Singlish making it to the Oxford Dictionary, hip HDB shops and a $100 million R&D facility aimed at developing cures for new diseases—read on for a quick round-up of the city's burgeoning (and dying) trends. 

Orchard Road

Hot: HDB shops
Not: Orchard Road shopping malls

While Orchard Road’s malls are facing a challenging retail slump, the heartlands are undergoing a long-awaited rejuvenation as a fresh crop of young entrepreneurs have set up shop among mom-and-pop stores. One such example is The Black Tie barber shop at Jurong West St 41, a hip space offering modern Don Draper-inspired haircuts for men. To help store owners sustain their businesses, HDB introduced a $35,000 upgrading budget for each HDB shop, an increase from $20,000.

Hot: Singlish
Not: Speak Good English Campaign

Singlish has made it to the world stage again, and in the Oxford English Dictionary, no less. Long held as a bastion of the English language for local students, the dictionary now features more popular phrases like “lepak”, “shiok” and “sabo”. Ironically, consultant editor Danica Salaza was quoted saying in an interview with Yahoo Singapore that “Singlish does not destroy the English language but enriches it,” Take that,  Speak Good English Campaign!

Photo credit: Tom

Hot: Singapore’s new R&D facility
Not: Zika virus

It was only a matter of time before the Zika virus made its way to our shores. While Singapore’s “patient zero” has tested negative for the virus, the Ministry of Health and National Environment Agent is not ruling out the possibility of a secondary infection. In a timely announcement, an up-and-coming $100 million global research and development facility which aims to develop cures for new infectious diseases, will open in Tuas come 2018.

DBS Marina Regatta

Hot: Outdoor markets
Not: Being outdoors

If you can brave the sweltering heat and unpredictable downpours, there’s no short of exciting outdoor food and shopping events happening in town. Some highlights include the Savour Gourmet market series, the recurring Open Farm Community farmer’s market and this weekend’s Marina Regatta, which has a food village selling international street grub. Too bad about the heat.