This girl looks overjoyed to join SAF Volunteer Corps

On 6 Jan, a Facebook post depicting a recruit’s sibei sian face went viral.

Today (11 Jan), Basic Military Training Center (BMTC) posted a contrasting photo with a group of girls joining the Volunteer Corps.

In the photo, the girls on the left hand side seemed to be more excited about enlistment as compared to the guys, who appeared to be in dismay with their heads hanging downwards.

One particular girl dressed in a black polo shirt and jeans stood out — she seemed to be especially ecstatic and beamed at the camera, as though Basic Military Training (BMT) will be the best period of her life.

One can’t help but wonder if this was a mockery of the recruit with the #sibeisian face.

The Internet reacts

Hawk-eyed netizens took note of this unusual moment and started to speculate on why the girls appeared to be happier than the guys.

This guy seems to think that the freedom of choice makes enlisting a more enjoyable experience for the girls.

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Maybe this netizen has hit the nail on the head. The girls are paid 4x the amount for serving in SAF volunteer corps.

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This commenter holds the same view, words dripping with sarcasm.

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One netizen thinks that looks are all that matter and that the girls appear to be happier just because they can keep their hair.

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Others wondered if their smiles would soon fade.

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The rest have expressed disbelief at the number of girls enlisting.

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Well, if SAF thinks that this photo showing how enthu the girls enlisting for BMT are would erase everyone’s memories about the #sibeisianrecruit, they are wrong.

The Internet never forgets.

So, here’s another photo of our hero expressing his inner thoughts about enlisting.

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The post This Enthusiastic Girl Proves That Enlisting To SAF Doesn’t Have To Be #SibeiSian appeared first on Must Share News.

Sungei Serangoon incident with errant cyclist leaves young boy injured

On 10 Jan, Kaslyn Tan wrote Facebook post in search for the hit-and-run cyclist of her young son. The 3-year-old boy was allegedly knocked down by a cyclist along Sungei Serangoon park connector.

According to Kaslyn, the rider was going extremely fast speed and could not stop in time, causing the boy to sustain multiple injuries. She added cyclist had claimed that he could not stop in time as he had “no brake[s]”, and his legs were “clipped on [to]” the bikes pedal.

In addition, the rider had stopped after the incident and offered tissue and water to the victim’s father, as well as offered $30 in compensation. Thereafter, he cycled off without leaving his contact number and name.

The boy was sent to hospital to treat the swelling and cuts sustained from the collision with the cyclist. He also suffered a chipped tooth and lost another from the incident.

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After lodging a police report, the cyclist has yet to reveal himself, resulting that Facebook post going viral.

Having taken a look at this story, we at MustShareNews.com have 6 clarifications and questions about this case.

1. Why was the cyclist’s contact information not taken down at the first place?

If this step was taken, we probably wouldn’t be having this nationwide witch hunt for the cyclist.

In addition, why did the father allow the cyclist to ride off without such valuable information?

2. If the father had time to warn the cyclist, why didn’t he pull the boy back instead?

The father was a mere two arms length away from his son, so why didn’t he take action?

Think about it, if the father had time to shout at a stranger, there surely would also have been time to save his son from the impending collision.

This Facebook comment is asking all the right questions. Prevention is better than cure.

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3. If the incident took place at a park connector, would the cyclist still be charged?

If the cyclist was riding on the pavement, this incident could have caused him a fine from $20 to $5000 — in cases where he is “convicted of rash riding in a public way”

However, the incident took place at Sungei Serangoon Park Connector, which according to National Parks, is supposed to be a place designated for cycling.

With such a huge grey area, would there be punitive measures still taken against the cyclist if found?

4. Why was money such a huge issue compared to the safety of the child?

Let’s not fret about how much money the cyclist could compensate, such as the “mere $10” or the “$20” giving with reluctance.

The first step taken should have been to call an ambulance, instead of fussing about the money used to pay for the child’s injuries.

5. Which idiot cycles without brakes??

According to the boy’s parents, the road bicycle which the cyclist was on did not have brakes. Thus, that fella was unable to slow down or brake when required.

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Er. Right…

6. Is the boy alright?

The boy seems to have sustained injuries to the face, but he seems to be recovering well.

In an updated Facebook post, Kaslyn said:

My boy is finally home from KK Hospital, but is unable to sleep or talk properly due to the cuts inside his mouth, swellings, saliva and blood flowing out of his mouth uncontrollably, and stitches on his chin. He is unable to eat or even chew, and is having difficulties consuming liquids through a straw. An x-ray has been done, with no bone damage found.

There is further proof that the boy seems to be recovering, when Victor Lye — who was a People Action Party candidate running for Aljunied Group Representative Committee (GRC) in GE2015 — visited the family to check on the little guy’s condition.

From his picture in his Facebook post on the visit, we see that the scars of the incident appear to be healing.

Victor has made clarifications regarding the issue about the father not obtaining personal information, that “the child’s father was too shocked and shakened” to think clearly.

Lessons learned?

Hopefully as Victor says, there would be “rules, guidelines and community etiquette to govern the safety and use of shared spaces”.

This painful lesson also serves as a lesson to others who may encounter such an incident to calmly handle the matter and take down the personal particulars of the other party.

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The post 6 Burning Questions About The Case Of Serangoon’s Hit-And-Run Cyclist appeared first on Must Share News.

David Bowie was no stranger to our island

By now, you should already have heard about David Bowie’s demise.

The rock and roll icon succumbed to cancer after an 18-month battle and passed on two days after his 69th birthday.

David Bowie in Singapore

In 1983, as part of David Bowie’s Southeast Asian tour, the rock legend descended upon our city-state and even chronicled his adventures into a documentary named Ricochet.

What could a music icon possibly be up to on our sunny island? 

We retraced his footsteps and found out 10 things David Bowie did in Singapore:

1. Visited Little India

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Being a tourist, Bowie had to visit a place full of local flavour – Little India. There, Bowie came across places of religious interest, like the Indian Muslim Mosque named Abdul Gafoor Mosque.

2. Had his fortune told at Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple

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Bowie stood in front of the 15-metre tall Buddha statue, seemingly impressed by it. We’re pretty sure Bowie didn’t know much about the 12 zodiac signs, but went to try out the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ anyway.

3. Conversed with a taxi driver

Bowie boarded a taxi, and had a discussion with an outspoken Indian driver about the chewing gum ban and drug offences in Singapore. Bowie also sounded slightly taken aback that drug offenders would be sentenced to death by being hung.

4. Stayed in an Emperor Suite at Ming Court Hotel

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Ming Court Hotel is also today’s Orchard Parade Hotel, after it was renamed in 1991. Situated along Tanglin Road, Bowie would head back to his place of lodging after a day of adventures.

On his stay there, Bowie recounted:

When I move into my suite at the Ming Court Hotel, the little Malay porter indicates the three-tone carpet, the ten-channel T.V. He is bursting with pride about the bathrooms but is visually awed by the three hundred square feet of personal freedom. He paces the room from wall to wall. “So much space,” he sighs.

5. Visited Far East Plaza

Back then, Far East Plaza was Singapore’s newest and largest shopping mall. Naturally, Bowie had to check the place out. But not for shopping, of course. More in the next point.

6. Rode escalators and got scolded by a security guard

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Why shop when you can ride the escalators?

That’s exactly what Bowie thought, but a security guard probably got pissed off and gave the rock star a piece of his mind.

7. Headed to somewhere without skyscrapers

The next day, Bowie got onto another cab and asked the driver,  “Can we go somewhere, like, where there are no skyscrapers?”.

The cabbie gave him a choice between the “old building” or the “new building”, and Bowie chose the former. He was driven to Raffles Hotel. There, Bowie wandered around the faux-colonial compounds, but was affected by the construction noises next door — the Raffles City shopping mall and hotel were under construction then.

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8. Held his first concert in Singapore

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Bowie’s first concert here was held at the former National Stadium, but his performance did not go well.

He said:

I rip through a welcome and an introduction to the band in Chinese. It is received with dutiful sympathy by the crowd as my pronunciation is so dreadful that not one word is understood. The audience end of the ramp is so far away from the band that I singing half a beat behind them. I look back and see a tiny, jumping Carlos Alomar leading a badly lit rock’n’roll group. I peer out and see paramilitary cops at the ratio of about one to two with the first row. They finger their billy clubs, their hands on their guns.

My jacket style is designer Tokyo — skyscrapers and diamante searchlights. There is so much lacquer in my hair that a hurricane couldn’t move it. My shirt is held into my pants by elastic thongs round my legs. I have two pairs of socks on because of oversized shoes. I am imploring the crowd, “put on your red shoes” … there is a scream of recognition — 15,000 strong. A tiger-print-clad girl is slapped back over the security boundary by a ferocious swing of a billy club.

In a city where you can be arrested for chewing gum, a demand to put on red shoes is deemed unhealthy.

9. Befriended Chinese Opera performers

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At Chinatown, Bowie stumbled on a building where a Chinese Opera troupe was rehearsing. He met Theresa and Tsiu-Lien, who were on their way to the rehearsal, and asked if he could watch them practise. Unfortunately, their “boss” denied his access.

10. Watched “wayang”

Nonetheless, Bowie still attended Theresa and Tsiu-Lien’s “wayang” show that night after his own show. He was immersed in the local culture, fascinated by the wayang show.

