The_King
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Posts posted by The_King
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1 hour ago, beyond said:
wah... u can really jiak... i eat one bowl of noodles pangkang liao... whahahaha!!
there a reason why i got ban by a buffet by eating too much.
that was back in my prime, early 20s, can eat and eat and eat for few hours .
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9 minutes ago, Standing Birdy said:
go at odd times minimal q
i go based on my own timing, if too much ppl, i usually dont eat and wait until at home then eat.
i
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SINGAPORE - Taiwanese actor Tuo Chung-hua, who has appeared in the popular movie series Yes, Sir!, was arrested after allegedly molesting a flight stewardess on a flight to Singapore.
According to Taiwanese entertainment publication Apple Daily News, the 56-year-old, whose name is also listed as To Tsung-hua, was on a China Airlines flight to Singapore on Friday (Feb 1) when he began behaving in a drunken and disorderly manner.
When a male passenger confronted him, he reportedly hurled vulgarities at him.
Afterwards, when he asked a flight attendant to bring him more alcohol, he allegedly touched her buttocks.
Apple Daily reported that the attendant later broke down and cried.
Mr Tuo's agent told the publication that the actor had wanted to celebrate Chinese New Year, and had spoken in a loud voice, as he was "excited". The agent added that Mr Tuo had not molested the stewardess.
Mr Tuo later recorded a clip of himself apologising and uploaded it online.
In the 50-second video, he acknowledged that he "may have done some things that affected other people" while on the flight, and explained that he had simply been very happy, as Chinese New Year was approaching.
He said in Mandarin: "I may have had a little too much to drink. This really was unacceptable, I hope it won't affect everybody's mood for the new year.
"I hereby apologise to those I have affected, I did not have any ill intention of harassing you all, I hope she can forgive me."
Apple Daily later reported that China Airlines confirmed a passenger was drunk on the flight, and that the captain had reported the situation to the authorities in Singapore for security reasons.
The police told The Straits Times on Sunday that they were alerted to a case of outrage of modesty at 6.57pm on Friday which took place on board a flight bound for Singapore.
They arrested a 56-year-old man in relation to the case when the plane landed.
The police are investigating the incident.
Besides Yes, Sir!, Tuo has also acted in the film Lust, Caution. In 2005, he won the Golden Bell Award for his role in the TV series Love's Lone Flower.
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2 minutes ago, Standing Birdy said:
hong lim upstairs curry chicken noodle nicer
i dont Q for food
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My low ses $10 meal KYM?
Curry chicken noodles for $6 @ Da Po Hainanese Chicken Rice, Curry Chicken Noodle, Golden Mile Food Centre
After that i go eat handmade grass jelly for $1.50 @ Zhao An Granny Grass Jelly, Golden Mile Food Centre
Then i finish by eating Traditional Ah Balling (6 pcs Glutinous Rice Balls) with Handmade Peanut Soup. i choose all flavor : Peanut, black sesame, red bean, yam and green tea for $2.60 @ Ah Balling Peanut Soup, Golden Mile Food Centre
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5 hours ago, invis said:
It's a ghost town here
they dont even do AD.
i only know as M square is my usual handout as there value for money fried chicken and carl jr + not much ppl.
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Sugar, butter and flour. Bakers rely on these three essential ingredients to make everything from tart pastry to chiffon cakes. Sugar lends texture, butter gives rise to baked goods and flour gives everything volume.
In the name of health, a few Singapore businesses have challenged themselves to skip one, two or even all three of these core ingredients. Tailored for those following alternative diets, these baked goods used substitutes like almond butter, toasted oats, and, erm, arrowroot powder.
The finished product? Cookies and pineapple tarts suitable for those following a vegan, paleo, or low-sugar diet.
But how do they taste? Does guilt-free necessarily equal joy-free? CNA Lifestyle stuffed our faces to find out in the video below. (Not all of these snacks were well-received, to say the least.)
