These days, Annette Lee's life has taken an almost dreamlike slant.

Her Instagram feed is a whirlwind of glitzy red carpets and glitzier magazine covers. Even her famous self-starred skits have taken on a more cinematic edge.

Her bio says "actor-filmmaker" and there's really little reason to doubt it. Lee's debut movie, "Dream Stall", was received with an almost startling warmth by an ordinarily frigid Singaporean audience, from media outlets to MPs.

It's possibly the most artistic success a local filmmaker has seen since Anthony Chen's "Ilo Ilo" in 2013.

A few months ago though, she was just another Singaporean influencer being slammed on an Internet forum. Told to stay in her own lane, don't waste money, exactly who does she think she is?

Who she is

The 34-year-old actually does have roots in film.

In university, Lee majored in digital filmmaking. She only switched to acting (and, thereafter, social media) after joining SGAG in 2016.

"Back then, there were no videos [in SGAG], so I started the video team... That's how I ended up on screen," she says.

"I had to be a one-man show. I'd shoot everything, write everything... I'd direct, produce, and edit it.

Then I'd show up on camera also, because no budget for cast."

"Dream Stall" is, in a way, that journey come full circle. Lee conceptualised and directed the film. She wrote the script (although she later brought in a co-writer to split the load).

She stars in it as main character Enya. She even sings on the soundtrack.

Part of it is for budget reasons. "Obviously, I saved a lot of money doing everything myself," she says candidly.

But the biggest difference is that while she's still involved in every part of the product, she's no longer a one-man show.

Against the odds

The idea for "Dream Stall" came a few years ago, when Chen encouraged her to consider making a feature-length film.

"He spoke to me just after I had given birth, so I had a lot of free time during confinement," she quips.

At that point, she'd gone far past the creative limits of an ordinary social media creator. She'd produced her own web series, released songs, even did a live show (Annette Lee: All in One, 2022).

She considered her position. She had a story: a love letter to the Singaporean identity, analogised through a bak kut teh stall. She had the skills, she had a goal.

You know what, she decided. Why not?

When she broke the news to her husband, he was "actually very worried".

"He was like, why do you want to do this? It's such a big risk, a big project. We likely won't make money," she recalls.

"But it was a story that I wanted to tell. I wanted to challenge myself to create something that could last a very long time, because social media is so... like, ephemeral."

Funding a film

And then she had a film to make.

In Singapore, there is a template to success in filmmaking. (Hint, it rhymes with "badvertisements").

But Lee was adamant on not selling to her audiences.

She did take on sponsors, but only those whose presence she felt would be a natural fit in her script.

Like the Singapore Oceanarium, which was the setting for a plot-pivotal date between protagonist Enya and her love interest, Preston.

The rest of the film was funded by a mixture of investors and her own money.

"I just work like dog for the last few years, I tell you," she quips.

"Maybe there are some people who think that I got free money that I just threw in there. But no, I didn't take from my family, I didn't take from anyone."

"I worked for every single cent that I put in. But at the end of the day, it was a passion project — I was like, if I make I make, if I don't I don't.

...This was not a money-making venture. It's just something I felt I had to do."

Dealing with stereotypes

Making a good film was, in a way, just the prologue to the story.

The next chapter was to convince Singaporeans to actually watch it.

The sentiment towards local art, she acknowledges, tends to be "default negative". Coming into the scene as a young, female director, and an influencer no less, meant the barriers were even higher.

On a HardwareZone forum, users criticised her acting, the local film scene, and her social media roots. "Not everyone is Jack Neo," one person commented.

Another said, more succinctly: "Go fly kite lah."

When I ask Lee how she feels about this, she's quick to correct me. "People have been so nice," she insists.

The disillusionment does exist — it's a sentiment that she both empathises with and resents. Some people are just not going to watch her film, some people are not going to take her seriously.

Mindsets don't change overnight. But these are the minority, and she's made her peace with that.

Ultimately, many people have given her, and her art, a chance. For that, she is grateful.

"There could be a bit of misogyny, like [some people who] think I don't know anything, right? But I try not to focus on that.