Scenes of Bowie performing his song Heroes are interspersed with scenes from the Chinese opera:

Singaporeans will always remember this legend

Singapore was probably a place Bowie held close to his heart, with her being heavily featured in his documentary. In 2004, the British rocker returned and performed a two-hour set at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The world will be mourning over his loss, but he will be survived by his legacy.

R.I.P., the king of rock and roll.

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Featured image via Tudou
With reference to The Straits Times, SG Film Hunter, This Recording, Sporeana

The post 10 Singaporean Activities David Bowie Did When He Visited In The 80s appeared first on Must Share News.

NTU creates advanced Artificially Intelligent humanoid

On 29 Dec 2015, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) revealed a new employee — Nadine, a receptionist working on campus. She looks almost like a human being with her brunette hair and soft skin.

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Almost.

Except she is social robot.

And… She looks as creepy as hell.

How does Nadine work?

Nadine is powered by smart programs similar to Siri from Apple and Cortana from Microsoft. According to a SciShow youtube video, the programs “run on massive servers that can handle huge amounts of information”.

These servers store vocabulary and speech recognition software, allowing the Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make records of what people have said and what it responded with. From there, it can learn from these previous records on how to communicate with humans.

Just look at that robot shake hands and answer human beings in this disturbing preview.

Why is Nadine creepy?

If robots and humanoids scare the heck out of you, you might be suffering from Automatonophobia — where people get disturbed or insecure after seeing wax figures and humanoids.

This discomfort is also known as uncanny valley, which arises from how something creates familiarity due to its humanlike appearance but falls short by a smidgen.

A perfect example is Nadine, who comes close to looking like a human. Because of this close resemblance, we start to pay attention to how she does not look human, causing our emotional response to dip severely — and resulting in our fear of Nadine.

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Nadine’s smooth skin made of rubber makes her look like a human-like doll, while her enormous hands look like sausages. Not to mention her hair is made of real human hair.

You heard it, real human hair. Imagine it growing longer on its own.

Hey Jack Neo, how about making a horror movie starring Nadine next?

According to NTU, “Nadine can be a personal assistant in offices and homes in future. And she can be used as social companions for the young and the elderly”.

Er, thanks NTU, but no thanks.

There’s no way we would interact with something as creepy as that.

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The post This Robot Created By NTU Is The Creepiest Thing You’ll See Today appeared first on Must Share News.

MINDEF neither confirms nor denies that SAF Riggers job is done by PRCs

On 12 Jan, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responded to claims made on a Facebook post that the SAF Riggers job — a.k.a those who pack the parachutes — is being outsourced to Chinese nationals or People’s Republic of China (PRCs).

Leslie Ang, who penned the controversial claim, suggested that military secrets are being exposed to foreigners, and questioned the logic of “placing our lives in foreign contractors hands”.

The Artful Dodger

In a Facebook post, SAF said that the job of the Riggers has been outsourced to “Singapore Technologies (ST) — a reputable local company”.

SAF clarified that many of the staff who pack the parachutes “are former Riggers from the Commando Formation”, and that they undergo training which is “benchmarked against the United States Federal Aviation Administration (US FAA) standards”.

Wow. Great answer, SAF — but you’ve missed the point.

Notice how the issue of whether PRCs are employed by ST to pack the parachutes is cleverly skirted around.

The million-dollar question unanswered: Are there any PRCs packing parachutes in ST?

To be honest, telling us that many of the staff who pack parachutes are former Riggers from SAF does not deny or confirm that there are PRCs doing the packing.

A simple yes or no would have sufficed.

Anyway, kudos to SAF for being able to smoke their way through without incurring suspicion.

Whew, looks like someone has safely dodged a bullet.

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Does the nationality of who is packing the parachutes really matter?

Hold your horses.

Admittedly, outsourcing the job of packing parachutes to Chinese nationals means that classified information is leaked.

However, coming from the point of safety, whoever who packs the parachute just has to do a good job of ensuring safety.

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On their Facebook post about the Riggers, SAF stated that “ST has been packing parachutes for us since 2010, and there have been zero parachute reliability issues”.

This means no problems have arose from the packing of parachutes, regardless of who was doing the job.

As if to emphasise the point that Riggers are extremely meticulous and careful in their job, SAF also posted a photo album on their Facebook page saying that “SAF Riggers adopt [a] stringent parachute packing process”.

Just check out this Rigger’s determined comment on the importance of keeping professional on the job.

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TL;DR: as long as the safety and lives are not compromised, it doesn’t matter who is packing the parachutes.

Therefore, we don’t have to grab our pitchforks and start screaming at MINDEF.

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The post SAF’s Responds To Parachute Rigger Claims, But We’re Not Sure What They Mean appeared first on Must Share News.

Looks like we’ll have to eat our greens after all

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Have friends and family members been telling you to abstain from sweet potatoes because they’ve been turning green? Well guess what, THEY ARE COMPLETELY SAFE FOR CONSUMPTION.

No worries, here’s the full story. Right from the start.

So on 4 Jan, this Facebook post went viral — causing many gullible Singaporeans to go on this anti-sweet potato diet.

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Here’s a summary of the post:

An unidentified person claimed that steamed Japanese sweet potatoes kept refrigerated overnight had turned green. When asked about it, a “doctor” said this could be due to Agent Orange, a herbicide used in warfare during the Vietnam War. Clearly, that stuff is highly toxic AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSUMED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

Non-substantial Evidence

What we don’t quite understand though, is how that flimsy nugget of information (and bad English) is enough for people to believe its authenticity.

I went to see Doctor for my hypertension medicine n I show doctor the same photoes, he was shock. I told him the sweet potatoes is from Vietnam n doctor said is the soil problem, it’s soil contain a chemical name Agent Orange n this was deeply rooted in the soil.

According to PublicHealth, Agent Orange is a blend of tactical herbicides the U.S. military sprayed from 1962 to 1971 during Operation Ranch Hand in the Vietnam War to remove trees and dense tropical foliage that provided enemy cover.

Newsflash, it’s 2016 now.

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And it’s quite sad how everyone just went against Vietnam’s product like that…that ain’t cool bruh. Vietnam has got nothing to do with Mother Nature’s natural processes.

Doctors say don’t go Vietnam for now as you will eat more of the local grown products.
So die die don’t go yet n don’t buy product made in Vietnam.

Imagine the amount of people who probably just stereotyped Vietnamese produce to be BAD…

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Veggies are always good for you

Always remember that, vegetables are always good for you. Even if they turn into weird funky colours.

Don’t believe us? Believe AVA instead.

On Monday (Jan 11), the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) clarified that sweet potatoes that turn green are safe to eat; in response to the widely circulated message which suggested those Vietnamese imported root vegetables were toxic.

According to The Straits Times, Agent Orange caused many Vietnamese babies to be born with severe deformities.

This was probably what people were afraid about.

Instead, the authority explained that sweet potatoes contains natural flavonoids and water-soluble pigments that can cause colour changes at different acidity levels or when exposed to air.

“The greenish colour can be due to a natural occurrence,” AVA said, adding that they should not pose a food safety concern if cooked and stored properly.

The food safety agency also assured the public that food imports, including sweet potatoes, are regularly tested for chemical and other forms of contamination, such as heavy metals, pesticides and drug residues.

“Any food products that do not meet our requirements are not permitted for sale in Singapore.”

YAY POTATOES

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So whether your sweet potato is yellow, green, purple or orange, they are all SAFE for consumption, regardless of whichever country they came from.

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So the next time you feel like being a couch potato while netflixing, have some colourful sweet potatoes while you’re at it.

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With reference to The Straits Times, PublicHealth, FitnessMagazine

The post NEA: Green Sweet Potatoes Might Look Weird But Are Perfectly Safe For Consumption appeared first on Must Share News.

2015 — The Special Year

Though it’s 2016 now, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t take a trip down memory lane to recall what an eventful year it was.

Even before 2015 started we knew it was going to be a special one. Besides all the SG50 and SEA games hype, there were a lot (and when we say a lot, we mean A LOT) of unexpected things (both pleasant and unpleasant) which happened last year, which definitely helped proved that 2015 was a heck of year for us.

Particularly these 15 moments.

1. The Alcohol Curfew

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Though only effective from  1 Apr 2015, the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Bill was passed in Parliament on the 30th of January. The new law stated that the public would not be allowed to purchase alcohol for take-away or consume alcohol at public places from 10.30pm to 7am daily.

However, the public will still be allowed to drink at home, at approved events and in licensed establishments such as bars and coffee shops outside of these hours.

Doesn’t this law sound a lot like what a parent would say? Much like a curfew.

Mom/Dad: You’re not allowed to party and drink with your friends outside. Be back home by 10.30pm.

You: Boo.

But when they decide to have some alcohol at home, ITS TOTALLY OKAY.

Mom/Dad: We bought some new wine/beer, come have a cup or 2 with us.

You: HELP LA.

What a great way to kick start Singapore’s Big Birthday Year huh…

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2. The First Singaporean to Score in the A-league

This happened back in late February last year, when our national team defender, Safuwan Baharudin, made history as he became the first Singaporean to score in the A-League during his time on a 3-month loan to Melbourne City.

With the team losing 0-1 to third-place Adelaide United at half-time, the 23-year old led his team’s 3-1 comeback victory by scoring the equalizer in the 52nd minute.

