Newsletter
Catch up on our past issues of our free monthly newsletter, notes from the equator.
Noticing is an act of love — issue #13
How much do you know about the everyday objects around you? As a history major, one of my favourite topics is cultural and material history. So common are the things that we use and see everyday that we rarely think of their pasts, and how simple objects can connect multiple
Can data speak for Mother Earth? — issue #12
"Trees have long been trying to reach us. But they speak on frequencies too low for people to hear." —Richard Powers, The Overstory Remember when the lockdowns began in March? Amidst panic, we still found it in ourselves to marvel at how COVID-19 was helping the environment heal.
Helping the environment by staying home — issue #11
What does the future of travel look like? Singapore has been in a semi-lockdown (or circuit breaker, as we call it) for almost two months. There's been hot debate on how life may return "back to normal". Like nearly everywhere else in the world, the real
Imagining a Singapore before COVID-19 — issue #10
If you're anything like me, you've rather heard enough about COVID-19. Day in, day out, it seems like all we can talk about is COVID-19, our daily case numbers, and how the virus is rapidly changing our world. This should surprise no one—we are living
All of Singapore's COVID-19 clusters, in one chart — issue #9
When did you last step into the office? I did this morning, at 8 am, and realised I haven't been in the office, or seen Team A (we split our team into two) in 9 days. That's right around 168 hours, but so much has happened
A timeline of how Singapore is battling COVID-19 — issue #8
So, COVID-19 was a perfect storm. The virus surfaced almost exactly as millions of Chinese people began traveling for their Lunar New Year celebrations. It's been about a month since the virus was first confirmed in Singapore, and it has since consumed our society. It's all
Will you have a happy new year? — issue #7
Do you have 2020 vision? As we crossed into a new decade, many took the opportunity to recount their significant moments during the past 10 years. At Kontinentalist, we too reflected on our journey and shared our favourite moments. We've published more stories than ever, and even won
All I want for Christmas is a...scratchable map? — issue #6
It's the most wonderful time of the year! I’ve just spent the past 2 months sojourning in Japan for a leadership training programme, and it’s so wonderful to return to Singapore during the festive period. There’s something magical about December, and it has always been
Where got ghost in Singapore?— issue #5
Trick or treat! It's Halloween season! The ghouls and pumpkins fill store aisles across Singapore. But Southeast Asia has about as many ghouls as we have tropical fruits and types of spices. We're diverse like that. So step away from the usual stories and explore our
Did a four-eyed historian invent the Mandarin script? — issue #4
Hello，你好，வணக்கம் Singapore has always favoured linguistic pragmatism, where we learn a language for its utility. Increasingly, that language is Mandarin. People often tell me, "You should let your child take Mandarin as a second language. It's better for her." No offence is intended
Of piracy, deaths, and medicinal wildlife parts in Asia — issue #3
Ahoy! It’s been a really fruitful month for us, and we’re so proud to have collaborated with two different partners to shed light on crucial issues concerning Asia. Naomi collaborated with TRAFFIC - the wildlife trade monitoring network - to look at how traditional medicine practices and beliefs
How is climate change affecting major Asian cities? — issue #2
Hello there, The issue of climate change continues to provoke heated debates, but how well do we understand the impact it can have on our lives here in Asia? This month, our intern Rayson, looked at research on rising sea levels and mapped a story that shows us a future