MATCH x NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
MATCH x NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsdm014BfKH/?utm_source=ig_embed
This vegan-friendly snack from The Clean Addicts stays true to the brand’s tagline of “No Eggs, Dairy, Refined Sugars or Nasties”.
According to The Clean Addicts, these “nasties” refer to “artificial flavours, flavourings, butter, cholesterol, preservatives, animal products or refined sugars”.
The Matcha x Natural Peanut Butter Cookies by The Clean Addicts are priced at S$18.80 per 120g bag of about 20 to 25 cookies. Also available is a gluten-free wholegrain option made without starches.
Available online via Instagram (@thecleanaddicts) or on The Clean Addicts’ website at www.thecleanaddicts.com.
ORGANIC ALMOND BUTTER PINEAPPLE TARTS
Veganism is just the beginning. These pineapple tarts from Nuttier have taken it a step further by leaving out the flour from this “low-calorie” recipe.
Made with toasted Australian oats, dry roasted almond butter, pineapple jam, wild bush honey and organic French vanilla, this recipe for pineapple tarts sounds more well-travelled than most people.
While the strictest vegans may baulk at the inclusion of honey, an animal product, the natural sugar is a crucial ingredient in this homemade pineapple jam.
The Organic Almond Butter Pineapple Tarts from Nuttier are going at a discounted price of S$22.50 for a box of 18 cookies, available online via Nuttier’s website at www.nuttiernuts.com.
PALEO PINEAPPLE TARTS
Made without flour, butter, eggs, or sugar, it’s a miracle this tart exists. Produced by the folks at Bakening.Co, this vegan and paleo-friendly snack comes individually packaged and keeps for three weeks.
You know what they didn’t put in this, now here’s what they did: These pineapple tarts are made from almonds, non-hydrogenated palm shortening, pineapples, dates, arrowroot powder and pink Himalayan salt.
These tarts are the priciest among the three, at S$23.80 for a box of six. Available online via Redmart or Bakening.Co’s website at www.bakening.co.
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When it comes to home financing, there are two main loan types on the market: Singapore Interbank Offered Rate (SIBOR) loan and Fixed Home Rate (FHR) loan.
What is the difference between the two? And how do you know which loan works better for you? Let us break it down for you.
WHAT IS A SIBOR LOAN?
Let’s start by understanding what a SIBOR rate is. In a nutshell, it is the median rate at which Singapore banks lend money. The rate is government regulated and therefore, public information.
A SIBOR home loan has an interest rate that consists of the bank’s spread (how much the bank wants to charge), plus the prevailing SIBOR rate. So if the SIBOR rate is 1.7 per cent, and the bank’s spread is 0.7 per cent, then your interest rate would be (1.7 + 0.7 = 2.4 per cent).
There’s an interest rate period indicator, such as one-month SIBOR, three-month SIBOR, and so forth (it can go all the way to 12-month SIBOR, but one-month and three-month are the most common).
Banks commonly express this with an “M” in front of the rate – so when referring to the three-month SIBOR rate, they’d rate 3M SIBOR.
The interest rate period determines how often your bank loan interest changes. So if you have a 1M SIBOR loan, then your home loan rate changes every month. If you have a 3M SIBOR loan, then your rate changes every three months.
In general, 1M SIBOR is better when interest rates are falling (as your loan changes to match the downward rates faster), and 3M SIBOR is better when interest rates are climbing (it takes longer for your loan to match the rising rates).
To summarise, if you have a SIBOR rate, your interest rate might look something like this:
0.5 + 3M SIBOR
What that means is your interest rate is the bank’s spread (0.5 per cent), plus whatever the current 3M SIBOR rate is.
WHAT IS AN FHR LOAN?
(Photo: 99.co)An FHR loan is a form of Board Rate (BR) loan. This means the interest rate is not set by the market but rather, the bank gets to decide on the rate.
This form of loan was initially unpopular as it was assumed that the banks lured homebuyers in with low interest rates only to spike rates afterwards.
That changed when the FHR loan was introduced. The interest rate of this loan is pegged to a particular tranche (slice) of fixed deposits. This meant that when the bank raises its home loan rates, it would also be forced to pay out its fixed deposit holders more. This acts as a safeguard against the bank spiking rates.
