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Who is Celesta Ee Qiying? This is the teacher who asked student to buy meth for her

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There are teachers and students who become friends outside the classroom, and there are those who become involved in drugs together. Celesta Ee Qiying is the teacher who asked her student convicted drug user and trafficker Khairul Naim Mohamad Nasir to source methamphetamines for her.

In a recent report by The Straits Times, this teacher from Meridian Secondary School has been removed from her post following her admission and the information given by Nasir in court, where he had bought Ice from a different contact for Celesta.

According to the report, Celesta confided in Nasir that she was getting charged too high by her supplier when buying methamphetamines. What Nasir did was take her money and buy the drugs for her. He denies that he sold her drugs, only that he acted as a go-between.

She had allegedly given $200 to the student to buy the drugs for her.

This incident happened in 2016. When Nasir was brought to court and had revealed the nature of his transactions and the persons he transacted with, the teacher was removed. This removal happened in September 2017.

Nasir, who is now 20 years old, has been charged with drug related offences and was sentenced to probation of two years and three months after pleading guilty in January to one count each of methamphetamine trafficking and cannabis consumption.

His probation requires that he would have to stay in a hostel for nine months. He must also undergo drug intervention programmes and perform 210 hours of community service.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Education, “Once MOE was informed of the investigation, we suspended Ms Celesta Ee from duty in September 2017 so that she had no contact with the school. She has since been dismissed from service.”

The court document doesn’t reveal any details of Celesta’s case.

Who is Celesta Ee Qiying?

According to her now-defunct social media accounts and digital footprint, Celesta is 28 years old and was until recently a teacher at Meridian Secondary School.

In 2016, a year before she was removed from Meridian Secondary School, she was a Co-form teacher at Coral Secondary School.

She was a co-curricular activity staff member at the school when she was removed.

Reports said that “MOE takes a very serious view of misconduct by teachers. Teachers who fail to comply with our standards of conduct and discipline will be subjected to disciplinary action, including dismissal from service – which was precisely the outcome here.”

After being dismissed from service, Celesta’s digital footprint vanishes.

What do netizens have to say about Celesta?

Here are some reactions to what Celesta has done, now that it’s been revealed to the public:

Some say that she is mentally ill and needs help, along with the student.

Some said that her job as a teacher may be too stressful.

Others got mad that this sort of thing happened.

While others showed compassion.

Some remembered a television show that was similar to this incident. Have you watched this show?

While others think she deserves an award.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

 

The post Who is Celesta Ee Qiying? This is the teacher who asked student to buy meth for her appeared first on Alvinology.


Strawberry parent or rude teacher? You be the judge of the Xinmin Primary School saga

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When a small child like a lower primary school pupil is assigned homework, you’re basically assigning the parent or the guardian the homework. Some young children can be conscientious about their assignments, but most of the time, it’s up to the parents to monitor their tasks.

There are times, though, when instructions are unclear and you have to contact the teacher on what the task actually is. While this is a common occurrence, this text exchange between a parent and teacher has the Singaporean internet community torn once again. Take a look:

The parent, named Teresa Juann, who has closed her Facebook profile, asked the teacher what her child needed to bring for Show and Tell and got a response.

The parent didn’t like the teacher’s response and called the teacher rude and asked for more help since her child had forgotten.

 

 

The teacher then asked which part of the statement was rude, and reiterated that the assignment was based on the script that the students were supposed to have.

 

The parent then berated the teacher because her child forgot the assignment. She also lambasted the Class Dojo that is used to communicate with parents. The teacher then said that the Class Dojo is all right and thanked the parent. The teacher reiterated that they will talk to a superior.

 

The parent then repeated that the statement the teacher first said was rude and to walk it back. Then the parent agreed that a meeting with the head should be scheduled.

The teacher then repeated that the Show and Tell script with the student should be able to give the parent enough understanding of the assignment.

What do netizens have to say?

While the parent’s  profile, complaint, and ranting are no longer available, netizens were quick to weigh in based on what people were able to take screenshots of. Here’s what netizens have to say:

Most comments took issue with the fact that the parent did not have great communication skills in English.

Others pointed out that the parent may have bad critical thinking skills and couldn’t understand the situation. They also bemoaned the state of education in Singapore, which the parent may be a product of.

People have advice for this parent. The advice is usually about growing up. The commenter wished the parent had taken a look at the Class Dojo as the teacher had said.

Some went as far as to make a comment on the child’s name. They also mentioned that the parent should not spoon-feed their child all the time.

While others made comments on how children are educated today, and the role of technology in a child’s education. The comment still says the teacher is not rude.

Some vouched for the Class Dojo application and that it is a great help to their child’s education. This commenter also agreed that the parent was out of line.

What do you think of this exchange? Is this a case of a strawberry parent or was the teacher rude? Let us know in the comments!

 

 

The post Strawberry parent or rude teacher? You be the judge of the Xinmin Primary School saga appeared first on Alvinology.

Mahota SG teaches these nutritious and quick recipes parents can make for active kids

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For those who are unaware, DBS is holding its Marina Regatta from 25-27 May and 2-3 June and in the lead up to the main event, has also organized several events for the public to take part in! On 29 April, I had the privilege to attend an event by DBS and Mahota SG – a cooking class taught by Joseph Schooling’s mother, May Schooling, as well as Mahota’s R&D chef Benson!

The event, Eat Like a Champion, aimed to teach parents how to prepare healthy and easy meals for their children regardless if they are athletes or just seeking a nutritious diet.

Here’s what went down at the event:

Demonstration by May Schooling

May Schooling started off the event by introducing some simple delicacies that she prepares for Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling. This includes a healthy morning smoothie as well as grilled cheese sandwiches.

In her smoothie, May added fruits such as berries and a banana as well as yoghurt. She emphasized that the inclusion of the yoghurt gives the smoothie a nice texture overall! Milk was also added to make the smoothie less chunky and she shared that she frequently used milk which had 1-2% fat instead of completely fat free.

As an added tip, May shared that she often prepared these ingredients the night before so that all she needed to do in the morning would be to throw them into the blender!

She also did a demonstration on how to make her signature grilled cheese sandwiches, which included buttering the bread before placing the slices of cheese on them, and topping it off with a sprinkling of mozzarella to lead to cheese oozing out once the sandwich was grilled! She added that this was the perfect snack for Joseph Schooling as it’s both easy to make and easy to consume or grab to go!

Demonstration by Mahota’s R&D Chef Benson

Chef Benson continued the demonstrations by sharing a recipe for a plant-power smoothie that acts as a replacement for Milo for his lactose-intolerant son. Ingredients include coconut water, coconut milk, avocado (to give the drink a creamy texture and some natural sweetness), coconut sugar and cacao powder – all of which can be purchased at Mahota SG!

The final drink turns out yummy and healthy at the same time and the listed ingredients can be approximated and adjusted according to your own preferences.

Chef Benson also gave out samplers of his Healthy Nasi Lemak which comes with a twist! Instead of rice, cauliflower is mashed to replace it as a healthier alternative and coconut oil is used in place of cream.

 

Hands-On Activity!

Attendees of the event then got a chance to try making their own protein bars!

Basic ingredients were given and one only had to patiently mix the dates with the oats before adding spirulina powder and nuts! If you don’t enjoy dates, you can also substitute it with stevia powder. The protein bar can be chilled and kept for around 2 weeks, making it an easy and convenient snack to make!

For more information on Mahota SG and their classes, click here!

The post Mahota SG teaches these nutritious and quick recipes parents can make for active kids appeared first on Alvinology.

Mark Lee’s 5-year-old child suffers from rare kidney disease, asks other parents for information

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Comedian Mark Lee has posted an appeal for information regarding an autoimmune disease that has struck his 5-year-old, Calynn.

In a report by Toggle, Mark has set up a Facebook group where he details the difficulties that his daughter is going through, from the start of her very high, 40-degree fevers a few months ago to the treatment that she is undergoing now.

Instagram Photo

What’s wrong with Calynn?

Toggle reports that Mark’s wife, Catherine Ng, had posted a group called “Cheers for Calynn,” which aimed to gather information and support for their family in light of Calynn’s diagnosis of Glumerulonephritis.

According to The National Kidney Foundation, this type of disease indicates that the filters that exist in our kidneys to clean toxins and other substances from our blood do not function. Calynn’s sickness started in May with very high fevers.

When the doctor’s checked her urine, they found white blood cells in the lab results, which lead them to diagnose her with the rare disease.

What’s happening to Calynn now?

According to Mark and his wife, their youngest daughter has gotten her first round of treatments, but the doctors say that they are not sure how long the road to recovery is going to be.

Doctors cannot peg her recovery if it will take months of up to five years. This is the mean reason why Mark and his wife created the Facebook group.

