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Snapchat is probably THE app for millennials right now, with its main draw being platform where you can show off your life 10 seconds at a time (before it disappears 24 hours later).

There are those, however, who cannot fathom why anyone would want to do that, when other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram allow you to upload longer videos that you can view indefinitely for days to come.

The appeal of Snapchat though, is that it reaches out to a generation that is all about sharing instant snippets of their lives in the moments that they happen.

Anything happening in the next 24 hours is another story for another day.

Snapchat Spectacles

In September, Snapchat dropped a sneak peak of their new product.

It is not a new app, nor is it additional features for Snapchat itself. Rather, they have pulled a surprise on their users, and released their own physical product.

While people find it curious that they didn't go down the smartwatch route, I think that having a wearable that goes from the wrist and onto the face is a smarter decision.

Disregarding the failure that is Google Glass for a moment, people are putting visors on their heads now, more than ever, because of the popularity of Virtual Reality.

With Spectacles, Snapchat is putting their own twist on what people's virtual content looks like through their own personal reality. Camera lens on the right and LED indicator on the left, this hipster looking pair of tech shades lets you record your usual 10 seconds through the touch of a button located at the top of the frame.

With the launch of their new product, Snapchat wants to go full legit as a tech company, so they're calling themselves Snap Inc., with the Snapchat name now solely belonging to the app, and their first wearable simply known as Spectacles.

It's Finally On Sale!

Nearly 2 months later, Spectacles have finally gone on sale.

Through a viral marketing campaign, Snap Inc. is selling its latest products via vending machines known as SnapBots.

What's a viral promotional campaign if the locations of these SnapBots are not being kept random?

For anyone wanting to get to one, their locations in select US cities are unveiled through their locator map on their website.

This is what the Spectacles look like.

And the cost of getting one? US$129.99.

I don't know about you, but that's a decent sum of money in a world where people spend many times more on non-tech shades from the biggest fashion labels.

The case does more than just serve aesthetics purposes - it also charges your shades!

There are contact points on both the inside and outside of the case- the one outside is where you attach a magnetic cable which you can plug into an old USB wall charger, while the one inside is where the Spectacles can 'dock' into to initiate charging.

Making A Fashion Statement

The Spectacles are available in three colours: Coral, Teal, and Black, which also corresponds to similarly-coloured buttons on the SnapBot vending machine when you purchase them.

Judging from the promotional materials that have been released, the Spectacles look like something of an instant hit.

Why?

Simple, they are being showed off as a lifestyle and fashion accessory instead of some geeky tech mashup (cue Google Glass). Also, the way in which they are being sold helps too, with many describing it as an experience equivalent to buying a toy.

Instantly Sold Out, And An Expected eBay Appearance

So far, the SnapBot has only appeared in California, with the first location being Venice Beach.

As of today, it is at Loma Vista.

Anywhere it goes, long queues follow, and those who were too slow to get their hands on one are told by staff that stocks for the day have run dry.

As with any piece of tech novelty though, it is sure to make its way to the 'wonderful' world of eBay by enterprising resellers.

Sure enough, there they are at prices one could only describe as so astronomical that Donald Trump himself would be proud.

On average, prices after eBay's currency conversion puts the Spectacles somewhere in the region of S$1,500, but where's the fun in that?

Let's take a look at both ends of the the price spectrum.

While by no means affordable and fairly priced, the cheapest Spectacles listing right now for anyone outside of the USA (let alone California itself), costs a hair above S$500.

Boring figures, let's go to the exciting stuff.

This seller's listing is one that can simply be described as astonishing. At US$2,500 (~S$3,530.75), it costs more than some people's monthly salaries, and in the US that amount can probably get you a car too.

By the way, all the above prices are not inclusive of shipping, so costs for that may vary between sellers.

Just Another Fad?

Just about every other major tech reviewer and personalities are giving the Spectacles a passing grade, but one has to wonder whether this will be a timeless piece of lifestyle tech, or just another passing fad for the social media generation.

Just look at smartwatches - even Apple couldn't save it.

Google tried to make everyone look cool with their glasses, but instead, their limited functionality and availability made the few owners look more like anomalies.

Snap Inc. would have to be very careful in playing their cards right for their new product, or else it may just potentially be a distant memory once the next cool tech toy by someone else is released.

Vulcan Post is all about living life with a digital edge, up and coming startups, and people who inspire conversations.
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Online shopping in Singapore is still considerably tame.

Sales tactics of online retailers here are typically dependent on what's happening outside of the country.

Recently, on November 11th, we saw the 11.11 Singles' Day sales that Singapore-based online marketplaces hopped on to take advantage of.

As its name suggests, it is an unofficial day of celebration observed by East Asian countries (especially China) when one can be proud of their singlehood, typically achieved by rewarding oneself with online shopping.

Well there's round two coming just around the corner.

Now that the east is done with all their sales, it is time for those in the west to start.

These sales signal the start of the holiday season, and of two of the largest celebrations - Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday typically span over a weekend near the end of November before the stores close for the holiday season.

This is a period of massive discounts and a mad dash of shoppers.

Thankfully, we don't live in the countries that are heavily invested in these 'celebrations'.

And of course, considering the global connectivity of the world we live in, these deals and more are also available online, ready to be shipped from the US right to your doorstep.

You just need to know how.

So, we're here to help.

1. Know The Dates

The sales are typically held on the last Friday of November right through the weekend until Monday, thus 'Black Friday' and 'Cyber Monday'.

Knowing the dates will give you a head-start to not only the sales on the actual day, but also to prepare for the week leading up to it.

For example, sites like Amazon will usually unleash a flurry of deals, especially for electronics and computer peripherals.

But what if tech is not your thing?

That's alright, all your favourite American clothing brands are also unleashing discounts early to quell any potential last minute crashes on their websites.

It is not uncommon to have highly sought-after pieces selling out even before Black Friday begins.

TL;DR, save these dates: Friday 25 November to Monday 28 November.

2. Get Yourself A Forwarding Service

There are plenty of discounts going on in online stores, with some even going beyond the 50 per cent mark.

However, as good as the prices are, US retailers more often than not restrict the shipping options for products.

So how do you circumvent this little logistics issue?

A forwarder would come in handy here.

For years, Singaporeans have counted on the likes of vPost, Comgateway and Borderlinx and recently, ezbuy has also joined in on the action.

The common consensus amongst online shoppers is that the best all-rounder is Comgateway (and its subsidiary Hopshopgo).

With constant promotions running with DBS/POSB, it is no wonder that a majority of people put their shopping faith in them.

vPost comes in at a close second, but it's a mixed bag at best.

Meanwhile, Borderlinx has the most expensive shipping costs, but at times, also boasts exclusive promotions with Citibank cards.

ezbuy is the cheapest of the lot, but it comes with an awfully big caveat: there's no tracking and you may need to fill in your own paperwork.

Other less well-known forwarders who also have some positives include Parcl and ShipItTo.

3. Prepare For Late Nights

The fact that these sales are predominantly in the US means that you would have to cut back on sleep if you want to grab the best deals.

Sites like Amazon will have flash deals throughout the day, but many have noticed that the more popular items tend to only appear around afternoon US time.

What this means for you is that you may have to stay awake throughout the night, probably until first light due to our 12-hour time difference.

The good thing about Amazon though, is that they will list down their sale items ahead of time.

For everyone else, this golden timing is the time when the best products are put on massive discounts for the day.

So you would need to check back on your favourite online stores from time to time to see if what you've been eyeing all year gets a massive price cut, or risk missing out on it.

4. Mind The Size

With all your spending, keep in mind that there's still the cost of shipping that needs to be accounted for.

Most people will just buy small amounts of clothing and tech gadgets, so it may be a good idea to consolidate everything into a single shipment.

Even then, the common worry is that you would get a big box filled with airbags, especially if you buy electronics.

As forwarders charge through the volumetric weight of the total shipment, and not according to how much an individual item takes up, you will potentially be made to pay for those bags of air.

So make sure that whatever you purchase can be shipped with minimal weight, and essentially be put together without incurring unwanted charges.

5. Beware The Almighty US Dollar

Perhaps the most important factor in the minds of those looking to spend this coming weekend is how far up the US Dollar will continue to rise.

Earlier this year the exchange rate was going for around US$1 to S$1.30, but after the recent presidential election which saw a certain Donald Trump take the win, the US Dollar reacted in the most unexpected way - it became stronger.

Buoyed by the new president-elect, the exchange rate stands at some US$1 to S$1.42 at the time of this writing.

Keeping in mind that credit card currency exchanges are usually a fraction higher, you would have to pay a slight premium.

So the advice here would be to always cross-check prices with local sources if available, just to see if the extra logistics step to get your favourite items is worth the savings.

6. Go Local

This is what I foresee most people doing this year.

The recent spike in the US Dollar has made some fervent online shoppers rethink their decision to let loose this coming weekend.

Instead, what they can choose to do is look at Singaporean avenues instead.

Qoo10 has announced that they would be holding their own Black Friday event to capitalise on consumer spending.

Shopee, too, has announced that they will be having their own version of the sale this coming Friday through Monday.

While there is no word from Lazada yet, the fallout from their Singles' Day sales are still lingering with some attractive prices available for most of their products.

Courts too has decided to join in the fun as they have just announced their own Black Friday sales.

Shoppers can register their interest here to get first dibs on offers with their priority pass.

Lastly, wouldn't hurt to get some rebates while doing some online shopping so don't forget to Shopback your purchases.

So ready your credit cards - regardless of the reasons, you will definitely be spending on something this coming weekend because there is bound to be a deal or two that will tickle your fancy.

Being a lawyer might be hard work, but it's definitely worth the stable career and income. However, Singaporean Kendra Liew thought otherwise.

She decided to ditch her career as a lawyer and create an organic cosmetic line, affectionately named, Katfood.

Katfood, organic skincare at pocket-friendly prices

According to Kendra, Katfood aims to "bring you high quality food grade and chemical free skin and hair care at pocket-friendly prices".

ilovekatfood.com was launched in November 2014, with the online platform initially being the only means that customers could buy Katfood products.

Today, customers can also find Katfood on Zalora, Isetan, as well as in Naiise, which has recently launched vending machines retailing local branded products.

Compared to other organic skincare markets, for example, the US, Kendra felt that the local market lacked price-friendly products. Instead, the brands and products filling the local shelves were just full of chemicals.

Kendra explains that her decision to enter the organic cosmetic industry was also due to consumers becoming increasingly savvy and particular about what goes on their bodies.

"Consumers nowadays are so inundated with commercialised, chemical skincare that they are starting to look away from those options and instead explore simpler, more relatable alternatives."

