2026, he said, calling it "remarkable".

"[Given] where we are in terms of per capita GDP to be able to grow at 5 percent consecutively for three years with productivity at more than 3 percent — it is considerable."

When asked how long he thought the boom would last though, PM Wong admitted "No boom is forever."

He said that there would be a correction at some point in time yet to be determined.

As such, he stressed that Singapore's approach is to "make good use of this window of opportunity now, where there is external demand, capitalise on it, build new capabilities, and create better jobs for Singaporeans".

Protecting jobs

Forbes then raised the potential for AI to cause displacement and affect jobs.

PM Wong said that while it is "still early days", and it is unclear what impact AI will have on the job market, but that "clearly some jobs will disappear, and many jobs will have to change".

Therefore, Singapore is focused on protecting the worker rather than the job, he stressed, and one embracing unions as partners is one way to do so.

Claiming that Singapore's unions "have an enlightened approach", PM Wong said that they are aware "that it is better to enlarge the pie, rather than to fight for a bigger share of a smaller pie."

He stressed the importance of Singapore's "strong compact" between the government, employers, and unions, which allows for all three parties to work together to create win-win outcomes.

This makes it possible for Singapore to "make sure that the benefits of AI are shared widely," he said.

The parents of a 10-year-old Hong Kong girl have been arrested by the local police's child abuse investigation unit after a video of her struggling to carry bags of beers circulated on social media.

At one point in the video, bystanders asked why she was carrying so much on her own, prompting a man to grab one of the bags frustratedly and calling the girl "useless".

The man, who is reportedly the girl's stepfather, explained that he made her carry the bags as a way to build muscles.

Struggling

In the video, the 10-year-old could be seen struggling as she carried two plastic bags full of what appeared to be beer cans.

She had on her back an unzipped school bag with two cans of beer stuffed in its side pouches.

At one point, one of the cans slipped out.

Along the way, the 10-year-old could be seen taking brief pauses and placing the bags on the ground.

The girl appeared to be accompanied by two adults, presumably her parents.

According to South China Morning Post, one video of the incident showed bystanders asking why the girl was carrying both bags of beer.

A man seen in the video then grabbed one of the bags from the girl while calling her "useless".

The man himself appeared to already be carrying a bag of beer.

Arrested by HK police's child abuse unit

Hong Kong police said they received reports about the video at about 10:30pm on Oct. 6, SCMP reported.

The girl's father, 38, and mother, 32, were subsequently arrested in Tuen Mun on Oct. 7 afternoon on ill-treatment suspicions.

Hong Kong police also said the 10-year-old was found without visible injuries.

The family reportedly told the media that the incident was a misunderstanding.

They pointed out that the man who was arrested was the girl's stepfather.

Explaining the incident, the stepfather said he had asked the 10-year-old to carry the bags as a way to build muscles.

He said he would use other methods in the future, SCMP wrote.

Girl said it's her first time carrying six packs

It appears this was not the first time the girl had carried beer, based on SCMP's report.

The girl commented that while she had carried two and four packs of beer in the past, this was her first time carrying six packs.

She also explained that the backpack seen in the video was damaged by herself and that her parents did care for her.

According to The Standard, the parents have been released on bail.

The local social welfare department has also stepped in to assess if the family requires assistance.

An American citizen in Singapore rented a semi-detached house in Kembangan where he stayed with his family, and paid only one month's rent.

After that, Anthony Thomas Price refused to pay the landlord, citing alleged defects in the property, according to a judgement dated Oct. 5, 2026.

When the owners, an elderly couple in their 80s, tried to take their house back through peaceable re-entry, the American and his family resisted it.

They subsequently took legal action to block the owners' attempt to take back the house.

The application was dismissed, with District Judge Chiah Kok Khun arguing that Price "devised a deliberate scheme" to rent the house for him and his family with no intention to pay rental.

Price had used a Singapore-incorporated private company, Noranth Ventures, to enter into the tenancy agreement.

