Search the Community

Any more long weekend in May, or June? or must wait till next year? Should employers allow alternate 6-day-week / 4-day-week, this way we get to have long weekend twice a month!! Or alternate 5-day-week (5 x 9hr/day) / 4-day-week(4 x 11hr/day)?? etc? this will help promote family life

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152302491756236 What is with all these guys?

So who has not been to Oz and in particular Sydney? Blue mountains? Harbor bridge? Koalas? I think most of us have seen them all .. How about a chill vacation where one simply sits back, and have more caffeine in five days than one does in a month? Try some of the nicest food and simply kick back and absorb the atmosphere whilst not doing too much? Let me show you a few places to eat, drink some java and do something different ... First, what's Sydney without Pho? It's as ubiquitous as chicken rice in SG... with so many migrants from Vietnam over the years, it's no surprise that they do a good pho soup. Add good quality Aussie beef and you have a marvellous combination. Madam Nhu: How about ending off a nice day with a brilliant sunset:

Stop Phubbing – A Singapore Survey Finds That It’s Hurting Relationships More Than You Think http://www.shape.com.sg/lifestyle/stop-phubbing-singapore-survey-finds-hurting-relationships-think/ Looking at your phone while you’re out with someone? A survey by Singapore Polytechnic students finds phubbing to be quite damaging to relationships. Phub, what? In case you haven’t heard, phubbing is the act of snubbing someone in favour of your mobile phone – and it is becoming increasingly common. The term phubbing (pronounced far-bing) was coined in 2012 as part of a campaign by Macquarie Dictionary, and has been widely used since then, thanks to the growing smartphone usage. Remember when your friend kept looking at her phone while you were out shopping with her? Or when she couldn’t stop checking for messages over dinner? Whether or not phubbing is justified – perhaps you have an urgent message to reply to, or you’re trying to avoid an awkward conversation – it is considered rude most of the time. A recent large-scale survey by Singapore Polytechnic students found that a majority of young adults in Singapore aged 15 to 35 perceive phubbing to be harmful to relationships with their partner, friends and family. The effect seems to be the greatest for romantic relationships. Of the 785 interviewed, 61.7 per cent felt that phubbing deteriorates the quality of conversation, while 58.2 per cent believed phubbing negatively affects their relationship with their partner. And here’s the interesting part: Men are more particular about phubbing than women are. According to the survey, 62.8 per cent of males agreed that phubbing worsens their relationship with their partner, compared to 54.5 per cent of females. So the next time you’re out with your man (or anyone else you value), it’s best to leave your phone in the bag – unless you have established a mutual phubbing ‘protocol’, like if everyone uses their phones at a specified time, or if you know for sure that they wouldn’t hold it against you. After all, no one likes to be phubbed. It’s the new-age way of ostracising.

June 26, 2008 Finance officer jailed for 'defacing' maid with marker pens By Khushwant Singh, Court Reporter Sally Ang Poh Choo, a mother of two teenagers, 14 and 16, was jailed three weeks and fined $1,500 on Thursday for hurting her maid on five occasions over a two-month period. -- ST PHOTO: FRANCIS ONG TO teach her maid a lesson, finance officer Sally Ang Poh Choo used marker pens to draw lines on the Indonesian maid's face. It was Ang's way of punishing Miss Sri Hartuti Rokiman for not closing the front door properly while she was washing the family's car parked in the front porch of the house in Eastwood Place off Bedok Road. Miss Sri Hartuti, 26, ran away from her employers the next day and reported the matter to the police. A doctor found scratches and slight bleeding on her face. The maid had also asked a neighbour and her maid to take photographs of her scratches and bruises. Ang, 44, a mother of two teenagers, 14 and 16, was jailed three weeks and fined $1,500 on Thursday for hurting her maid on five occasions over a two-month period. Last month, she pleaded guilty to the charges which included pinching Miss Sri Hartuti and poking her head with a finger on two separate incidents in 2005. Ang abused her maid for her sloppy work, such as not cleaning the kitchen to her satisfaction and not unfolding a bed cover. She will start serving her jail term on July 3 as her lawyer Ramesh Chandra told the court she needed a week to settle the payroll payment of her 60 fellow employees. The company she works for had been unable to find a replacement for her, he said. Mr Ramesh said the offences had occurred a long time ago and Ang regretted her actions and had compensated Miss Sri Hartuti $4,000. When probed by District Judge Wong Choon Ning why there was a delay in prosecuting Ang, Assistant Public Prosecutor Olivine Lin said the police had 'sat on the case'. The Attorney-General's Chambers had to ask the police to expedite the matter, she added. http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/...ory_251917.html