And what a goal it was.

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With this win, Melbourne City moved up a place to 6th in the A-league table, which meant that Melbourne City stood a good chance to qualify for the A-League final series, a tournament that included the top six placed teams.

Basically, Safuwan killed it out there and made all of us Singaporeans proud. :’)

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3. The Final Farewell to our late founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew

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The passing of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in March was and will continue to be an iconic moment in Singapore’s history.

On Mar 29, 2015, torrential rain poured in Singapore and more than 100,000 people stood shoulder to shoulder lining the streets to bid a final farewell to Mr Lee.

The rainy state funeral capped off a week of national mourning. It was a stark contrast from the blistering heat in the previous days as more than 454,687 queued for hours to pay their last respects at Parliament House, where Mr Lee’s body lay in state.

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During Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s s recent New Year Message on Thursday (31 Dec 2015), he too mentioned that the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew was one of the most memorable moments of 2015.

The rain was pouring. As the gun carriage left Parliament House, people shouted his name. I was deeply moved to see everyone’s faces – drenched, grieving, but not downcast.

— Prime Minister, Lee Hsein Loong

However, if there’s anything the mourning week had showed us, it would be the gratefulness of Singaporeans towards the achievements of the pioneers, and their much needed determination to take Singapore further forward.

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4. Famous Amos

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Famous Amos is known for its aroma but this famous Amos caused a stink when the 17-year-old blogger uploaded a video he made about Singapore’s founding father titled “Lee Kuan Yew is Finally Dead!” on 27 Mar 2015 — 4 days after Mr Lee’s passing.

In the video, he compared the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew to Jesus, and insulted both with rather impolite language. Social media turned against him, and more than 30 police reports were filed against him for what was deemed as offensive and religiously insensitive statements.

Eventually, Yee was convicted and sentenced to four weeks jail on July 6 for one count of making offensive or wounding remarks against Christianity, and one count of circulating obscene imagery. His conviction was backdated to 2 Jun, which meant that he walked free.

Then. He. Just. Couldn’t Keep. Himself. Off. The. Headlines.

5. KOALA KRAZY

Remember when everyone went Koala Krazy over the Koala Class arrangements for our 4 little furry friends??

Yes, that’s when everyone went cray cray over the pictures of them enjoying eucalyptus leaves while sitting on board the Qantas aircraft.

Good times, good times :’)

Singapore became the new home to four koalas from Australia as part of celebrations for SG50, and the 50th anniversary of Australia-Singapore diplomatic relations. And so they were on loan for 6 months from May last year — they even had their own special enclosure at the Singapore Zoo!

Unfortunately, 3rd Jan 2016 marked the last day of them in their enclosures. After their “farewell”, they will be quarantined for a month in their enclosure here before being flown home to Australia.

So they’re still around, but we just won’t get to see them.

And if you didn’t manage to catch them in action at the zoo, hopefully these cute koala gifs make your day.

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6. The 28th SEA Games

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2015 has been a year to remember for Singapore’s sports scene. Among many others, Shayna Ng won gold in the World Women’s Bowling Championships in Dubai in December, while Yip Pin Xiu set a world record at the ASEAN Para Games in the same month.

The SEA Games returned to Singapore after 22 years, and the Republic hosted the ASEAN Para Games for the first time.

In both Games, Singapore recorded its best medal tally ever – but it is not only the performance of the athletes that got attention.

Moments like when the sound system failed during the national anthem at a medal presentation ceremony summed up the support and national pride that sport can garner.

The Singapore national anthem malfunctioned during the medal ceremony. The crowd finished it off nicely #SEAGames2015 pic.twitter.com/IiBucA3fZO

— Jack Board (@JackBoard) June 8, 2015

7. Our very own local UNESCO World Heritage Site

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 As of July 4 2015, The Singapore Botanic Gardens was declared UNESCO World Heritage Site, after it was inscribed at the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany.

It is the third Botanic Gardens to be listed as a World Heritage Site, after Kew Gardens in England and the Padua Gardens in Italy and Singapore’s first World Heritage Site.

Basically, this was another great Jubilee year gift to us Singaporeans :’) Our garden was noticed by the senpais.

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8. SG50 FishCake

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More like the try hard fishcake.

From airplanes and cars, to sushi and cakes, almost anything and everything has been branded with the ubiquitous SG50 flavour. So why not fishcakes right???

Many felt that the product was “ridiculous”, “stupid”, and a “rip-off”.

But it was seriously a rip off though, you were paying more for less fishcake… or to simply put it, you were paying for HOLES IN YOUR FISH CAKE.

Whatever it is, we’re just thankful that’s over, one thing’s for sure, we’re not looking forward to any more of this holey fishcakes this year or in the next 50 years to come.

9. The Big Celebration

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The National Day Parade is always the most exciting and most anticipated events of every year for most Singaporeans, young and old alike, but 2015 marks the nation’s 50th year of independence.

Although last year’s NDP will continue to leave Singaporeans smiling for the next few decades to come, let us relive the best moments of the grand celebration.

1. Lee Kuan Yew tribute
   It is unfortunate that one of the nation’s forefathers wasn’t able to see the country officially hit 50 years of independence. However, a stalk of yellow orchids, named after Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, were placed in what was supposed to be his seat, highlighting his absence and the nation’s loss.
2. People who signed the agreement in 1965 arrived to watch the NDP
   Three of the original ten government leaders who signed the historic agreement which birthed Singapore as an independent nation attended the NDP. It is heartwarming to know that they were able to celebrate with the rest of the country the 50th year of Singapore’s independence.
3. Kit Chan singing Home
   Arguably the best National Day song ever written, the original singer of “Home”, Kit Chan made an appearance at the NDP, singing the song that made most Singaporeans teary-eyed.

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4. Fireworks display
Every year on this day, Singaporeans who didn’t manage to get tickets to watch the NDP clamour around Marina Bay with a few hundred thousand other people to view the fireworks display in its full glory. 2015’s fireworks display was grander, more beautiful, and a lot more mesmerising thanks to the Golden Jubilee celebration.

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10. GE 2015

On 11 Sept, Singaporeans turned up to vote for Singapore’s 13th parliament. #GE2015 was notable for its timing — it was the first elections following Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s death, and also fell on SG50.

It was also the first elections since Singapore’s independence which saw all seats contested.

Parties were eager to make a mark to appeal to voters, and they certainly gave us some memorable moments and quotes we won’t forget quickly.

In the end, incumbent PAP held on to win 69.9% of the popular vote, a 9.7% gain from GE2011, and their best performance since 2001. WP lost their seat at Punggol East but managed to hang on to seats at Aljunied and Hougang, which meant that the men in blue remain the only opposition party in parliament.

11. The Haze

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2015 saw the longest period of haze in Singapore recorded since 2013, blanketing the skyline for about three months. The Pollutant Standards Index hit hazardous levels, forcing schools to shut for the first time since the SARS outbreak in 2003.

In fact, “HAZE” was Singaporeans’ top Google search term for 2015.

According to the search engine giant, the phrase “PSI Singapore” was the top trending search among Singaporeans for 2015 as they sought to keep on top of the haze situation between September and October.

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12.The birth of Singapore’s tallest baby

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Much as Singaporeans might groan at another mention of a “SG50” milestone, photos and videos of this baby giraffe might change your mind.

Touted as the tallest SG50 baby by Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), the yet-to-be-named baby animal was born on 31 Aug and is the first giraffe calf to born in 28 years at the Singapore Zoo. The baby giraffe is currently 2.3m tall and can be seen at the Wild Africa exhibit within the local zoo.

13. Truffle Flavoured Shaker Fries

On 26 Nov 2015, history was made.

McDonald’s launched their very own Truffle Flavoured Shaker Fries™.

Yes guys, it’s real :’)

McDonald’s went all out last Christmas with their Merry Yummy Season campaign, and Singaporeans went all out in trying out the truffle.

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They’re nothing too posh – no truffle oil or pancetta here – just your regular fries with shake-on truffle flavouring.

However, it’s important to note that fast food is still and will always be fast food. That means non-chefs are preparing mass-produced processed food in the quickest way possible to clear the queues. So don’t expect some gourmet tasting truffle fries.

And Mac’s truffle fries were far from gourmet.

Truffle fries at Mcdonald's is such a disappointment

— cammy (@CamilleMavic) November 26, 2015

McDonald's what are you doing???? Your truffle fries seasoning smells nasty and is absolutely tasteless after eating half of it

— trina (@trinasux) November 26, 2015

McDonald's truffle fries smells awesome but taste like meh

— Ken (@Rock_Kendy) November 26, 2015

Basically, you get what you pay for bruh.

14. Gettin’ Lit For Christmas

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A Christmas tree located outside Topshop at Knightsbridge mall along Orchard Road caught fire on 2 Dec 2015.

According to preliminary findings released by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on Thursday (Dec 3), an accident involving an electrical source was what led to the Christmas tree catching on fire.

The fire at Orchard Road, outside Abercrombie and Fitch, was reported to be about two-storeys high. Videos on social media showed the tree in flames, releasing thick smoke.

From Jan 1 to Dec 2, the SCDF responded to seven cases of fire involving festive decorations and lightings, it said in its statement on Thursday (Dec 3).

That’s right. Here in SG, we like it hot. TSSSSSS

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15. Yay More Smoking Laws…

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Of course we had to end the year on a high note.

