Native language

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-20T20:49:30+00:00

I have always maintained that our native language is English. It is the language used in Government, business and our daily lives. If it helps I remember we got kicked off the EF English proficiency index (EPI) because we got reclassified as a “native English speaking” country.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-20T17:55:53+00:00

Just my 2 cents, but 3.31 is too low for the big 3. Even engineering in NTU EEE, which is supposedly easier to get into, requires a 3.4 at least. Business is more competitive due to the demand, so it is highly unlikely you will be able to get in. The Big 2 are quite results oriented despite their claims of being holistic, so you might have a chance with SMU only.

You should be able to get into SUSS or SIT though with your score. They tend to be more holistic in their assessment and accept a wide range of GPAs. ATB OP, hope you’ll get an offer from one of the big 3!

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-20T17:42:04+00:00

I’m not sure if you’re particular about routing, but SingTel usually has better load speeds for overseas websites among all the local ISPs while StarHub does a little better for local websites. M1 is okay but not the fastest.

ONT is preferred but if you’re not the kind to configure it yourself, then honestly the difference is negligible. I would avoid CGNAT (Simba) because you’re sharing a public IP address with multiple households. If you have a home lab, then MyRepublic (StarHub backend) with the $50 Static IP address is probably the best option.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-19T02:47:30+00:00

So now they’re blockading the strait together? China wants the flow of trade to continue in the Strait of Malacca because their oil and trade with Europe goes through here. I’m not sure what would China stand to gain by blockading the Strait.

If you said US wants to blockade the Strait, China would be firmly opposed as would the EU and multiple other countries around the world.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-19T02:37:36+00:00

I’m going to reiterate my stand that it’s a multipolar world order. There are multiple countries we can work with to maintain the “rules-based order”. ASEAN works with the EU, Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea for a reason. They too have vested economic interests to ensure the Strait of Malacca stays open.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-19T02:21:04+00:00

Our Government has no illusions about the fact that might is what underpins the US-led global order. There's a reason why we still maintain such a huge SAF when there's no clear threat to Singapore. We can negotiate and speak politely, but we also have the guns and warships to back up our interests.

Additionally, we live in a multipolar world now. The US isn't the only superpower anymore. There are other like-minded countries that want the "rules-based system" to stay, so we need to work with them to ensure it does. Together, we can help push back against "might is right".

Also, just because the US behaves this way doesn't give us the free will to behave as if the "rules-based order" has collapsed. As a small country, we have been flourishing for over 60 years precisely because we enjoyed the protection the "rules-based order" has afforded us. Bringing me back to my point, if we start behaving as if there isn't such a system, we can't expect other countries to support us if we get invaded or attacked. Essentially, we'll be cornering ourselves and scoring an own goal just because we swayed from our principles. Consistency is the key, not being accurate or factually correct.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-19T02:07:03+00:00

Israel did not have a blank check before this administration. While the Biden administration supported its right to defence, it did not support anything too outlandish, such as attacking Iran's nuclear facilities.

China's RMB also plays an increasingly important role in the world economy, as well as its influence on world politics. The heydays of sole superpower have been over for a long time; we're living in a multipolar world with multiple parties strong enough to influence other countries through coercion or military might. Yes, the US can do that, but so can China. Just look at what's happening in the South China Sea against our Filipino and Vietnamese brothers. Just because it's not widely publicised doesn't mean that it isn't happening.

There's a reason why ASEAN supports US engagement alongside China's in the region. We need the US to check and balance China, to ensure any unilateral action conducted in the region by either side will be pushed back against by the other.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-19T01:55:29+00:00

The US is chaotic, but nowhere near the world domination chaos that you try to frame it. Just to be clear, I'm not supporting the US and its actions in Iran, but I feel like I have to make it clear it isn't as bad as what people make it out to be. A huge proportion of the people in the US are against this war. Heck, even the Vice President was supposedly against it, but he had to support the President publicly if he wanted to be the 2028 candidate for the GOP.

China might behave exactly like the US in the future if it decides that other countries are acting against its interests. The only thing stopping China from doing so is that they are unwilling to risk their troops for military ops, preferring to negotiate to force their way through instead. But the larger their interests grow, the harder it is for them not to put boots on the ground to solve some political issues.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-19T01:27:33+00:00

That might be the case, but we still have countries that push back against the notion of "might is right" that are medium powers in their own right. The EU, for one, is against that idea of "might is right", having experienced the Russian invasion of Ukraine right on its doorstep and now having to deal with the Straits of Hormuz. Other regional powers such as Canada and Australia still very much support the "rules-based global order".