Today, FHR loans are more common than the traditional SIBOR loans.
THE BIG QUESTION: WHICH LOAN IS CHEAPER?
While it is not immediately apparent which loan is cheaper, it is obvious which loan type has a more predictable repayment policy.
Predictability is vital when it comes to loan repayment. Choose a loan type based on your financial situation, rather than to try and guess which will turn out cheaper.
As a rule, SIBOR and FHR rates move in tandem – when one goes up or down, the other tends to follow. The difference lies in the fact that SIBOR rates tends to be more volatile – when SIBOR goes up, it usually moves up faster than FHR. The same is true when it goes down.
Another major difference is how often the rate changes: SIBOR rates change every month or every quarter of the year, whereas banks change their fixed deposits rates less frequently (sometimes only once a year).
As a rule of thumb, an FHR loan is suitable for individuals servicing the home loan with cash (instead of CPF) and a SIBOR loan will work well for individuals who are savvy at sniffing out cheaper refinance rates.
Enlist the help of a mortgage broker to help you decide which loan works best for you. Getting the right loan package is as important as buying a home for the right price.
This article first appeared on 99.co.
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SINGAPORE - A week after a 37-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a traffic accident in Tuas, his grief-stricken family is still looking for answers.
Mr Lim Ruiliang, a machine maintenance worker at Tuas Naval Base, was believed to have been on his way home from work when he was hit by a private bus on Monday (Jan 28).
The police said they were alerted to the accident near 59 Gul Road at 5.32pm that day.
For the Lim family, the accident came exactly two months after Mr Lim's 34-year-old brother died in his sleep on Nov 28 last year.
The family was still reeling from her second brother's sudden death when they lost Mr Lim too, said Mr Lim's sister, Ruifen.
Ms Lim, 33, is the youngest sibling and her parents' only surviving offspring.
When the family was notified of the accident at 7pm last Monday, Mr Lim's wife, Ms Lim's husband and cousin rushed to the scene.
The green private bus was parked some distance away but it was empty and the driver nowhere to be seen, said Mr Lim's sister.
She is appealing for eyewitnesses to come forward with videos or descriptions, and the family wants the private bus company to explain the accident.
"I have no idea if the accident was my brother's fault or the bus driver's fault. But no matter who was at fault, death still happened," she told The Straits Times on Friday at a wake for her brother in Yishun.
"The bus driver or the company should have paid their last respects. But there was nothing. Not even a phone call."
The police are investigating the accident.
Mr Lim is survived by a daughter, who is in primary school, and a son, who is nearly one year old.
The main priority of the family is to provide support and assistance to Mr Lim's wife and her children, said Ms Lim.
"My mum has been taking care of the children when their parents are at work, but the treatment now will be slightly different, because they have no father. The love for them will be even stronger."
After her second brother's death last November, her parents decided they would not be celebrating the Chinese New Year and there will be no reunion dinner this year.
Mr Lim's sister said her parents, who are both above 60 years old, are heartbroken and disappointed as no one from the private bus company has contacted them to explain what happened.
A few days ago, she received a message from a Chinese-language newspaper that someone wanted to make a donation to the family. Her parents said no.
"It is not about money. At the end of the day, we need to know what happened because we want answers for my late brother."
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SINGAPORE - A letter from the police on renewing an alcohol licence appears to have taken four months after its stated date to reach the co-owner of a beer stall.
Postal service provider SingPost said it would like to help and resolve the matter with the authorities.
The co-owner, Mr Daniel Goh, said in Facebook post on Friday (Feb 1) that the letter regarding the alcohol licence for his Chinatown Complex beer stall was dated Sept 6, 2018. But he only received it on Thursday. The SingPost date stamp on the envelope was marked on Wednesday.
"We needed to have paid for (the licence) before Dec 4, 2018 - it's Feb 1, 2019 today," Mr Goh said.