As of 30 Dec 2015, health authorities proposed to raise the minimum age of smoking from 18 to 21, and ban menthol and other flavoured cigarettes to step up their efforts to discourage people from lighting up.

Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB), along with the Health Ministry and Health Sciences Authority, began a 12-week public consultation to get views on these proposed rules in the coming weeks.

Other measures being considered include having the same plain packaging for different brands, and putting bigger graphic health warnings on packets.

Earlier last month, shops were also told they would have to stop displaying tobacco products by 2017.

Singapore already has one of the lowest smoking rates in the world, with the smoking rate falling from 18.3% in 1992 to 13.3% in 2013. HPB’s aim is to cut this to 12% by 2020.

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Hello 2016

And that pretty much sums up the ever eventful 2015 for Singapore. 2015 was a lot like an emotional roller coaster for us Singaporeans considering the vast amount of emotional events we had to deal with. But hey, we made it guys.

Yes, past all dem hazey days.

How’s this year gonna turn out? We have absolutely no idea, but we’re just hoping for the best. (Hopefully a haze-free one)

Happy 2016 everyone!!

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With reference to Channel NewsAsia,  The Straits Times

The post 15 Moments That Proved That Singapore Had Everything In 2015 appeared first on Must Share News.

Peishi boasts over 248k followers on Instagram

Step aside, PM Lee. The age of influencers is taking over.

Enter Soh Peishi, a 21-year-old influencer. With 248k Instagram followers, the blogger might very well be more influential than our Prime Minister (191k followers).

Like any other teenager, Peishi started blogging as an outlet to talk about her family, friends, school and rants. Many of her readers could relate to her posts, and she garnered a huge following from teenagers and young adults.

Peishi’s popularity has been on the rise, and faces head-on competition with Naomi Neo (250k Instagram followers) in the fame game.

Here are 10 facts about Soh Peishi that you need to know:

1. She had her own blogshop

She might be fresh out of Republic Polytechnic (she graduated in May 2015), but already had a taste of being her own boss. And running a shop certainly wasn’t easy – she had to handle everything from logistics to modeling for her own blogshop, Speishop (now defunct).

The influencer had wanted to start her own clothing line due to her petite frame, which made it “difficult to find clothes of my (her) size and style out there”.

She also tried her hand at modelling, but found out it wasn’t all fun and games.

In an interview with Churp Churp, Peishi said:

I have to do quite a lot of things already so modelling for my own store adds on to the work load! I don’t do modelling so I’ve never really go for professional shoots similar to this unless necessary, so this is a fresh new experience for me as well!

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2. She doesn’t like being called skinny

When modelling for her blogshop, Peishi felt insecure and worried about how the photos would turn out as she is “very skinny”.

She said on her blog:

Just so you know, not everyone wants to look skinny. Millionth time I’m saying this but I want to grow fatter and I JUST CAN’T because my body don’t function like yours. I’m probably an alien okay? Eating a lot don’t work and don’t fcking say I’m anorexic I’ll dig out your innards and burn them (not really) but just don’t. I probably eat ten times more than you.

She also thinks that calling someone skinny is as bad as calling someone fat:

Why do people think when skinny people gets insulted for being skinny, it doesn't hurt as much as fat people being called fat?

— Peishi Soh (@speishi) April 21, 2013

Not too sure if we agree though.

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3. Her favourite YouTuber is Bubzbeauty 

Peishi looks up to famous YouTuber Bubzbeauty as an inspiration:

She’s the most humble Youtuber EVER, and her videos are mostly very inspiring!

The beauty YouTuber probably motivated Peishi to do makeup tutorials online:

The lucky fan girl also got to meet Bubzbeauty up close and personal when the YouTube star visited Singapore for the YouTube Fan Fest event in May last year:

4. She made a cameo appearance on Lion Moms

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Last year, Peishi acted in Channel 5’s Lion Moms, which starred Vanessa Vanderstraaten, Bernice Liu, and Nurul Aini.

On her experience, she shared on her blog:

On top of travelling around, I got to experience so many other things like acting in a drama on Ch 5 HAHAHAHAHA and took my very first puff on the small screen. It reminds me of how much I hate cigs LOL.

Here’s a scene of Peishi in the drama:

5. She is adventurous enough to try fish sperm

During her Tokyo trip last year, Peishi was offered fish sperm during dinner and she gamely tried it. Unlike David Beckham, Peishi didn’t seem to enjoy the delicacy as much as the football legend did.

Watch as Peishi bravely tries the fish sperm (3:00), and try not to barf:

6. She was bullied in school

Peishi was bullied when she was in secondary school, and has talked about it on her blog.

Things got worse when Peishi started blogging in private, and had her chatbox spammed with nasty comments about her height, looks, and her personality.

However, the bullies pointed fingers at her and accused her of making those mean comments herself:

Most of the time, I will be the one being singled out of class by the bullies and got accused for spamming mean comments on their blogs. I never retaliate because retaliation might be the worst idea ever. You must be thinking “Where the hell are your friends when you got bullied?” — they disappeared.

But that wasn’t the pits — the bullying got worse the next year to the point she felt suicidal.

I got so many mean comments on my chatbox. The comments were sooooo mean that they made me felt suicidal. Of course, I wasn’t bullied just cyberly, but verbally and physically. They threw things at me and got me to do the stupidest things, or things that I can’t do with my petite frame. (Happened in lower sec as well)

They pass me notes during lesson occasionally, scolding me for every single thing I do. I couldn’t focus in class because of that.

But her experience with bullies also sparked her determination to do better than them.

You go, girl!

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7. She likes doing the “frog smile”

A fan of close-lipped smiles, Peishi terms it her “frog smile”.

The frog smile. pic.twitter.com/ehy77qz5Xk

— Peishi Soh (@speishi) December 27, 2013

Frog smile + fat face pic.twitter.com/XvReiPoa6Q

— Peishi Soh (@speishi) December 22, 2014

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Don’t believe? Here’s a side-by-side comparison:

Source/ Source

Still, we don’t think we’ve ever seen a cuter frog.

8. She is a K-Pop fan 

The avid K-pop fan would love to meet Jung Yong Hwa from boy band CNBLUE if she had the chance to.

Watch as Peishi gushes about the South Korean singer (2:38):

She wants to see him half-naked too ‎( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).

CNBLUE!!! I was waiting for Yonghwa's topless scene, why not there?! ✋ http://t.co/EEFUAsF04d

— Peishi Soh (@speishi) September 14, 2015

9. She is a part of #lapsupswag 

No, it’s not a new girl band. It’s a self-coined name given by this group of girls consisting of blogger Rachell Tan, MediaCorp’s resident twins Hayley and Jayley, and Peishi herself.

Peishi has been friends with Rachell from as early as 2012, and the duo met Hayley and Jayley as they all shared the same nail sponsor. Naturally, the four of them went out together and got closer. As for the name of #lapsupswag, Peishi shared in her Q and A video (see previous point) that the term came about as they were talking about a lap sup (sleazy) guy and it later became a common topic they all talked about.

In fact, the hashtag for their clique is so unique that it yields the top search results when you Google it:

Source

10. She used to hang out with Naomi Neo

Now “rivals” in the online sphere, the girls used to be pretty chummy back in their early blogging days.

Peishi shared about how they got acquainted:

I got more involved into blogging and joined more blog events after making a few blogger friends from there.
Then, I met Rachell.
We weren’t very close at first but there was once when we went out together – with Noah and Naomi.
Noah somehow got Rachell to ask Naomi and I out for something so that’s how I met Naomi and Noah.

The girls later got closer and would hang out – just the two of them.

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Subsequently, Peishi and Naomi got signed to different managements and slowly drifted apart.

Bullying victim to popular influencer

Beneath the facade of a bubbly girl lies a victim of bullying who emerged stronger in the face of adversity and successfully carved a name for herself.

With her mass of 248k and growing number of Instagram followers, the young influencer has certainly come a long way.

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Featured image via Facebook

The post 10 Soh Peishi Facts That Prove She Is More Influential Than PM Lee appeared first on Must Share News.

Websites mislead Singaporeans into thinking they are officially related to SkillsFuture

We’re less than a month into the implementation of SkillsFuture, and already there are websites looking to take advantage of the brand name.

On 12 Jan, The Straits Times (ST) discovered at least 2 websites making use of the name “SkillsFuture” without being associated with the government program.

In a related Facebook post, the WDA has announced that the private websites are neither providers to the official SkillsFuture programs nor SkillsFuture Credit. The government agency warned Singaporeans against inaccurate information written on these private company websites.

What is SkillsFuture and SkillsFuture credit?

SkillsFuture is a national movement that aims to equip Singaporeans with skills throughout their life to achieve their career goals in the future.

According to the official SkillsFuture website, $500 will be given to individuals to spend on upgrading skills, by selecting courses from their catalogue of 10,000 approved courses.

This credit does not have an expiry date and there would be occasional top-ups by the government for credit accumulation.

A search for the word “SkillsFuture” reveals two non-government related sites displayed at the top as advertisements.

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Site 1: Aventis School of Management

The first bogus website, skillsfuture.edu.sg, is owned by Aventis School of Management — a private school offering “graduate education”.

Yes, because putting “edu.sg” at the back of the domain makes the site seem legit.