Realised that in SG now, many cars getting overturned even at slow speed, traffic junction areas. Some blame the road surface and traffic design. Others point the finger at the driver or the design of the car. This afternoon, another SUV overturned at the junction of Boundary and Serangoon Central Road again. Come and share your views on this latest trend on our SG road...

http://wanbao.omy.sg/local/story20140604-30210#local mother n dotter argue, then mother found stabbed to death n dotter apparently jumped downstairs!!! BTW wat happened 2 that kovan double murder case? investigate so long still no conclusion???

This story came out earlier and brings true meaning to the above! Bless this man John! Technician who helped pay for single mother's course fees rewarded as his daughter gets education sponsored 1 of 2 Give and you will receive. The phrase rings true for good samaritan John Shu, who gave $6,000 to Ms Jaycie Tay so she could pursue a diploma. The 50-year-old technician received almost $20,000 in sponsorship for his daughter's tertiary education. PUBLISHEDDEC 13, 2016, 2:54 PM SGT UPDATED10 HOURS AGO FACEBOOK1,039TWITTEREMAIL Jose Hong SINGAPORE - He helped pay for her studies at Kaplan Singapore when she could not afford the course fees. Now, Kaplan has rewarded him in kind - by sponsoring his daughter's tertiary education. A few months after their chance encounter in late 2013, technician John Shu, 50, gave about $6,000 to Ms Jaycie Tay, 32, a single mother of four who was at the time struggling with a divorce and getting the money for a diploma. In 2014, she completed her diploma in marketing management from Kaplan Higher Education Institute. About a week after Kaplan learnt about Mr Shu's kindness in a report in The Sunday Times, the private school decided to return the favour to him, by paying close to $20,000 for the tertiary education of his 21-year-old daughter Shermin Shu. Kaplan invited Mr Shu and his family to the Kaplan City Campus @ Wilkie Edge, in Wilkie Road, on Tuesday, where the school surprised him with news of the sponsorship. Ms Shu is currently on holiday in Thailand and was not able to attend Tuesday's ceremony, so her father received the sponsorship on her behalf from Kaplan's president, Mr Leon Choong. He also received a document from Kaplan to recognise his act of generosity. Speaking from Thailand, Ms Shu said her family was "on cloud nine", and explained that Kaplan had called her on Tuesday morning with the news. "I was lost for words for a moment. Honestly, I thought that I was dreaming, because who would have thought that a simple kind gesture of giving my dad had done would give us such a good reward at the end," she said. "One of the struggles for my parents is the school fees for my university studies... With this money from Kaplan's generous giving, it acts like a motivation for me to work harder for my university studies and, most importantly, lessen the stress for my parents." Ms Shu recently completed her three-year diploma course in visual communication at Nanyang Polytechnic and plans to pursue her passion in arts and design at the university level, either locally or overseas. Kaplan will reimburse the costs of her entire polytechnic education, worth about $8,000 to $9,000. It will also help contribute $10,000 towards her university degree, wherever she chooses to pursue it. ST_20161204_JAYCIE05OYYO_2785762.jpg Related Story Help from a stranger turns her life around Mr Choong, Kaplan's president, explained that he was touched by Mr Shu's and Ms Tay's story when he read about it in The Sunday Times, and convened an emergency board meeting to see how the school could help Ms Tay. Upon learning that she is already receiving aid from the Yellow Ribbon Fund Star Bursary, they turned to Mr Shu instead. "John had set in motion a chain of kindness, and in the concept of paying it forward we didn't want it to end there," he said. He highlighted that Kaplan sets aside $250,000 yearly in scholarships and sponsorships, and that it is usually to study at Kaplan itself, "but in this particular case... we went above and beyond what was the norm - that's why we had to convene a board meeting". Ms Tay said that before this, she felt very bad because she could not repay Mr Shu, but she is now grateful. "When Kaplan told me that they wanted to recognise his kind heart, I felt like God sent something to help me repay (him)." Speaking in Mandarin, Mr Shu said that he did not have any needs, and that he is very happy for his daughter now that she has the money for her further education. He also said that he was very grateful to Mr Choong. "I just want to thank him for giving my daughter this opportunity to study at a university."

