'Let's get married!' Ex-MP Carrie Tan proposes to boyfriend of 7 years, Singapore News
Former Nee Soon GRC MP Carrie Tan is engaged.
In a video posted to her Facebook page on Friday (May 16), she revealed that she had popped the question to her boyfriend of seven years, Kevin Teo, on April 26, and explained why she did so.
"Watch the video of me breaking another gender barrier with this crazy (not so crazy) thing I did," she captioned.
Writing in Chinese, she noted that her partner, who's the Chief Technology Officer at the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network, had once suggested that she should be the one to propose "in this age of equality", and given her feminist leanings.
The proposal took place during local music school The Singing Loft's recital event on April 26, which also happened to be the fourth day of campaigning for the General Election.
"Skipped off on Day 4 of GE for another very serious business," she wrote in the caption to her post, before apologising, tongue-in-cheek, to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
"Sorry PM Wong, I planned this before you announced the writ. Thankfully I wasn't gonna run for elections!" Tan joked.
The 43-year-old former politician, who's also a transformation and healing coach according to her LinkedIn profile, had announced that she was stepping down from politics on April 22. Proposed 'for memories' sake'
The clip begins with Tan, microphone in hand, telling Teo: "Let's get married!" to loud cheers from the audience.
She's also seen performing a love song in Mandarin.
Following her successful proposal, where the pair shared a peck on the lips and embraced, she explained to the audience that when they'd first started dating, Teo had told her: "Eh, you're a feminist right, so I think you should be the one proposing to me."
"Well, I think it's been seven years and I'm very comfortable," she added.
She indicated that even though the pair had mutually agreed to get married, but she thought she'd "pop the question anyway, for memories' sake".
Tan noted in her post that the proposal combined the "two loves of [her] life]" — Teo, as well as singing.
The couple, both of whom have been through divorce, had opened up about starting over again after their failed marriages during a talk show two years ago.
They noted then that Teo was the one who'd made the first move.
Tan's heartwarming post has since been viewed over 16,000 times and drawn many comments from netizens congratulating her on the engagement.
[[nid:637541]]
candicecai@asiaone.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Taiwanese singer Waa Wei beats S'pore's Tanya Chua to Best Female Mandarin Singer crown at Golden Melody Awards 2025
Taiwanese singers Trout Fresh and Waa Wei pose with their Best Male and Female Singer (Mandarin) awards. PHOTO: EPA Taiwanese singer Waa Wei beats S'pore's Tanya Chua to Best Female Mandarin Singer crown at Golden Melody Awards Taiwanese singer Waa Wei was crowned Best Female Mandarin Singer at the 36th edition of the Golden Melody Awards, which took place at the Taipei Arena on June 28. The Golden Melody Awards, which has been held since 1990, is Taiwan's equivalent of the Grammy Awards. Wei was awarded for her 2024 album Ordeal By Pearls. This is her second time winning the accolade, with the first being in 2020. She beat nominees such as Singapore's Tanya Chua and Malaysian singer Penny Tai to take home the prize. Chua has won the award a record four times, with her fourth and most recent win taking place in 2022 for her 12th album, Depart (2021). She also won in 2006, 2008 and 2012, for her albums Amphibian (2005), Goodbye & Hello (2007) and Sing It Out Of Love (2011). Other multiple awardees include Taiwanese singer A-mei, who has bagged the title thrice. Both Chua and Tai went home empty-handed this year. Taiwanese singer-songwriter Siri Lee was the night's big winner, taking home three awards – Album of the Year, Best Taiwanese Album award, and Best Taiwanese Female Singer. Taiwanese singer-songwriter Siri Lee wins big at the Golden Melody Awards, taking home three prestigious titles. REUTERS Taiwan's hip-hop artiste Trout Fresh outdid contenders such as Hong Kong singer Terence Lam and Taiwanese singers Tung Po-lin and Ricky Hsiao to claim the Best Male Mandarin Singer award. Trout Fresh, whose legal name is Lu Shih-hsuan, also won Best Mandarin Album for Good Sound With Attitudes (2024). Late Hong Kong singer-songwriter Khalil Fong was awarded the Best Composer award for his track Twenty Three (2024), as well as the Jury Award for his final album The Dreamer (2024). Fong died in February 2025 at 41 after battling illness for five years. He was famed for his works Red Bean (2009), Love Love Love (2006), and Spring Breeze (2005). Fong has produced and written songs for artistes such as Eason Chan, Jacky Cheung, and A-mei. The Best New Artist award went to rapper Someshiit, whose real name is Hsueh Jung-hsuan, for his 2024 release A Fool. Among the winners Album of the Year: Sui by Siri Lee Best Mandarin Album: Good Sound With Attitudes Best Male Singer (Mandarin): Trout Fresh Best Female Singer (Mandarin): Waa Wei Best Album Producer: CJ Hightide Best Song Producer: Deja Fu Best Composer: Khalil Fong Best New Artist: Someshiit Song of the Year: Friday Night《Here I Am》 Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Theatre review: Singapore, Michigan a confident debut about adulting and privilege