“This is our first time learning of such a disease, so we hope for families with children facing the same medical condition to leave a comment and help us understand it better, and better learn how to care for her,” Catherine said.

“We hope the medicine helps her. She is a brave little child who doesn’t cry despite receiving so many injections. She only cried once when a doctor accidentally pricked her during a jab. I hope everyone can cheer for her, thank you!” Catherine wrote.

They are discussing Calynn’s case with one of the foremost experts on the disease in Singapore, but they are having trouble understanding. They are appealing to other people who have experienced this disease to help them understand how to help their daughter.

The expert, though, has mentioned that Mark and Catherine must prepare for the worst, especially if Calynn doesn’t respond to the medicine.

What about Mark’s other children?

Mark and Catherine have two older children. Callista, 10 years old, and Marksson, 7 years old, are big enough to understand that their little sister needs extra care because she is sick.

According to the same report, the children are adjusting to Calynn’s stricter diet. They are no longer allowed to eat chocolate and their diet consist of less sugary, less salty, and less sour food at home.

Instagram Photo

The family also took a recent overseas trip before Calynn’s treatments started, since it would be difficult to do so once she begins her several rounds of treatment.

Netizens send words of support

After the news of Calynn’s sickness was revealed, netizens have offered words of comfort and support for Mark and his family.

Hope you get well soon, Little Calynn!

 

The post Mark Lee’s 5-year-old child suffers from rare kidney disease, asks other parents for information appeared first on Alvinology.

Blogger Pek Yi Tsing allegedly harassed by horrid neighbours for three years and running

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Do you have neighbours from hell? Ifuencer Pek Yi Tsing has allegedly been in a neighbour-nightmare for three years running, according to a Facebook post on August 2. She relates what her next-door neighbours have done to her, which she says includes sexual harassment, disturbance and other nasty behaviour.

You can take a look at her blog post here:

 

What did they do to her?

According to her post above, she and her family has been harassed by their neighbours on the same floor of their flat. While a few years ago, the young boys were mostly nuisances who blocked the corridors, stairs and elevators, now that they have grown up a little to be teenagers, she says that their harassment has gained a sexual undertone.

One incident a few years ago was allegedly an instance when Tsing’s brother was hit with a football in an elevator.

On her part, she says that the daily verbal abuse she endures includes catcalls, lewd comments, and even dares in their native language to look up her skirt as she walks past. She says that the boys think she does not understand what they are saying, but she does.

Tsing, who has a mother who works in a hawker centre, gets up at 4:30am and is also met with noise and disturbance coming from that particular household.

Here is the full text of her post, edited for clarity:

I spent the last three years being harassed, having my modesty outraged by my neighbours and getting ignored by the authorities. Here’s my story.

For years, my neighbours have been provoking my family and me. My mother, a frail hawker who has to wake up at 4:30am for work, has been greatly disturbed by the noise pollution created by them. Kids running around, teenagers singing loudly. My younger brother was once afraid of taking the lift because the boys threw their football at him.

Little did I know the rowdy boys were just a prelude to an avalanche of problems. As they grew up to become teenagers with raging hormones, they started catcalling me. They hauled me derogatory names whenever I entered or exited the lift. They dared each other to look under my skirt, speaking in Malay, thinking that we do not understand the language.

It is a common occurrence. Every day since the first incident in 2015, I enter my lift in a befuddled state and prepare for the impending deluge of verbal abuse. The surge of fear that rises up my throat as the lift approaches my floor is an everyday occurrence.

If they are not hanging around the lift lobby when I walk out, I wonder when will I bump into them again. Possibly the next day. If they are present, I hurry from the lift lobby to my house, hanging my head in shame and avoiding any eye contact. What am I ashamed of? That I’m a girl, therefore, I deserve to be harassed? I grew afraid of going out or returning home because that meant volunteering to be abused.

I trudged past them again last night, with a look of continual defeat. The verbal abuse and sniggers continued. They knew that I’ve about given up all hopes. It finally dawned upon me that my house is no longer a home I can happily return to.

I’ve had enough of being irascible and irritable by the time I make it to my gates. I detest the fact that the excitement of seeing my mother after a long day has been replaced with me growing increasingly frustrated at her, as if she landed me at my predicament because she picked this estate.

I’m sorry, mommy. I now realise that my mother does not have it easier either. She never experienced uninterrupted rest since the day my neighbours started harassing us. If she’s not worried about them harassing me, her sleep is disturbed by the mob of kids that insist on playing at my corridor dead at night.

If you are a parent, I am sure you know how helpless my mother felt. That her own daughter was getting bullied in a way that is illegal in some European countries yet the town council and policemen would not step in to help. That she, as a hawker, has no means of getting us out of this estate until either I or my brother gets married.

Even my friends who visited are horrified by the image presented to them. My girl friends get harassed as well. No one can bring themselves to believe that this part of Singapore — a fully developed country — exists.

We threatened them with law enforcement and for a while, they stopped. But when they realised it was all but empty threats, they started again. So we stuck to our words and called the town council.

After my first call, they promised to look into it and I was given a number to call lest they create a disturbance again. Nobody picked up the phone when we called in.

The same happened when we contacted the police through the non-emergency number, who said they will be coming in 10-20 minutes to investigate the matter but nobody turned up. Now I see that even civil servants are unwilling to help us.

I only saw a glimmer of hope when I contacted the People’s Association of my area. We set up a meeting during which, they assured me that my MP was concerned. They reassured me that they will be conducting routine checks. Let’s be real here, the noise pollution and harassment happen after office hours. Who would sacrifice their family time to deal with this issue? Still, I placed my trust in them.

They emphasised that I should lie low while they liaised with the town council and police station. Well, it’s been one year since, and the situation has not changed. Not even one bit.

I turned to other options. I compiled a video of the times their siblings/cousins/friends disturbed our neighbours to send to my MP for his perusal. I have attached a shortened, censored version to this post. I censored their faces before posting because these kids, while disruptive, were not the source of my torment.

These are just a few, and the least severe, instances I managed to capture with my phone — all the catcalling incidences went unrecorded because I do not feel safe taking a video with their piercing stares on me. The video was shown only to prove a point: that there was an issue of disturbance and overcrowding. Before you ask, yes, the video clips were taken well after 10pm.

The last straw was this distasteful reply I received from my MP(’s PA, I assume), dripping with sarcasm. It reads:

“You can consider a variety of different possible Court orders if you are of the view that there has been nuisance or harassment or that your neighbours are denying you quiet enjoyment. Since the Town Council or the Police is not an option which you wish to consider, and if you wish to consider your legal options, you can consider consulting with the Law Society for recommendations.”

I refuse to reply to that atrocious email. Consider my legal options? If I had the money, I would not be living in a rented two-room flat. I do not understand how they can’t see that it is not about the peace, but my safety. Why should I feel unsafe in my own neighbourhood? What happened to Singapore being the safest country in 2018?

I could shout something back and pray that it will stop the abuse, but should I take the chance? I am a petite girl — just a little beyond 150cm — and they are a group of guys. Sometimes up to 10 in a group. Forget about whether it’s legal or not to have that many people living in the same house, what are my defences if they were to gang up on me? If I take up self-defence classes, what are my chances of winning a fight? I don’t know, and I’m afraid to ever find out.

I have reached a dead end. I am done. I do not have the intention of intimidating anyone but I have had enough of being ignored. I am sick of being objectified, I am exhausted, I feel vulnerable in my home — my supposed safe haven. I just want to feel safe in my neighbourhood. I want to be happy about returning home to my family. Just once. I sincerely hope it is not too much to ask for.

I want to emphasise that this is not about race — the last thing I want to read are racist remarks. Don’t make this about any race. I just want to know if there are any other options can I consider. If you have connections or solutions, please let me know.

This is a real cry for help, it is truly my last resort. The more shares I get, the higher my chances of it reaching someone who might be able to help, and maybe relevant authorities will start paying attention to my case.

Please, I’m begging you, please share this. It’s been three torturous years, and who knows how many more.

P.S. I know my loud hair colour is inevitably going to be discussed. Saying I deserved to be harassed over my hair colour, a freedom of expression that I deserve, is akin to saying a girl deserved to be raped for wearing skirts or someone deserved to be robbed for roaming the streets late at night. In any case, the harassment started when I was interning for an MNC, which required me to have dark brown hair.

What has she done about it?

According to her post, she had threatened to call law enforcement, but when the neighbours did not get any visit from law enforcement, the torment allegedly continued.

Afterwards, she said that she had called on the local PEople’s Association for help, but to no avail as well. They had allegedly sent an email that she consult law enforcement or the Law Society for help.

 

What is her recourse now?

She says that she is asking for the Singaporean public for help, to share her experience so that someone who can actually help her can reach out to her.

