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  • (Reader Contribution) I’m An Engineering Graduate And I Haven’t Secured A Job For Months Now

    (Reader Contribution) I’m An Engineering Graduate And I Haven’t Secured A Job For Months Now

    The issue of our graduates still being unemployed after months of applying for one. How best do we solve the high unemployment rate among graduates?

    ***

    “So after 1 month since my convocation, 3 months since my last exam in NTU (should be 6 months since I applied for job), I still couldn’t secure a job. I am worried of not being able to get a job by end of this year as the economic is getting worse and worse.

    Only went for < 3 interviews so far… Below are the prob I can think of now:

    1. My resume sucks. Well, I have edited (don’t know how many times) my resume to make it more professional.
    2. Working experience.
    2.1 I was working in the lab and helping them in their research project. Nowadays most of research companies are hiring Phd and Science students but not engineering student.
    2.2 I did apply for engineering job which is related to my major. I worked as engineering intern when I was a poly student but most of the job I have done was just office job.
    3. Academic results. Not even 2nd upper class honours. So this maybe the reason? I’m not expecting my salary will be very high. My expected salary range: $2700/2800 to $3000

    I wonder anyone is in the same situation as me? Anyway, all the best for those still looking for a job.”

    Source: Engineering student

  • Grab Singapore Driver Meets Baby Born In His Car

    Grab Singapore Driver Meets Baby Born In His Car

    Almost two weeks after a woman gave birth to a baby boy in the backseat of his car during a Grab ride to the National University Hospital (NUH), Alvinder Singh reunited with the newborn and his parents. The 28-year-old operations manager on Friday (25 Aug) visited airport emergency officer Musaddiq Khamis, 27, and his wife Liyana, 28, at the Upper Serangoon home where little Ahmad Luqmaan has been staying since his discharge from hospital.

    Singh had picked up Musaddiq and Liyana on 12 Aug through a Grabcar booking, which came with the message “pregnant wife in labour”. The couple did not call an ambulance as they thought they would have enough time to get to the hospital. Singh, who has only been driving with Grab for two months, said that he started hearing the cries of a child during the journey to NUH. “I looked back and he’s (Musaddiq) is smiling with the biggest smile in the world. Proud father,” he recounted.

    Being prepared

    For Musaddiq and Liyana, having a baby outside the hospital may not have been planned, but antenatal classes the couple had taken prior to the birth of their son helped prepare them for the possibility. Musaddiq’s experience of being prepared to deal with emergencies also played a part. “He knew how to comfort me when I was having labour pains. It’s important for a husband to keep calm so his energy can ‘spill’ onto me,” Liyana said with a laugh.

    Offering some advice to fathers-to-be, Musaddiq said the birth of a child is not just a “one-way” street. “The husband also has a part to play. Words of affirmation…reaffirms that ‘we can do this’. It’s not a one-man show, or a one-lady show. That’s something we managed to perform in an emergency,” Musaddiq said. “I can vouch for that,” Singh chipped in. “He did amazing.”

    Keeping in touch

    While the couple said they would probably wait until their son had at least reached Primary One before telling him the story of his birth, Singh said he hoped to visit the family again when the infant is slightly older and can have more interactions with him. “He’s also a soccer coach… can consider,” Musaddiq said of Singh. Singh visited Musaddiq and Liyana together with Grab Singapore country head Lim Kell Jay and Andrew Chan, head of Grabcar Singapore. The two Grab officials presented Musaddiq and Liyana with a Grab voucher worth $8,000, and fuel vouchers worth $800 to Singh.