I never take MIC food............. https://sg.news.yahoo.com/australians-hepatitis-chinese-berries-004352788.html Nine Australians have contracted hepatitis A linked with eating contaminated berries from China, with the importer apologising Tuesday as the food scare spreads. Manufacturer Patties Foods has recalled four products including the Nanna's and Creative Gourmet brands of mixed berries and Nanna's raspberries after infections in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales. They are all sold nationally in major supermarkets, having been packed in China. The hepatitis A cases are linked with Nanna's Frozen Mixed Berries, with three other brands pulled off shelves as a precaution. "Hepatitis A virus infection is uncommon and normally associated with travel to countries affected by endemic hepatitis A," said Rosemary Lester, chief health officer in Victoria state, where three cases have been reported. "The only common link between the cases is consumption of this product -- there is no overseas travel or common restaurant exposure." Poor hygiene among Chinese workers and potentially contaminated water supplies in China are likely to have caused the outbreak, experts said. "In this situation, the most likely culprit is poor hygiene at the site of production," said Enzo Palombo, a food health and safety expert at Swinburne University of Technology. "Hepatitis A is transmitted by the so-called 'faecal-oral' route -- an infected person sheds the virus in their faeces which then contaminates food or water. "The virus either directly contaminates the food through a food handler not washing their hands properly or it could come from contaminated water used to wash the berries." Hepatitis A is a viral disease that affects the liver, causing abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and jaundice. It has an incubation period of up to 50 days. "As a company, we apologise to our consumers and customers for the concern and distress this is causing," said Patties Foods chief executive Steven Chaur

is it some trend now? http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/S...ory_686446.html THE body of a Chinese woman was found floating in the Singapore River under the Helix Bridge on Friday night. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene at about 11.50pm by paramedics, the police said. The police had received a call at about 11.20pm informing of a dead body found floating in the sea off Bayfront Avenue. Upon arrival, they found the body floating under the Helix Bridge. A spokesperson for the Singapore Civil Defence Force told citizen journalism site STOMP: 'Rescue personnel retrieved the body with a lifeline and buoy. The body was found 2m from the bank of the river.' 'The body was that of a female Chinese of approximately 40-50 years of age.' Police have classified the case as unnatural death and investigations are ongoing.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/long-queue-kaw-kaw-042003731.html Kuala Lumpur (The Star/ANN) - Would you wait three hours just to buy a burger from a roadside stall? Many customers are willing to take a number and queue that long just to get a taste of the famous grilled burgers offered at the Kaw Kaw Burger Bakar roadside stall in Wangsa Maju. Loyal customers do not mind waiting for the chicken and beef burgers.

Dunno what is wrong wif society....sigh

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=618628664875671

This apology is prompt. At least he did not say "people can use another bank, it is whether they choose to..” DBS CEO Piyush Gupta says sorry for ATM fraud. Speaking at a DBS Private Banking event today, Mr Gupta added that the bank regrets the anxiety and inconvenience caused. Mr Gupta said he is happy with the bank's reaction to the crisis and that they were able to identify the affected ATMs and customers very quickly. He has pledged to "stay ahead of the hackers" and assured customers that their deposits are safe. Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1176099/1/.html

Another kuku driver ramming parked cars in CP... From STOMP: http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sg...hen_parked.html Not safe from accidents, even when parked: Car slams into vehicles in carpark The red car apparently crashed into a parked Toyota Vios, pushing it into another vehicle and dislodging its front bumper, said STOMPer carCrashes. The STOMPer said: "I was in my room surfing net and heard a loud boom. "Initially I thought it was some motorcycle that skidded, but when I came out from my room, this was what I saw. "The silver Airwave will be scratched, and the Vios' bumper has dropped off. "It was also literally knocked out from its parking lot." A similar accident happened last month, when a 24-year-old female driver crashed into three parked cars. A pedestrian was also hurt in the incident.