I think if every day you wake up and you remind yourself that you're a victim, you'll never get anything done."

Work in progress

Lee, somewhat self-deprecatingly, describes herself as a "recovering perfectionist".

She is her own harshest critic, her own creative process. But this means she also knows in her heart that she did her best, without any shortcuts or cheats.

"Boldness thrives in an atmosphere of a clean conscience," she says quite sagely.

Even in the wake of her success, she doesn't have big ambitions of becoming the next Jack Neo, nor of kickstarting a revival in local cinema.

"I'm just a random person," she tells me, at one point in the interview.

It's a statement that comes across as quite astonishing to me: that after subverting every expectation of Singaporean-influencer-turned-filmmaker, she still takes life at her own pace.

Won't be written into a story or a stereotype, even by hopes and adulation.

In the immediate term, Lee plans to take a break from directing, go into acting a little. She has a project or two lined up for now.

But maybe she'll come back to filmmaking, once she has another story to tell.

"I'm not overly trying to plan my course," she explains. "I just wanna see how things go."

It's fully unlike her movie, which ends so neatly with its protagonist's success. This season of Lee's life concludes instead with a pause — on a propitious note, but with a kind of to-be-continued.

As for me, I can't wait to see what comes next.

You can watch Lee's film, "Dream Stall", for free at Nightflix Somerset on Aug. 1. 

Related story

Senior Minister K Shanmugam and Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng have each been awarded S$145,000 in legal costs following their successful defamation suit against Bloomberg and its reporter Low De Wei.

They were previously awarded S$230,000 in damages each after the judge found a Dec. 12 2024 article on Good Class Bungalow (GCB) transactions written by Low for Bloomberg had defamed the ministers.

According to an extract of the notes of the Jul. 30 proceedings, which was shared with the media, each minister was awarded S$50,000 in pre-trial costs, S$65,000 in trial costs and S$30,000 in post-trial costs.

The pre-trial and post-trial costs were awarded for work relating to the preparation of written submissions and a half-day hearing held on May 22.

The trial costs were assessed at S$10,000 per day for the 6.5-day trial.

Defamation suit

The Singaporean ministers sued the news outlet and the reporter over an article it ran on Dec. 12, 2024, titled, "Singapore Mansion Deals Are Increasingly Shrouded in Secrecy".

The article discussed the sale of GCBs in Singapore and claimed there was a lack of public records regarding GCB transactions.

It mentioned private properties purchased by Shanmugam and Tan.

Article found to have defamed ministers

In a judgment released on Jul. 14, Judge Audrey Lim found that the article had indeed defamed the ministers.

She ruled that it linked the duo's property transactions to secrecy, opacity and money laundering, creating a defamatory impression.

“An allegation that a person has deliberately structured his property dealings to escape examination for possible money laundering plainly tends to lower him in the estimation of right-thinking members of society,” she wrote.

Lim also found that the "natural and ordinary meaning" of the article is that the claimants "took advantage of the absence of checks and balances or disclosure requirements to conduct their property transactions in a non-transparent manner" and that they did so to "hide their transactions and avoid scrutiny that might extend to the possibility of money laundering".

"These are grave assertions that directly impugn the claimants’ personal integrity, character and professional reputation. This is therefore a factor that points towards the award of higher damages," Lim said.

Bloomberg, as the publisher, and Low, as the author, were found to be jointly and severally liable for the defamation, meaning they are jointly responsible for paying the full amount owed.

Related

A former captain in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) was jailed for 21 months and two weeks on Jul. 29 after he admitted to vaping and cheating five colleagues of almost S$87,000.

Charge sheets and court documents seen by Mothership stated that Benjamin Song Yong Pang was also fined S$6,000.

He pleaded guilty to nine charges, five of which were cheating charges and four were vape-related charges, which includes possession of vaping devices.

There were 17 charges taken into consideration during sentencing.

Following the commencement of investigations, Song made full restitution to his victims, which include his subordinates.

Lied about mother's medical bills

Between 2011 and 2018, Song incurred significant amounts of credit card debt from patronising clubs and KTVs, though his exact debt amount was not stated in court documents.

