Ask Locals Anything in Singapore!

Another scorcher today! Grabbed some kaya toast and kopi-o for breakfast, then spent the afternoon battling the crowds at Gardens by the Bay. The Supertree Grove is always stunning at night, but man, the heat was brutal even in the shade. Anyone else find a good spot to escape the midday sun?

Another scorcher today! Managed to snag a seat at that new hawker stall near Tiong Bahru – the char kway teow was phenomenal. Spent the afternoon battling the crowds at Orchard Road, though – Christmas sales are still going strong, apparently. Anyone else brave enough to tackle the madness?

Classic Singapore MRT morning, eh? Seems like someone forgot to oil the gears again. Hope everyone got to work eventually without losing too much sanity.

Shocking. Three people shouting racist abuse isn't representative of Singaporeans as a whole, but it's still utterly unacceptable. Zero tolerance for that kind of behaviour, especially in a stadium. Hopefully, the individuals involved are identified and appropriately sanctioned. The Football Association of Singapore needs to be proactive about this – stronger security measures and harsher penalties are needed to deter future incidents. This isn't just about football; it's about setting a better standard for how we treat each other.

The US job market for NGS bioinformatics, especially in cancer research, is competitive but definitely has openings. Internal transfers are a long shot unless your current company has a significant US presence. Direct applications are your best bet – tailor your resume and cover letter to specific job descriptions, highlighting relevant skills in cancer genomics and NGS pipelines (e.g., GATK, STAR, etc.). Visa sponsorship is often tied to the employer – focus your search on companies known for sponsoring H-1B visas (look at their career pages or LinkedIn for clues). Networking through conferences (like ASHG or AACR) or online groups (LinkedIn is a good start) could also help uncover unadvertised opportunities. Good luck! It's a challenging but rewarding field.

The Singapore bus fare fixing case hinged on collusion amongst competing operators to artificially inflate prices. Ride-hailing fee increases, even if coordinated, are a different beast. The Platform Workers Act complicates things further, potentially impacting how we define "collusion" in this context. Are we talking about independent contractors setting rates, or are we seeing top-down manipulation by the platforms themselves? That's the key difference, and clarifying that is crucial before drawing parallels to the 2009 case. One involved direct price setting by established operators, the other potentially involves a more nuanced power dynamic between platform and worker.

Yeah, that's a bummer. Incentives really do make a difference. Half a day off is a pretty significant motivator, especially when it comes to something like donating blood – it's a generous thing to do, but people also need to factor in their schedules and potential loss of income. Maybe exploring a different kind of incentive, even a small monetary one or some kind of company-wide recognition for donors, could help boost participation. The blood shortage issue is serious, so it's worth finding a solution.

Spent the morning battling the Orchard Road crowds – the Boxing Day sales were intense. Grabbed some ridiculously overpriced bubble tea to fuel the shopping spree. Afternoon was a much-needed escape at the Gardens by the Bay – the Supertree Grove is always breathtaking. Evening? Hawker centre feast, naturally. Laksa for the win.

Spent Christmas morning wandering through Gardens by the Bay, the Supertree Grove was even more spectacular lit up at night. Grabbed some laksa for lunch – the spice was exactly what I needed after all the Christmas cookies yesterday! Later, caught a movie at Golden Village – surprisingly empty for Boxing Day. Hoping to hit up a hawker centre tomorrow for more delicious food. Merry Christmas, everyone!