He and his family are the company directors, and it has a paid-up capital of only S$200.

He used this company to file the court application.

The court ultimately found that Price had a history of using shell companies to rent landed properties in Singapore for his family to stay and not paying rent.

His applications were filed "in plain abuse of process of the court", Chiah said.

Breaching the tenancy agreement

The tenancy agreement for the Kembangan house was signed in April 2026, for a two-year term from May 1, 2026, to Apr. 30, 2028.

The monthly rent was S$7,500, to be paid on the first day of each month.

According to the judgement, Price and his family paid the rent only for May 2026, and has not paid any more to date, but have continued to occupy the house.

The landlords argued that besides not paying the monthly rent, they also committed multiple breaches of the tenancy agreement.

They were supposed to pay a security deposit of S$15,000.

After paying half at the time of signing the agreement, they did not pay the remaining half that was due on Jun. 1.

Under the agreement, Price and his family were also obliged to set up their own utilities account to pay all utility charges from the start of their tenancy, but they only did so on Jun. 4.

This resulted in the owners being charged S$813.74 for utilities during this period, which Price and his family refused to reimburse.

Furthermore, Price and his family installed CCTV cameras in the property premises without the owners' permission, going against the agreed terms to not make any alterations without their written consent.

Alleging defects in the house

Price tried to justify his refusal to pay rent on account of alleged defects in the property, Chiah said.

The judgement quoted WhatsApp messages from Price to the estate agent in June, before the owners attempted peaceable re-entry.

He disputed that the owners were entitled to take back the property based on his failure to pay rent due to supposed "unresolved repair, safety, tenantability, and quiet enjoyment issues".

He also highlighted "approximately 35 repair, rectification or practical occupation issues".

"These are worthless words and a roundabout way to say that Price and the claimant have no intention of paying any rent," Chiah said.

The judge argued that Price's allegations of such issues are untrue.

The owners have even been accommodating and had taken reasonable steps to resolve the repair items raised by Price, despite rent not having been paid.

When the owners attempted to take over the house on Jun. 29, Price deliberately remained at the premises to ensure that re-entry could not take place.

This was stated by Price himself on affidavit, according to the owners.

Owners' counterclaim

Above all, Chiah said the disputed fact that Price refused to pay rent was sufficient to dismiss his application.

He found that the owners "have every right" to re-enter the premises, and he allowed their counterclaim for the repossession of the house, rent arrears, and double rent.

This included the rent for June to August, which was a total of S$22,500, along with the interest of S$269.17.

On top of that, Price and his family were ordered to pay double rent of S$15,000 a month calculated from Aug. 15 until they hand over the possession of the property.

The owners were also awarded reimbursement for the unpaid utilities fees and security deposit balance, and S$6,999.14 as a proportionate refund for the agent's commission after the tenancy was prematurely terminated.

Scheme of using shell companies

Prior to this case, there had been two court proceedings involving Price's use of shell companies to live in landed properties rent-free.

He previously used Bundleluxe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Noranth Ventures, to enter into a one-year tenancy agreement with the owner of another landed property at Burnfoot Terrace in 2024.

Bundleluxe was a shell company that had already accumulated about S$1.34 million in total losses by the time this agreement was signed.

Before that, in 2019, Price used Noranth Ventures to sign a tenancy agreement with the owner of a landed property at Jalan Selamat.

Both cases turned out similarly as in the Kembangan property case.

Price paid only a portion of the security deposit, paid rent for a few months, then stopped paying rent altogether.

He and his family ended up staying rent-free at the Burnfoot property for close to 12 months, and at the Jalan Selamat one for at least five months.

The owners of both these properties took legal action against Price.

While the Jalan Selamat case was eventually settled and discontinued, the proceedings for the Burnfoot case are still ongoing today.

Under Price's scheme, the rental arrears would likely go unpaid given that the tenants on record are Price’s shell companies with minimal paid-up share capital, the owners of the Kembangan and Burnfoot properties told the court.

