Depends on the type fish, whether its a piece or whole, or whether it's fried/sweet-sour or poached.

Oh, ok. I was reponding to how it is possible to spend $9 per meal eating economy rice.

This post has been edited by seantang: Sep 28 2012, 12:21 PM

If you need to drive on the job, the company should provide a tool-of-trade car to you.

Then it doesn't sound like a competitively compensated job.

For employees who need to drive for their job, MNCs in Singapore usually provide a company car or a monthly allowance around $1500 to buy and maintain the car. Out of pocket expenses like ERP, parking and petrol are reimbursed.

I don't get a tool of trade car but I still claim any taxi fares, or ERP/Parking/Mileage if I need to go anywhere apart from the office. Alternatively, I use one of the company drivers. The point is that any out of pocket transportation costs other than home to/from office should be paid by the company anyway. If the job needs you to drive instead of take public transport, then the company needs to provide or pay for the car.

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Added on September 29, 2012, 2:16 pmYou can use NETs which is way more convenient in a pinch, than using ATMs.

This post has been edited by seantang: Sep 29 2012, 02:19 PM

My point was that if you run out of cash, you don't have to find an ATM first before you can buy something. Even taxis accept NETS. NETS is anytime, anywhere. You can say cash is the same... but only if you have it in the first place.

Actually I don't share that feeling.

ATMs are usually quite few and far between in Malaysia. Like in my taman in Ipoh, the only Maybank ATM machines are in Jusco and the Maybank branch itself. The other banks are only at their branches. And I'm not ready to pay extra to withdraw money from other banks' ATMs (NETS is free).

In AMK, there's a POSB/DBS ATM machine at every commercial HDB block, Hub/Central, shopping center etc. POSB/DBS have the most ATMs and you can find them everywhere. OUB and OCBC are usually nearby. Most locals have a POSB account.

This post has been edited by seantang: Sep 29 2012, 03:42 PM

Why don't you just check IRAS (Internal Revenue Authority of Singapore) website?

If they expect you to buy and maintain a car that is driven daily into SG, then your real/effective salary is only about $2000.

If I were you, I would forget about this "opportunity". I would walk away... and If they counteroffer, my response would be $3300 salary (assuming this is already market, or definitely ask for more if it's not) and a non-negotiable minimum $1500 car allowance (you should ask for $2000 and let them work it downwards).

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 3 2012, 10:28 AM

The $1500-2000 car allowance I mentioned also doesn't include parking, ERP and petrol. The principle is that if the company expects you to drive on the job, they should provide a car or pay you enough allowance to buy a suitable car.

Btw... the $240 claims... barely enough to fill your petrol tank 3 times.

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 3 2012, 11:40 AM

I didn't need it when I renewed my REP online. It's was actually just answering some Y/N questions online and then clicking 'renew' on an ICA website using your Singpass. A a day or two later, I logged in, checked the status and it's renewed with another 5 years. Kowtim. You can also print out the new REP if you want. Nothing submitted at all.

True in my case as well. But I have to say the network that I built since then in SG far exceeds the weight of the network I could have built if I remained in KL. Internally within the company, simply many more regional, global people and roles go through SG than KL. Externally, simply meet more people in bigger jobs on the street.

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 10 2012, 11:15 AM

IMO, you're in for a bumpy ride. This is probably the worst year to be applying with all the new rules and quotas kicking in. And in terms of approvals, the last couple of months are probably the worst for Malaysians. My guess is that PRs are currently being approved on a critical needs only and "during lulls in the storm" basis. Your countrymen Amy Cheong, Alvin Tan and Vivien Lee probably didn't help to expedite your approval.

It's not priced solely on distance. Also based on supply/competition (who else is offering alternative flights or alternative modes of transport ie. express bus); and based on demand. There is no other airline flying into Ipoh, the bus takes 8 hours and flying via KLIA takes 8 hours also. There are other airlines besides Firefly that flies into KB. And in terms of demand, there are a lot of Ipohites working in Sg compared to KBites. Additionally, I noticed that there are now a lot more people from Ipoh flying to other destinations out of Changi (via Firefly) rather than fly out of KLIA. Now that Firefly flies out of Changi Terminal 2 instead of Budget Terminal, I think this section of demand will grow.

MAS has been traditionally servicing domestic interstate and pendalaman routes as national service. But this is a commercial international route. No way this will be construed as a "social service".

Where did you get the idea that Firefly is allowed to earn cost of capital only? It's part of a listed company with shareholders. It's not a public utility or public transport operator. International airfares are not regulated.