"This essentially means we have been selling alcohol illegally for the past month without even knowing. We could be shut down any time if the police come checking."
His post also said that he had tried to contact the police through their hotline "to clear things up", but was unable to get through.
In an e-mail to The Straits Times on Saturday, Mr Goh said that he would be calling the police again on Monday (Feb 4) as the hotline does not operate on weekends.
"We will not be operating the stall from this evening until the matter is resolved and the licence renewed," he wrote.
The affected stall at Chinatown Complex used to be called The Good Beer Company. Mr Goh's other stall there, Smith Street Taps, remains unaffected.
He also has a minority stake in another stall, The Good Beer Company at Global Kitchens located in Science Park Drive. This stall is also unaffected.
Responding to comments on Facebook, he said that "it's my fault for not keeping track of my own licensing". Still, he added that it cannot be excused that a letter reached its intended recipient months later.
It was unclear if the letter was processed late by SingPost, or sent out late by the police. Mr Goh raised both scenarios in his Facebook post.
He told ST that he has heard from neither the police nor SingPost. While SingPost asked him to contact it, the postal service provider did not respond to a message on its Facebook account, he said.
"I have sounded out a few friends in the legal profession to see what needs to be done. I'm unable to say more until we ascertain more facts regarding the matter," he added.
When contacted, a SingPost spokesman told ST that going by Mr Goh's Facebook post, his letter was received and processed on Jan 30, 2019, before it was delivered to him the next day. The postmark indicates the date when a letter is processed at SingPost's mail processing centre.
"As ordinary mail is not tracked, we are unable to trace the movement of the letter, from its posting to its arrival at our mail processing centre on Jan 30, 2019," said the spokesman.
He added that SingPost would like to provide assistance to resolve the matter with the authorities, and thanked Mr Goh for his feedback.
Mail bags that arrive at SingPost's mail processing centre at Paya Lebar are verified against the daily record of bags collected, and they are also checked to make sure they are not compromised, said SingPost.
Each bag arrives sealed and tagged after being collected from the over 800 post boxes and post offices islandwide.
The mail bags are then processed on the day itself, and sweeps of the operational area are conducted daily to ensure all mail received are processed accordingly.
Mr Goh said in his e-mail: "To be fair to SingPost, it is not an established fact that it was its error that led to such a delay. But I have had missing parcels and issues with postmen over the past couple of years, like many other Singaporeans."
The Straits Times has contacted the police for more details.
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SINGAPORE - A Friday (Feb 1) lunch at a Toa Payoh pre-school left 14 children vomiting and having diarrhoea.
A spokesman for the PAP Community Foundation, which manages the Sparkletots pre-school at Toa Payoh East, said that about 40 pre-schoolers ate the same lunch, which started at around 11.15am.
The affected children, aged between three and six, started vomiting from about 3.30pm on Friday. None have been hospitalised.
Two of the children suffered from food poisoning, while another was suspected to have the ailment as well. Another three had stomach flu.
When contacted, PCF corporate affairs manager Samuel Ng told The Straits Times that parents of the affected children were informed as soon as possible.
"We remain in close contact with the affected children's parents and will monitor the situation," he said.
Speaking to Chinese-language daily Lianhe Wanbao, a parent who did not wish to be named said he was informed about the incident at about 5pm on Friday. His daughter had vomited thrice by then.
"My daughter vomited five more times at the clinic and when she returned home. The school should have contacted us immediately, and not waited for two hours," he said.
Mr Ng explained that the in-house cook for the Toa Payoh East Sparkletots had resigned, and a caterer had been engaged since Nov 15 last year.
PCF did not disclose the name of the caterer.
He added that that the matter has been reported to the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and the Ministry of Health (MOH).
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Singapore on Film explores the earliest footage of Singapore, dating back to 1900. The films include 'Coolie Boys' and 'Ananas', filmed more than 100 years ago by the Pathe Brothers. Much of this remarkable archive has never been seen before, and has been specially restored and digitised by the British Film Institute.
