Back in July, Singaporeans were thrilled by the news that our very first Apple retail store was set to open in November at Orchard Road's Knightsbridge Mall.

With Apple products only available to Singapore dwellers via authorised resellers (Nübox , EpiCenter) and Apple's online store, the opening comes as a very welcomed surprise to both Apple fans and tech enthusiasts alike.

The facade of the store, albeit still very much under renovation, was also observed by local Apple blog My Apple Singapore to potentially have the trademark front-facing glass panels that international Apple retail stores possess.

What was also exciting, especially to us, were the possibilities of how an Apple retail store in Singapore would turn out, given that the company is known for designing its stores so as to "become one with the community [it is in]".

And it's not just in the superficial - Apple stores in Japan are also known to participate in the Japanese New Year's Fukubukuro ("lucky bag") tradition, giving out bags containing random Apple products at highly discounted prices.

At that point of time, we were a mere few months away from the unveiling of a shiny new store which could, pardon the reference, make shopping in Singapore great again, but the projected date (and month) has already come and passed…and we're still far from picking out Apple products over the counters.

From 31 Oct, to 30 Jan, to…

Last month, The Straits Times came bearing the bad news that the store "will likely not open in time for Christmas this year".

The information board at the location showed an updated expected completion of Jan 30, 2017, and comes as a 3-month delay from the previously stated Oct 31, 2016.

The store was also observed to be "still covered by white construction hoarding, with construction canvas draped over the exterior's glass panels" - not exactly the most promising sign.

But that's not the end of it.

According to a report from Channel NewsAsia last week, the date has now been covered up, making the date of completion pretty much indefinite.

After a check with workers and security guards at the site, the report found that the delays were "unavoidable after the site was issued with a three-week stop-work order in late October".

This was confirmed by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), which revealed that the order was meted out on Oct 24 due to "unsafe conditions relating to work at height, traffic management, scaffolding, electrical installation and lifting operations that were observed during an inspection at the worksite".

Was the first predicted date of completion too optimistic?

Given that a three-week delay would've definitely caused a break in construction, the pushing back of the date of completion not once, but twice, might suggest that the first predicted date of completion (Oct 31) might have been a stretch in the first place.

But then again, I'm no construction expert or engineer, and according to industry observers that Channel NewsAsia interviewed, delays "are not uncommon [given] Apple's emphasis on customer experience in its flagship stores".

Regardless, I do hope that the site is now much safer for the workers (given that this year has seen a rise in workplace deaths, and is an issue we shouldn't ignore anymore), and that we also get an update soon.

And this time, a more accurate one.

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Photo Gallery

Apple fans in Singapore and region brave haze and rain to get new iPhones

Source: Singtel, StarHub, AFP, Reuters, The Straits Times

For Christmas this year, Pokemon GO is giving all trainers with an Apple Watch the perfect Christmas present.

Pokemon GO is finally, and we repeat, finally available on the Apple Watch! For all the Singaporeans in the pursuit of catching them all, this news is nothing short of a Christmas miracle.

The official statement was released yesterday on their official website, and in a live Apple Watch presentation by John Hanke, CEO of Niantic Inc., he noted that the new features will "blend Pokemon Go gameplay with your daily walk or run, while enabling you to focus on what's important, all the cool stuff around you."

The presentation has left many psyched, and players all around the world, including Singaporeans, are rapidly jumping onto the latest bandwagon.

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Photo Gallery

Gotta catch 'em all: Pokemon Go now in Singapore

Source: The Straits Times, Facebook / RSAF, Facebook/SPF, AsiaOne, Capitaland, Lianhe Wanbao, The New Paper, Stomp

Apple Watch perks for PokeGO players

Players are still required to have their phones with them but with the Apple Watch, they'll be able to log play sessions as workouts that add towards their personal Activity rings.

A bonus that arises from this is that players will also be to measure the distance towards hatching their Eggs.

Players will also be alerted about nearby Pokemon, PokeStops, and collect items from them; as well as when their Eggs hatch and medals are awarded.

But so far, there have been mixed reviews

Considering that it was only introduced yesterday, there were some who still expressed confusion on how Pokemon GO would work on the Apple Watch. And from there, one particular user has stood out as everyone's new guru.

PokeGO player Mandi Jayne is certainly one enthusiastically helpful player.

However, there were some reviews stating that the Pokemon GO update for the Apple Watch indirectly caused them issues in opening the game on their iPhones and Android models.

One drawback of the Apple Watch feature is that players will not be able to catch Pokemon via the Watch, and will have to switch to their iPhones for that.

Other than that however, it seems like the Apple Watch adaptation of the game is a win for players who want to focus on hatching eggs.

Is it a groundbreaking addition?

Given the limited perks so far, we don't think so. But if you already have an Apple Watch, it seems to be a useful complement to enhance gameplay while clocking a good workout at the same time.

Hopefully, Niantic and Apple would be able to address some of the glitches to ensure smoother gameplay soon. There were bound to be problems given the newness of the feature, so hang in there trainers.

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In case you have yet to come across the tragic tale of how one Luo Han fish met its untimely demise at the hands of a careless maid, here it is.

First published on the local site All Singapore Stuff yesterday morning (Dec 27), the short post shared how one owner had come home to find that his pet Luo Han fish had been fried and served up for dinner.

The post immediately went viral on social media, with more than 22,000 likes, shares and comments as local netizens banded together to express a collective sigh of pity at the loss of one of the most valuable species of fish in Singapore.

While some netizens took the side of the domestic maid with encouraging statements on how it was simply an honest mistake, others were a lot less tolerant, inciting remarks that border on racism.

But if you had been paying close attention to the comments in the original All Singapore Stuff's Facebook post, you would notice that some observant individuals were calling it out as fake news.

When the post was shared by MGAG this afternoon (Dec 28), it was quickly followed by a complete debunking by one Javier Loke, who proceeded to break down exactly how fake news could be engineered.

A simple Google search of the fried pet fish also landed me at the Instagram of one Vi Sick, where the photo had been posted 35 weeks ago. In the comments section, he also admits that he had snagged the photo from the Internet.

While these sort of stories may not appear of much consequence, it does reflect a worrying issue - that it is way too easy to lead people by the nose with a crude cobbling together of fake news.

Given the slew of fake news fiascos that marred the course of the US elections, the problem is that fake news can appear to the general public as just another way to undermine politicians, until it escalates into a shooting that endangers real human lives.

Fortunately, Singapore has yet to see its fake news scandals breaking out into chaos, but this does not mean that we are immune to potential fear-mongering topics, or in this case, hate-mongering ones.

If anything sounds fishy or too far-fetched to be true, it probably is.

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Running a business is a tricky business - you never know when the economic climate might suddenly change for the worse, or when a bad customer service decision might crumble your entire reputation. (Looking at you, The Western Co.)

But even in one of the worst economic climates Singapore has seen, there are those who manage to weather the storm and come out even more successful than before.

We've covered the entrepreneurs and their brands who didn't manage to make it - but not everyone has it bad.

These are the startups who have not just survived 2016, but pulled through #likeaboss.

1. Shopback

Ah, Shopback, the shopping platform that returns you cash whenever you shop via their platform. In January, the company announced that it was expanding its presence to include the enormous spending potential that was India, and they have.

In local news, they were also named the Top free app in the shopping category in the iOS App Store, as well as number one in the top free apps category. People love to shop, but since they also love saving money, Shopback has definitely hit a goldmine.

2. Carousell

What started out as an online marketplace for used textbooks has now conquered multiple countries within Asia. Now, they are even looking to expand past the boundaries of SEA. Although there has been no announcement as to where exactly, the US$35 million (S$50.6 million) that the startup raised in August is certainly a very strong start

And even in Singapore, they are still growing. With their recent acquisition of Caarly, Carousell shows no signs of slowing down just yet.

3. Fynd

Singapore startup Fynd is a repair service that connects you with a technician for your broken tech devices, and at the convenience of your preferred location.

After having announced a $385,000 funding just this year, Fynd has already become a popular go-to option for many, and successfully set up branch in Jakarta. Everything has just been going according to plan for the startup.

4. Vanitee

Beauty-provider app Vanitee announced the acquisition of their competitor startup Mefitted this year. This move automatically opened up the B2B market for Vanitee, an area in which they lacked strong reach. With the acquisition, they gained Mefitted's 10,000 monthly active users.

With the burgeoning success of Vanitee, the company is already looking at further expansion in early 2017.

5. Grab

Valued at just over US$3 billion (S$4.34 billion), Grab is now Southeast Asia's second largest startup. A list of Grab's accolades this year include raising US$750 million in funding in September, building partnerships with self-driving vehicles nuTonomy, and the rolling out of the GrabChat app.

As part of the newly-established Singapore's National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA), Grab drivers' interests will also be better protected.

6. Glints

18 months ago, Glints had 7,000 users. Now they have almost hit the 170,000 users mark, bagged US$2 million worth of Series A funding, and has more than 4,000 companies having built partnerships with them, including Grab, Carousell and Adidas.

And that's not all they're doing. As of September, Glints has officially expanded into Indonesia, and raised US$2 million in a Series A funding round.

7. Lazada

Jack Ma is not a force to be trifled with, and is known for making smart business decisions, so considering that Alibaba has put in a stake of $1 billion into Singapore's e-commerce site Lazada is truly telling of the strength of the business.

In November, Lazada also announced that it was acquiring online grocery site Redmart for between US$30 million to US$40 million. So AmazonFresh might be coming to Singapore, but it will definitely have strong competition on its hands.

2016 wasn't so bad, for these startups at least

The year is almost coming to a close, and with the burgeoning strength of the startup industry with new players coming in all the time, it will be interesting to see how these startups continue to fare.

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What were you doing in your first year of university?