Kendra has always been making beauty remedies as a teenager, and these were recipes that she also shared with family and friends. Hence, it didn't feel like she was going into uncharted territory when she started Katfood.

All of Katfoods' products are made to order, and each product comes in small sizes to ensure freshness and stability. One of the main selling points of Katfood is that their products are 100 per cent organic and "crazy for coconut oil", which Kendra considers "nature's super gift to us".

Katfood, like its unique name, also plays on other interesting names for its products, ranging from products like #NoFilter Makeup Remover, Huat Ah! Lip Balm and All About That Face Foaming Facial Wash.

No meant for the corporate life

Growing up, Kendra always dreamt of becoming a lawyer, because at some point of time during her primary school days, she decided she wanted to help people.

And somehow, the idea that being a lawyer would be a super cool way to do so got into her head.

Upon graduating from law at National University of Singapore in 2011, she practiced as a divorce and civil litigator for almost 3 years. It was around this point that she realised the corporate life was just not meant for her.

"I was not getting the sense of satisfaction I needed to keep me waking up every morning happy to go to work. So I quit, and started ilovekatfood and I've never been happier," she says.

As easy as it was to convince herself that she wasn't meant to be a lawyer, convincing her parents and friends about the same thing proved to be difficult.

"It was hard convincing my parents and some peers that giving up a so-called high flying career to slog it out in the startup world was a good idea. I also had to get used to not receiving a steady paycheck at the end of the month anymore. However, I truly believed in my vision and made the leap pretty easily," she explains.

No business knowledge

Legally-trained as a lawyer, Kendra found everything, from setting up the startup to running it, a huge challenge.

"I had close to zero knowledge on starting a business!"

To compound her hardships, Katfood was a one-woman show. This meant that she had to learn everything about the business as she went along.

She formulated a brand image and designed her logo and labels on Microsoft Word as she could not afford to buy the Photoshop programme. In addition, Kendra also had to teach herself to conform to compliance requirements, as well as learning to handle marketing and logistics.

Despite having received recognition and awards for her products, Kendra remarks that small businesses are often limited by tight budgets.

"Singapore is an expensive place and there are plenty of opportunities that we miss out on for not being able to throw large amounts of money at stuff."

The bright side of Singapore startup life

In spite of her challenges, Kendra still sees the bright side of startup life in Singapore.

"I would say that it is filled with tenacious and ambitious people. I get so inspired when I meet other people with their own startups. You can see the passion and longing as they speak about their businesses. This fills me with great hope for the future of entrepreneurship in Singapore."

Read also: Goodbye law, hello orders

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On The Golden Girls, there's this scene where a teacher speaks fondly about her favourite student: "He gets this look in his eyes when he's listening. You don't see that very often. I think that look is the whole reason that teachers teach."

Dave Sim knows that look.

Having taught physics at RJC (now known as RI) for six years, he knows how life-defining a career in education is.

For every teacher committed in their craft, nothing beats the triumph of discovering they've made an impact on a student's life.

Dave is a legendary figure in his students' eyes - thanks to his engaging and concise techniques on the perplexing subject, many of his students evolve from being a mediocre physics student to an exceptional one.

The Physics Cafe - An education emporium

Dave is also unlike any other teacher.

For one thing, he wears a mic headphone while teaching. For another, he runs The Physics Cafe, a massive tuition centre where he serves as the director and head of academic.

Not only is his education centre half the size of a football field, but it also has its own cafe, digital library, scholarship programme, and shuttle bus service.

It's no wonder The Physics Cafe is dubbed as a premium school - just one look at the tutors' tailor-made uniforms can attest the fact alone.

When Dave launched The Physics Cafe, he started small by enrolling only JC students.

Out of these 200 pupils, a big group came from established schools like Hwa Chong Junior College and Anglo Chinese Junior College.

Three years later, he decided to take the plunge by offering both physics and maths tuition to JC and secondary school students.

Dave mulled over opening the classes earlier, and in the end he chose not to, as he had high standards and was determined to stand by it. Plus, he didn't think the early launch would justify the amount of work he had put in.

The amount of work for the launch was colossal.

Dave and his team spent not a week, not a month, but a year to put together their lesson materials. Fortunately, their Herculean task paid off.

Right now, The Physics Cafe has close to a thousand students.

Judging by the number of students enrolled in their classes, it's clear having tuition as a kid is a norm in today's world - but for Dave's schooling years, it was the exact opposite.

Never had tuition as a kid

Growing up, Dave was a studious kid - he had the habit of writing his own notes, a practice that would ultimately reap the benefit in his career as an educator.

"When I first started teaching, I was surprised how my ten-year-old JC notes helped my students understand the key concepts in physics," he says.

A visual learner, Dave shares he finds it easier to study his own handwritten notes than pouring through his lecturer's typewritten ones.

"I don't like memorising individual equations and definitions. Instead, I remember the visual image of every page of my notes."

Since he couldn't afford tuition, Dave consistently kept his nose to the grindstone.

He reminisces his life as a student, like how he would often spend hours solving just one question. Still, Dave's school life wasn't all too shabby, as he managed to sail through his exams.

"Now I'm happy to help my students to save [the] time, leaving [them] more time for other things."

Making tutoring easier for his students

Not only do his techniques get his students out of a tight spot, but his ambassador scholarship programme - that covers both partial and full scholarships - also lightens their financial burden.

A commendable initiative on The Physics Cafe's part, it makes one wonder: what qualities are they looking for in an honourable ambassador?

High motivation, and a myriad of factors.

"The ambassador of the school should be a role model for these students. He or she will be responsible for collating the exam results from the students so that we can see how the student fare relatively, compared to their peers," Dave shares.

Comfort is also one of Dave's priorities.

When he found out the centre couldn't accommodate their needs, he decided to relocate to a bigger space. Currently, the school is nestled in OrangeTee Building in Toa Payoh.

The Physics Cafe is also taking a beat from massive open online courses (MOOCs) by offering video lessons for students who are unable to afford the tuition fees.

With this online learning approach, students pay half the usual fee to attend the same lesson, with the same tutor, and the same materials in the comfort of The Physics Cafe's very own digital library.

Different expectations

As the interview draws to a close, Dave shares several surprising insights about today's tuition market. "We have to accept that the trend today is very different. Students who go for tuition are not weak academically or 'kiasu' in nature," he stresses.

"Most students in Singapore attend tuition classes to 'stretch time', so learning will be more effective."

Back on 2014, The Straits Times reported that Singaporean families have spent $1.1 billion on tuition alone; many cite competitive edge and Direct School Admission scheme as their reasons.

However, judging by what Dave has shared, it appears there's more than it looks.

Is our tuition industry going to hit another record? What does this mean for our future generation?

One thing's for sure, effective learning is a trend and it's sticking for good.

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Right under our noses and behind the eyes of the mass public, an illegal ring of baby trafficking comes to light.

Safe to say, it's left the country shaken.

On November 24, our nation was given an abrupt wake up call when Al Jazeera aired a documentary done by award-winning current affairs programme 101 East.

The whole process was filmed over a total of four months where the team went undercover in order to reveal the ins-and-outs of baby-selling racket in Malaysia.

The footage revealed a whole chain of traffickers, government officials and doctors openly explaining the entire process that goes behind this.

"It's a huge problem. Baby selling has been ongoing in Malaysia for a while. Babies are brought in from countries like Thailand and Cambodia and then exported to other places such as Singapore, etc," said Child Activist Hartini Zainudin in the interview section of the documentary.
 

She then went on to tell the story of how she accidentally got herself involved in this baby-selling ordeal 8 years ago, the day that she also added another member into her family.

It all started when traffickers had called her after they had failed to sell a baby to a Malaysian couple.

Thinking they were going to pass the baby to her with no charges, she ended up getting into the car with them but after exchanging a few sentences, it dawned on her that she was caught in a serious problem.

After the traffickers informed her that they would be selling off the baby to Thailand for the purpose of begging, Hartini made the decision to save the baby and named her Zara.

Unfortunately it took a total of 8 years before she could legally call herself Zara's parent due to the strict legal procedures that goes behind adoption operations in Malaysia.

But even until now, Zara has no legal status due to her not registering as a Malaysian citizen at birth.

"It took me 5 years to get her birth certificate, it took me another 3 years to put in her application for citizenship and I'm still waiting," said Hartini when describing the long, expensive and emotionally draining process that goes behind adopting in our country.

This essentially means that Zara has no access to public health and education, no rights to apply for a passport, no bank account and no rights to get married. She basically has no status whatsoever.
 

It is this exact reason that young couples with no capabilities to bear children of their own resort to this illegal ring of baby selling.

Critics have accused Malaysia's complex adoption laws for giving birth to an underground market that feeds off vulnerable women and children in order to cater to the couples who are willing to pay a hefty price if it means getting a baby in their arms faster.

Various advertisements and social media groups can even be found online of people posting pictures of babies ready to be sold. One person named 'Bonda' was found to be a rather influential in this scene where numerous couples have gone to her in order to buy a baby.

In the video, 'Bonda' was shown to have admitted that she houses 78 pregnant Indonesian women for her customers to choose from. Just like a catalogue of furniture.

The price of a baby can range from RM6,000 to RM20,000 depending on a few factors such as their race, gender and skin colour.

According to Hartini, a fair baby boy can cost higher compared to a dark-skinned baby girl.

Other means of getting babies were also shown. Pimps who handle sex workers are able to offer couples the babies from their group of ladies who got pregnant.

Some of these sex workers even willingly contact couples themselves as it as a law that immigrant workers are not allowed to bear children in the country.

The 101 East team delved deeper in their cover to gather video evidence of a doctors openly offering to help obtain falsified birth documents for any baby that's been bought from them.

This is done with the help of government officials working in the National Registration Department (JPN).

"You don't have to be nervous because we do this on a very regular basis. I think that's how the word of mouth spread that we actually do BC's (Birth Certificates)," said one of the doctors from a clinic known to regularly help couples to buy babies.

Another doctor added, "In Malaysia, can do everything. Money can do anything. Malaysia's the 2nd most corrupted [country]."

This shocking admission just further exemplifies the corruption level that happens within our own officials.

Though most may hope for these newborns to end up with good parents who long for a child so much that they're willing to break the law for one, it can't be ignored that there may be buyers who purchase these babies for the intention of pedophilia or begging syndicates that are still running rampant in most countries.

"For me, the anger is on our own Malaysians. Our own state. Our own authorities. This is all because of that 'I don't care' attitude.

