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Singaporean man charged with Western Union armed robbery


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Sushi chain Maki-San apologises for making a mistake with name of National Day-themed rolls

Bittersweet day as bones, and memories, are dug up at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery

Why do Singaporeans not take pride in their work?

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In a recent Facebook post, Michelle Chong lambasted Singaporeans for lacking pride in their work. And you've got to admit, she's got a point there.

While the Republic is known for being filled with hard workers who consistently work more than their contracted hours, we're not exactly known for quality the way the Japanese are, or efficiency the way the Germans are. In fact, local businesses in certain sectors have gained a reputation for constantly cutting corners and providing substandard services.

Do Singaporeans really not take pride in doing a good job? Here are six factors that have given rise to this sad state of affairs:

A focus on financial rewards means most people are working only for the money

Singaporeans rank famously low in job satisfaction. A damning 2014 survey found that 75 per cent of Singaporean workers see their jobs as nothing more than a way to put food on the table.

The high cost of living pushes people to seek remuneration above all, to the detriment of other factors such as job satisfaction and personal interests.

It's thus no surprise that so many people just want to do the bare minimum, collect the steady paycheck and be done with it. Why bother going the extra mile when you get paid the same amount at the end of the day?

High cost of living

Following on from the previous point, the high cost of living is always at the back of the average Singaporean's mind.

Bread and butter issues are still a huge concern for most, and when you're worrying about whether your take-home pay is going to enable you to retire before you kick the bucket, it's hard to think of your job as anything loftier than a source of income.

Of course, it's important to consider that there is some significant level of lifestyle inflation here. Take away Singaporeans' ability to eat at nice restaurants or even drive a car and you're going to have some pretty angry people.

At the same time, try telling people who have become accustomed to living this lifestyle to cut back and save some money and you're also going to be extremely unpopular (trust me on this one). So people slog away at their jobs, just trying to get by so that they can feed their short-term wants and desires. This would explain the numerous that have uncovered just how unprepared people are for the long term.

Overly long working hours

Singaporean bosses have a bad reputation for being obsessed with face time, and caring more about how much time their employees spend warming their seats than how well or how efficiently they are completing their tasks. The result? Singaporeans work some of the longest hours in the world.

This no doubt acts as a disincentive for employees. Good, efficient work is often rewarded with more work, while loafing around at the office till late at night wins bosses' favour, since they equate long hours with hard work.

Depressed wages in some sectors

You pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Due to Singapore's liberal immigration policies, wages in certain sectors are greatly depressed. This includes not just menial jobs like cleaning and the service industry, but also affects certain PMET positions in industries such as engineering and IT.

When positions are undervalued and underpaid, the workers who fill them are likely to be either sub-par or completely unmotivated to do good work.

Culture of doing the bare minimum

Just as Japanese culture wires people to display a veneer of professionalism come what may, in Singapore we have arguably developed a culture of doing just what's good enough.

At school, students are encouraged not to love learning but to get a score that's good enough to qualify them for the best schools.

In the business world, SMEs have become famous for trying to squeeze as much as possible out of their employees at the lowest possible cost with an eye to obtaining short-term gains.

That explains why many businesses prefer to hire the cheapest staff possible, even if said staff do not speak English or are not trained to do the job demanded of them properly. Until we can snap out of survival mode and start focusing on creating things of value, this is not going to change.

Toxic work culture

Toxic workplaces abound in Singapore. Because employee rights tend to be very weak in our pro-business environment, there is little an employee can do to prevent his boss from overloading him with work or being borderline abusive. People aren't exactly free to go on strike if they feel they aren't being treated fairly.

In addition, the high-power distance between boss and employees which is a hallmark of local work culture gives employees less autonomy.

In a 2016 survey, 52 per cent of the Singapore workers surveyed said their stress levels had risen in the last 6 months, with 40 per cent citing office politics as a major stressor. 35 per cent cited workload and 35 per cent complained of a lack of support. Perhaps this is why psychologists are reporting higher rates of burnout amongst young professionals.

When employees are stressed out all the time and too busy fighting their own organisations, they are obviously not in the best place to concentrate on focusing on delivering quality to their clients.

Monday, August 7, 2017 - 11:25

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Swimmers Joseph Schooling and Yip Pin Xiu get orchids named after them

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SINGAPORE - Two Olympic swimming champs of Singapore have joined the likes of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, Elton John and Michael Kors to have orchids named after them.