What do you think of this story about neighbours? Let us know in the comments!

The post Blogger Pek Yi Tsing allegedly harassed by horrid neighbours for three years and running appeared first on Alvinology.

The Sarah-Grace Sarcoma Organisation Singapore Launches Inaugural KICK SARCOMA WEEK on 20 October

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The Sarah-Grace Sarcoma Organisation Singapore (SGSOSG) announced today the launch of its inaugural Kick Sarcoma Week to increase awareness in Singapore of this highly aggressive yet under-funded and under-researched cancer afflicting many children, and to raise funds for sarcoma research to find a cure for sarcoma patients.

To underscore the urgent need for high-level research into this lethal form of cancer, the event will guest-star Sophia the Humanoid Robot to showcase how artificial intelligence (AI) will play a significant role in the research and development for finding a cure for sarcoma.

“Sarcoma is the deadliest form of cancer, with a mortality rate of over 50 percent within five years and a propensity to affect children, yet it receives the least amount of study and is poorly understood due to a lack of high-level research. Through our efforts, we hope to increase survival rates and make sarcoma a curable disease, and alleviate its burden on our community,” said Dr Grace Moshi, the Director and Founder of the Sarah-Grace Sarcoma Organisation Singapore and the Sarah-Grace Sarcoma Foundation in Australia.

In 2018/2019, funds raised in Singapore will be used here to:

  • Save or prolong the lives of children with sarcoma and other paediatric cancers at the National University Hospital by providing support in order to access novel immunotherapies that stimulate their own natural killer cells to kill cancer cells.
  • Fund the collaborative effort between John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) Australia and KK Women and Children’s Hospital Sarcoma Research, in testing the new cancer killing compounds, for future novel sarcoma therapies. These compounds were discovered by the Sarah-Grace Sarcoma Foundation (Australia) PHD award Programme. 

Sarcoma is a general term describing a group of devastating malignant cancers that arises from connective tissue cells such as bone, cartilage, nerves, muscle and fat cells. Because these tissues are found everywhere on the body, sarcomas can arise anywhere and are frequently hidden deep in the limbs, which is where majority of the body’s connective tissue is, with the tendency to be discovered late due to vague symptoms.

Sarcomas account for up to 20 percent of childhood cancer diagnoses and about 1 percent of adult cancer diagnoses. There are approximately 130,000 new cases of sarcoma worldwide each year. However, because patient numbers are low compared to the prolific standards of the most common cancers such as breast and prostate cancers, sarcoma has trouble attracting research funding from governments.

“Due to lack of high level research, the high mortality rates for sarcoma have not changed for the last decade. Lack of recognition of this lethal cancer has led us to term it the forgotten cancer of ourday. It is therefore more important than ever for all of us to join forces to fight this deadly disease,”said Dr Moshi.

KICK SARCOMA WEEK CHARITY EVENT – Saturday 20 October, 2018

Kick Sarcoma Week will be officially launched at SGSOSG’s annual fund-raising dinner, which will be held this year at the St. Regis Singapore on Saturday, 20 October 2018 from 7.00 pm. Mr. Bruce Gosper, Australian High Commissioner to Singapore, will be the Guest of Honour at this event.

Sophia the humanoid robot will appear as a special guest star in honour of the launch of Kick Sarcoma Week. The highly-advanced creation of Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, Sophia will speak at the black-tie event on how AI and sarcoma research works hand in hand to find a cure for the disease.

Sophia will also be making an appearance on the same Saturday between 10 am and 12 noon at the St. Regis Singapore to meet and greet children from KK Women and Children’s Hospital who have sarcomas.

Sophia was built to get smarter over time, and uses AI, visual data processing as well as facial and voice recognition to communicate with people. Designed to be a platform for artificial general intelligence (AGI) and service robotics applications in business, medical/healthcare, and education, Sophia became famous as the first robot to have a nationality after being given Saudi Arabian citizenship.

Header image from Shutterstock, child in hospital.

The post The Sarah-Grace Sarcoma Organisation Singapore Launches Inaugural KICK SARCOMA WEEK on 20 October appeared first on Alvinology.

Dumex Mamil Infant Gold Milk Step 1 recalled due to bacteria, but what if you have the contaminated batch?

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In a bulletin posted on their Facebook page, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said that a whole batch of Dumex Mamil Infant Gold Milk has been recalled due to the presence of bacteria.

Thanks to their testing, they found out that the batch, which was said to expire on September 11, 2019 with batch code 09117R1 contained the Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria.

According to the post, while the batch has been completely recalled by the direct importer, Danone Dumex, AVA advises the public to check the milk that they bought, and to not consume the milk or worse, let their infant consume it if they still have it.

In an article on the AVA website, the product is said to have originated from Malaysia, and that the batch sold in 850 gram cans are the ones contaminated.

What is the bacteria in the milk anyway?

AVA said that the bacteria found in the milk, called Cronobacter sakazakii, can survive in dry conditions such as milk formula. Here are some important things to know about this bacteria.

  1. This bacteria is not generally infectious to normal, adult humans, but to newborns, it can be deadly.
  2. This bacteria can cause meningitis or sepsis. According to the Birth Injury Guide, Meningitis is an infection of the spinal column and the brain. Sepsis, on the other hand, is when the body attacks its own organs and systems to fight off an infection. Both conditions can cause great harm and death to infants.
  3. Common symptoms associated with a Cronobacter infection are fever, lethargy, and poor feeding. Parents should note that these symptoms are quite common to other conditions, so it’s best to take your baby to the doctor immediately if they exhibit these symptoms.

What do you do if you have the contaminated batch?

In case you’ve bought the contaminated batch, AVA says to contact the importer for a refund or any other concerns at 1800 265 3188.

What if you’ve fed the contaminated batch to your child?

If you’ve found that your child has ingested the bad batch, please take your baby to their doctor immediately to rule out any infection.

Kids can still get sick from clean formula

Parents are reminded to prepare fresh formula with sterilised utensils, bottles, and other paraphernalia when giving the food to infants.

Previous product recalls

While this has scarier implications thanks to the fact that the affected citizens could be defenceless infants, this is not the first time that products have been recalled in Singapore.

Etude House and Aritaum had to recall some products for the eyebrow when they tested positive for Antimony. While the products seem to not have been sold in Singapore, some Singaporeans may have inadvertently purchased them on trips abroad.

Another recent recall of products was the durian product line from Malaysia. In a report we made on the recall,  the durian coffee had poisoned seven people in Malaysia, which prompted the government to recall the coffee here.

The report said that a group of people had drank the coffee that came from one source, and that the coffee sachets seemed contaminated and opened prior to being used.

The post Dumex Mamil Infant Gold Milk Step 1 recalled due to bacteria, but what if you have the contaminated batch? appeared first on Alvinology.

Scammer posts own name and NRIC, threatens to break your daughter’s arm if you don’t pay in latest text scam

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In a Facebook post by the Singapore Police Force, they warn the public about a new scam that involves threats of child kidnapping and a demand to deposit money into a bank account. But for some, the scam may be too much of a mental exercise.

Below is the message that the Singapore Police Force posted as a warning to the public about this common scam.

Using text messaging, the scammers say that they have the person’s son or daughter and that they should deposit a certain amount into a bank account. In other variations of this scam, they first threaten the parent that they will kill the child if the incident is reported to police.

In the photo of the scam message below, you’ll notice that the scammer included a name, an NRIC, and asked that he be called at that moment. He first threatened to break the daughter’s leg before 5:00 pm.

Three hours later, he sent another message, this time without his NRIC and a new name similar to the first one, and threatened again with a different amount, one much higher than his first demand. He also helpfully included his bank account number and a new threat with an emoji.

Here is another message that has been sent to the public. This one doesn’t give any details except for the bank account number and the amount. The message threatens, however, to kill the daughter.

An identical message was sent to a completely different number, which may indicate that this really is a widespread text scam that is blasted to random numbers.

According to the Singapore Police Force, the amount of reports have become quite common, which is why they issued an advisory to the public.

What are you supposed to do?

The Singapore Police Force say that the recipient of messages like this should do the following:

  1. Remain calm and do not panic.
  2. Refrain from responding to the text message.
  3. Ascertain the safety of their sons and/or daughters, even if they have to call schools or visit the school itself.
  4. Mark the number as SPAM and block the number.

If you feel that there is some truth to the claim or that there is some danger, the police ask you to dial ‘999’ for an emergency.

What netizens are saying

Here are some comments that netizens have over the police advisory:

Some clearly referenced this to Liam Neeson’s movie, Taken, which has become a viral meme and has spurred cult status of several lines of the movie.

Someone even had the time to type out all that dialogue to make a joke.

