TODAY

Adulting: Do you really need to love your job to be successful? Not really, say experts The pressure on working adults to "find your passion" can feel overwhelming, but here's why it's completely valid to treat work as just a means to an end. 💼https://cna.asia/42aWUPH Follow https://cna.asia/telegram for more.

Up Close: 'I would do it again' - The ex-scholar who ditched medical school to pursue the arts despite his parents' protests Mr Julian Low's parents were upset when he told them he planned to quit medical school. "They were begging me not to treat my life so flippantly," said Mr Low, who recently started a theatre group. 🎭👨🏻‍⚕️https://cna.asia/48zOfdu Follow https://cna.asia/telegram for more.

Voices: I've closed my cafe after 5 years. Here's why I don't regret a single moment "Sometimes, the possibility of turning a dream into reality is what makes the risk worth taking." Ms Daphne Ling explains why she took on the challenge of opening an eatery knowing that survival was unlikely. ☕️https://cna.asia/4nxprrh Follow https://cna.asia/telegram for more.

Ground Up: Building dams, teaching kids - do Singapore's overseas volunteer trips actually help? "Our main goal isn't to teach multiplication or English in a few days – it's not possible," said one volunteer of a trip to Laos. "We aim to make learning fun, to encourage them to come to school." 👷🏻https://cna.asia/3KH3sPZ Follow https://cna.asia/telegram for more.

Big Read: Museums in Singapore shed 'atas' image but will need to go beyond novelty elements to draw the crowds "I'd love for Singaporeans to feel that museums are for them, not intimidating, too ‘atas’ or overly formal or dusty repositories. Instead, museums are a place of wonder, beauty and inspiration, a sanctuary you can escape to as often as you like,” said one museum curator. 🖼 https://cna.asia/4gQGKRK Follow https://cna.asia/telegram for more.

Voices: With so many better options today, investment-linked insurance plans just don't make sense to me "I was paying thousands each year for my investment-linked plan, only to realise later that high fees and poor returns had eaten away at my savings," finance writer Dawn Cher said. 💰📉 https://cna.asia/3VlkKo9 Follow https://cna.asia/telegram for more.

Adulting: Do you really need supplements to give you more energy, clearer skin, better sleep? Experts cautioned consumers against self-prescribing dietary supplements as a quick-fix solution for health symptoms they have. https://cna.asia/420W5ch Follow https://cna.asia/telegram for more.

Up Close: Not short on passion – the prolific artist with dwarfism who paints all day despite the pain At 1.2m tall, Madam Florence Tan said that boarding a bus on her own feels like "climbing a mountain", and that she often needs her domestic worker's help to simply withdraw cash from an ATM. 🎨👩‍❤️‍👨 https://cna.asia/3Kezfrj Follow https://cna.asia/telegram for more.

In Pixels: 'Be a tiger' – a woman's fight to turn barren land into lush forest in Indonesia From tyre shop owner to nature's protector, she grew a forest one tree at a time while fighting off land brokers. 🌳🌲https://cna.asia/4puhjco Follow https://cna.asia/telegram for more.

Big Read: How the 'ugly-cute' Labubu unleashed the worldwide Pop Mart craze Some people may not get the aesthetic, but analysts said the "ugly-cute" appearance of Labubu and other Pop Mart characters adds to their charm, resonating with younger generations seeking something unconventional and offbeat. 🛍💲https://cna.asia/4nbtQQo Follow https://cna.asia/telegram for more.

Voices: As a financial adviser, I thought I had my own family well covered – until my wife's cancer diagnosis "The right protection is not just about the right policies and coverage plans." Mr Eddie Yew reflects on how his wife's critical illness has changed what it means to him to look after his family. 💉👩‍❤️‍👨 https://cna.asia/42ECbnr Follow https://cna.asia/telegram for more.

Ground Up: ‘Almost every instructor is doing it’ - how university professors are using AI, and why students are concerned "I want to learn from my professor, not AI," one computer science student said. 🤖https://cna.asia/42BqlKM Follow https://cna.asia/telegram for more.

Big Read: Singapore wants to be an 'urban wellness haven' - are tourists buying it? The global wellness industry is booming, hitting US$830 billion in 2023. 🧘‍♀️ https://cna.asia/46uoGIa Follow https://cna.asia/telegram for more.

Voices: The subtle art of expressing your views at work without being disagreeable "The best colleagues aren't the ones who never disagree, but the ones who argue fiercely for their ideas and still pivot when better solutions emerge," business owner Kelvin Kao said. 🗣💼 https://tdy.sg/41Ohoxu @todayonlinesg

Mental Health Matters: What’s with the morbid jokes among youth? How to tell when laughter isn’t the best medicine Sharing a meme about burnout or despair can be a way of projecting how you feel without the heaviness of full disclosure, but when overused, dark humour can keep distress hidden, rather than expressed. 🤪😈💀https://tdy.sg/4pzrWee @todayonlinesg

Up Close: Born in 1920, married at 18 and living a medicine-free life at 105. Meet one of Singapore's oldest seniors Madam Lin Geok I's children said that if they could distil the secret to her longevity, it would be that their mother was an adventurer who embraced whatever came at her with a fierce "just do it" spirit. 👵🏻💪🏼 https://tdy.sg/3VaAV7F @todayonlinesg

Big Read: Why 'AI slop' is taking over the internet, and what it's doing to our brains Heard of Bombardiro Crocodilo, a crocodile-headed military airplane? Welcome to the world of "brain rot", a subset of "AI slop" that experts warn could harm our attention spans. 🧐 https://tdy.sg/4pkQsiU @todayonlinesg

Voices: I started losing my eyesight at 42, but I refused to let it slow me down "Some people tell me it is time to slow down, but I feel like I am just getting started." Mr Lee Meng Poh said. He started losing his eyesight at the age of 42 and at 55 now, he explains why he's not letting his blindness limit him. 👨‍🦯🛶 https://tdy.sg/4m8SvDV @todayonlinesg

Ground Up: ‘I can wfh – work from hospital’. What working caregivers in Singapore want you to know about their struggles "I was shaking my head and saying, 'Jialat, I'm a caregiver for four (persons with) special needs – my two older twins with autism, my husband who had a stroke and my mother-in-law'," Ms Jacqueline Ang said of balancing her day job as a technical manager along with caregiving duties at home. ❤️‍🩹💪🏼😮‍💨 https://tdy.sg/41KTtiA @todayonlinesg

Big Read: Could public intervention have saved a child's life? Why bystanders sometimes fail to act in unclear situations "People tend to be afraid of costs to themselves when stepping in, and it is also common for individuals to doubt their own ability to successfully step in and provide help, leading them to hesitate," one expert said, explaining the bystander effect. 👀 https://tdy.sg/4nqeZRM @todayonlinesg