They are none other than Singapore's first Paralympic Yip Pin Xiu and Olympian Joseph Schooling, who were presented with sprightly-looking flowers at the Singapore Botanic Gardens today (Aug 7) in recognition of their achievements.

Dendrobium Yip Pin XiuPhoto: NParks

Ms Yip, a three-time Paralympic gold medallist with two world records in the backstroke, has a Dendrobium hybrid named after her.

Describing it in a statement, NParks said it is "vigorous and free flowering", producing upright to semi-arching inflorescences, each bearing at least 15 striking flowers."

Each flower boasts sepals that are white with a faint blush of purple, while the white petals are infused with magenta and complemented with a prominent bright purple lip, said NParks.

As for Schooling - who won gold in the 100m butterfly at the 2016 Olympics, attaining Singapore's first-ever Olympic medal in swimming, as well as its first-ever Olympic gold medal - it was also a Dendrobium hybrid that was picked for him.

Reflecting his energy in sportsmanship, the orchid is "robust and free-flowering".

The full description reads: "The inflorescences are 30 to 45cm long with 15 to 20 well-arranged flowers. The flowers have a firm texture and are about 4.5cm in width. The petals are yellow and slightly twisted while the sepals are greenish yellow. They are accompanied by a prominent lip that is green with light brownish purple tessellation."

Dr Nigel Taylor, Group Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, with Ms Yip and Mr Schooling next to the orchid hybrids named after them.Photo: NParks

Both athletes were given a tour of the orchid laboratory where the orchid hybrids are raised.

At the National Orchid Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, you can view other celebrity orchids such as Dendrobium Stefanie Sun, named after Singapore's Mando-pop star, and sports personalities such as Holttumara Annika Sorenstam, named after the famous female golfer.

With a display spreading over three hectares on the highest hill in the Gardens and a two hectare nursery, the National Orchid Garden's over 1,000 orchid species and 2,000 orchid hybrids set against contrasting textures and shapes of tropical foliage is an amazing spectacle.

Opened by former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1995, the orchid garden houses the most comprehensive collection of tropical orchids in the world.

chenj@sph.com

Monday, August 7, 2017 - 17:21
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GrabNow launches - lets you grab cabs off the streets, and pay via the app

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You can now street-hail Grab vehicles.

End June, we speculated Grab was rolling out street-hailing with GrabBikes, though that turned out to be be false. But today, Grab Singapore launched GrabNow - a new service where commuters can street-hail taxis identified by a special GrabNow decal.

After boarding the vehicle, passengers then launch the Grab app and select the 'Standard Taxi' followed by the 'GrabNow' option.

Doing this will prompt passengers to pair their smartphones with their drivers' using either Google Nearby or a 6-digit code created on the driver's phone.

The entire process will take at most 10 seconds, and the ride will then be registered as a GrabTaxi ride. Rides can be paid for either with GrabPay, or by cash.

Through these rides, passengers also get to enjoy GrabRewards points, no surcharge or admin fees (rides are charged by taxi metre).

"At Grab, we're constantly innovating to provide the best end-to-end experience for our driver-partners and passengers," shared GrabTaxi Head Melvin Vu in the press release.

"With GrabNow, our customers can enjoy the best of both worlds - the immediacy of street hailing as well as all the benefits of the Grab app, including cashless payments".

Instant Pay-outs And Ride-bookings For Drivers

Taxi drivers still prefer cash fares because it's fuss-free, and it's hard to deny that many have expressed dissatisfaction with credit card payments due to the delayed pay-outs. As such, ride-hailing platforms end up being a turn-off for a taxi driver.

But the new GrabNow launch also comes with an Instant Cash Out feature, a first in the ride-hailing industry.

In the past, taxi drivers had to wait a day for the banks to process credit card payments. Grab's new Cash Out allows taxi drivers to literally cash out their from their banks' ATM, without waiting that 1 day.

This is because any fares collected by GrabPay is instantly transferred to the drivers' bank accounts.

A second point to note is the long taxi queues at taxi stands. One would think it an off-peak period, but in truth, these taxis are surrounded by small crowds staring at their phones.

By rolling out street-hailing, this 'lack' of passengers problem can also be solved, or at least, alleviated.

A Monopoly In The Making?