Others weren’t satisfied with how the police handled this.

Some speculated that the recent cyber attack on public information could be the reason that their number as now in the hands of scammers.

Other commenters lamented the amount the daughter was worth in the threat.

While this commenter wished that he would get sent such a message so he could troll the scammers.

There were more questions about what the police could be doing.

Some even went so far as to tell Liam Neeson instead of the police in a joking manner.

While this comment suggested the police should do more about these messages and trace the sources.

What do you think of this scam? Have you gotten messages like this? Let us know in the comments!

 

 

The post Scammer posts own name and NRIC, threatens to break your daughter’s arm if you don’t pay in latest text scam appeared first on Alvinology.


Looking to Order Customised Macarons, Cookies and Cakes in Singapore? Try BakeAvenue

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My son Asher turned seven this year and we organised a Super Heroes themed birthday party for him. The centrepiece of the celebration was a customised Super Heroes themed cake which we got from BakeAvenue, a home-grown bakery brand in the heartland of Hougang.

What we like about BakeAvenue is that you can order a highly customised baked product from them at a very reasonable price. If you seen an existing cake design which you would like them to replicate, you can show it to them and they will quote you accordingly. Alternatively, if you trust them enough and prefer to be surprised by them, you can give them a brief and an estimated budget and BakeAvenue will work something out for you, hassle-free.

For Asher’s birthday, my brief to BakeAvenue was for it to be Super Heroes themed and enough to eat for 20 kids. Budget was set at S$300 for everything and that was it. They asked me who Asher’s favourite hero was and I told them he like Iron-man the best. I was given a choice of strawberry or chocolate filling cake, of which Asher chose the former. That’s all the details they need from me.

This was what BakeAvenue delivered on Asher’s birthday:

The cakes, macarons and cookies look amazing don’t they?

They tasted really good too and the kids love the rainbow interior of the cake, coloured with natural food colourings. The Avengers macaron toppers were a big hit and all the kids wanted to get their hands on them. Luckily, there were the smaller macarons to go around for those who did not manage to get the giant ones.

I was very satisfied with the work done and emailed BakeAvenue to request for a detailed breakdown of each of the items description to share here:

Super Hero themed Cake

Click to view slideshow.

The birthday cake was a 10-inch Strawberry Shortcake and hand-pipped according to the Avengers theme. It was topped off with 4 different Avenger characters (Iron-man, Hulk , Captain America and Spider-man) giant macaron toppers.

All the 4 macaron characters were intricately hand-piped and filled with chocolate. Even the Iron-man arc reactor at the front of the cake was made of macaron shell.

Cost: $160

Super Hero Macarons

The Avengers theme face macarons with the same four characters as the main birthday cake were also freestyle hand-piped. The macaron fillings featured a mix of flavours like Salted Caramel, Cookies and Cream, Chocolate, and Rose.

Click to view slideshow.

For BakeAvenue, their macarons cost would range from $3.50-$3.80 each, depending on the complexity of design.

Cost: $90

Super Hero Cookies

The individually wrapped Super Hero themed round cookies with various Super Hero edible images cost $3 each and were great as party giveaways. We ordered a total of 20. The kids love these and some packed theirs to bring home.

Click to view slideshow.

Cost: $60

BakeAvenue is founded and helmed by Kristin Chai, a mummy baker who turned her passion into a career by opening up her own brick and mortar shop and her mum, Irene Tan, a seasoned home cook and baker with over 30 years of experience.

They sell a wide range of baked products. Other than customised items, BakeAvenue also offer hand-crafted standard cakes (like Pandan Gula Melaka, Pandan Kaya Cake, Rainbow cake, Ombre cake, Strawberry Jelly Heart Cheese cake and more) and various selections of macarons, cupcakes and cookies. Visit their online store to find out more.

BakeAvenue has an established pool of regular customers who go back to them because of the quality delivered and their personalised service, all at a great value. They are one of the first cake businesses in Singapore to start making macaron topper cakes and as such, are one of the industry leaders.

Large-size macarons are not easy to make due to the brittle nature. For complex designs like the Super Hero characters, the difficulty increases a the designs have to be crafted entirely out of the fragile macaron batter.

Other than taking orders for customised macarons, cookies and cakes for all types of occasions from corporate events to birthdays to weddings, BakeAvenue also conduct baking classes helmed by Irene. All of their baking classes include BakeAvenue’s own home recipes, the ingredients to be used, baking equipment, utensils and packaging required. You don’t need to bring anything to the class and just to have to show up.

To make an order from BakeAvenue or find out more about them, visit their official website or pop by their physical store.

BakeAvenue Singapore

Address: Blk 6 Hougang Ave 3 #01-66 Singapore 530006
Email: bakeavenue@ymail.com
Contact Number: 88129040

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Friday 09:00 – 19:00
Saturday 09:00 – 18:00

How to get there:

Bus no. 53,72,81,87,112,151 or
Train to Hougang MRT and change bus no. 72 , 87 , 112 , 151 or
Take train to Kovan MRT and change bus no. 81 , 112 .

The post Looking to Order Customised Macarons, Cookies and Cakes in Singapore? Try BakeAvenue appeared first on Alvinology.

What is the Secondary School Ranking in Singapore based on the PSLE cut-off for 2018 intake?

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It’s that time of the year again when parents are frantically deciding on which secondary school to register their kids for after their their PSLE.

How has your child scored on the PSLE? Did he or she get a score high enough to get into the school of their choice? Or are you just looking at which school they could get into now? We have the secondary school ranking based on the scores they require, updated from the 2017 list.

The schools with emboldened names offer 6-year programmes, i.e. Integrated Programme (IP) and International Baccalaureate (IB). As you can see from their concentration at the top of the list, these schools are pretty sought after by students with good grades and are not easy to get in.

Schools under the Special Assistance Plan (SAP) are also indicated below. Students in the top 30% of the PSLE cohort who take the Higher Chinese subject will be given bonus points, added to the T-Score, for admission to SAP secondary schools: 3 points for Distinction, 2 points for Merit and 1 for Pass.

Note also that there are some schools with affiliations, which means that pupils from the affiliated primary schools enjoy certain advantage in the posting exercise. The list of secondary schools with affiliations are listed at the bottom of this article.

List below is shared via Salary.SG:

