Even some who profess to be pro-PAP commented they found this to be too much.
My line is pretty in-demand and I do get quite a few recruiters reach out to me. One of them approached me for a position, and then told me that the hiring manager had "shortlisted" for an interview. In fact, she asked for my interview availability within the next 3-5 working days, which made me think they were moving quickly.
Then she said they had to hold off those dates, and it was radio silence after that. After more than two weeks, I chased the recruiter, who only responded the day after - she told me the company was already doing the final rounds for a candidate, and if that fell through then they'll let me know.
This is quite WTF really. Thought it was really unprofessional. Have you dealt with similarly crappy recruiters? And what did you do about them?
This question got me thinking while having bak chang made by my auntie over Dragon Boat Festival. My auntie is the only one among dad's family to still make bak chang faithfully every year, and boy are they so delicious that friends who'd tried them have requested to order. However, my auntie is turning 70 this year, and predictably due to her age she's making fewer of them then she used to. But more importantly, there is no one else in the family doing it, and none of my cousins are picking it up from her.
I'm sure many of us would have parents or relatives from the Pioneer/Merdeka generations who can whip out good bak chang, a 10-course meal for festive gatherings, awesome curries and whatnot. These are all intangible cultural heritage that's passed down generations. Yet among my generation, I don't see the same level of interest to carry out these culinary traditions.
Not that they aren't interested in cooking at all; on social media, I see friends posting about their bakes, their own takes on food trends, and attempts to recreate sumptous dishes, yet there are hardly any of them learning from mom or grandmom. I thought I'd see more moments of people learning to make kueh, bak chang, and the like. I wonder if it's due to complacency ("mom will just cook for us lah"), reluctance, or simply because it isn't "cool" enough for Instagram/TikTok.
So I'm just wondering if there's anyone out there who is carrying on their culinary traditions? Our PG/MG family members won't be around forever, and there is a real risk that their dishes will follow them to their graves.
Much ink has been spilled over the recent demise of 7-Eleven's Japanese owner, with many praising him for shaping the convenience store in general. Which made me wonder, why are the 7-Eleven in Singapore a pale imitation of the original? I need not say more about those in Japan itself as many here would have experienced it, but those in other parts of Asia such as Taiwan, Thailand and HK are also pretty impressive.
In contrast, those in SG have poor selection, poor quality, and exorbitant prices. At least in the past, there was Mr Softee, Tong Garden potato rings and Maggi mashed potatoes. Now all they have are crappy originis and cold sandwiches that no one seems to buy. Some stores even have a rack that boast to be priced the same as supermarkets, which is basically admitting they are overpriced. Currently, if not for the chilled chicken breasts and $1($1.20 in CBD) deals, I wouldn't even bother stepping in.
And yet they are still everywhere. What gives?
Not counting visits to non-PA tenants within CCs (like fast food, privately-owned gyms, or NLB libraries in e.g. Bedok Heartbeat/OTH), as well as passively using CC facilities such as basketball/badminton courts or printing out CDC vouchers at the counter, do you actively take part in PA activities run by CCs or RCs? Things like cooking classes, interest clubs and the like, as well as day trips or even $1 deals by the RCs. If so, how's the experience like? FYI, I am not aware of anyone around me participating in these activites, and those I do see going for these activities are disproportionately aunties. I was just wondering to what extent does it help to foster community spirit and, erm, steer support...
MAS is deploying billions through EQDP in their latest effort to rejuvenate SGX, especially for non-blue chips. But as much as I would like to support our own financial markets using SRS (since there isn't much choice anyway), I'm hesitant for two reasons: 1) their fees are obviously not cheap compared to say G3B since they're actively managed by appointed asset managers but more crucially 2) small and mid caps in SG don't seem to inspire much confidence, which is why EQDP is required in the first place, but would EQDP actually help to shake up these shares' fundamentals? Not sure if yet another top-down intervention would actually achieve its objective.