At the time of his offences, he was an SAF captain, a deputy cluster commander at a supply base.

Earlier reports mentioned that Song was accused of cheating 16 people more than S$145,000 over three years. He was first charged for cheating in November 2025.

CPIB said that the offences happened over multiple occasions between May 23, 2021 and Mar. 26, 2024.

Charge sheets indicated that the sums given to Song by the victims ranged from S$1,000 to over S$27,000.

Court documents stated that he lied to five colleagues over more than 39 occasions between May 2021 and March 2024 that he would help to invest their money, or claimed that he needed money for his mother's medical bills.

His colleagues gave him a total of S$86,750 on separate occasions, with each being cheated of amounts between S$10,000 and S$27,050.

The five colleagues were cheated in chronological order 13 times, seven times, nine times, five times and fives times respectively.

In reality, Song used the money to service his debts.

Vapes

The Straits Times reported that Song, who began using e-vaporisers some time from late 2021, openly vaped in his Nee Soon Camp office.

In 2022 and 2023, he also had in his possession at the camp, 10 boxes of pods, and 15 pieces of disposable vaporisers at S$13 each over six occasions.

Such conduct resulted a culture of vaping being normalised among his subordinates, investigations revealed.

ST reported that Song leveraged his rank and recruited colleagues to order vapes and vape pods on his behalf.

According to the Health Sciences Authority, Song got three subordinates to procure and pass the vape products to him on multiple occasions.

One subordinate admitted to assisting Song out of fear of saying no to his superior officer.

Song was also found to have introduced a female colleague to vaping by giving her a vaping device and vape pods, ST reported.

Including his vape-related offences, he faced 26 charges in all.

Suspended, penalties

Mindef said in a Nov. 10, 2025 statement that Song was suspended from his duties following his arrest, and was no longer a regular serviceman with the SAF.

Mindef said that SAF holds its service personnel to high standards of discipline and integrity.

"We do not tolerate any form of cheating in the SAF. Service personnel who commit offences will be dealt with in accordance with the law," Mindef said.

Court documents stated that Song was arrested on Apr. 16, 2024, and released on agency bail on the same day.

His agency bail was then extended on Nov. 7, 2025, before his first mention on Nov. 10, 2025.

The prosecution sought a sentence of 21 to 23 months' jail for him.

A 72-year-old man in China almost died after he was apparently bitten by a cobra, whose head he had already cut off five minutes earlier.

The incident occurred in May 2026 and was reported by Global Times, a state-affiliated media outlet.

Fishing

Zhang, an angler, was fishing in a secluded riverside spot and was unaware he had wandered into cobra territory.

He then saw a venomous cobra.

Based on his outdoor experience, Zhang purportedly reasoned that if he retreated, he might be treated as provoking the animal.

He pulled out a digging shovel he carried and struck the cobra as it attacked, flinging it aside.

Zhang then continued to attack the snake and severed the cobra’s head.

Bitten

When Zhang reached down to pick up the cobra’s severed head five minutes after detaching it, it proceeded to bite him.

The detached head reportedly possessed enough muscle memory and survival instinct to sink its venomous fangs deep into Zhang’s hand.

According to Zhang, the bite felt "like an electric shock".

The cobra's head apparently refused to release its grip and continued clinging on to Zhang's hand.

Zhang eventually shook off the cobra’s head and rushed to a local hospital.

Symptoms

Zhang’s wound darkened and swelled.

Within less than 20 minutes, he apparently experienced chest tightness, blurred vision, nausea, and vomiting.

Zhang was then transferred to another hospital in Zhejiang, China, after receiving preliminary emergency treatment.

Upon admission, he reportedly sustained severe swelling that ballooned his entire left arm, stretching from his thumb all the way to his shoulder.

The skin around the wound had also apparently turned black and necrotic, with was warm to the touch.

Zhang also exhibited systemic symptoms triggered by the cobra’s venom.

The doctors performed debridement surgery before the venom could cause irreversible tissue necrosis.