Former Botak Jones owner returned as Big Bern's American Grill... Ha..ha.... saving the distant of driving all the way to Sembawang,The Handlebar" but still cannot compare with the surrounding environment of The Handlebar. Yahoo news: Big Bern’s: Starting over again…at 63 At the height of their business, with up to 13 outlets, they were living their dream. Their tills were ringing in decent 6 figures sales each month and life was exciting and fun. Their customers could not get enough of their hard core no-frills American chow. They went from Bernie’s to Botak Jones and consulted for a few outlets with similar concepts…there was no stopping them. Then, it all fell apart, “it was a series of bad business decisions and partnership woes” and I could see the pain in the business hardened eyes of Bernie Utchenik as he said so. When Bernie and his wife Zee moved on from their last Botak Jones outlet (they sold it) in Balestier, they were still staring at a “staggering” 6 figure debt, the same they used to make monthly back then. Now at age 63, when he should be reaping the rewards and enjoying the soft sunset years ahead, they are starting all over again. “No choice. We got some good years left ahead and we got debts to clear”. But have willpower and skills, will travel, I say. They now roost here in Toa Payoh (Bernie has this thing for quaint and industrial spots) and their comforting and lovable American menu is up again. Plus, Bernie and Zee are up at it personally at the stall each day. He suffers from personal anxiety disorders but calms it with his fighting spirit and some medication. Despite all that, he spends at least 3 hours a day in the kitchen. Slowly and surely, the debt is clearing and nothing is stopping them. He spoke nothing of his woes and gushed only about his kitchen craft. I had to dig and scratch it out of him. I am not a fan of salmon- too bland and blah for me. But I note how well chefs do this. They took a wild caught salmon (the texture and flavour is bolder) and seared it very well and was not the usual dry piece of fish I usually get at dressed down western eateries like this. Their own made tartar sauce was a bonus to the show. The lovely potato cake completed the show. The Po-Boys sandwich did not floor me the first time I tried it. The bread used felt like a stack of cardboard but they recently changed it to what felt a whole lot more authentic- it was softer and gummier inside and crunchy but not crispy. The battered soft shell crabs lumps had its natural flavour but would’ve preferred it with more marinate. The greens and the chiili sauce lifted it. Bernie is very practical… “sell good food, treat the customers well and git myself back on my feet”. He will get there and be up for air very soon, I know. Big Bern’s American Grill 978 Toa Payoh North , #02-01 +65 6710 7362 1130am to 9pm daily Link: https://sg.news.yaho...-094536952.html

A fast moving motorcyclist fell down. I slowly stopped. The car behind me also stopped. However, another car behind cannot stop in time and crash into the car behind me. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jtu5f-YFtdg

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10153278646412934&id=93889432933 Look at his beautiful free kick and long shot. He could be the rising stars for singapore national team player soon to be.

