Category: Singapuraku

Young Lions Get Serious For SEA Games

There is a major effort underway as Singapore targets glory at next year’s South-east Asia (SEA) Games football competition.

Speaking to The New Paper yesterday, national youth teams head coach Richard Tardy outlined his plans for the Young Lions.

For starters, the Garena Young Lions, to be coached by former Singapore international V Selvaraj, will kick off the upcoming S.League season with 30 players all born in the year 1995 or later as the SEA Games football competition next August will be an under-22 tournament.

The team’s senior players like Khairul Amri, Firdaus Kasman, Christopher van Huizen and Fareez Farhan will all be free to sign for other clubs.

“Last year we took Amri and Firdaus to help add some experience to the team, and we didn’t know at the start of last season whether the SEA Games will be an under-22 or under-23 competition,” said Tardy, who will be in charge of the team at the SEA Games.

“It would have been difficult to start with an entirely young team. Still, we had a team with an average age of 21.5 years, which is the youngest in the club’s history.

“It gave the opportunity for under-18 players like Rusyaidi Salime, Joshua Pereira and Hami Syahin to progress.

“But now that we are so near to the SEA Games, it makes no sense to take overaged players.

“Honestly, it will be very difficult to compete in the S.League, we know. Those with one-year experience can help us.

“We must think about the future of Singapore football and the future is coming from the youth.

“I’m sure that in two or three years, we will find some senior national players from this team.”

The 66-year-old Frenchman urged support from all stakeholders as he revealed the comprehensive training schedule in store for the Young Lions, who will sit out of local cup competitions.

He said: “Our season this year ended on Oct 15 but we trained until Nov 30 because I didn’t want them to go a long time without training.

“They now have a three-week break before they come back in the last week of December to get ready for the new season.

“Next month, we will have a training camp in Phuket with good facilities and a good field to get back to a good level physically before the season starts.

“In March, we will play in a Dubai tournament against strong teams from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, China and Thailand.

“I don’t want easy games even though I know they are good for the spirit.

“Our best preparation will come in July when we play a minimum of three games in the AFC Under-23 Championship qualifiers against one or two strong teams as we are in the third pot.

“Only by doing well against strong opponents can we say we have improved.”

Ever since the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) appointed him in July 2015, Tardy has been candid in his assessment of youth footballers, pointing out their technical and physical weakness.

In September, he told TNP that if the SEA Games were held then, the Young Lions would not even qualify for the semi-finals.

However, Tardy has seen progress, even though he admits the boys are still behind the likes of Thailand and Vietnam in terms of technique.

He said: “The distance between dreams and reality is action. We can dream of doing well but as a coach, I must be a realist and say we have to work very hard to do well at the SEA Games.

“We drew with Vietnam in the Nations Cup and lost 1-0 to China and Iran. This means we are not far off.

“Technically, I don’t think our level is enough, and we have problems heading, shooting and crossing, which we will work on specifically for 60 to 80 minutes every week.

“But the base is physical and we have no big problems there in terms of injuries and cramps like we had before. Tactically, we must improve more such that individuals can adapt to whatever system we have to play during a game.

“It is not my job to set a medal target but even as we train to develop national players for the future, we will also start to focus more on results next year.

“I want the players to show me the fight in them, that they feel responsible for the SEA Games when they wear the national team jersey and their will to fight even the idea of losing.”

Oct 15, 2016 – Last S.League match, a 3-1 defeat by Tampines Rovers

Nov 30, 2016 – Garena Young Lions continue to train until the end of last month

December 2016 – Players take a three-week break from football and resume training from last week of the year

January 2017 – Two-week training camp in Phuket, Thailand. Double sessions in the morning and afternoon and two friendly matches to get into shape before S.League starts

March 2017 – Friendly tournament in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, against the hosts, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, China and Thailand

May 2017 – Two friendly matches

June 2017 – Two friendly matches in Qatar

July 2017 – AFC Under-23 Championship qualifiers; minimum three games

August 2017 – SEA Games

Source: The New Paper

December 8, 2016
Agency Closure Hits Japan Tour Group

The 68-year-old cleaner had saved up for months and was ready to leave for her week-long Hokkaido tour on Monday night.

The plan was to go to the airport to meet the travel agent who had the air tickets for her group. But hours before the flight, Madam Teo Ino Meo allegedly received a text message from Sky Travel & Tours that it had shuttered and would stop all services immediately.