For most, the freshman year is often dubbed the 'honeymoon year', because all the modules taken are 101s, newfound friends and seniors can't wait to welcome you with open arms into their clubs and cliques, and the dread that comes with keeping a decent GPA still isn't whacking you repeatedly at the back of your head.

But it's not a bad thing, because before the sleepless nights and general fatigue of the latter years, the freshman year usually comes with unbridled enthusiasm about the possibilities that the last lap of formal education can bring.

And 5 SUTD (Singapore University of Technology and Design) students have taken that enthusiasm, and turned it into something that could potentially save the lives of many.

Needless to say, the idea and team caught our attention for their commitment to solving a pressing problem that has taken many lives, and we decided to find out more.

We got in touch with Aiden, one of the team members, and got more insights on the school project that recently caught the attention of the local media, which he confessed, was "quite a surprise".

"I thought there were many other projects which were fantastic."

5 'Freshmore' Students With A Plan

With an average age just shy of 21, the 5-member team, made up of SUTD 'freshmore' (the unique university's term for undergrads still in their first 3 terms) students Aiden Chia (21), Jason Swee (23), Laura Ong (19), Odelia Tan (20), and Loo Jun Wen (21), met during their Introduction to Design Module.

As compared to being brought together by fate (aka grouped together by their professors), the formation of the team was actually rather strategic.

"We chose so that we had a healthy mix of diversity and skills. Odelia and Jun Wen are great at aesthetic design, Jason is great at hardware and software design, while myself and Laura's strengths are in the academic [and] writing components. Coming from different backgrounds [Jason and Odelia came from Polytechnics, and the rest were from Junior Colleges] and different genders gave us more diversity of opinions as well."

Then came the next, and most important step - reaching a mutual agreement on what to work on.

Their minds each brimming with ideas after intensive brainstorming sessions, Aiden revealed that they "had many considerations" before settling on a common goal.

"We thought of working on a noise-cancelling device that could allow people to isolate themselves from the noisy environment when they needed to concentrate or sleep. We were also thinking of solving problems that the elderly faced, seeing how important it is considering how Singapore and many other places in the world are facing an ageing population."

Eventually, it was the hope of solving problems Aiden and Jun Wen experienced on a personal basis that got the final vote.

For Jun Wen, he recalled when his late night patrols during his National Service were ridden with episodes of sleepiness, especially in the early mornings.

"Thankfully, he (Jun Wen) did not get into any accident in his two years, but he was always worried that something may happen one day if he was not careful."

Aiden echoed the sentiment, albeit not experiencing it first-hand.

"My dad is a taxi driver who drives late nights. I was worried for him as well as he drives long hours and he is advancing in years, and it would be great if there was some kind of device that could help keep him awake."

"It Was Never A Straightforward Process"

With the final goal pat down, questions on how it would be achieved soon came about, as the team engaged in many discussions, back-and-forth, to find their answer.

"Would the device work by vibration, light, sound, or all of them? How would the device detect sleepiness? By heart rate, eye blink rate, brain activity, or breathing rate? It was never a straightforward process."

Not ones to dismiss a possibility without first trying it out, they initially wanted to detect sleepiness using an individual's heart rate on their wrist, explaining that it was "the 'standard' model for many existing products like Fitbit, Apple Watch, etc".

However, after purchasing a generic heart rate monitor and testing it, they realised that noise also got picked up by the monitors, thus making the readings inaccurate.

They then considered measuring the eye blink rate of the driver, but they too encountered problems - this time with interfacing with the rest of the device's components.

Going back again to using a heart rate monitor, they decided to do a little tweak - by placing it at the finger instead.

"We designed a wrist-band with a silicon-glove in order to house the heart rate monitor."

However, while this setup gave them accurate readings, they realised that "it would be uncomfortable for the driver to have something on his finger all the time. It also makes it difficult [for drivers] to pick up items and grab the wheel."

Eventually, they switched the design into a watch with a ring - one which was eventually fine-tuned to the Risk Watch we know them for.

"The ring would house the heart rate monitor, while the watch would house the rest of the electrical components: Arduino, light bulbs, vibration motor, battery etc. We felt that it was the best compromise between all the constraints in the end."

Like every school project, the team too had to undergo a few more challenges before the Watch's final iteration.

From needing to reprint the Watch's hardware multiple times on 3D-printers when they came out wrongly, to having to test out a large variety of materials to ensure that it would be comfortable for the wearer and yet sturdy enough to hold the Watch's electrical components, to writing code for its software, the team still held on with a stubborn determination, refusing to compromise on any aspect until the result was satisfactory.

"It was a process of small discoveries, failures, and trying again. We worked fast so that we had plenty of chances to fail and try again, knowing what worked and what didn't."

And after 12 weeks of trial, error, and success, the Risk Watch was finally unveiled.

Being Shortlisted, And Risk Watch Version 2.0

Going back to the reason as to why they even got the media's attention in the first place, the Watch was actually one of 87 other SUTD student projects featured at the university's The Technological Body exhibition, which involved first-year engineering and architecture students teaming up to create wearable technology.

The exhibition would cumulate in SUTD shortlisting 6 projects, and the teams behind them will get to attend a workshop to produce enhanced versions of their prototypes.

And as expected, the team's effort was shortlisted, and Aiden reveals their plans for the Watch with the opportunity:

"We were thinking of incorporating a AI device like Siri/Alexa that can 'talk' to the driver to keep him her awake. We can work on making the heart rate monitor able to accurately 'discover' each person's baseline heart rate accurately, as well as possibly some machine learning that can 'learn' when any particular driver's sleepy patterns."

"Our future plans [also] include using industrial-grade prototyping to make the product even better."

And their future hopes for the Watch?

"[We hope that] it can be used by any regular driver so that it can possibly save lives, even one life and one less accident is worth saving and preventing!"

An Inspiration For Undergrads Wanting To Make A Difference

Definitely an inspiration for undergrads (and even us!), we asked if Aiden had any words of advice for freshmen and students like themselves:

"I think all Uni students should make the most of their university time to get out of their comfort zone!

Remember at the end of the day your grades will only get you through the door.

What you want to develop is a unique value proposition to the market!

What makes you more employable or skilful over another person?

Which skills or contacts will serve you well if you want to start your own business?

What stories can you tell to people once you leave university?"

"I think as long we are persistent about it, all of us can make our uni experience an amazing one!"

With them already showing so much promise at the start of their university life, I think we can only imagine to see even more from them in years to come.

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[UPDATE] Trans-Cab has just announced a cut in rental rates of their taxis, in a bid to help lighten the burden of drivers, who have "told the company that third-party apps like Uber and Grab have taken a toll on [their] earnings".

Even if you're not a frequent user of taxis or private-hires, the reality that taxi drivers are facing a harder time due to the competition that came with the emergence of Uber and Grab is one that doesn't need much introduction or background.

While as consumers, we win with a larger variety of services, and promo codes being dished out like it's Christmas every single day, taxi drivers are feeling the heat when it comes to securing their livelihood.

However, recently, Second Minister for Transport Ng Chee Meng announced that changes to the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) Taxi Availability (TA) framework will take place from January 2017, in a bid to level the playing field between private-hires and taxis. The changes will entail that taxis will no longer be required to clock a minimum daily mileage of 250km, and operators will "no longer have to meet availability requirements between 6am to 7am and 11pm to 12am, otherwise known as "shoulder peak periods"".

But of course, the newcomers aren't completely at loggerheads with the taxi companies, as their GrabTaxi and UberTAXI services allow consumers to make taxi booking via their apps.

In fact, Grab announced at the start of September this year that they will be bringing all 7,000 or so Trans-cab drivers onto their platform.

It was Grab's first collaboration with a taxi operator, and Teo Kiang Ang, Trans-cab's Managing Director, explains that they decided on collaborating with Grab as they believe that their technology will be able to bring in more ride bookings for Trans-cab drivers.

Whether or not the playing field will eventually be levelled out with the measures remains to be seen, but a recent dashcam video seems to have revealed that taxi company Trans-cab isn't doing very well currently.

Just an hour or so ago, Facebook page Thelocalsociety uploaded a video of a car cruising in between what seems to be never-ending lines of idle Trans-cab taxis., along with caption "What happen (sic) to Transcab? Lots of cars not taken up for rental. Probably Uber & Grab is hitting hard.".

The time stamp on the video suggests that it was recorded yesterday.

What was even more revealing was the background commentary (of sorts) that came with it, by,we're guessing, a Trans-cab driver going back to the taxi depot to return the car.

Speaking entirely in Hokkien, the owner of the gruff voice didn't say much, but here's a rough translation of the main gist of what he said:

"So many cars ah, siao* liao, siao liao. Trans-cab finished liao." (Siao means crazy in Hokkien)

While we can't be entirely sure if the idle cabs captured on the video truly reflects the reality of Trans-cab and taxi companies in Singapore, it won't be a surprise if it was true, either.

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It's the time when we start planning out the resolutions that will revitalise the new year for us. But how many of us have heard the same story when these resolutions pan out to nothing?

It is easy to dream big, but putting it into action is where the going really gets tough, and those without pressing motivation tend to lose track of their destination.

If you're worried about people judging you for that, don't be. We're only doing so in reaction to our own resolutions failures so we're looking for someone to go down with us. Heh.

But I have high hopes for my 2017 resolutions, and I'm sure that many of you also do.

To give you, and myself, a head-start at resolution achieving, here's a list of New Year resolutions that are more achievable than ever, because you will not be going at them alone.

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Photo Gallery

Start-ups that will help you accomplish your 2017 resolutions

Source:

The Straits Times

pixabay

Internet screengrabs

1. For a better financial situation

The fact that Singapore is a shopping hub with both indulgent malls and access to worldwide shipping does not make this easy for us, but neither is managing your funds completely impossible.

