Comic Books

**Black Hat Asia 2026** is returning to Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, from **April 21–24,** bringing together global security leaders, researchers, and practitioners for of Briefings, training, and cutting-edge insights. **Division Zero (Div0)** is proud to support this year’s event as a partner. Members can **redeem code DIV0500 for S$500 off a Live Briefings Pass** or a complimentary Business Hall Pass. Black Hat Asia continues to be one of the most influential cybersecurity gatherings in the region—featuring world-class research, hands-on learning, and unmatched networking opportunities. **Registration is open: [https://blackhat.com/asia-26/registration.html](https://blackhat.com/asia-26/registration.html)** Don’t forget to come visit us at the **Div0 booth** on 23-24 April! Looking forward to seeing the community come together in Singapore. See you there!

Join us for our Squash Sessions happening every Monday / Wednesday / Thursday 6pm to 8pm or 8pm to 10pm Suitable for beginners to the Squash Regulars. Each Session is $15 for pay per play. You can also enquire about being a member when you arrive. We use Meetup.com to advertise the session and our members use a private whatsapp group to register. So should you be the only one signing up, you may still see a full house that evening. Do sign up prior as we are limited to 16 pax per 2 hours sessions. Do whatsapp the organizer at 9006 0909 @Trevor to expedite the reply and confirmation of your bookings.

**Novel Biological Aging Clocks** Prof. Jan Gruber from NUS will introduce aging clocks - research tools that estimate biological age rather than just calendar age. These clocks are built from measurable biological signals, such as patterns in DNA methylation, blood biomarkers, and metabolic data, that change in predictable ways over time. In this talk, he will explain how aging clocks are developed, what they can and cannot tell us about health and lifespan, and how scientists use them to study disease risk, lifestyle effects, and interventions that may influence the rate of aging. This talk is designed for everyone who wants to take their health into their own hands, making informed decisions. Opening remarks by: Dr. Hisham Badaruddin Kamil Pabis, MSc 23rd of April, 7 pm (please be on time) Location: TSquared Health, L9 SBF (level 9, rootftop) 160 Robinson Rd, #05-02 · 8749 5846 We thank [https://xandrolab.com](https://xandrolab.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopQnhnmh3hWOnQzwAg3j8t7Hemy0SWxXa6trkrGjnrnj9jJD4Ra) for the refreshments. Notes: Please remember that the venue has limited capacity and the event is first come first serve. For reference, our new venue is slightly larger than the last one.

**Coworking for writers in your area** Join us for some focused writing time on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10am....All writers and all experience levels are welcome, and don’t worry, no one will see what you've written. This session is about getting your writing done and meeting other writers in your area. When you show up, say hello to everyone, grab a drink, and get your writing tools ready. Once you’re all settled, take some time to chat with your fellow writers. Once everyone’s arrived, I will lead quick introductions and then set the timer for our quiet and focused writing session. Afterward, we’ll have time to chat and get to know each other. We often talk about our successes and challenges as writers. If you don’t have time to stick around, no worries! **A note about the format** We don’t host critiques or readings. These events are a safe space for writers of all skill levels and genres to work on their craft, so no one will read or critique your writing. For our full event schedule, visit [https://shutupwrite.com](https://shutupwrite.com/). **Other Important Details:** **WiFi**: Simply Bread cafe does not have wifi, but if needed, you can use the one from next door at CBTF. **Address**: Simply Bread, 1 Fifth Ave., #01-03 Guthrie House, Singapore 268802. **MRT stop**: Blue line, Sixth avenue **Parking**: Basement parking available at Guthrie House **Venue Guidelines**: Please thank our hosts by purchasing something. **What to Bring**: Your FULLY CHARGED laptop / digital writing device - there are no power outlets available there.

Join our vibrant volunteer community at Wildlings Forest School Singapore, **Dempsey Hill**, where we come together on the **2nd, 3rd, and 4th Thursdays of every month** to nurture our gardens and regenerate our forest trails that support our unique learning environment. #### Why Join? * It’s absolutely free! * Gain hands-on knowledge from our passionate team as we share resources and expertise. * Enjoy fresh produce and the fruits of your labour. * Help restore and enhance our forest trails, making them safe, sustainable, and magical for all who explore them. * Support environmental education by shaping the natural spaces where children thrive. * Beautify and enrich Wildlings to create a vibrant habitat for wildlife biodiversity. * Promote eco-conscious living by engaging in meaningful, sustainable practices. #### Who Can Participate? * Adults and students aged 16 and above. Young people aged 12–15 may join with an accompanying adult. * Local residents and community members. * Anyone passionate about nature, wellness, or sustainability. * Parents of Wildlings Forest School students (Hornbills and Eagles groups; Sunbirds are a little too young for this one!). * Aspiring Forest School Leaders and outdoor educators. * Nature enthusiasts and hobbyists from all walks of life. #### What Does Each Session Offer? * **Warm Welcome**: Start your morning by sampling fresh produce straight from our gardens. * **Interactive Learning**: Begin with a thematic talk, then explore the gardens and forest trails through a guided walk and observation session. * **Hands-On Work**: Get involved with physical gardening tasks, trail conservation efforts, and ongoing sustainability projects. * **Group Reflections**: Wrap up with thoughtful group reflections and a friendly farewell.

