Work is really tough, everything in Singapore is so expensive. The haze is still here but the weather is so hot. So many bad news around the world - so many unjust like being a 90s kid, I was told that as long as I have a uni degree, I’ll be ok. But I’m on the edge of another retrenchment and yet our government increases their pay. AI seems to be so good that it’s taking over everything - even my job. Had to take leave today to take my aging mum to the hospital today while I’m nursing a flu thats likely caused by the haze.

Idk not sure if its the monday blues - but life feels really tough and hopeless today. I feel like i did everything I was supposed to do but I’m far from where I wanna be. Idk

Flying to South Korea soon. Does GOMO Roaming works well in Seoul, Busan and Gwangju in terms of speed and connectivity?

Which network is best for connectivity? KT, SK Telecom or LG U+?

What kind of physical fitness level do you need to have and can this be a retirement job? Also wondering does the army provide housing and food? Thank you.

I currently use a iphone 12 pro if im not mistaken, but i have seen on apple i went down after work today to ask and they said to change battery is 145 SGD but i went to a phone shop nearby and it cost 50 dollars for the battery repair because now my phone has this alert saying battery health is below 80, its like 64%.
Im not to sure because the neighbourhood phone shop is so much cheaper than apple store, i know apple store repair is expensive because its the actual genuine apple support you get, but why is the price of this neighbourhood shop so much less and he said also its a genuine iphone battery? It seems kind of shady.

I am not too sure about phones but is the price range a bit too expensive for what my phone is worth? It’s quite old now i have used it for quite a few years since covid and this is the first time i do have to change something because i need to bring 2 battery packs to work everyday

As per question. Just tryna save a cent in this downturn!

I’ve fallen in love w the kaya toast set from ya kun recently, and my dad like a true blue Singaporean started thinking about how to make it at home to save money. Kaya and butter and eggs are doable, but we got stuck on the toast and how they make it so damn crispy. Does anyone know what kind of bread and toaster that ya kun uses?

i remember seeing an instagram post about a photobooth that lets you choose from a ton of designs, and you need to select a few designs for your photo strips from a physical book or album. i recall the designs being very colorful and bright. does anyone know what the shop is called?

Absolutely love the Turkish eggplant sides from Stuff’d and would love to know how to make it at home! Does anyone know the recipe or what to search on the web for a recipe like that?

Edit: even better if there’s a steam oven recipe 🙏

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for some advice from those who may have been in a similar position.

Quick summary for the busy folks:

• Parents are uninsured; I’ve built ~$250k net worth but worry one major medical event could derail my finances. They have hospitalization plan but my worry is for CI / ECI (i.e., cancer, etc.)
• FA suggested ~10 years of term insurance, but it feels like a temporary fix.
• Considering having them downsize their 4-room HDB eventually and use the surplus as a safety net.
• Looking for advice from others in a similar situation on how you protected yourself financially and achieve peace of mind.

Full story:

My parents are currently uninsured as they did not maintain their insurance plans over the years. I’ve since started my career and built up a net worth of around $250k, but something that constantly weighs on me is knowing that we could be one major medical emergency away from significantly derailing everything I’ve built.

As I move forward in life, I want to understand how I can protect my own financial future while still being able to support my parents.

I’ve spoken to my FA, who suggested term insurance for each parent for perhaps the next 10 years, to protect these key wealth-building years. While I understand the logic, it still feels like a temporary bandage rather than a long-term solution.

I’ve also considered whether, after I eventually move out, my parents could sell their current 4-room HDB, downsize, and use the surplus as a financial/medical safety net. But again, that feels like an uncertain solution.

I find this weighs on me quite heavily because even when I achieve something in my career or finances, there’s always that thought of, “Okay, but this still doesn’t solve the bigger issue.”

For anyone who has faced something similar, how did you manage it and eventually find some peace of mind?

Thank you, and wishing everyone a good week ahead!

Hi!!! I am not from SG and I’d like to get to know people better and I have colleagues based in SG and was wondering if you might have some good ice breaker topics that are good to talk about maybe every week or twice/thrice a month aside from weather and current events, or food? Thank you!!😄

Hi everyone! I'm currently staying in Lakeside and considering moving to Telok Kurau as my new workplace will be in East.

Recently viewed a place in Telok Kurau and quite liked the neighbourhood! It seems peaceful and has a nice vibe.But I'm still a little hesitant as l've been living in the West for quite some time.

