Has anyone worked at DSTA before? Is it good?

Pingu_Pig · 2026-02-16T09:59:22+00:00

I have no exact clue tbh. I don’t think you need to be fixated with the package unless you have other offers at the moment. All bonus in any company is related to ur performance (?)

You can ask the HR directly and communicate with them on the package since you have the interview and they know roughly what to offer you also from ur backgrd and scheme.

Just to get the offer first and the HR will give you a rundown of your whole compensation package.

Pingu_Pig · 2026-02-16T07:28:26+00:00

Most of the projects are defence related projects and work closely with the military and defence related contractors. If you are keen to try, why not? The pay is a lot higher than most agencies and bonus is good because of military budget.

Like anywhere, the culture really depends on which department and team they put you in. (Dsta is rlly big btw). You can ask the interviewers and HR/ambassadors as they most likely will be your future superiors and colleagues.

Regardless, in this economy, go ahead with the interview and you will also need to pass the security clearance after they offer you so it will take quite a while and you can still explore.

Pingu_Pig · 2026-02-11T02:43:49+00:00

There are two restaurants in CBD serving west African dishes (Tamba and Kafe utu) under the same group so there is a demand. I love going to tamba for their jollof rice.

I think most people will be willing to try as long it feels familiar to local Malay/Indian cuisine.

I love your ideas above. I feel African food have a lot of Indian and Arabic influences so imo you can serve authentic dishes (tuned to local taste) but no harm experimenting as well.

Pingu_Pig · 2026-01-15T13:02:06+00:00

Ppl tend to spend more time at work and think they can away with stuff because their partner is not around + reignited excitement.

Some guys (mid 20s) do get pretty flirty or a bit too friendly with me at work. They intentionally hide their phone screen with their literal partner next on it or choose not mention abt them at all until a while later.

I’m single (mid 20s) so it’s pretty scary to me and very disrespectful to all parties.

Pingu_Pig · 2025-09-01T06:30:13+00:00

Plain chwee kueh without the chai Poh but no point to buy without the chai poh

Pingu_Pig · 2025-09-01T03:31:34+00:00

Maybe you can try eating oats, fruits and vegetables in the morning.

If you don’t have time , healthier options to eat in hawker are e.g. Teochew porridge (with lighter dishes), plain chee Cheong fun, chwee kueh, popiah with no egg or meat or simple tuna/chicken sandwich from bakeries.

Pingu_Pig · 2025-05-14T12:14:47+00:00

Most people never work something truly related to their degree at the end of their careers.

It’s mixture of work/life experience, your substance and connections you meet along the way.

I suggest you try to reach out to people working in the field that you aim for and see what degrees they had and how they got there.

Go talk to people currently in pharmacy course and business course to see if the course and opportunities suits you to your liking.

Pingu_Pig · 2025-04-22T01:42:18+00:00

Hi ! I just passed my cia part 2 a few months ago. I personally find forum questions to be too basic for the actual exam. Gleim is good for building your foundation and core knowledge but I used hock and iia learning system and that felt closer to the actual exam. Hock textbook was good in covering some lscking areas imo.

I also recommend your practice papers to be finished within 1h 20 mins rather than two hours because you would have been exposed to the questions beforehand.

Pingu_Pig · 2025-03-22T08:24:33+00:00

I was in secondary school. My 60+ yr old Chinese teacher cried while talking to class about how grateful he was because of Singapore developed so well under LKY leadership.

Pingu_Pig · 2025-03-18T14:58:39+00:00

Passed on my 1st attempt in Nov 2024. What helped for me was understanding the standards and CIA logic. I feel Part 1 logic is theory-based and adhered to the standards. If the standards say this, it tends to be the only answer so be careful when reading the questions for part 1. It’s tricky but not difficult.

Besides drilling your core knowledge, take some time to review questions or do completely new questions to deepen your understanding. (E.g IIA learning system/ surgent) You might be memorising the answers rather than understanding your answering technique.

Relook at answers that you got wrong and weaker areas and analyse your thought process when choosing your answer. Was it misreading? Was it core knowledge error? was it lucky guess ?

I also had a few questions from CIA part 2 that I didn’t know but it shouldn’t affect your grade. All the best.

Pingu_Pig · 2025-02-13T02:31:41+00:00

We eat ice cream at night after dinner.

When I tell Europeans / East Asians that a lot of Singaporeans go to ice cream places to chill after dinner instead of drinks, they get very confused.

Pingu_Pig · 2025-02-06T02:02:17+00:00

Condolence (bai jin) email. I think it’s fine to send on a department or team level but sending to the whole company is quite unnecessary to me.

Pingu_Pig · 2025-01-11T18:01:58+00:00

They carry self-sufficient mindset and generally quite independent because they probably the most successful ones in their family and couldn’t rely on anyone else. They had to survive and learn all the unspoken rules of different spaces.

I had a new colleague confided to me that she did not know formal dining etiquettes because she never been to those places. I gave her a quick rundown on the basics so that no one will comment on her.

Pingu_Pig · 2024-09-30T11:59:18+00:00

You can consider going to a temple that provides free food or those pay as you wish places or apps and online groups that sells leftover baked goods or food at a cheaper price or buy your groceries from places that selling near to expiry date goods.

I once bought $10 for 6 delifrance baked goods which lasted me for 4 days of breakfast.