In dismissing Price's application, Chiah also pointed out that the pattern of using shell companies to rent residential premises is "a matter of some concern for landlords in Singapore".

He ordered Price to pay the owners legal costs of S$15,000, plus disbursements of S$2,031.98.

As the haze worsens in Malaysia, all schools under the Ministry of Education in Negeri Sembilan are temporarily closing their gates.

Students and teachers have been asked to stay home for lessons and work.

One student’s mother didn’t see a school closure notice in the school group chat and drove her child to school. She dropped her child off and left, and the child walked into the school alone, as reported by China Press.

Li Kaixiang, the principal, returned to school for work and was shocked to find that a parent had dropped their child off.

The principal stayed with the child to wait for their parents to come and pick him up.

A 44-year-old Singaporean man who sexually abused four of his daughters over 15 years was sentenced on Oct. 8 to 16.5 years' jail and 22 strokes of the cane.

The victims between 2008 and 2023 consisted of two of the man's biological daughters and two of his stepdaughters.

The Straits Times reported that the man pleaded guilty on Oct. 8 to one charge of aggravated statutory rape and two charges of aggravated outrage of modesty, with seven other charges taken into consideration during sentencing.

Court documents seen by Mothership stated that the man has eight biological children and stepchildren from three marriages.

He cannot be named due to a gag order protecting the victims' identities.

Stepdaughter from 1st marriage

Court documents stated that in 2008, when the man was still married to his second wife, his first known victim was his stepdaughter, around 12, from his first marriage.

Sometime in 2008, the man molested her after entering her bedroom. She told her mother, but she did not believe her.

The girl was afraid that the police would not believe her, and ended up not lodging a report at the time.

Biological daughter from 1st marriage

The man's next known incident of sexual assault involved his biological daughter from his first marriage, who was 17 at the time.

Sometime in 2020, the man entered the room the teen was in, while carrying another daughter who was 10 months old.

At the time, the teen was lying on her stomach while using her phone.

The man then placed the 10-month-old infant on the teen's back while kneeling down on top of her body.

He then sexually assaulted her.

Court documents stated that the teen was shocked at his actions and felt unsafe around the man ever since, but did not lodge a police report as her family did not want her to.

She was also afraid of getting disowned or kicked out of the house by her family if she went against their wishes.

His offence came to light after the teen told a hospital medical social worker about it.

A child protection officer from the Ministry of Social and Family Development's (MSF) Child Protective Service eventually lodged a police report about the offence on Mar. 1, 2024.

Biological daughter from 2nd marriage

In November 2021, while the man was married to his third wife, he molested his biological daughter from his second marriage, who was 13 at the time and staying at his flat overnight.

He lay next to the girl on a mattress and reached under her clothes to molest her.

He only stopped when someone called him from outside the room.

The girl initially did not tell anyone about the sexual assault as she felt afraid, but later lodged a police report on Jan. 1, 2022.

Stepdaughter from 3rd marriage

Court documents stated that the man also assaulted his stepdaughter from his third marriage repeatedly between 2020 and 2023.

Sometime in 2023, when the girl was eight to nine years old, the man was playing a video game with her in the living room.

He exposed himself to her before telling her to perform a sexual act on him, to which she complied and returned to playing the game as she was unable to comprehend the significance of his instructions at the time.

The man rubbed himself against her a few weeks later while playing a game of wrestling with her in a bedroom.

On Nov. 14, 2024, the girl was lying down on the bed in a guest room and watching TikTok videos on her phone.

At the time, the man who was standing near the master bedroom door did a lewd act while looking at the girl.

She could see him from her room and recorded a 32-second video of him as she felt his actions were wrong.

She sent the video to her friend via TikTok, who told her to call the police.

She was unwilling to do so as she did not want anything to happen to her family.

However, after her friend informed a teacher about the video, MSF was eventually notified, and a child protection officer lodged a police report on Nov. 15, 2024.

The man was arrested the same day.

