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From 2009 to 2010, I studied hawker centres in Singapore while on a Fulbright Fellowship. Before I even arrived, I came across articles suggesting that first-generation hawkers were dying or retiring, but their children were not taking over. These articles focused on the loss of certain foods and did not consider the potential effect on hawker centres. During my research, I concluded that hawker centres were endangered, though everyone I spoke with believed they would always exist. Since 2010, there have been positive signs: The Government has improved stall rental policies, developed a training programme with master chefs and is building the first new hawker centres since 1986. While these actions will help, I do not believe they are enough. Even the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan has admitted that while it is easy to build new hawker centres, the "key challenge is to find enough Singaporeans willing to enter this profession, which is a difficult, challenging one". For my research, I interviewed about 100 hawkers at 26 different centres across Singapore. The average age of my interviewees was 50, with a range from 33 to 82. I quickly stopped asking about profits because no one wanted to discuss them. A newspaper article earlier this year ("Hawkers unsure of not-for-profit model"; Jan 13) referred to a man who made only slightly more than $10,000 last year. Based on my research, I suspect such low levels of profit are relatively common. Part of the problem is that hawker food is too cheap. While there has been dismay over price increases, in reality they have not increased significantly in recent years. An article last year ("Serving up a good deal for hawkers"; May 30, 2013) noted that overall, the price of chicken rice has increased a mere 50 cents since 1993. In 20 years, the cost of everything else has risen - fuel, raw ingredients, utilities and so on. It is impossible for hawkers to make decent profit margins if public opinion does not allow them to raise their prices to keep pace. Beyond this financial reality, the reasons people become hawkers are also posing additional challenges for the long-term outlook of hawker centres. The overwhelming majority (69 per cent) of those I interviewed had entered the trade because of family. Only 6 per cent quoted a passion for cooking as their motivation. There was a notable level of dissatisfaction among hawkers, mainly among those who had switched from other careers. I spoke to a 37-year-old engineer who had taken over his father's stall against his father's wishes. When I asked the son what he liked best, he responded: "Actually, I don't like anything." He cited the long hours and resulting loss of a social life as the most difficult aspect. This dissatisfaction is understandable, given that 70 per cent of the hawkers I interviewed worked at least 12 hours per day and 38 per cent of those worked at least 14 hours per day. No one I interviewed worked fewer than nine hours per day. In addition to the long hours and low profit margins, being a hawker involves physically exhausting work in a hot environment. Consequently, it is not seen as a career path for those with higher levels of education. Many of my interviewees did not know what would happen to their stalls in the future, but 32 per cent told me their children would not take over, pointing out that they were better-educated and could therefore get better jobs. If the main reason people become hawkers is to help their families, and that trend is declining as education and corresponding opportunities for better jobs are increasing, where will the next generation of hawkers come from? I'm just an ang moh (Caucasian foreigner) and I can't claim to know what's best for Singapore. But I do know that more action is needed to save hawker centres. And it's not the Government's responsibility to try to save them - it's everyone's. First, the public should accept moderate price increases so that hawkers can make decent profits and have a higher quality of life. If this would make food too expensive for low-income citizens, perhaps the Government could offer them subsidised food cards. Similarly, perhaps the Government could consider offering all hawkers subsidised rental rates. This could make entering the profession more appealing by increasing the potential for profits and the ability to achieve a work-life balance. Others have suggested that raising the profile of hawkers might encourage people to enter the profession. The government could apply for hawker centre culture to be added to Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage List. If successful, this designation would significantly raise the profile of hawkers and hawker centres both abroad and at home. Recent television shows such as Wok Stars, in which celebrity chefs Alvin Leung and Willin Low whip into shape a handful of hawker-wannabes, have already attempted to glamorise the hawker profession. However, I would encourage the organisers to offer a prize of free rent at an actual hawker centre, rather than a private food court. If all else fails, serious consideration should be given to allowing foreigners to become hawkers, provided they have completed the training programme. While there is an inherent irony in turning over a cultural institution to foreigners, cooking skills and recipes can be taught. Besides, foreigners already cook in private food centres and coffee shops. Ultimately, whatever path is chosen, hawkers and hawker centres are endangered and should be treated with the respect and acclaim accorded to any other cultural treasure. Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/opinion/more-opinion-stories/story/public-must-accept-rise-hawker-food-prices-20140815