    Source: Yahoo

  • Bulan Dzulhijjah – Sunnah Yang Telah Hilang

    Bulan Dzulhijjah – Sunnah Yang Telah Hilang

    # Bulan Dzulhijjah – Sunnah Yang Telah Hilang

    Sayangnya, sekali lagi khutbah Jumaat memfokuskan kepada hal2 kepentingan pemerintah, bukan kepada hal2 kepentingan syari’at agama pada saat ini, yakni bulan Dzulhijjah. Ingatkah kita beberapa bulan yang lalu, betapa suasana semarak ibadah masyarakat pada bulan Ramadhan? Masjid yang biasanya sepi, tiba2 penuh dengan jemaah. Bahkan orang yang setahun tidak pernah pergi masjid, tiba2 bersemangat ke shaf hadapan. Kebanyakan umat Islam telah sadar kebesaran bulan Ramadhan sehingga ia menjadi bulan yang dikenali dengan semarak ibadah kaum muslimin. Walhamdulillah… Sayangnya, suasana sedemikian hanya berlaku pada bulan Ramadhan. Telah lupakah kita tentang kebesaran bulan Dzulhijjah?

    ☆ Bulan Dzulhijjah – Kebesaran Yang Dilupakan

    Masyarakat kita belum banyak yang menyadari bahawa Dzulhijjah termasuk bulan yang istimewa. Padahal banyak dalil yang menunjukkan bahawa di bulan Dzulhijjah, amal soleh dilipat-gandakan. Sebagaimana pahala yang dijanjikan ketika Ramadhan.

    Dari Abu Bakrah radhiyallahu ‘anhu, Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam bersabda,
    شَهْرَانِ لاَ يَنْقُصَانِ، شَهْرَا عِيدٍ: رَمَضَانُ، وَذُو الحَجَّةِ
    ”Ada dua bulan yang pahala amalnya tidak akan berkurang. Keduanya dua bulan hari raya: bulan Ramadhan dan bulan Dzulhijjah.” (HR. Bukhari 1912 dan Muslim 1089).

    Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam menggandingkan bulan Dzulhijjah dengan Ramadhan. Sebagai motivasi beliau menyebutkan bahawa pahala amal di dua bulan ini tidak berkurang.

    Waktu yang paling mulia ketika Dzulhijjah adalah 10 hari pertama. Di surah al-Fajr, Allah berfirman:
    وَ الْفَجْرِ * وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ
    Demi fajar, dan demi malam yang sepuluh. (QS. Al Fajr: 1 – 2)

    Imam Ibn Rajab menjelaskan, malam yang sepuluh adalah sepuluh hari pertama bulan Dzulhijjah. Inilah tafsir yang benar dan tafsir yang dipilih kebanyakan ahli tafsir dari kalangan sahabat dan ulama setelahnya. Dan tafsir inilah yang sesuai dengan riwayat dari Ibn Abbas radhiallahu ‘anhuma…” (Lathaiful Ma’arif, hal. 469)

    Allah bersumpah dengan menyebut sepuluh hari pertama bulan Dzulhijjah. Yang ini menunjukkan keutamaan sepuluh hari tersebut. Kerana semua makhluk yang Allah jadikan sebagai sumpah, adalah makhluk istimewa, yang menjadi bukti kebesaran dan keagungan Allah.

    Kerana itulah, amalan yang dilakukan selama 10 hari pertama Dzulhijjah menjadi amal yang sangat dicintai Allah. Melebihi amal soleh yang dilakukan di luar batas waktu itu.

    Dari Ibn Abbas radhiallahu ‘anhu Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam bersabda,

    مَا مِنْ أَيَّامٍ الْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ فِيهَا أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ الأَيَّامِ. يَعْنِى أَيَّامَ الْعَشْرِ. قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَلاَ الْجِهَادُ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ قَالَ « وَلاَ الْجِهَادُ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ خَرَجَ بِنَفْسِهِ وَمَالِهِ فَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ بِشَىْءٍ

    “Tidak ada hari dimana suatu amal salih lebih dicintai Allah melebihi amal salih yang dilakukan di sepuluh hari ini (yakni sepuluh hari pertama Dzulhijjah).” Para sahabat bertanya, “Wahai Rasulullah, termasuk lebih utama dari jihad fi sabilillah? Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam menjawab, “Termasuk lebih utama dibanding jihad fi sabilillah. Kecuali orang yang keluar dengan jiwa dan hartanya (ke medan jihad), dan tidak ada satupun yang kembali (yakni mati dan hartanya diambil musuh).” (HR. Ahmad 1968, Bukhari 969, dan Turmudzi 757)