Hi Everyone, I am THRILLED that there are other fellow mystery readers out there!! I am excited to announce the first ever mystery book club event to be held at the end of the month. It will be a casual sharing session about favourite mystery books, killer plot twists, tropes you love and all things crime fiction! 😊 **Date: 26 April 2026, Sunday** **Time: 2pm to 4pm** **Venue: Asia Square L1 Atrium** Enter either via the drop-off or Shenton Way **Join the Telegram Channel:** https://t.me/thesundaycrimes **Theme: All-Time Favourite Mystery Book** For our first session, please bring along and share about your absolute favourite mystery book! (I know, it's hard to pick just the one...🥲) It can be a physical book or an e-book or even just an image of the book cover! Agenda: 15 Min Self-Introductions 1 h 15 Min Roundtable Book Sharing Session 15 Min Closing Notes Looking forward to meeting everyone!! Cheers, Anna

\*Please note the change of venue. We are no longer able to meet at Charlies and will be looking for a new venue. !!! Beware of scams! If you have been contacted about featuring your work at our meetings or have been asked for any kind of payment it is a scam. Country: Argentina Written in: 1976 Pages: 280 Starting as an experimental study of a romantic female character, Manuel Puig elaborated with streams of consciousness and unspecified dialogue to create this untraditional novel. Fast paced and challenging social, sexual and literature norms, it's seen as his most successful work, having been adapted into multiple films and plays. Here's and excerpt from [an excellent review on Medium:](https://thebiblioraptor.medium.com/literature-as-resistance-reading-manuel-puigs-the-kiss-of-the-spider-woman-9d8ce00c10fa) One of the major ways in which literature has made its presence felt is as a tool of resistance. Manuel Puig’s novel *The Kiss of the Spider Woman* is such a battle waged through words, critiquing authoritative institutions, exploring the quest for freedom, and telling human stories of rebellion, love, and loss. The novel was published in 1976 and is written mainly as dialogues between its dual protagonists — Luis Alberto Molina and Valentin Arregui Paz — detained in a Buenos Aires prison. Valentin is a Marxist rebel who is in jail for waging a political struggle against the government. Molina, who identifies as a woman and homosexual, is imprisoned for the sexual corruption of minors. They are cellmates, who go from strangers to friends and more. One might think that a story that is limited only to one location and written as dialogues between two people might be monotonous. But this is where Puig’s genius lies. Although the physical setting is confined, the reader can transcend that dingy cell, along with the characters, through the sole power of storytelling. \*\*\*\*\* **New to the Hungry Hundred Book Club?** Here's what you need to know: 1. Read the book (If you don't manage to finish it by the meetup date, don't worry. As long as you're not going to be too disappointed by spoilers, you're still welcome to join.) 2. Come to the meeting, usually (but not always!) on the last Sunday of every month. 3. Be prepared to order food/drink at the venue to show our appreciation for letting us use their space. This is a requirement. A lot of time and effort has been put into finding a place that will accommodate our group without an outrageous minimum charge or rental fee, and you'll never be asked to contribute to organiser fees, so please show your respect and support for the restaurant that's letting us use their space. 4. Discuss! It's a casual conversation, so don't be afraid to ask questions and let us know what you think.