Singapore, Michigan cast (from left) Zane Haney, Shrey Bhargava and Ching Shu Yi give real depth to their trio of characters on a road trip in search of the titular American town. PHOTO: PANGDEMONIUM Singapore, Michigan Pangdemonium Lasalle College of the Arts – Singapore Airlines Theatre June 28, 8pm A Singaporean couple and their American classmate drive through a Michigan winter in pursuit of a silly quirk of history – an American ghost town called, perplexingly, Singapore. Over a blustery weekend, the trio realise that the rest of their lives will not so much be a frivolous jaunt, but a series of calculated choices. Playwright Ong Chong An's first professional script is an elegant snow globe of a road trip story. It is a finely crafted drama of young adulthood, as the trio, encased in a dingy motel, trade ghost stories, bad takeaway Chinese food and secrets. Ong's talky script draws out the heightened emotional state that young adults on the cusp of graduation often feel, when every decision appears life-altering. Carol's (Ching Shu Yi) parents own an oil corporation but she wants to work for a non-profit, which annoys her pragmatic boyfriend Manish (Shrey Bhargava), who is tied to a hefty scholarship bond. Jesse (Zane Haney), an English major who comes from money, sides with Carol, but antagonises Manish, who in turn rubs Jesse the wrong way when he calls America a Third World country. Like three volatile elements dropped into a confined space, the trio's biographies and traits play off one another well. Class, gender, nationality and race come to inflect a slow-burn argument about responsibility and desire, choice and circumstance. Under Timothy Koh's direction, the three characters are furnished with a complexity that allows them to be a goofy trio when together, then markedly different in their respective pairs when one steps out into the snow for air or, well, better Wi-Fi. The actors give each of their not-quite-adult characters real depth – Janus-faced Jesse, micro-managing Manish and Carol, adrift between two worlds. Fortunately, the destination of Singapore, Michigan, is kept to a lean five-minute exposition early on – so the ghost town does not become too overt an allegory for the play's themes. That restraint allows Singapore, Michigan, to be the blank canvas on which the characters project their disappointments and hopes. Set designer Eucien Chia's set is as lovely to marvel at as a beautiful winter diorama. The drivable open-topped car prop is the mesmerising centrepiece of the opening winter drive scene and the alabaster forest landscape subtly suggested through what looks like a hand-painted curtain background. In the motel, a brilliant white blizzard at the window is rendered convincingly by light designer James Tan. It is a well-paced story until the play's final act, which is bogged down by an inelegant excess of plot twists and abrupt revelations that try to tie up its complex threads too tightly. Its final act builds up too quickly and risks melodrama in an otherwise assuredly realistic direction. Although equatorial heat is endemic to Singapore arts, winter has not been completely absent, and Ong's 'Singaporean students abroad' play has echoes of writer Carissa Foo's university road trip novel What We Learned From Driving In Winter (2022). It joins the likes of film-maker Anthony Chen's The Breaking Ice (2023) and writer Daryl Qilin Yam's Shantih Shantih Shantih (2021) in Singaporean depictions of winter. More than a coming-of-age story, the play is also about growing up with the burden and allure of privilege, comfort and templates. Writ large, it interrogates a Singaporean brand of exceptionalism – heightened perhaps when one is young and abroad, beneficiary of an imperfect system, and certainly played up in the age of a more insular America. Singapore, Michigan is a confident debut with substantial complexity. The snow falls differently each time you give the globe a little shake. Book It/Singapore, Michigan Where: Lasalle College of the Arts – Singapore Airlines Theatre, 1 McNally Street When: Till July 11; Tuesdays to Fridays, 8pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 3 and 8pm Admission: From $35 Info: Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Asia News Network
16 hours ago
- Asia News Network
AI creator blending Cambodian heritage with technology