Two months after the treatment, Zhang's left hand was apparently saved.

Postoperative period

During the postoperative period, Zhang reportedly did not dare to move his hand due to the pain and dread.

He also apparently suffered three consecutive nights of nightmares about a headless snake pursuing him relentlessly.

"I will never act recklessly again. The price I paid is far too steep," Zhang reportedly said.

He has since made a full recovery and was discharged from the hospital.

Sheng Siong is ready to review its prices and product range in anticipation of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link opening in January 2027.

This is to retain shoppers in the face of more competition in the grocery sector.

“The retail grocery industry remains competitive, and with the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link set to open in 2027, we stand ready to adapt our pricing, promotions and product mix as necessary to remain competitive,” Sheng Siong chief executive Lim Hock Chee said on Jul. 29, according to its financial report.

Actual impact uncertain

The RTS Link may intensify price competition for some groceries and household products, Sheng Siong said in its statement.

"However, the actual impact remains uncertain and will depend on factors such as fares, travel time, exchange rates, relative pricing, and consumer behaviour after operations commence," the statement added.

Sheng Siong announced its financial results for the first half of 2026, filed with the local exchange.

Singaporeans are projected to spend S$1.05 billion more in Malaysia once the rail link opens, according to a joint Jul. 16 study by the Singapore Business Federation, the Restaurant Association of Singapore and the Singapore Retailers Association.

A 51 per cent annual increase in Singapore consumers crossing over to Johor Bahru in 2027 was also projected.

Groceries, pharmaceuticals, dining and beauty top the list of categories Singaporeans spend on.

Sheng Siong still expanding

Despite the prospective headwinds, Sheng Siong is still expanding in Singapore.

Three new stores will open in Hougang, Rivervale in Sengkang, and Woodlands between July and September.

The outcome of a tender for another store is pending, while two more tenders are expected to be called over the next six to 12 months.

Sheng Siong also commenced a partnership with foodpanda in June to increase its online market.

Sheng Siong’s S$520 million Sungei Kadut distribution centre broke ground on Jul. 13.

The seven-storey facility is expected to be completed in 2029 and will help see to the optimisation of costs.

Sheng Siong now has a network of 90 stores in Singapore.

Four stores opened in 2026 in Canberra Crescent, New Bridge Centre in Smith Street, Alkaff Crescent, and Sembawang Crescent.

Sheng Siong’s revenue rose 11.9 per cent year on year to S$855.4 million in the first half of 2026.

Its net profit rose by 11.9 per cent over the same period to S$81 million, partly driven by consumer spending supported by CDC vouchers and promotions.

From Jan. 1, 2027, the traffic police will tighten the demerit points regime, also known as the Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS) for Singapore Driving Licence holders.

These changes come after road safety was observed to have deteriorated.

According to a police news release from Jul. 31, road fatalities in Singapore have increased by five per cent between 2024 and 2025, reaching a 10-year high.

Injured persons caused by road accidents also increased by 6.6 per cent in this period.

Lower suspension threshold

Under the new regime, the threshold for the first suspension of non-probationary motorists will be lowered from 24 demerit points to 18 points.

This means a motorist will be allowed to accumulate only 18 demerit points before being suspended for the first time.

Road offences that currently carry 24 demerit points will be revised to 18 demerit points. They include:

• Exceeding the vehicular speed limit by more than 50 km per hour;
• Exceeding the road speed limit by more than 50km per hour; 
• Reckless or dangerous driving.

Longer suspension periods

Suspension periods across all tiers will also be increased.

A motorist's first suspension period will increase from 12 weeks to four months.

The second and third suspension durations will change from 24 weeks to six months and one to two years, respectively.

From the fourth suspension, the suspension period will be standardised at five years, instead of the current tiered system which become longer progressively.

One chance for reduction in suspension period

There will also be changes made to educational intervention programmes for errant motorists.

From Jan. 1, 2027, the DIPS Retraining Course, a 1.5-day rehabilitative programme where motorists can have their suspensions reduced, will be offered only to those suspended for the first time.

