The Projector announced its voluntary liquidation—closing—on 19 August 2025, and that was the piece I needed to stitch this together. Let me try.
A FEW THINGS:
How are these related? I argue: Care.
Regarding closures, here are the businesses that got on my radar: Fluff Bakery, The Projector, this bakery that had been operating in Siglap for many years and was expressly frustrated and angry about closing. Browse a few more news outlets and it's quickly a case of another one bites the dust.
Meanwhile, two weeks ago, Channel News Asia produced a short video featuring Ahmad Habshee of Urban Salvation and a couple of first-time homeowners. Just earlier, Rice Media published a carousel post on their Instagram featuring Ahmad and what felt like his unminced words about the dearth of support for local makers, as part of Rice Media's After The Vote series. The comments section of the YouTube video is decidedly a different place from the comments section of the Rice Media post. My take: the YouTube comments section shows us why we are here.
Ok firstly let me talk about the video. CNA did not provide any insight leh. They mostly spliced interview snippets back and forth. The first-time homeowners interviewed were like, it’s about convenience/time, quality, aesthetic, and price. Ahmad was like…we got bills to pay too and when you buy furniture from me, we develop a relationship!
Commenters (not all) were like, I’m looking at quality, variety, and price. I get to decide what to do with my hard-earned money. Also, this guy a bit grumpy ah. Not good for his business. And it’s not about local VS overseas, tbh it is about how much we can get from our dollars.
And I just felt like EH WE MISSED THE POINT. CNA also didn’t go poke.
It is about money but not in the way we think. We already know where prioritising our money’s worth leads us. Right here! Not just frazzled makers and “taobao, duh” but TURNING SALTY WITH EACH OTHER. Going against each other. Feeling like the other is entitled. That’s what manufactured scarcity and chasing paper does to us. So I thought we have a common enemy! Yall wanna get out of the rat race, right? Or have we stopped dreaming altogether?
Again, my take: We counter it with care. It’s not only about money, or, money alone doesn’t explain or do everything. At worst, it’s a distraction. I think care is what Ahmad is asking for and what comments say they do get or are able to get from taobao, despite China’s reputation — “quality”. Or, care; there was care in the craftsmanship, there was care in the service, there was care beyond self. There has to be—that is how societies work. Right? Ahmad was asking people to care about makers like him, care about this island as a whole and the prospect of having zero makers on it because we keep crushing them. Care enough to give them not just money but time and attention: to visit his place, touch, and feel the furniture.
Directing my gaze ie attention, time, and care to this garment extended its life
The interviewee Syakir also reiterated regarding buying furniture, We are open to all options, just limited by aesthetic, time, and money. Dang. He hit it on the head with “time”. Care often involves not just giving money, but time and attention.
(Aside: this whole thing involving a woodworker makes the NDP feature story of a carpentry salvaging wood even more… ironic. And makes me more eager for Jom’s print feature of Gamar and Studio Kallang.)
Now let me make a little jump. A little fake left break right, okay. In response to Lawrence Wong’s “no screentime for infants and toddlers”, some people pointed out that there were no policy changes announced to support this. Ok, no, people were very triggered. I appreciate the advice especially for people who didn’t believe this before, and I also think it’s tone deaf to assert no screentime for kids without acknowledging why it’s prevalent in the first place. I think Wong mentioned studying legislation in other countries but it sounded like he meant legislation where you police devices/the screentime instead of… here’s the kicker: support the people who can take kids away from screens… with their care, with their time and attention. Are you getting something?
babyplannersg for one reposted what was apparently their set of suggestions sent to Indranee Rajah in 2020, and it included things like—PROVIDING CPF CONTRIBUTIONS TO PARENTS WHO CHOOSE TO STAY HOME AFTER HAVING CHILDREN—I’m like dayyum! These some real ideas! They actually depart from the status quo which in case you forgot is where we are and where we don’t want to be (cc genocide, climate catastrophe, ‘late stage capitalism’).
Which leads me to invite you to imagine this: caregiving leave where it is not specified to whom or what you provide care for. Would you like something like that? Don’t tell me it’s not practical, just tell me: What would you use it for? Who would you use it for? I mean, this would have been on my NDP “I want…” placard. Go care for your dog. Or, go care for dogs. Your spouse. You parents. Your friend. The homeless! Old people! Migrant workers! The sexually abused! It could be yourself! Your craft! Just… CARE! Some private companies already sort of do this with a type of leave where you go volunteer.