The rental is pretty much the same, but my current room in Lakeside is actually bigger and comes with a balcony

For those living in Telok Kurau or nearby, how's life there? Is it convenient without a car? How's the food, public transport and overall neighbourhood?

Would love to hear the pros and cons, especially from anyone who has moved from the West to the East!

Hey everyone,

I’m an expat currently living in the US (early 30s and married). My US visa is expiring soon, so I’m evaluating my next steps - either moving back home now or spending 2 to 3 years working in Singapore first before eventually heading back to my home country (I do not see myself settling down in Singapore).

Back in 2018, I did a brief academic internship at NUS and fell in love with Singapore. I know living there short-term as a student/intern is vastly different from working full-time as an expat, but the experience stuck with me.

I wanted to get a realistic temperature check on the tech scene right now from people on the ground:

1. How is tech hiring for mid-level software/product roles currently? Are companies actively sponsoring Employment Passes (EP), or is hiring heavily skewed local right now?
2. How does the tech work culture compare between foreign MNCs, regional tech firms (Sea, Grab, Shopee), and startups?
3. Given how high rents and general costs have gotten, are tech compensation packages holding up well enough for a 2-3 year stint to still make financial sense?
4. If you were looking for an EP-sponsored tech role today, where would you actually look to move quickly? LinkedIn, or specific agency recruiters?

Would love to hear honest perspectives from locals or expats who have made a similar move recently. Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

I’m visiting your beautiful city-state in a few weeks and am super excited to enjoy the culture and eat my way through Singapore. I’ve been fascinated by this place for a long time—for many reasons!—but one of the biggest interests for me is the rapid development of your country, especially given its small size, political harmony (compared to where I’m from, at least) and relatively short history of independence. In the nicest way possible, I’ve always sort of imagined Singapore to be similar to a real-life Cities: Skyline urban environment, where most everything is meticulously planned with a grand vision in mind before being developed with the full backing and resources of the state.

I was wondering if there are any museums/tours you would recommend that would allow me to learn more about the history and process of planning and politics in your city-state. I look at something like Japan’s G-Cans Project tours as an example — if I could do something similar with the water catchments, for example, that would be super interesting.

If my preconceptions are wrong please do let me know—otherwise, thank you in advance for your recommendations. Very excited to visit Singapore!

Hope everyone is doing well! I'm genuinely curious to hear about your personal experiences with the legal system here when it comes to civil issues (e.g., Small Claims, CDRT, or general litigation).

How fair, helpful, and efficient did you find it? Specifically, do you feel the system truly protects people acting in good faith, or do the louder/more aggressive parties usually have a higher chance of winning?

Hey,

I am an engineering student (apprenticeship) and will start looking for a job in GRC, abroad for one or two years, Singapore being one of my most wanted places.

On linkedin I found a few offers, but it doesn't automatically translate to companies recruiting junior foreigners.

Hi everyone! I've developed a caffeine sensitivity recently alongside some of the people around me, not sure if there is a conspiracy theory about this somewhere... seems like a growing trend. Regardless, I find it difficult to give up matcha. Does anybody know of places that sell decaffeinated matcha latte? They seem hard to find due to the nature of the tea leaves. But I know that MT Coffee in Toa Payoh sells it, are there any other places you guys know? Thanks!

Been thinking about this for awhile and wanted to see what others think.

I'm Chinese Singaporean (a 90s millennial) myself, and I've noticed that most of us tend to default to English nowadays, even when we're talking to other Chinese Singaporeans. Nothing wrong with that but it does make me wonder how many of us actually use Mandarin in our daily lives

I just find it a bit sad that Mandarin seems to be slowly losing its place in our everyday lives and whether if we're also slowly losing touch with a part of our culture.

Curious to hear from others, especially the younger generation:

• Why do you think so many of us are more comfortable speaking English than Mandarin?
• Is it the way we grew up, our education system, or just the environment we're in?
• Do you still feel that Mandarin is an important part of our cultural identity, or is it just another language to you?

Not trying to bash anyone for their Mandarin proficiency or say that we should stop speaking English. I'm just curious how others feel about this, and whether anyone else has similar thoughts.

I guess this is where the Chinese saying "飲水思源" comes to mind (remembering our roots and where we came from). I'd love to connect with others who feel the same way and are interested in keeping our language and culture alive.

