There are many reasons why I love visiting The Kallang.

Not just because it's conveniently located near my office, but because the precinct seems to be equipped with everything that suits my interests – sports facilities, a climbing gym, restaurants.

In a single visit, I can both satisfy my cravings and move my limbs.

But one thing I’ve learnt over the years is that keeping up with hobbies is generally an expensive affair, no matter how essential they are to one’s wellbeing.

Now that I'm in my first full-time job, I've become more mindful of my spending, so I've been on a mission to maximise my spending by rewardsmaxxing my life.

The Kallang App

The Kallang has recently launched The Kallang Kaki, a new loyalty programme that comes with a bunch of benefits, allowing users to earn loyalty points and access exclusive features at The Kallang.

Members like me, or "The Kallang Kaki", can register in-app for events at The Kallang and check-in online, as well as book facilities through the app.

I’ll admit that when I first heard of this programme, I was skeptical that the benefits it had to offer would keep me hooked for long.

But I would soon be proven wrong.

I discovered that with each event I joined, I earned a badge and leveled up on my membership.

This in turn meant better voucher benefits each time – like a gift that keeps giving.

For me, of course, the most eye-catching features were the savings I generated when I accumulated points through my purchases.

As a member, I could also access member-exclusive items like early bird discounts, ticket presales and merchandise drops.

Together with some friends, I set out on an experiment to test out these perks.

Dining

We headed to the mall for dinner on a casual Friday night.

The app’s built-in store directory and reservations function made choosing and booking a restaurant seamless.

We settled on Korean food.

Off to a good start.

Activities for the weekend

As we dined, I browsed through the app, keen to find something my friends and I could plan for the weekend.

The interface is simple enough to use, even for a digital noob like me.

The homepage highlights upcoming events at The Kallang, ranging from sports to entertainment, community and lifestyle.

There was even a tab dedicated to community stories from the precinct, like a handy guide to the Singapore Tennis Open and spotlights on local athletes.

As an athlete myself, these were heartwarming to read.

But what caught my eye were the active vouchers listed under the “My Rewards” tab, where I could invite a friend for free across a number of activities – basically half the cost for each of us.

There was The Kallang Gym, the OCBC Aquatic Centre, and my personal favourite, a two-hour kayak rental at the Water Sports Centre.

Perfect for groups like mine looking to have fun together.

We settled on the kayaking activity. All I had to do next was redeem the voucher on the day of the activity and verify it with a staff member within two minutes.

But because each Kallang Kaki could only bring one extra friend, I made sure at least three of us in my group of six were equipped with the app (and voucher) so that we could all snag the half-price discount.

After all, good deals are meant to be shared, right?

Even those who were initially apprehensive about the heat and fatigue couldn’t resist the steal.

I think these smiles say it all:

Something to look forward to

The excitement from the weekend got me looking for my next activity.

A major sporting event coming up in September is the Singapore Tennis Open, which will be held at the OCBC Arena at The Kallang.

On the spur of the moment, I decided to snap up early tickets for my brother and me, as my brother had recently gotten into tennis.

But if you’re familiar with premier sporting tournaments, you may know that such tickets can cost a bomb.

Thankfully, because of how early it was, The Kallang was offering a 10 per cent early bird discount on tickets for a limited time period.

Plus, there was an additional 10 per cent off for registered Kallang Kakis on The Kallang app, which meant a total of 20 per cent off for me.

Safe to say, I am now my brother’s favourite sister.

All that there’s left to do is wait for September to arrive.

More than the deals

The older I get, the more I’m finding it important to proactively keep at maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Plus, friendships and relationships are important to me – I consider spending time and money on those I love worth every penny.

But let’s be honest, having an active life can be painful to the wallet, so I’ll take any rewards I can snag along the way.

Now that I’m equipped with The Kallang App and the perks that come with it, a future goal I have in mind is to attend my very first concert.