What happens to a young child who's begging in the streets or a child who is being sold, you don't care because you don't want to see and you don't want to hear. That makes it better for the traffickers," said Aegile Fernandez to the 101 East team, an anti-trafficking activist.

This documentary may be seen basically as a message of how corruption runs so deep in our society that some can see it as a norm, which is a massive problem.

But if you see it from the other side of the coin, it is these complex adoption laws set by our government that corner these couples into resorting to the illegal option.

Questions regarding the babies also arise.

Which is better, saving babies from being dumped in drains by selling them to willing couples or foregoing a baby's right and determining their future for them by giving them away through illegal means?

You'll have to find an answer for yourself.

Read also: 'Simplify adoption to counter rings selling babies' 

Last Friday, the Public Service Division (PSD) announced the figures of the year-end bonus of Singapore civil servants, and it was observed that the numbers were lower than that of last year.

This year, civil servants will receive a total of 1.5 months (including the usual 13th-month bonus) worth of bonus. Including the mid-year bonus of 0.45 months, they will get a total of 1.95 months of bonus for 2016. This is 0.2 months lower than 2015's figures.

In 2015, civil servants received a total of 2.15 months of bonus, which is inclusive of its mid-year bonus of 0.5 months.

The deflated rates this year is reflective of the general deflation of Singapore's economy, which has seen a drop of 0.9 per cent of economic growth (1.1 per cent in 2016, 2 per cent in 2015) in this year's quarter as compared to the last's.

However, the PSD has reiterated that for its 1,900 lower-wage workers, the pay-out (not including the 13th-month bonus) will be at least $900.

This move was applauded by workers' unions, with Ms. Cham Hui Fong, assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) stating that "while the total payout package is 'relatively lower than recent years', the labour movement and public sector unions are 'supportive' of the lower quantum, [and it] fairly reflects the Government's financial prudence while taking into account the recommendations by the National Wages Council".

Civil servant bonuses over the past 10 years

We did a quick check on civil servant bonus rates over the past 10 years, and the figures are pretty reflective of the state of Singapore's economy at a particular point of time.

Save for the standard 13th-month bonus, also known as the Non-Pensionable Annual Allowance (NPAA), the year-end bonus figures have been fluctuating according to economy growth (or the lack of it), and has been seeing a downward trend since its second peak in 2013.

While the mid-year bonus tends to stay constant at around 0.5 months each year, 2009 saw a complete lack of it due to the global recession. That year also saw a cap of $750 imposed across the board on the 0.25 months year-end bonus (not including the 13th-month bonus).

However, in 2015, the 0.5 months mid-year bonus was topped up with an additional one-off bonus of $500 in light of Singapore's 50th birthday celebration. In 2007, an additional $220 was also given out on top of the 0.5 months to "help low wage workers, as it forms a bigger proportion of their pay", after the National Wage Council called for companies to help their lower wage workers.

Additional one-off perks were also given out in the mid-years of 2006 ($220), 2007 ($220), 2010 ($300), and 2011 ($250).

Minimum pay-out amounts for year-end bonuses have also been implemented since 2012, with a peak in 2013 at $1,600.

How it affects non-civil servants (most of us)

The significance of the figures are actually more important than many non-civil servants might think - the information PSD provides each year is actually closely observed by companies in the private sector, which use the rates as a gauge for their year-end bonus payouts.

Thus, in line with the hardly awe-inspiring bonus package for civil servants, the rest of us might see a similarly humble package this year.

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We see it everyday, but don't really think about it much - Singapore is always in the constant state of change. It is only when we zoom out to a more macro perspective that the gravity of how much an entire country can change in the span of a short period of time hits us.

Google Earth Timelapse

Since 2013, Google has been releasing timelapses from the satellite views of earth as seen through Google Earth.

Through this, we have had the opportunity to watch the world transform on our screens, all of which have happened while we were growing up, and not knowing what's happening out in the world.

For the most part, we get to marvel at how fast major cities around the world change and grow throughout the 21st century. Road networks get more complex, bridges are built, and buildings get taller.

This is how much San Francisco has changed in three decades.

Unsurprisingly, the most change tends to come out of Asia. With globalisation as a driving force in modernising the traditional Asian landscape, the tale of backwater villages and towns being turned into mega cities within the last 30 years is a commonly recurring theme.

Here we have a look at how Dalian has transformed.

A Look At Singapore In The Past 22 Years

Unfortunately, Singapore didn't quite make the cut to be a featured image on Google's blog post.

But as always, the good thing about Google is that they are not stingy with their maps. On the interactive Google Earth map, you can navigate to any corner of the Earth and watch how the terrain has changed in the last 22 years.

So of course, we turned our sights to Singapore, and this is what we found.

Singapore is a country whose land mass has significantly increased in the last 22 years.

From the island of Pulau Tekong, all the way down the southern shores of Singapore, land reclamation has been profound, and the density of buildings in the country has also increased by a lot.

Look around, though, and you will see that our neighbours Malaysia and Indonesia are pretty much clearing forests all in the name of progress.

This is sadly a common occurrence worldwide, and Google Earth has made it worryingly simple for us to see how the human race has ravaged mother Earth.

Of Climate Change and Deforestation

Looking at how cities change and grow only seeks to deflect the actual problems that we are supposed to deal with in the world.

Our progress has come at a price, and it is one that may soon be irreversible.

Sights like these in Bolivia are very common in developing nations. with entire forests being cleared for the sake of farmland and industrial use.

Popular Science has gone even deeper by seeking out coastal towns and cities on Google Earth and have found that as compared to 22 years ago, the sea levels have been rising, and marshes and swamps are being flooded already.

They also looked at our ice caps, and the findings are quite worrisome, with the glaciers of Alaska showing clear signs of receding.

If you'd like to check out the effects of climate change for yourself, head on over to the Google Earth Engine here, and read up on their blog post while you're at it.

We see it everyday, but don't really think about it much - Singapore is always in the constant state of change.

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Even if you're not a Singtel user, you would have definitely heard the collective wails of agony across the island during Singtel's day-long broadband service disruption last Saturday.

While many who spent the entire day out weren't as affected as those who preferred to veg out on tv shows and games over the weekend (guilty, as charged), tempers flared as Singtel's inconclusive updates were dished out over the day.

Singtel's attempt to appease the mob came in waiving data charges for customers tethering from their smartphones, but some Singaporeans decided to find even more creative ways to carry out their Saturdays online - and one of these Singaporeans is popular Mandopop singer JJ Lin.

Read also: Still no access for some Singtel subscribers

According to a Weibo post, a netizen spotted the singer, who recently returned to Singapore (his career is mostly based in Taiwan), in a local LAN shop playing games - with some even hazarding a guess that he had to resort to appearing in such a public place due to the broadband disruption.

Said ZhangJLY on Weibo, "JJ Lin's surfing the net next to me! This is his autograph and internet credentials!"

From the photos, netizens who saw the post guessed that it was taken at the OASIS Netcafe located at PoMo.

Another netizen, going by username Hokming, also posted his own photos of the star, adding on the detail that Lin was actually "playing DOTA".

He also noted that while fans were waiting outside the toilet for Lin, no one disturbed him while he was playing his games.

As Lin was leaving, Hokming said to the singer, "JJ bye bye", to which, Lin replied "bye bye".

While the actual reason behind Lin choosing to game in a LAN shop is still unknown, we can't help but think that the sighting revealed one more tidbit on the singer - just like many of us, he too can't live without his wifi.

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Coinciding with being in the Singapore market a little over three years since they first launched here, Grab has finally revealed their newest and much-awaited feature for their app.

Frequent users of the app may have noticed this little pop-up appearing in your notifications, or while using Grab this afternoon.

Southeast Asia's leading ride-hailing platform has finally made GrabShare official.

GrabShare Comes To Singapore

Currently still in a beta testing stage, the GrabShare feature on the Grab app was made live at noon today.

What this new option provides users is basically the option to hop into a commercial carpooling service from the app.

What GrabShare aims to do is to make carpooling more accessible, and affordable, to the masses.

At the core of this new service, passengers will still be able to enjoy the same standards and comfort they previously had when taking GrabCar Economy, just that now, it's cheaper and you can make a new friend along the way.

With the advent of carpooling in Singapore, Grab recognises that a common complaint among active users of carpooling services are the long detours, and having too many co-passengers in a single trip.

They hope to minimise this problem as much as possible through their matching algorithms that alleviates these problems, which have been developed in-house within their research and development facilities in Singapore, Seattle, and Beijing.

These are the folks responsible for developing ways to bring down your overall travelling time when taking GrabShare, and passengers should expect only an additional 20 per cent of travel time as compared to taking GrabCar Economy.

Wait, Don't They Already Have A Carpool Service?

The astute among you may have notice an overlap here for a moment.

Doesn't Grab already have a carpooling option in the form of GrabHitch?

Well yes, but there's a difference.

Here's a table to break down what areas both GrabShare and GrabHitch serve.

To describe it in a few words; GrabShare is an on-demand commercial carpooling service, while GrabHitch is a social carpooling experience by non-professional drivers.

Here's a summary on what GrabShare offers:

• Cheaper Fares - Passengers can expect cost savings of up to 30 per cent on a GrabShare ride, when comparing it to GrabCar Economy, with fares being fixed and displayed upfront. It gets even cheaper during non-peak hours, thanks to Grab's dynamic pricing system.
• Bring A Friend At No Additional Cost - A typical GrabShare ride can accommodate up to four people, so either yourself or the other carpool passenger is able to bring on-board another person, as long as both share the same pickup and drop off points.
• Maximum Two-stop Guarantee - You will only have to go through an addition of two stops on your ride, to ensure that everyone reaches their destinations fast, and for less. Drivers will only wait for passengers for up to 3 minutes at pickups.
• Instant Booking - Unlike GrabHitch which needs advance bookings, GrabShare is instantaneous, allowing you to make a booking anywhere and at any time.
• Ride With Peace Of Mind - You will be covered under Grab's Group Personal Accident Insurance each time you take GrabShare.

A Welcomed Addition To On-Demand Transportation

So to summarise, here's how a typical GrabShare trip will work:

1. Passenger A selects GrabShare ride and is picked up by a GrabShare driver.
2. Passenger B selects GrabShare ride, and Passenger A and B are matched. The Grab app notifies both the driver and Passenger A and B of a successful match.
3. Diver makes a slight detour to pick up Passenger B. Both Passenger A and B can bring one other person to ride with them (for example, four seats in the car may be filled).
4. The order of pick-up and drop-off ensures that both Passenger A and B get to their destinations quickly.

