Eat for $2 or less - new website tells you where

Eat for $2 or less - new website tells you where By Maria Almenoar

Many stalls at the hawker centre at Block 216, Bedok North Street 1 sell meals for $2 or less.

WHILE the prices of rice and other staples are skyrocketing, it is still possible to find a cheap meal.
For example, more than half the stalls at the Block 216, Bedok North Street 1 hawker centre sell meals for $2 or less.

Some of the stalls are among the more than 20 eateries listed on a new website which tells people where they can find cheap, tasty food.

Minister of State for Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan, who is also an MP for East Coast GRC, yesterday launched the website after tucking into a $2 economy rice lunch with 20 senior citizens.

Many of the stalls on the list have not raised their prices, despite rising global food costs.

Speaking to reporters after the event, Mr Lee said it was important to support stalls that decided to absorb rising costs.

'Why is it they can keep their prices low for so many years? It's because they have the volume and people come to patronise them from near and far,' he said.

The list will come in handy for Singaporeans who are in the midst of battling rising costs.

Government figures show Singapore's annual inflation reached 6.7 per cent in March, the highest since 1982. The increase was boosted by higher costs of food, transport, communications and housing.

Stallholder Lim Kim Chwee, who sells vegetarian bee hoon in the Bedok hawker centre, said he had not raised prices because he was afraid of losing his regular customers.

'How can we deprive people of eating something because they can't afford it? Anyway, the costs are still manageable for me,' said the 53-year-old, who charges between $1.50 and $2 for a meal.

The public can also offer suggestions on stalls to be listed on the new website.

Mr Lee added that since many senior residents in his area may not be Internet savvy, information on this website would also be disseminated at grassroots events.

In addition, his constituency - Kampong Chai Chee - is providing information to the Consumers Association of Singapore which is in the midst of compiling a list of cheap eateries around Singapore. It is likely to launch this list in June.

Mr Lee said it was important to keep in mind that consumers can always turn to cheaper alternatives like opting for house brands and frozen foods.

'There are always choices. We are sometimes a victim of our own habits and believe we cannot change these habits,' he said.

source: www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_231814.html

FREE SMS and Email services

Do you know that you can sign up SMS and e-mail alerts and reminder services from government offices and agencies? 

Examples: Alert on TV Licence (Household) before payment due date, road tax renewal reminder, due date of Library books that you borrowed, and details of your CPF contribution.

This FOC service is useful for people like us who have a busy and hectic schedule.

For more info, please view lifestyle.myecitizen.sg/portal/mec/sms_emailalert/services/ 

Family Day Out on 24 May 2008

A new public holiday to celebrate the family? By Melissa Sim

MAKE the fourth Saturday of May a new public holiday to celebrate the family. This suggestion came from the National Family Council chairman Lim Soon Hock on Thursday.

Mr Lim shared his vision at a media conference where he announced that May 24 would be designated Family Day Out.

He then let on that his council has discussed the idea of lobbying for it to be a public holiday. Whether this will become a reality very much depends on the response from Singaporeans to the first Family Day Out.
'At some point in time, we'll lobby for a public holiday,' he said.

To celebrate Family Day Out, 15,000 free rides on the Singapore Flyer, Singapore Ducktours, Hippotours and Rhinotours, will be given out. Each ride costs between $16 on regular days.

To qualify for the free tickets, families must go with a child under 13-years-old, or an adult above 55-years-old. There will also be a carnival organised at the Singapore Flyer.

Families can also visit the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong BirdPark at a discounted rate - for every two paying adults, one child can enter free.

Housewife Donna Cheng, 33, whose family got a taste of the free Ducktour on Thursday, said she was keen on the idea of Family Day Out.

'There are a lot of logistics to get the family out. With more activities planned, we can just take the kids there. It takes the thinking out of it,' said the mother of two.

She also added that going out as a family of five was generally quite costly.

National Family Week will also be re-branded as National Family Celebrations (NFC), which will have a host of activities for the family.