At the ripe age of 26, I think it’s about time.

This branded article by The Kallang made this writer want to plan her next activity ASAP.

Edenstone, a Singapore-based studio developing scalable media intellectual property (IP), is set to release an AI-assisted short film that it acknowledges will likely polarise audiences.

Titled Bersama Majulah (translated as Together Onwards), the National Day-themed AI short film imagines a country similar to Singapore under siege by a lethal spore pathogen outbreak.

Edenstone said in a media release:

"The characters' struggle against an oncoming crisis in the form of a deadly pathogenic spore outbreak mirrors the qualities that have defined Singapore's 61 year journey—adaptability, collective strength, and the determination to overcome obstacles, united as one people; one Singapore."

The project is led by 2025 Golden Horse Award–winning producer Chan Gin Kai, who served as its Executive Producer, said the studio.

The film is adapted from the studio's flagship IP, Spore Fall, which it describes as Southeast Asia's "first human-written, AI-realised transmedia franchise".

The short film's release on sporefall.com will coincide with National Day on Aug. 9, The Straits Times reported.

The teaser trailer

The four-minute teaser trailer for Bersama Majulah opens with a fictional depiction of Singapore's 2026 National Day Parade.

The outbreak first takes hold there, turning people into what appears to be zombies.

"Some have asked why we would show a dystopian Singapore on National Day," said Joel Boh, creator and showrunner of Spore Fall.

He added:

"We believe this is the ultimate act of faith. We have faith that the Singapore identity is not fragile—it is strong enough to be reimagined and reinvented. In the face of existential threat, the singular Singapore narrative is about choosing unity over fear. This is our story.”

Expecting online discourse

The studio acknowledged that its "creative choices", such as transforming Singapore into the fictional city of "Lionara", were likely to polarise viewers.

They are also aware that the film’s teaser video has started to ignite public debate, viewing it "as a sign of cultural impact".

The studio said:

"This National Day, Singaporeans will see their skyline like never before—and the conversation may be just as striking as the visuals."

Conversations online

The Bersama Majulah trailer has sparked some conversation.

Some comments focused on the production process and use of AI.

Others drew negative comparisons between existing works like "The Last of Us".

The studio also shared that its production model aims to use AI to help, not govern:

"Human authorship governs the narrative while AI scales the imagination. Scripts, characters, emotional arcs, and world-building are conceived and written by human creators; AI tools are deployed under strict creative direction to accelerate visual asset production."

"Technology should serve the story, not the other way around," said Boh, adding, "We want audiences immersed in the narrative, not the technology."

A 40-year-old man was charged with allegedly physically abusing his eight-year-old daughter and telling his 10-year-old son to strip naked and go down to the foot of a block of flats.

The accused was charged with two counts of ill-treating children on Aug. 6, The Strait Times reported.

The man cannot be identified as a gag order was imposed to protect the victims.

On Sep. 8, 2025, at about 8:40am, the man was in a public housing flat located on the eighth floor.

He allegedly told his son to strip naked and take the lift to the ground floor.

It remains unclear whether the boy complied.

On Oct. 3, 2025, at Changi Airport Terminal 3 before 6pm, the man allegedly slapped, punched and pushed his daughter.

His daughter apparently sustained injuries to her face and neck.

The reasons for the man’s alleged actions were undisclosed.

His case was adjourned to Aug. 13.

A man has posted a public apology and clarification for not paying the taxi fare while travelling in Vietnam, after dashcam footage of the incident circulated online.

The footage was uploaded on TikTok on Aug. 3 by the taxi driver who brought the tourist to his destination.

In this video, the tourist took his belongings, said "thank you", and made to leave the taxi.

When the driver made a hand gesture to ask for the fare, the tourist looked at him apologetically and said, "I don't have money. Only a 'thank you'."

The driver looked away with an expression of slight annoyance, but said nothing and gave him a restrained smile.