Welcome to the Party of Fives Meetups! If you are a gamer who wants to go beyond the usual PARTY gaming fare at boardgame meetups and cafes, this is it! We don't usually play Cards against Humanity, Exploding Kittens and Unstable Unicorns. That's just us. Make us play if you can. We will be playing an assortment of board games ranging from light strategic kinds to heavy thematic ones. Games we usually play range from light ones like Azul, Splendor, Jamaica to medium ones like Yokohama, Endeavor and Nippon and of course heavy ones like Twilight Imperium, Gloomhaven, Tainted Grail and Kingdom Death Monster! Do not be surprised if you see us painting miniatures or are engaged in some sort of insanely time-consuming enhancements towards our game elements in our games. Everyone get their kick in different ways. :) Painting groups are also in their groups of fives ... For the game designers out there, just tell us that you are a creator when you see us and we will have our own private creative sessions mapped out in a feasible way. Most others don't care so we should not disturb the force unnecessarily. We will contact you when you sign up and place you into appropriate messaging groups with different needs to facilitate further communication. Total noobs are totally welcome! While we don't serve food ourselves, we are smack right in the middle of the legendary Golden Mile premises with an huge range of eateries from super curry puffs, loud Japanese izakaya food, heavenly chicken rice with steamboat, hellish black burgers and authentic Thai food that is just sick. All within a pebble's throw away. Tea and dinner sessions (at our own expenses) usually follow the gaming sessions according to our designated groups. Due to the current Covid-19 and social distancing restrictions, you are not allowed to join us for these food consuming sessions only. For your understanding, please If you have something specific in mind, do a shout out below and we see if we can help within reasonable grounds. There will be a charge of SGD $15 (ARENA: $15), (HEAVY/CAMPAIGN GAMES: $25) collected at the door (in cash) to help with the running of the event. How to sign up for our sessions: • Join the Singapore Manga Anime Games & Cosplay Assembly as a member. • RSVP below and retain a screenshot of your RSVP as proof. • Note that without proof of RSVP you will not be allowed into the premises. • Note that those who sign up but do not show up will not be allowed to sign up for future Party of Five sessions. • Note that RSVP closes 6 hours before the event takes place. For those who will like to form groups to play other games, feel free to shout out your intentions at the comments section below: Note that there won’t be any game masters around to help you with your games on site. The meetup will run from the time stated to the time ended. By signing up for this meetup, you agree to the terms and conditions set above.

**For ages 13 and above.** Juggernaut Fight Club isn't your typical boxing gym; It's located within a sheltered carpark of a building in Chinatown, which means ample space for you to train. In fact, it's one of the largest fighting gyms in Singapore, and houses everything you need for all-rounded mixed martial arts (MMA) training, including an MMA cage, competition-sized boxing ring, punching bag stations and more. All the instructors are either pro boxers, boxing champions, or national wrestlers, so you'll be picking up the best techniques from the top experts themselves. ### **Address** 9 Ah Hood Rd, East Asia Institute of Management ### **Schedule** Sundays 4PM - 5PM ### **Booking Information** * Please contact **98225900** to find out how to book this class. * The instructor will reach out to you once you've booked the class.

Welcome! Gist below! :-) 1. Bring a book to the meet! 2. Buy a drink (and a bite if you're hungry). 3. Say hi to the folks. 4. Read! 5. We'll do a short round of intros and a short sharing at the end too. :) Come in and find us (we're probably the only reading group)! In the event that the place is full, we'll find a back up nearby. :-) This is a limited seats, small group event, so do try to update your RSVP early if your plans change! Thanks in advance! Nearest MRT: Stevens

Where does genuinely new stuff come from, and what does the answer obligate us to do? We are primates, evolved for the African Savana, with meat machines in our heads. These meat machines can do something curious: they can imagine. Even further, they can be “creative”; that is, they can imagine something “novel”. At first glance, imagination seems like a cute quirk. We can imagine fantasies, tell fun stories, paint pictures, make gadgets. Some of these stories we deem “creative” or “novel”. But what actually counts as “new/creative”? The commonly used notion for “creative” in various domains of study is the creation of something “novel” and “useful/appropriate”. “Novel” ensures the new idea/invention is not just a basic recombination of old things. “Useful/appropriate” ensures that the idea is meaningful, reveals something interesting, and is not just a random mess. Both of these terms are broad and contentious (intentionally so). Who defines what is “novel” or useful/appropriate”? Should it be defined by the individual who originated the idea, or by the social judgment of peers, or specifically by experts, or by history/those who come later? The **Systems Model** recognizes that “creativity” is not a property determined by individuals, but through an interaction between the domain/field of innovation, the social ecosystem (gatekeepers, institutions, etc.), and the innovation itself. Other views emphasize the **cognitive mechanisms** of creativity. New ideas do not emerge “de novo”, they emerge from a recombination of past ideas, with a novel “transformation of the problem space”. Hence, an individual needs to make the creative leap with regards to themselves (their past experiences, cultural knowledge, etc.); it is a mental operation. Even if their new idea might already be known to someone else/the public, if they themselves did not know it, it is still a novel creation for them. Thus the question: Is there a rigorous notion that can tell whether something is “truly novel”, or even quantify how much? And who decides? Beyond the domain of fiction and art, our meat sack brains can also imagine things like multiple dimensions, 4D space, invisible forces, and other notions that at the time were heavily criticized as fanciful thinking (imaginary numbers, non-euclidian geometry, microscopic germs). Our minds were shaped by natural selection to solve savanna-scale problems — predators, social hierarchies, thrown objects. There's no selection pressure for imagining or grasping 11-dimensional string theory or quantum field theory. Feynman himself suspected we might not be able to understand wavefunction collapse or superposition. And human working memory is sorely limited. It is surprising that these ideas turn out to be “*real”*. They explain the physical world and give us tremendous power over it. Sometimes, increasing our power over the physical world depends on creating ever more “novel” ideas/absurdities (e.g. Infinite dimensional vector spaces. Subatomic particles. Quantum phenomena. etc.) Outlandishness is not sufficient for scientific success, but those ideas that yielded the greatest increase in understanding/power were often the most outlandish. In other words, the degree of “creative novelty” in science is proportional to the degree of increased physical power we gain. Is there a limit to what our brains can conceive? Science and art are very different domains. But therein lies the puzzle: the process of creativity deployed in science seems no different from the process of creativity deployed in art; so perhaps the same process is generating novelty in both. This suggests a tantalizing unity of what it means to be “novel”. If the same process generates “novelty” in 2 (seemingly) different branches: art and science, and one branch leaves physical traces, then “novelty” might not be mere arbitrary social judgment. Discussion Questions: * What counts as “creative”/”novel”? Who judges this? Is it an individual or social or objective judgment? How do we know whether something is “new” or not? Are we just “doing whatever we do?” * Operationally, how does creativity work? How does creativity “create new things”? Where does the newness come from? * Is the process of creativity in art, social science, natural science, engineering, technology, all the same underlying process? * If it is the same underlying process, how does “novelty”/creativity in science relate to creativity in art? * What’s the difference between imagination, creativity, and knowledge? * Is society obligated to create the conditions necessary for people to engage their creativity? If we disable people’s creativity, is that a form of mind control?