A visit by The Straits Times at 3.30pm to the company’s office in the basement of People’s Park Centre found the glass doors locked and the lights off.

A note on the door said business would resume on Thursday. It gave an emergency contact number, but calls went unanswered.

To Madam Teo’s knowledge, there were 28 people in her tour group who had made travel arrangements with Sky Travel & Tours. She said she has not been able to get any explanation from the company so far.

Said Madam Teo in Mandarin: “I was so angry. My bags were all packed and I was ready to leave that night.”

The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) said it had received seven complaints against Sky Travel & Tours since Monday.

Madam Teo, a widow, had booked the tour with a friend in August during a travel fair and had paid $500 as a deposit. About two weeks ago, they went to the agency to pay the balance of $1,900, and were given their itineraries.

“They said that everything had been confirmed,” she added.

Her friend, Madam Beh Choon Ann, 80, said besides the money paid to the company, she had spent close to $300 on winter wear.

“It would have been our first time seeing snow,” she said.

The two women have filed claims with the Small Claims Tribunals and have made police reports. They claimed they met others who had done the same.

Case executive director Seah Seng Choon advised affected customers to try to contact the agency regarding the status of their tour packages, and those who had bought travel insurance, to contact their providers.

Speaking in general, he also said travel agents should protect customers’ interests by purchasing insurance for prepayments.

“We advise consumers to engage CaseTrust-Natas accredited travel agencies as they are committed to fair trading and transparency towards consumers,” he said.

Source: The Straits Times

December 7, 2016
Wedang Gerai Penjaja Melayu/Islam Tunggal Diiktiraf Michelin Di Singapura

Gado-gado dan tahu goreng sering menjadi santapan siang yang popular di kalangan warga Singapura.

Rahsia keenakan pada hidangan jalanan atau ‘street food’ ini terletak pada kuah dan sos kacang yang disira ke atas kepingan lontong serta sayur-sayuran dan tahu yang menjadi bahan asas gado-gado dan tahu goreng.

Kuah dan sos yang pekat dan padat dengan kacang tanah juga menjadi penambat hati para inspektor makanan misteri untuk menyeneraikan hidangan gado-gado dan tahu goreng yang masing-masing berharga S$3 dari gerai Wedang untuk Michelin Bib Gourmand Eat Singapore.

Malah Wedang merupakan gerai penjaja Melayu/Islam setempat tunggal yang tersenarai dalam pengiktirafan di peringkat antarabangsa itu.

Michelin Bib Gourmand Eat ini mengiktiraf 17 penjaja dan 17 restoran yang menyajikan sajian di bawah S$45 dan senarai ini terdapat dalam buku Panduan Michelin Singapura.

Buku Panduan Michelin yang diterbitkan setahun sekali untuk mengiktiraf restoran-restoran terbaik di kota-kota utama dunia setiap tahun dengan pengiktirafan satu hingga tiga bintang. Tahun ini Singapura menjadi kota terpilih untuk pengiktirafan di peringakt antarabangsa itu.

Menurut pemilik Wedang, Encik Azman Khamis, beliau agak terperanjat apabila diberitahu oleh seorang rakannya bahawa gerainya telah disenaraikan oleh pihak Michelin.

“Saya pun tidak tahu ada anugerah seperti ini. Selama ini kita bekerja keras dan anugerah ini satu pengiktirafan bagi saya,” ujar pemilik Wedang Azman Khamis.

Encik Azman memulakan gerai Wedang ini di Pusat Makanan Golden Mile, 12 tahun yang lalu. Beliau berpindah ke pusat penjaja di Aljunied Ave 2 untuk sementara waktu awal tahun ini kerana kerja-kerja peningkatan yang dijalankan di Golden Mile. Awal bulan ini, Encik Azman berpindah semula ke tempat asal gerainya di Beach Road.

Sejak diiktiraf pihak Michelin pada Julai lalu, Encik Azman turut melihat peningkatan 10 hingga 20 peratus pada perniagaannya.

Selain Wedang, antara 17 restoran yang tersenarai dalam Michelin Bib Gourmand Eat Singapura termasuk dua buah restoran Halal – Hajah Maimunah dan Bismillah Biryani.

Wawancara dengan Encik Azman serta lain-lain informasi tentang anugerah Michelin dapat anda saksikan dalam Digit malam ini (7 Dis) pada jam 8.30 malam.

Digit malam ini akan membawa penonton dalam perjalanan gastronomi untuk mengupas mengapa Singapura digelar kota Syurga Makanan.