After thanking the driver again, the tourist got out of the car.

Many commenters, in Vietnamese, slammed the tourist's behaviour, and wondered how the driver could be so calm.

@quan2632000 Oát thấy Ấn cái đ ái m ế luôn I have no money (tôi không có tiền) #taxixanhsmdanang#moingaymotcauchuyen#x ♬ âm thanh gốc - không phải quân

Apology video

About two days after the dashcam footage was uploaded, the tourist posted his own video to explain his side of the story.

He said that there had been an "misunderstanding" over what happened.

He did not have cash in Vietnamese dong (VND) with him that day in Danang, Vietnam, he claimed. That was because he would usually hail a ride using an app and pay with his credit card.

However, as he was in a rush to collect a parcel at the time, he decided to save time by getting a ride from taxi drivers waiting outside the airport.

When the first driver he approached said he only accepted cash, the tourist declined the ride. He then met the driver from the TikTok video.

He asked the driver if he could "help" him, and the driver did not answer nor talk about money, according to the tourist.

"It was totally a mistake, a misunderstanding," the tourist said in his video. "I thought he was helping me... but he charged."

He emphasised that he had no intention to "scam" the driver, and said he considered Vietnam his second home.

Tried to pay him back

The tourist also claimed that he later offered to pay the taxi driver, but was declined.

The taxi driver had contacted him through Instagram, he explained, and told him that the incident that the ride had cost VND 33,000 (S$1.60).

He apparently offered to pay this amount and an additional VND 200,000 (S$10) as an apology.

According to him, the driver turned down his repeated offers and did not provide any details for him to make a payment transfer.

Instead, the driver allegedly told the tourist he understood his difficulties at that time and promised to delete the TikTok video.

"But later on, I came to know that he didn't delete the post yet, and everyone is trolling me for nothing," the tourist said.

He admitted that it was a "mistake" and that he should have paid, but reiterated that it was a misunderstanding.

He appealed for the public to accept his video as an apology, and hoped that they will not criticise the Indian community over this incident.

More details have emerged regarding Lim Tean's arrest in Johor Bahru, Malaysia on Aug. 6.

According to Shin Min Daily News, information about Lim's arrest in Malaysia was provided by a source who tipped the Chinese media off.

Another person allegedly assisted Lim in booking a place

Another person had reportedly helped Lim, 61, book a rental apartment in JB.

Lim apparently arrived at the apartment in JB on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

The man who booked the apartment on behalf of Lim arrived a day earlier on Aug. 3 afternoon to pick up the key.

Aug. 3 was the day Lim was supposed to surrender and serve his jail term.

Lim was apparently supposed to stay till Aug. 7 and check out, but got arrested a day before that could happen.

Did not open door to police

Malaysian police arrived at Lim's rented apartment at about 2pm on Thursday, Aug. 6.

Lim did not open the door for the next two hours.

The apartment's owner was called to get him to open the door.

The door was opened and Lim was asked to produce his passport, but he reportedly could not produce one.

Shin Min reported that Lim was wearing a red shirt and black trousers at the time of his arrest at about 5pm.

His hair was dishevelled, and he looked haggard.

Only went out to pick up food

The source that tipped Shin Min off further claimed that Lim only went out twice a day to pick up meals ordered via takeout delivery.

However, he was still recognised as the area in JB is frequented by Singaporeans.

It is understood that the apartment is very popular with Singaporeans, it was reported.

Background

Lim is the secretary-general of the People’s Alliance for Reform.

He has been a lawyer for more than 35 years.

He was sentenced to six weeks’ jail and a S$1,000 fine in February 2025 after being convicted in July 2024 of three charges under the Legal Profession Act.

Even though he did not have a valid practising certificate, he had attended court hearings and submitted documents on 32 occasions between April and June 2021.

In February 2026, the High Court judge increased Lim’s jail sentence to three months and a week.

