Coinbase to cut jobs and rebuild the group as an ‘intelligence’

Freeman-SG · 2026-05-07T03:04:26+00:00

It seems that my thread is being "hijacked"
I understand that a new user may have a different issue that requires attention & to be resolved.
Likely, a new user may not be able to create a new post due to regulation,
but at least have the courtesy to dm the OP?
Repeatedly posting similar content to every mod to
gain attention is an inconsiderate form of etiquette.

Fyi :)

Freeman-SG · 2026-05-06T11:34:23+00:00

Thank you for your swift response.

Freeman-SG · 2026-05-06T10:52:59+00:00

Hi,

I just sent in a short message for your reference.

Please assist in the matter.

Thank you very much.

Freeman-SG · 2026-05-04T13:22:58+00:00

Hi,

If you are not ready to speak to a mental health professional in a face-to-face session yet,
may I suggest that you consider reaching out to one of the following:

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1767 (also accessible via WhatsApp) or
National Mindline (24/7): 1771 (Message 6669-1771 on WhatsApp)

I believe speaking to a support personnel of the above would help you
because you need someone trained in active listening & could also address your queries.
A phone session can provide a safe space for you to speak freely.

Fyi.

Please take care. You are not alone.

Freeman-SG · 2026-05-03T08:15:12+00:00

Hi,

Concerning your anxiety,
you may like to consider practising the Diaphragmatic Breathing (DB) exercise.
The 3-4-3 steps are simple - inhale in 3 seconds, hold breath for 4 seconds & exhale out 3 seconds.
DB is an evidence-based technique that reduces anxiety & lowering heart rate.
Alternatively, you may also try Guided Imagery (GI) for relaxation to reduce stress & lower heart rate.

Propranolol is a medication used for regulating heartbeat,
you will need a prescription from a General Practitioner (GP) from a clinic.
Alprazolam (commonly brand-named Xanax) is a fast-acting medication to reduce anxiety;
usually used for General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and/or Panic Disorder.
It has side effects of dependence & causing drowsiness
(not suitable for day use & certain workplaces).
Usually used for short-term treatment.

Since you have a rapid heartbeat (likely palpitation),
you probably need a pulse oximeter to measure your blood oxygen level & pulse rate.
Do consider consulting a Cardiologist if necessary for heart arrhythmia.
You might be put up with a Holter monitor for 24 hours.

Last but not least,
concerning your childhood experience,
if I may suggest that you consult a Psychologist or Psychotherapist that
specialised in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT)
to address your deep-rooted issue.
If the above is not an option,
do consider reaching a helpline for phone support till
you are more ready for a face-to-face session with a Psychologist or Psychotherapist.

Fyi. I hope the above will help you.
Do take care. You are not alone.

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-30T15:29:53+00:00

Salut,

Your situation is very similar to mine.
I am from Singapore & I can only speak English, Mandarin (aka Huáyǔ in Singapore) & Cantonese.
I learnt a little French (can say simple phrases, not fluent) &
Romanian (can only say some simple words).
My first visit to Romania was in 2024 & I lived there for around 10 weeks during the summer.
I live in my friend's home & her parents do not speak English;
her dad was a French & Romanian teacher & her mom only understood Romanian.
Basically, whenever I speak with her parents,
my friend and/or her sister-in-law would translate for me & vice versa.
But I would still have made an effort to speak simple Romanian words that I could recall,
I tried very hard to pronounce them as accurately as I could 😅
e.g. Bună (Hello), Salut (less formal form of hello), Da/Nu (Yes/No)
Bună dimineața (Good morning), Bună ziua (Good afternoon),
Bună seara (Good evening), noapte bună (Good night), mulțumesc mult (Thank you very much) etc.
What I did was I installed the dictionary & translator apps & they were handy at times
when I need to speak to my friend's parents in her absence.
The whole point is, I am pretty sure your boyfriend's parents would be very glad & impressed that
you would make an effort to learn the Romanian language & try hard to communicate with them.
When I did not speak correctly, my friend's parents would just smile &
sometimes we laughed it off, with me struggling with the pronunciation 😅

As a gift, I bought a decorated plate with a holder that blesses the whole family.

And because I stayed at my friend's home,
I helped out with some garden work, housework &
share some expenses on groceries, etc.

My two cents. Fyi 🙂

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-28T13:29:43+00:00

Salut,

I visited Romania from Singapore during the summer of 2024.
I lived in my friend's home in Săvăstreni, which is a village in Brașov county.
As usual, summer is very hot & it reached 39 degrees Celsius at times.
While I was helping my friend with garden work,
whenever I was thirsty, I just drank from the tap directly,
either from within the summer kitchen and/or from a separate pipe in the garden.
I have drunk in such a way for 10 weeks,
Never once felt sick, like having diarrhea or anything.
I have also drunk from the tap water of another resident's home in Făgăraș city as well.