Ordered a whopper meal + extra drink this evening,asked for bbq sos... Knn now bbq sos also must pay 50 cent ah... Srsly wtf... Left a bad taste in my mouth... Only can have bbq sos if you buy nuggets... Should change their tagline to "have it your way, but pay extra"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRltAyiwfcc tok kong~! if i were the lorry driver, i would stop and wait for the fella to reverse instead~! KNN... so impatient~!

That a $60,000 COE is cheap and starts buying cars now that the B & B cars are around the $100,000 mark Seems like the ADs are expecting crowds to return to the showrooms this weekend. Insane?

Ho hum...at MCF here, we talk abt it almost everyday......thanks to yours truly...muahahahaha Campaign launched to encourage public to talk about death PHOTOS File photo of the Singapore skyline. (Photo: Siti Nur Mas Lina, channelnewsasia.com) ENLARGE CAPTION SINGAPORE: A new campaign, "Die Die Must Say" has been launched to encourage the public to talk about death. To get the conversation going, a special Hokkien rap song will be performed at five getai shows. In addition, organisers Lien Foundation and Ang Chin Moh Foundation are hoping to reach out to those who use dialects through a hotline as well as booklets. Some Singaporeans said they are comfortable to talk about death-related issues with their families. One said: "Yes, I am comfortable, and I want to let them know before I die what they should do for me." Lee Poh Wah, CEO of Lien Foundation, said: "In our recent death attitude survey, we found that there was strongest demand from older Chinese Singaporeans -- those above fifty years old. “Eight-six per cent of them felt that there is a need for a national conversation of death and dying, and 88 per cent felt that they want to know more about palliative care -- in fact that is higher than the national average itself." - CNA/nd consperm ahmok or some wise crack will come in say i advertising and will comprain mod!!! kekekeek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XviR7esUvo [thumbsup]

My car is nearly 3 yrs 7 mths and have covered 115k. My car is serviced by agent from day 1 and they never said I need to change brake pads. Is there a time limit to change? My last servicing was early Jan. They tested my battery and the result was bad (something like 64%???) and was told to change. Till date I have not changed and nothing happened though there is sign that starting was not that strong as before. How long more can I tong?

A cleaner mopping the floor of an empty hall at a convention centre in Singapore. Cleaning businesses in Singapore will have to be licensed within five months of the Environment Public Health (EPH) Amendment Bill coming into force, which is expected to happen in April, said the National Environment Agency (NEA). The Bill was introduced in Parliament on Monday (Jan 20). The licensing regime will require cleaning businesses to have mandatory written employment contracts, to provide training and to implement the Progressive Wage Model (PWM). This is to ensure that cleaners receive wages that commensurate with their skills, training and productivity. NEA estimates that 55,000 resident cleaners will benefit from those requirements. Businesses offering cleaning services at premises or any public spaces will need to be licensed, while businesses that deal in specialised cleaning are exempted from the mandatory licensing regime. These include the cleaning of facades, pipelines and utility features, construction sites, clean rooms, hazardous or bio-hazardous areas, animal enclosures, swimming pool or aquariums and domestic cleaning. Cleaning businesses will have to be registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) Singapore or the Registry of Societies and show relevant experience. NEA said cleaning businesses should have at least 50 per cent of their staff trained in at least one module within the Singapore Workforce Development Agency’s WSQ Environmental Cleaning (EC) Framework at the point of the first application. At the time of licence renewal, 100 per cent of their staff should be trained. Under the provisions of the Bill, cleaning businesses found operating without a valid licence will be liable to a maximum fine of S$10,000 or up to 12 months jail or both and S$1,000 every day for continuing offences. Service buyers who engage unlicensed cleaning businesses will also be liable to a maximum fine of S$10,000 and S$1,000 every day for continuing offences. Licensed cleaning businesses found to be in breach of licensing conditions may also face a maximum financial penalty of S$5,000 and risk having their licences suspended or revoked. http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapores-cleaning-businesses-must-soon-get-licences