There are plenty of ways to save on shopping, such as leveraging on the calendar of sales e-commerce sites like Lazada (and soon, Amazon) boast. And what about the get-your-money-back feature that Shopback sells? Those help too.

But another important step in managing your spending is to be more aware of your money matters, i.e. financial literacy.

Once a far-out concept we left to our parents (I know you're guilty), it has now become a skill more millennials are developing out of their own volition.

MoneySmart and DollarsAndSense are both local blogs that aim to educate us, honing our financial acumen so that we can make more educated spending choices.

And along the way, you could also learn why you're not getting that starting pay you're asking for (because employers don't think you deserve it).

2. For better eating

One of the most common resolutions, it is also one of the toughest resolutions to achieve - especially when food luxury comes to us in all cuisine types and price tags, ranging from the crazily affordable to that of the credit-bursting variety.

For those who do not know where to start, food-delivery startup Grain features an ever-evolving menu that looks as aesthetically pleasing as it is healthy. Catering to those serious about counting the numbers, they also have a breakdown of the nutritional facts for each dish.

For those who dabble in unhealthy snacking, MadeReal and BoxGreen also offer alternative choices to revitalise those habits into healthier decisions.

3. For getting in shape

Because hitting the track with your pedometer is way too difficult, especially if you're a one-person team, these local startups are also good alternatives to keep track (heh!) of your exercise habits.

The GuavaPass is a gym membership that connects you with gyms and studios not just in Singapore, but across Asia so you would have a reason to stay in shape even while on holiday.

Similarly, KFit also lets you jump into activities ranging from martial arts to cross-fit in across the region.

And for devout yoga lovers looking for a truly rejuvenating workout in a tranquil environment, Om and Away features a enticing series of yoga retreats in the idyllic settings of Bali, Barbados and even Spain.

But before you fly, get geared up with proper outfits at your local eco-yoga shop, Touch Your Toes.

4. For a better career

The declining economy has not made it easy for Singaporeans to plot out their careers. But alongside throwing your resumes at potential employers, another key issue that Singaporeans have to manage is their expectations.

Living in a stable society where the convenience of the everyday has developed a troublesome sense of entitlement in some, the idea that we do not deserve that salary is a tricky one to navigate.

And it's not just Singaporeans.

Even accounting for that, it can still be difficult to get the job we want, especially if we are entering the market without experience.

Why not start with an internship instead? The older generation might think it odd that for graduates (speaking from personal experience), but the things you learn as an intern could just end up launching you into the job you truly desire.

Glints is a good way to get started, but there are also other startups like QLC.io and Venn that can also help to connect you to professionals in the industry.

5. For more family time

As our schedules get busier, some of us, myself included, become guilty of devoting what little free time we have to friends and personal interests.

The consequence of this is that we start seeing and spending less time with family, perhaps because we know that they'll always be there for us. If you're like me, know that it's time we start rectifying this situation. And it's really not that difficult - when it comes to family, it's better to just go simple.

There's no specific type of startup when it comes to family time; sometimes it's better to go simple. But if you're looking for the things to do, why not take a gander at what we have here?

For the adventurous type, take a trip together off the beaten track in Thailand with Local Alike, or seize these last few December days to take a plunge off Asia's Tallest Free Fall by DBS.

Or if you and your menage are of the foodie-mind, go grand for the whole family with FeastBump, a food delivery and catering startup that does events too.

But whatever your choice, know that family resolutions can only be achieved by spending quality time with one another.

Start 2017 right!

2016 has been a rollercoaster ride, but seeing how December continues to bring us more car accidents and deaths of beloved celebrities, it's probably more down than up.

2017 may not be looking better as we usher in a weakening Singapore dollar, and so it's becoming even more important that we open the year with a positive mindset.

And what better way to do that than by strengthening our new year resolution game?

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Tesco is the venerable British supermarket chain who are the market leaders in grocery shopping in the United Kingdom.

Much like NTUC Fairprice in Singapore, Tesco is literally everywhere in the UK, from convenience stores, to supermarkets, to standalone hypermarkets. If you have visited the UK before, you would most definitely have visited and shopped in one at least once.

They are also not limited only within the UK.

In the 1990s, they began their expansion into Central Europe, and in the 2000s, started appearing in Asia as well. Frequent Singaporean visitors to Malaysia would have probably visited one of their 57 stores in the country. The only other Asian countries that Tesco has a presence in are Thailand (largest in Asia with 1,092 stores), China, and Japan.

Tesco Digital Ventures (Singapore)

What if we told you that Tesco has already started to covertly build a presence in Singapore, in preparation for a possible appearance in the country?

Sure, you don't see any Tesco outlets out on the streets right now - but because it's precisely what they are not going to do.

It seems though, that Singapore will be Tesco's testbed to go all-out online, and powering this initiative will be a subsidiary called Tesco Digital Ventures.

As the name suggests, the usual Tesco shopping experience that you know and love may not come to Singapore. Instead, being a "Digital" venture, it may be a sign that Tesco will be going online here.

Don't believe us? Here's some digging that we did.

The best way to prove the existence of any business entities in Singapore is, of course, through Bizfile, by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), the national regulator of business entities in Singapore.

Here's what a quick search on Bizfile turned up for a certain "Tesco Digital Ventures". We see that the company is most definitely alive since its status is marked as a "Live Company".

Furthermore, we have an address located around Tanjong Pagar too. Maybe we should drop by for a visit since our office is nearby.

Not convinced? There are some of the top level people working there right now, and we headed to LinkedIn for some "research".

We start right from the very top with Julia Atwood, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the new subsidiary. From her profile, we could also see when Tesco Digital Ventures started operations in Singapore, which in this case was since August 2016.

Miss Atwood was previously the Head of Strategy and Business Development, Asia for Tesco, and was based in their Hong Kong office, and it seems that she has been moved to Singapore to take lead on the company's new initiative.

Another Tesco employee who made the move to Singapore is Binoo Joseph, as the Technology Head for Tesco Digital Ventures. He is a later addition to the team, coming in only since October this year.

Formerly Head of Technology Programme for Tesco in their Shanghai office in China, he has been a somewhat longtime employee in the Tesco family, having first worked in their Bengaluru office in India, before going on to the United Kingdom, and then China.

The fact there there is a Technology Head right here in Singapore serves to adds credibility to Tesco unleashing an e-commerce platform in Singapore.

Next, we have some also talent acquisitions from Singapore.

First up is Chief Customer Officer of Tesco Digital Ventures, Heejeong Hong.

She was previously the Change Management Director at Diageo for Singapore and South Korea. Diageo, if you didn't know, is the company behind some of your favourite alcohol brands such as, Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Baileys, Guinness and many more.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Miss Hong has been working in Singapore since 2011, where she first worked as an Associate Director at Standard Chartered Bank, before moving on to Diageo.

The last profile we could find of Tesco Digital Ventures employees at the moment belongs to Corrinne Koh, their Chief Marketing Officer.

Her career in Singapore started as an entrepreneur, co-founding an interactive company which specialises in web and application development, as well as e-business solutions. The company was later acquired by Leo Burnett Worldwide, later re-branding to become Arc Worldwide.

Later on, her career brought her to other companies such as OSIM, AsiaRooms, Expedia, and Eu Yan Sang, in e-commerce and marketing leadership positions. Prior to joining Tesco, she was also the Chief Marketing Officer of the now defunct Ensogo Group.

The Current State Of Grocery Shopping In Singapore

Singapore has seen some prominent foreign supermarket chains come and go in its lifetime. The one in most Singaporean's recent memory would probably be French hypermarket Carrefour, who pulled out of the country in 2012.

In itself, Singapore is already home to a dense cluster of supermarket chains, with NTUC Fairprice, Cold Storage, Giant, and Sheng Siong all competing for the consumer dollar in groceries and household essentials.

For online retailers though, there is Redmart (recently acquired by Lazada), who is a prominent figure for virtual grocery shopping in Singapore.

Notwithstanding the online stores that some of the supermarket chains may have set up, there is currently no one else like Redmart with their own supply chain of goods, warehouse, and delivery vehicles. Honestbee works with retailers to get your grocery delivered to you, but they don't have any actual inventory.

Seems though, that the online grocery marketplace may soon see another entrant, and last we heard, Tesco is readying to start selling online as soon as possible.

As of now, we haven't heard of anything such as a warehouse lease or delivery vehicles being acquired unlike Amazon. But if we did, you will be the first to know here.

Right now, though, we are going to assume that if any e-commerce marketplace is going to be launched by Tesco in Singapore, they will probably leverage on their existing Asian supply chain (especially in Malaysia and Thailand) to get goods into Singapore.

Redmart(Lazada) VS. AmazonFresh VS. Tesco in 2017…maybe? Regardless, we're ready for you all!

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New Year, New Me? How about getting rid of some bad tech habits with the new you this year? We all know habits don't die easy, which is why it is important to make the conscious efforts to break our chain of bad habits.

Ranging from public sharing on the Internet to overcharging our smartphones, the tech generation of today has plenty more to worry about than just oversleeping every morning.

Here, we identified 5 bad habits Singaporeans have that should be eliminated so that by the end of the year, we can proudly say that we've finally managed to make some positive changes to our lives.

1. Stop Sneaking Photos/Videos

Yes, please stop.

Smartphone cameras are convenient for capturing daily moments and honestly, who doesn't like taking selfies? However, this does not give us the right to take pictures of strangers and upload them on social media platforms.

In Singapore, a local favourite would have to be the gossip site Stomp. Every so often, we would see someone posting a photos of 'rude' individual hoarding seats. What good would come of it, aside from the poster garnering likes from this act of pubic shaming?

During the time the post was being published, the poster could have done some actual good by giving up their seat to the 'pitiful person' in the photo.

Stop taking sneak photos, it only encroaches on the personal privacy of others, and I'm sure you would not appreciate it so much when you end up on the other end of the camera.

