Tell You First

The Year Singapore Football Became A Joke

In 1992, Singapore was relegated to Division 2 of the Malaysian football, and publicly humiliated. The Kallang Roar was fading as fans stopped showing up, and the once-dominant team looked finished. Then came brutal training sessions, shock resignations, a match-fixing scandal, and an eight month season that could have collapsed at any moment. Instead, 1994 ended up being the year that saved Singaporean football. In this episode, 987FM DJ and lifelong football fan Joakim Gomez joins us to trace the story of how the “Dream Team” clawed their way from rock bottom back to the top of Malaysian football, and cemented themselves as Singaporean football legends. Tell You First is an original podcast produced by Mediacorp and Ministry of Funny (@ministryoffunny). Credits: Hosted and Produced by Terence Chia (@tchia) and Haresh Tilani (@hareshtilani) Guest - Joakim Gomez (@joakimgomez) Sound Engineering - Tristen Yeak (@yeakstreet) Commissioning Editor - Danny Koordi If you would like to listen to more, you can follow the podcast on the Melisten App, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. Podcast artwork by Denise Nicole Yap, you can reach her on Instagram @deniseardenise See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

How Bugis Street Became One of Singapore’s Biggest Tourist Attractions

You might know Bugis Street today as a tourist hotspot selling anything and everything, from souvenirs to clothes and jewelry. But before all that, Bugis Street was known for its midnight drag shows, gang activity, and a notorious dance that involved sticking flaming torches up certain holes. This episode traces how Bugis Street became Singapore’s most popular tourist attraction, why authorities tolerated it for decades, and how it has since been wiped off the map both literally and figuratively.   Tell You First is an original podcast produced by Mediacorp and Ministry of Funny (@ministryoffunny).   Credits:   Hosted and Produced by Terence Chia (@tchia) and Haresh Tilani (@hareshtilani) Sound Engineering - Tristen Yeak (@yeakstreet) Commissioning Editor - Danny Koordi   If you would like to listen to more, you can follow the podcast on the Melisten App, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.   Podcast artwork by Denise Nicole Yap, you can reach her on Instagram @deniseardenise See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Hawker Culture: From Illegal to UNESCO Recognition

Singapore’s food story did not begin in air-conditioned malls. It began beside open drains, on pushcarts, and in smoky back alleys where migrant workers needed cheap meals fast. In this episode, we’re joined by food critic, street food crusader, and Makansutra founder Kf Seetoh, to trace how street hawkers were once labelled a public nuisance, then forcibly resettled into concrete centres, before being awarded Michelin stars and even recognised by UNESCO. We unpack how survival food became national identity, and why the people cooking it are still struggling to survive.   Tell You First is an original podcast produced by Mediacorp and Ministry of Funny (@ministryoffunny).   Credits:   Hosted and Produced by Terence Chia (@tchia) and Haresh Tilani (@hareshtilani) Guest - Kf Seetoh (@kfseetoh) Sound Engineering - Tristen Yeak (@yeakstreet) Commissioning Editor - Danny Koordi   If you would like to listen to more, you can follow the podcast on the Melisten App, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Samsui Women: The Original Girlbosses Who Built Singapore

They carried bricks, cleared rubble and helped build modern Singapore, yet most people barely know anything about them. Samsui women arrived on our shores as poor immigrants and worked brutal jobs in construction until the 80s, while living on the margins of the city they helped construct. In this episode, Lynn Wong, founder of Bridging Generations, joins us to trace the history of Samsui women, why they chose this life, and how an entire generation of builders will fade from public memory unless we preserve and pass down their stories.   Tell You First is an original podcast produced by Mediacorp and Ministry of Funny (@ministryoffunny).   Credits:   Hosted and Produced by Terence Chia (@tchia) and Haresh Tilani (@hareshtilani) Guest - Lynn Wong (@_bridginggenerations_) Sound Engineering - Tristen Yeak (@yeakstreet) Commissioning Editor - Danny Koordi   If you would like to listen to more, you can follow the podcast on the Melisten App, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.   Podcast artwork by Denise Nicole Yap, you can reach her on Instagram @deniseardenise See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

How Singapore Turned the Sea into Prime Real Estate

Singapore’s land reclamation story is not a smooth tale of engineering triumph. It began with failed seawalls, ten year delays and costs that multiplied sixfold, before evolving into a strategy that has reshaped the landscape. In this episode,  we trace how Singapore has spent the past two centuries pushing the coastline outwards, and why the same methods are now hampered by rising costs, environmental damage and political limits. Tell You First is an original podcast produced by Mediacorp and Ministry of Funny (@ministryoffunny). Credits: Hosted and Produced by Terence Chia (@tchia) and Haresh Tilani (@hareshtilani) Sound Engineering - Tristen Yeak (@yeakstreet) Commissioning Editor - Danny Koordi If you would like to listen to more, you can follow the podcast on the Melisten App, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. Podcast artwork by Denise Nicole Yap, you can reach her on Instagram @deniseardenise See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.