June 25, 2025 PHNOM PENH – In an age of rapid technological advancements, one Cambodian youth is taking bold steps to bridge the gap between artificial intelligence (AI) and the Kingdom's rich culture. Rath Chan Ponleu, a digital content creator, has emerged as a driving force behind the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into Cambodian culture and education. His videos, created by AI is a reflection of the young creator's passion for preserving the rich customs, traditions and language of Cambodia, while exploring the potential of modern technology. The young creator, who posts to the 'Ty Ronex' Facebook page, shares short clips of his content, as well as tips and tricks for others to try. In one of his captivating AI-generated videos, the protagonist, a Cambodian woman, navigates a mysterious house. With traditional Cambodian beauty and charm, she confronts a series of strange occurrences. A conversation with a man she meets inside the house only adds to the suspense, as she seeks to uncover the truth behind the house's enigmatic nature. The core message of the video, though set against a backdrop of mystery, highlights the importance of Cambodian identity. The young creator's purpose is clear — to train AI to understand and represent Cambodian culture, language and traditions. By using AI technology, the creator hopes to bring Cambodian heritage to a global audience, showcasing the beauty of the Khmer language and the stories that have shaped Cambodia for centuries. In his efforts to train AI systems to understand and promote the Kingdom's unique culture, Ponleu is not only exploring the future of AI but also shaping how the next generation of Cambodians can engage with this transformative technology. For Ponleu, the journey into AI began with a deep curiosity about how this powerful tool could be harnessed to advance understanding and preserve cultural identity. 'I want to know how good AI is and what it will be like in the future. The more data we train it with, the better it gets. Right now, my most popular video features Google's Veo 3 technology,' he explained. Through his creative videos and educational content, Ponleu is helping others understand how to utilise AI technology in practical and impactful ways. AI's power, according to Ponleu, lies in the careful crafting of prompts. 'AI requires a strong understanding of English sentence structure and the key elements of prompts — subject, object and key words,' he said. 'The better we understand how to design prompts, the more professional the results will be. For example, if we use basic words, the AI's output will be simpler. But when we structure the prompts carefully, like including specific lighting details, the results can be truly professional,' he added. One of the biggest challenges Ponleu faces is overcoming AI's difficulty in recognising Cambodian culture and its distinct characteristics. He noted that AI systems often confuse Cambodian cultural elements with those of neighboring countries such as Thailand, Vietnam or Laos. 'The AI still has a hard time distinguishing the faces, clothing, and traditions of Cambodia from other Southeast Asian nations,' he told The Post. His advice to fellow Cambodians is to include specific details in AI prompts, such as references to Cambodian culture, clothing and ethnicity, to help the system improve its recognition of the unique Cambodian identity. Ponleu's insight into AI's cultural understanding is particularly crucial when it comes to creating accurate representations of Cambodia's ancient and modern heritage. 'For instance, when I asked AI to generate a video of 'ancient women in traditional clothing near Angkor Wat', the results were not what I had hoped for,' he said. 'The AI often confused the traditional Cambodian style with that of neighbouring countries.' However, with further adjustments — adding details like skin tone and specific clothing styles from the appropriate era — Ponleu has been able to improve the results. The challenge of getting AI to recognize facial features and profiles also persists, but through techniques like locking a 'seed' to maintain consistency, he is able to manipulate the video content for more accurate depictions. Ponleu remains optimistic about AI's potential to revolutionise the way Cambodians create and consume content. AI's versatility can simplify many tasks, he explained, especially for those who are camera-shy or lack professional skills. 'For example, employees who are afraid of being on camera can still create videos by using AI to generate actions based on their facial features and body shape,' he noted. This technology also has the potential to save time and costs by eliminating the need for travel and on-location shooting. However, Ponleu acknowledges that AI's understanding of current events and locations is still limited. 'AI often uses outdated images, like older pictures of Angkor Wat, instead of capturing the latest scenes,' he said. He believes that the full potential of AI will be realised when companies collaborate with the Cambodian government and local organisations to ensure the technology reflects real-time developments and accurately captures Cambodia's rich heritage.