2. Stop Sharing Fake News

It's a known fact that Facebook and Twitter were blamed for Trump winning the election, with sites such as the Mirror and Fortune claiming that the false truths perpetuated online encouraged supporters of Trump.

The recent fried luo han fish scare also emphasised how this bad habit Singaporeans can actually encourage online racism.

It's easier said than done when it comes to identifying fake news, but it is not impossible. Always read the article properly and be sure of the news outlet. If the article shows strong bias views against someone it could also mean that facts had been altered to demean them.

We often get perplexed or overly enthusiastic by click-bait headlines before actually reading the entire article. It's our responsibility to be aware of what we post on social media to avoid perpetuating false claims about others.

3. Don't Be Too Me-Centric

Social media is like our online identity where we strive to update our followers on what is happening to us via images of our latest meal to our latest purchase.

However, let's not be oblivious to what is happening around the world, and instead focus on the 'social' aspect of social media by keeping up with others as well, and not just those within our social circles.

By broadening our reach and learning about current issues, we can also improve our general knowledge. If you've ever felt like you are not able to keep up with the discussion topics of others, here is also where you can start to rectify the situation.

4. Start Reading The T&Cs

This is definitely something many of us ignore when we sign up on a platform or when there's an programme update. Reading it can be extremely time-consuming and trust me, I feel the same. However, we can't ignore the fact that it is indeed important to do.

In August 2016, WhatsApp announced that it was to start sharing user data with Facebook, and it would do so unless users declined. Many people agreed to the T&Cs without reading the fine-print and later realised what had happened.

Skipping through the T&Cs is something many of us do, and as such, you might not think much of it. But wouldn't it be a lot better if you could avoid that future egg on your face if something does go wrong?

Let's not repeat the same mistake we have been committing for so many years, and make 2017 the year we would not end up regretting.

5. Stop Overcharging Your Batteries

We often wonder why our phone batteries die so quickly. Many of us tend to our devices charging overnight so that we can wake up to a full battery life but according to Android Central, "overheating and overcharging are the most common reason a battery fails".

Signs of a dying battery is when it is consistently warm even when you're charging it. As worried as we can get about the charging efficiency of our phones, remember to turn off the charger whenever the percentage is about to turn a full hundred, or when it is already full.

Perhaps then, your phones won't die so quickly when you're out. Keep your batteries cool in 2017 and your heart will be at peace as well.

Time To Free Bad Tech Habits

It's not difficult to beat out the bad tech habits if we really set our mind to it. After all, how tough is it to flick a single switch to turn off our phone chargers?

If we aim to make 2017 a better year, we should start working towards improving our lives so that we can enjoy the year with better habits.

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Together with his mother, 30-year-old Tan Jun Yuan ran Yuan Bak Kut Teh, a Bak Kut Teh (pork rib soup) stall at Toa Payoh in 2013.

Raking in "a decent sum of money each month", the mother-and-son duo soon made plans for a second stall at Lau Pa Sat, and began their search for manpower to run the new establishment.

But despite offering a salary of $9.50 per hour, there were few takers for the job.

"After six months, we still weren't able to find enough people to even man a single stall; needless to say a second one," he said.

Eventually, Jun Yuan had to forfeit his deposit for the Lau Pa Sat outlet.

"(My mother and I) were working 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, without leave or CPF. We assessed the labour crunch situation going forward and thought that it would only worsen," he said.

The stall shut down on Feb 28 the following year, just six months after its opening.

But that's not the end of his story, because at the end of his path as a hawker, he found promise in another.

From Ex-Hawker To Entrepreneur

As an ex-hawker, Jun Yuan is no stranger to leftover food.

"When faced with leftovers, you really don't want to be throwing them away because the costs add up. But keeping them for sale the next day isn't a good idea either as they are perishables."

Then, Jun Yuan tried offering discounts to get rid of the extras, but soon realised that customers were delaying their purchases on purpose until the closing window, when hawkers tend to sell off their remaining items at lower prices.

But having ad-hoc promotions was not a good idea either. Without adequate publicity or a fixed schedule in place, it would be easy for customers to miss out on them.

In response, Jun Yuan decided to do something about it - by creating 11th Hour, a platform where F&B merchants can run last-minute promotions to clear excess capacity.

To create a last-minute deal, merchants simply have to fill up a simple Google Docs template. Users then can check the app for available deals near them.

Users also have the option of "following" a merchant, which allows them to receive a push notification whenever a new deal is created.

Building 11th Hour From Scratch

Having graduated with a business degree from the University of Manchester, Jun Yuan admits that the transition from F&B to entrepreneurship "wasn't that tough".

But mentality is one thing, and technical capability is another.

After realising that he needed mobile and web development knowledge to create and run a tech platform, Jun Yuan promptly picked up iOS and web programming courses.

Armed with a new skill set, he created 11th Hour's website from scratch, and also coded part of the iOS app. But those were just the basics. To gain further expertise in designing software, Jun Yuan also took classes for Illustrator and Affinity Designer.

"It helped with our user interface, marketing collaterals, logo, name cards, fliers, social media posts, and presentation decks. It's easily one of the most useful tool I've ever learned," he said.

"Before I knew it, I've completely reinvented myself. I guess entrepreneurship really is a mental game. Once you overcome the initial mental hurdle and resolve to do something, the actual picking up of skills isn't that hard."

And his story of sheer determination didn't go unnoticed - having been featured as part of the nationwide SG50 campaign back in 2015.

The Daily Grind

With Jun Yuan in charge of 11th Hour's day-to-day operations, childhood friend and co-founder Lim Ting Hong focuses on its business development front.

"Even though we are working full-time on 11th Hour, we practically work till 1am every day. Yet we still can't finish everything that needs to be done."

The duo might be short-handed at the moment, but it wasn't always the case. 11th Hour started off with four co-founders before two left earlier in the year.

"They were previously in-charge of technology and product development, so I had to shoulder the product side on top of my own responsibilities," said Jun Yuan.

Despite the daily grind, he enjoys the startup life and the challenges that come with it.

"Every single day is different. You learn a lot more than others, and you get to meet incredible people along the way."

The 11th Hour app took Jun Yuan more than two years to develop due to technical hiccups and personnel changes, but since its debut late last year, it now has over 200 merchants and 7,000 registered users on board.

With such a promising start, we can only predict that more merchants and Singaporeans will pick up the app soon enough.

We know we will.

The 11th Hour app is available for both iOS and Android.

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GrabHitch has sort of gotten a bad rep recently due to one of their drivers.

Hitch unlike GrabShare, is a service run by non-professional drivers on the Grab app.

A recent bad incident came to light on Christmas Day when a Nanyang Technological University student, Rushdan Eilyaas, shared on social media about how the dog belonging to his GrabHitch driver had bitten him as he was getting out of the car.

What's more all this culminated after an evening of unprofessional behaviour on the part of the driver.

Grab then came out to help Rushdan by refunding the cost of his trip, while also reimbursing his medical bills due to the injury when getting bitten.

It was also mentioned that the driver involved in this incident had also been suspended for "violating its code of conduct in using a car that was not registered on the Grab platform."

Well guess what, he's back. Now on GrabHitch

Facebook user Daniel Botak earlier today shared how he had encountered a terribly rude and unprofessional driver when he booked a GrabHitch ride to get to Mustafa Center.

Let's break down his Facebook posts to what you need to take note of,

Blonde tattooed male - checked ✔

Pet chihuahua - checked ✔

Unprofessional behaviour - checked ✔

The incident as told by Daniel about what happened to him also largely mirrors what had happened to Rushdan as well.

The driver doesn't pick him up at the designated point, instead telling the rider to meet him elsewhere.

When Daniel saw the dog with the driver (barking aggressively), he decided to turn down the ride fearing for his safety, especially after recalling the previous incident.

Instead of an amicable parting, he was instead met by (you've guessed it) severely unprofessional behaviour, with some vulgarities thrown into the mix.

From the way he articulate his post though it seems that he was unaware that it was the same driver who made the news.

This was later confirmed by people who had left comments on his post.

Another Facebook user also came forward to share his unpleasant ride with the driver, this time when the driver was still under GrabCar before his alleged suspension.

Looks like Mr Chihuahua is also a regular in Pasir Ris as this user points out when she booked a GrabHitch ride.

All we can say is, if you live in Pasir Ris and regularly take GrabHitch, look at your Grab app if you've been matched to a driver named "Star" and keep your eyes peeled for a white Mitsubishi Colt Cabriolet…. with a chihuahua inside.

Now the curious thing is regarding the driver in question, apparently he was suspended from GrabCar. With that in mind why was he accepted as a GrabHitch driver?

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Carousell has done it again.

This morning, they announced their acquisition of Duriana, a Malaysian-based mobile classifieds startup.

This is their third acquisition in less than six months, the last being of Singaporean car classifieds platform Caarly.

Said Quek Siu Rui, Co-founder and CEO of Carousell, "We saw that Duriana users had similar demographics and interests in buying and selling fashion items, gadgets & electronics as well as home furnishing. By bringing Duriana users onto the Carousell platform, we're helping more people buy and sell their preloved items quickly and easily."

"This acquisition accelerates our international growth, and strengthens our position as the largest mobile classifieds marketplace in Malaysia with over 5 million listings."

Not another mere acquisition under their already impressive belt, the acquisition has boosted their position in the Malaysian market, and they are now the top mobile classifieds player there.

Duriana's current presence in the Philippines will also prove to be yet another plus to the Singapore startup, which was launched there in October 2016.

Carousell had enjoyed strong growth in the country since then, and has reported an over 80 per cent QoQ growth in transactions from Q3 2016.

"[The acquisition] builds on our strong growth in Philippines, our fastest market to reach over 1⁄2 million listings, and positions Carousell as the leader in the Philippines mobile classifieds industry just four months after our official launch in the market," shared Quek.