Street-hailing certainly solves the headache Grabbers like myself have when after we've made a booking, we see multiple taxis going by.

We immediately regret the booking, and wrestle with the idea of waiting for our driver or risking penalty points.

But in the larger picture, it also allows Grab to convert more of Singapore's taxis over to the green side. Could this possible be a Grab monopoly in the making, as Grab stamps its decal on our taxi fleets?

Only time will tell.

Monday, August 7, 2017 - 17:02
GrabNow lets you grab cabs off the streets in Singapore
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Get a sneak peek into what happens before NDP without having to sit in front of your TV

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SINGAPORE -  If you've ever wondered what happens before the parade on National Day, you will now finally be able to catch a glimpse without having to be in front of your TV.

For the first time, a live-stream segment of the parade will be shown to the public starting from 3pm on Aug 9.

The 2-hour continuous programme will be shown on the Facebook pages of zaobao.sg, Lianhe Wanbao and Shin Min Daily News, and also streamed exclusively on zaobao.sg and RINGS LIVE app.

Netizens will be able to catch live look-ins, behind-the-scenes interviews and other highlights of the National Day pre-parade.

A production crew of about 15 producers, reporters and videographers will be bringing the live action from three different locations: The Float @ Marina Bay, the F1 Village and the Marina Bay Paddock. 

Unlike television where interaction is mostly only one-way, with the live-streaming on the Chinese sites, viewers can interact with the hosts in real time and win prizes by doing so.

Prizes worth a total of $16,000 are up for grabs from Gain City.

Viewers can participate in the contest by downloading the RINGS LIVE App at http://rings.tv/download. They can also take part in a series of interactive games during the live-stream programme.

In addition to the live-stream programme, netizens will be able to enjoy two days of free and full access to zaobao.sg’s premium digital content and e-paper over the National Day holiday for the second consecutive year.

Ms Lee Lay Ming, executive content producer of Chinese Media Group Digital, will be one of the ground hosts of  this live-stream programme.

Ms Lee said: "I'm really excited to be part of the show because I'm interested to know what goes on behind-the-scenes before the National Day Parade. I hope we can bring a different NDP experience to our viewers.”

a1admin@sph.com.sg

Monday, August 7, 2017 - 18:18
Revised

WATCH: Flying mattress spotted on PIE

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SINGAPORE - A mattress was filmed falling off the back of a lorry as it was travelling down the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) towards Tuas on Saturday (Aug 5)

Stomp contributor Chew, who was driving behind the lorry on a different lane at around 6.30pm, was amused at the sight of the flying mattress.

He sent to Stomp a footage of the incident captured on his vehicle's dashboard camera.

In the footage, the mattress appears to have landed on a road divider.

Said Chew: "Luckily no one was driving at the back of the lorry.

"If it had been a motorcycle, the rider could have been thrown off.

"But even if it was a car, the spring in the mattress could have punctured the tires."

on SPH Brightcove

Tuesday, August 8, 2017 - 14:57

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Fire breaks out at Changi Village hawker centre

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A nasi lemak stall at Changi Village hawker centre caught fire yesterday (Aug 07) at around 5am.

The stall, Mizzy Corner Nasi Lemak, has been operating from Changi Village for the past 20 years, and will be closed for 'one to two weeks' for repair works, said the owner's 26-year-old son, Mr Iskandar Abu Nazir.

He told The Straits Times: "We want to make sure everything is properly done up before we open again for business."

The fire apparently broke out when a lone employee was preparing chilli sauce.

When asked about the incident, Mr Iskandar said that the chilli sauce preparation is routinely done, and at a relatively low cooking temperature.

Mr Iskandar told reporters that he had been informed of the fire after it was put out, and the lone employee was unhurt.

However, the fire damaged the stove and other cookware in the stall.

Fortunately, the losses were minimised when many people, including other stall owners, stepped forth to help out.

He said: "We have to try and look at the situation in a positive light. We take it as a lesson learnt, maybe to be more vigilant in future."

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that it was alerted to the case at 5.36am.

It dispatched a fire engine to the scene.

The fire involved the contents of a kitchen stove and the exhaust ducting.

It was extinguished by members of the public using a dry-powder extinguisher, before the SCDF's arrival.