For more details visit www.nationalfamilycelebrations.sg

source : www.straitstimes.com/print/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_230629.html

Growth Dividends

Following the announcement from Budget 2008, I am sure everybody has received a letter from CPF Board, informing us the amount of Growth Dividends we would be receiving on 30 Apr 2008.

For more info, you are refer to www.mof.gov.sg/budget_2008/growth_dividends.html

I think the majority would be receiving $300 via 2 installments. So on 30 Apr 2008, the amount to receive would be $150. This amount is neither little or much. What are you doing to do about it? Spend it on a computer gadget, upgrade your handphone or some electronic accessories, give a treat to your loved ones or simply leave it in your piggy bank?

For me, I intend to spend about half on my loved ones for a good meal and leave the remaining amount in my piggy bank.

527 cases of HFMD detected in childcare centres on April 21 alone

SINGAPORE : Childcare centres around Singapore reported 527 cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) on April 21 alone.

The figure was released by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), which has been stepping up checks on childcare centres since two months ago.

The Health Ministry has also tightened its policy, following the spike in number of cases in the past few weeks.

At Kidsville Child Care and Development Centre in Yishun, checks for symptoms of the HFMD have been in place for a few years, since Singapore was hit by SARS. So far, over the past few weeks, no child at the centre has been detected with HFMD.

It is a different story over at Pat’s Schoolhouse at No. 3 Halifax Road. At least 18 children came down with HFMD between March 31 and April 22. So the Health Ministry has ordered the school to close for 10 days.

The centre is using that period to sanitise the place. "There will be a lot of cleaning to do, to ensure that the place is sterile when the kids get back to school," said Julia Teo, Operations Manager of Pat’s Schoolhouse.

Meanwhile, the childcare centre is trying to help parents find alternative arrangements for the affected children.

"We are also looking at alternative care — for parents who have difficulties having the kids at home because they have already exhausted their leave over the last three weeks, we are looking at deployment of teachers to their homes," said Teo.

And that is just what IT consultant Adeline Song needs. She has been on leave for most of the past month after her older son, who was enrolled at Pat’s Schoolhouse (No.9 Halifax Road), contracted HFMD.

Her younger son, a 7—month old baby, is in Pat’s Schoolhouse at No. 3 Halifax Road. So when that centre was ordered to shut, Song was at a loss as to how to separate the children at home.

"I need to inform my boss about what happened and see how I can either work from home or (get help from) my sister’s maid," said Song.

Unlike the mandatory order for Pat’s Schoolhouse to close, the NTUC Childcare Centre in Sengkang has been given a choice to shut. This is because, in more than 18 days, only six HFMD cases — which included a teacher — were detected.

The first case was detected on March 31 and the last case, which concerned the teacher, was reported on April 17. The five affected children have all recovered and are back in school.

"We will continue to monitor over the next 2 days if there are new cases. If there are new cases, we will consider voluntary closure. In fact, we have been working with the parents and informed them that we will have to close the centre in order to break the cycle of transmission," said Adeline Tan, General Manager of NTUC Childcare.

The centre has also stepped up measures to sanitise play areas and toys.

Since childcare centres come under the MCYS, officers from the ministry have been making more frequent spot checks on the centres to ensure that they comply with the standard operating procedures. Of the 744 childcare centres in Singapore, almost 300 have been checked in the last two months.

The Health Ministry has also tightened its policy on HFMD in light of the spike in number of cases in the past few weeks.

Before the move, childcare centres that report 13 cases in 15 days will be assessed by the Health Ministry to see if they have to close. Now, they will be ordered to shut once they hit the trigger level.

So far, three pre—schools and five childcare centres have already been ordered to shut.

source sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20080423/tap-343199-231650b.html

My Comments:
Everybody has a critical role to play to stop the HFMD; just wash our hands more regularly, rest at home if you are unwell, no sharing of food and drinks,... these are some common practices that we should have in the first place.