Duriana users will automatically join the Carousell family, and they can continue their journey of buying and selling - now with a larger global community.

Said Saeed Gouda, Co-founder and CEO of Duriana, "It's been an exciting three years with Duriana, and we're proud to have brought the company to this stage. After this exit, we're looking forward to pursuing a new adventure. Carousell is shaking up the mobile classifieds space, and we're confident that Duriana users will enjoy buying, selling and connecting as part of the vibrant Carousell community."

As of Q4 2016, the 4-year-old startup has over 57 million listings and over 23 million items sold; and this will only look to grow exponentially with its slew of acquisitions.

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We've all cancelled a taxi/GrabCar/UberX booking at least once in our lives.

It's inevitable, given the unpredictability of life in the few minutes you spend waiting for your ride. Perhaps another viable option arrives before your driver does, or perhaps you have a last minute change in plans or destination.

But if you have made a cancellation in the last few days, you'll realise that there is something new. Grab sends an email to your registered email address with a counter on cancellations you've made. It looks something like this.

On January 5, Grab Singapore's blog released a announcement about a new cancellation fee for those who cancel bookings too often. According to the official release, the latest feature is part of their "ongoing effort to make driving and riding with [Grab] a better experience".

Rest assured that the fee does not come with every cancellation, but will kick in if there are more than 10 within a week. After which, $2 will be charged to the passenger's GrabPay account. As for Non-GrabPay passengers, they will need to enable GrabPay, otherwise they will not be able to make any further bookings.

Grab promises to give sufficient notice in the form of warning notifications before this fees are deducted.

And it's not just passengers, Grab will also be measuring driver performance based on their cancellation rates, among others. Low ride cancellation rates will translate to incentives and perks for Grab drivers.

Underlying motivations

The range of private car options available for Singaporeans, ranging from taxi apps to Uber and Grab certainly gives users a lot of flexibility in terms of making (and cancelling) bookings afterwards.

But what many of us do not fully realise is that each time we cancel a booking (as drivers and passengers), it creates inconvenience for the other party. This comes in the form of loss of earnings for drivers already en-route, and a loss of trust for passengers waiting for their ride to arrive.

As noted by Grab, the cancellation threshold will be adjusted accordingly over time, with the main goal of encouraging people to make a booking and stick with it to create a "fairer platform for drivers and passengers".

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GrabTaxi CEO wants to build Southeast Asia's greatest tech firm

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Their FAQ section clarifies any concerns that passengers may have.

1. Why do I have to add GrabPay as a payment option for cancellations?

It helps make the cancellation fee payment more seamless. Using GrabPay, passengers will also get an e-receipt with the fee reflected, ensuring transparency.

2. Are you profiting from the cancellation fees?

Absolutely not, this is not a profit-driven initiative. This is to create a fair marketplace for our drivers and passengers. It also lets us accurately predict demand for drivers so we can allocate rides more efficiently.

3. Will I be charged a cancellation fee if the wait time for the driver is too long?

We understand there are valid reasons for cancellation - plans (and the weather!) can change rapidly in Singapore. This is why our fee will not apply to every single cancellation, but only after the cancellation threshold has been exceeded.

We can all agree that when we are panicking about not getting a car, the idea that other app users are out there cancelling the ones they do get leaves us with a bad taste on our tongues.

So let's all try to be better passengers and respect the bookings we make.

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Interviews are intimidating.

I know, I've been through a fair share of them myself, albeit having joined the workforce just close to 3 years ago.

Regardless of industry and work culture, interviews are often a nerve-wrecking process, many times leaving you with devastating regrets of not saying more, or not making the best impression.

To make things worse, interviewers tend to throw candidates curveball questions, but these are usually more with the intention of seeing how he or she thinks on their feet, and less about them getting the 'right' answer.

But unless we've been on the other side of the table ourselves, it's hard to pinpoint what actually stands out during an interview.

Personally, I've learnt more about how to (potentially) ace an interview in a single session as an interviewer, as compared to the handful of experiences I've had stumbling over my words as a candidate!

But of course, my experience is nothing compared to those with a good number of years conducting interviews, so I decided to reach out to a few employers, and find out more about how you could ace your next interview.

Anna Chang, 45, VP - GM, Retail

What are your general impressions of all the candidates you've interviewed so far?

Most Singaporean candidates don't express and present themselves that well…those with overseas exposure tend to be more impressive when it come to communication skills and 'selling' themselves.

In general, local candidates are very passive, failing to see that an interview is an opportunity for both sides to find out more about each other.

For the employer, if the candidate is suitable and whether there is team fit, and for the candidate, to find out if the company culture and job are right for him or her.

But many candidates approach it as a one-way process, thinking that it's mostly for the employers to ask questions.

Oh, and many turn up unprepared!

If you are not interested enough in the company or the job, why should I give you a chance?

And first and second jobbers tend to be stumped when you ask them open ended questions like, "Tell me about yourself" or "What is the one thing you'll change if you're boss" - it's not that hard you know, this interview thing.

What's one of the most memorable interviews to you?

Memorable interviews? Nothing comes to mind leh…

What makes a candidate stand out to you in a positive way?

Interview: When the candidate is comfortable in his or her own skin, and when candidate slips in that she has done research, and knows to ask questions that are related and specific to the company and role she's applying at.

Resume: Give me something that doesn't look like it came from the same cookie cutter! For a first jobber there isn't much work experience to look at, so can you imagine how dry and boring some resumes can be?! Like honestly, how important is it really for me to know how many As, or how well you read haha!

So candidates have to think more from the interviewer's POV rather than own.

If they were hiring, what would THEY want to see?

So for first jobbers, giving info that can help their chances of being noticed or hired can be useful.

Tell me what you do in your free time, what keeps the fire in your belly going…tell me how you want to impact the world, whatever.

Or even whether you've mentored juniors, or volunteered at some event.

Or even picking up a new skill or language outside of school!

A pet peeve is when the candidate asks about nothing else but pay, AL and staff discounts at first interview!

But not knowing much about the company or role supersedes that though.

Disinterest in the company and role is the quickest way to turn me off in an interview.

Any tips for job seekers on how to ace their interviews and spruce up their resumes?

Basically the usual stuff like be yourself - don't be so nervous that your personality doesn't show up, and demonstrating that you've done your homework and know something about the company you're applying a job with.

At the end of the day, every employer only needs to find out these:

1. Do you have the skills and experience for the job?; 2. If not, would you have the aptitude?; 3. Is there a good fit, company and team wise?; 4. Your attitude

So no matter how employers phrase the questions, candidates only need to prepare for these and just answer…Or 'manipulate' the session a little and make sure these points are addressed.

And remember this - employers see many candidates, make sure you stand out!

If you're bland and boring, then very forgettable lor.

So be energetic, be interested and be yourself!

Azman, 55, Deputy CIO, IT

What are your general impressions of all the candidates you've interviewed so far?

Gap in experience between what they want to do, and what they have actually done.

Pretty high energy and positive attitude in general, but the expectation of remunerations is too high.

What's one of the most memorable interviews to you?

Jialat: Someone picked up the phone and talking on the phone in front of a panel interview.

Good: When candidates are relaxed, and it feels more like a conversation than an interview.

What makes a candidate stand out to you in a positive way?

Achievements. Other than describing what he has done, more valuable is what he/she has achieved - how they have brought value to a project.

Any tips for job seekers on how to ace their interviews and spruce up their resumes?

Go to the interview with a feeling that this is the only job you are going for, and you are the best candidate for the job - do your homework (about the company and the job), familiarise yourself about the industry.

Jacky, 28, Director, Media and Communications

What are your general impressions of all the candidates you've interviewed so far?

Strong candidates are hard to come by.

Most people don't know what they want and are just trying their luck.

So it will be quite easy to see and sense when a strong candidate comes by, and usually those are the ones that we want to work with.

What's one of the most memorable interviews to you?

Nothing out of the blue so far.

All have been very safe, and it's understandably so.

What makes a candidate stand out to you in a positive way?

Interview: How you speak and how you answer the question.

If there's something new that I can learn from a candidate, that would be an instantaneous plus point.

Resume: After looking through at resumes over the past 3 years, the only thing that matters is a neatly-presented and concise resume with the relevant experience.

And of course, a decent photograph.

Any tips for job seekers on how to ace their interviews and spruce up their resumes?

Interviews: Please find out more about why you are applying for the job, and be honest about it.

Resume: Please get a decent photograph with you smiling.

Please quantify what you did for your previous job.

That will help a lot.

John, 58, VP - IT, Project Support Management

What are your general impressions of all the candidates you've interviewed so far?

In general, most candidates have either the experience or work-related knowledge of the position applied for.

Most candidates will tell you they can perform this and that, but the real test is when they're in the first year after the probationary period.

Choosing a candidate would require some intuition on the part of the interviewer.

High EQ also plays an important part in making a good impression.

What's one of the most memorable interviews to you?

The most memorable interview to me was when a candidate had very high expectations of starting salary (as much as $3K above what the position offered).

Reason being was that this candidate was retrenched, but was 'overpaid' by his previous employer.

The history behind this was that his previous employer 'procured' experienced staff from my company and paid them a salary beyond market price.

However, after less than a year in operations, said company began 'releasing employees' due to bad management decisions to overstaff their various departments.

Hence, these 'retrenched' staff have very high expectations that other companies would pay them the similar pay for the same job.

What makes a candidate stand out to you in a positive way?

Qualities that make a candidate stand out among the rest are: 1) honesty to put forth his/her knowledge without exaggerating his/her potential

 2) ability to grasp what is expected;

3) a good record in the resume with few movements between companies as it reflects that the candidate is willing to go through each phase in his career without giving up easily.

Any tips for job seekers on how to ace their interviews and spruce up their resumes?

