Ministry of Foreign Affairs eRegister system.

Sat, 28 Nov 2009
1 min read
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If you’re a Singaporean, and you’re going overseas for work or travel, it’s probably best if you register your details with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

I don’t know how much information is used for ‘surveillance’, but I think it’s always good to be prepared in the event of any emergencies.

BTW I found out about this thingy after submitting an Overseas Travel Notification to the Ministry of Defence – not because I want to, but because it must be done.

Anyways, there was a nifty little link provided at the end of the confirmation page which brought me to the MFA eRegister system, and I thought I’d share it with everyone because I think all of you should know about this.

Also, since the Civil Service often gets more brickbats than it does bouquets, I thought I’d take some time to express my pleasure at a good idea (IMHO) and a good example of synergy at work.

Okbye.

Stuff you must read today (Fri, 27 Nov 2009)

Fri, 27 Nov 2009
2 min read
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  • On being Bland in the Lion City

    • “Sure, his account illustrates the usual argument relating to the lack of press freedoms in Singapore, but I suspect it has got to do with the chronic “kiasi-ness” (literally means fear of death in Singapore colloquial-speak, can be used to refer to literal or metaphorical death) embedded in the hearts and minds of government bureaucrats.”

  • Be more open to reduce policy errors

    • “One would have wished that, over such a long period, someone within the Government had identified the mistakes.”

    Identifying the mistake is one thing – being willing and able to adopt a new and better course of action is another.

  • PES

    • “The army uses it to categorize men by their fitness and combat readiness level, and it stands for Physical Employment Status. Me, I use mine to categorize men by their childhood traumas, and it stands for Prick Evaluation System.”

    IMHO, the categories are a bit more fluid – some guys can be a combination of a few characteristics.

  • mrbrown and the flood

    • “I think we should [look on] the bright side [of things]. Perhaps we can try to make the best of things. If you cannot stop the flooding, why not make Bukit Timah the Venice of Singapore? What could be more romantic and prestigious than living in Singapore’s Canal District?

    …

    The fancy schools along that stretch can have annual Boat Races there, a la Oxford and Cambridge. ACS, SCGS, Hwa Chong, NJC, St Joseph’s, all competing in the annual Bukit Timah Freak Flood Inter-School Boat Race.”

  • Asia Sentinel Loses a Singapore Correspondent

    • “While the governments of Burma, China and Iran tend to arrest troublesome foreign reporters or expel them without delay, Singapore’s more media-savvy government prefers a subtler approach to repression. The non-renewal of a work visa is their preferred method for getting rid of foreigners with minimal fuss or attention.”

13th month payment: It’s not a ‘bonus’?

Fri, 27 Nov 2009
1 min read
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I was quite curious about how and why there was a need for a 13th month payment after reading this article. So I Googled for some answers, and found a few posts on this topic.

Read them first, bad English and all, before coming back here:

Actually, they all say the same thing (with some variations) so the summary here:

  • We are paid according to the British system of accounting i.e. based on 28 days of work (one week has seven days; therefore four weeks has 28 days).
  • Since our salary comes in monthly, we have 12 payments in one year.
  • But one year has 52 weeks. 52 divided by four is 13.
  • So the 13th month is something that is entitled to us. However, we have been conditioned into believing that it’s a ‘bonus’.

Hmmm. Any thoughts on this from anyone?