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

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?

Stuff you must read today (Thu, 19 Nov 2009)

Stuff you must read today (Mon, 16 Nov 2009)

  • the facebook fail blog
  • “Perfect for when you ran out of beer, cigarettes, tabloid news, and crap shows on TV.”

  • Her Morning Elegance by Oren Lavie
  • What a beautiful stop-motion video!

  • Hunter Becomes the Prey
  • “The standard shopping model needs to be reversed. Instead of the shopper acting as hunter, and the product hiding as prey, you should be able to describe in your own words what sort of thing you are looking for, and the vendors should use those footprints to hunt you down and make their pitch.”

  • Ex-political prisoner speaks out in Singapore
  • A recording of a speech by Dr Lim Hock Siew, Singapore’s second longest-held political prisoner.

  • Singapore’s Milli Vanilli on US Radio
  • Interesting perspective:

    “Wah lau, can Dr Chee argue more creatively like Mr Siew Kum Hong or not? Can he concentrate on improving the lives of Singaporeans in meaningful ways and not waste his time on idealised notions of western democracy? Or is he so fixated with revenge on PAP and the First Family that he wants all of us to burn with him … erm Singaporeans not so like that one lah.”

  • Treat the whole thing as a game
  • A contest for the best worst writing you can manage in 300 words.