RANKING

  1. Nanyang Girls’ High School IP SAP (girls) – 264
  2. Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary) IB (girls) – 260
  3. Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary) IP (girls) – 260
  4. Hwa Chong Institution IP SAP (boys) – 258
  5. Raffles Institution IP (boys) – 257
  6. Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) IB (boys) – 256
  7. CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School IP SAP (girls) – 256
  8. National Junior College IP (co-ed) – 256
  9. Dunman High School IP SAP (co-ed) – 255
  10. Cedar Girls’ Secondary School IP (girls) – 254
  11. Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary) O-levels (girls) – 254
  12. Catholic High School IP SAP (boys) – 253
  13. CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School O-levels SAP (girls) – 253
  14. St. Joseph’s Institution IB (boys) – 253
  15. Singapore Chinese Girls’ School IP (girls) – 252
  16. Victoria School IP (boys) – 252
  17. Catholic High School O-levels SAP (boys) – 250
  18. Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary) (girls) – 250
  19. River Valley High School IP SAP (co-ed) – 250
  20. Singapore Chinese Girls’ School O-levels (girls) – 250
  21. Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) O-levels (boys) – 249
  22. Cedar Girls’ Secondary School – O-levels (girls) – 249
  23. Temasek Junior College IP (co-ed) – 249
  24. Victoria School – O-levels (boys) – 246
  25. Anderson Secondary School (co-ed) – 245
  26. Bukit Panjang Govt. High School (co-ed) – 244
  27. St. Joseph’s Institution O-levels (boys) – 244
  28. CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) (girls) – 243
  29. Nan Chiau High School SAP (co-ed) – 243
  30. Nan Hua High School SAP (co-ed) – 243
  31. Chung Cheng High School (Main) SAP (co-ed) – 242
  32. Crescent Girls’ School (girls) – 241
  33. Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) (co-ed) – 241
  34. St. Margaret’s Secondary School (girls) – 241
  35. Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) (boys) – 240
  36. Swiss Cottage Secondary School (co-ed) – 239
  37. Anglican High School SAP (co-ed) – 238
  38. Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) (co-ed) – 238
  39. Commonwealth Secondary School (co-ed) – 237
  40. Ngee Ann Secondary School (co-ed) – 237
  41. CHIJ St. Theresa’s Convent (girls) – 235
  42. Maris Stella High School SAP (boys) – 235
  43. Yishun Town Secondary School (co-ed) – 235
  44. St. Andrew’s Secondary School (boys) – 234
  45. Zhonghua Secondary School (co-ed) – 234
  46. Xinmin Secondary School (co-ed) – 233
  47. CHIJ St. Joseph’s Convent (girls) – 232
  48. Fuhua Secondary School (co-ed) – 232
  49. Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School (co-ed) – 232
  50. Presbyterian High School (co-ed) – 232
  51. Clementi Town Secondary School (co-ed) – 231
  52. Tanjong Katong Girls’ School (girls) – 231
  53. Tanjong Katong Secondary School (co-ed) – 231
  54. Temasek Secondary School (co-ed) – 231
  55. Riverside Secondary School (co-ed) – 230
  56. Dunman Secondary School (co-ed) – 229
  57. Kranji Secondary School (co-ed) – 229
  58. Holy Innocents’ High School (co-ed) – 228
  59. Edgefield Secondary School (co-ed) – 226
  60. CHIJ Katong Convent (girls) – 225
  61. St. Patrick’s School (boys) – 225
  62. Ang Mo Kio Secondary School (co-ed) – 224
  63. Bowen Secondary School (co-ed) – 224
  64. Evergreen Secondary School (co-ed) – 224
  65. Geylang Methodist School (Secondary) (co-ed) – 224
  66. Jurong Secondary School (co-ed) – 224
  67. Bukit Batok Secondary School (co-ed) – 223
  68. Gan Eng Seng School (co-ed) – 223
  69. St. Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School (girls) – 223
  70. St. Gabriel’s Secondary School (boys) – 222
  71. Hua Yi Secondary School (co-ed) – 221
  72. St. Hilda’s Secondary School (co-ed) – 221
  73. Hai Sing Catholic School (co-ed) – 220
  74. West Spring Secondary School (co-ed) – 220
  75. Mayflower Secondary School (co-ed) – 219
  76. Pei Hwa Secondary School (co-ed) – 219
  77. Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School (co-ed) – 218
  78. Pasir Ris Secondary School (co-ed) – 216
  79. Deyi Secondary School (co-ed) – 215
  80. Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School (co-ed) – 215
  81. Queensway Secondary School (co-ed) – 214
  82. Bedok View Secondary School (co-ed) – 212
  83. Unity Secondary School (co-ed) – 212
  84. Beatty Secondary School (co-ed) – 211
  85. Chua Chu Kang Secondary School (co-ed) – 211
  86. Woodlands Ring Secondary School (co-ed) – 211
  87. Compassvale Secondary School (co-ed) – 210
  88. Meridian Secondary School (co-ed) – 208
  89. North Vista Secondary School (co-ed) – 208
  90. Orchid Park Secondary School (co-ed) – 208
  91. Peirce Secondary School (co-ed) – 208
  92. Yuan Ching Secondary School (co-ed) – 208
  93. Bedok South Secondary School (co-ed) – 207
  94. Kent Ridge Secondary School (co-ed) – 206
  95. Zhenghua Secondary School (co-ed) – 206
  96. Bukit View Secondary School (co-ed) – 205
  97. Hillgrove Secondary School (co-ed) – 205
  98. Montfort Secondary School (boys) – 204
  99. Woodgrove Secondary School (co-ed) – 204
  100. Greendale Secondary School (co-ed) – 203
  101. Tampines Secondary School (co-ed) – 203
  102. Christ Church Secondary School (co-ed) – 201
  103. Yishun Secondary School (co-ed) – 200
  104. Jurong West Secondary School (co-ed) – 199
  105. Seng Kang Secondary School (co-ed) – 199
  106. Westwood Secondary School (co-ed) – 198
  107. Admiralty Secondary School (co-ed) – 197
  108. Jurongville Secondary School (co-ed) – 195
  109. Juying Secondary School (co-ed) – 195
  110. Naval Base Secondary School (co-ed) – 195
  111. Hougang Secondary School (co-ed) – 194
  112. Punggol Secondary School (co-ed) – 194
  113. Regent Secondary School (co-ed) – 190
  114. Bukit Merah Secondary School (co-ed) – 189
  115. Changkat Changi Secondary School (co-ed) – 189
  116. Dunearn Secondary School (co-ed) – 189
  117. New Town Secondary School (co-ed) – 189
  118. Ping Yi Secondary School (co-ed) – 189
  119. Springfield Secondary School (co-ed) – 189
  120. Assumption English School (co-ed) – 188
  121. Bartley Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  122. Bedok Green Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  123. Bendemeer Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  124. Boon Lay Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  125. Broadrick Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  126. Canberra Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  127. Damai Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  128. East Spring Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  129. East View Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  130. Fajar Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  131. Fuchun Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  132. Greenridge Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  133. Guangyang Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  134. Hong Kah Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  135. Junyuan Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  136. Loyang Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  137. Manjusri Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  138. Marsiling Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  139. Northbrooks Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  140. Northland Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  141. Outram Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  142. Peicai Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  143. Queenstown Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  144. Sembawang Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  145. Serangoon Garden Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  146. Serangoon Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  147. Shuqun Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  148. Tanglin Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  149. Teck Whye Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  150. Whitley Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  151. Woodlands Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  152. Yio Chu Kang Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  153. Yuhua Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  154. Yusof Ishak Secondary School (co-ed) – 188
  155. Yuying Secondary School (co-ed) – 188

AFFILIATIONS

List of secondary schools with affiliations and their cut-off points for affiliated students:

  • Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) – 189
  • Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) – 235
  • Catholic High School – 240
  • CHIJ Katong Convent – 201
  • CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) – 201
  • CHIJ St. Joseph’s Convent – 200
  • CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School – 230
  • CHIJ St. Theresa’s Convent – 200
  • Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) – 200
  • Geylang Methodist School (Secondary) – 195
  • Holy Innocents’ High School – 188
  • Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School – 200
  • Manjusri Secondary School – 188
  • Maris Stella High School – 226
  • Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary) – 220
  • Montfort Secondary School – 188
  • Nanyang Girls’ High School – 250
  • Ngee Ann Secondary School – 226
  • Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary) – 216
  • Singapore Chinese Girls’ School – 220
  • St. Andrew’s Secondary School – 189
  • St. Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School – 188
  • St. Gabriel’s Secondary School – 188
  • St. Hilda’s Secondary School – 188
  • St. Joseph’s Institution – 238
  • St. Margaret’s Secondary School – 200
  • St. Patrick’s School – 190

Header image provided by Shutterstock.com. 

The post What is the Secondary School Ranking in Singapore based on the PSLE cut-off for 2018 intake? appeared first on Alvinology.

Five non-scientific trend we observed from the top secondary school ranking in Singapore based on PSLE cut-off scores

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The unofficial ranking list of the top secondary school in Singapore based on PSLE cut-off scores is available online and we showed it to some parents to get their feedback. Here are five non-scientific, casual observations which they came up with.


 

Girls are smarter than boys in Singapore (at least at PSLE level)

The top three secondary schools in Singapore based on PSLE cut-off scores are all all-girls school – namely, Nanyang Girls’ High School IP SAP, Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary) IB and Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary) IP.

Scientifically though, this is probably due to the fact that girls generally reach puberty earlier than boys and are more mature in their thinking at the same age.

All-girls school dominate the top positions

Out of the top ten schools, five are all-girls, three are all-boys and two are co-eds. As you go down the list, it is still noticeable that all-girls schools tend to rank pretty well overall versus all-boys and co-eds.

For instance, even if you remove al the special program schools (IP, IB and SAP) and strip down the list to just O-levels schools, all-girls schools still dominate the top of the list.

All-boys or all-girls schools generally rank better than co-ed schools

Perhaps there’s some truth about not letting kids getting to know about the birds and the bees too early – it is very noticeable from the list that the all-girls and all-boys schools tend to clutter within the top 50 ranking, with the exception of a few outliers like Montfort Secondary languishing at 98.

Some O-levels schools are even harder to get in than the special programs IB or IP schools

Some parents obviously do not see it as a must for their kids to enter into the special 6-years program schools offering IP or IB fast-track to skip the O-levels, even if they had the grades to get in. There are pockets of O-levels schools that ranked better than IB and IP schools.

These include Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary) O-levels, CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School O-levels SAP, Catholic High School O-levels SAP, Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary), Singapore Chinese Girls’ School O-levels, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) O-levels and Cedar Girls’ Secondary School O-levels, which all rank above the lowest rank special program school, Temasek Junior College IP at number 23 on the list.

Name of school seems indicative of ranking

Generally speaking, schools with heartlanderish names that are synonymous with HDB estates, particularly those in the suburban areas tend to rank lower on the list. Note that this is just a casual observation and is not scientific.

There are exceptions of course, with Anderson Secondary School and Bukit Panjang Govt. High School ranked a very respectable 25th and 26th on the list.


Do you have other observations of your own to add about the ranking list? Please share them with us in the comments below.

Header image provided by Shutterstock.com.