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According to the ST report, Aventis’ website was launched in April last year, which is right after Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam revealed the program at Budget 2015.

Meanwhile, Aventis does offer a program that where SkillsFuture credits can be used.

That’s right. Just the one.

Given that Aventis only have one course approved by SkillsFuture, naming an entire website after the program seems like a distraction tactic.

Furthermore, as their website seems to promote SkillsFuture, they seem to be misleading consumers into thinking that SkillsFuture Credits can be used for all the courses on their websites.

Site 2: Glints

The second website — skillsfuture.credit — is run by Glints, offering “personalised learning plans” by selecting courses which might fulfill the applicants career goals, from the catalogue of SkillsFuture’s courses.

Founders of the start-up emphasised that they did not plan to pass themselves off as the official site, saying that they see their site as ‘supplementary to WDA’s efforts’ and their logo is clearly displayed at the front page.

Great reflexes, Glints.

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They added that they would get in touch with WDA as soon as possible.

WDA’s response

WDA has requested the two sites to remove the content, and is currently investigating both websites.

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Featured image via Google
With reference to The Straits Times

The post Who Are The 2 Non-Govt Related Websites That Carry The “SkillsFuture” Name? appeared first on Must Share News.

Former Arsenal and Liverpool player signs for S-League side

It’s official.

They’ve done it.

We never thought they’d pull it off, but the egg’s on our face now.

Jermaine Pennant has signed for Tampines Rovers.

The 32-year-old had been on trial with the S-League club for the past week, and ST reports that a one-year agreement has been reached. The Englishman will be paid $40,000 monthly, not including bonuses.

In an interview with TODAY, Pennant revealed that he would be taking a 70% pay cut from his last drawn salary of $52,000 a week at Wigan Athletic.

Of course, we now know that he’ll be taking a pay cut of close to 80%, but this deal still means that Pennant will be the highest paid footballer in Singaporean football history.

Which got us thinking — exactly how is Tampines Rovers pulling this off? Who is really footing the bill for this bumper paycheck?

Let’s take a look at the possibilities.

Possibility 1: Gate and matchday sales

In the EPL, ticket and matchday sales can account for anything between 7% – 32% of annual income. However, unlike in England, S-League clubs don’t own their stadiums, but instead pay rental to the Singapore Sports Council. This means each match day represents losses even before the ball is kicked.

In 2009, stadium rental cost clubs $1.2m after subsidies. With clubs playing about 12 matches at home each season, this means they have to bring in $100,000 each game night to cover costs.

Which probably wouldn’t be that bad if anybody even turned up for S-League matches.

On average, 1,200 people turned up to watch S-League games in 2013. Tickets cost between $5-6 for adults, which represents an income of about $7,000 each night, disregarding child and corporate tickets.

Even if Tampines Rovers manage to fill their 4,200 seater Jurong West Stadium (yes, Tampines plays in Jurong) every night, they can only expect to rake in $25,200 per game.

That’s hardly more than half of Pennant’s monthly wage.

Possibility 2: Merchandise

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Asia might be halfway around the globe for most major football sides, but the massive markets of China, Japan, and the rest of the region represent a cash cow for these clubs. A cash cow worth almost £60m annually.

A cursory look at Orchard Road on any weekend will return the sight of Singaporeans donning the colours of their favourite EPL team.

Unfortunately, S-League jerseys are significantly less popular, and Tampines Rovers replica kits seem unlikely to turn up in Tianjin any time soon.

Any income from such merchandise must be negligible.

Retail stores like Weston do indeed carry S-League jerseys, and Tampines chairman Murali Krishna Ramachandra must be hoping “Pennant” emblazoned jerseys fly off the shelves in 2016.

Possibility 3: Somebody else is paying

Mr Ramachandra revealed to TODAY that Tampines Rovers sponsors Komoco and Hyundai Motors are paying at least part of Pennant’s fee.

Komoco and Hyundai have stepped up to say that they will help to support Pennant’s wages. [Former Tampines chairman] Mr Teo Hock Seng said that he will support this because we need to do this for Singapore football.

Former chairman Teo stepped down in Nov 2015, and is the managing director of Komoco, sole distributor of Hyundai in Singapore.

So exactly how much are these external sponsors helping? We don’t quite know.

Maybe this transfer will set a precedent, and other S-League teams will start approaching external sponsors to help offset wage budgets for star players in the future.

Seems like a good deal, if you ask me.

A useful signing all around

Regardless of Pennant’s checkered past, this signing has already garnered interest sorely missing from Singapore’s only professional league for a long time.

Whether he proves to be a shrewd signing or not, Pennant could well be the shot in the arm local football needs.

Tampines — and the other clubs, for that matter — need to capitalize on this opportunity to attract the crowds, with this year being the S-League’s 20th year.

Tampines head coach V Sundramoorthy must be rubbing his hands in glee.

Source

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Featured image via Twitter
With reference to The Straits Times, TODAY

The post Working Out The Math Behind Jermaine Pennant’s $40k Tampines Rovers Contract appeared first on Must Share News.

Melissa Koh stepped out of her comfort zone to pursue her fashion dreams

By now, Melissa Celestine Koh should be a familiar face to most, having established herself as a name synonymous with fashion.

Boasting 171k followers on Instagram, the fashionista has managed to win hearts through her personality and her chic, effortless style. She owns a blog where she connects with her readers and shares her fashion inspirations, travels, and #OOTDs.

More recently, the entrepreneur also launched her own fashion label.

Here are 10 facts you need to know about the fashion blogger:

1. She was a beauty queen in school

Melissa graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor in Business and a major in Finance. In school, she participated and won a number of beauty pageants and started to gain a following online. Later, she started getting more commercial clients who wanted to be featured on her blog. 

2. She left a stable job at the bank to chase her dreams

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After graduation, Melissa embarked on her first career in the financial industry at Credit Suisse. She was an equities associate for private banking for two years before she made the decision to leave in order to pursue her dreams.

After graduating from NUS with a business degree, I got a banking job and blogged on the side. Three years ago, I left banking knowing that I could draw a comparable income from blogging. It’s more unstable — I have to monitor how many campaigns I secure each month — but it’s a good time to be in this industry. Many brands are moving towards digital media.

This move led to her working with reputable brands including Victoria’s Secret, Warehouse, BCBG, Guy Laroche and more.

3. She stayed in Switzerland when as a child

Young Melissa with her grandmother in Switzerland.

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Melissa lost her dad at the tender age of 2, and her “super mom” had to take care of the family and relocated them to Switzerland. This move came after her mother’s bosses sent her to the headquarters to oversee some matters, as she worked in a Swiss bank.

I don’t know wtf she was thinking but she moved herself, my grandmother and I to a foreign land, where we could hardly understand a single bit of Swiss.

I don’t think it was the smartest thing to do as a young woman, but I guess it was a great experience for her and all of us.

4. She survived a LDR

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While on an exchange programme at the University of Washington, Melissa met her ex-boyfriend Jonathan. Melissa had to return to Singapore after her exchange, while Jonathan continued living on the other side of the globe. Despite the difficulties in maintaining a long distance relationship, the two managed to work things out and Jonathan relocated to Singapore after his graduation.

Although the cute couple survived their long distance relationship, they eventually called it quits in July last year.

Fans were devastated about #melnjon’s split and can be seen leaving comments on Instagram calling for reconciliation.

5. She makes time to go to church every week

Amidst her busy schedule, Melissa shared that she makes time to attend church every weekend – something she’s been doing for more than 10 years.

The only thing fixed in my schedule is church every Saturday evening. I put aside about 3 hours of my weekend to be with my church choir friends. I’ve been doing this for about 10 years now.

6. She has her own fashion label

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Even before starting her own fashion label, the fashionista had already tried her hand at running a blogshop, Lady Mojo.

In August 2012, Melissa founded her blogshop as a platform for her “to express her latest fashion craves, loves, style and inspiration”.

Fast-forward three years, Melissa launched her fashion label on the runway at Digital Fashion Week in Singapore last year. Named RunAfter, Melissa hopes to inspire customers to “run after” their dreams while celebrating the process of “getting there”.

7. She gets a yearly five-figure sponsorship 

Sure, we all know bloggers get all the goodies without having to pay. But a breakdown of the full figure still leaves us astonished.

In 2014, Melissa revealed details of her sponsorship to The New Paper. From beauty products to facials to dental treatments, here’s a quick breakdown of what Melissa gets sponsored:

Hair $500-$600

Facial $200

Nails $200-300 PER CAMPAIGN BASIS

Teeth $10,000-$15,000

Eyebrows resurrection $2,000

Eyeliner embroidery $1,500 with touch-up

Sports products $1,000- $2,000 worth of goods each time (6 months)

8. She likes to enjoy life through food

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the toned blogger doesn’t like to eat – she’s certainly a foodie.

When asked to reveal a lesser-known fact about herself in an interview with LX Edit, Melissa shared:

I eat a lot more than what people would expect. I really enjoy life through food.

It’s no wonder that her Instagram feed makes one drool.

My all-time fav la esquina ❤️

A photo posted by Melissa Celestine Koh (@melissackoh) on Sep 22, 2015 at 7:41am PDT

Getting my priorities straightened out at #shakeshack #worththecalories

A photo posted by Melissa Celestine Koh (@melissackoh) on Sep 20, 2015 at 12:01am PDT

This is what a typical Turkish meal (for two) looks like with @oneclickwonders

A photo posted by Melissa Celestine Koh (@melissackoh) on Sep 10, 2015 at 6:53am PDT

9. She had a “Harry Potter” scar after an accident

Melissa’s forehead scar pre-laser.