With GrabShare now out, it enters into a crowded market of on-demand ride services which includes the entire umbrella of Grab ride options (GrabTaxi and GrabCar), as well as those by rivals Uber.

Buoyed by the encouraging numbers that GrabHitch has garnered in the (close to a) year since that service was launched (there was a 75 per cent growth in the last 3 months alone), it is hoped that GrabShare will continue on the tradition and enjoy explosive growth in the coming months before going out of beta.

Finally, here's an infographic provided by Grab to give you some trip ideas for when you want to give GrabShare a go,

All doctors are haunted by the mistakes they made. Some fare better than others, some not.

I remember the various conversations we had, colleagues, friends, flatmates, most over meals, some with tears involved.

How can you not be, when a simple scrawl-your signature-could quite literally cause as much harm as good?

I don't think anything quite prepares you for life as a doctor and the responsibility that comes with it.

I remember stepping out onto the ward for the very first time; it was meant to be the highlight, the epitome of medical school, what we all slogged for: the day when we become doctors!

Instead it was a day full of edginess-of course, I hear you remark, you're saving lives! How can you not be?-but the nervousness wasn't for the life-saving drama that Grey's Anatomy portrays so well or the glamour of bringing someone back to life.

It was for 'everyday' decisions… 'Everyday' for a doctor that is.

Medicine is so far advanced now that we take over so much of normal physiology.

Not drinking, we give you fluids through a drip directly into your veins. Are you diabetic? We give you insulin to help your body breakdown the sugar you consume.

For a baby doctor, this is where it all starts, the simple everyday stuff.

How much fluids should I prescribe? Too much intravenous fluids, could potentially send a patient into fluid overload with fluid accumulating in their lungs; too little fluid and you could potentially cause kidney damage.

Soon, all these become a 'norm'.

We soon learn that the human body is an amazing thing, able compensate for the various insults we throw at it. Homeostasis, we call it.

Our bodies can hold surprisingly a large amount of water, maintaining a fine balance between the water that's in the cells, bathing the cells and of course in the veins.

It takes quite a lot to throw the balance awry in someone fit and healthy, not so for the extremes of ages.

And so we 'get away' with it, refining our skills as time passes on.

But some things are less forgiving.

I remember the time when I had excised a skin cancer, but it had been incomplete.

I had done it with supervision, and we had taken it all the way down to the nasal bones thinking we had gotten everything out.

We then did a 'local' flap and had advanced skin down from the forehead to cover the defect. 6 weeks later, my boss had the responsibility of breaking the news to the patient that the excision had been incomplete.

The logical thing would have been to 're-excise' it, but it wasn't so straightforward.

The local flap meant that the tissues were distorted and it would have been difficult to be sure the few cells left could be re-excised, not to mention that the cosmetic result would be suboptimal.

The other options were radiotherapy or watch and wait.

The patient opted for radiotherapy in the end.

There is a 4 per cent risk of incomplete excision, and each patient is warned that another procedure might always be on the cards but it didn't make me feel any better.

I resolved then to be 'braver', to 'cut out more', but there's always risks with that.

What if in the 'more' you take out a nerve and paralyse the face? What if in the 'more' you aren't able to close the wound?

You 'live and learn' they say. And so with time, experience is gained.

Your mistakes guide your practice, making you a better doctor.

You learn the art of practicing medicine, gaining an arsenal of skills at which to deploy, knowing when you can have a bit more leeway in challenging the body's physiological reserves.

You toughen up, learning to live with your shortcomings and your own mortality.

Callousness occurs, knowingly or unknowingly.

Some doctors lose their humanity more than others, perhaps consciously or unconsciously reflected in the choice of specialty they eventually choose.

I chose to go into plastic surgery, a specialty where I get the opportunity to reconstruct various defects of natural or human causes; something where I could see the results of my handiwork upfront, but also a specialty where death is an uncommon occurrence.

Some of my colleagues are doing palliative care, where dying is part of everyday life.

Some are intensivists, where you could literally 'play God', deciding whether or not to prolong somebody's life.

But underneath it all, whichever specialty we go into, we each have our own struggles with the responsibility which only gets greater as time progresses.

Fluid prescribing no longer fazes me, but I now have the responsibility for deciding if someone needs surgery.

Another colleague recently had the responsibility of giving advice that would most probably lead to the withdrawal of care for a patient; hardly a decision anyone would dream of making, yet we do on a daily basis.

Yes, support is available from senior colleagues but advice, you learn very quickly, is given based on your assessment of the patient.

The skills you learnt in medical school.

Present the wrong findings, and you get suboptimal advice.

We, the seniors soon learn which juniors are safe, which are unsafe, which ones whose judgements can be trusted, which ones where it might be better to have a quick look yourself.

I'll be honest and admit I can't remember where I first heard of this theory, but it clearly impacted me enough that I still remember it.

Knowledge presents in 4 different areas, the known known, the known unknown, the unknown known and the unknown unknown.

Everybody knows what they know, everybody loves finding out that about the hidden skill (the unknown known), everybody groans at the known unknown (the textbook of knowledge awaiting for your devouring before the exams) but perhaps the most unnerving is the last category, for how can you learn what you don't know that you don't know?

Time and again the 'miracle cures' of today are the 'curse' of tomorrow and they certainly weren't kidding when they said a career of 'lifelong learning'.

But perhaps it is the fear of causing unnecessary harm that keeps you safe.

So we laugh about our mistakes, our near misses, we commiserate when we lose a patient, we work through what could have been done better.

We back each other up knowing that facing the same situation, we might have done the exact same thing, trusting in the one that holds life and death.

For truly as doctors we can't prevent death, we just try and push it back, a day at a time.

So parents, please don't force your children into doing medicine.

Glamorous though it may seem, the hours are long, exams are always round the corner and are expensive, but above it all, it is people's lives you're gambling with-the very same people for whom your child will be responsible for.

Medicine is not for everyone.

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Carousell's mobile app was first introduced to Australia at the end of January this year.

However, it appears that the app has not only taken off, but has done well enough for the Singapore startup to announce its expansion into Australia!

According to co-founder Quek Siu Rui, "for Australia, we have dedicated product and marketing staff with a team of about two people on the ground in Melbourne.

But we want to scale up that team, especially with the growth we're seeing in the community, and we're hoping to double it by early next year."

This decision certainly isn't a mere leap of faith.

According to a 2016 Nielsen study, "about one in four consumers shop online weekly".

With one more e-commerce platform available, locals will have more options and convenience than ever.

The app has already been enjoying continuous organic growth there, with listings surpassing 1million by end September.

With the establishment of an Australian office, we can only imagine the numbers will increase even more quickly.

Carousell's 2016 Milestones

In spite of their seemingly unhindered success, let's not forget that Carousell has faced, and still faces, stiff competition from many startups and businesses trying to get a slice of the e-commerce pie.

Regardless, they have managed to rise above their competitors to hit a number of impressive milestones in 2016.

2016 has been a good year for the team, so let's take a look back on their multiple milestones!

May: Carousell Introduced To The Philippines

Carousell founders have always emphasised their desire to continue expanding the app's reach in the Southeast Asian region.

In May, the app was brought into the Philippines, and Carousell claimed that it experienced a 110 per cent month-over-month (MoM) rise in their listings, and a 240 per cent MoM growth.

This eventually brought the total amount of transactions logged in the country to over half a million.

Marcus Tan, co-founder and President of Carousell, mentioned that Philippine's younger generation is generally more digitally-infused than others, and that's why their launch in Philippines would be a success.

"The Philippines is one of the hottest mobile commerce markets in Southeast Asia, due to a young and digitally-savvy population," Tan said.

The startup officially launched in the Philippines in October.

August: Carousell Secures US$35 Million Series B Funding

In August, they announced their clinching of US$35 million of series B funding.

This was led by Rakuten Ventures, together with Sequoia India, Golden Gate Ventures and 500 Startups.

The team was planning to use the funds to accelerate Carousell's venture and growth into new markets around the world and bolster its product and engineering teams.

Said Saemin Ahn, Managing Partner of Rakuten Ventures, "When Rakuten Ventures first invested in Carousell, it was a scrappy and hungry group of founders determined to change the way people transact with one another in the 21st century. We now see their vision and this want for interaction shared by vast groups of people not only in Singapore but also in countries like Indonesia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. We are grateful and humbled to have been on such an exciting journey with the team, and look forward to 2016 and beyond."

September: Carousell's First Acquisition

It came as a pleasant surprise to many when Carousell announced its first acquisition on 1 September, just weeks after its funding announcement.

Naming it more of an "acquihire" than a mere acquisition, the team took on the engineering and product teams of Malaysia-based startup Watch Over Me, a safety app for women.

Said Xin-Ci Chin, co-founder of Watch Over Me to Vulcan Post, "We met Carousell, and the fit seemed to be right, and the team culture was good. Both our teams are very excited about it."

October: Carousell Acquires Used-Car App, Caarly

In late October, Carousell announced its newest acquisition - that of Singapore startup Caarly, a car classifieds platform, in a bid for leadership in the car classifieds vertical, and also to forward their aim to be the "world's number 1 classifieds marketplace".

Said Quek, co-founder and CEO of Carousell, "Over 50 per cent of [our users] in Singapore are now over 25 years old, and have significantly more purchasing power. We've seen how their evolving needs have resulted in more listings and greater demand in higher value verticals like cars. This acquisition allows us to tap on Caarly's relationships with car dealers, to give users the widest selection of cars on a classifieds marketplace beginning in Singapore and throughout APAC soon after."

Well Done, Carousell!

These were only Carousell's 2016 milestones, which makes one wonder just how much Carousell has achieved over the span of four years.

The startup is relentlessly and strategically expanding its reach, and we can't wait to see what the team will make out of 2017.

Carousell, we are proud of you!

It's only 5 days into December and already what a month it's been for gamers.

Naughty Dog has released a conceptual sequel trailer for their dark horse hit The Last Of Us, and Kojima's prematurely cancelled Silent Hills is definitively reborn as Death Stranding-especially with the confirmed appearance of Guillermo Del Toro in the new trailer.

It's just as well considering the year 2016 has given us.

At least the gaming industry will welcome us into its warm bosom even if the real world burns around us.

None of these announcements however, can compare to the relief that Final Fantasy fans feel with the release of Final Fantasy XV.

This instalment marks Square Enix's greatest departure from the usual Final Fantasy formula on console, and with great success.

Of course if a game is going to take 10 years to make, it better be a flipping success.

So as a love song for all of us who had to wait the full 10 years for Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum (completed version) to finally reach our consoles, here is the decade-long journey that we actually went through.

Let's raise a glass, guys. We did it. We lived to see FFXV's release.

