If you don't have permit or pass to work and don't have PR or long term/dependant visa, then you only have a tourist visa. A tourist visa has a very short limited duration. Why would a tourist need a long term lease for a room?

Ya, I had nightmares too. That's why these days die-die also I must fly.

I wish there was a "Like" button like in Facebook.

I have not found an edible chee cheong fun in Singapore yet. Not counting the HK cheong fun at Crystal Jade, Imperial Treasure etc.

This post has been edited by seantang: Jan 5 2011, 09:52 AM

Maybe they have an Ops after the holidays.

When I flew into the Budget Terminal on Monday evening, all passengers from incoming flights had to go through the metal scanner and their luggage x-rayed.

Screening is normal for land entry points. Uncommon for airports. And usually the screening at airports is random and for customs purposes. This is the first time I've gone through a metal detector after getting OFF a flight.

This post has been edited by seantang: Jan 6 2011, 09:24 PM

That's true. I was never checked when I was in a car coming into SG. They only took a quick look into the boot at most.

But if you take the bus (or train as well, I think), your bags are always x-rayed.

Everybody frequenting this thread are Malaysians who chose to work in Singapore instead of Malaysia. What kind of answer are you expecting?

This post has been edited by seantang: Jan 7 2011, 09:50 PM

Personally I like Funan more than Sim Lim. Sim Lim's small shops on the topmost 2 floors are the cheapest but also give me the least confidence in terms of imitations and warranty. Generally Sim Lim is cheaper than Funan, but my experience is that Funan is not far off if you're willing to thoroughly shop around. The prices in Funan tend to vary a lot more than Sim Lim where everybody is giving out price lists at the escalators.

I buy a lot of memory cards and hard drives. And for those things, I find the best prices in Malaysia like Computer War in PJ and PC Depot in Ipoh. Must be the lack of GST.

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Added on January 9, 2011, 9:44 pmTake up golf, learn how to drink wine and the intricacies of fine dining, if you want to hobnob with the senior folks.


This post has been edited by seantang: Jan 9 2011, 09:44 PM

You sure it's not Kok's Supersetor in Chinatown?

Haggling at Courts? I've never seen anyone do that before, unless it's as you mentioned - display models or those have damaged packaging, lost accessories etc. Those with a barcode per box (ie. normal items), I really don't think so. I've had salesmen at Best Denki etc. throw in accessories though, like HDMI cables, cable adaptors, extra universal chargers etc.

True, it's now 99.9% mfr warranty. But SLS is famous for selling parallel imports which is not imported by the local distributor. Since 99.9% of mfr warranties are national rather than international, it's quite possible to unknowingly buy something with no warranty.

Depends on the hiring manager. Some like to hear rehearsed bs, others want straight shooters. Most interviewers know very well that Malaysians working in Singapore are mainly there because of the exchange rate. Why waste time with fairytales?

The last time I interviewed for a job (internal role though), I answered a variation of this question by saying that the last person doing that job was 2 salary levels above me and therefore the expected promotion was very compelling. I also said another reason was that the hiring manager was very strong politically and was well known in the company to be a fighter. Bosses who are fighters are good when competing with other bosses for promotions, budgets and power.

Singapore is morally bankrupt as opposed to which morally abundant country?

Why not?

If you can convince your employer to apply for AND the govt to issue you a work pass, sure.

Construction field... no idea. Finance... they will hire whoever can get the job done. The little bit of cost difference is not a concern.

This post has been edited by seantang: Jan 17 2011, 09:12 PM

Even if you're not a PR, as long as you're residing in Singapore, you cannot keep a foreign car overnight in Singapore. So, unless you reside outside Singapore, this is not a con. But if you don't reside in Singapore, it's impossible to get a PR anyway. Moot point.

CPF is capped at 900 ie. 20% of a max salary of 4500. Any salary above 4500 is not subject to CPF. Anyway, I don't see an issue with being forced to save 900 per month, if I get a return of 675 per month (employer portion) - which is like 75% interest per month!

If PRs are not safe, what makes you think work pass holders are safer?

This post has been edited by seantang: Jan 18 2011, 02:18 PM

Since you are technically residing in Singapore (as your permanent resident address is in Singapore etc), then you cannot drive a foreign car in Singapore if you've been 'residing' here more than 12 months. Those PRs you see in JB should also be 'technically' residing in Singapore if not physically.

No problem with customs obviously. Traffic police is a different matter. Just depends if you're unlucky enough to get caught.

For instance, if someone survived 3 years in a large audit firm or if he's already doing the same job in another company, you pretty much know what his base capabilities are. For fresh grads, a good degree and professional qualification, consistent exam results and good responses to technical interview questions are pretty solid indicators. Finance is after all a technical profession.

The biggest employer of finance people in Singapore are the MNCs, banks and accounting firms. These industries usually struggle to find suitable people. So when they find someone they like, they generally don't bother about $675 per month (maximum difference). Many of them even fund private superannuation for their employees who are not eligible for CPF.

Or are you talking about the smaller companies? They generally can't be too choosy over $675 per month also because the stronger, more qualified candidates will usually not be available to them. If they find someone good but willing to stay at a small company... but who might cost $675 per month more, they won't say no as well.

Bottom line is that if you're a reasonably qualified finance person in Singapore, prospective employers are not going to agonise over $675 extra for your services. Tax deductible some more.

If you're eligible to withdraw your CPF at 55, that means you're no longer a PR. If you're no longer a PR, you're no longer entitled to remain in Singapore if you stop working. Therefore the Sg govt no longer needs to guarantee your retirement... ie. you're no longer Sg's burden. This is a basic principle.

If you subscribe to the principle of putting aside something for your retirement, you basically need to invest in a secure instrument that gives you a certain amount of money when you retire. If your money is not in CPF, but in Malaysia, you need to park it somewhere like a FD or trust fund etc. I have not heard of any long term reasonably secure investment that is capable of returning 75% interest on your monthly deposit.

This post has been edited by seantang: Jan 18 2011, 09:14 PM

I agree. It's not a problem particular to Singapore as opposed to other countries.

It's a trend associated with Asian culture + higher std of living (ie. higher disposable incomes) + smaller & smaller families with fewer & fewer kids. What you see in Singapore is not so different from what's happening in Taiwan, HK, Japan or Korea. In fact, China's kids are among the most spoilt on earth. They are not nicknamed "little emperors" for nothing.

For now, I won't take up Singapore citizenship as it's just too expensive to retire in Singapore. And I reckon it's a better idea to work 10-20 years in SG and retire early back to Malaysia with some serious RM savings converted from SGD. Finding a Singaporean wife or getting a couple more promotions may change my mind though.

But I still like the PR status because it gives me an option if race & religion in Malaysia takes a turn for the worse. And crossing the causeway is the only real viable emergency option if any sudden riots ala Indonesia 1998 happens.