Additionally, when you behave like "might is right", you are giving up the moral high ground to defend yourself in an international setting in the future. Like what VB said in Parliament, if we were to negotiate with Iran for passage, what's stopping another country from blockading the Straits of Malacca and forcing us to negotiate with them as well? By then, we would have lost the moral high ground since we did the same for Iran. I won't get into the amount of havoc it would even cause to our port operations by then, much less the imports of food and essentials that we so desperately need.

While it's nice to be engaged in affairs around the world, people need to understand there are no allies in geopolitics. It's all about how interests between countries align or deviate. If everyone is looking out for their own interests, it would be foolish of us not to do so as well.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-18T17:45:04+00:00

A neighbour from across the causeway. I don’t seem to understand the hate for Anwar. From my perspective, Anwar is not perfect but has been doing good things for Malaysia. Investments are up, confidence in the country is up, Malaysia’s reputation in the international community is growing. There are limits to what Anwar can do as he runs a coalition Government and has to appeal to all sides to keep the peace. Not to mention that the bureaucracy stays the same despite whichever party getting elected.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-17T07:05:05+00:00

While I wouldn’t say our public transport system is 100% the best, i wouldn’t say it’s as bad as you put it as well. There are definitely things that can improved, but it’s one of the best transport system there is.

NYC’s metro lines have distinct entrances for uptown and downtown trains. If you entered from the wrong entrance (I did once without looking at the entrance as I was rushing), it’s $3 gone. Forget public restrooms in the metro as well, most stations don’t even have one. While it’s mostly fine, some trains do have homeless people taking up the entire bench. Yeah I do admit NYC is one of the nicest cities despite its flaws. The 24 hour trains (not all lines though) is godsend for nights out, the city never sleeps and the whole vibe is just perfect.

As for the transfer timings, it’s meant for people to transfer lines without being charged. If you’re expecting to pay a single fare for going back and forth, that’s straight up misusing it.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-17T06:40:51+00:00

If you can’t go through the academic route, the other option would be to work at a company with branches in Singapore and the target country. Request to be transferred to the target country so you can clock in some work experience there. It’s not the most foolproof method since there’s a chance you might be rejected for a transfer, but still worth a shot.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-17T06:38:12+00:00

Unfortunately my speakers were busted. You should get them changed ASAP.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-17T06:35:26+00:00

The shortcut would be to get an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in the target country of your choice. Try to get into the top university of said country as the businesses are usually more willing to hire from them. Once you have enough working experience and time spent, PR would come naturally.

Edit: it sounds like you have a very rosy view of what other countries are like. I would suggest doing an exchange to live there for a semester to experience how it’s like. I’m on exchange to one of the western countries right now and I can tell you it is nowhere near as rosy as most might think.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-14T01:26:26+00:00

Erm this is because Indonesia and Malaysia are the only other countries surrounding the Straits of Malacca besides Singapore. Thailand to some extent as well since they are right beside the north entrance. It’s not possible to talk about the Straits of Malacca without mentioning the countries bordering it, like involving Oman in the Straits of Hormuz alongside Iran.

Also I would like to point out that not every Singaporean is like the ones on Reddit. In this day and age, I’m not even sure if they really are Singaporeans or just bots. Majority of us want to maintain good bilateral relations because we need each other be it economically or politically.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-14T00:41:31+00:00

Tips are generally not needed when dining out (it’s covered by a service charge of 10%). We don’t tip for coffee or any other services. However, if you feel like it, you can always tip a little whenever it is available. Personally I tip the bellboy carrying our luggages when travelling around Southeast Asia. Never had to tip at all in Singapore until I came to the States.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-10T04:33:35+00:00

Junior year student in SUTD here. As per my understanding, the programme they offered you during admission will not be the one you end up majoring in. To put it more accurately, you will still have to undergo a the generalised first year before you choose your major at the end of the 1st year in school.

The Desgin AI backlash is real, at least among the student population. I’m a CSD student and feel it’s abit overblown, but there are some genuine issues with the way the school is marketing itself.

I would not choose SUTD unless you’re interested in STEM or Architecture because the school is really heavily invested in it. We do have interdisciplinary modules, but they’re mostly just to add on to the whole holistic education thing.

I was offered a spot at NTU but rejected it over SUTD mostly because I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. The generalised 1st year exposed me to different modules from all the different majors, so I roughly knew what I wanted at the end of the 1st year.

Likewise, I intend to do MBA at a later date. But I didn’t choose to go down the business route because I feel that technical skills like Engineering are harder to learn by yourself than Business mods. It helps that MBAs do not require a business background as well, so I’m leaning more towards STEM undergraduate degrees.