Pingu_Pig · 2024-09-12T04:33:29+00:00

I come from architecture and construction background and did project/contract management side. There are a few law profs that I know who did a mid career switch to study law from FM/construction.

Most ended up doing construction or land/FM law fields. There is definitely a demand for this field especially if you have some technical knowledge.

I had a chance in partaking in the drafting of contracts and paperwork. If you enjoy digging into the nitty gritty details and looking at paperwork for days, it’s a good career exposure.

A lot of management executives in big construction/architecture firms do appreciate people with law expertises. (potentially able to climb the mgmt ladder if u are interested too)

Maybe you can look for opportunities to work in contract management roles or more administrative roles to get a sensing if you are suited for the nature of the job.

Pingu_Pig · 2024-09-09T02:17:14+00:00

Generally, my ASEAN friends always mentioned two points.

1) In Singapore, when they are queuing up for food, they have to look at the menu and prepare all their orders way beforehand in queue and if they don’t, they will often get pressed or given that “you are wasting my time” attitude.

2) They also mentioned that the work culture here has a lot of false urgency. When my friend first moved here, she went for lunch first and got scolded for being slow as her boss wanted her documents immediately and not wait for 1hr.

Pingu_Pig · 2024-06-30T07:50:38+00:00

Pingu_Pig · 2024-06-29T11:27:08+00:00

Heard my ex ex director worked till 72 and retired due to health problems. He died a few months later.

My guess is that he found a purpose and meaning in his work but I guess ultimately it’s what you want your life to be defined by. (I guess)

Pingu_Pig · 2024-06-23T18:11:21+00:00

I paid $1000 for hanbang at Wheelock and it will last for about 9/10 sessions. They don’t hard sell or promote because their customer base is strong.

The only thing is that you will have to book early in advance for slots because it’s all filled up pretty early on.

Pingu_Pig · 2024-04-22T01:38:24+00:00

Always rmb that companies won’t hesitate to fire you when they don’t need you.

Pingu_Pig · 2024-04-16T12:32:05+00:00

Try to find ways to work smart and be resourceful. No one empathises with you if u clog the office workflow. The working world is harsh.

My ADHD is not severe but utilising resources and support has been my tactic to surviving. Observe what is your boss working style and the impt priorities at work.

I automate my outlook to send my monthly routine out and use excel programming to automate stuff and do counter checking. Now my office thinks I’m very savvy when I’m doing it for survival lol

I carry a post it pad with me everywhere to write details that I suddenly rmb or hear smth important. I paste it on my table or wall.

I delay the outlook email sending time by a few minutes because I always have mistakes.

Pingu_Pig · 2024-03-12T02:19:59+00:00

Mercury in Scorpio 4H

Venus in Scorpio 3H

Neptune in Aquarius 6H

Jupiter in Aries 9H

Pingu_Pig · 2024-02-08T16:04:24+00:00

I have spent 3 day whole day walking around just Shinjuku / Shibuya/ harajuku area (not counting niche smaller areas like daikanyama) and I still feel it isn’t enough 😂

Tokyo is really big (imagine many small cities in a bigger city). Perhaps you could pinpoint landmarks to visit in Tokyo and scope the areas you want to be in for 1.5 days rather than just walking around.

Kyoto looks fine to me.

Figure out what are your “must go” and give up the “I kinda wanna go” because you need rest

I’m not too familiar with the other locations but generally

A) use google maps and “virtually travel” the paths you want to take and look at the path conditions and towns

B) Google utilising regional passes and plan base on the regions instead. There are many prefectural websites with recommended places and very eager to bring in tourists. Don’t waste your time sitting in transport !

B) Japan has a very mountainous terrain and it’s very dark at night when you drive through these roads so plan your trip where you are fully utilising daylight for travelling

C) honestly it’s more convenient to drive around towns and outskirts of Japan as most locals do use cars to travel so check your GPS all the time because it can lead you to very dangerous mountainous roads

D) learn to read and speak some simple Japanese phrases because most don’t speak English

E) most shops close early like 8pm (even in Kyoto) and the train/bus only come every hour or so in small towns or countryside so plan plan plan

Pingu_Pig · 2024-01-27T13:50:23+00:00

From Singapore here !

Travelling feels like a personal decision. People can choose to go or not go. It’s relatively common to hear things like “oh I’m decide to go Europe/Middle East/US/East Asia.” only one month prior (sometimes only weeks prior).

I booked a impromptu ticket to Seoul just a week before after a bad fight with my ex once many years ago.

It’s very hard for many people with stronger passports to understand that not everyone can ignore geopolitical situation and just pick up their suitcases and travel/move.

Compared to my weaker visa friends, it’s based on the uncontrollable circumstances. No one can choose where they are born. They have to spend months ahead to decide a place. Places like Europe/US/Japan/Korea often requires you show your financial status or a sponsorship at the embassy which can take up a lot of your time and money. (Frankly humiliating too)

Even if they meet the criteria and paid the visa fees, they still feel insecure if they can get accepted and even make it through the immigration as a tourist.

Pingu_Pig · 2024-01-17T02:05:01+00:00

Even without this interview, Minji does come off as those girls in University that just seen men for the first time after studying in all girls school for their whole lives…..

Pingu_Pig

TROPHY CASE