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In 2012, Melissa got into a car accident when she was out with her colleagues on the way for karaoke when her friend who was driving jammed the brakes.

He knocked the back of another car and I hit my head on the front seat really hard. I had just met them but I learnt later that he had 2 glasses of wine during dinner.

Despite being in shock, Melissa still managed to calmly make her way to a nearby clinic.

Honestly I think I soaked up at least an entire box of tissue paper. I think I looked like I had just walked out of a murder scene. I guess the.normal thing that would have happened was for someone to call an ambulance. But instead, I very bravely left them to settle the accident while I took a cab to a nearby clinic. The nurse/staff at the counter told me to go to the hospital right away!

She was eventually advised by the nurse to see a plastic surgeon instead, for the cut was so deep the nurse could “almost see my (her) skull”. Later, she went to Mount Elizabeth hospital where a plastic surgeon was called to head down on emergency.

The brave Melissa “personally don’t (didn’t) care much about that mark”, but subsequently had the scar lasered off as it was a pain when she did photoshoots because “they’ll have to photoshop it away”.

10. Her beauty icon is…

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Elizabeth Taylor because I love her iconic almond-shaped eyes and sultry pout. They are beautiful in the eyes of most people and they never go out of style.

Fashion inspiration

The equities associate turned blogger turned entrepreneur serves as an inspiration for one to chase after one’s dreams, with her bold move of leaving the financial industry to pursue a “career” in blogging. Just a few years ago, no one would have thought that blogging would be a viable career, but that has already materialised in the age of social media.

We can’t wait to see what else the multi-hyphenated influencer would be “running after”.

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Featured image via Holly Hoque
With reference to AsiaOne, LX Edit, Toggle, Dayre

The post 10 Melissa Koh Facts That Perfectly Explain Why Her Name Is Synonymous With Fashion appeared first on Must Share News.

Netflix clamping down on proxy access to content not available in Singapore

Shucks, seems like after Netflix’s arrival got people’s spirits soaring high, the media streaming firm proceeded to douse us with a bucket of cold water, giving Netflix and chill a whole new meaning.

The American internet streaming company has announced that in weeks to come, Singaporeans can no longer use proxy addresses and unblockers to watch content not available here.

In other words, Singaporeans using Virtual Private Networks (VPN) to unblock Netflix will no longer be able to watch titles outside of Netflix Singapore.

This means people who were watching Netflix via VPNs before Netflix even came to Singapore might be actually worse off. *sigh*

Why is Netflix implementing such measures?

Although Netflix spokesperson David Fullagar anticipates that all content will one day be globally available, he emphasized that due to the “historic process of licensing”, content would still be limited to geographic regions.

Believing that Netflix has a responsibility to uphold licensing based on the area people were in, he said:

We will continue to respect and enforce content licensing by geographic location.

Of course restriction on content does not mean that Netflix wants to limit user access to content.

Yep.

In fact, Netflix aims to make their content global, and allow people to enjoy their service without a proxy.

What does this mean for Singaporeans

This means we are stuck with Netflix Singapore’s limited catalogue —  just for now, we hope.

We won’t be able to see the shows unavailable on Netflix Singapore. (for real)

According to Filmefy, Netflix Singapore only boasts a total of 650 movies and TV shows combined, consisting of 479 movies and 171 TV series respectively.

Compare this catalogue to that of the United States’, which contains 5,654 movies and 1,123 TV series.

And we are paying almost the same price on Netflix as the US for the basic package — S$10.98 in Singapore compared to US$7.99 (S$11.50) in the US.

Source

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Featured image via Netflix
With reference to Netflix, The Straits Times

The post Bad News Singapore Netflix Users, You Might Be Stuck With Only Local Content appeared first on Must Share News.

STB recent video about local cats is just purrfect

Your Singapore, an official Singapore Tourism Board (STB) site, has hopped onto the bandwagon of the cat craze by producing a video showing cats from different parts of Singapore.

And so far, everyone is going “Awww” over the cuteness overload.

Cause cats obviously rule the internet.

Source

Smart move. STB.

In the 2 minute video, “narrator” Didi from Tiong Bahru gives viewers a description of his feline friends from Toa Payoh to Gardens By the Bay. Didi tells us about an audition in which every cat is going to.

We never knew that Singapore’s cats can speak with a Singaporean accent. Or sound like Chua Enlai.

The cats featured come in all kinds of patterns, from Didi who appears to be of a Siamese mix, to Lucky, a majestic Persian.

The video subtly introduces different tourist spots in Singapore and was well received by netizens.

Netizens comments and reactions

Most netizens swooned over the feisty little felines, and some even wanted to visit them in order to catch a glimpse of our cat stars.

Check out STB’s equally cute replies to them.

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This netizen absolutely enjoyed the “furocious video”, and complementing STB on their improvement.

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What more can we say? This video IS the best thing ever.

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Other than being a big cat lion city, Singapore seems to have quite the number of feline-lovers.

Looks like STB has got advertising right this time.

Well, but purr-lease go easy of the cat puns.

Right Meow.

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Featured image via Facebook

The post STB Uses Cats To Promote Singapore, And Netizens Love It appeared first on Must Share News.

Policemen can be cool too ok

“Be Like Bill” memes have taken over Facebook and the rest of the internet.

You know what they are. Such memes typically encapsulate some anti-social behaviour that perfectly normal human beings engage in — humans except the hypothetical Bill.

Because Bill is smart.

Here’s an example.

Bill is also apparently one of the most passive-aggressive people in the world.

What do you get when you mix a police centre with memes?

With Chinese New Year around the corner, Sengkang Neighbourhood Police Centre decided to put their own spin on this now-popular meme.

5 minutes on MS Paint, and more than 1,100 shares later, the good people of Sengkang found themselves in the center of a viral meme.

But that’s not all they did to prove their internet-savviness.

Our boys in blue caught wind of the situation, and posted this comment on the image.

The 5/7 score, is of course, in reference to yet another internet phenomenon — we’ll just let you read about that one here.

Be like Bill Sengkang Neighbourhood Police Centre

Good job, SNPC. Good job making these distant public service messages instantly relatable.

To other public services, be like Sengkang Neighbourhood Police Centre.

Sengkang Neighbourhood Police Centre is smart.

And kids, don’t steal your Chinese New Year goodies.

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Featured Image via Sengkang Neighbourhood Police Centre

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She’s got that red lip classic thing that you like

She’s talented, young, and successful — just like Taylor Swift. They’re both looked upon as fashion icons with styles that many girls look to emulate.

One of Singapore’s most prominent fashion bloggers, Andrea Chong gained visibility when she hosted ClickNetwork’s That F Word show, and the rest is history.

Despite being a late bloomer in the Insta fame game, Andrea, or better known as Drea, has managed to amass 231k followers and counting.

Here are 10 Andrea Chong facts you need to know:

1. Her education

Drea was from Zhonghua Secondary School, and later went to Victoria Junior College. She is currently finishing up her final year of English Literature at the Nanyang Technological University.

2. She is an “accidental” fashion blogger

Drea hosting Clicknetwork’s show, That F Word.

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Drea didn’t exactly set out to be a fashion blogger and barely had any social media presence four years ago. But things changed in 2013 and she started her blog for two reasons.

She revealed in an interview with Senatus:

There were 2 motivations for setting up my blog — the first one was… I had been a “blogshop model” for one or two years and I’ve always been played the image of this sweet, ‘kawaii’ girl and I didn’t like that. I wanted to tell them that I could do more edgy, rocker-clothing as well. I found that setting up a blog was a way for me to establish my own identity. I wanted to debunk any stereotypes others had of me.

The second motivation was my clicknetwork show, ‘That F Word’ and the producers wanted me to have my own platform to reach out to my audience.

3. She makes a six-figure annual income

Like YouTuber JianHao Tan, Drea earns a comfortable six-figure annual income.

And this is all thanks to her blog, which garnered her a massive following online.

I went from starting a blog back in 2012 to being flown to places such as New York, Munich and Milan to work with top fashion brands like Gucci.

4. She has a long-time boyfriend

Happy Birthday to my love!! Surprised Imran this morning with a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder dream drive experience courtesy of @DreamDriveSG! #DreamDriveSG allows you to have the supercar experience with drives on a Maserati/ Lamborghini/ Ferrari starting at $238 or $298 for a 15 minute ride. This is by far the best birthday present I've gotten him – each of us took turns to drive the Lamborghini for half an hour, and I highly recommend surprising your friend or boyfriend with this @DreamDriveSG experience, or even going on it yourself! Honestly, the look of pure exhilaration on Imran's face after his drive was all I needed to know that this was the ultimate gift I could give him for his birthday. Thank you so much @DreamDriveSG for making this happen (: Thanks so much @cheryltay11 for the photo!!

A photo posted by Andrea Chong (@dreachong) on May 11, 2014 at 3:02am PDT

Drea and her boyfriend, Imran Rahim, are the epitome of #relationshipgoals. The adorable couple has been together since November 2007.

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In fact, Imran is Drea’s first boyfriend.