As for the argument it is a monopoly, I remember reading the valid counter-argument that although it is the sole provider of Ipoh-Sg flights, it is not the only provider of commercial passenger transport between Ipoh-Sg. The express bus service carries far more passengers at a much greater service frequency and it is these buses which are the actual/traditional "public service" or "social service". Firefly is positioned as a niche and premium service, aimed at high value customers who are looking for convenience not provided by the bus service. It is therefore fulfilling a "discretionary want" rather than "basic need" by providing a service that was not available before and as such is not displacing the existing public good ie. the express bus service. And there is alternative air service flying to Sg from KLIA.

But ultimately you are right. The Ipoh-Sg route is Firefly's cash cow. It is normally 75%+ filled even on weekdays, in both directions. It subsidises the highly competitive routes like KL-Sg and lower passenger load routes like Sg-KB where prices are low to put bums on seats to earn a small margin above variable cost to keep their fleet's operating rate high.

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 24 2012, 12:40 AM

The difference is that in Sg you have a choice. If you have an emergency, late leaving for an urgent meeting, suddenly breakfast quickie etc, you have a choice of taking a taxi and cut the traveling time by 2/3rds. If you are in JB, you have no way of physically reaching Sg quicker than normal. If you have a time stable job eg. factory or time flexible job eg. sales, you can plan your time accordingly or get away with it.

But if you're like most PMETs, you have office hours to keep but also have to occasionally stay late, come early, boss calls a sudden meeting and you have to come back to office on short notice - a fixed, no options 2-3 hour commute can get frustrating. And there always the risk of committing a CLM (Career Limiting Move) if you miss, refuse or arrive late for an important appointment.

Really? Shouting at a Singaporean for calling you FT will at most get you a photo in Stomp. Shouting at a Mat Rempit on the road or in a KFC will get you beaten up and your pendatang race will be reminded by the politicians, the police, the courts and 70% of the population siapa tuan siapa hamba.

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 25 2012, 12:43 PM

Don't screw the ground staff or cabin crew about fares lah. These frontliners already have a tough job without being punching bags for something they have absolutely no control over or input into.

Send an email to Firefly's CEO instead. IIRC, it's a Chinese guy who didn't get his post by virtue of his skin colour or datukships.

Just change your qualification in the application form from degree to provisional degree. Apply for the permit based on that.

He also need to shave around his bumhole. Or else the loose hairs might get caught in the hinges of the forceps when the doctor pulls it out

Thai GF? Thai LBF, you mean?

when it comes to actual hiring, name recognition, reputation and good or bad press / impression makes all the difference.

It's all about something advertisers call mindshare.

Nobody really keeps up to date with rankings religiously, year after year. What matters is whether your university has stuck in the minds of the hiring managers. Ivy League, Oxbridge and ancients/redbricks are there because people remember them. People identify them with a certain perception. If they are up a few places in one ranking one year, down a few places in another ranking another year really makes no difference. Sure, if they screw up their rankings for 10-15 years and get caught in some sort of degree mill scandal - that might hurt them. But otherwise, it's all about the reputation and the hold the name has on the mind of the individual hiring you.

For instance for me, I'm quite cognizant of the Asian, Aussie and UK universities. I can probably rank each one into a few buckets according to my perception of how good they are. My knowledge of US and non-English speaking European universities however is rather sparse, except for the usual suspects like Harvard, Princeton, MIT, UCLA etc. And it probably doesn't help that I've been indoctrinated since young by my UK educated elders that American bachelors degrees are not worth the parchment they are printed on. That you need a masters for your US education to carry any actual weight.

So if it were me hiring, I'd put NUS quite a ways ahead of Illinois. I've heard of Illinois but it doesn't mean anything more to me compared to... say Buffalo, Rhode Island or Michigan. Not immediately bad but doesn't excite me either. Certainly "top" would not be the adjective I would use to describe it. NUS on the other hand, I have extensive exposure to. Read about it all the time. Meet its graduates every day. It's inevitable that I will believe that NUS is better than Illinois hands down.

It will be the reverse if you are interviewing in the US or Canada, I suppose. But you are looking for a job in Singapore... so I hope you have been diplomatic about it.

This post has been edited by seantang: Nov 12 2012, 08:52 PM

That's life.

That's why we have first impressions, biases, prejudices, chemistry, rapport, affinities, affiliations etc. It's all part and parcel of life. It's up to you, to know your audience and play to the gallery. No point to keep butting your head against the wall, hoping that one day your head is harder than the wall.

This post has been edited by seantang: Nov 12 2012, 10:19 PM