Originally announced as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, the game was initially envisioned as part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series (Square Enix has a thing for pretentious names like this).

The series would encompass three core games, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Agito XIII (Now Type-0) and finally, Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

2006 - The Announcement

The very first E3 trailer introduced the main storyline, which told the story of a fierce struggle for the control of the last crystal between the isolated but advanced city-state of Lucis and some mysterious invaders from the outside.

The game was announced to great interest in E3 and Tokyo Game Show that year.

Tetsuya Nomura (director at the time) envisioned the game to be the dark counterpart to Final Fantasy XIII, basically a versus of XIII.

Yes, it really was that simple.

But between the poignant Shakespeare quote in the beginning, Yoko Shimomura's chilling score of Somnus Nemoris, and the trailer's overall feel, fans were excited.

2007 - Feeding Us Morsels Of Information

2007 brought with it some information, and an extension to the trailer.

In a June 2007 interview with Edge, Tetsuya Nomura said that he wanted to give a more realistic feel to the narrative of the game compared to past Final Fantasy titles.

Of course, fans at the time were just excited that a Final Fantasy game was actually showing blood in its CG.

2008 - Noctis And Stella

In 2008, we finally meet other characters who would be joining Noctis on his journey, including his father King Regis, a love interest Stella, and Noctis' companions.

The highlight of 2008 however, would definitely be an unvoiced clip of Noctis and Stella meeting for the first time.

On top of the Hamlet references in previous trailers, the new morsels with Stella introduced a Romeo and Juliet element to the story that heightened the game's hype factor.

There were even fans who dubbed the now iconic footage.

A moment of silence for the fans who still miss Stella.

2010 - Introducing Actual Gameplay

By now, Final Fantasy XIII has already been out for a year, so fans were awaiting the release of Versus XIII to finally complement the flagship.

Among the footage of Noctis running around, Tetsuya Nomura revealed an important part of Versus XIII that would eventually become part of Final Fantasy XV's iconic imagery.

In an article published on Famitsu, Nomura revealed that you'll have access to a car.

You can board and disembark your car whenever you like.

2012 - Cancellation Rumours

By now, it has been 6 years since Versus XIII was announced, and two years of radio silence about the game from the development team.

Since Versus XIII was not a flagship, many fans began to worry that Square Enix had abandoned the project.

This was when Kotaku dropped a bombshell, claiming that insider sources revealed that the the higher ups decided on a quiet death for the game.

Morale among the staff was reportedly low due to the announcement.

2013 - Project Revival

There was some truth to Kotaku's rumours, but it painted a totally different picture to what the true story was.

In 2012, Final Fantasy Versus XIII was scrapped to shift its storyline into a brand new flagship, Final Fantasy XV.

The team felt that they missed their mark for the game's release on the PS3, and therefore scrapped everything they had so far to to create a prototype for the next-gen consoles.

Complementing the news was Square Enix's barrage of new trailers to showcase their year-long efforts.

The character designs also received a generous addition of black leather.

While the storyline mostly remained true to its initial core, Final Fantasy XV's biggest change from its previous version was the new battle system.

The director was also officially changed from Tetsuya Nomura to Hajime Tabata, who had previously worked on Final Fantasy Type-0 and Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core.

King Regis' character design also saw a design swap from The Godfather to human Mufasa.

2014 - Battle System Revamp

"Personally, I'm working on 15 to make it the most emotional Final Fantasy title that I've worked on. My goal is to have people play Final Fantasy 15, and for them to think this is the best Final Fantasy they've ever played." -Hajime Tabata in an interview with Eurogamer

After the re-branding, Square Enix again went mum about the game, perhaps to give the development team some breathing room to work on it.

That being said, 2014 was still a notable year in development because this was when it was announced that FFXV will not feature the ability to switch between party members, a first in its title.

To compensate, at least the main character is still able to use everyone's weapons in the game.

2015 - Stella No More

No release date was announced yet, but it was obvious by now that the game would actually see a release within a couple of years.

Square Enix revisited their 2013 strategy and released trailer upon trailer for the game, with information about the game flowing from the hallowed mouths of Square Enix higher-ups like water.

It was here that Square Enix dropped another bombshell.

Stella Nox Fleuret's character, the Juliet to Noctis' Romeo has been replaced with a new character, Lunafreya (or Luna).

Director Hajime Tabata attributes the swap to the change in storyline they had to make in order to convert Versus XIII's smaller scale storyline to XV's more expansive addition.

In the name of change, the development team felt that they could not give Stella the justice that fans have expected and decided to scrap the character altogether.

While FFXV is not part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series anymore, it is worth noting that Final Fantasy Type-0 saw a PS4 remake before FFXV's first game even hit the shelves.

Ouch.

2016 - Kingsglaive & Other Furnishings

Somewhere along the line, the developers discovered that the Final Fantasy XV story was too expansive to fit into just one game.

And they are apparently determined not to fall victim to the sequel-itis that befell previous titles of the game (Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns, etc) so they decided to release complementary media.

The most well-known of these auxiliary stories is the Kingsglaive movie, which covers the story of how Noctis' land Insomnia fell to enemy hands.

It boasts the high-profile star power like Aaron Paul (of Breaking Bad fame), Lena Heady (Game of Thrones), and even Sean Bean (popularly known for dying in movies that he's in).

On top of Kingsglaive, Square Enix released a series of Anime shorts on YouTube called Brotherhood, which showcases slice-of-life cuts from Noctis' life and his companions before they embark on the journey.

It provides context into the relationships surrounding Noctis' life.

November 29 2016 - Finally, A Release

And at long last.

10 years later, a branding change and almost full roster redesign later, Final Fantasy XV is finally available on shelves for all of us to enjoy.

It's been a bumpy ride, both for us and for Square Enix.

The company even later admitted that the game had been announced too soon, which caused a lot of heartbreak for gamers.

At the very least, the game is receiving massive praise, and all of its blood sweat and tears over the years has been worth it.

Three cheers to Square Enix and the chocobros!

Jail time on someone's record can often mean black listing from employment, and while this has been a long-standing practice, it has also brought about an aggravating effect on someone's hope for a new lease in life.

However, many countries have started taking stands on the outdated belief that a leopard can never change its spots, and Singapore is certainly not falling behind.

A Straits Times article published recently featured ex-convict James Giam, who proved that nothing can ever hold back a truly determined spirit. But he is not the only ex-convict who has managed to turn their life around despite a record mired in blackness.

1. Darren Tan

Ex-gangster and drug abuser Darren Tan spent 10 years behind bars from the age of 14 but at 25, he finally started turning his life around to become NUS's first law student with a criminal past. Despite the challenges of re-adapting to school life and re-learning English, Tan graduated with a law degree with a position as a litigation lawyer waiting for him.

Today, Tan continues to contribute back to his old life by taking on pro bono cases and volunteering with Beacon of Life and the Yellow Ribbon Project.

2. Anil David

Having served prison time was the both the bane and turning point for Anil David. During his sentence, Anil worked in a call centre where he managed to rise up to become Manager. When he left the prison, he took with him the values learnt from his experience - perseverance and patience, and sought to set up his own call centre for prisoners.

Although he faced a major obstacle when his record dissuaded investors from funding him, he eventually managed to find people willing to support his vision. To date, Agape Connecting People has helped employ almost 100 people consisting of inmates and stroke patients, and Anil himself has been awarded SVCA Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2016.

3. So Weng Kei

A serial house burglar back in 1998, things seemed to have turned around for So Weng Kei when he turned over a new leaf to become a full-time economics student at NUS. However, his third and fourth year saw him relapse into burglary and facing 7.5 years in jail.

But So did not let that particular problem hold him down. Persisting in his studies even under the dim maintenance light in his cell after hours, So graduated with an economics degree and stode into a bright future as a marketing executive.

4. Jonathan Tan

Jonathan Tan's 17 years of leaving and re-entering prison had left a very black mark on his record, and it was only after a particularly bad relapse did Tan finally manage to find his ground in religion and at The Helping Hand. Starting off as a gardener and later as a landscaper, Tan was only armed with the most basic of tools - an old creaky bicycle, a broom and a manual mower.

The rejection that he faced from others often left him in a self-effacing state but they didn't last, and today Tan runs his own landscaping business where he employs other ex-offenders.

5. Milah

She ran away from home at the age of 13 and 2 years later joined a secret society. With a reputation of being a very violent person, Milah was trapped in a cycle of drugs, prostitution and prison time, all the while having to juggle 7 children by herself.

Today, Milah has found herself with a much better life as founder of Plus Point. As a hip-hop group of troubled teens, Plus Point performs for events while at the same time helps to keep rebellious teens off the street by giving them a place they belong.

6. Benny Se Teo

A former drug abuser who first came into contact with drugs through his father, Benny Se Teo became increasingly addicted to narcotics due to peer influence. After a near death experience during which he had his stomach pumped, Se Teo decided enough was enough. Joining a halfway house, he quickly learned that employment opportunities for convicts did not come easy.

Building on his lifelong passion for food, Se Teo founded Eighteen Chefs, where 35 per cent of the staff are ex-offenders. And even despite the problems hiring ex-offenders, Se Teo persists in his efforts to help turn lives around.

7. Barry Yeow

Also an abuser of narcotics and ex-gang member, Barry Yeow was a former tattoo artist who was sent back to jail at the age of 41 for threatening and robbing a woman. His turning point came when he was sent to the prison hospital for withdrawal symptoms, and he saw other patients in worse conditions that he.

Picking up art during classes that lecturers from LaSalle and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts would teach, Yeow threw himself into art. His talent saw him winning Yellow Ribbon competitions, as well as being commissioned for pieces - something that he persists at even now.

8. Kathy Goh

As an attempt to challenge her then boyfriend to quit heroin, Kathy Goh took the drug herself. What started out as a attempt to help ended up being the worse decision she could make, and she soon found herself addicted. Over the next 15 years, Goh found herself in and out of jail, the first time being less than four months after she had given birth. It was only after multiple rehabilitation periods did she manage to break the vice.

Now, she is a frequent face at the halfway house that helped her - iCare, where she helps to encourage others about a new lease in life.

Shattering Misconceptions Of Others And Oneself

Being an ex-convict does not mean the end of the world, just like how one's PSLE results will not condemn students to a bad future.

Just as how So had described his journey of self-redemption, it is always important to have hope, as "there is still someone out there who will be willing to give [you] this chance."

Vulcan Post is all about living life with a digital edge, up and coming startups, and people who inspire conversations.
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The latest buzz to hit social media recently came from a tweet that Malaysian celebrity Nur Fathia Latiff had made regarding the service she received during a recent MAS flight she took.