There are many companies in the market that specialise in writing excellent resumes, but the bottom line is whether or not the candidate has the correct qualifications, relevant experience, and most importantly, whether or not he/she is open to engage with the interviewers in an intelligent and sincere manner.

Be truthful and confident about yourself, but not overconfident because the tone and volume of your voice can betray you if you face a very experienced interviewer.

Viviane, 31, Marketing and Communications Manager, Consumer Services

What are your general impressions of all the candidates you've interviewed so far?

Some context first - I interview candidates mostly in the range of 19yrs old to 30yrs old (interns to senior executive roles).

I feel that it might have to do with Singapore's education system or the way we are brought up as Asians, but majority struck me as hardworking individuals, yet passive receivers of information, who lack curiosity and the hunger to find out more about what goes on around us.

To me, it isn't an excuse because there's Google and people to ask.

What's one of the most memorable interviews to you?

I've a candidate who brought her boyfriend along for an interview.

I wasn't sure who was going to sit for the interview when both of them entered the room.

What makes a candidate stand out to you in a positive way?

I think the people I have met so far who really made an impression on me were those who had a story of their own to share, which reflects development and a better understanding of themselves.

In the consumer services industry (particularly hospitality and sports), I feel that candidates often need to be empathetic and have the ability to understand different perspectives as they put themselves in customers' shoes and envision the consumer journey that they will personally embark on.

In the sports industry, we look at self-discipline and mental stamina that sports people are often associate with, because the factors that drive you to sports excellence and to improve in your fitness/sports are the same factors that will help you succeed at work.

Any tips for job seekers on how to ace their interviews and spruce up their resumes?

Resumes can show skills.

My most basic advice is never to have a generic resume that you fire out to all recruiters and companies.

Tailor each resume to the company you are applying to, so that you speak the same language and express the same belief as the organisation's vision.

The way candidates structure and write their resumes often results in whether or not their resumes resonate with the hiring manager.

Once a connection has been established (whether through your cover letter, your personality that shines through your experience), you gain an edge from the rest of the generic resumes out there.

Stand Out…But In The Right Way

While the ones I've gotten in touch with doesn't even come close to representing a significant number of employers in Singapore - there are a few common points that stand out.

Be sincere, be realistic, and always understand the role and company you're applying for.

What are some other tips that you adhere to in your own interviews? Let us know!

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A series of Chinese New Year-themed Mercedes advertisements have been receiving flames for poor production that even first-year film students wouldn't touch with a 10 metre pole.

Netizens will not be silenced on this issue, but if you really think about it-that is probably exactly what Mercedes wants.

Growing up in a media-saturated age like today has soured our palates to advertising.

This is the generation that invented the ad-block, after all.

We have grown to resent being coaxed into doing something by the detached suits high up in their ivory towers, only speaking to us through the professionally-crafted minute-long slots they call advertisements.

And so we celebrate their failures.

The suits could not pay us to care about what they have to say, but by god we would happily tell anyone who would listen if what they had to say was said stupidly.

I believe that Mercedes knows this, and their marketing team is full of thumb-twiddling geniuses.

Mercedes' implantation

Many are appalled that Mercedes would ever think to associate their brand with a sub-par production that was their Chinese New Year short.

After all Mercedes stands for class, elegance, poise and a bountiful checking account.

The script and editing look like they were done by a bored 15-year-old looking to make a quick buck, and the acting could give even Tommy Wiseau of The Room fame a run for his money.

How could a video like this be published under the auspices of Mercedes?

Some netizens have even taken pity on the poor Mercedes cars that have to be associated with such an embarrassing video.

Others are even sympathising towards the international Mercedes brand for this blight on their history.

Can such a large and established organisation not afford to create advertisements that are at least above typical YouTuber quality?

You can judge for yourself here.

At the time of writing, the video has 177K views, and 1.2K shares.

Oh look. Everyone is watching their advertisement for their car, and all eyes are on Mercedes.

By sheer numbers alone, that is an effective advertising play.

Getting traction by going negative

Yes, I am postulating that Mercedes developed the shoddy videos on purpose to incite netizen ire and generate attention towards their brand.

And it's all about branding.

Mercedes' possible raison d'etre for this marketing decision lies something along the lines of why Milo will never stop advertising.

Everyone at this point in time in Malaysia already knows what Milo is.

But they will keep on churning out those commercials, because they are competing for prime real estate in their consumers' brain space.

A person's attention is now more scattered than ever, with way too many brands competing for the crucial attention.

Now with Mercedes' ad reaching many eyes and drawing their attention, negative as it is, the next time that people think of premium cars the Mercedes-Benz name is surely going to linger in their minds.

And that there is the end goal.

According to Mark Raine, vice president, sales and marketing passenger cars, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, the social media clips "compliments the overall campaign taking on a different angle with a humorous and light-hearted twist".

He added, especially on social media, the platform lends itself to communicating with a wider audience while using material "with a more real-life touch and feel" as opposed to filming a full-fledged TVC.

"In general, we intend to create awareness for our brand, products and services taking different and fresh approaches," he said.

Analysing the timing behind the next ad

If the shoddy first ad was a mistake, then Mercedes would have backed down and kept their head low after the fallout.

No successful business runner should be blind to the chatter surrounding its brand.

And yet despite knowing about the Malaysians' backlash they launch another short video, this time arguably even more cringe-inducing than the other.

If this was just a normal ad there is no reason for them to create two different shorts that are only launched one week apart.

What reason would they have to produce and run two simultaneous shorts practically back-to-back?

Taking the one-week upload gap between the two videos in mind it seems that Mercedes waited just long enough for the first video to pick up steam and incur the wrath of social media, then immediately pushed out the second video.

This further capitalises on the internet fire.

A similar social media hailstorm once occurred in 2015, following an advertisement from Ambi Pur making rounds on social media.

It was a poorly done Photoshop attempt from a stock photo of a white family in a car, and the driver is even on the wrong side of the road for Malaysia.

Seeing the backlash that followed, P&G made the move to take the offending advertisement down, giving the following statement:

"We are aware of the discussion about our Ambi Pur Ad posted on our Ambi Pur Facebook Fanpage.

We do welcome all feedback for our future marketing activities.

Nevertheless, we mistakenly posted the photo as seen on the page and then withdrew the ads after we have found out that it was posted.

We will ensure that the posts and photos will not be mistakenly posted on our page in the future."

This is the usual reaction from a large corporation if an advertisement they made offended their audience's sensibilities.

Meanwhile, Mercedes goes ahead and launches another arguably more cringeworthy ad.

In the end despite any Malaysian outrage at Mercedes, when the dust finally settles on all of this it doesn't really change whether or not you want a Mercedes.

The car keeps its place as a valuable status symbol, because the longtime branding backing up the vehicle has implanted the idea into our minds that a Mercedes car is more than just transportation.

It's a status statement.

By the end of all of this Mercedes might come out of it none the worse for wear, but with a bigger stake on the public perception for any of their future product offerings.

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As the Bapa Pembangunan of Malaysia, Mahathir is often viewed as a living patriarch for our nation. So watching this video of Tun doing the Mannequin Challenge feels akin to the feeling when parents started to come on Facebook.

It was no coincidence that services like Instagram and Twitter started to become more popular afterwards.

Unlike the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge back in 2014 however, this Mannequin Challenge proves to have some staying power. Occurrences have grown scarce over 2017, but every now and again you will see a Mannequin Challenge video being posted by either a business or even a group of friends. It's not as vibrant as it once was, but the Mannequin Challenge scene is far from dead.

This was the scene that this new MannequinChallenge video enters, which begins with a slow pan of people in what seems to be MVQ Music's studio.

As per usual with these Mannequin Challenges a continuous shot moves throughout the space that ends in a recording studio, with an adorable shot of two people sharing headphones. By the end it is clear that Tun Mahathir is the grand finale to this entire endeavour standing along with his wife Siti Hasmah. The #noteworthy moment is Mahathir's cheeky wink that brings an end to the whole video.

Tun M joins other notable political figures that have completed the Mannequin Challenge like Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama.

Netizens Are Caught By Surprise

Of all the things that will go viral today, nobody would have expected to associate Tun M with the Mannequin Challenge, especially now that Tun Mahathir is 91 and Siti Hasmah is 90, respectively.

Politically-charged comments aside, netizens have mixed reactions to Tun Mahathir's participation in the challenge. Most people seem to have enjoyed his cheeky wink at the end, as proven by the many comments in the video pointing it out.

But other than that, netizen reactions are mixed. There are even some who are calling out to Prime Minister Najib Razak to respond.

Suzanne Translation: No matter what anyone says, Tun M doesn't lose anything.

Abdul Razak Translation: Cool. Other Mannequin Challenge kids usually either play with their phones or pretend to take selfies. Only a true boss makes it look realistic.

Herman Translation: In time, you will see Najib Razak doing this as well. Just you wait. #respectmyPM

Adea Translation: That last wink is so win… lolz!

Encik Ganyang Translation: Even at 91 years old, he's still so sporting!

Maman Translation: 91 Years Old? Mannequin? New Party? Why don't you sit in a surau, learn religion and remember that death is coming. That is what Tun M should do.

This Is All Great. Now Let's Move On.

Now that even Tun M has taken up the Mannequin Challenge, it feels like the Mannequin Challenge should finally be making its final rounds across the Malaysian internet sphere. Tun Mahathir was the least expected figure to partake in a trend like this, and hopefully this means that we've reached the end of the spectrum for all the possible people who could be challenging the Mannequin Challenge.

That's it. It's overplayed. Let's just move on to bigger and better things now. Maybe we're all just holding out until the next big challenge to come along.

I'm not sure what that challenge would be, but I have my suggestion:

Get Tun Mahathir or Najib to do #SaltBae, and then we'll talk.

