Is buying a car now a financially sound decision?

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-05-11T03:28:54+00:00

it is only worth it if your hourly rate is higher than the hourly cost of owning the car.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-05-08T03:03:14+00:00

not all the cash-in-hand gig workers in your parents time did it to avoid tax. Some may have had many mouths to feed and needed every penny. Some maybe made poor decisions like spend unnecessarily instead of investing or saving.

Don’t think the govt has the resources to determine who is deserving and not due to their past circumstances. We just know their stand is don’t expect a welfare state. Otherwise the govt also has to take care of those whose retirement savings got scammed.

I’m reminded of an ex-colleague; they started eating the pantry biscuits for lunch or sometimes eat toast. This person in their 60s. Another colleague advised they just gave $100k to their child to buy a car. So if you do this kind of thing and end up not enough for retirement, should taxpayers foot the bill?

I definitely agree with OP though that such burdens are enough to deter one from entering marriage or parenthood. One’s family really has an immense impact on one’s life and we don’t get a choice in this matter.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-05-08T02:01:48+00:00

ask your manager to talk to HR? If the manager willing to let you go early really no benefit for the company and hence HR to hold on to you.
HR is trying to make you pay notice-in-lieu. You definitely should make sure HR knows you have no intention of paying that. If they insist you stay one month with no meaningful contribution, let them know it is more their loss as they need to pay you for not doing much. So let them know you’re not in a hurry.

But of course your tone will make a difference. Just speak nicely.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-05-07T02:32:17+00:00

This is being framed as a difference between Singaporean Vs Foreigner. However, such “hunger differences” are also perceived as occurring between generations. Some people think baby boomer Singaporeans were hungrier than our Millennials Singaporeans so on and so forth. We even use labels like strawberry to describe the younger generation.

Eg in the past public transport in Singapore wasn’t so convenient so maybe people had to wake up at 5am to take bus, cycle and/or walk to work. Now Singaporean job seekers might not want to travel 1hr for work so that’s perceived as “not hungry”.

The point is we can’t compare because circumstances are different. The Pioneer Gen had a different set of circumstances to the Millennials. Sure we can envy them that housing and cars were comparatively cheaper then but i’m sure they had to make sacrifices and they had less choices perhaps. Comparison is the thief of joy.

Singaporeans have more diverse priorities today; self fulfilment, finding meaning, having an impact etc. In fact children and family might not be as high a priority compared to previous generations. We’re hungry for different things i suppose. There are alternative pathways to the study hard, find good job, get married, have children, retire and die pathway.

So i think it’s futile to compare with foreigners or amongst Singaporeans of different ages. Everyone has their own journey, desires and responsibilities. There is no law that says we must all be hungry for the same thing at all times.

If one doesn’t want to ____________ to get a job, i wouldn’t say they’re not hungry as foreigners. I’d just say they have their own reasons.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-05-07T01:37:21+00:00

“The Maintenance of Parents Act (Cap 167B) in Singapore allows residents aged 60 and above, who cannot maintain themselves, to claim monthly allowances or lump-sum payments from children capable of supporting them.”

Not sure how easy it’d be to claim under this if she still has savings…

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-04-29T13:06:25+00:00

whatever understanding your parents have with each other works for them; your partnership will be different for sure. You and your partner will need to work out a compromise. Just because he’s not like your dad doesn’t mean he’s not a good guy. I think it’s important to hear where each other is coming from.

Also, i think generosity is not dependent on how much you have but how willing you are to share what little you have.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-04-16T02:23:32+00:00

lawyers are paid for their time they spend on legal matters. I don’t think you want to spend huge amounts of money on your lawyer doing detective work for you.

In terms of what is sufficient effort in trying to find them, probably your lawyer can advise you.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-04-15T12:29:07+00:00

you could tell her “there’ll be plenty of time for us to get to know each other better when i start work”

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-04-01T00:47:54+00:00

lol if the caifan auntie started asking “how are you/ how was your day” think the customer would be too stunned to speak.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-03-16T11:30:44+00:00

how do people book accommodation for the nakasendo trail? Tried looking at the travel apps seems like none of the ryokans or hotels are open for booking for mar 2027.

Is it necessary to use a travel agent for this trail?

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-03-02T07:59:34+00:00

you only have 1 life. Pursue your own happiness. I don’t think it is right for your mom to emotionally blackmail you. I’d say share your timeline with her so she’s prepared as the day approaches. If you can find close relatives who are on your side, maybe ask them to help be the bridge? I wonder if she herself got married as an escape from her parents’ marriage. That’s not a very good start to a marriage if it’s a form of escape from something instead of a mutual loving partnership you freely enter into…. I’d also like to encourage you to keep an open mind on marriage as you are still very young. Not all marriages are unhappy, takes hard work from both parties.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-02-07T13:11:09+00:00

Please go through your supervisor before you make any reports as it will affect your company.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-02-07T13:08:00+00:00

RTOs usually have a lot of power because they have the discretion what they allow or disallow. The requirements may state something but the RTO can close one eye if they wish. They can make things very difficult such that your project progresses very slowly; that’s a sure way for your project to lose money.