The post Five non-scientific trend we observed from the top secondary school ranking in Singapore based on PSLE cut-off scores appeared first on Alvinology.

Amos Yee’s mother, Mary Toh – Loving mom or enabler for bad behaviours?

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Being a parent is hard. More so if your son is recalcitrant Singaporean teen turned American political refugee, Amos Yee. To familiarise yourself with who Amos Yee is, read our previous reports about him.

Yee is 20 years old now and an adult living in America and surviving off donations from fans of his social media channels like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. It seems he won’t be able to do so anymore as he has gotten himself permanently banned from platforms like Facebook and Twitter due to his pro-paedophilia advocacy work. It’s not like he did not receive any warnings. His YouTube account was deactivated earlier in May due to his pro-paedophilia videos, but he simply continue producing more such content on other channels. With such a bad reputation now in the online world, it is unlikely any other platforms would allow him to continue his advocacy works for paedophiles except in the cowboy communities of the deep dark web.

What a fall from grace for a boy whom Singaporeans have sort of a love-hate relationship with. Free speech champions in Singapore and human rights activists used to hold him up as an example of a victim of the curtailing of free speech in Singapore, but with Yee advocating for paedophiles these days, they don’t seem to hold him with such high regards anymore.

In fact, even one of Yee’s most ardent supporters, America-based human right activist Melissa Chen, is backpedalling oh her support and calling for Yee to be deported from the States back to Singapore. She even offered to personally escort Yee back. Here’s a video she posted lambasting Yee for his pro-paedophilia advocacy work:

Yee can count on one staunch supporter to be always on his side though – his doting mother, Mary Toh. After the video by Chen was widely reported by the media, Toh has lashed out at Chen on her own Facebook account, slamming Chen for her “intellectual dishonesty”:

Mary Toh’s retort to Melissa Chen in full:

“This is a response to Melissa Chen, the person who helped Amos with his asylum case but has since called for his deportation because of his views on pedophilia. I, as Amos’ mother feel obligated to post this (especially since all of Amos’ platforms (Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, WordPress) have been taken down):

There is a way to disagree with Amos’ positions on pedophilia (Which obviously I’m against), whilst not creating the negative PR against the free speech cause that was sparked by Amos’ case, that human rights activists in Singapore have fought for greatly, saying Amos should be ‘deported from the US’ because of his opinions on pedophilia is unintentionally doing just that. I probably speak for Melissa, myself and everyone involved in Amos’ case before when I say: the laws that got Amos imprisoned in Singapore (for criticising the Singapore Government and religion), I, Melissa and all the people who spoke up for Amos’ cause that are now feeling disappointed and horrified because of Amos’ views on pedophilia, we’re all still against those anti-free speech laws in Singapore. So I hope people don’t use Amos’ views on pedophilia now to try to demean the pro-free speech movement in Singapore that Amos’ case had generated, because those 2 issues are hardly related. Now I’ll get to Melissa’ reaction to Amos’ pedophile activism…

Melissa is a person who champions and surrounds herself with people who support platforming: the KKK, White Supremacists, Neo-Nazis and Alex Jones, people and groups that from my knowledge, advocate (and sometimes even directly cause) actual violence to people. Amos unlike those groups, has never advocated for direct harm to any child (if you have an actual quote that he did (that is not misrepresented or out of context), please show it to me), of course you can claim that although Amos does not advocate for direct harm, his positions would definitely contribute to harming children, fair enough I agree with that. However, it contributes to as much harm (if not less) than the KKK and Neo-nazi groups Melissa so righteously defends. The only reason I can think of why Melissa would criticise Twitter for banning nazis, yet subsequently call for Amos’ deportation, is because in America now it’s more popular to defend the ‘free speech rights’ of white supremacists and nazis, but not pedophiles (Bear in mind I’m against all these views, however I don’t think people just having these opinions is serious enough (unless it’s planning direct violence) to ever warrant being sent to prison over).

If Melissa were consistent with her views on ‘freedom of speech’, she would defend Amos’ rights to speak on the internet, but instead, not only did she lead the campaign that took down all of Amos’ online platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, WordPress), she is also apparently ‘offering’ to deport Amos back to Singapore. Really think about what that means: not only is she saying Amos should return to the country that has those oppressive anti-free speech laws that got him imprisoned there before, she’s also saying it’s alright for Amos to be sent to years of prison for the completely unrelated incident of escaping Singapore’ compulsory military, a compulsory military that Melissa herself is against.

Melissa instead of forming her views based on a consistent, logical thought process, instead receives her views based on peer-pressure. She is dishonest, she is intellectually dishonest, a farcry from the skepticism and willingness to engage in ideas (no matter how reprehensible), values that she claims to uphold. I feel like she made that video against Amos based on completely biased misinformation spread about him by haters, and I think she should really refrain from posting on the internet whilst menstruating. I heard that Amos has emailed Melissa asking for a private conversation to clear up any misunderstandings between both of them, so from a mother to her I hope Melissa accepts it. Melissa is right in that Amos can get erratic and unlikeable at times (As Amos’ mother I should know), but I think since the 2 years Melissa has talked to Amos, Amos has improved a lot in communication and social skills, so I think Melissa would be pleasantly surprised if she talked to Amos now

After Melissa speaks with Amos, I sincerely hope that she takes down her video, and then issue a public apology, because anyone who’s actually reasonable would know that this public statement she made is just embarrassing for her, and this is embarrassing in contrast to Amos, my son who now defends pedophiles, so you know it’s bad”

Toh is in a difficult position obviously. Her loving son has a blatant disregard for authorities everywhere and seem unable to maintain a proper human relationship with anyone, constantly biting the hands that feed him like his own parents.

As a mother, it is only right that she will always have a soft spot for her own flesh and blood, however wayward he may have become. However, this brings to question – is Toh just as guilty for how Yee turned out to be now as an adult due to her unwavering support and love for him? As the age old saying goes – spare the rod and spoil the child. We do not know how Toh interacts with Yee in their private lives and what sort of nurturing environment she brought him up in.

Nonetheless, at this stage when Yee is advocating paedophilia, maybe Toh should take a step back and consider the feelings of parents out there whose children are victims of paedophile crimes.

With regards to Amos Yee – we still think the best way to deal with an attention-seeker like him is to just ignore him completely. 

Header image of Mary Toh and Amos Yee via StraitsTimes.com.

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Singaporean girls and their Instagram accounts are the latest targets of online perverts

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If you’re a young, Singaporean female with an Instagram account, your photos may be circulating and posted on some other account without your knowledge in the latest awful internet trend.

Insidious online voyeurism

According to a report by The Straits Times, perverts and other voyeurs have been populating Tumblr and Instagram accounts with photos of Singaporean girls as young as 16 years old. Instagram and Facebook allow users as young as 13 years old to use their platforms.

Accompanying these unauthorised photos are lewd captions. The photos are usually innocent, since girls at that age post about birthday parties or going to the mall–but the accounts are catering to perverts and voyeurs who have a fetish for underage girls.

Followers of this account are then won’t to make indecent comments on the photos, which are also featured on the Instagram Stories feature regularly.

Image from Shutterstock, Asian girl phone crying.

Not the only website

Another report by TODAYonline mentions that there is a multitude of accounts and websites that have the same modus operandi, but have different content. These websites take Instagram and social media photos from women in college or a bit older, usually sexy photos or bikini shots, and post them on their website.

For the older women who were in their 20s, the use of their photos is a breach of privacy, as the accounts also mention their names, address, and other important data. Most of the women reported that they received a spike in anonymous messages from perverts.

These messages could be anything from a pick-up line to outright nude photos sent by the perverts who follow the voyeur account.

Aside from Instagram, Tumblr is also notorious for hosting photos taken from their owners’ social media without their knowledge, and accompanied by lascivious comments. Some user information on the photos are also revealed, which lets the followers of the account engage with the women, who are unaware that their photos have already circulated online.

What is the government doing about it?

The Straits Times says that the Ministry of Education is going to take action against SgJCBabes, the website that was taking photographs from students’ Instagram accounts.

According to the report, the MOE has reached out to Facebook (who owns Instagram) on what may be done about the photographs on SgJCBabes, since these are photos of children and women.

As for the women on other websites, they have tried reaching out to Instagram and even reported the accounts, but the social media platform replied that they did not see any violation.

Their photos are shared publicly anyway

While it’s impossible to stop people from ripping your photos online, the fact that some people comment lasciviously on them can land the commenters in trouble. Singaporean law prohibits people from saying derogatory words to women, and the account in question is especially in trouble because the targets are young girls.

How to avoid this

Setting your Instagram to show photos only to your friends may help deter these photo-snatching perverts. Unless the social media platform penalises other users from stealing photos, though, this may be a continuing trend.

