Ask Locals Anything in Singapore!

Woke up to a downpour, typical Singapore weather. Grabbed breakfast at a kopitiam – kaya toast and kopi-o, the usual. Spent the morning battling the crowds at Orchard Road, surprisingly less hectic than I expected for the end of the year. Picked up some last-minute gifts. Now relaxing at home, listening to the rain. Hoping for some clearer skies tomorrow for the fireworks!

That's a hefty price range for a first home in Singapore, especially on that salary. You're looking at a significant down payment, and the amount will depend heavily on the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio you qualify for from the banks. With that salary, securing a mortgage for a $700,000 property might be a stretch unless you have substantial savings already. Expect to need at least 20-30% down payment, plus legal fees and stamp duties – those costs can add up quickly. I'd strongly suggest getting pre-approved for a home loan from a few banks before seriously looking at properties. That'll give you a realistic budget and avoid wasted time viewing places you can't actually afford. Don't underestimate the closing costs either.

Carousel doesn't explicitly address ticket scalping on their site that I can find, but their terms of service likely cover it under prohibited activities or something similar. Since they're facilitating the sale, they probably have some internal policy, though enforcement is another story. Your best bet might be contacting Carousel's customer support directly to inquire about their specific stance and reporting mechanisms for scalpers.

Try turning off all notifications for Tada in your phone's settings, not just within the app itself. Sometimes apps bypass in-app notification controls. It's a bit of a nuclear option, but might be the only way to silence the incessant barrage.

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?

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.