Asking For A Refund From HDB Parking

Since my car was involved in an accident recently and then towed to a workshop for its extensive repair, I went to HDB office to try my luck to ask for a refund on my season parking.

To my surprise, when I produced the police and workshop reports, I was allowed to seek refund on the number of days which my car did not park at the car-park.

I think this is quite a rare good deal from HDB.

Friends,
If you can prove your car was not park at the designated car-park, you can seek refund from your season parking ticket.

Towing My Car

As I was conveyed to NUH during the accident happened yesterday afternoon, nobody was able to drive my car to the workshop. The Traffic Police has to take over.

I started my today with the procedure to collect my badly damaged car from the Traffic Police.

From Paya Lebar MRT, there are a few public buses such as number 24, 70, 76 etc which go to Traffic Police Head Quarter located at Ubi Ave 3. I was asked to make a police report. A notice was then given to me to collect my car. I was wondering where my car was. I asked the receptionist and she was bewildered. Perhaps my English was real lousy. I called my insurer, AIG. The towing service has been arranged and I was supposed to show the notice before the towing could start,

The towing company called to say that its truck was already waiting for me. I beg your pardon but where are you?

I was then told that my car was at Traffic Police Compound ( 517 Airport Road). I was caught off guard and could only take a cab there. The poor cabby didn't seem to know the way; a distance of 3.5km costs me $5.20 (my 2 lunches gone)!

I saw my poor car, signed and the tow truck started towing to the workshop in Pandan Crescent.

How am I going to get to Pandan Crescent as I have to make a report with my insurer too?

The fastest way would be to take a cab. Yes, 2 cab rides in a single day. Bungerstar is either real rich or real insane!

It was a "bumpy' ride for my heart as I saw the fare-meter jumping as fast as my heart. Upon reaching the workshop, I saw my car again. The staff at the workshop took some shots on the damages. I brought my camera along too. I was like taking shots on a celebrity, except that I zoomed in on her disfigured areas.

From the initial assessment, the estimate for repair would be about 7k. Now any motor repair would be in terms of thousands of dollars. I have to get it repaired because I can't bear to let it RIP. I don't know what would be the outcome but I do know, I was being knocked from my rear.

Of course, the journey back home was by the public transport and dinner is instant noodles with an egg.

An Accident

A van knocked my car from the back when I was in the filter lane this afternoon. I bumped my head after the impact. I felt giddy, weak and shocked. I could not even move my car to the side to avoid holding up other vehicles on the road.

While waiting for the police and ambulence to arrive, I was totally confused. I wish somebody could stop his or her car, to lend me a helping hand or some advice. I wish some passer-by could stop and ask if I needed any help; but some simply continued walking or stared from far; at me and my badly damaged boot. What kind of society we are living in?

The police came; took down both drivers' particulars. The ambulence came and I was ushered politely and gently onto it. The ride was not an interesting one. It was quite rough and bumpy. It made me feel even more giddy and sick. I left my car with the police whom later called the Traffic Police to tow away. I simply could not drive it to the workshop after the shock

I was in A&E department of NUH shortly. It was an agony of waiting; waiting to see the doctor; waiting to make payment, waiting to collect my prescription and finally waiting to take a cab home.

I spent more than 2 hours waiting in the A&E. I count as a blessing that I could afford to wait that long which means I was not seriously injuried. The consultation was probably less than ten minutes. The A&E was crowded with patients. The cost was $80 which was cheap at all.

I would not be driving for quite some time.

Has Frozen Meat Became A Part Of Your Freezer?

During my recent trips to various supermarkets such as Giant, ShopNSave and Fairprice, I noticed packets of frozen meat started being displayed at the freezer section. Usually the meat was from the same brand; choices include lean meat, spare ribs, minced meat etc, packed in 500g and frozen. The frozen chicken parts such has drumsticks, wings, fillet etc are long available.

The advertisement from AVA to buy frozen meat, the calling from the government to switch to frozen meat and use housebrand items to fight increasing living costs, prompted me to switch to frozen meat.

