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Tag: Singaporeans

  • Henry Park Primary Principal: Pupil Apologetic, Counselled Over NDP Gesture

    Henry Park Primary Principal: Pupil Apologetic, Counselled Over NDP Gesture

    A pupil from Henry Park Primary School who was caught on camera making a rude gesture at the National Day Parade (NDP) on Wednesday (Aug 9) is “deeply apologetic” for his action and has been counselled, said his school principal.

    “The student regrets his action and is deeply apologetic. The school and his parents have counselled him, and will ensure he learns from this incident,” Henry Park Primary principal Chia Soo Keng told The Straits Times on Thursday afternoon.

     

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • ‘Mompreneur’ With 2 Sons, Running 3 F&B Businesses

    ‘Mompreneur’ With 2 Sons, Running 3 F&B Businesses

    Despite having her hands full with two young children and two food and beverage (F&B) businesses, Singaporean Tasneem Noor Smidhagen, 36, decided to have a new “baby”.

    In June, she opened Lickety Ice Cream & Waffles in Bussorah Street in Kampong Glam.

    Lickety, which has a Scandinavian decor of pastel pink and mint green, boasts an Instagram-worthy pairing of egglet waffles with ice cream.

    Ms Tasneem and her Swedish husband, Mr Joakim Smidhagen, 45, are also behind Fika Swedish Cafe and Bistro in Beach Road and European artisanal bakery Konditori, located next to Lickety.

    Aside from handling the operations of the businesses, the “mompreneur” has to fulfil her duties with her two sons, aged five and six.

    She told The New Paper: “I just learnt how to take care of my different priorities at different times.”

    Fika Swedish Cafe and Bistro, opened in 2009, was her first venture in the F&B industry.

    Prior to that, the visual communications graduate from Temasek Polytechnic spent eight years in publication design.

    The inspiration for Fika came about when the couple felt the need for such a Swedish restauranthere, while the idea for Konditori grew from wanting the desserts served at Fika to be made in their own bakery.

    The offerings at Konditori are done in small batches and handmade daily. The best-sellers include red velvet croissant, fresh cream semla buns and pain aux chocolat.

    The birth of Lickety, however, was spontaneous.

    Ms Tasneem said: “I thought Lickety should look more alive (than its sister stores) and embrace all things young and fun to attract the younger crowd.”

    Out of the 30 flavours available, the stand-outs are Lingonberry Swirl, Red Velvet and Dark Angel, which boasts chunks of chocolate bread from Konditori.

    Ms Tasneem, who in 2015 won the Spirit of Enterprise Award, which honours local entrepreneurs operating small and medium-size businesses, admitted that her F&B journey has not always been smooth-sailing. One of the main challenges she faced was staffing.

    Her advice for budding F&B entrepreneurs? Stick to your branding.

    Referring to Fika, she said: “Do not follow trends all the time. There are other ways to improve while staying true to your branding. For example, salted egg yolk is ‘in’ right now, but I cannot have that on my menu, because I cater specifically to people who want an authentic Swedish experience.”

     

    Source: http://www.tnp.sg

  • New Citizen Mat Salleh Is First Caucasian Bus Captain In Singapore

    New Citizen Mat Salleh Is First Caucasian Bus Captain In Singapore

    The next time you board a bus, a driver may also greet you with a cheerful “goeie more” (pronounced ho-yah mo-ra) on your morning commute.

    That will be Mr Daniel Jacobus Ellis wishing you good morning in his native Afrikaans, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa.

    The 34-year-old started his training to be a bus captain in February and has been driving with SBS Transit since April.

    He is the only Caucasian employed by the firm as a bus captain. SBS Transit has about 5,800 bus captains.

    He is believed to be the only bus captain here from South Africa.

    He said he had previously worked as a freelance business analyst here, but turned to the bus company for a stable job.

    “I saw an ad at the LRT station advertising positions for bus captains, and I thought to myself, why not give it a try,” he said.

    Mr Ellis – who moved here in 2011 when he married his Singaporean wife – gained his citizenship two years ago.

    Home is a four-room Build-To-Order Housing Board flat in Punggol which he shares with his wife, a school counsellor.

    To keep himself alert during his 12-hour long shifts – which can see him start the day as early as 2.45am – he enjoys a cup of kopi gao (thick coffee) from the Hougang Central Bus Interchange canteen.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Rombongan Jemaah Haji Pertama Singapura Selamat Berlepas Ke Saudi Arabia

    Rombongan Jemaah Haji Pertama Singapura Selamat Berlepas Ke Saudi Arabia

    Kumpulan pertama jemaah haji Singapura s elamat berlepas menuju ke Tanah Suci pada jam 5.40 petang tadi (9 Ogos).

    Rombongan itu terdiri daripada 39 jemaah dari dua ejen haji atau GSA, iaitu Halijah Travels & Tours Pte Ltd dan Shahidah Travel & Tours Pte Ltd.

    Mereka dijangkakan tiba di Jeddah sekitar jam 9.00 malam, waktu Jeddah. Para jemaah akan memulakan perjalanan mereka ke Madinah setibanya mereka di Jeddah.

    Kumpulan jemaah ini dijangkakan pulang pada 9 September.

    Rombongan terakhir Singapura ke Tanah Suci pula dijadualkan berangkat pada 26 Ogos ini.

     

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

  • Will Malay-Muslim Officers In Frontline Public Service Roles Be Allowed To Wear Hijabs If Halimah Yacob Becomes President?

    Will Malay-Muslim Officers In Frontline Public Service Roles Be Allowed To Wear Hijabs If Halimah Yacob Becomes President?

    The online sphere is especially interested in establishment favourite Halimah, who finally announced her intention to take part in the race after months of speculation, last Sunday.

    Questions on Halimah’s ‘malayness’ and whether she can really participate in an election that has been expressly set aside for Malay candidates, given that her father is Indian, have gained much traction.

    Opinions that her resignation as a minority MP goes against the basis of the GRC system have also been volleyed by several prominent parties. Former PAP MP Inderjit Singh said that a sitting MP resigning from office to contest the presidential race may go against the spirit of the Office as intended by Lee Kuan Yew, while ex-Association of Malay Professionals director Nizam Ismail asserted that Halimah’s resignation will dilute minority representation in Marsiling Yew-Tee GRC and in Parliament.

    Meanwhile, opposition political party Singapore Democratic Party has taken issue with the Government’s decision to not call for a by-election to fill Halimah’s roles. Calling the decision “an abuse of the system” and one that “makes a mockery of the general elections,” the party said that it is exploring legal remedies to compel the Government to call for a by-election.

    In the midst of all this, former senior political correspondent from the Straits Times, Ismail Kassim, has put forth another question about Halimah’s candidacy: if Halimah becomes president, will a photo of her wearing the hijab hang in all public sector offices?

    This question is particularly notable since Malay-Muslim women in public service frontline roles, like police officers and nurses, are still not freely allowed to wear hijabs at work in Singapore.

    What do you think? Will Malay-Muslim women in frontline public service roles still be barred from wearing the hijab if the head of state is a hijab-wearing woman? Or will such women be finally free to wear hijabs if Halimah is elected?

     

    Source: www.theindependent.sg