    Dalam riwayat yang lain, Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam bersabda:
    “Tidak ada amalan yang lebih suci di sisi Allah dan tidak ada yang lebih besar pahalanya dari pada kebaikan yang dia kerjakan pada sepuluh hari al-Adha.” (HR. Ad-Daruquthni, dan dihasankan oleh al-Albani)

    Al-Hafidz Ibn Rajab mengatakan, Hadis ini menunjukkan bahawa beramal pada sepuluh hari bulan Dzulhijjah lebih dicintai di sisi Allah dari pada beramal pada hari-hari yang lain, tanpa pengecualian. Sementara jika suatu amal itu lebih dicintai Allah, artinya amal itu lebih utama di sisiNya. (Lathaiful Ma’arif, hal. 456). Diceritakan oleh Al Mundziri dalam At Targhib wa At Tarhib (2/150) bahawa Sa’id bin Jubair (murid senior Ibn Abbas), ketika memasuki tanggal satu Dzulhijjah, beliau sangat bersungguh-sungguh dalam beribadah, sampai hampir tidak mampu melakukannya. Semoga jabatan agama, persatuan ulama’ dan para asatizah dapat berusaha membangun kesadaran masyarakat tentang kebesarannya bulan Dzulhijjah.

     

    Source: Islamiq SG

  • Osman Sulaiman And The State Of Affairs In Singapore

    Osman Sulaiman And The State Of Affairs In Singapore

    1. We were promised Swiss standard of living. Instead we got the most expensive city to live in.

    2. We were promised equality, instead we thrive in elitism.

    3. We were told that our nation is built on meritocracy, instead we are ranked 5th in Crony Capitalism Index.

    4. We pledged to build a democratic society but instead we got an autocratic government.

    5. We spent billions of taxpayers money to increase productivity, but instead these measures are counter productive when we flood our workforce with cheap foreign labour.

    6. We planned for a long term sustainable economic growth, but instead history has shown that our economic growth model is nothing meaningful except to increase our population digits by granting new citizens.

    7. It is our objective to reach the world cup by 2010, but instead we are 7 years late and our football association is in the doldrums.

    8. Our gov pledged no one will be left behind but today, many are slipping through the cracks with reportedly high numbers of citizens seeking assistance.

    9. We were told that our CPF can be withdrawn at age 55 with a minimum sum of $30,000. Throughout the years, the goal post has been shifted many times and today, the minimum sum stands at $161,000 at age 65.

    10. We pledged to transform our country for the better, but today, we keep electing the same leaders expecting a different result.

    Be the change you wish to see.

     

    Source: Osman Sulaiman

  • MFA Spokesman’s Comments In Response To Media Queries For An Update On The Two Singaporeans Arrested In Abu Dhabi, 25 August 2017

    MFA Spokesman’s Comments In Response To Media Queries For An Update On The Two Singaporeans Arrested In Abu Dhabi, 25 August 2017

    The MFA spokesman said:

    “Officials from the Singapore Embassy in Abu Dhabi met both Singaporeans on 23 August 2017 to ensure their continued well-being while in custody.  The Embassy’s representatives also attended the bail hearing on 24 August 2017.  This was the Embassy’s fourth meeting with the two Singaporeans since their arrest.  The first meeting took place on the same day the Embassy was notified of their case on 10 August 2017.

    The Embassy will continue to provide the necessary consular assistance and has been closely monitoring developments to ensure that due process is accorded to them.  MFA is also in close contact with the families of the two Singaporeans.

    Singaporeans are also reminded that they should respect and abide by the local laws when they travel overseas.

     

    MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

    SINGAPORE 

    25 AUGUST 2017