I am not a good cook and have no high expectations on food. As long as the meat is safe to consume, whether fresh or frozen, it makes no difference to me at all.

I do hope that more brands of the frozen meat can be introduced and with competition, the price of the frozen meat can be further reduced.

Do share your experience with frozen meat and thanks.

My Sister's Resignation

One of my sisters just dropped me a bombshell; she has tendered her letter of resignation!

She is a school teacher with 2 young schooling kids. Since her kids entered the primary school, she has complained very often that she simply has not much quality time left for her precious kids. The thought of tendering resignation has surfaced often.

Recently, she received her performance bonus. She was at the top of the world because she received quite a lot more as compared to her previous years.

Today, she told me that after spending nearly fifteen years at the same job, she not only feel drained out and also find no time left to be spent with her kids.

The kids are growing up fast. Time never stops for anybody. Do you have the same problem; that you spent too much time on your job/career to gain more recognition and higher salary, that you do not have even a little bit of time or energy left for your loved ones?

Today, spend some time to enjoy a good meal with your loved ones, spend some time to be with them, maybe even watch the tv drama together.

I have already decided to knock off earlier from my workplace to spend more time with my family. I certainly hope you can plan to do so.

Road Accidents

Almost daily, we would see accounts of road accidents on the papers. What are the various reasons for these accidents to happen?

Just this morning, I had a quite a close shave on the road.

I was in a car which has just made a left turn. Upon turning, I saw a young man rushing across the road and nearly knocked onto my car. Note that I was not at a traffic junction. Apparently, he was running diagonally from the opposite lane.

It takes two hands to clap. If all the road users can exercise some caution, I am pretty sure that the number of road accidents can be reduced.

One common sight is the illegal parking along the road with lots of eat-houses. Some people simply parked their big cars along the roadside and went into the eat house to enjoy their meal, ignoring the fact that they have caused obstructions to other road users. Other vehicles have to change their lane and thus increase the chance of an accident.

Our selfishness has led to a higher rate of road accidents. Can we each do something about it to improve this situation?

Recognizing a Stroke (STRT)

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) i.e. It is sunny out today
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call for help immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue... If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.

(source: unknown)

A Good Deed

When was your last time you offered a helping hand to a stranger?

Early this morning around 6 plus, a pick-up over-turned along Chua Chu Kang Road (near Home Team Academy or Qian Hu Fish Farm). Both roads from Chua Chu Kang and Boon Lay were affected. Vehicles from both directions were stalled just before the area where the pick-up laid.

Passengers have to get off the buses because they have reached a "dead end". A father and a son took a bus numbered 172 from Boon Lay to Chua Chu Kang since the son was studying at a primary school there. It was already close to 6.50am. They walked frantically along the long stretch of Chua Chu Kang, hoping that at the end of this road, they would be able to catch a cab to rush to the school.

A man was driving to Boon Lay, seeing this jam, tried to do a U turn before being caught in the jam. He saw the father and son almost running on the road. He winded down his windows and asked if any help was needed. The father explained the situation. The man offered to drive his son to the school. Although we have been taught not to take a ride from strangers, at this desperate situation, his son hopped onto the car.

Some time later, the son called his father to tell him that he has reached the school just in time. The family was extremely grateful to this stranger. 

That father was my colleague.

Time To Exercise

It has been raining almost every afternoon. I usually go for a swim on Saturday afternoon. However, I have not been able to do so for the past two Saturdays due to the heavy showers and thunderstorms.

Today, I managed to have a good swim in the pool. I felt so great to exercise my muscles in the pool. After my swim, I felt very hungry and had a good dinner.

When is your last exercise session?

Handphones

The invention of handphones has certainly changed our lives. Having a handphone is just as common as wearing a watch on your hand or a ring on your finger. Who does not wear a watch or a ring. Somebody even have more than one handphone. But remember we have only a mouth, we can't possibly pick up two handphoness and talk to them at the same time.