This fascinating archive shows that Singapore was a multi-cultural melting-pot, but life was grindingly hard for the majority. We see coolie dockers, rickshaw pullers, Sikh policemen and child labourers. Rare films of a grand Peranakan funeral and Hindu fire-walking show scenes both familiar and unfamiliar. Newly-discovered home movies shine an intimate light into the lives of the elite.
Through interviews with historians, writers and filmmakers, we reveal stories both epic and intimate. The programmes are narrated by renowned British actress Jenny Agutter, with the archive brought vividly to life through cutting-edge graphics and an evocative, specially-composed score.Video here: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/video-on-demand/singapore-on-film
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ABOUT THIS GAME
Narrated by one of the most popular British actors, Sean Bean, Kholat is an exploration adventure game with elements of horror, inspired by a true event known as the Dyatlov Pass incident – a mysterious death of nine Russian hikers, which led to countless, unconfirmed hypotheses. The player will plunge directly into the boundless scenery of the inhospitable Ural Mountains with the task to find out what really happened. In the course of events, you may come across more speculations than expected...
Will you find the answer?
Will you get any closer to the truth?
Will you survive?
Dyatlov Pass incident was a real story that happened in winter of 1959. Nine skilled alpinists went for a trip to the northern part of Ural Mountains, which ended fatally. Bodies of expedition's crew were found scattered on slope of Kholat Syakhl.
Russian investigators closed the case stating that "a compelling unknown force" had caused the deaths.
More information about Dyatlov Pass Incident can be found at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyatlov_Pass_incident
Features:stunning art design
immersive exploration experience
sophisticated music and sounds
chilling atmosphere and tension
self made story inspired by true events
main storyline and a lot of background plot to be discovered by players
non-linear open world
in-game navigation by map and compass
powered by Unreal Engine 4
challenging exploration
estimated game length: 4 - 6 hours
https://store.steampowered.com/app/343710/Kholat/
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Product description
Assassin’s Creed® Chronicles: China takes place in China, 1526, as the Ming dynasty starts to crumble. You embody Shao Jun, the last remaining Assassin of the Chinese Brotherhood, returning to her homeland with a vendetta. Newly trained by the legendary Ezio Auditore, she is hell-bent on exacting vengeance and restoring her fallen Brotherhood.
Key Features
Witness an empire crumble Travel across China and its legendary landmarks. Stalk enemies from the roofs of the Forbidden City, hide in the shadows of the Great Wall, meet iconic historical figures and discover this Great Empire.
Immerse yourself in a unique art direction Brought to life by fusing the essence of Chinese 16th century traditional brush strokes with more contemporary, impressionistic styles, Shao Jun’s adventure will keep you awed in an evocative and truly living painting.
Stealth takes a new dimension Assassin’s Creed Chronicles brings the thrill of being a master Assassin into 2.5D. Scout, sneak and hide to avoid detection. Fool enemies using whistles and disguises. Find your target, kill and escape.
Experience fast & fluid “Assault Course” As in all Assassin’s Creed experiences, freedom of movement is essential. Whether you’re running from danger, scaling obstacles or climbing stealthily, you will feel that you really can do anything.
Shao Jun’s arsenal is in your hands Should you fail to go undetected, you can always takeout your enemies with style using Shao Jun’s empowering combat arsenal: close-combat martial arts, a powerful Kian Sword and her unique hidden shoe blade.
Navigate multiple planes Switch between fore, mid and background environmental layers and choose between different path accordingly to your need: opening up new pathways, completing side-missions, grabbing hidden collectibles, or taking the quickest path to your target.
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Indonesian Flat Earth Research (IFER), a community that rejects the objective reality that the Earth is round, is planning to hold its first national conference in Jakarta in October.
IFER’s CEO and founder Wahidin Amir said the community wants to hold seminars he expects 100 active IFER members to attend the conference, but he claims interest in the planned event may be much higher after receiving support from around 10,000 flat earthers from various other communities on Facebook.
“We’re currently working on the rundown, listing potential professors to invite so they can present their scientific studies,” Wahidin told CNN Indonesia on Wednesday.