According to her tweet that has since been deleted, Nur Fathia Latiff uploaded a photo of a flight attendant with a post saying that the staff had refused to help her with her hand carry luggage as she was experiencing backache problems.

This spurred the celebrity to express her rage, citing that if the flight attendant was too ill to work, maybe she needn't come to work at all.

This fuelled a lot of backlash as a lot of netizens then responded by saying that she should educate herself regarding the duties of an air steward.

According to the airline's policy in observing Occupational, Safety and Health Regulation requirements, cabin crew are not required to stow passenger's hand luggage into the overhead compartment.

This was just a bit of a reminder on how not many may be aware of what exactly are the responsibilities of a flight attendant.

From this incident, we decided to investigate further by interviewing a flight attendant who wishes to remain anonymous on what other things you may not have known about the cabin crew and flying.

1) They can stop you from bringing in your overweight hand luggage.

Many may think that the 7kg limit airlines set for the weight of a hand luggage is for giggles but it is actually a serious matter.

In fact, flight attendants are even allowed to stop you from bringing in your overweight hand luggage and you are not allowed to argue against them.

Normally passengers tend to think that once they've passed security, they're good to go. But flight attendants are quite vigilant and they naturally keep an eye on the luggages brought in by passengers.

What happens if you're caught bringing in overweight luggage is that the flight attendant will get you seated first and stow away the bag in another area temporarily before making sure the other passengers are seated.

Once everyone has been seated, the flight attendant will then get said passenger's boarding pass and tag the bag before transferring it into cargo.

They're even nice enough to not charge you with a fee for that unless you go overboard so don't push your luck too much.
 

2) They are not obliged to give you water for free.

Airlines with higher cost usually give water as a complimentary service but the lower-cost airlines will actually charge you for water. So don't be too surprised when you're suddenly required to pay for a bottle of water. It's part of their company policy which flight attendants have no control over.

However, one thing to be thankful for is that most flight attendants are not calculative over plain water so if you request for it nicely, especially those in dire need of it for medication and such, they would give a cup to you happily. But remember, it is not an obligation. Think of it as a favour.
 

3) They have a rough time of 25 minutes to get everyone seated for take off.

If you wonder why sometimes the flight attendant is rushing you to your seat and even asking you to stop disrupting the others by taking your time in finding your seat number, it's because they run on a time limit.

Approximately, the flight attendants are given 25 minutes or less to make sure the passengers are all seated, buckled down with seatbelts, with the seats are all positioned upright and all electronic devices turned off. Then they would need to proceed with the regular safety demonstration.

So it's best to excuse them if they do come off across as pushy when ushering you to take a seat. It's not that they're impatient, they have a clock ticking above their heads.

 

4) If there is any form of disruption during emergencies, they are allowed to physically move you.

When it comes to urgent times of an emergency that requires prompt evacuation, flight attendants are allowed to physically usher you to safety.

Of course one of their priorities is always the safety of the passengers. In times of emergencies, flight attendants have a time limit of 90 seconds to make sure an average of 200 passengers have safely evacuated the plane.

So if you're reacting a bit too slow for them, it's completely fine for them to give you a bit of a push. It is no way meant to be a form of harassment or invading of personal space. It's more that they're trying to save your lives.

5) They are allowed to call you off the plane if you verbally assault them.

Some passengers can go overboard when it comes to the way they speak to flight attendants, especially those who choose to use colourful language when dealing with them.

So in cases like these, flight attendants actually have a right to inform the pilot that there is a disruptive passenger on board and that he or she may be harmful in other matters. Then, security can come on board and escort you out of the plane.

This applies for all passengers no matter age, race and gender. Once you're caught responding rudely, they have to power to kick you off the flight. No arguments.
 

6) They have a reason when telling you to turn off your phone.

Of course, standard procedure on being onboard of any plane is that you are required to switch your phone into flight mode but there may be some flight attendants who may ask you to switch off your phone entirely. If they pester you too much about it, don't scold them just yet.

This is because that no matter what, as long as your phone is turned on, there is still some radiation involved which could potentially harm the flight process. So to be safe, flight attendants request for you to turn it completely off for the critical moments during a flight such as during take off and landing.

They're never reminding you to deliberately annoy you, it's just part of their job.

7) They can't just simply change your seats.

If you're not particularly happy about your seat and wish to change it, there is one big factor that a flight attendant needs to consider before they allow it.

One of them is weight. If the flight attendant finds out that there is a sense of imbalance between each side, then they may decide not to give you the option to switch.

Another factor could be size. Due to wanting to accommodate every passenger, they do need to take into consideration the comfort of everyone and ensure that every passenger has adequate space.

So best to just choose the seat you want during your initial booking rather than asking for it on the flight.

8) No, you are not allowed to request to see the cockpit.

After 9/11, changes were made to the security of cockpits in an effort to make hijackings more difficult. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, doors should typically be tough enough to withstand a grenade blast and they are usually left locked throughout the flight.

Which also means that no one is allowed to make requests to see the inside of a cockpit anymore. It was previously allowed on certain requests but they have tightened the security since then. Even pilots that are off-duty who happen to be passengers will not be allowed access into the cockpit.

Yes, that means you have no chance of getting that cockpit selfie.

9) They are not obliged to follow any script.

Imagine being stuck on a plane for almost an entire day doing the same routine in a robotic manner? It can get draining for anyone.

So flight attendants are allowed a bit of leeway when it comes to giving announcements as they are not obligated to say things according to a script. They may have a guideline on what they must inform passengers about but they can choose to say it in their own style as long as it's appropriate.

You can also request for special announcements such as birthday wishes, anniversary wishes, marriage proposals and even certain accents. That's when you get proper in-flight entertainment.

10) They are required to be proper when in uniform at all times.

You know those moments when you take a glance at a flight attendant but you can never seem to catch them out of their element?

That's because they're required to constantly be in a 'deportment' state whilst donning their uniform. In fact, there are rules within the airline companies that state their flight attendants are not even allowed to take photos with inappropriate gestures while in uniform as it may reflect badly on the company as a whole.

Should a flight attendant act out of etiquette, they could face potential penalties by the airline.

So those are some facts about the general jobscope of a flight attendant.

The perception that they are being paid to serve you needs to fade away because yes, they are required to provide the in-flight services promised by the airlines but that does not equate to them also being your personal butler.

They're there to ensure your safety till you reach your destination, not serve you tea all the time.

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It's that time of the year when lush Christmas trees start sprouting up along Orchard Road and Singapore's shopping belt is adorned with glittering reindeers and stars as far as the eye can see.

Yup, Christmas is definitely coming and it's hard not to get into the holiday mood.

But, shopping year after year can start to become a trying experience, especially if you have no idea what to buy.

Sure, you could simply ask your gift recipients, but where's the fun in that?

So if you want to be a super Secret Santa this year, here are perfect Christmas gift ideas that give back for 10 stereotypes of Singaporeans.

Read also: Pretty X'mas gifts for all the women in your life

1. For The DIY-er

Studio Asobi is a workshop where you can get hands-on with clay and bring your own designs and ideas to life.

Store-bought gifts show that you care, but handmade presents are truly one-of-a-kind.

Surprise someone you love with a unique piece of art, or just bring them down to the studio to mould your own Christmas gift story.

Did you know?

Studio Asobi actively supports Oxfam by raising funds through the sale of their ceramics as well as dedicating part of their proceeds to Mercy Centre to help the homeless.

2. For The Foodie

Instead of making a reservation at your usual dining haunt, why not make your way down to French restaurant Garçons?

Located at Timbre+, Garçons offers gourmet cuisine at affordable prices, but that does not mean that they are stingy about the quality of ingredients going into each meal.

They also have a special Christmas menu that includes classic like pot roast and turkey roulade.

Did you know?

Garçons seeks to empower youth-at-risk by equipping them with the culinary skills necessary for them to find proper employment in the food industry.

3. For The Fashionista

Located at TANGS, MATTER is a boutique retailing luxury artisan goods at affordable prices, ranging from travel wear to bags and scarves.

Our pick of the day would definitely have to be their clothing line.

Their designs feature bold ethnic patterns and unique styles that truly make MATTER prints stand out, and for all the right reasons.

Did you know?

MATTER prides itself as a pioneer of change in the textile industry. By opening up market opportunities for people from rural communities, MATTER is a collaborative platform where artisans can infuse their designs into modern clothing.

4. For The Traveller With Wanderlust

For the traveller who likes to go off the beaten track, Local Alike is the answer to your next trip. And if you're the type who stays within the city limits, don't worry because Local Alike offers a slew of activities in Bangkok like street food trails, bike tours even royal cooking classes.

Local Alike will take you into the heart of the community, where you can interact with the locals and experience the authentic way of life in Thailand. It is the perfect opportunity to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Did you know?

Local Alike trips bring about a sustainable form of tourism to the local rural communities, where the people are usually marginalised from the economic benefits of tourism in Thailand.

5. For The Animal Lover

Pet Guru is an online store where pet lovers can purchase nutritious treats for their companions. As part of the Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD) organisation, Friends of SOSD also enjoy special discounts when they shop at Pet Guru.

A sure-way to win the heart of a pet lover is by showing that you care for their pets as well, and what better way by getting a thoughtful gift for their furry friend?

Did you know?

You'll be helping other dogs as well, as all proceeds go towards giving street dogs a better and safer life through adoption.

6. For The Yoga Lover

Touch The Toes (TTT) retails eco-friendly yoga apparel, yoga mats and more.

With bold patterns and colours, TTT outfits are gorgeously eye-catching yet comfortable.

Not only that, but they also retail Chakra jewellery so you can add that extra oomph to your day.

You probably know a couple of friends who relish the feel-good glows of a proper yoga session, so why not help them look good while they're at it with a TTT Christmas gift?

Did you know?

All their products are sustainably produced from organic cotton, bamboo blends, as well as recycled / up-cycled materials.

But don't be deceived by these natural materials, which are soft yet durable and feel absolutely luxurious against the skin.

7. For The Coffee Lover

Bettr Barista is an academy that provides barista training for the true coffee connoisseur.

These classes range from getting hands-on with brewing techniques, to learning to extract the coffee flavour.

So instead of the typical Starbucks gift card, a Christmas gift to attend a latte art class with Milkglider Latteartist Unity x Shawn Chen would make for a much more fun experience.

Did you know?

Bettr Barista also aims to help marginalised women and youths at risk by empowering them with skills to help them find jobs in the specialty coffee industry.