Such motorists can have their suspensions reduced from four months to six weeks upon successful completion of the course.

The DIPS Retraining Course and the accompanying reduction in suspension period will not be available for motorists' second and subsequent suspensions.

Discontinuation of Safe Driving Course

The Safe Driving Course (SDC), an early corrective course where motorists who have accumulated demerit points but not yet faced suspension can have four demerit points expunged, will be discontinued from Jan. 1, 2027.

The change comes as data showed that the course's take-up rate from 2023 to 2025 has been low at 15 per cent of those offered.

Its impact on improving driving behaviour was also found to be minimal, considering that the difference in re-offending rates between SDC and non-SDC takers is marginal.

The Traffic Police will cease offer letters for the course from Aug. 1, 2026.

Those who have received offer letters must complete the course by Dec. 31, 2026.

In the transitionary period before Jan. 1, 2027, there will be a one-off adjustment to all motorists' demerit points.

The website of home-grown fashion brand Love, Bonito was compromised on Jul. 26, potentially exposing the personal information of some of its customers.

Partial payment information may have been exposed

In an email sent to affected customers, as seen by Mothership, the company said it had identified a security vulnerability on its website that allowed unauthorised access to some customers’ account information.

Love, Bonito said it acted "immediately" after discovering the issue and resolved the vulnerability on the same day.

"We have since strengthened our internal safeguards to prevent a similar issue from recurring," the company said.

"We have always been committed to providing our community with a safe shopping environment and we sincerely apologise for this incident."

According to the email, the following categories of one's personal information may have been affected:

• First and last name;
• Date of birth;
• Email address;
• Shipping address;
• Phone number;
• Order history details; and
• Partial payment information, including card type, the last four digits of the card and expiry date, if the card had been used for an order on Love, Bonito’s website.

The company stressed that customers’ full credit card details were not exposed.

"This information is processed and held directly by our payment processor — we do not have access to or store this information ourselves," it said.

Love, Bonito said it had also taken steps to secure and strengthen the affected systems, notified the relevant data protection authority and reported the incident to law enforcement.

The company added that it is continuing to audit and review its security measures and will make further improvements where necessary.

Urged customers to be mindful of scams

Meanwhile, Love, Bonito encouraged affected customers to be wary of phishing attempts and to remain vigilant about unexpected calls, e-mails or text messages that reference their names, addresses or order history.

Customers should not share one-time passwords or verification codes with anyone, including people claiming to represent Love, Bonito or their bank, the company said.

It also advised customers to monitor their payment card activity and register with the Do Not Call Registry to reduce unsolicited telemarketing calls and messages.

All affected customers have been informed

In response to Mothership's queries, Love, Bonito chief executive Dione Song said the company is taking the incident very seriously.

All affected customers in Singapore have been informed, she said.

"We sincerely apologise to our customers and are committed to strengthening our systems and are taking additional steps to enhance our cybersecurity," said Song.

The company has also notified the Singapore Police Force, the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) and the relevant regional authorities, and is cooperating fully with their investigations.

Song added that they will not be able to share additional information at this point as the incident is currently under investigation.

Not the first time

This is not the first time Love, Bonito has experienced a data breach.

In 2019, the brand’s website was compromised, with about 3 per cent of its customers’ personal information exposed. Of these, a "small number" may have had their financial data accessed.

According to The Straits Times, in 2024, Love, Bonito was fined S$24,000 over the breach, which involved more than 5,500 customers.

Four new stations will be added to the Cross Island Line (CRL) to serve residents in Taman Jurong and workers in western industrial estates, Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow announced on Jul. 31.

The stations will form the final stage of Singapore's Cross Island Line, known as Cross Island Line Phase 3 (CRL3).

Four new stations

Speaking to the media during a visit to the Singapore Rail Test Centre, Siow said commuters travelling to and from western Singapore could save up to 50 minutes in travel time when the full Cross Island Line is operational.

CRL3 will span about 10km and comprise four underground stations – CR20, CR21, CR22 and CR23.

Two of the four stations will be interchanges. CR21 will connect to the Jurong Region Line at JS12 station, while CR23 will connect to the East-West Line at Gul Circle station.