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Android, if you didn't know, isn't something Google owned from the start.

Originally a startup founded by Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Chris White, and Nick Sears, they were on a mission to develop a truly open source mobile phone software to disrupt the monopoly by carriers.

You've probably read on the internet that co-founder and ex-Google Vice President Andy Rubin is making a comeback two years after leaving the tech giant that bought his startup.

His new startup is called Essential, and he is now tackling the hardware side of things in a bid to challenge the status quo with the power of artificial intelligence.

But before we dive into his latest venture, here are some things you should know about Android's co-founder.

He Once Worked At Apple

Isn't it an irony that the creator of Android was once an Apple employee?

Not in Andy Rubin's case.

A tech veteran of over 30 years, he has worked at Carl Zeiss dealing with consumer optics and robotics, an unnamed robotics company in Switzerland, Apple, General Magic (an Apple company), and Microsoft until 1999, before starting his first company Danger Inc. prior to Android.

At Apple, he was a manufacturing engineer, and later as an engineer in a spinoff company called General Magic where they were exploring "hand-held computing and communication devices". His first true taste of mobile phones, though, came via his first startup Danger Inc. with their Danger Hiptop, perhaps the very first ancestor of Android.

It also marks the beginnings of the partnership with Chris White(ex-interface designer for WebTV) and Nick Sears (a former T-Mobile executive), and the three of them managed to convince T-Mobile to sell their device - popularly known as the Sidekick.

He Was Constantly Trying To Keep Android Afloat

Android wasn't always the dominant force that we know today. Back in its early beginnings in 2003, it was a startup nearly depleted of funds to further their research and development, and was constantly trying to convince Venture Capitalists with their product.

Their premise was simple, to offer phone manufacturers free software, of which the carriers will in turn buy the devices from manufacturers. This open-source software can be modified according to the individual manufacturers and carriers to suit their needs and tastes (sounds familiar?).

How Android made money was to then sell "value-added services" to the carriers to add on to the software. This unfortunately was an era where US carriers were unwavering in their stance to let Android in.

He Found Salvation With Google

Hearing about the great work Andy Rubin had done with the Sidekick, Google co-founder Larry Page instructed his team to get in touch with them. Android was often branded as a crazy idea back then, but found itself an equally crazy supporter in Larry Page.

Impressed with the software, as well as the Sidekick, Larry offered a lifeline to Android and said that Google was willing to "help". In a short span of 6 months that involved countless meetings, product demonstrations, disagreements and decision making among Android's founders, they finally moved into Google on 11 July 2005 in a deal worth at least US$50 million (S$71.5 million).

In its early days, Android was still pretty much a startup within the larger Google ecosystem, preferring to stay separated. When explaining what they do to other Google employees, the team at Android would often be met with sarcasm. Google at the time were building apps for other operating systems (think Nokia and Blackberry), while Android on the other hand wanted Google to have their own operating systems with their own apps.

Thankfully, it stayed that way as Android quietly manifested in both software and hardware.

Steve Jobs Disliked Andy Rubin

However, Android's path to launching their own phone and operating system was held back by one thing, the launch of the very first iPhone 10 years ago.

Compared to the iPhone, the G1 by Android and HTC had an interface that looked like something out of the 1990s, but it was the only proof-of-concept that Google had with the very first iteration of the Android operating system.

So they went back to the drawing board, re-worked the Android OS, and released the G1 to the mass market at the end of the year that the iPhone came out, much to the ire of Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs called Google's first attempt as a "f-ing rip-off" in the book "Dogfight: How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution" by Fred Vogelstein.

The fact that Google's then CEO Eric Schmidt was also on the Board of Directors at Apple didn't help either. Andy Rubin was labelled as "anti-innovation" as he was summoned to a meeting with Steve Jobs along with Larry Page and key members of the iPhone and Android teams.

Google then compromised, and tweaked the Android OS enough for Apple's approval.

Andy Rubin Left Google

Android still somehow managed to survive, and in the post G1 era, their first major success came when Motorola started building their own Android-powered devices. The very first Motorola Droid made sure to leave an imprint on the world that Android has arrived.

Thanks to Verizon and their marketing dollars, Droid after Droid iterations came from Motorola, with them increasing the popularity of the Android ecosystem. Down went Blackberry and Nokia, and soon, manufacturers all over the world were adopting Android to run their phones.

Andy Rubin would later be succeeded by Sundar Pichai as head of Android in 2013, after which he went into Google's robotics division before finally leaving the company altogether a year later in 2014.

Post-Google, he founded a tech incubator in Playground Global based in Palo Alto with a focus on hardware-based startups, especially those in artificial intelligence. With a US$300 million (S$429 million) fund backed by the likes of Google, HP, Foxconn, Seagate and Tencent and others, his company provided both funding and mentorship to the startups that they take in.

Hardware and artificial intelligence, two things which he has helped to nurture since he left Google will now be his latest venture.

Making An "Essential" Comeback

Andy Rubin is going back to his startup roots for the next phase of his career, and he already has all the patents and trademarks ready for its eventual unveiling.

His new startup is called Essential, and unlike Android where it was all about software, this new company will instead be doing hardware with an AI twist.

With a team of 40 assembled by bringing together some former Apple and Google employees, Essential will be developing a full range of mobile devices as well as smart home products which will work seamlessly with each other.

Many are expecting these devices to be based off the Android OS which he started, and the first of the bunch will be a smartphone, one that is aimed to challenge the might of Apple and Google's offerings.

According to Bloomberg, Essential is setting its sights on Apple in particular, and their new phone will be a direct competitor with the iPhone's Plus range. Think something like the Mi MIX, but with both Apple and Google's aesthetics.

This news came as no surprise, as rumours of Andy Rubin developing his own smartphone already came as early as 2015.

Here's sincerely hoping that the man who helped to create Android can make it big for this one, unlike a certain former Apple CEO whose own phone startup didn't even make a dent in the world, despite targeting the low end.

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Last week, we shared how bread mogul George Quek and BreadTalk strive to go against the grain to stay relevant in today's competitive society. But bread, while a staple part of many a Singaporean's diet, is not a sustainable and lucrative business by itself , especially in the face of hipster cafes and long-established competing brands emerging all around the island.

So despite the copious amount of eggs that go into Flosss buns, which is probably the greatest thing since sliced bread, it should have come as no surprise that BreadTalk does not have all its eggs in one basket.

How Does BreadTalk Knead Out Their Dough?

1. Their Brands Butter Up (Or Down) Rents

To start off the first point, I bring into point that case of Malaysia-based low cost carrier AirAsia, whose money-making strategies have long been a spotlight topic.

One of the main ways AirAsia keeps their costs low is because they have massive buying power with Airbus, being essentially their largest customer, which, in turn, translates to a powerful leverage in price negotiation.

Similarly, The BreadTalk Group manages a series of F&B brands ranging from Din Tai Fung and Toast Box, all of which are influential in their own right.

By leveraging on these brands, BreadTalk is able to haggle down rent prices, while still maintaining standardised costs for their food.

To prove this to you, a quick search of BreadTalk, Toast Box, Food Republic and Din Tai Fung outlets bring up an overlap of locations, with BreadTalk sharing locations with the 3 other brands in more than 10 locations each.

2. They Have Their Fingers In More Than One Pie

Imagines Properties Pte. Ltd. was incorporated as a holding company in 2009, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BreadTalk Group Limited. Every Singaporean knows that property is one of the best investments there is, especially considering our limited land space. And so far, Imagine Properties has been highly successful at bringing in the dough.

January 2016 saw Keppel Land spend $51.4million to buy stake in 112 Katong from Imagine Properties, among others. Within the same month, Imagine Properties also entered a sale with DC REIT Holdings Pte. Ltd. for bonds of the same property, 112 Katong, coming out with a gain of S$8.5 million.

BreadTalk's dabbling in property doesn't just stop there in terms of benefits, the company also leverages on its property assets to showcase their brands in prominent locations.

And when you own the mall, that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Or in the case of BreadTalk, their 2017 Wah! Piang CNY biscuits.

3. Quek Did Not Loaf Around Overseas

Some companies might shy away in the face of a widespread expansion strategy, especially if their product is something already found ubiquitously in the target country. For BreadTalk, their ambitious expansions with founder Quek at the helm have actually paid off extremely well.

With his 20 years of experience in working overseas, Quek is well-endowed with the skills and acumen essential to build brands overseas, and he rose to the occasion splendidly. Given his experience doing business with China, Quek was even ballsy enough to enter the market without first securing a partner.

Although Ramen Play Singapore has suffered from debilitating closures of multiple stalls, the company's overall losses were compensated for by higher profit margins in Hong Kong and lower losses in Thailand.

4. They Find Ways To Stay Fresh

Aside from creating new flavours for local celebrations and such, BreadTalk has always held to their commitment to innovation. The first way involves the evolution of their store concepts, which has seen a consistent development from Generation 1, as boutique bakeries, to the current Generation 4's rustic style.

On its talent forefront, the BreadTalk Group also seeks to stays relevant by encouraging young management associates to work towards innovating new ideas and projects to grow the brand's vibrancy.

In keeping with the convenience technology brings, brands under the Group have also incorporated digital payment methods such as Apple, Android, and Samsung Pay.

As an additional testament to how BreadTalk's innovation helps them to reduce costs, BreadTalk succeeded in piloting frozen dough in its recipes.

With the central kitchen in their International Headquarters baking out more than 85,000 pieces of dough per day using machines, it greatly enables the company to reduce labour and rental costs. This translates to better productivity, with instead of 5 people making 100 frozen dough portions, 2 people now produce 300.

Bread May Be The Staff Of Life

However, that does not mean that that businesses can go at it with half-baked strategies.