Header image from Shutterstock.

 

 

 

 

 

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Raising a child in Singapore costs $670,000 according to infographic

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Raising a kid in Singapore is expensive, but just how much money are we talking about?

According to a series of photos from SmartParent posted by Ivan Teo on his account, Singaporeans with children need at least $670,000 per child to cover expenses until adulthood.

Take a look at the Facebook post here:

Here are the itemised expenses for all a child’s needs in Singapore according to the post:

If you factor in a healthy pregnancy, you’d be spending from the time you know the baby is growing in the mom’s tummy. The photo below doesn’t include any hospital expenses in case the mother or the child has complications or simply need to stay a few more days in the hospital.

Even if the baby only drinks milk, this photo adds a confinement nanny to the expenses. At that rate, though, that confinement nanny would be taking care of the child 24 hours a day and seven days a week, completely replacing the mother.

Once the toddler age sets in, the expenses settle down a little, but are still considerable.

When school starts, more expenses come in and you even have to get them a data plan and a phone. The computer expense may be a bit too steep, as that could be equivalent to a gaming computer.

As the school fees hike, so does the tuition and pocket money for your child. The photo also assumes that you would give your child a PC upgrade.

Whether your child chooses junior college or a polytechnic school, the expenses theoretically go down. Theoretically.

And finally, university comes along, which may or may not include living expenses if your child is studying abroad. This is also assuming your child isn’t smart enough to get into a scholarship.

What do actual parents say? Here are some of their reactions to the post.

Some people think that the lowest cost wasn’t used here and the person who made the infographic doesn’t have any idea of how much certain baby items actually cost.

While others took it as a warning before having children.

Other commenters thought that the estimates are way too high, even for an adult. This commenter didn’t agree with spending $300 on clothes for each kid in a year. But if you factor in how kids grow over a few months, it could add up.

When looking at the hospital care for birth and delivery, the rates used by the infographic may be for private hospitals, which are definitely on the expensive side.

This commenter gave practical insight into borrowing or accepting used items for your baby, especially if you have friends or relatives who have babies of their own.

Some can’t imagine how you can pay $500 for baby toys.

Some offer advice to parents who buy toys for their kids. They suggest buying simpler toys instead of gadgets and complicated playthings.

Others disputed some items such as dental services.

Some people pointed out phone plans which are cheaper than what was listed.

According to others, believing in this would mean you are insane.

And the millennial spectator pointed out how large the allowance was allotted to the later years.

 

What do you think of this infographic? Do you agree? Let us know in the comments!

Header image from Shutterstock, family, expenses, schooling.

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25-year-old man who sold kidney for iPhone in his teens is now bedridden and on dialysis

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Do you remember how badly (or not) you wanted your first smartphone, or specifically, an iPhone? How you pleaded with your parents to get you one, the bargaining with them and all the envy you felt when you saw you friends had one and you didn’t?

This man from China, though, may have thought the same feelings were unbearable at the time, and went through drastic, life-altering measures just to get the highly-coveted gadgets that are considered social status symbols.

A 25-year-old man in China, Wang Shangkun, is currently bedridden and experiencing renal deficiency. It was reported that he had sold his kidney on the black market, after undergoing dangerous surgery in an unsanitary manner.

According to a news report from Australia, then 17-year-old Wang had encountered the organ peddlers and other agents engaged in the illegal trade in internet chat rooms and forums.

At the time, which was eight years ago, Wang was paid approximately $4400. He used the money to buy an iPad 2 and an iPhone 4, which were the latest models at the time.

How did he sell his kidney?

Wang, who is regularly on dialysis related that the surgery happened in the Hunan central province. At the time, his parents did not know that he had undergone the operation.

Two doctors who were employed by local hospitals had performed the harrowing operation.

The leader of the whole operation, a man named He Wei, said that Wang would be given $20,000 for the organ, but the amount was later reduced to $4400 because the money had to be split with everyone who had a hand in harvesting Wang’s kidney.

Why did Wang think selling his kidney for money was a good idea?

In previous interviews with Wang, he said that, “Why do I need a second kidney? One is enough.”

He and his family live in one of the poorest parts of China, and he had no money at the time to afford a smartphone, let alone the latest iPhone and iPad.

“At the time, I wanted to buy an iPad2, but I didn’t have any money.” he said in an interview.

“When I was on the internet, I had a kidney agent send a message, saying that selling a kidney can give me 20,000.” he said in a different report.

Reports also said that he wanted the iPad and iPhone to show off to his friends.

His parents did not know that he had undergone any operation, but when they did, they told the police. A case was filed against nine people in connection with the case, and five were jailed in 2012. Wang and his family were compensated with $300,000 on that same year.

What’s happened to Wang now?

Wang is now bedridden and has to live with complications because of his lack of one kidney. Reports said that the surgery, which was done in unsanitary conditions, had lead to infection and post-operative complications.

Since his parents were also unaware of the operation, Wang wasn’t able to receive the proper aftercare, which could have aggravated his condition.

Header image from Shutterstock, defocused, bedridden patient.

Read about the Malaysian teen too shy to ask for help, gets lost in Singapore for 10 days

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Thomson Medical Group reveals plans to take ownership of SmartParents.Sg to celebrate its 40th anniversary

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Thomson Medical Group Limited announces plans to take ownership of the SmartParents platform which operates the popular one-stop parenting portal SmartParents.Sg, from Mediacorp.

TMG, which celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the founding of Thomson Medical this year, will work with stakeholders in the parenting community, including Mediacorp to grow the content and service offerings on SmartParents.Sg and turn it into a major regional platform.

With SmartParents, Thomson Medical will be able to enhance its relevance to and better engage today’s young parents, many of whom are digital natives. The combination of Thomson Medical’s strong heritage in healthcare and SmartParents’ popular digital platform will create a unique proposition – a one-stop resource fortified by the medical expertise and experience of a well-regarded healthcare facility.

Thomson Medical aims to turn SmartParents into a reliable and relatable platform for every family in the region.

The move to own SmartParents is part of Thomson Medical’s strategic transformation into modern integrated health, medical and lifestyle platform. SmartParents will extend and expand its outreach to become the premier digital community for parents in Singapore and the region, giving parents and parents-to-be a one-stop portal featuring parenting advice, health and wellness information and lifestyle tips.

Thomson Medical also plans to introduce e-commerce to this digital platform, so that the community will have access to goods and services for parents and children.

Says Mrs Mega Shuen, CEO of Thomson Medical, “We are excited to build on SmartParents’ current 100,000-strong community to create a major regional platform to serve and engage even more families and parents for many years to come.”

Ms Irene Lim, Chief Customer Officer of Mediacorp said, “We are delighted that SmartParents, under TMG’s ownership, will continue to serve digitally-savvy and forward-thinking mums and dads in Singapore with its illuminating content.

“We hope that this creative IP will support TMG’s efforts to expand its reach and deepen its partnership with parents on their joyful, heroic journeys. Congratulations to TMG on its milestone celebration.”

Visit here for more info about Thomson Medical Group Limited.

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Netizens roast 19-year-old Singaporean complaining about having to be on time for trains on her graduation trip

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At this juncture, I believe youth is not wasted on the youth, since it provides the rest of us with so much entertainment and schadenfreude.

In a post surprising no one but entertaining quite a lot of people, a 19-year-old Singaporean girl named Andrea Chong has taken to the Youth.SG or YouthSG page on Facebook to air her views on being a young person in today’s digital age–and that includes beinga nnoyed at how punctual the trains are in Japan (among other things).

Read about this student, Bumblebee, who caused a commotion by challenging a fellow student to fisticuffs.

Take a look at her post below:

Her post says:

“I thought planning a holiday with my friends would be all rainbows and sparkles, but the execution was a lot tougher than I expected.

I faced all sorts of problems, from convincing worried parents and gathering enough money to finding friends who will not bail out before the trip. Even on the holiday, things like Google Maps messing up and us having to share one portable Wi-Fi router while on separate routes only led to more arguments.

But the most challenging thing for a non-early riser like me was being on-time. In a country like Japan, where a bus that comes at 5.01pm is gone by 5.02pm, being just a minute late would require us to change a whole day of plans.

So, if someone asks about going on a grad trip, I’d advise them against it. Because no staycation in Singapore will ever prepare you for a trip in a foreign country.”

According to her post above, she’s had to deal with numerous “troubles” and “inconveniences” just to get what she wanted which was a graduation trip. A common practice for newly-minted singaorean graduats, parents usually sponsor these trips for their children before the said children enter the workforce.

She was surprise at how difficult it was to actually plan and budget a trip abroad, since she was probably used to someone arranging all the details for her before.

But what actually made her life difficult was that she had to wake up on time to catch a train in Japan. Just being one minute late was unacceotable for the train system.