This was after he appealed in the High Court against his conviction and sentence.

Prosecutors filed an appeal to increase his jail term to five to eight months.

Separately, in April 2026, Lim was fined S$30,000 in a disciplinary case over his handling of a S$30,000 cheque meant for his client.

The Law Society of Singapore wanted Lim struck off the rolls.

Lim argued before the Court of Three Judges for “a very small fine”.

The court decided on a "heavier fine", citing his cavalier attitude towards lawyers’ obligations in handling clients’ money and his more than 25 years of experience as a senior practitioner at the time.

The Singapore courts told Mothership previously that Lim was to surrender at 12pm on Jul. 20 to start his jail term.

On Jul. 17, the Court of Appeal approved a request from Lim to defer his sentence.

He was ordered to surrender at 12pm on Aug. 3 instead.

But when he did not turn up and was uncontactable, a warrant of arrest was issued.

A Thai food stall is offering a complimentary buffet to affected diners after a fire broke out at the Yishun coffee shop it is operating in.

In an Instagram post following the incident, Moon Thai Kitchen Express announced that buffet customers who dined in from 6pm onwards on Aug. 6 are entitled to a complimentary buffet on their next visit.

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A post shared by 🌕🐘 Moon Thai Kitchen 🍽️🇹🇭 (@moonthai.sg)

To redeem the buffet, affected customers can send Moon Thai Kitchen Express a direct message and present their original receipt.

The stall made this move “as a gesture” of its “sincere apology”

“Due to an unexpected operational issue, your dining experience may not have met the standard we strive to provide,” the post read.

“We are truly sorry for the inconvenience caused,” it added.

Fire at coffee shop

A fire broke out at the coffee shop at Block 732 Yishun Avenue 5 on the evening of Aug. 6.

In photos circulating online, white smoke engulfed the coffee shop.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to a fire at about 6:55pm.

The fire involved the contents of a stall at the ground-floor coffee shop.

The fire was extinguished by activating the automatic suppression system before firefighters arrived.

One person was assessed for minor injuries but declined to be taken to hospital.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.

A 45-year-old woman in Vietnam has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering her five-year-old son to claim more than 4.1 billion dong (S$192,550) in life insurance payouts.

According to local news outlet Vietnam News (VNS), To Thị Ty Na staged her son's death as an accidental drowning.

She was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and six years' jail for insurance fraud after being convicted on both charges.

Under Vietnamese law, the combined sentence amounts to life imprisonment.

Boy found dead in a bucket at home

According to the indictment cited by VNS, police received a report on Jan. 3, 2023, that Na's son, who was born in 2017, had been found dead in a bucket in the bathroom of the family's home the previous night.

However, the boy’s paternal aunt, Nguyen Thị Bich Tam, reported her suspicions to the authorities on the same day.

Tam said she had reviewed the home's security camera footage and found that Na had deliberately repositioned one of the cameras before the incident.

She also told investigators that another of Na's children had died after drowning in a bathroom bucket in 2021, after which Na received more than 2 billion dong (S$97,785) in insurance compensation.

The similarities between the two deaths prompted police to open a full investigation.

Investigation contradicts drowning claim

According to VNS, following investigations, it was concluded that only Na and her son had been inside the house.

The house had a single entrance, ruling out the possibility that someone else had been involved.

Forensic evidence also contradicted the claim that the boy had accidentally drowned.

The boy, who was five years and nine months old, was 124cm tall and weighed 23kg.

However, the bucket in which he was found measured 63cm in height and 56cm in width.

There was no evidence to suggest he could have accidentally drowned in the position in which he was found, said prosecutors.

Though the child had no reported injuries before the incident, a post-mortem examination later found multiple bruises on his forehead, groin and leg, suggesting he had struggled against an external force before dying.

The court heard that Na had turned the security camera towards a wall before calling her son into the bathroom, where she forced his head into a bucket until he drowned..