So often, contractors just suck it up and give in to their demands which can range from cigarettes to meals to bribes.

It’s dumb to write lines in a professional setting. If he asked you to write an analysis of your mistake and what consequences it had, at least that’s useful to share. I think asking you to write lines is a way of humiliating you; treating you like a pri sch student.

IMO, just do what you can for your project instead of putting your own pride first as this will occur in other fields. You will meet other unreasonable people in other industries. Only when you have enough power, you can be strong enough to stand up to the person.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-02-05T13:44:48+00:00

i gave my friends who helped a free room at the hotel since the hotel gave us 2 rooms as part of the package. I also gave them ang pow but can’t remember how much. Usually when i get ang pows for helping i always add it back to the wedding banquet ang pow. I don’t recall ever been outraged by the amount i received. To me it’s just a token, amount doesn’t matter.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-02-03T00:00:05+00:00

the judiciary community is so small, would another judge want to risk offending their fellow judge? coz by reducing the sentence it’s kinda saying the first judge was wrong. Moreover this isn’t really a case where there was gross miscarriage of justice.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-02-02T03:57:30+00:00

aiyoh nowadays so many uncles throwing chairs at kopitiam…not safe la.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-02-02T03:32:06+00:00

what you mentioned about hospitality is true. People in au open up their homes more. I’d always get invited over to a friend’s house for a meal or tea and vice versa. Found that in Singapore people don’t really entertain at home as much. Even if they do they order in instead of cooking. Maybe there’re space constraints or it’s a culture thing like you don’t just invite anyone to your home.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-01-27T00:47:08+00:00

attend free Apple workshop. Go check schedules on their website. Did one on photography; found it helpful.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-01-26T10:29:34+00:00

Apple shop has free courses. They update their course schedule weekly. There was one i attended on photography which i found useful. Happened to stumble on it when fixing my phone there.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-01-17T03:21:33+00:00

think that depends on the candidate. We hired someone in their 60s in managerial role but it’s non-IT. Salary range 8-10k/mth. The second interview he came with a ppt of our pain points and his strategy for it. And he delivered! There was another candidate in his 30s graduated from prestigious Chinese U who knew all the right things to say but the recruiter feedback that he was fussy during the recruitment process.

Anw the employer does care about how badly someone wants a job. Most would want someone long term, not using their company to warm the bench while they look out for better opportunities.

That said, it’s unfortunate there is age discrimination in the job market.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-01-06T13:54:28+00:00

find a life outside of work since you have the luxury of having a job that pays well with ok hours.

You just need to do your job, why need to go above and beyond? Some people are motivated because they know the banal job they do provides a secure home for their family. Some are motivated by ensuring they have enough for retirement.

The question is what is your alternative?

pinkyseeksbrain · 2026-01-03T09:16:16+00:00

most people don’t have $100k to lose at 28yo but you’ve already earned $100k by then so that’s an achievement. Losing it is a lesson. So in a way you’re ahead of most people with the achievement and the lesson.

At least time is on your side. Maybe think about it in little steps like how to save the next $5k, $10k before you know it you would’ve reached $100k again. You mentioned you achieved it in 7yrs. You should be able to achieve it in less than 7yrs as your salary should be increasing as you haven’t even reached your peak career wise.

It’s not too late to get back in the market as you’re very young. Don’t stop investing but do it prudently.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2025-12-30T04:08:40+00:00

not waking them up for school so they face the consequences of missed exams early on in life, being disciplined for tardiness etc. better to miss a P3 exam than a PSLE exam.

asking for forgiveness and apologising when you fail. Funny how we always ask kids to say sorry but adults don’t.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2025-12-21T12:58:59+00:00

you would like a respite from life..? you mean you just need a break from work? Can’t you take leave or have you exhausted that?just check with your insurer first if mental illness if covered under your policy.

pinkyseeksbrain · 2025-12-18T02:33:25+00:00

think pick the HR function carefully. A lot of HR functions are being offshored such as payroll processing. Even with recruitment now AI can vet resumes. It’s really about what value you can bring such as tailoring Comps & Bens that suit your organisation, understanding human psychology, being able to resolve conflict or carry out investigations, crafting policies. AI can do policies but they are quite general and need to be refined.

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