Wahidin said that the conference will be open to the public, but that the the concept and location are still tentative because the community is still focused on fundraising for the event. They also plan to cooperate with other Indonesian Flat Earth communities such as Flat Earth Society and FE 101.
Indonesia has seen a rise in vocal Flat Earthers in recent years, especially on social media. In 2017, believers of the theory swarmed the social media accounts of the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) for months, challenging the fact that the Earth is spherical.
The trolling came after LAPAN invited representatives of Flat Earth communities the previous year with the intention of proving that Earth is not flat, but the institute’s lecture fell on deaf ears.
IFER’s planned conference would be the first of its kind in Indonesia, but not the first held around the globe. In the US, there have already been two large Flat Earther conferences in 2017 and 2018.
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Mr Ang Lu Heng is a rare sort of 79-year-old. Together with his wife, he lives where he’s worked for over 60 years: in Singapore’s last provision shop set in a home.
The zinc-roofed space—framed by a green wire fence and stacks of flattened cardboard boxes piled in front shelves of bread and bottled drinks—is so unassuming that I miss it at first, mistaking Tee Seng Store for an abandoned junkyard in the mostly polished residential area skirting Rosyth Road and Sandilands Road.
“I’m busy,” he announces in Mandarin as I enter, offering me a tentative smile before squeezing past to unpack tins of canned food from a cardboard box in the dimly lit space. I’ll wait, I tell him, before retreating to the shopfront, where I arrange myself on one of two stone tables blanketed with discarded beer cans.
These very tables are where his customers used to unwind over drinks in the ’60s, chatting under the milky moon until the store shuttered for the day at midnight. The neighbourhood, all well-paved roads and rows of modern landed homes, was once a bustling village set with gravelly paths and one-level homes identical to his.
Mr Ang shares this with me in a mixture of Mandarin and English when we sit on grey plastic stools beside the cash register, where much of his day has revolved since he was 15.
In 1955, a year after his graduation, he found work as a shop assistant under the care of his former boss at Tee Seng Store. Because his parents were odd-job workers, their sporadic income was only sufficient to put him through primary school.
At this, he directs me to the photos tacked to the fridge in front of the cash register, and extracts himself from his seat with a kind of renewed animation.
“Can you guess which one’s me?” he nods towards a black-and-white school picture taken in 1954, the year he graduated from Guangyang Primary School, which has since relocated from Yio Chu Kang to Bishan.
He singles out his 14-year-old self in the picture, a short-haired boy among a sea of classmates, his head jutting above the rest. “That’s probably me. These were the teachers, and there, my principal … they’ve all hui jia le (passed away). At least I have this picture to remember my youth by.”
After five years under the former Tee Seng Store owner, Mr Ang acquired the business for a “small fee”, a number he can no longer recall. With it came the 6,000 sq ft plot of land that’s today carved into three parts: the bedroom, shop, and kitchen. The Angs’ bedroom sits to the left of the cash register, partitioned by a thin curtain, and on two sides of the store are entrances to the kitchen and storeroom.
The store itself brims with furniture dating to the provision shop’s early days. Kitschy Coca-Cola trays adorn the walls; packets of chips have been placed in defective refrigerators; a dated, oversized radio sits on an aged shelf, the fuzzy strains of a Chinese New Year track streaming from its speakers.
It occurs to me how remarkable it is that Tee Seng Store has remained physically unchanged in all the years gone by. I comment on the high value his plot of land holds, given its size and location, and Mr Ang chuckles.
“That’s true. But I don’t plan on selling it. My wife and I are very comfortable, and don’t intend to ever move out.”
The hefty chunk of their lives they’ve spent within this same space includes taking all three meals at home every day, most of which are cooked by Mrs Ang using provisions from the store itself. This eliminates the need to even visit a supermarket, even though prices may sometimes be lower there, given they are run by larger corporations that enjoy greater bulk discounts.