She then staged the scene to resemble an accident before changing her clothes, drying her hands and hair with a hairdryer, opening the front door and pretending to be asleep in bed.

The boy was found dead shortly after 10pm when his older sister returned home.

Had purchased insurance policies for four children

Court documents showed that Na had previously served a 40-month prison sentence for theft before returning home, where she later married and raised four children, VNS reported.

Na later experienced financial difficulties following her husband's death in 2020,

Prosecutors said she had sold the family home for 1.2 billion dong (S$58,681) to cover living expenses, but later exhausted the money.

She subsequently bought seven life insurance policies covering her four children, paying annual premiums of more than 100 million dong (S$4,890), and named herself as the beneficiary of all the policies.

Her youngest son was covered under two separate policies with different insurers.

After his death, Na falsely claimed he had accidentally drowned, allowing her to collect more than 4.1 billion dong (S$192,550) in insurance payouts, which prosecutors said she spent on personal expenses.

During the trial, the boy's teacher also testified that he had been healthy and had shown no signs of injury before his death.

In her final statement to the court, Na denied the charges and asked to be allowed to return to her family.

The court ultimately found that prosecutors had proven beyond reasonable doubt that Na murdered her son to obtain the insurance payouts, and sentenced her to life imprisonment.

In 1917, Lim Ah Choo was born in Hainan, China. Right at the tail end of the first World War.

While World War I mostly passed the island by, that would not be the case for the second one.

Japan invaded Hainan in February 1939.

One night, Lim would find herself trying to avoid Japanese soldiers.

Faced with no other option, she prayed to the departed, pushed aside the heavy lid and hid inside a coffin, making no sound in fear of being found out.

She left a small crack in the lid for her to breathe through till the next morning.

That was life for Lim, who helped with the resistance movement during the war, and was often fleeing from the Japanese.

Those years were unimaginably tough, and Lim understandably did not have too much interest in reliving those memories.

But her defences, which stood strong against years of hardship and war, were no match for the persistence of some very curious grandchildren.

One of her grandchildren, Beverley, shared with Mothership how she and her two siblings used to pester Lim till she dropped them a few crumbs of a story, before putting her foot down and dragging them back to the present.

A disciplined woman

Lim’s post-war years would be eventful.

She would marry, start a family, move to Singapore, and then start a pig farm in the Serangoon area. Lim also raised ducks and chickens to make a living.

Underpinning these significant milestones was a staunch commitment to discipline.

While she loved to eat, she would only eat healthy food (her favourite durians being one of the few indulgences she partook in) and exercised consistently.

Often, she would cycle long distances — to get some water for the farm, and to collect leftovers from around nearby eateries to feed the pigs.

This would continue till the farmland was eventually reclaimed for HDB flats.

Her cycling routine, though, was only beginning.

Lim would cycle consistently from Sembawang to Ang Mo Kio, where she would practise taichi and wushu.

The free time she had from not running a pig farm was spent, among other things, picking up a new sport, badminton.

Starting at the age of 77, the spry newcomer took to the sport like a fish to water, quickly building up over a decade of playing time.

Tests in life

Her efforts helped her kept a lucid mind well into her 100s.

But Father Time is undefeated. Lim's cycling trips were eventually cut down as her family was scared that Lim, who was in her 90s at this point, would get into an accident.

Undaunted, Lim got straight to work on an indoor stationary bike, clocking in the miles while staying at home.

Even as her memory started slipping after she became a centenarian, she still remembered her children's names.

Perhaps the greatest test of time through the years, though, came in 1989, when her husband of over 40 years passed away.

The two were very loving and would often go to the cinema together or to the community centre to practice tai chi.

Beverley recalled how, years after his death, Lim would say she could hear her husband "calling" her in the evening.

But she would reply that she couldn't go yet, as she was worried about her children.

The strongest woman

Lim had met her husband before the war started, and had married him after it had ended.