The new stations will improve connectivity for residents in Taman Jurong and workers in western industrial estates, Siow said, linking them to the rest of Singapore's rail network.

Construction of CRL3 is expected to begin in 2027, with the stations targeted to open by the late 2030s.

Noise and vibration impact studies will be carried out before construction begins.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will also work with stakeholders to put in place measures to mitigate construction-related concerns, including noise, dust, safety and traffic.

More alternative routes during disruptions

"The Cross Island Line plays a much more critical role in our MRT network," Siow said, noting that it will connect to all of the existing radial lines.

11 of its 26 stations will be interchanges.

This will significantly strengthen the resilience of Singapore's train network, he said.

During a service disruption, more commuters will be able to take alternative routes while remaining within the MRT network.

Once CRL3 is completed, the Cross Island Line will expand Singapore's rail network to over 360km, together with other ongoing rail expansion projects.

Improving connectivity to Tuas South

Siow also highlighted the need to improve public transport connectivity to Tuas South.

The Tuas area currently relies mainly on the existing East-West Line, although connectivity has improved since the line was extended to Tuas West, he said.

Connectivity is expected to improve further when the Cross Island Line and Jurong Region Line open.

Despite this, more can be done to improve the connectivity to Tuas South, he said.

One of the options Siow raised is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

BRT systems use articulated, high-capacity buses or track-less trams that travel along dedicated lanes, with priority at traffic junctions.

Stations are also designed to allow passengers to board and alight quickly.

If feasible for Tuas South, BRT could be a promising and cost-effective mode of transport for other parts of Singapore, Siow said, filling the gap between conventional buses and trains.

A 20-year-old woman from Singapore has apparently gone missing in Cambodia.

An appeal to look for her has been put up on Facebook by the woman's father, who is appealing to the authorities in Singapore and Cambodia to find her.

She is believed to be in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, her father Sahat Siregar wrote in his Jul. 30 post, which also called on the authorities and public to "bring Aishah back home".

He also asked the authorities to "please help us find my daughter as soon as possible".

Made police report

The family has since made a police report in Singapore and are working closely with the authorities, the post noted.

It also thanked everyone who has helped the family so far.

"We are afraid that every hour we lose could make it harder to bring her home safely," the post added.

"As a father, I am begging for your help. I just want my daughter to come home safe," the post also said.

The father also asked those who read the post to help the family by sharing it as "someone may have seen something or know something that could help".

"If you have any information, no matter how small, please contact me or the Singapore police immediately," he wrote. "Please keep my daughter in your prayers. Please help bring my daughter home safely."

English trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack were filmed holding up a Palestine flag on stage during their Singapore concert at The Star Performing Arts Centre on Wednesday, Jul. 29 and police reports were lodged.

Video

A video on the Reddit forum showed members Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall holding up the flag at the end of the concert before leaving the stage.

The person who posted on Reddit also claimed that they tried to report the incident through the SGSecure app, but was unable to so as the app apparently kept crashing.

The post also claimed that the crowd chanted "Free Palestine".

"The way I understood it was that he didn't care about any restrictions or consequences," the person who posted also wrote about the band.

"Free Palestine" chant

According to a concertgoer who spoke to CNA, the band shouted “Free Palestine” during their performance.

Audience members then joined in the chant.

The crowd cheered when the flag was held on stage, it was also reported.

The band also claimed it had to pull a song but did not elaborate, saying only that the decision was due to "local laws", CNA reported.

Police reports lodged

The police confirmed that reports were lodged and investigations are ongoing.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) is also investigating a possible breach of licence conditions, the police said.

Those found guilty of publicly displaying foreign national emblems without a permit or exemption may be fined up to S$500, jailed up to six months, or both.

Concert organiser Lushington Entertainments said: "We will fully cooperate with the relevant authorities as required."

Massive Attack started as a four-member band in 1988 in Bristol and now has two core members.

In 2025, they formed a syndicate for artists speaking out about Israel’s military actions, alleging that those who did so faced intimidation within the music industry.