8. For The Masterchef-Wannabe

Food Playground is a culinary school located in Chinatown that teaches you how to whip up your own Hainanese chicken rice and wonton soup.

Classes are already massively popular not just with locals, but with tourists as well (it's even been rated number 1 on TripAdvisor), so you'd better sign up early for your surprise Christmas gift of home-cooked food!

And don't worry, these classes are easy enough to follow even for those with no cooking experience.

Did you know?

The chefs at Food Playground consist of stay-home mums and seniors who enjoy cooking, but who may sometimes face problems with other employment opportunities.

9. For The Soft Toy Collector

Instead of getting another mass-produced factory-made soft toy for your loved ones, why not pick something up from Teddy Thotz instead?

Each toy is lovingly handmade and features unusual and unique teddy bear patterns and crocheted animals.

Did you know?

Teddy Thotz seeks to empower the disadvantaged such as the elderly, housewives in rural communities by helping them create objects that are truly special and uncommon.

These are the beautiful animal crafts that you see on their Instagram page.

10. For The Lepak Master

A smile first thing in the morning is something everyone could use to start their day, and Soüle guarantees you this with a huge soul-baring smile every time you look down to slide on their slippers.

But Soüle doesn't just do slippers, they also carry notebooks and sunglasses, all designed simply but packed with style.

Did you know?

With every item sold, Soüle also brings joy to the faces, and feet, of children living in poverty, as well as communities that have been struck by natural disasters.

When It Comes To Gifts, It Truly Is The Thought That Counts

Christmas gift-giving is not just about what you put into wrapping paper, but also the thought that goes into choosing a gift, and better still the positive impact your purchase can create.

Why not make this year's gift exchange truly worthwhile with these gifts that keep giving?

Looking for more ways to make your Christmas really count?

Check out Asia For Good's gift guides and hacks for a merrier Christmas!

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Photo Gallery

Pretty X'mas gifts to suit all budgets

Source:

Crabtree & Evelyn

Poh Heng

Lush

SK-II

Eu Yan Sang

K+ Curatorial Space

Radium Aesthetics

Coach

Lacoste

The Body Shop

BoxGreen

MAC Cosmetics

Melissa Shoes

OSIM

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It's Christmas season and once again we are starting to hear the woeful cries of Singaporeans who long to feel the cold air and snowy chill on our skin. But alas, this is equatorial Singapore, and the closest thing we'll ever get to a snowy Christmas night are the fake white stuff you get at the Super Tree Dome at Gardens by the Bay.

So LTA has taken things into their own hands and given NEL commuters a white Christmas, all from the comfort of a train near you.

In all honesty, the decorations are quite marvellous to behold.

Unfortunately it hasn't been enough to appease all the commuters LTA has annoyed in the recent few months, when breakdown after breakdown had people bonding over a shared love of our failing MRT system.

And their latest attempt to redirect our attention away the perpetual problems has had people bonding again, only this time in the spirit of Christmas jingles.

But while some people are celebrating LTA's honest effort with some good ol' snarkiness, others are just straight out calling LTA out for wasting money on yet more meaningless decorations. Money can be spent on stickers, but not on fixing the train breakdown issue?

And sorry LTA, I am going to have to go with these Facebook whistleblowers here.

Instead of spending money to create designs and hire people to paste up these stickers, we'd really rather you spend more time dealing with the non-stop breakdowns that plague us at peak hour rushes. We are not that difficult to please, we just like our trains to be functional and on time.

We live our everyday lives in relation to our daily grind, each of us having our own routines. Going through each day without a second thought, sometimes we overlook how easy it can be to make our daily chores even simpler.

These life hacks can reduce the amount of time you spend on daily activities, if you stick to them and make them your personal habits. As Bill Gates once said, "I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it." Here are a bunch of tips and tricks - compiled by a very lazy person - that will make you an everyday genius.

1. The no-chug jug

Don't you hate it when you're trying to pour yourself a glass of milk in the morning, and you end up making a mess on the kitchen table? Keep the following hack in mind the next time you pour yourself a drink, and there will be no more reasons for you to cry over spilled milk!

We usually pour milk from the carton with the opening leaning as close as possible to the glass. To prevent spillage, simply flip the carton upside-down, so that the opening ends up on the upper half of the carton-lid. It may seem bizarre at first, but this way, your milk/juice will flow out of the carton in a steady stream, rather than the usual chugging mess - which might remind you of your irresponsible self throwing up in batches after a hangover.

2. The cupcake burger

Everyone loves a good cupcake, but nobody loves looking like a savage beast after getting the icing on their noses. Therefore, we present to you the Cupcake Burger! You might want to use a small knife for this, but really, all you'll need are your brains and ingenuity.

Simply cut/tear the muffin portion of the cupcake into half and sandwich your cupcake icing with the muffins like a burger. This way, you'll get a more even distribution of icing and muffin with each bite, rather than having the cupcake icing stuck to the roof of your mouth. You can also say goodbye to that ugly horse face you make when you're trying to eat your cupcake without getting the icing on your nose.

3. Sharing is caring

Remember how you would offer your friends a bag of Cheetos whenever they came over? Remember how everybody eventually ended up with oily, orange fingers/hands from scraping the oily interior of the bag? Say goodbye to your germaphobic fears - here's how to turn that bag into a platter in seconds.

Rather than ripping the bag open on its side, make a small incision in the centre of the bag (with your teeth or a sharp object). Proceed to tear off an opening in a spiral fashion, enlarging the circle as you go. You'll eventually end up with an oval-shaped hole in the bag, where your friends can simply pick the snacks off the plate without getting their hands dirty!

4. Garlic fingers

If you're someone who cooks regularly, the following tip should be treated as a family heirloom. Garlic and onions are the quintessential aromatics we require for most dishes, but the lingering and pungent smell they leave on our fingers are a pain in the neck.

As most of the scent comes from the natural oils that these ingredients have, you simply need to get the scented oils off your fingers. Forget the hand-soap, sponges or dirty dish-towels. Simply rub your fingers against your kitchen sink, running your fingers under the water as you do so - this should get rid of the smell in seconds. If you do not have immediate access to a sink, simply find an abrasive surface and repeat the mentioned steps above.

5. Devour chicken wings in seconds

While watching TV, you're probably going to be too lazy to nibble miserably between the bones on your buffalo wings to get to that delicious flesh. What if we told you that you can eat your wings within seconds?

Simply hold up a wing in your hand while maintaining your focus on the screen (like Aerosmith said, you don't wanna miss a thing). On the meatier end of the wing, identify the end of the upper-bone. Grabbing tightly onto the end of the upper bone (along with the ligaments), twist and pull.

The entire upper bone should come right off, neat and clean. You can then eat your wing right off a single bone like a mini drumstick.

6. Orange you glad you read this?

How does one peel an orange without puncturing the flesh like a clumsy chimpanzee? Don't monkey around; get a knife and cut the ends of the orange, being careful not to cut into the flesh.

You'll end up with an orange with two flat ends - it should be able to stand upright. Then, make a vertical cut anywhere along the orange's skin, again taking care not to touch the flesh.

Get your fingers into that cut you've made, and peel the orange open gently. Your orange should open up like a belt, exposing each individual rind while still being attached to the orange husk - no mess, no bleeding oranges, no regrets.

7. The hand-burger

Burgers are like a boy's bedroom - messy yet functional. But to prevent your sloppy joe from turning into a soggy joe, do your burger a favour, and eat it upside down.

The top bun of the burger is usually bigger and thicker than the bottom bun. Therefore, inverting the burger as you eat it will enable you to keep all your ingredients intact and prevent the juices from the patty from drenching your bottom bun. (Thank god burger chefs aren't architects.)

Incidentally, the best way to hold a burger is with 3 fingers on the top of the bun, leaving the thumb and pinkie-finger for the base of the burger. Holding your burger this way will ensure optimal organisation as you chomp your way through.

8. Ice-cold beer in 15 minutes

We love a good beer on most days, but we love an ice-cold beer every day. Tired of waiting for that beer to chill out in the freezer? That salt-solution life hack not working for you? We've been there too, so we understand your frustrations.

This is the hack for all you alcoholics out there. Get a paper towel and drench it in water. Wrap the soaked paper towel around your beer bottle, and leave it in the freezer for 15 minutes. The water in the paper towel will freeze up fast enough, and begin super-cooling your beer in the freezer. The paper towel will also continue to keep your beer ice-cold after it's out of the fridge. You're welcome.

9. Pancakes from the bottle

Pancakes are the perfect breakfast that people of many nationalities enjoy. Whether you like them with maple syrup, blueberries or fried chicken, pancakes are easy to make and so versatile. The one problem with pancakes? You can't hide the fact that you've been making them - the mess gets everywhere!

To prevent your mornings from getting worse than they might already be, pre-make your pancake batter the night before. Thoroughly rinse an empty ketchup bottle and fill the bottle up with your pancake batter. Using a ketchup bottle is also more precise than using a spoon, so you can start making pancakes in all funny shapes and sizes. Ultimately, you'll be having fuss-free breakfasts - and neater pancakes - for weeks.

10. Ice-cubes aren't cool

Ever dropped some ice-cubes into your wine or coffee, then instantly regretted it once you realised you watered down your drink? The days of watered-down coffee and wine are over - the hipster revolution has arrived.

To keep your coffee chilled, pour coffee into ice-cube moulds - dropping these iced coffee cubes into your coffee will not water down your coffee like regular ice-cubes do. To keep wine chilled, simply leave a bunch of grapes in the freezer. Replace ice-cubes with frozen grapes the next time you drink wine, and you'll be thankful you came prepared.

This post was submitted to us via Vulcan Post's submission page. Have a story to tell? Let us know here.

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They were the reason Apple even removed the headphone jack from their iPhone 7, yet for reasons unexplained by the company, the AirPods were not released on the October release date for the phones which they are made for.

AirPods, if you have forgotten about them by now, are Apple's attempt at wireless headsets, and are supposed to be used in conjunction with not just the headphone jack-deprived iPhone 7, but also every other supported Apple device and computer.

For three months now, the Apple faithful have been waiting for what is essentially is a cordless Earpod.

Apple AirPods now on sale

In not-so Apple fashion, the AirPods have been put on sale in an almost subdued release.

Priced at S$238, this is by far not the $30 Earpods of old that you are already used to.
 

It looks like the price isn't putting people off from purchasing Apple's latest earphones, because stocks seem to be depleting fast.

According to Hardwarezone, on the Apple online store this morning, it also stated a delivery date of 20th December.

Of course, I had to check it for myself - twice today, in fact. The first time was slightly before lunch time today, of which the delivery period has now been extended to two weeks.