Justification for sentencing

In noting the man's "clear proclivity towards sexually exploiting his four children", the prosecution argued that running the three proceeded charges consecutively was fully justified in this case.

"Each of his offences involve a gross abuse of the trust that the accused's children had placed in him," the prosecution said.

With the exception of one girl, the other offences were committed against vulnerable victims.

In addition, the man's sexual exploitation of one girl began as early as 2020 or 2021, when she was only five to seven years old.

Pretty boys, photo cards, and parasocial relationships. Welcome to the new Formula 1 (F1).

If you scroll through social media content about F1, you’d notice that the cars and the race now make up just a fraction of what you see.

Instead, you'll find fan edits from interviews, meme pages, and entire fan accounts dedicated to individual drivers.

I've been following F1 for years. But these days, my social media feed looks more like the feed of a K-pop fan.

How did this happen?

The K-popification of F1

Rather than just the cars or the brands, fans are increasingly taking an interest in the drivers themselves.

Asked about why they followed F1, legacy fans — which F1 defined as older, male, and who'd been following the sport for at least six years — said they'd followed the sport since childhood, enjoyed the thrill of the races, or appreciated the technology.

But a new reason has emerged among newer and younger F1 fans: being a fan of the drivers.

Max or Lewis, rather than McLaren or Lamborghini.

But how did the people end up being the main characters of a traditionally car-led sport?

We can perhaps date it back to the 2019 Netflix documentary series, "Drive to Survive".

The series gave viewers something F1 had historically struggled to provide: access to the humans underneath the helmets.

Instead of focusing solely on what happened on the track, the show brought viewers into the drivers' lives, capturing them at their best and worst.

Viewers were taken into tense contract talks, midfield rivalries, and the pressures facing team principals – all building towards each race weekend.

For Executive Producer James Gay-Rees, this human element became a key part of the series’ appeal, he told F1.

New audiences could find themselves rooting for (or against) based not just on their performance, but on who they were and the stories unfolding around them.

Suddenly, you didn’t really need to understand the specifics, such as tyre degradation, DRS, or undercuts to get into the sport.

You just needed to understand the people.

As interest grew, teams realised that drivers were no longer just athletes: they had become personalities. Content.

Hamilton’s presence at Fashion Week has become an extension of his public persona, just as recognisable as his presence on the F1 grid.

Or whenever Redbulls’ Max Verstappen wins, we will somehow think of the fan-made song, "33 Max Verstappen".

Drawing the parallels

By now, you might have noticed the similarities.

In K-pop, idols — as they're known, rather than singers or actors — have long since outgrown the label of mere performer.

An idol can be a Dior ambassador, sit front row at Paris Fashion Week, or become a HYROX influencer.

Like their F1-driver counterparts.

In K-pop, viewers pick their favourites — the idols they root for and desperately want to see succeed. (This, in a music group, is called a "bias".)

It's a pattern we're increasingly seeing in F1.

In the F1 documentary, a viewer might watch young drivers desperately trying to prove themselves, and begin to feel an attachment.

You hope your favourite driver gets a seat, earns a contract, wins a race and, ultimately, becomes world champion.

These stakes have always existed. But now, they're at the forefront.

The rise of parasocial relationships

While the audience may start out being attracted by the characters, many eventually become invested in the racing as well.

According to F1’s survey findings, fans aren’t just watching — they’re investing, interacting, and engaging with the sport frequently.

Among those surveyed, 90 per cent said they were emotionally invested in race outcomes, while 61 per cent engaged with F1 content every day.

But this new level of engagement has also brought about another trend more associated with K-pop: parasocial relationships.

We get to know our F1 idols on a deeper level through interviews like "Grill the Grid" and Amelia Dimoldenberg’s "Passenger Princess".

On podcasts, we hear about the highs and lows of their racing journeys.

And through personal vlogs on their official channels, we’re even given glimpses into their daily routines or their lives away from the track.