Welcome, readers! Our April read is **_Martyr!_ by Kaveh Akbar.** The story follows a young Iranian American poet grappling with grief, addiction, and the aching question of what makes a life meaningful. Drawn into an unexpected friendship with a terminally ill artist, he begins to confront faith, love, and the seduction of self-destruction. Lyrical, darkly funny, and emotionally piercing, the novel wrestles with beauty and despair in equal measure. It’s a story about longing—to be seen, to be forgiven, and to matter. Looking forward to discussing with everyone! We will meet at Zaftig Brewing Co in their event room in the back. We are welcome to bring in our own food, but **drinks must be purchased at the bar.** Happy reading! 📖

This month we’ll be reading Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. Feel free to come even if you don’t finish the book!

Let’s meet and share our thoughts about Carson McCullers’ novella, The Ballad of The Sad Café.

Join us for our April Book Club gathering where we will come together to discuss *[Stop Me if You've Heard This One](https://www.kristenarnettwriter.com/stopmeifyouveheardthisone)* by [Kristen Arnett](https://www.kristenarnettwriter.com/about) in a safe and welcoming environment. Make new friends who share your passion for books and connect with fellow LGBTQ book enthusiasts.

Posting this early because seemingly all Sundays in May are holidays or busy! I picked a shorter thriller that's hopefully a fast read/listen. [Columbus library link to book](https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3458940) Location: Grandview Cafe, *1455 W. 3rd Ave*, Columbus, OH 43212 [Menu](https://www.grandviewcafe.com/menu) Book summary: Daniel leads a rich life in the university town of Athens, Georgia. He's got a couple close friends, a steady paycheck working for a regional airline, and of course, for a few glorious days each Fall, college football tailgates. He considers himself to be a mostly lucky guy -- despite the fact that he's suffered from a debilitating disease since he was a small child, one that has left him unable to speak or to move without a wheelchair. Largely confined to his home, Daniel spends the hours he's not online communicating with irate air travelers observing his neighborhood from his front porch. One young woman passes by so frequently that spotting her out the window has almost become part of his daily routine. Until the day he's almost sure he sees her being kidnapped.

Join us for a Fun Friday event as we get together to see the long-awaited sequel to the 2006 original, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2! Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci all return for this follow-up that finds the former assistant is now a rival! Here are details, a trailer and our plan for this event: DESCRIPTION: The film follow’s Miranda Priestly's struggle against Emily Charlton, her former assistant turned rival executive, as they compete for advertising revenue amidst declining print media. The film is directed by David Frankel and written by Aline Brosh McKenna (who wrote/directed the 2006 original). It stars returning cast members Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci along with newcomers Justin Theroux and Kenneth Branagh. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9HXmMnUEdE PLAN: We’ll plan for a 7pm-ish showing and will meet in the lobby area about 30 minutes before showtime. Advance ticket purchase not required for this theater but early arrival is advised. Be sure to mention you’re with the Movie Group for admission/concession discounts. And make this a true Fun Friday by joining us after the show for the best part of the night – food and drinks at the nearby Rusty Bucket! Complete details, including showtime, will be confirmed/announced as the date gets closer. Should be a fun one, Dan