At time of writing, shipping estimates puts the delivery at four weeks. This means that you will not even get a whiff of those AirPods until mid January.

But should you buy it?
 

At this point, you can totally forget about buying this in time for Christmas, but if it's for yourself, the question comes: should you consider getting one?

Like all purchases, that is an answer best left to the individual.

To make things easier, though, let's look at reasons why you should buy the AirPods.
 

1) It's the most advanced wireless earphones at the moment

It's like having a mini computer in each ear.

Each side of the AirPod has a W1 processor chip embedded inside that not only improves pairing with your Apple devices a seamless experience, but it also manages power to make the internal batteries last, and detects when the Airpods are inserted into your ears (alongside infrared sensors).

Also, because of the W1 chip, each AirPod has a unique connection to your device.
 

2) You own an iPhone 7, and don't have a wireless option

On the iPhone 7, you have two options for personal connected audio right out of the box. First is, of course, the new Earpods which connect directly to your phone's lightning port, the other is a lightning to 3.5mm jack adapter to use with any of your existing headphones.

Say you want to go wireless, the variety of bluetooth earphones out in the market today can be dizzying with all their different features. So common sense will tell you to just get an Apple one, which you can now do.
 

3) One of the best earbuds got an upgrade

This is purely subjective, but I feel that the Earpod is the best looking and sounding out of every earbud-style earphones out in the market today.

Apple ditching their original (and horrible) earbuds that traced their lineage through all the iPod iterations is surely one of their better decisions.

Pricing aside, to see the Earpod getting an upgrade is something that I look forward to. Now as the AirPods, they are on paper a supercharged pair of Earpods that are for everyday-use like its wired predecessor - hopefully they sound the same too.
 

4) You are deeply embedded In the Apple ecosystem

This is probably the best thing about the AirPods, they work with all Apple devices - yes, anything from the iPhone (all the way to the old iPhone 5), iPad, Apple Watch, 6th generation iPod Touch, to even the iMac and Macbook.

Basically, if your device runs either iOS 10 or MacOS Sierra, you are good to go, and should see your AirPods instantly pairing to your device. Picture yourself listening to music and transitioning seamlessly from your iPhone and onto your Macbook.

With that said, these do not work on anything other than Apple devices (sorry Android/Windows), in case you were wondering.

But still, S$238 is hard to swallow

The AirPods have been the subject of much hate and parody in the tech community, and with its delay, came rumours of production and technical delays.

Now that it's been released, hopefully all the negative press will be laid to rest.

Fancy yourself a pair? Head on over to the Apple online store to get one for yourself - if you don't mind the month long wait.

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The end of the year is here and do you know what that means? Holidays, bonuses and pure festive fun.

This time around, companies from every part of the world use this season to give back to their employees for their hard work and efforts spent for work throughout the entire year. The rewards differ from simple annual dinners to extravagant lucky draws full of luxurious gifts.

Another common way bosses like to reward their staff is through year-end trips and some of them go the extra mile for this.

Here are 6 companies that have really set the bar high for company year-end trips. After seeing some of the photos, you're going want to show this to your boss in hopes of giving him or her some ideas.

1) Evolve MMA

A trip that made various headlines, this Singaporean company knows how to spoil their staff as founder Chatri Sityodtong spent a whopping amount of USD500,000 (S$720,000) to bring his 100 employees over to a five-star luxury resort in the Maldives as a reward for their hard work done through the year.

This hasn't been the first time this Singapore-based martial arts company has treated their employees well. It has been said that the company has had this tradition for the past five years, with previous trips heading to luxury resorts in Bali, Krabi, Kao Lak and Bintan.

Talk about a 'small' token of appreciation.

2) NEXT Academy

Well, that's one way to have some proper team bonding.

NEXT Academy, a team dedicated to equipping coders and entrepreneurs with necessary skills, decided to take some time off to really soak in the sun on the beautiful waters of Langkawi Island and cruise along on a yacht big enough to fit their entire team.

Founder Josh Teng uploaded the photo above, citing in the comments section that this was an entertaining way to have the team enjoy some relaxation while also improving on their relationship as an overall team.

3) Nexstream Sdn Bhd

If the above photo of a yacht wasn't enough, how about a cruise?

Costa Victoria is a well-known cruise travelling through the Penang and Malacca seas that is equipped with elegant facilities decked in a traditional nautical design.

Not only is there a casino inside, there's also a theatre hall where regular shows are held as well as a 5-star restaurant serving fine dining inside.

Nexstream Sdn Bhd, a company specialising in mobile and cloud technology, used this opportunity to have their whole team on board this cruise as they enjoyed a relaxing vacation for a few days.

4) Toplash Malaysia

When you're working with a female-dominated team, the ideal vacation place would have to be a gorgeous island.

That's exactly what Toplash Malaysia, a beauty salon specialising in eyelashes, did by bringing their entire team over to Pattaya Islands in Thailand for their annual retreat.

They had their team bonding session over the warm beach waters.

Some of them even got to enjoy the coral beauty hidden in the ocean waters through diving!

5) OTS CK Centre

In order to help drive their employees further, OTS CK Centre knows how to give the best form of rewards to their best financial agents that have performed well. Their even have travel incentives where the company will fund their entire trip to a foreign country, even to places in Europe like Germany and Switzerland.

What better way to spend the winter season than to escape the hot weather of Malaysia and fly all the way to Europe and enjoy the chilling crisp feel of snow?

6) WDA Wonderwall

Although it's said to be a study tour, it still can't be denied that this architecture and design company brought the entire team over to Sydney, Australia where they were exposed to the different structural buildings within the area and were able to have some team bonding enjoyment along the way.

Not to mention the food there is known to be quite delicious.

The term 'bankruptcy' is feared in both businesses and by entrepreneurs.

The mere fact that your company is headed towards such a phase is even more terrifying.

The concerning issue here is how to overcome and move forward once you've hit that unfortunate curve in your journey.

There are many techniques that you can apply to pull your company out of such a situation.

But more than just terminologies, there are also stories that can inspire and motivate us to never lose hope if we ever hit the low.

Here are five companies that you never thought would ever have to face bankruptcy, and the lessons they took away from managing to turn things around.

Apple

Apple is one of the world's most renowned and fast-moving tech firms with millions of followers, as well as the ever-inspiring Steve Jobs.

But what you might not have known is that Steve Jobs was fired in 1985 and after that, the company suffered a fair amount of losses before he was rehired after 12 years.

When Microsoft released Windows 3.1 in 1993 and subsequently Windows 95, "it became a real competitor for Mac OS".

Apple, lost not only its customers to Microsoft but also fell behind in the market.

According to Business Insider, Microsoft's "low-cost personal computers" was a global sellout and overtook Apple quickly.

As a result, "Apple went from being the wealthy market leader to an also-ran in the blink of an eye".

Apple's turning point came when they rehired Steve Jobs, who managed to secure US$150 million (S$215 million) from Microsoft to invest in Apple.

A year later the iMac hit the markets and "for the first time since 1995, [Apple] returned to profitability".

Marvel

From the iconic Spider-Man to Captain America, Marvel has been a huge player in the comic book and character industry.

But when the comic market crashed in the mid-1990s, it also brought down Marvel's well-established positioning.

This prompted "Marvel to file for bankruptcy" as its alliances were being shuffled about its debt holders.

However, the crisis took a turn for the better when Avi Arad "wooed bankers with a stirring speech about the value of Marvel's characters".

He not only managed to convince them of the value of Marvel's superheros, but also introduced the idea of making movies based on them.

The rest is history and "today, Iron Man, the Avengers, Spider-Man, and X-Men are all billion-dollar franchises".

Starbucks

The world's largest coffeehouse with more than 23,000 stores in 72 countries, but even they had their lowest moments.

CEO Howard Schultz, grew the firm into a strong player with his hard work and loyalty, but this growth was too much, too fast.

In early 2007, after the company had grown from 5,000 stores to 15,000, its stock also dropped 42 per cent.

In response, Schultz closed 7,100 Starbuck outlets for three and a half hours to train baristas on how to make the "perfect espresso".

Moreover, he got down to the customers' level by inviting them to email him personally with their feedback. And they did. With 5,000 emails.

Howard Schultz's decision to connect with consumers showed how important it is to fully understand the needs of customers.

The fact that he as the CEO, was willing to come down to the customer level also reflected well on his dedication to the company, and would go a long way in endearing the brand to the public.

And today, "Starbucks has more than US$10 billion in revenue."

Nintendo

Nintendo reminds us of our childhood days when the Game Boy was first introduced.

There was a wave of fan following, and Game Boys were being sold at a rapid rate.

Nevertheless, even Nintendo couldn't escape the competitive digital gaming market.

Nintendo faced serious competition from both Sony and Microsoft when they launched the ever-popular PS2 and the Xbox.

People left their Game Boys by the side and decided to invest in these new digital gaming gadgets instead.

Nintendo suffered grave losses as it lost its loyal customers and fan following.

The turnaround came when Nintendo decided to move a step forward and "embraced its individuality with the DS, DS Lite, and Wii" and went on to "sell around 100 million units worldwide".

Nintendo's quick innovation helped it get back into the competition and is surprisingly, still omnipresent in the digital gaming world.

Netflix

Netflix was only introduced in Singapore this year but it has always been the big thing in the West.

In 2011, CEO Reed Hastings made an announcement saying they "will no longer offer a plan that includes both unlimited streaming and DVDs by mail".

Subscribers would now have to join 2 separate services, and one of them was given the ridiculous name Qwikster.

In response, "more than 800,000 customers fled Netflix in a single quarter".

Once Netflix realised how much their abrupt decision had cost them, they not only apologised to users but also withdrew Qwikster.

However, redemption would only come later in 2013 with their original series House of Cards.

Sometimes, big enterprises may take sudden decisions which might not be beneficial in the long run and end up incurring more losses than profit.

But that does not mean that there will no way to reverse the situation.

Timing Is What Matters

According to Ellen DeGeneres, "it's failure that gives you the proper perspective on success".

Failure is inevitable and rather than shying away from it, accept it.

It will teach you the essence and determination it takes for one to achieve success, all over again.

The one common thing in the comebacks of these companies was their ability to quickly identify the issue without too much delaying.

This enabled them to come up with a recovery plan in the shortest time possible.

The implementation might take time plus, it is important to keep track of the market's reaction once the changes have been made.

But with the right timing and patience, an enterprise will be able to reinsert itself into the market.

If big enterprises like these could make such impressive comebacks, one ought to learn and be inspired from them as there is so much to take away from their struggles and ultimately, their success.

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