Just wanted to get a conversation going and hear different perspectives. 🙂
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Edit: Think I didn't explain myself very well in my original post, and maybe gave some people the wrong impression. I'm well aware that Mandarin is still widely used in Singapore, especially with so many F&B and retail establishments from China nowadays.

What I was actually getting at is the depth of the language itself. I've been watching Chinese content online and find it interesting how they casually use 成語, wordplay, poetry and references to Chinese history, where just a few words can carry so much meaning.

It just got me wondering how much we actually know about this side of the language beyond what we learn in school and use in everyday conversations.

That's really all I was curious about! Just wanted to see if anyone else finds this side of the language interesting too.

I'll leave it here and won't be replying to any more comments. I think my original post could've been worded better, but hopefully this edit helps clarify what I meant. 🙂

Thanks for sharing your opinions nonetheless!

please discuss. Would really like to know what the reason is.

bf — now fiancé — proposed recently 😆

Due to some work commitments we both have, we’re only planning to get married in late 2029. How early should we plan our wedding?

1. We’re looking to get a banquet at mandarin oriental, we both have been to a few weddings there and personally really like the ambience :) I’ve heard from some people that popular venues need to be booked waaaaaay earlier in advance, is it true?

2. How many tables / people should we book for? (Sorry if this sounds stupid, I have no idea how wedding banquets work 😭) Fiancé and I both have quite a lot of friends and relatives, but not sure if there is a minimum for a banquet? E.g. if we pay for a 200 guests banquet, what if not all the seats are filled up? Is it still charged as per package?

3. Is it normal to do the wedding photoshoot way earlier? Maybe next year? Is it too early?

4. What’s the estimated amount that we should set aside for the entire wedding? Saw an old post saying 20k for banquet / 80k for the entire thing including photoshoot, gown/suit, rings etc (but we already have our rings!)

Lastly sorry if I sound stupid, I did try to do my own research but ended up being more confused 😅 Thinking if I should get a wedding planner to sort out all the details for me…

https://imgur.com/XB39lF9

There were leftovers from a wine and cheese event for the internal folks, took one and I was amazed by the taste - mostly plain, but a good amount of savouriness. Tastes a bit like rice crackers but think they're more like some kind of senbei

Hi, I am visiting singapore soon and my mom loves collecting cookbooks from around the world. I was wondering if anyone had a bookstore recommendation with a good selection?

Thank you so much and I can’t wait to visit!

For context, my family are PRs in Singapore. I recently just ORDed from NS. We are struggling to survive everyday as my allowance took a huge hit from around $846 to around $180.

My mother is only working a part time job that earns around $1.5k, and her age is starting to creep up on her, and my sister is currently studying in Poly while also working a part time job (noted that she is under the tuition grant scheme)

My father has decided that we aren't worth his time and effort and decided to take advantage of the fact that he fell down and broke his foot and hasn't recovered in 3 years, thus avoiding work altogether. Obviously, we weren't able to have a stable living place since the end of 2023.

My mother has tried everything, from working full shifts, asking friends and family for help, borrowing money,receiving assistance from Singapore Cancer Society, we even sold off some of my father's belongings.

I have been applying to a lot of jobs but most of them fail to go through, especially full time positions since I have to fulfill my Tuition Grant Bond Obligation. Is there anything else I can do? I don't want to go back to my home country where the quality of life is much worse than here. I plan to get my family(except father) Singapore Citizenships.

Saw their phones quite cheap compare to local flagship store.
For example, their new Samsung galaxy fold 8 is almost 700 buck cheaper than samsung shop (same spec!) ..
What is the catch?
Anyone has experience to share?

I miss their dosai so much sia. There was something about their crispy, golden edges, soft centre. It just hit differently.

Just curious: could Singaporean filmmakers make a movie or Netflix show based on events in our history, like ISA detentions, the ISD, or the communist period, but with its own plot twists and a historical fantasy angle?

For example: it’s 1960s Singapore, and a rookie ISD officer is assigned to track an underground cell. He slowly realises the group isn’t political at all. They’re guardians of an ancient artefact buried under the old Kallang airport, and both the communists and a secret faction within his own department are racing to get it first. Totally made up, just a fun alternate-history thriller using that era as the backdrop, kind of like how Hollywood throws aliens and conspiracies into real historical events.

Would IMDA allow something like that, or would it get banned or heavily edited?