☕️ Good morning, friends,

we like to think we work hard, but this tops everything:

A 91-year-old man in Singapore is still working 12-hour shifts as a cleaner in a shopping mall. An Australian tourist recorded a heartwarming conversation with him on video.

His secret: “Eat normal” & “no exercise.”

We keep saying it: Asian food is medicine in itself.

P.S. You’ll find the best spots for it with our partner China Insider. Get 10% off all their travel guides with the code asiabitsfriends.

MARKETS

Highlights

🚥 Asia between gains and losses

On Wednesday, Asian markets showed no clear direction. Losses dominated in Tokyo, while Singapore and Seoul posted slight gains. Hong Kong and Shanghai traded cautiously.

Sentiment was weighed down by uncertainty over the U.S. budget standoff, which could trigger a government shutdown and delay key economic data. Investors therefore turned to safe havens, with gold holding just below its record high at around USD 3,872.

TOP BIT

🧠 Chips, power, offshore: Korea builds AI megaproject

OpenAI is teaming up with Korea’s tech giants. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are set to supply memory chips for the $500 billion “Stargate” project, while two new data centers will be built in Korea. Orders could reach up to 900,000 wafers per year by 2029 – an unprecedented scale.

The Details

💾 Memory rules: Samsung and SK Hynix control about …