Aww…

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5. She shares the cutest relationship with her father

Drea is close to her father, and it’s easy to see why. The cool Mr Chong occasionally shows up on Drea’s feed, and even has an active Instagram account himself.

The father and daughter also seem to do everything together.

From Facetiming…

Instagram @dreachong on Facetime with me taking a photo in a photo of her with me

A photo posted by (@1kenchong) on Sep 6, 2013 at 7:48am PDT

To cycling…

Cycling selfie with dad @1kenchong.

A photo posted by Andrea Chong (@dreachong) on Nov 16, 2015 at 2:09am PST

(Daz right – selfie before road safety!)

To exploring Penang together on a Vespa. Drea also shared an anecdote about her new age dad:

Most dads will be really afraid if their daughters ride a motorcycle, or ride pillion for that matter. But this is my new age dad @1kenchong, who has instagram, encourages me to go clubbing (er like what?!), and rents a Vespa in Penang to, in his own words, "see George Town like a local" – which I have to admit, is seriously the best way to get around because we get from place to place so quickly, and we can just stop and park anywhere we want Brb as I cling on to my dad for life, he swerves and turns with the traffic so fast my heart just can't. @airbnb #dreaairbnb

A photo posted by Andrea Chong (@dreachong) on Jun 13, 2015 at 9:33pm PDT

The two even watch MMA together. Hipster dad is hipster.

Incredible feeling by the ringside with @dreachong in a 10,000 crowd catching the action #onefc MMA

A photo posted by (@1kenchong) on Nov 15, 2015 at 10:06pm PST

6. She is the Asian Taylor Swift

The pixie-faced blogger might not sing, but certainly bears semblance to the songstress – an observation many pointed out.

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What do you think?

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Of course, Drea and Tay Tay are not the only look-alikes out there — there are at least 14 celebrity look-alikes who could be twins.

Drea is not only Taylor Swift’s doppelganger – she is a fan of Tay Tay as well, and even attended her concert when the singer was in town.

TAYLOR SWIFT TONIGHT WITH MY TAYTAY BUDDY #1!!!

A photo posted by Andrea Chong (@dreachong) on Nov 8, 2015 at 4:07am PST

As her follower rightly pointed out:

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7. She has a Taekwondo black belt

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Despite Drea’s dainty looks, she used to be rather athletic back in school: 

I used to be very athletic when I was young, from secondary school to junior college. I did everything. I was on the golf team, did swimming, tennis, life-saving, scuba diving.

In fact, she even acquired her Taekwondo black belt when she was just 12.

I have a Taekwondo black belt. Am a certified scuba-diver and life-saver.

I don’t have as much time to exercise now, as I did when I was younger.

My mom put my brother and I on all of this. She tried to give me all the opportunities she didn’t have when she was younger. She made sure that whatever we did, we achieved something out of it — Black belt with Taekwondo. And with golf, we had to get our handicap and participate in competitions.

I got them (black belt and handicap) both when I was 12.

8. Her ambition was to be a dentist

Drea is definitely a fashion icon to many now – it’s hard to believe that she used to avoid working in anything fashion-related:

In an interview with Moments With Meera, Drea recounted:

My parents used to work in the fashion industry, so I’ve always been in tuned with the business side of fashion. Interestingly, because my parents were in fashion, I intentionally refused to work in any fashion-related jobs (Fun-fact: I dreamed of becoming a dentist). But life and irony come hand in hand, when I turned 19 I got approached to be a model, and the rest they say, is history.

9. She emceed an exclusive showcase for Victoria Beckham

We're done with the live interview! Co-emceed with @victoriabeckham to present her SS2014 and Pre-AW14 collection to an intimate group at @marinabaysands' @artscimuseum. Couldn't have pulled it off without her friendly and engaging personality! #vbtour #marinabaysands #butfirstletmetakeaselfie

A photo posted by Andrea Chong (@dreachong) on May 10, 2014 at 5:48am PDT

How many 22-year-olds get the opportunity to emcee for an exclusive Victoria Beckham showcase?

Drea was one of them. In 2014, Drea got to meet and interview the star herself. The lucky fan girl even managed a selfie with the “incredibly nice” Victoria Beckham.

Drea also shared that she used to be a Spice Girls fan:

I used to be a really huge Spice Girls fan when I was younger, and to finally meet her in person was just surreal. As expected, there was an insane lot of preparation that went into preparing for the show: from memorizing the names and materials-used for every single dress featured, to preparing questions to ask Victoria, I had to be familiar with every dress or top or trousers featured during the trunk show, and be familiar with the Victoria Beckham brand itself. Victoria was incredibly nice (I mean, she was game to take a selfie!), and I only wish I was half as confident and eloquent as she is.

10. She has her own office

The founder of digital advertising agency DC Creative, Andrea probably gets inspiration for her creative work here.

We know we would certainly get very inspired if we worked in an office like this too. #officegoals

Have been a little MIA on social media recently (epic trips upcoming btw!), but it's only because I've been busy setting up my office space, here's a little sneak peek into what my corner looks like. To greater things ahead!

A photo posted by Andrea Chong (@dreachong) on Sep 23, 2015 at 3:48am PDT

Finally fulfilling my goals of getting an office space where I can give my 110%.

A photo posted by Andrea Chong (@dreachong) on Sep 23, 2015 at 5:29am PDT

More images from my new office space Thank you @vulturemag for sending some inspirational Vulture magazines my way, and major love to @ellialynleow for surprising me with a personalised calligraphy artwork, which I am immediately decorating my shelf with!

A photo posted by Andrea Chong (@dreachong) on Sep 23, 2015 at 5:19am PDT

More of Drea Chong to come

This girl has come a long way since her stint as a host at That F Word, and her popularity has been steadily on the rise since. Wearing many hats, the multi-hyphenate influencer hopes to build the Dreachong brand in future.

We’re excited to see what our very own Taylor Swift would be up to

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Featured image via YouTube/ Business Insider
With reference to The Straits Times, Sound Cloud

The post 10 Andrea Chong Facts That Prove She’s Singapore’s Very Own Taylor Swift appeared first on Must Share News.

Who will be the next NCMP, and will there even be one?

On 15 Jan, the 13th Parliament of Singapore began their oath taking at 3.30pm. Altogether, 89 Members of Parliament (MP) and two Non-Contituency MP (NCMP) have been sworn in.

That means only two out of three NCMP seats were filled by WP’s Dennis Tan and Leon Perera.

After GE2015, Elections Department (ELD) three people nominated for NCMP by the WP were Lee Li Lian, Mr Tan, and Mr Perera.

They the top three unelected candidates from Opposition parties with the highest votes — Lee Li Lian garnered 48.24% of votes in Punggol East SMC; Dennis Tan had 42.48% in Fengshan SMC; Leon Perera got 39.27% of votes together with East Coast GRC candidates Gerald Giam Yean Song, Daniel Goh Pei Siong, and Mohamed Fairoz Shariff.

However, today, Ms Lee’s seat remains empty as she had volunteered to give up her post and the WP had decided on Associate Professor Daniel Goh as her replacement.

NCMPs Dennis Tan, Leon Perera, sworn in at #Parliament. Lee Li Lian declined the post https://t.co/elcl0EKU6O https://t.co/f4P5urR0So

— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) January 15, 2016

Two NCMPs are part of the 21 new MP’s sworn into parliament. The other 19 MPs from the People’s Action Party (PAP) form the bulk of the newcomers.

Five of PAP’s newbie MPs are office holders. They are:

1. Ong Ye Kung, Acting Minister for Education, and Senior Minister of State for Defence;

2. Ng Chee Meng, Acting Minister for Education, and Senior Minister of State for Transport

3. Chee Hong Tat, Minister of State for Health, and Communications and Information

4. Dr Koh Poh Koon, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, and National Development

5. Mr Amrin Amin, Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairspo

The empty post could remain vacant

As Ms Lee failed to take her post, any MP can file a motion to Parliament declaring that the seat is vacant. This seat would in turn be filled by the next qualified candidate.

However, according to a spokesperson of the elections department, by law, the post can be left empty.

That means, the House can decide not to give Daniel Goh the NCMP seat.

A spokesperson from ELD said:

The Attorney General is of the view that if any NCMP declared to be elected under Section 52 of the Parliamentary Elections Act fails to take and subscribe before Parliament the Oath of Allegiance under Article 61 of the Constitution at the first or second sitting of Parliament during its first session after the General Election, then Parliament may at its discretion declare that seat vacant. Parliament is not thereafter obliged to declare that seat be filled by the next succeeding candidate.

The remaining NCMP seat may take quite some time to be filled

Looks like the motion to fill in the vacant NCMP seat shares similar characteristics to the internet explorer.

This is because only after the oath taking can MP’s file a motion to begin discussion within the House  to elect Daniel Goh.

The motion can only be discussed at earliest, 7 days after the swearing in — and it has been 4 months since the WP elected Daniel Goh.

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Featured image via Wikimedia
With reference to The Straits Times, Channel NewsAsia

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NTU professors ranked by Thomson Reuters as the World’s Hottest Researchers 2015

Two professors from Nanyang Technological University — Professor David Lou and Professor Zhang Hua — were ranked by Thomson Reuters as the World’s Hottest Researchers 2015.

Yes, we couldn’t believe it too.

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In case you are wondering who these hot professors are, NTU’s site helpfully hosts their photos.

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Wait…

That wasn’t quite what we expected.