http://www.humanleather.co.uk/index.html You have to check this website out. I can't even copy-paste from the website easily as right-clicking is disabled. I still can't figure out if it's legit or just an elaborate deadpan hoax. And yet I feel oddly tempted to get a human leather wallet - if only the prices weren't so high (upwards of $14,000 USD).

if you have time for only one movie this year, you got to watch Gravity. This movie is insane! You got to watch 3D, don't waste money on the normal 2D. I am not a 3D fan, I hate to use bulky glasses only to be dissapointed by the effects in most shows. But you will kick yourself if you don't watch Gravity on 3D. Better still, watch it on IMAX The camerawork is like nothing done before. So often both Sandra and George is like right in front of me and when things explode and start flying around, there is almost an urge to start dodging for cover. There was one scene that I felt the entire cinema was rotating....it's just awesome. This is how movies should be done.....not just the story but to also bring the audience right into the scene and make everything feel alive. It's only 90 minutes show, but it will be one of the most awesome 90 minutes of visual effects that you have ever seen on a big screen. Here is the trailer : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiTiKOy59o4

this is applying to professionals, good or bad?

I watched the movie at Cathay. Totally rocks man. one of the best films this year. A must watch for petrol head. Though I follow F1, the excitement of present day F1 is nowhere near that of the 70s and 80s. I have great admiration for Niki lauda. I wouldn't have survived a metal rod entering my throat! Spoiler alert. Overall. I give it 9 out of 10. Might just knock Pacific rim out of my favorite movie of the year. But hard to compare also la. One is on true story. the other is robot fantasy

Hello all, Is it compulsory to declare to HDB and IRAS if renting a room in a HDB flat ?

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singap...now/745958.html I rather not.

I am not sure whether this 19 year old Malaysian motorcyclist drug smuggler is just suay or what. So many motorcyclist from Malaysia zooming into Singapore daily. Is he one of the small number of Malaysian drug smugglers (on motorcycles) caught? Worrying actually. http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/teena...rth-over-s87000 Teenager had drugs worth over S$87,000 SINGAPORE

Singapore

Mum went to bank with 3 chqs, total $97,720. Open FD with bank at $90,000, so the rest $7,720 put into a saving account. FD settled....acknowledgement receipt printed. Passbook also printed and all done. Came home.....mum discovered instead of $7,720.....the bank printed $9,720. Mum told me she saw all the forms and other documents duly stamped and signed by the bank. Any fault with mum,she asked??? She said trobluesome go back to them.

Singaporeans nowadays are really too stressed out STOMPer henry got involved in an argument with a female driver after she insulted the cyclist for being 'poor' when he didn't help her pump air into her vehicle's tyres at a petrol kiosk in Braddell. The STOMPer wrote: "While cycling to work, I stopped at the SPC petrol kiosk at Braddell Road to pump my bicycle tyres. "When I reached the kiosk, there was a driver who also wanted to pump air into her vehicle's tyres. "So, I waited for my turn. "The driver tried pumping air into the tyres but couldn't get it in. "She then asked "is air going in?", to which I said no. "She tried it a few more times before going up to the petrol kiosk attendant to ask for help. "At that point of time, I took my turn and used the station to pump air into my bicyle tyres. "When she got back, she asked why I didn't help her, and went on to say that we Singaporeans must help each other. "I just looked at her and kept quiet but then, she started insulting me. "I couldn't take it anymore so I told her off by saying: "When was it a must for me to help you when you never asked? And then when I don't help you, you insult me. What logic is that? ""If you're a driver and don't know how to pump air into your tyres, then you might as well take a bus or taxi!" "But she replied: "I have never taken the bus in my life, not like you poor people who cannot afford a car!" "Well, the rest of the conversation was made up of cursing and swearing!"

