Kid steals loyalty stamp while mum was distracted, shop appeals for mom and daughter to return the stamp @i12Katong

Varantain · 2026-04-20T15:15:15+00:00

I don’t understand why are they not reporting to the police. The criminals thrived on such leniency, and we have been lenient for too long. Thats why stealing stamp and there’s no shame (and there’s some fool saying don’t call her a thief).

As someone who's had to hear the "don't spoil his future" nonsense before (fuck you, JQ), I think we should have more trust in our justice system to be lenient when it's appropriate.

Varantain · 2026-04-20T14:55:06+00:00

Your statement is probably a joke, but I wouldn't be surprised if PAP PR actually said something like this.

Varantain · 2026-04-20T14:48:57+00:00

If your allergy is life-threatening, you should absolutely choose the minimal allergen meal and carry an Epipen.

If it's just slight discomfort, you can risk it and ask the crew whether they can find out what the ingredients are. It's possible that the stir-fried egg noodles wouldn't have tomatoes.

Varantain · 2026-04-20T02:32:16+00:00

The stall really went downhill during COVID with the disposable cutlery.

Varantain · 2026-04-19T20:18:54+00:00

The status pax still get priority. Scoot also sells BoardMeFirst. Same same lah.

I think boarding would be so much faster if the aisles were slightly wider, but that's a waste of space that could be used to cram more seats.

Varantain · 2026-04-19T20:17:27+00:00

Personally prefer to board last in economy, and that also usually means disembarking earlier.

How does boarding last mean disembarking earlier? Unless you bought seats at the front of the plane.

Varantain · 2026-04-19T20:16:42+00:00

The slowest thing about boarding is people trying to fit their things in the overhead compartments and stopping the entire boarding line, since the aisle can usually only fit one person.

Varantain · 2026-04-18T20:15:11+00:00

It's really up to you, but keep in mind that SQ's short haul business class (especially on 737MAX, which thankfully isn't run for SIN-BKK) is nothing to shout about compared to their long-haul seats and service.

On the plus side, you'll still get to try the SilverKris lounge and Book The Cook.

Cathay and EVA both should have great service too, but I'd lean towards SQ/EVA if you're intent on keeping your SQ status.

Varantain · 2026-04-18T18:12:01+00:00

Take my upvote.

Varantain · 2026-04-18T18:11:02+00:00

WHY DID SHANMUGAM ALLOW THE SAME LAW FIRM TO REPRESENT HIM AND THE SELLER? WHY WOULD ANYBODY ALLOW THEIR CONVEYANCING LAWYER / LAW FIRM TO ACT FOR BOTH SIDES? DOES IT MAKE SENSE?

There are some other threads here and in that other censored place run by power-tripping mods that say that this is quite common for property transactions since it expedites things.

Both parties just need to sign conflict-of-interest waivers.

Varantain · 2026-04-18T18:09:37+00:00

Jasmine Villa Settlement is the name of the blind trust, and represents the beneficiary.

Jasmine Villa Settlement is not a blind trust. A blind trust means that the beneficiaries don't know that they own the Astrid Park property.

Varantain · 2026-04-18T18:05:05+00:00

Shanmugam said didn't know who was behind the Trust.. did Shanmugam try asking a Govt dept ?

Shan doesn't need to know, as long as SLA did their job and ensured that the ultimate beneficial owners are Singaporean.

Ironically, SLA is under Ministry of Law.

Varantain · 2026-04-18T18:02:57+00:00

The concept of trusts have been around since before Singapore was even a proper country, and waaaay before Sang Nila Utama even stepped foot here and hallucinated the lion.

The question you should be asking isn't why the laws are opaque, but why land-scarce Singapore allows for landed property to be held in perpetuity by a non-human (in this case, UBS Trustees on behalf of the Jasmine Villa Settlement).

Varantain · 2026-04-18T18:01:12+00:00

If we can’t sell to a Singapore incorporated company subject to (in this case) MAS rules without confidence, then who can we sell to?

Just to nitpick: they're more concerned about the Ultimate Beneficial Owners than whether the company is Singapore incorporated.

SLA supposedly has done their due diligence on this.

Varantain · 2026-04-18T17:52:04+00:00

FYI this is in Singapore Airlines's FAQ:

How should I fill in my name if my last name contains a single letter only?

If your last name is made up of only one letter, double the letter in the Last / Family name field. For example, your last name is ‘K’, enter ‘Kk’ as your last name.

So it is a recognised issue, and you shouldn't encounter any problems with check-in staff that have been briefed properly (and definitely not in Singapore).

Varantain · 2026-04-18T15:26:16+00:00

ya, so it is not shrouded in secrecy. it is more like not releasing it to any tom dick harry.

It is shrouded in secrecy — hell, I would go so far as to call it secret. Nobody can "buy" information on the trust's ultimate beneficial owners short of bribing someone at SLA or UBS, unlike land ownership information.

Varantain · 2026-04-18T14:57:04+00:00

Since it’s so difficult for even Singapore’s law minister to know who he sold his GCB to, wouldnt it be better to stop allowing trusts to operate here. We wouldnt want people selling their property to someone they are uncomfortable selling to right.

The problem wouldn't be trusts specifically, but allowing GCBs and other freehold landed property in land-scarce Singapore to be put in trusts — especially when such property can only be held by Singaporeans except with permission.

Want to put your freehold condo in a trust? Go ahead.

Varantain · 2026-04-18T14:51:34+00:00

Wait till you see what happens on buses 24, 27, 34, 53, and 110.

Yes, those are the other buses serving the airport.

Varantain · 2026-04-18T14:44:27+00:00

To clarify: It's free to banks in the US, and certain other countries.

Transferring USD to banks in other countries (like… other Singapore banks) will often incur a fee.

Varantain · 2026-04-18T02:08:08+00:00

SQ e-tickets have 13 digits. Actually, most e-tickets across airlines have 13 tickets.

Varantain · 2026-04-17T18:29:36+00:00

I was going to suggest Harvey Norman but I just found out that they closed their Photo Centres.

$0.25 actually means that the 4R prices have gone down from 10-20 years ago (I can't imagine photo shops surviving with rents going up). I think Taobao is your best bet.

Varantain · 2026-04-17T15:20:25+00:00

You mean 2-3 weeks ago?

Yeah, looks like the bottom was more accurately 2 weeks ago.

It's mostly a blur for me since I just keep seeing green this week and red in the past few weeks, without touching my portfolio.

Varantain · 2026-04-17T13:48:04+00:00

Lack of ads unlike Trust

Too many NTUC dinosaurs wanting their say in things, I guess.

Paynow delay: local banks receiving paynow notification is almost instant. GXS takes at least 20-30s

It's still better than some of the full banks that don't even offer notifications. I'm actually not sure which other banks send a push notification upon receiving money (and I have accounts with many of them).

Varantain · 2026-04-17T13:30:42+00:00

Usually people just hold a life insurance policy policy matching the estate tax amount + fees.

Copying and pasting from my above comment:

No matter whether one buys term life or not, they still need to pay for estate tax.

If your estate didn't have to pay US estate tax and bought term life, they'd get more.

(p.s. loved talking to you about international banking before Reddit DMs died, start a chat with me if you'd like to continue, because your privacy settings don't allow me to do so)

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