SINGAPORE — The 2025 timeline had everything, from emotion on the parade square, to drama on the ground, to animals behaving a little too much like us. Yahoo Singapore looks at the moments that rose above the noise and got you talking and buzzing the loudest.
As the dust settles on 12 scroll‑stopping months, here’s what defined our year at home and beyond – because sometimes the internet gives you a crying teen and a giant sinkhole, and sometimes it gives you otters.
NDP 2025: One frame captured SG60’s mood
A teenage performer, Htoo Ank Wai, was filmed crying during the national anthem at NDP 2025. He told CNA that he felt a “sense of belonging” after months of rehearsals. Ank Wai had trained for about seven months and performed in multiple segments before the anthem late in the show, adding that the surge of emotion began within minutes of the broadcast.
The broadcast clip circulated widely, with NDPeeps posting the broader “Majulah Moment” context for the anthem and pledge.
SAF NSman seen vaping on public bus
A stroller‑shot video appeared to show a person wearing an Army uniform using an e‑vaporiser on a public bus. Clips of the incident first surfaced on 31 July on the Instagram account @sgfollowsall and were later mirrored on r/SingaporeRaw, before being aggregated by local sites, helping the video rack up quick views and comments about conduct in uniform.
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said the individual was identified and placed in SAF custody to assist investigations, and later released, the Straits Times reported. Mothership and STOMP carried stills from the clip. The episode also prompted reminders that in Singapore, possession, purchase or use of e‑vaporisers carries a maximum $2,000 fine, with heavier penalties for import, distribution or sale, under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act.
‘Unexpected commuters’: Otters ‘queue’ at a Yishun bus stop
A video by a TikTok user (@joelreynoldslivin) showed several otters apparently “queuing” at a Yishun bus stop. The video instantly went viral with roughly 214,800 views in a day and captured “Only in Yishun” reactions, STOMP logged. TNP’s follow-up documented where the clip first appeared, how quickly it spread, and the dominant reader reaction – “unexpected commuters” and “Only in Yishun” – with screenshots of the bus‑stop scene.
Beyond the novelty factor, local outlets used the clip to discuss living with wildlife in housing estates. The government also reiterated standard advice: otters often move between waterways and estates via park connectors, so observe from a distance, don’t feed or corner them and keep pets leashed.
Bangkok’s hospital‑side sinkhole
On 24 Sept, a 50 metre‑deep sinkhole opened on Samsen Road outside Vajira Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, severing water and power lines and prompting the hospital to halt outpatient services while crews stabilised the site. No injuries were reported, according to Reuters and AP, adding that three vehicles were damaged and utilities were cut as a precaution, with heavy rain in the monsoon season complicating repairs.
Thai officials linked the collapse to underground rail works and a damaged pipe, CNA reported. Aerial footage from Khaosod English said the soil likely flowed into an underground Purple Line work area, prompting sealing work by the transit authority.
SpaceX Starship Flight 10’s ‘buoy‑cam’ splashdown
On 26 August, SpaceX said “every major objective was met” on Starship Flight 10, which ended in a controlled Indian Ocean splashdown. Newly released angles, including sea‑level “buoy‑cam” views, rocketed across social feeds.
Space.com reported that SpaceX, in an X post, said the ship flew with intentionally missing heat‑shield tiles, performed stressful flap manoeuvres, and still splashed down within 3 m of the target point.
Honourable mentions
Urban‑wildlife tension remained a theme in Singapore. In February, at least 25 macaques were filmed around Punggol Northshore. By May, there were around 200 macaque‑related reports in seven months as NParks escalated trapping and sterilisation.
Japan’s 19 August fireball was seen widely across Kyushu and Shikoku to Osaka. Its entry speed was estimated at 21 km/s, and the cosmic object likely fell into the sea south of Kyushu. Residents reported hearing a sonic boom.
Months after opening, Sichuan’s 758‑metre Hongqi Bridge partially collapsed after landslides destabilised the approach. Local police had closed the bridge the day before, averting casualties.