On their birthdays or race days, fans gather at cafés to celebrate with customised cup sleeves and photocards.

On social media, you can find fan edits of the drivers and their supposed "relationships".

A glance across the room during a press conference can be interpreted as romantically charged. Two drivers laughing together can spark thousands of comments on their chemistry.

However, this parasocial behaviour has also manifested in dark ways.

In April 2023, Charles Leclerc asked fans to respect his privacy after his home address was leaked, with fans reportedly showing up at his Monaco apartment over several months, according to AP News.

“While I’m always happy to be there for you and truly appreciate your support, please respect my privacy and refrain from coming to my house,” he wrote on Instagram.

“Your support, both in person and on social media, means the world to me, but there is a boundary that should not be crossed.”

F1 & K-pop are literally colliding

In Singapore and at other race stops, K-pop idols have been appearing at Grands Prix as teams and brands court the same young, digitally native audiences.

This year alone, we’ve seen multiple K-pop idols become part of the F1 festivities in Singapore.

In August, BabyMonster was driven around Orchard by Mercedes reserve driver Fred Vesti.

And last month, the Atlassian Williams F1 Team announced that Twice’s Tzuyu would record the official theme song for its collaboration with anime series Dan Da Dan.

Fanbases are overlapping, more than ever, even across vastly different communities.

But zoom out a little.

A man, 32, has been charged with six counts of voyeurism and pleaded guilty to four of them. He was sentenced to 10 weeks in jail.

The remaining two charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Aged between 22 and 44, the four female victims were all colleagues of the man.

A gag order has been placed to prevent the man’s colleagues from being identified, as reported by Lianhe Zaobao.

The videos had been recorded in their company’s unisex changing rooms.

He placed his phone in his bag's side pocket, went into the cubicle, put his bag down on the floor, and filmed his colleague changing through the gaps between cubicles.

These videos were kept in a hidden folder on his phone, which required facial recognition or a password to access. The man would watch the videos at home.

In October 2024, the man transferred the videos onto a new phone, and they were automatically transferred to his laptop.

His girlfriend eventually found these videos on his phone and made him delete them.

In December 2024, the man deleted the videos from the hidden folder.

His girlfriend then discovered the videos in the recently deleted folder on his phone in January 2025. She had him delete those as well.

He was reported to the police on Feb. 10, 2025, by his company’s HR department. It is unclear who reported him to his company.

Investigations revealed that between July and December 2024, the man had secretly filmed 15 videos.

Police were able to identify four victims through the footage. One of his colleagues, a 44-year-old victim, was filmed for at least three and a half minutes. She was captured in her underwear, and her face was visible as well.

When the man was arrested on February 10, 2026, they found a total of 24 such videos on his laptop. There were six different videos and 18 duplicates.

Former actor Thomas Ong is settling into a smaller home as he prepares for life after acting.

The 57-year-old Singaporean bought a 409 sqft (38 sqm) two-room Flexi flat near Canberra MRT station for S$140,000, he told Lianhe Zaobao.

Ong's downsizing strategy

Ong previously lived in a five-room flat in Toa Payoh, followed by a three-room flat in Kim Keat.

He obtained his latest home through the Sale of Balance Flats scheme and spent under S$80,000 on renovations.

"This must be the smallest flat in Singapore; there's no smaller one. This is the last time I'll ever move in my life. I'll probably live here until I die, haha. I've lived here for about two months, and it's very comfortable, and I'm very happy,” he told Zaobao.

Ong explained that downsizing meant less housework and fewer possessions.

He shared that while spare rooms in his previous homes were filled with clutter, his smaller home now keeps everything within easy reach.

Designed for health

Beyond convenience, Ong’s health also shaped his choice of home and its design.

He said he has struggled with insomnia for years, with lingering respiratory problems after the Covid-19 pandemic further disrupting his sleep.

He chose darker interiors to create a calming space where he could unwind, explaining that bright, white surroundings would leave him worrying about dirt and stains.