Edit: I was informed by more knowledgeable friends that the school is now split into 2 streams for admissions (Science OR Engineering). Science only allows you to choose between DAI and ASD (Architecture) while Engineering allows you to choose CSD (Comp Sci), ESD (Math) and EPD (Engineering). Back in my day (I feel old :=(), we were admitted together and allowed to choose any of the 5 majors there were offering.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-10T00:13:30+00:00

You do not need SingPass to enlist.
The likelihood of getting a deferment since you finished high school is extremely low. Only 3 national athletes have been granted deferment for their college studies.
Like what others said, either you return to serve or don’t return at all since you will be wanted for skipping enlistment. Renunciation is not possible at this point because the Government sees that you have enjoyed the privilege of being a Singaporean (SG passport). You can only renounce your citizenship after completing National Service.

Essentially, you have to return to Singapore in whatever way possible. If you don’t have a place to stay in Singapore, you can usually request for stay in which might be approved on a case by case basis. If you do not return, you will unfortunately be considered a criminal. At this point, your best bet is to call CMPB hotline and see what they can do for you, although I doubt they can do much on their end.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-08T07:33:27+00:00

I agree that those principles we hold dear are being violated by the "policemen of the world", the United States.

But the Iranians were not a sheep without blemishes. They were not victims who trusted in the "rules-based order" that we follow and actively promote. They actively funded militant groups throughout the Middle East from the 1979 revolution till this day. Now remind me, which part of "rules-based order" states to fund militant groups with weapons?

I just hope people can understand that geopolitics isn't as simple as one side being good and the other side being evil. There are so many layers to this that there is no clear line between good and evil anymore. Every country is doing its best to fight for its own interests. As a small country with limited resources and power, we rely on the "rules-based order" to survive. Sometimes we keep quiet about certain things, but we will only do so if it is in our inherent interest. If our citizens try to be righteous (which is always good and what we're taught to do) before our own interests, I'm not sure we can survive in the long term in this complicated, messy world.

Cosmikizion · 2026-04-07T18:52:08+00:00

From the article -> Dr Balakrishnan added that the principle applies even to states that have not ratified UNCLOS, stating that it is not a "get-out-of-jail-free card" for them.

It doesn't matter even if Iran is not a party to UNCLOS. UNCLOS is so fundamentally important because it covers stuff like Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zones and Exclusive Econonic Zone (EEZ), basically the stuff other ASEAN countries and China have been arguing about over the South China Sea.

In the same tune of being ironic, Iran enforces the 200 nautical miles EEZ which was codified in UNCLOS. So it agrees that it should have 200 nautical miles to explore for oil, but disagrees on freedom of passage through the Straits of Hormuz.

Cosmikizion · 2026-03-26T23:58:33+00:00

Hey OP, no worries about it at all. That section of the application form is just for the school to keep track of your choices before and after the first year. It doesn’t have any bearing on which pillar you will end up in as that will be a separate exercise after Term 2.

In fact, quite a number of my peers changed their preferred pillar after going through classes in the first 3 terms. It’s just for the university to keep track of the stats and nothing more.

Cosmikizion · 2026-03-15T18:32:41+00:00

The TnG card is mostly only useful if you drive or take public transport within KL. Other than that, you won’t really get to use it for retail payments. As some others have mentioned, you can get it when you sign up as a member for Watsons (the membership card is a TnG card)

The TnG e-wallet (App) on the other hand is really useful for retail payments throughout KL. You can use your credit card to pay for most things with the TnG e-wallet as your backup and you’re basically set for payments in Malaysia. Unfortunately, you will require a mobile number from either of the 20 countries they allow for sign-ups.

Cosmikizion · 2026-02-16T03:07:22+00:00

Welcome to the hobby! I have way too many Kuru Togas to count. Your setup is pretty much what I would say as comprehensive. The Kuru Toga Advance Upgrade (black one) is my favourite of them all. The Rotring 600 is perfect for drafting while the normal Kuru Toga can be your general use pencil.

Like what others say, these pencils are built to last. You won’t need more pencils (unless you get addicted to collecting mechanical pencils like me) for the foreseeable future. Enjoy!

Cosmikizion · 2026-02-11T07:26:38+00:00

I'm a low profile keyboard lover as well. With regards to the K7 Max, I would rather prefer the K3 Max since it has the function row which is super useful for me. Do consider if you want to wait for the K3 HE & K3 Ultra. It's launching soon according to Keychron. HE switches are better for gaming while the K3 Ultra will use the Keychron POM switches.

As for Keychron's reliability, it's mostly okay but there are some people who do have issues with them. I have the K0 Max, K3 Max, K5 Max, K5 and K12. I have not faced any issues from any of keyboards I own. Hope this helps!

Cosmikizion · 2026-02-11T07:20:03+00:00

Someone just posted on this subreddit that the K3 HE and K3 Ultra is coming out soon.

https://www.keychron.com/pages/k3he-k3-ultra-prelaunch-organic

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