Another close called after Ison .... Yahoo news: Earth marks close encounter with enormous asteroid REUTERS - An asteroid estimated to be the size of three football fields whizzed close to Earth on Monday, roughly a year after one exploded over Russia and injured 1,200 people. Slooh Space Camera tracked the approach of the asteroid as it raced past the planet at about 27,000 mph (43,000 kmph), starting at 9 p.m. EST (2 a.m. GMT, February 18), the robotic telescope service said in a statement on Slooh.com. The Dubai Astronomy Group provided Slooh photos of the part of the sky where the rock was expected to be seen, but its motion could not be picked out immediately in a live webcast against the backdrop of night-time stars. The 295-yard (270-m) asteroid was streaking past Earth at a distance of about 2.1 million miles (3.4 million km) little more than a year after another asteroid exploded on February 15, 2013, over Chelyabinsk, Russia. That asteroid injured 1,200 people following a massive shock wave that shattered windows and damaged buildings. Chelyabinsk region officials had wanted to mark the anniversary by giving a piece of the meteorite to each 2014 Winter Olympic athlete who won a medal on Saturday at the Sochi Games. However, the International Olympic Committee at the last minute said it could be done only after the games and separately. Slooh's flagship observatory on Mount Teide in Spain's Canary Islands was iced over and unable to be used for the 2000 EM26 viewing, Paul Cox, Slooh's technical and research director, said on the one-hour webcast. "We continue to discover these potentially hazardous asteroids - sometimes only days before they make their close approaches to Earth," Cox said in a statement before the show. He added, "We need to find them before they find us!" Its seem we are getting closer to extinction as years gone bye with so many 'BIG' rocks flying pass our mother Earth and each one getting nearer .... This one not even spotted until last minutes and some telescopes observing the universe were frozen cos of unexpected winter storms.

http://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.php?ID=512815&DL=2742 Is this a good buy? I have tried googling for the problems of this car (or BMW hybrids), but I am unable to find many bad reviews. So why is this depreciation so much lower than a 335? Even activhybrid 5 is cheaper than a 535.

Girl Narrowly Escapes as Escalator Floor Breaks Open Another escalator malfunction in China . A Chinese girl escaped unhurt as an escalator malfunctioned on Sunday at a shopping mall in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. The girl, believed to be in her 20s, stepped onto a panel of flooring at the top of the escalator when it suddenly gave way. Staff at the mall soon shut down the escalator, and no one was injured. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtbdrIMa-Wo

Hi all, I wish to highlight my plights of being 2 times unlucky when I used the vPost services for items purchased from Amazon.com and had the items shipped to my vPost USA address. The stories goes like this... Prior to my 1st order on Amazon.com on 11 Oct 2011, I have updated my vPost account online to my latest mailing address and has also done my due diligence to ensure that my vPost USA address has been duly updated as well. I then proceeded to place my order with Amazon.com and the item was received at the vPost USA facility on 14 Oct 2011. Subsequently, I've proceeded to submit (Via email) my sales invoice (From Amazon.com) to vPost USA for them to process so that the delivery invoice can be generated by vPost for me to make payment before my item can be released and delivered. On 18 Oct 2011, I've received the invoice for me to make payment for my package (VS114811284US) which I've paid up in full on the same day. After making the above payment, I did not receive any updates until 20 Oct 2011 to inform me that the shipment has been sent out from vPost USA as well as confirmation of my payment for the package. On 03 Nov 2011, after remembering that I'm expecting the above mentioned package and after waiting for it for so long, I've written in an enquiry via the vPost on-line portal and has received an email reply with CASE ID #101964. I've also followed up with vPost by making a telephone call on the same day and spoke with a lady called Salas who has tracked down my parcel and informed me that there was an attempted delivery made to my old mailing address on 23 Oct 2011. I've informed Salas that I've logged onto my vPost account before making my order and question why their system did not capture the updated information, which she is unable to answer, only to offer her apology and then she took down my new mailing address and arranged for a re-delivery on 05 Nov 2011 (Sat) between 9am to 1pm. As I was busy on 05 Nov 2011, I've made arrangement for my mum to make herself available for the day to receive the package and she had to cancel all her appointments for the day just to sign for the package. Alas, 1pm came and went and there was no sign of any delivery by vPost on 05 Nov 2011 and I'd tried to call the vPost 1605 but to no avail as the hotline was closed. My mum has wasted her day due to vPost's failure to deliver on their service. On 07 Nov 2011, I called the vPost hotline again to check on the delivery status and was informed that there was a delivery made but a further check revealed that the vPost delivery personnel has sent the package to my old mailing address again! The call was then transferred to Rob (Robin), the Customer Service Manager with vPost and after some investigation on his end, admitted that the glitch was due to their system not capturing my updated information on their system again and Robin has admitted again that there's a problem with their IT system. After all the saga above, I've received my long overdue parcel on 09 Nov 2011 at the correct mailing address. On 28 Oct 2011, I've placed another order with Amazon.com for another item (VS114958466US - OBJ9967) and used vPost USA service again as there's no choice but to do so as the merchant does not ship out to Singapore and unfortunately, vPost has fumbled on this shipment as well as I've only received an email update on 03 Nov 2011 to inform me that the shipment has arrived at their vPost USA facility and there have been no updates since. I called Rob (Robin) again to check on this shipment and to enquire why the invoice has not been generated and till now, there have been no resolution and I think this coming from Singapore's premier postal service, is unacceptable to say the least. It has been more than 2 weeks since my latest parcel has been sent and reached the USA facility but I'm at a lost as to when I will receive the item. The above has shown that vPost has to seriously look into their level of service and to improve on their IT system, customer service as well as getting their delivery acts together. Ok until today, no one from vPost has contacted me as I reckon besides Rob, there are no more senior managers above him or that no one wants or bothers to call me back to resolve the case. As Christmas is approaching fast, I seriously wonder if my parcel will reach me in time for me to give it to my niece as her present. Anyone here knows of any vPost contacts which I can channel my complaint to as calling their 1605 number and speaking with the agents and then being passed back to Rob does nothing for me! Thanks in advance. Very frustrated, Moooooooo