He said: "I'm the kind of person who would go crazy if I saw a single hair on the floor. I'm also afraid that a space that's too white will easily get dirty, causing me unnecessary psychological stress and burden. So why bother?"

His efforts to simplify his lifestyle extend beyond his home.

Ong has also sold his car and now takes public transport.

Switching from acting to content creation

Ong said health concerns prompted his decision to retire from acting.

Moving forward, he hopes to support himself through social media content and plans to document a two-month solo trip around Japan beginning in mid-October.

In an Oct. 8 social media post, the 57-year-old shared more photos and details of his cosy little apartment and how he acquired it.

Applied for Sale of Balance Flats scheme

He revealed that he bought the unit through the Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) scheme and was surprised his application was successful as there were only two units left.

"Perhaps this is just a little bit of heaven’s favor shining down on Old Wang," he wrote

He also mentioned that his flat is close to the MRT station and shopping malls, which makes it convenient for him to access amenities.

He also shared a photo of kindergarten children down his block and said they were a reminder of the hustle and bustle outside his quiet sanctuary, writing: "These very down-to-earth, everyday sounds actually infuse the home with a sense of living — a reminder that while the world outside bustles on, I can go about my own life in peace and quiet."

Ong's post also shared that the Chinese media visited him at his place to "experience the charm of this compact space".

Not dim at all

Ong also mentioned his home's "Korean-style" vertical blinds — in response to comments previously that the interior of his flat was too dim based on the photos he shared — which he said allowed him to control how much natural lighting entered his home depending on how each panel is positioned.

He said whimsically that he would be watching television and would occasionally be drawn to the rays of light at dusk that enter and find himself caught up in his thoughts.

He also clarified that a plant seen in his home did not belong to him.

This was after he was asked where he got it.

He explained that it belonged to a friend and he put it in his house for the purpose of taking photos.

He added that the plant will likely die if he took care of it.

Ong's post won praise, with many commenters praising the compact practicality of his apartment and saying that the size of his home is only as big as his heart.

Lawyer and opposition politician Lim Tean, 61, received three new charges in court on Oct. 9 for allegedly absconding from Singapore while on bail.

Lim was supposed to surrender himself on Aug. 3 to begin his jail term for practising law without a valid certificate, but he failed to show up.

He was later arrested at an apartment complex in Johor Bahru on Aug. 6 and deported back to Singapore on Aug. 11.

Three new charges

According to a Singapore Police Force (SPF) news release, Lim was handed three new charges in relation to his abscondment.

First was for failing to surrender himself to custody knowingly and without reasonable excuse, which carries a fine, jail term of up to three years, or both.

Second was for leaving Singapore and failing to present a valid passport or evidence of his identity or Singapore Citizenship at the point of departure, which carries a fine of up to S$2,000, jail term of up to six months, or both.

Third was for his attempt to avoid serving a court-imposed jail sentence, which carries a fine, jail term of up to seven years, or both.

In total, Lim now faces seven charges.

His other charges include two for criminal breach of trust in relation to his law firm business, one for unlawful stalking, and one for refusing to answer a public servant during questioning.

Previous conviction and jail sentence

Lim was previously convicted on Jul. 26, 2024, of three charges under the Legal Profession Act for practicing law without a valid certificate.

He was initially handed six weeks' jail and a S$1,000 fine.

The sentence was enhanced on Feb. 23, 2026, to three months and one week imprisonment following an appeal by the prosecution.

Lim was declared bankrupt in April.

He was ordered to surrender at the State Courts on Jul. 20, 2026, to begin his sentence, but he successfully applied for a deferment.

He was then ordered to surrender on Aug. 3, 2026, but he failed to do so.

During the course of this case, Lim was out on bail and surrendered his passport to the police as a condition of bail.

When he was arrested in Johor, he was not in possession of his passport.

His bailor eventually forfeited S$45,000.

CNA reported that Lim appeared in court on Oct. 9 via video link.

A pre-trial conference for his case will take place on Oct. 23.