BreadTalk has not become one of the most beloved local brands of Singaporeans and investors simply by churning out golden loaves of fluffy goodness. It was only with a carefully curated portfolio of assets and expansion tactics that BreadTalk was able to sow its oats across multiple locations.

But similarly, their success also shows that when the company knows what its doing, it is possible to have their cake and eat it too.

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I had lunch with 3 strangers last Friday at The Salad Stop, just 3 minutes away from where I work.

One of the ladies was local, the gentleman was from Frankfurt and his female colleague was from Austria.

4 hours before we met, I had no idea who these people were. By the end of an hour-long lunch however, we had traded numbers, learnt what each of us did for a living, as well as shared a delightful meal together.

And I met them all through the HeyMeet app.

What Say We HeyMeet?

HeyMeet is a new app platform that connects people in the CBD through spontaneous lunch and brunch activities. It is currently available on both iPhone and Android phones.

Anyone with experience using social networking apps in Singapore would likely find this situation familiar.

You connect with someone new and start chatting, and along the way make plans to meet up. But for reasons one or another, they always get cancelled in the end. A week later, maybe a month, you no longer have the motivation to meet them IRL.

Leveraging on the intrigue of spontaneity, HeyMeet wants to change all that. When an event is set up, there is a deadline of 6 hours to make it happen.

Each user has two profiles - casual and business. The casual profile is linked to your Facebook profile, and the latter to your LinkedIn profile.

Selecting from a range of F&B locations near them, apps users can either create a social event (lunch, brunch or drinks) or a business event meant for networking with others in an industry of interest.

After creating an event, you can flip through a list of people available on the app to send them event invites. You can also play with other filters such as age and gender to narrow down the search.

After that, it's all about waiting to see who joins your event - there is a maximum of 4 people per event - and then having a good time together.

HeyMeet For F&B Merchants

The app also works together with F&B businesses to organise events for app users. Companies will be able to create small events featuring special deals, to larger groups of up to 10 people.

This creates a win-win situation for both the F&B merchant - encouraging hungry crowds to look their way, while benefitting app users with a range of food promotions.

Motivating Face-to-Face Meetings

Mobile apps that connect people are hardly a new concept, but HeyMeet differentiates itself from the competition by banking on the idea of spontaneity.

The app seeks to address the woes of networking applications becoming an escape solution for chatting. As such, it brands itself as an enabler to facilitate meaningful face-t0-face conversations between people sans the barrier of technology.

According to founder Erik Lorenz, in a society that defines itself with intensive technology usage, many realise that face-to-face interaction are what forms actual human connections.

"The key lies in striking a balance in using technology as an enabler to drive this cause. HeyMeet was thus created as a catalyst to move virtual interactions back to face-to-face ones".

Lorenz reflects that food, coffee and drinks have always have always been "the common denominators that bring people together on many occasions", and therefore, all HeyMeet events will take place at F&B establishments.

Coupling that with the time-sensitive nature of the events, Lorenz and his team want to create an impetus for the CBD crowd to to break out from their usual routines and make new friends.

The Right App At The Right Time

The fact that there are plenty of networking apps available makes it a competitive market for new apps.

With that being said, perhaps the HeyMeet app has come just at the right time. It would not be farfetched to say that all of us have at one point or another, claimed that we would make a new friend.

Apps like Tinder, although used primarily for dating, have also become a place for networking and socialising. However, the eventual lack of motivation to meet up has no doubt killed the good intentions of many.

And HeyMeet might just be the answer to that.

Download the app on the Apple and Google Play store.

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This week, key business leaders and political figures are converging in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting, and of course, Jack Ma was present.

Other guests include outgoing US Vice President Joe Biden, US Senator John Kerry, China's President Xi Jinping, as well as celebrities such as Matt Damon and Shakira.

Alibaba (and Jack Ma) graced Davos

Before Jack Ma took the stage in a much anticipated session, Alibaba was first represented by the group's CEO Daniel Zhang.

In a panel discussion with business leaders at the World Economic Forum annual meeting, the Alibaba Group CEO talked about how technology has changed the experiences for shoppers both online and offline.

Stressing that both should co-exist and not be seen as separate, he gives examples of consumers going to a mall.

These people still go to the stores for the experience, but at the same time, are still online (on their mobile phones).

So it is up to retailers to use new technologies to integrate the online experience every time shoppers visit brick-and-mortar stores.

In the current data driven world, often billed as the Fourth Industrial Revolution where the Internet of Things are prominent, the biggest risks to companies now are disruption, disruptive technology and disruptive business models.

"If we don't want to be killed by new technology, then we should kill ourselves using new technology." - Alibaba Group CEO Daniel Zhang

That meeting with Donald Trump

Later on the same day, it was Alibaba's founder turn to speak with an audience and the very first thing they talked about was his recent meeting with president elect Donald Trump.

Much like everyone outside of the US, Jack Ma only knew of Trump through the news and media and when he was given an opportunity to meet Mr Trump, was admittedly hesitant at first, saying he was not ready.

A few requests later though, he was on his way to that very meeting. They talked about agriculture, bilateral trade between China and the US, and small businesses.

Small businesses, in particular those in the US, and how they can leverage on the Alibaba Group to sell their goods to China and create jobs along the way.

The end goal is to create 1 million jobs in the US in 5 years. The bulk of jobs created will come from the small businesses and logistics companies who are willing to come on board with Alibaba.

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Donald Trump and Jack Ma meet in New York

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Reuters

AFP

The US had a great idea, but regressed by waging wars

Jack Ma commended the US' pivot - going from an industrial and manufacturing heavy economy to one that outsources the former to developing countries, and instead are concentrating on tech and finances in Silicon Valley and Wall Street.

While this had done wonders to the US economy, the fact is that the country participated in multiple wars and conflicts in the past 30 years amounting to US$14.2 trillion in "wasted wealth".

Read also: Jack Ma says US wasted trillions on warfare instead of investing in infrastructure

"You're supposed to spend money on your own people" - Jack Ma

This amount of money, or at least a portion of it, could have instead been siphoned to help develop industries and building infrastructure back home, giving more jobs to blue and white collar workers.

On globalisation

Jack Ma is all for globalisation, and commended the USA for being the global model for it, albeit still needing improvement.

One way is to practice "inclusive globalisation".

Historically, globalisation has been controlled by those in power - big multinational companies.

Jack Ma's vision is to go beyond that, and to instead support 6 million businesses, and 20 million small businesses.

Moving on to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Alibaba founder felt that it was only designed for developed countries and big companies, leaving no opportunities for small businesses to participate in cross border trade.

One way that Jack Ma wants to circumvent this is to create an Electronic World Trade Platform (EWTP) to support young entrepreneurs and small businesses to sell abroad.

The WTO's second problem is that because it's politics-ridden, agreements are hardly made, so since the EWTP will be a congregation of businesses, trade agreements can be made without external pressures before being presented to the governments.

Amazon vs Alibaba

Moving on to comparisons with America's own Amazon, Alibaba in retrospect is the direct opposite of the US' number one e-commerce platform.

Amazon has a very asset heavy business model and is on a mission to own entire supply chains from beginning to end - owning warehouses, planes, logistics companies.

Jack Ma, though, took a step back to clear the differences, first saying that Amazon is more like an empire, where they are in control of everything, while Alibaba is more like an ecosystem, empowering partners and small businesses through technology to compete with all the biggest companies in the world, including Amazon.

Read also: Jack Ma explains the difference between Alibaba and Amazon: 'Amazon is more like an empire'

However, he goes on to say that having both business models are still essential, because it would be boring if everyone ran their businesses the same way.

Still, regardless of the way you run your business, Jack Ma stresses that you should be open to accept criticism, and accept what's right or wrong.

Alibaba's success with piracy

Any session with Jack Ma will definitely see the mention of piracy within Alibaba being brought up at some point.

Saying that Alibaba is more an internet company than an e-commerce platform, they are constantly crunching big data to isolate those selling pirated goods, narrowing them down to not just listings, but even to where the goods are delivered from, and their place of manufacture.

However, just because they have all the data doesn't mean that they can do anything other than shut down listings and close accounts (370 million of them).

For everything else, they also work with the Chinese authorities, and have sent over 400 people to jail in 2016.

Coincidentally, a day before Jack Ma graced the studios at the World Economic Forum, Alibaba announced the formation of their Big Data Anti-Counterfeiting Alliance with partners that include Louis Vuitton, Samsung, and Mars.

His favourite movie and Hollywood ambitions

It's no secret that Jack Ma's favourite movie is Forrest Gump, and he often uses quotes from the film in his interviews.

He did it again at the World Economic Forum, with the most telling being: "nobody makes money by catching whales, people make money by catching shrimps" to further emphasise his company's direction in supporting small businesses.

His intentions to go into entertainment and Hollywood is to create happiness that transcends demographics.

Read also: Jack Ma and Steven Spielberg join forces

This is because in every decision being made within Alibaba, they assess if whatever they do is able to impact society, and solve its problems.

The bigger the social problem, the more successful the company is.

Making comparisons between the east and west, he elaborated that Alibaba wants to be the typical Hollywood hero that lives through the film, unlike Chinese films. where heroes die early.

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17 quotes that show how Jack Ma became a billionaire

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30 is the magic number

To round off the interview, Jack Ma mentioned 3 things that governments and businesses should be taking note of - all revolving around the number 30.

First, is to make technology more inclusive to people around the world, and to bring change in the next 30 years.

Industrial revolutions typically take 50 years, and we are already at the 20-year mark of the fourth, having seen the founding of tech giants such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Alibaba.

Thus, the next 30 years will be important in seeing the implications of all this technology, and also finding ways to make it more inclusive.

The ones who will lead this change are those 30 years old, or above.

These are the people who will build the world in its current form, and one way will be to start small businesses which will in turn create more jobs.

Lastly, the spotlight would also shift to the small businesses - the ones with fewer than 30 employees.

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