It’s clear the couple’s days are shaped by a routine they aren’t about to break: Mr Ang rises at 6 AM daily to restock his shelves with fresh loaves of bread, has breakfast, then goes for qigong with regulars who live around the Rosyth Road area.
By 8 AM, Tee Seng Store is open for business; a silent, well-oiled machine kept alive by occasional purchases from nearby residents and domestic helpers.
It’s a stark difference from an earlier time when Indians and Malays formed the bulk of his customer base—an unsurprising fact, given mama shops were birthed in the Serangoon Road area in the 1900s by Indian immigrants when Singapore was under British rule.
With the relocation of residents to Housing Development Board (HDB) flats from 1961, mama shops shifted to void decks to serve a wider mix of ethnicities. It was perhaps a saving grace; today, provision shops based in common areas of HDB flats enjoy several concessions that Mr Ang does not.
These include the Revitalisation of Shops (ROS) scheme, which subsidises up to $35,000 of a store’s renovation fees, along with a month-long rent-free period to lighten the costs of upgrading works.
Mr Ang seems unenthused when I mention the scheme.
“I don’t need that,” he says. “I’ve never renovated this place in my life, only had repair work done for wear and tear.”
It’s a Saturday morning, and customers stream in every ten or so minutes to buy milk, bread, bottled drinks, and canned food. Each time, Mr Ang fluidly switches to the customers’ native tongue, a mark of his time growing up in pre-independence Singapore.
“I’ve picked up many languages over the years,” he says with pride.
“English, Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Tamil, Tagalog. A little bit of Sinhala, too.”
While he used to make regular trips to Beach Road to purchase produce such as green chillies, onions, and potatoes, a dwindling customer base means he now has a supplier deliver a far smaller order based on demand.
The sale of cigarettes and rice, though seemingly minuscule in value, are the primary products that keep the provision shop afloat—enough to pay off Tee Seng Store’s suppliers and utilities, which come up to some $700 monthly.
Though Mr Ang prefers not to go into specifics, he shares that they set aside the remaining amount of somewhere between $400 to $900, portioned for everyday use and savings. The couple have no CPF, nor does Mr Ang plan to retire any time soon. Instead, they rely on the modest amount to get by comfortably.
I probe him further on any future retirement plans he may have. A holiday, perhaps?
The idea sounds foreign and ridiculous, even to my ears. And I’m not off the mark: Mr Ang and his wife haven’t travelled for as long as he can recall, and they truly do intend to stay on in this home for the rest of their lives, even after the provision store has shuttered.
“That will only happen when I no longer have the energy to run this place,” he asserts. In fact, the last holiday he took to Thailand was a paid company trip while he was working on the side as a gas tank delivery man, a time so far back that he struggles to recall when exactly he took the trip.
It’s not an uncommon sentiment among older folks; to remain where one is most comfortable. Singapore’s rapid shifts in development haven’t put a dent on Tee Seng Store, and it resembles a home that’s been airlifted from the ’50s and plonked into its current space, an anomaly of wooden louvres, battered shelves, and dated appliances.
The provision shop has no official website, nor does it accept any form of payment other than cash. After years of relying on a tin can pulley system, and tracking his accounts with an abacus and handwritten invoices, Mr Ang only made the switch to a cash register in 2007, while the rest of the nation sped ahead with its shiny buildings and land reclamation projects.
Evidently, Mr Ang is disinterested in keeping up with the times, perhaps owing to the fact that he is well aware Tee Seng Store will go the way of back alley barbers and streetside cobblers.
“My children wouldn’t take over my business, much less my grandchildren. It’s hard work. Far too tiring for them,” he says.
No surprise there; traditional provision stores, once central to the livelihoods of residents residing in villages, now serve primarily as relics of our city’s past.
A family of tourists in straw hats ambles in at this point, the youngest boy touting a camera around his neck.
“Looking for chocolate,” one of them announces, excitedly pointing to the fridge within which trays of Kit Kat and Kinder Bueno sit. It turns out they’re Vietnamese, whose language he can’t speak. But he perseveres anyway, filling the gaps in conversation with gestures before pausing to take a picture with them.