Modern handphones allow you to be contactable almost at all times. With the auto-roaming feature, even if you are far from home in a different time zone, you can still reach your loved ones or vice versa.

Most of the handphones have features which allow you to take pictures, listen to music, surf the internet, read news and reply emails, book tickets, enter some contests, check bank balances etc. There are simply too many to mention here.

I am a rather simple person. My handphone does not have the photo-taking feature. I can't surf internet, read or answer emails. My handphone has only a purpose ie remain contactable most of the time to my clients, friends and loved ones.

There is an option in my handphone which I make full use of. It is the "screening" feature. If no phone number is shown on my handphone display, most likely I will ignore this particular call. There has been cases reported in the papers that some unknown calls came from overseas and in the end, the receivers have to pay for these overseas charges. There are also scam calls which waste our time and money. The worst is we have a chance being cheated by these calls.

While handphones certainly offer us lots of conveniences, there are some cons and we have to exercise some caution in using this invention.

MOE to shortlist travel agencies to organise study tours

SINGAPORE: When the teachers of Gan Eng Seng School decide to organise an overseas study trip for their students, it means up to six months of planning ahead from selecting the right travel agent to making travel arrangements.

After calling for quotations and tenders from travel agents through Government Electronic Business or GeBiz , the school then forms a panel to evaluate each proposal and decide which one meets their educational objectives and safety and price requirements.

"It’s a long process, and sometimes, the proposals are not up to expectation," said vice—principal Au Yong Po Lung.

Hence, the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) new framework for selecting travel agents which will replace the current quotation system comes as welcome news. Come May, the ministry will shortlist a number of tour operators based on prescribed criteria that schools can select from when planning trips.

"It will save schools some time, and since these agencies have been screened by MOE, we are also better able to assure parents of their child’s safety when we plan trips for them," said Mr Au Yong.

The number of overseas school trips has increased by about 38 per cent over the past two years, and the number is expected to continue to rise. As such, the current arrangement was "no longer efficient", said MOE in a statement to TODAY.

With the new framework, MOE which has briefed about 80 tour operators on the matter will also be able to better monitor and ascertain the service level of the various tour operators. A combined demand for overseas school tours would also hopefully help schools obtain better rates through economies of scale.

Parents TODAY spoke to, welcomed the new arrangement, saying it gave them a greater peace of mind. Said Madam Laura Ho, a homemaker: "Sometimes, even leisure tours can go wrong, so it’s good to know more is being done to make sure the trip goes smoothly." Some tour operators also approved of the move. "Organising a student group is not the same as handling a leisure group," said Ms Joey Cai, an account manager with Chan Brothers Mice Travel’s Educational Travel Centre. "For a school trip, you have to make sure the itinerary is educational and that the students learn something."

CTC Holidays’ business development manager for channel distribution Jason Kuwe agreed. "This will help to make sure schools don’t end up with an agency that has the lowest prices, but might have made promises that they cannot keep."

Beyond handling flights, accommodation and transport arrangements, operators also help schools plan their itinerary according to their educational objectives.

"I will look through the textbooks and talk to the teachers and discuss what they want the students to learn is it a cultural exchange, geography, history, science and math?" said Ms Cai.

Smaller operators, on the other hand, are concerned they could lose out if they are left out of MOE’s list. Travel Star manager Catherine Khoo, who had not heard about the agreement, said such school trips make up about 30 per cent of her agency’s business.

"I am very concerned," she said. "I think our agency has the capability and resources to handle such tours for schools. It will not be fair if only a few agencies get to work with the schools."

NEW FRAMEWORKTour operators to be appointed and organised into five panels by geographical destination Assessment and selection will be based on criteria such as having a valid travel agent licence from the Singapore Tourism Board; financial stability, relevant experience in the country of destination, tender price and accreditation.