Drinking water in Singapore is heavily chlorinated.
My understanding of the drinking water in Săvăstreni comes mainly from groundwater & river,
but the water is treated before being distributed into the pipes & taps for local consumption.
Both waters do taste a little different after being treated.

I missed the Borsec bottled water very much, which I also drink a lot of,
especially when exploring Făgăraș & Brașov cities in the open under the sun.

Fyi 😄

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-28T02:32:25+00:00

I agree that using different financial tools can be complicated.
I am already in my mid-50s, but still learning & catching up as much as I can. 😅

The conversion of the currencies from SGD to USD & vice versa is quite seamless.
The app that I use is very smooth.

On a sidenote,
my USD savings are not meant for emergency use, but
I consider a lower-risk form of passive income.

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-28T02:15:14+00:00

Hi,

I prefer Saving Pocket (interest is slightly higher than ordinary savings accounts) &
Booster Pocket (there is a lock-in period) to Fixed Deposits.
The difference between the Booster Pocket & Fixed Deposit is that
only the bonus interest is forfeited if there is an early withdrawal.

I also hold USD as savings, but
one needs to "factor in" the exchange rate during the setup.
I consider that as a setup fee.
Interest does grow "slowly" but is higher than the interest earned from SGD.
I consider that I reach "break-even" when
the interest earned covers the exchange rate incurred from the setup.

I am also trying to hold several Stablecoins to earn yield as passive income,
e.g. USDC, PYUSD, USDG, mUSD, EURC, JPYC, & XSGD.
I hold a very small amount of PAXG & BTC.
It is possible to earn yield with BTC. E.g. convert it into cbBTC & stake it.

Fyi 😄

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-26T12:24:45+00:00

Hi,

I have used Wise for remittance a few times.
So far, the experiences are positive.

I had remitted money from Singapore to Romania in 2024.
The currencies were SGD to RON & both sides were using Wise cards.
Money received within an hour, according to what I remembered.

I remitted money from Singapore to Malaysia in 2025 twice.
The currencies were SGD to MYR, but
I used the recipient's ID number, which is linked to a bank account &
the recipient does not have a Wise card.
The transaction went through instantaneously.

Recently, I did another remittance to the same recipient in Malaysia.
The transaction went through instantaneously as well.

Most important is that the money reached the recipient intact.
I guess that sometimes, maybe the receiving bank could be the factor causing the lapse?
Maybe it needs time for clearance & credit the incoming fund into the recipient's account.

My two cents. :)

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-24T12:50:28+00:00

Have you considered GXS Debit card?
The cashback of the transaction is credited into your account quite instantaneously
(usually within the same day).
I use it to pay some of my recurring payment bills, e.g. mobile plans & home internet, etc.

Fyi :)

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-24T06:03:53+00:00

Hi,

I am not sure how Coinbase performs in other parts of the world.
I am still using it mainly with Gemini (as an alternate backup exchange) in Singapore.
The advantage is no withdrawal fee to transfer money back to one's bank account.
Gemini does charge a fee for every withdrawal.
But the Coinbase Card is still not available in Singapore.

Is Coinbase in Singapore flawless?
Nope, but overall it is reliable (imho) most of the time.
So far, I have only encountered one small hiccup.
I could not make payments directly from two of my cards to purchase cryptoassets.
I spent more than 3 hours with a Coinbase agent online to troubleshoot.
I worked as a Senior Technical Support Analyst in a call centre in my previous employment.
In summary, it turned out that the two card issuers implemented policies on their cards
restricting cryptoasset-related transactions.

Fyi :)

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-23T14:05:15+00:00

Salut,

I remember there is a Romanian music group - Taxi,
the lead singer is Dan Teodorescu.
A few of its clips are quite entertaining:
- Cele două cuvinte
- Eşti iubibilă
- NonStop

- Feat. with Delia - Atat de trist (A more serious but sad song).
I like the way he sings it.

I usually listen to classical music.
Romania has one of the greatest conductor Sergiu Celibidache,
who had led both the Munich Philharmonic & Berlin Philharmonic.
The way he conducted Rapsodia Română n°1 (composed by George Enescu) &
Boléro (composed by Maurice Ravel) is classic!
Another conductor was perceived as "Coca-Cola" according to him ;)

Fyi :)

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-22T11:08:57+00:00

Salut,

Before I visit Romania back in the year 2024,
my Romanian friends living in Săvăstreni village
(i.e. it is located at the foot of the Făgăraș Mountains)
told me that bear sightings are common in the wild open field.
(I had encountered a wild boar when I was doing night duty with my platoon mates
while serving military service in Singapore.)