Then we found out what Thomson Reuters really means by “World’s Hottest Researchers”.

As it turns out, the global ranking recognises the best scientists who have published at least 14 papers in 2015 and high numbers of citations.

It has nothing to do with muscular men dancing in labcoats.

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Forum users were quick to pick up the misleading title of the survey.

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In all fairness, despite the survey’s misleading title, the results are still a reason to celebrate.

Professor David Lou and Professor Zhang Hua were ranked 8th and 12th respectively in the survey that was dominated by scientists from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

The duo are also the only professors from Asia — definitely something to brag about.

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Featured image via NTU
With reference to EurekAlert!

The post 2 NTU Professors Are Among The World’s Hottest Researchers, But Not For The Reasons You Might Think appeared first on Must Share News.

MCCY Minister/ Head of the House wants an explanation from ex-Punggol East MP

On 18 Jan, Grace Fu used her Leader of the House responsibilities to question Lee Li Lian’s decision to not take up her Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) position.

Fu suggested that Lee should be accountable for her actions and provide an explanation to Singaporeans.

Her decision not to take up the seat should therefore not be lightly taken. Some 15,800 voters in Punggol East had cast their ballots for her. They, along with many other Singaporeans, would want to understand the basis of her decision.

According to Fu, who is also the Minister of Culture, Community, and Youth, she learnt about Lee’s  rejection of the NCMP seat first from the media, then from Lee’s absence in the opening of Parliament.

From this statement, it seems like MCCY’s Minister has not seen Lee’s detailed Facebook post explaining why the former Punggol East Member of Parliament (MP) declined her seat.

Either that or her response is pretty delayed.

Lee’s explanation from Sep 2015

In the Facebook post dated 16 Sep 2015, Lee who emphatically said that she “will not be accepting it [the NCMP position]”, explained her 3 reasons for declining the NCMP seat.

First, she says that she respects the mandate of the people, which was not given to her as she failed to achieve and electoral majority with only 48.23 percent of the votes.

Second, the former MP emphasised that she couldn’t become a full-time NCMP. According to her, the NCMP role requires full commitment which she would not be able to deliver, thus she is being fair to her residents and her employers, by not taking up the post.

Third, Lee wants to give the opportunity to other aspiring Workers Party candidates with little experience to show Voters how they can contribute.

Thus, was it necessary to demand an explanation which was already given months back?

When reached by the media on 16 Jan for declining her seat, Lee said that she had nothing else to add on regarding the NCMP post. When asked about what she was doing during the swearing in of MPs, Lee replied that she was spending time with her family.

Explanation needed?

Clearly, Lee had given an explanation 4 months in advance, to residents of Punggol East and Singaporeans alike. There wouldn’t be use in badgering her for another explanation, especially when the former Punggol East MP had declared she had nothing to add on.

Further, WP have already filed a motion for the vacated seat to be assigned to Daniel Goh, who unsuccessfully stood in East Coast GRC, along with confirmed NCMP Leon Perera.

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Featured Image via Facebook, Facebook
With reference to ChannelNewsAsia

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Leader of SDP posts radical ideas (yet again) about Singapore facing an impending crisis

Get out your crystal balls, because the Singapore prophet Dr Chee Soon Juan is forecasting the future.

On 15 Jan, Dr Chee wrote a piece connecting Singapore’s “authoritarian” political system to the nation’s eventual downfall.

And he did so in yet another piece from Chee Soon Juan to the Huffington Post. *sigh*

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This, after getting into a brief melee with Chan Chun Sing over his last article on the American news aggregator.

Dr Chee’s analogy of South Korea and his theory of Singapore’s development

The SDP leader makes a link between democracy and innovation through the example of South Korea, saying that the country began as an authoritarian state and transformed into a democracy under former president Kim Dae Jung.

According to Dr Chee, Korea’s become more innovative after democratising with huge brands such as Samsung, Hyundai and LG.

Reasons Dr Chee gave

In a nutshell, Dr Chee argues that the “openness, diversity” and “dissent” in democracy would lead to innovation and economic progress for the country.

Thus, he makes the assumption that a liberal society and government is required for innovation to occur.

Innovation does not take place in the halls of government buildings and it cannot be kindled from ministerial pronouncements. Innovation thrives in a culture that not just tolerates but celebrates openness, diversity and, yes, dissent; it flourishes in an environment where people have free and full access to information.

Why efficiency is not growing

Dr Chee referred to Paul Krugman — an economist and Nobel Laureate — who believed that Singapore’s top down, input driven approach was unsustainable.

Without increasing efficiency, the little red dot would be unlikely to have economic growth comparable to the path.

Dr Chee believes that the government took the easy way out by giving tax reductions to attract “super rich”, and instead of retaining talent, the ruling party chose to import foreign talent.

He claims governmental schemes and programmes to increase productivity has not been successful, saying:

And yet, for nearly two decades, productivity gains continue to elude us, and we have produced few innovative enterprises that are able to compete internationally. Such a scenario does not paint a bright future of our economy.

Is he right about productivity?

From the data obtained from Singstat.com, from 2012 onwards we can see that most sectors are in the negative or hovering close to 0. We were still recovering from the 2008 financial crisis in 2010 and 2011, so numbers were disregarded.

2012, 2013 and 2014 had a nett productivity increase of 2.0%, 10.6% and -10.6% respectively.

In 2013, the financial sector did exceptionally well — so well that overall productivity increased by 0.3%.

Thus, Dr Chee is indeed correct to say that efforts to increase productivity have been futile.

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But…what about economic crisis?

Unless he is really Singapore’s prophet, and can predict the economy that well, truth is, nobody knows whether (and when) Singapore will face an economic disaster.

Dr Chee’s link between political freedom and economic efficiency appears to be as weak as barely brewed tea, because there is no strong link between democratization and economic growth.

And, using just the example of South Korea is not sufficient to generalize another country’s situation to Singapore.

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Take the United States — the epitome of democracy — for example. The country’s economy struggled to recover after being hit by the 2007-2009 financial crisis, and had an average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 2.125% from 2011 to 2014.

Now compare that to China, an authoritarian country with GDP growth of an average of 8.075% from 2011 to 2014.

Thus, political freedom and political system does not seem to be an absolute factor in economic growth.

But here’s what Dr Chee missed out on

Dr Chee did elaborate on his Korea analogy, however, he fails to address the democratization process of South Korea.

Democratization was not only the work of former president Kim, but also the people — including students — who stood up to a ruthless dictator during the Gwangju uprising. These violent protests involved a quarter of a million people and resulted in 170 fatalities.

In order words, the price of democracy was paid using the blood of these people.

However, Singapore is not known for large scale protests, and student uprising doesn’t seem likely at the moment.

He has a point though

Although he might be wrong in saying Singapore faces impending crisis due to our system, he does make a valid point that productivity is not increasing as it should be.

This is a problem that should be addressed.

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Featured image via Facebook
With reference to The Huffington Post

The post Chee Soon Juan Predicts “Imminent Disaster” In Yet Another Article On Huffington Post appeared first on Must Share News.

Financial abuse unaddressed in policies protecting the elderly

The Straits Times released a report on Sunday (17 Jan) about the increasing number of cases of financial abuse faced by the elderly.

According to the report, common cases include children cheating their parents into selling their homes, and denying the parents any proceeds that come after the sale. Children also squander their parents’ savings after assuming management of their finances.

Think about it. This could be your grandparents being cheated of their retirement fund. And by their children, no less.

Surprisingly, financial abusers cannot be punished as their actions are not a penal offence. Elders are also unprotected legally against this form of abuse.

And the Government seems to be turning a blind eye to such financial abuse while focusing on physical abuse.

The act yet to be enacted

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In 2015, Ministry for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing proposed the Vulnerable Adults Act. The initiative would permit the entry of social workers into the house of a victim, and the removal of the victim to a place of safety.

The new act would also provide the protection required for victims who neglect or harm themselves. The proposed act, which was slated to be enacted by the end of 2015, accompanies amendments to existing laws used in family violence cases.

Even if there are laws that tackle financial abuse, it may be difficult to detect such cases.

Unfortunately, we are already halfway through the first month of 2016, and no progress seems to have been made.

Difficult to recognize financial abuse

Associate Professor Ruby Lee of the National University of Singapore Law Faculty suggests that this may be due to the parents’ reluctance to take their children to court.

Meanwhile, senior social worker Mrs Chua Yixin blames the victims’ acceptance of the abuse as “bad karma” in separate statements to the Straits Times.

At look at the US

Singapore is not the only society facing this issue – in 2015 the White House Conference on Ageing made elder justice on of its four topic areas.

A targeted plan to address elderly financial abuse has not been formulated yet, but the Department of Justice has already begun training its lawyers to detect and help American elders who are being exploited.

Maine has also launched Senior$afe, a program that trains bank tellers to recognize and report cases of abuse. This program is currently in the works for national expansion.

Financial abuse makes elders more dependent on their children, and thus more vulnerable and helpless when they are abused physically. USA has already succeeded at the first step in tackling elderly financial abuse.

Meanwhile, we continue to ignore the key issues that shadow our fight against the abuse of the elderly. That is why when the most vulnerable members of our society feel they have no choice but to endure the blows of their abusers, we have no one but ourselves to blame.

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Featured image via Gramlcldln
With reference to The Straits Times

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