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Podcast Picks: FOMO over old buildings in Singapore, saving Japan’s dying bookstores
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This week's podcasts include a discussion on the nostalgia surrounding Singapore's older buildings.
The Straits Times
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This week, we explore the nostalgia surrounding Singapore’s older buildings slated for redevelopment, learn more about Japan’s efforts to save its dying bookstore industry, and take a deeper look into Catalist, an overlooked segment of Singapore’s equities market.
The Usual Place: The FOMO over old buildings in Singapore
Singapore’s old buildings hold a particular charm to the public at their most decrepit.
Often, it is only when these places are on the verge of destruction that the public are provoked to return to old haunts, wistfully reminiscing long-gone days. In fact, this nostalgia is so all-consuming that it overwhelms even younger Singaporeans regardless of their actual attachment to the old building in question.
But what exactly fuels this sudden surge of sentimentalism? How much nostalgia is the result of genuine affection and how much is manufactured by the fear of missing out? And how can we preserve this enthusiasm for Singapore’s buildings, even when they are redeveloped into a new form?
These are the questions that host Natasha Ann Zachariah seeks to answer in the latest episode of The Usual Place, where she tackles the topics of heritage, redevelopment, and more.
Joining her are three guests — history buff Dhevarajan Devadas, a public policy analyst who produces content about Singapore’s history and heritage through a newsletter, podcast and on social media; Khair Mas’od, who helms video production company Subset, and did his final-year university project on Golden Mile Complex in 2023, and John Siow, who previously worked at the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) conservation department, managing outreach and education efforts.
Mr Siow also has an Instagram account featuring shots of buildings and various architectural forms around Singapore taken by him and an ex-colleague.
Letters from the Bureau: Japan fights to save its beloved bookshops
In Japan, one in two people read “less than half a book” in six months.
This startling statistic is seemingly at odds with the oft-romanticsed role that bookstores play in Japanese society, where they are regarded as communal spaces that foster creativity and introduce people to culture. However, Japanese bookstores face the same struggles by their counterparts across the globe — declining sales, fewer patrons, and lean margins.
Yet, they are not going down without the fight. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Meti) is leading the charge by setting up a taskforce to look into the matter. Booksellers, too, are looking into innovative ways of bringing readers back into brick-and-mortar bookshops.
In Japan, one in two people read “less than half a book” in six months. Bookstores, however, are not going down without a fight.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF SPBS
In this episode of Letter from the Bureau, ST’s foreign editor and host Li Xueying sits down with Japan correspondent Walter Sim, as they discuss Japanese bookstores, booksellers, and why the government is intervening before they all die out.
He also shares his favourite bookstores, both independent and chain, and how they are taking action to keep customers coming back for more.
Invest Talk: Analysing Catalist - a segment of the Singapore market
Are you aware about every opportunity available in Singapore’s equities market?
Catalist is a “junior board” that caters to companies that do not meet the full earnings track record or compliance requirement for mainboard listing in the Singapore market. This allows sponsors, such as SAC Capital, which specialises in areas like investment banking, corporate mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings and equities research, to determine the suitability of companies to list and help to supervise Catalist companies.
Ong Hwee Li (left), chief executive officer of SAC Capital and host Ven Sreenivasan in the ST podcast studio as they deep dive into the strengths and weaknesses of Catalist in the markets.
ST PHOTO: TEO TONG KAI
SAC chief executive officer, Ong Hwee Li, joins host and senior columnist Ven Sreenivasan in this latest episode of Invest Talk to break down and understand Catalist and the role of the sponsor.
They also discuss the potential benefits and risks involved, as well as the areas in which Catalist companies can improve.
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