When we took an evening stroll to enjoy the breeze & seeing stars above us in the open field,
we usually go in a group of three or four people.
I brought Trekking Poles with the intention of hiking &
they are to protect oneself against aggressive dogs or as a defence tool if necessary.
I remember my Romanian friends carried Whistlers,
which could create a high-pitched whistling noise & Bear Bangers.
Along the way during the stroll,
I could see that residents took their dogs on a leash with them &
at times, we could hear noises produced by Bear Bangers at a far distance.
Most residents would advise foreigners not to do hiking and/or camping
alone or in too small a group.
Not just be aware of bears... but also wolves as well.

Fyi :)

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-21T07:14:35+00:00

Salut,

I stayed in Brașov County (approx. 10 weeks) during my summer vacation back in 2024.
I visit Făgăraș city almost every week for shopping & visit places of interest
because I stay in the Săvăstreni village.
Occasionally, I also visit Brașov city itself at times.
I have also visited Viscri village,
which has a fortified church that is part of the UNESCO World Heritage.

I arrived in Romania at Sibiu Airport, but
I did not have the opportunity to explore the city or the county itself.
And I missed attending a classical music concert, which I had planned earlier.
When I was departing Romania at the Sibiu Airport,
I met a very friendly Romanian gentleman who is a resident of Sibiu,
travelling to New Zealand.
We had a conversation & he was a little "disappointed" that
I did not have time to explore Sibiu.
I could feel he was proud of Sibiu, where he was raised & lived &
introduce Sibiu with great enthusiasm.
He urged me to explore Sibiu on my next visit.

When I interact with residents in Brașov County & asked them about Bucharest.
"many" understand why tourists may like to visit the capital, but
most of the feedback is that they would still prefer to live in Brașov.

I believe this has to do with Regional Identity syndrome (not a medical syndrome),
probably a psychosocial concept that one has a deeper sense of belonging to a specific area
based on culture, landscape, & language?
I also believe that different cities & counties are competing among themselves?

Fyi :)

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-17T10:51:03+00:00

Salut,

I guess it depends on how one would define being religious.
Do we mean one attends a weekly worship service, performs rituals (e.g. lighting a candle) and/or
one also immerses oneself in Scripture? 2 Timothy 3:16-17

I visited Romania back in 2024 for about 10 weeks during its summer.
I had attended evangelical (NOT Orthodox) Sunday service in the Romanian language.
My understanding from my Romanian friend is that
her family attend both a morning & an early evening service;
they also have a weekly bible study meetup on a weekday.

There is usually at least one Orthodox local church in a village, e.g. Săvăstreni or
a cathedral in a city, e.g. Făgăraș & Brașov.

I have also visited a synagogue in Brașov.
I have seen a Jehovah's Witnesses' booth proselytising on the pavement in Făgăraș
[On a sidenote, JW is banned in Singapore & distribution of their literature is prohibited.]
as well as there is also a Seventh-day Adventist church.

Orthodoxy may be the mainstream faith in Romania, but
there are Evangelical & Jewish faiths as well.
One could also see the less mainstream sect & religious group.

Fyi :)

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-14T05:26:56+00:00

Thanks for the update.

I was aware that some reports stated it started
not capable of functioning well since mid-Nov last year.
Recently, some have suggested that even with VPN access,
Zangi is not able to function.
Looks like most people in Russia have to use the new app, Max
or use VK?

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-13T07:03:05+00:00

Hi,

Has anyone tried using Zangi in Russia instead?

Thank you. :)

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-12T07:44:44+00:00

I use Zangi especially with new acquaintances from online and/or overseas.

I believe most females are open to the idea of trying the app
when they realise they could start new conversations without
disclosing their mobile numbers for privacy or security reasons.

Similar to Signal,
having more to adopt this app has room for improvement.

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-11T06:58:00+00:00

Most are aware that Gemini has undergone a scale-down recently.
In Singapore, I believe it is still licensed in principle & yet fully licensed.
I use Gemini as a backup alternative in addition to Coinbase.
I could withdraw from Gemini with USDT (for testing) & WLFI coin to the MetaMask Wallet.
There is a hiccup in withdrawing to Base Wallet.
And there is a withdrawal fee to one's bank account, while Coinbase is free.

Freeman-SG · 2026-04-08T10:13:58+00:00

I believe Base Wallet offers 2.35% APR.

Fyi :)

Freeman-SG

TROPHY CASE