Source: Berita MediaCorp

December 7, 2016
Not Enough Local Takers For Tech Jobs

Studies by recruitment firms show a spike in hiring activity in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.

The Monster Employment Index, which tracks online job posting activities on a monthly basis, found a 25 per cent year-on-year growth in hiring activity for software, hardware and telecommunications jobs.

Recruitment firm Robert Walters spotted a 24 per cent rise in hiring activity for the IT job market for the second quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.

Still, Singapore is struggling to keep up with this booming sector, which has some 30,000 jobs to be filled by 2020, experts told The New Paper yesterday.

The problem lies in the mismatch of skills, said Minister for Manpower Lim Swee Say.

At the TechSkills Accelerator Career Services Day in October, he said: “Even if the jobseekers know what ICT jobs they want, they may not have the skills, expertise and experience needed.

“This applies to not just the newcomers, but also those with some years of ICT experience. The fast pace of technological change means many need to re-learn so as to remain in or re-enter the ICT sector.”

The skills mismatch means the ICT jobs may be “shoes that are too big to fill” for those not equipped with the right skills, said Mr Erman Tan, president of Singapore Human Resource Institute.

People also tend to associate ICT jobs with long hours and low pay, said Mr Patrick Thng, an information systems senior lecturer at Singapore Management University (SMU).

With Singapore looking to countries such as India to plug the manpower gap, the influx of foreign workers has led to lower wages, causing local graduates to shun it.

Mr Thng said: “We haven’t been producing enough students with some of these deep technical skills… Fewer people are attracted to these courses because the perception is that the hours are long, and the pay is not so good in such jobs.”

But the situation is looking up, he said. At SMU, there is a heightened interest for the Information Systems undergraduate course.

“As students get to see successful start-ups – the Googles and Alibabas of the world – they get more excited about getting into innovation, ICT and start-ups,” Mr Thng said.

For mid-career professionals looking for a change in the ICT sector, they can look to initiatives such as the place-and-train Professional Conversion Programme, which trains mid-career switchers to become ICT professionals.

Mr Tan suggested those seeking ICT jobs talk to someone in the sector.

“Understand the pros and cons of the trade, and what to expect, and be mentally prepared for the new challenges.

“As long as they have the willpower and the right mindset, they will be able to turn those challenges into something positive,” he said.

Source: The New Paper

December 7, 2016
Pembangkang Malaysia Minta Pemeteraian HSR Ditangguh

Perikatan pembangkang Malaysia, Pakatan Harapan, mahu pemeteraian perjanjian-perjanjian berhubung Kereta Api Laju (HSR) dengan pemerintah Singapura ditangguhkan.

Ini sehingga satu kajian mendalam, kukuh dan telus dijalankan untuk membuktikan kemampanan projek tersebut.

Para Anggota Parlimen (AP) dari Pakatan Harapan hari ini (6 Dis) menyatakan bahawa mereka mahu Malaysia bersikap terbuka tentang pendapatan yang mungkin diraih Malaysia hasil projek berkenaan dan bagaimana kos pembinaan akan ditanggung kedua-dua negara.

“Projek itu melibatkan jumlah-jumlah besar kewangan negara, dan banyak tanah rakyat dijangka akan diambil kerajaan untuk membangunkan HSR.

“Justeru, kerajaan tidak seharusnya merahsiakan maklumat tentang projek ini, seolah-olah ia negara Dunia Ketiga,” menurut kenyataan itu.

Kenyataan tersebut ditandatangani oleh Sim Tze Tzin dari Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Hatta Ramli dari Parti Amanah Negara dan Ong Kian Ming dari DAP.

Satu perjanjian tentang HSR dijangka dimeterai oleh Malaysia dan Singapura menjelang akhir tahun ini.

Singapura dan Malaysia sudah menandatangani Memorandum Persefahaman (MoU) tentang projek HSR itu pada Julai.

Laluan kereta api sepanjang 350km itu dijangka menyingkatkan masa perjalanan antara Singapura dan Kuala Lumpur kepada sekitar 90 minit.

Projek itu bukan sahaja akan meningkatkan keterhubungan dan memperkukuhkan hubungan ekonomi, malah kedua-dua pemerintah Singapura dan kerajaan Malaysia menyifatkannya sebagai bukti kerjasama dua hala yang rapat.

Source: Berita MediaCorp

December 7, 2016