There were no reported injuries.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Tuesday, August 8, 2017 - 15:15
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SIA has a new safety video and it's shot at the oddest locations in Singapore

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Airline safety videos are akin to tech manuals - people rarely read or watch them. Those who travel frequently would have seen safety demonstrations being done so many times, that most of us would rather be getting some shut-eye instead.

In order for passengers to pay attention to instructions that might save lives, airlines around the world have been trying to outdo one another by introducing quirky and creative safety videos to keep passengers captivated.

Our very own Singapore Airlines (SIA) has also recently unveiled its new in-flight safety video that gives a different take on its safety demonstration - by taking passengers out of the aircraft cabin.

The 5-minute video shows the Singapore Girl, cabin crew Elizabeth Quek, travelling through familiar landmarks such as Boat Quay, River Safari, Gardens by the Bay, and so on. 

Ms Elizabeth Quek was chosen to represent the Singapore Girl in the new safety video.Screenshot: SIA

While she traipses all over the city, showing various kinds of scenery - which were beautifully shot, by the way - she also goes through all of the safety instructions that are required. And some are demonstrated at places that seem a little bit...out of place.

Like the ones below:

"Ensure that your tray table is stowed away"

At The Intan Peranakan Museum, a woman is seated on an antique-looking wooden chair while the SQ Girl talks about stowing away the tray table and keeping the seat upright. 

"Ensure your tray table is stowed away."Screenshot: SIA
"Put the back of your seat upright". We wonder where that button on the wooden chair is. Screenshot: SIA
"And keep your (Peranakan beaded) shoes on"Screenshot: SIA
"Keep your baggage in your overhead compartment."Screenshot: SIA

"An oxygen mask will automatically drop in front of you"

Ok, this managed to incite some giggles in the office. For the safety demo on oxygen masks, where the masks will drop automatically in the aircraft cabin when there is a change in pressure, the demo was filmed along Haji Lane where two masks magically dropped mid-air.

A man is seen wearing the mask before helping the kid next to him. They then continued with the wall mural they were working on - while wearing the masks.

"And breathe as usual."Screenshot: SIA
We really don't think the mask is supposed to be used this way.Screenshot: SIA
Oh, but we do like this wall mural that shows the plane's emergency exits.Screenshot: SIA

"Brace, brace"

Over at Henderson Waves, the stewardess informs passengers to assume the brace position in the unlikely event of an emergency. Two girls are seen crouched in the brace position on a park bench. 

Two girls seen assuming the emergency brace position on park benches at Henderson Waves.Screenshot: SIA

Other locations that are interesting for a safety demo - and seem to make sense too

At Adventure Cove, safety instructions on how to wear life vests: 

Screenshot: SIA

At Capitol Theatre, electronic devices need to be switched off:

Screenshot: SIA

Although some of the safety demonstrations seemed a bit awkward at first glance, the way the video was shot did indeed paint Singapore as a beautiful garden city, with warm sun rays penetrating our alleyways and landmarks. 

According to SIA, the new safety video was launched in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board to showcase the city state to the world. It won't be screening on SIA flights until end the year but hey, you get to see it here first.

on SPH Brightcove

What do you think of SIA's new inflight safety video? Let us know in the comments section below.

klim@sph.com.sg

Tuesday, August 8, 2017 - 17:55
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Airlines around the world have been coming up with creative or quirky safety video demonstrations to keep passengers captivated. Singapore Airlines' new video is shot at various locations in Singapore - and some safety demos are done at the oddest places.
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Biker dies after being run over by car in freak accident on PIE

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SINGAPORE - A 31-year-old male motorcyclist was killed in an accident along the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) this morning (Aug 8).

Stomp contributor NoorWhirlzWindz shared photos and a video of the accident scene with Stomp. The video is also circulating on social media.

Responding to media queries by Stomp, the police said they were alerted to the accident involving a car and a motorcycle along the PIE towards Changi Airport at 7.21am.

The motorcyclist was found lying motionless and was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

Photo: Stomp

Stomp understands that the biker had been riding along the PIE when he hit a wooden plank on the road. The impact caused him to be flung over to the opposite side of the road, where a car ran over him.

Police investigations are ongoing.

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Biker dies after being run over by car in freak PIE accident involving wooden plank: http://bit.ly/2vzijE9 A...

Posted by Stomp on Monday, 7 August 2017

cherng@sph.com.sg

Tuesday, August 8, 2017 - 16:27

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