There’s something extraordinarily endearing about Mr. Ang; not simply the fact that he’s lived and worked in the same space for over 60 years, but that he seems genuinely interested in his customers’ lives.
After lingering in Tee Seng Store for close to an hour, my ears become attuned to the sounds Mr. Ang must be so familiar with: the crackling of the radio over the gentle hum of a stationary fan; the shuffling of footwear as customers come and go; the staccato beeping of goods being scanned; the coo-ooh of mynahs outside announcing their presence—and, above this buzz of life from the inanimate and animate—the satisfying click of the cash register, marking another transaction.
With the height of provision store businesses dipping from 3,000 in the 1980s to just under 200 today, these figures from the Singapore Provision Shop Friendly Association are proof that the business model of yore is no longer a sustainable one.
“I’m happy doing this to pass my time,” Mr Ang maintains. “I want to do this for as long as I can.”
It strikes a chord in my very millennial soul; this determination to keep at something that was birthed out of necessity rather than a dream.
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An alert has been issued against The Aisle Bridal after 26 complaints were lodged against it over sudden closure.
The complaints, made between Nov 7 and yesterday, were made by brides- and grooms-to-be, who have lost at least $56,770 in prepayments to The Aisle Bridal Boutique and The Aisle Bridal Studio, said the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) said yesterday.
The previous owners and representatives had suddenly become uncontactable, consumers claimed.
They were later told a new company had taken over the premises and had to pay an additional sum of between $900 and $2,250 to proceed with the original wedding packages they had signed up for.
The registered office address of The Aisle Bridal is in Townerville at 59 McNair Road. Its services included wedding packages, pre-wedding photography and videography and "Korean concept" photo shoots.
In its statement, Case said affected consumers may file a claim at the Small Claims Tribunals and that the business is still live on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority's register.
Case also encouraged consumers to consider buying insurance that covers business insolvency when they take up bridal packages.
This will ensure that their prepayments are protected if the bridal agency closes down abruptly, it said.
Consumers should also research if the bridal agency has a good track record of delivering its services promptly and effectively.
The public can visit Case's website (www.case.org.sg) for more tips on what to look out for when engaging a bridal agency.
Those who need further help may call Case on 6100-0315.
https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/case-issues-alert-against-aisle-bridal-after-it-suddenly-closed
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A senior Lianhe Zaobao reporter has been transferred to a backend role in the newsroom following criticisms by netizens that he had hounded actress Jayley Woo for comments on the death of her actor-boyfriend Aloysius Pang.
Two sources within Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) told Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore that Hong Ming Hua was transferred to SPH’s Chinese Media Group Digital platform.
In his current role, Hong is less involved in writing, said one of the sources.
In response to queries from Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore, an SPH spokesperson said the company does not discuss “internal staff matters”.
Hong was a senior entertainment correspondent with local Chinese newspapers Lianhe Zaobao and Lianhe Wanbao.
Woo posted screenshots on Instagram of text messages between her and Hong, which showed Hong pestering Woo for an interview despite Woo declining to comment. Questioning Woo’s suitability to be a celebrity, Hong said, “Aloy won’t do this to me.”
Netizens slammed the reporter for what they called his unethical behaviour and lack of professionalism. Hong apologised on Instagram later for his messages to Woo.
An online petition was started against Hong, calling for Lianhe Zaobao to take disciplinary action against him after the controversy surfaced. The petition on Change.org had garnered over 6,000 signatures as of Friday (1 February).
Pang, 28, died in a New Zealand hospital on 23 January after he sustained grave injuriesduring a military exercise with the Singapore Army’s 268th Battalion Singapore Artillery.
Woo went public about her relationship with Pang in an emotional tribute to him following her boyfriend’s death, which was the fourth Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)-training related fatality in 16 months.
The SAF has implemented an army-wide safety timeout as well as reduction in training tempo across the army, navy and the air force. A Committee of Inquiry has been convened to investigate the circumstances leading to Pang’s death.
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One of the cleanest toilet i ever go to
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