Some say dryer is good to have some say no. I am kind of torn to get a dryer. What I found from my friend was, after the cloth came out from washer and throw into dryer. It will come out from dryer very fluffy and soft. I like the touch. What say you guys?

Anyone think this is reasonable? some think it is impossible how many actually on standby after working hours or over weekend?

Read from many ang moh forum where the flywheel should be resurface (aka skim the flywheel) before installing new clutch. but I dont see this as a common practice in SG. Is it a must to do so??

Ok, I'm being persuaded to get car cam from local contact. Since not spending time finding car cam in HK, i focus on finding best places to eat I state what i wan to try, as below. I want those dirty small shops. . No need to eat in high class. Wanton noodles Beed noodles Any kind of noodles Roast pigeon BBQ pork (char siew) No goose. I know some ppl will recommend yuan kee. Not interested. Over-priced I did some research, as below. What do you think? Ho Hung Kee Congee & Noodle Wantun Shop Variety is no stranger to Ho Hung Kee Congee & Noodle Wantun Shop. Although notorious for their congee and wontons, plenty of other noodle dishes, such as the spicy Singapore-Style Fried Vermicelli, serve as another reason why this restaurant is a must try place. With the wonton noodle kitchen on one side and the congee kitchen on the other, it

In case you missed this..... Enjoy!!!

A place he can call home By Gerald Goh The New Paper Wednesday, Mar 28, 2012 Being a financially prudent person led to him finally being able to afford his first bachelor pad more three years ago. Local comedian-host and Gold 90.5 DJ Hossan Leong told The New Paper: "Getting my own place for the first time was a major step forward in my life. "I'd always been renting a place to stay and it was quite unsettling to me over time, as I didn't have a place I could call my own. "I'm a natural saver. I find it quite gratifying to see my savings grow, so when I found the perfect place to stay, I said to myself, why not put those savings to good use?" Leong used his Central Provident Fund savings (in his Ordinary Account) and was able to make the 20 per cent downpayment. The 42-year-old's two-bedroom apartment near City Square Mall cost around $800,000, a sum that will be paid for with the aid of a 30-year housing loan. Leong added that even though the apartment was completed in July last year, he could only move in November as he had to see out the remainder of his rental contract with his landlord. "Housing in Singapore is really hard for the less affluent segments of society to afford. "It's been reported recently that a person who earns less than $1,000 a month is able to own a two-room Housing Board flat. "That may be technically possible, but I imagine he or she will have to spend almost every cent of their remaining income just to meet daily expenses. "Will the person have anything left over to save? " Leong also counts his endowment insurance plan, which his mum got for him as a child, as part of his saving strategy. "It's a good way to 'force' me to save about $100 each month," he said, adding that he took over the premiums from his mother when he was in his early 20s and started work as an actor. "The policy will mature in my 50s. It will include not only the accumulated interest, but also a yearly bonus." He added: "Saving some of what you earn each month isn't just for old age. "If something catastrophic happens to you and you're unable to work for a period of time, can you survive on what you've saved in the bank? "I feel you should save enough to prepare for a possible down period of at least half a year, should anything happen to you - touch wood! - and you are unable to earn an income." Working hard for the money Which could explain why Leong has packed his schedule to the brim. He was recently a guest judge during the auditions of the youth talent search competition okto Star and will be hosting a short segment of the local game show We Are Singaporeans at Singapore Day 2012 in New York in April. But his main job is still helping to run communication agency Paul Carr Consultancy, which he co-founded with friend and business partner Paul Carr. After the company's expenses have been accounted for, Leong pays himself a monthly salary of about $4,000. "Having a company to run helps me control my spending, as I'm responsible not only for my own personal finances but for my company's finances as well." And though he used to spend heavily on clothes before, that's a thing of the past, he says. "As I grew older, I thought to myself that I don't really care how many branded shirts I have any more. "Does anyone else honestly care if I wear branded clothes or not? The answer is no." This article was first published in The New Paper.

Awesome!!!