That's over 50 years of knowing and loving a person, which perhaps helped cushion the next 37 years she had to live without him.

It was near the end of all these lives lived that Beverley met her grandmother.

Lim was already over 80 when Beverley was born (Lim had Beverley's mum when she was 45), so she was far mellower than perhaps at any point in her life.

She recalled her grandmother cheerfully yelling "huat ah" when she would wish her happy new year.

But mellowing is a relative term, especially to someone like Lim, who Beverley calls the strongest woman she knew.

Beverley remembered how Lim would scold her and her siblings for eating too much candy, and insist they eat more vegetables instead.

It was a curious refrain considering they didn't have much of a sweet tooth. But year's later, Beverley's mum would finally confess that she had told Lim that the sweets in the house were for the children.

The candy was actually for herself, but better her kids get the lecture than her.

Final days

Her health took a drastic turn for the worse this year.

She fell into a deep sleep in the middle of February, around Feb. 14, not waking up even as the Chinese New Year celebrations were in full swing.

Doctors were pessimistic about her chances on making it through the next few days.

Two days later, she woke up to eat some of her favourite durians.

She would hang on till Feb. 23, where she would pass away at 4:50pm.

By then, she was 109. Her farm's success, her youthful defiance, even her hard-earned health were a distant memory.

But she went surrounded by loved ones. Responding, finally, to her husband's call to come home.

A 36-year-old man was fined S$3,000 for harassing police officers while drunk after he refused to pay for porridge at Orchard Plaza.

Wu Guojie (transliterated) faced one charge under the Protection from Harassment Act and another charge under the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act.

He pleaded guilty to one of the charges, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The remaining charge was taken into consideration during sentencing.

Porridge

On Dec. 9. 2025, at about 7am, at Orchard Plaza, a female stall holder approached police officers on duty to inform them that the accused had ordered a bowl of porridge at her stall but refused to pay.

Two officers then asked the man to produce identification, but he failed to comply.

One of the officers attempted to reason with him.

However, he was intoxicated at the time of the offence and proceeded to shout and behave rudely.

He reportedly challenged the officers to arrest him, and he was arrested.

Escorted

While being escorted to Woodlands Police Division Headquarters, the accused muttered words and made offensive remarks in the police vehicle.

"You better watch out, my people don't want to see you in public," he reportedly said.

When an officer asked if he was threatening him, the accused immediately hurled vulgarities.

Alcohol

Test results from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) revealed that the accused's blood sample contained 168 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

He was apparently going through divorce proceedings, ending an eight-year marriage.

He was also facing financial difficulties.

He claimed that he had turned to alcohol to drown his sorrows and had committed the offence due to excessive drinking.

He pleaded for leniency.

Lim Tean, 61, was arrested by the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) in Johor Bahru on Aug. 6, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Aug. 7.

The Singaporean lawyer and politician was supposed to surrender on Aug. 3 to serve jail time for practising law without a valid certificate.

"As Lim Tean has an outstanding court warrant for arrest in Singapore for failing to surrender to court, the SPF is working closely with the RMP to secure his return to Singapore," said SPF in response to media queries.

“The SPF expresses appreciation to the Malaysian authorities for their prompt assistance.”

Arrested at apartment complex

An arrest warrant was issued for Lim in Singapore after he failed to surrender to court to start his jail term of three months and one week for practising law without a valid certificate.

It was previously reported that his lawyer said Lim was uncontactable.

His bailor was also unable to reach Lim.

Shin Min Daily News reported that Lim had gone to Johor Bahru and was arrested at an apartment complex.

Some units in the complex are rented out for short-term vacation stays, it was reported.

The Singapore courts told Mothership previously that Lim was to surrender at 12pm on Jul. 20 to start his jail term.

On Jul. 17, the Court of Appeal approved a request from Lim to defer his sentence.

He was ordered to surrender at 12pm on Aug. 3 instead.