The framework will be introduced in two phases one by May and the second next yearThe MOE expects to appoint about 40 operators for the first phase

(source: sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20080402/tap-338795-231650b.html)

My Comments:
I seriously question the real purpose of a study tour especially young students in the Primary Schools are involved. It is well-known that the locals like to flock overseas whenever there is a long weekend or during festive periods. Does this fever has been passed down to our younger generations?

Archaeologists Start Stonehenge Dig

LONDON - Some of England's most sacred soil was disturbed Monday for the first time in more than four decades as archaeologists worked to solve the enduring riddle of Stonehenge: When and why was the prehistoric monument built?

The excavation project, set to last until April 11, is designed to unearth materials that can be used to establish a firm date for when the first mysterious set of bluestones was put in place at Stonehenge, one of Britain's best known and least understood landmarks.

The World Heritage site, a favorite with visitors the world over, has become popular with Druids, neo-Pagans and New Agers who attach mystical significance to the strangely shaped circle of stones, but there remains great debate about the actual purpose of the structure.

The dig will be led by Timothy Darvill, a leading Stonehenge scholar from Bournemouth University, and Geoffrey Wainwright, president of the Society of Antiquaries. Both experts have worked to pinpoint the site in the Preseli Mountains in south Wales where the bluestones _ the earliest of the large rocks erected at the site _ came from. They will be able to compare the samples found in Wales to those at Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain.

"The excavation will date the arrival of the bluestones following their 153-mile journey from Preseli to Salisbury Plain and contribute to our definition of the society which undertook such an ambitious project," Wainright said. "We will be able to say not only why, but when the first stone monument was built."

Scientists believe the bluestones were first put in place about 2600 B.C., but they concede the date is only an approximation at best. The original bluestones were removed about 200 years later and scientists hope to find bits of them embedded in the earth.

Darvill said the excavation marks the first opportunity to bring the power of modern scientific archaeology to bear on a problem that has taxed the minds of so many experts since medieval times: Why were the bluestones so important to have warranted bringing them from so far away?

The excavation goal is to find remnants of the original bluestones, or related materials, that can be subjected to modern radiocarbon dating techniques to establish a more precise timeline for the construction of Stonehenge, said Dave Batchelor, an archaeologist with English Heritage, which oversees the Stonehenge site.

"We have to find the material that will give us a good date," he said. "That's where the luck comes in. We could get an absolute blank or we could get something magnificent or we could get something in between."

He said bluestones have an "inky, bluey, black" appearance and come from the Preseli Mountains in South Wales. About 6 feet tall, they are the smaller stones that make up part of the monument, alongside the larger sarsen stones, which are about twice as tall and were added later.

It is hoped that fixing the date of the start of construction with more precision will allow scientists to finally grasp how and why the monument was built. They also may learn more about how the stones were transported. Research shows the bluestones, weighing an estimated five tons apiece, may have been dragged from the mountains in south Wales to the sea, put on huge rafts and floated up the River Avon.

Archaeologists believe that before the bluestones were put in place, Stonehenge consisted of a circle of wooden posts and timbers built in approximately 3100 B.C.

The research that began Monday with the digging of a trench marks the first time ground inside the inner stone circle has been excavated since 1964. The area, revered as a powerful link to England's pagan past, is so sensitive that Cabinet approval was needed before the work could begin.

Renee Fok, a spokeswoman with English Heritage, said the project was okayed only after experts were convinced of its potential value. She said the project represents "the logical next step" after the two professors located the source of the bluestones in Wales.
"It's the culmination of their work, it makes sense to go back to the stone circle and get a date," she said.

"We want to strike a balance. We want the best research, but we can't just say go ahead and dig as you like, it's a very fragile area. Even the Druids are happy with this project, we've spoken to them and they don't object."

She said tourists will be able to visit Stonehenge as usual and will also be able to watch live video coverage of the excavation in special tents at the site.

(source : sg.news.yahoo.com/ap/20080401/twl-britain-stonehenge-dig-bd342e9.html )

My Comments:
I went to Stonehenge in year 1992. I was not able to full appreciate the mystery of these odd big stones lying somewhere in the middle of a vast land.