Was she asking for it?

Predictably, Singaporeans had a lot to say about her statement. I mean, who could blame them?

Others pointed out how different their graduation trips were from Audrey’s.

Some questioned the conclusions she had drawn from her experience and the advice she would give other youths in Singapore. Why indeed would she discourage other people from doing something that turned out bad only because of her own doing?

While others said taht they need to spak to her parents. Whatever for, since she’s already nineteen years old?

Some pointed out that her attitude may not be a good towards work, but we would never know since people are different on how they treat work and leisure.

This commenter, on the other hand, voiced his concern about the youth in Singapore, and I think that this is the appropriate platform to do so.

This person had some harsh truth bombs to drop on poor Audrey. Harsh, but true.

While other comments were simply unhelpful.

Youth.SG appeals to the public

As some of the comments had begun to be impassioned and even downright insulting, the Facebook page that featured Audrey had this to say:

Did you go on a graduation trip when you were nineteen years old? How did it go? Let us know in the comments!

Header image from Shutterstock, Japan train line September 2017.

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This man is the most disgusting human being in Singapore

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An unnamed man was recently sentenced with the maximum amount of caning (24) and a 25-year jail sentence for crimes that have shocked Singapore.

In a report by Channel News Asia, a 27-year-old man was given such a sentences for the monstrous crimes he had committed against his wife, his daughter, and niece.

The report said that the unemployed father admitted to molesting his own daughter and niece along with prostituting his wife. He made his 6-year-old daughter perform sexual acts while his 13-year-old niece was molested by him in a hotel room.

A psychiatrist working on the case noted in their report to the court that this horrid father was proud and boastful of his sexual prowess and everything he did to his wife and daughter.

What did he do to his wife?

Prosecutors of this case declared that what the man had done to his wife was unique in Singapore, and that this was the first case where a husband became the pimp for his own wife, who was prostituted against her will.

The abuse his wife experienced started when they were still dating. They were married in 2012, and four years after that, things got worse for his wife. With the birth of their second child, he was unemployed and they did not have enough funds to support their children. She was already working as a receptionist at the time earning $1800.

He ordered her to use her body to earn money to provide for their infant son, who needed milk and diapers. He had even imposed a “quota” that she needed to reach to ensure that her son would be provided for. She tried to ask to get a regular job but he insisted on prostitution as it was more lucrative.

He schooled her in the sex industry, and set up her profile on a website designed to capture customers in the sex trade. He would monitor her “work” and beat her to secure the money she earned and whenever he felt jealous.

In the end, she earned $11,000 after serving 138 “customers.” This happened daily over three months.

What about his daughter and niece?

In 2016, he and his wife were initially living with his mother, but after he had an argument with the latter, he took his family and left. They then lived in Value Hotel Balestier at the time.

While his wife was in the toilet, he had successfully coerced his child who was six to engage in sexual activity. When his wife saw this, she tried to stop him, but he threatened to hurt her and the children.

A few months later, he forced his wife to take her 13-year-old niece to him, even if the girl was taking her PSLE exam at the time. He left the children at the initial hotel, a six-year-old and a baby, to go to a different hotel. There, he waited for his wife and his niece.

The wife, afraid that he would continue to hurt her and the children, bodily forced the niece to come with her. There in the other hotel, he molested the teenager and the wife returned to take care of the children he left.

Read about celebrity Eden Ang, who allegedly raped a 13-year-old girl.

How was he caught?

His own mother reported him to the police after his daughter told her that he had done something to her. Details of the case then emerged, where the court heard that he would also beat his wife when she did not earn enough through her “trade” on that day, forcing her to service more men the next.

Header image from Shutterstock, mother daughter, sepia tone beach.

 

 

 

 

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Zoe Tay’s son didn’t study all the time, but still got 270 on his PSLE score

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Zoe Tay, Mediacorp actress and Singaporean celebrity mom, may have found the answer to parents’ questions about what to do so their kids get the best scores on their PSLE exams, and it could be the opposite of what everyone thinks.

While her son took the exams in 2017, she and her pilot husband, Philip Chionh, were faced with he same problems that all Singaporean parents have when exam time comes along. What can they do to help their child get the best scores so they can get into their school of choice?

We’ve read about parents going through tremendous lengths such as private tutors along with private tuition centers as well as other study aids just o their child could perform well in the exams. But what did the over-achieving Mediacorp actress do that allowed her son to flourish during this difficult time?

The Zoe Tay secret to her son’s high PSLE score

According to a post on The Learning Lab, where her son, Brayden, went to study for the exams, Zoe said that her son did not study all the time as the exams came up. She made sure that she her child followed a schedule for revising and studying, so that they could carve out relaxation time and time to unwind, no matter how near the exams were and how much her son had studied.

Zoe said, “We find that when there is a schedule, revision is easier to manage. We wanted to make sure that our son had time to relax and wasn’t studying all the time. Also, we wanted him to be sure he didn’t focus too much on one subject over the other. So we set a revision plan based on the exam dates and on how much time he needed to revise each subject well.”

Could this be the secret to her son’s flying colors? Singaporean parents are known to be kiasu with their children, thanks to their hyper-awareness of the intense competition happening in the world. This may lead to excessive expectations and insane schedules for revising, but it seems Zoe and Philip weren’t going the usual Tiger mom and dad routes.

Research shows being Tiger mom and dad don’t really help

A study in 2013 based on Asian children in America who had Tiger parents or strict home rules with regards to academics and other aspects of their life showed that they didn’t do better than their peers who had more permissive households. The study showed that supportive parents who listened to their children but set flexible rules were the better performers.

You may remember this article that showed a Chinese mother showing off her son’s 16-hour schedule everyday that involved waking up at five in the morning so he could study Chinese literature for an hour before getting ready for school. Aside from piano lessons, swimming and other extra-curricular activities, the child was required to study until eleven in the evening, then begin his day at five again the next morning.

Could kiasu parents finally realize that hovering may not really help their child, and instead follow Zoe’s parenting style that may have a strict schedule but gives value to relaxation and fun too?

Let us know in the comments!

Header image from Zoe Tay Instagram account.

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Is prison the best place to study? Inmates get as high as 5 A’s and 1 B in A-Levels

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Amrin Amin, Senior PArliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs recently shared that 34 inmates under the Tanah Merah Prison school received their A-Levels behind bars. 61 students also sat for their O-Levels while serving their prison terms in the same school.

Take a look at his post below:

His post reads:

34 inmates from Tanah Merah Prison School sat for A-Level examinations in 2018. Results out today.

Our top scorer got five As and one B!

5 inmates qualify to apply for full-time local university courses. 16 inmates qualify for polytechnic and private degree courses.

All winners. Results matter, but what matters more is their fantastic effort and never-say-die attitude.

I am very proud of our inmates – all 34 of them – for attempting A-Level examinations. It shows great spirit and character. Bravo!

He has been actively sharing about his office’s efforts to rehabilitate inmates, and that more than 300 prisoners take their N, O, and A-Levels while serving their sentences. They do this through the schools and rehabilitative programs present in so many detention centers and halfway houses. To better understand the plight of these prisoners, Minister Amin published his video too:

One of the achievements he boasts about is that one of the inmates definitely received better results than we did! According to his post, one received five A’s and one B!

In a report from TODAY Online, you can see that prisoners going on to have better careers and being able to turn their life around is not as uncommon as you think. The report highlighted 39-year-old Darren Tang who even got a law degree and a job straight out of law school after spending more than 12 years in jail!

The reports said that he had even received caning for drug offenses. But the National University of Singapore said that his results on the exams were good enough that he warranted an interview, which is why they gave him a chance. The Dean of the Faulty of Law at NUS even mentioned that a special provision was given at the time of his interview, where a faculty member went for a prison visit to interview Darren.

This just proves that rehabilitation does have good effects on offenders, offering them hope and a second chance–if they’re willing to work hard and are remorseful of their actions. For other inmates, though, this may not be the case.

What do netizens have to say?

Count on Singaporean netizens (who have no doubt gone through their A-Levels) to give their opinions on the efforts of these inmates:

Some mentioned that prison could be a very good study environment–and possibly the best in Singapore.

Others marveled at how they were able to get such high levels without the use of modern day study tools and the internet.

While others already knew what helped these inmates get such great results.

Some expressed that these prisoners did better than they did and they know why.

This commenter pointed out that the scores were good enough for very difficult courses of study like medicine and law.

Some had a great joke at their own expense to praise these prisoners.

While others had a suggestion for parents who want their kids to get good scores.

Is prison the answer? Or maybe Zoe Tay’s parenting technique may be better for getting good scores for takers who aren’t in prison.

Header image from Amrin Amin’s Facebook post.

 

 

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