Offer COE rebates to families with special-needs members Published on Feb 07, 2013 2 1 0 Purchase this article for republication Buy SPH photos I APPLAUD the Government's efforts in restricting car ownership ("COE categories for cars could be reviewed"; yesterday). But while car ownership is generally perceived as a luxury, it is a necessity for some families. As a mother of an autistic child, taking my son for long rides on MRT trains or public buses is a challenge due to his heightened sensory sensitivity to noise and crowds. On long rides, he will often fuss or, worse, suffer a full meltdown to the annoyance of other commuters. Taking taxis for routine trips is very costly and hard to sustain for an average-income family. Many families with elderly members or those with mental and physical disabilities face the same problem. Improving Singapore's public transport network and accessibility is of little or no help to us. At the same time, there is a growing number of households with more than one car, often because they can afford them and not because they need them. To help those who really need a car, some changes could be made to the current system: Give priority and certificate of entitlement (COE) rebates to families with members who have special needs, for first-car ownership per household; Impose a flat COE rate on first-car ownership per household, with subsequent cars per household subjected to the bidding system; and Have a separate COE category for luxury cars. Chia Su-Yee (Ms)

Seems like there is another kei car brought in by PIs. This time at a much more reasonable price ($42800) compared to the Suzuki Lapin ($57888). Comes with 2 airbags, power windows, a great alternative to the Perodua Kelisa 1.0A ($41999). I wonder what a 3-speed auto car will drive like Suzuki ALTO E AUTO $42,800 (4 bid COE at $16K, non guaranteed) TECHNICAL DATA Vehicle Type: Saloon Engine: K6A type 3 cylinders water cool Engine Capacity: 658 cc Transmission: 3 speed automatic PERFORMANCE Power/RPM: 54bhp/6500rpm Torque/RPM: 61N.m/4000rpm Suspension F/R: McPherson Strat type coil spring/coil spring Brakes F/R: Disk/Drum DIMENSIONS Length: 1,840mm Width: 1,260mm Height: 1,230mm Weight: 730kg FUEL Capacity: 30L Consumption: 20km/L http://www.sunauto.com.sg/showImg.aspx?Type=1&ContentType=image/jpeg&filename=5.jpg Link to the Suzuki Lapin thread: http://www.mycarforum.com/forum/gforum.cgi...=Lapin;#1970441

Is it Gold or Silver? Isabelle Li is into the Finals of the Woman's table tennis final after beating her Thai opponent in straight sets 4-0! She has done very well in this YOG, beating those higher seeded players... All eyes on this evening....