I had been struggling for a while, and things had been looking bleak. But I had made some tough decisions, and it had all paid off. I was finally able to look at my finances and see that I was in the green. I was making a profit.

It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was finally able to reap the rewards. I was elated, and I wanted to share my success with the world. So, I went out and bragged to everyone I knew about how I had profited from my business.

The truth was that my parents had pumped money to save my business from dying

But the truth was, I hadn’t really profited from my business. Sure, I had made some smart decisions and had worked hard, but the real reason my business had started turning around was because my parents had pumped money into it to save it.

That was how my finances turned green and but people around thought that I had done it all by myself.

They had seen how much I was struggling and had decided to help me out.

I felt terrible. Not only had I lied to everyone about my business making money, but I had also taken advantage of my parents’ generosity.

My parents told me that they knew I had been struggling and that they wanted to help me out. They also said that they were proud of me for turning my business around with the money they pumped in and for being honest about the situation.

However, I still felt guilty. I had taken advantage of my parents’ generosity, and I was ashamed of myself. I knew I would never be able to look at myself in the same way again.

Still, I was determined to turn things around and make my business successful. I promised myself that I would never again take advantage of anyone, and I started working harder than ever to make sure my business stayed in the black.

But it was too late. The damage had already been done. I had lied about my profits, and it would always be a stain on my reputation.

I was embarrassed and ashamed of my actions, and I knew that I would never be able to look at myself in the same way again.

I am an old man living in Singapore, and it saddens me deeply when I look at the young people of my beloved country.

It is not because of their lack of knowledge or intelligence, but because of the language barrier that is growing between generations.

People used to be able to converse in their different dialects

I remember when I was a young boy, my parents and grandparents used to speak to me in the dialect of our home town. I was able to understand and even speak dialects of other home towns a little.

It was nice to be able to communicate with my family in our own language. This way, I was able to learn more about our culture and heritage.

Fast forward to today, and the situation is different. Young people in Singapore now do not really speak their dialects anymore. It is rare to find someone who can carry a conversation in their dialect, let alone understand it.

This is especially true of the younger generation, who are more exposed to English and their Mother Tongue as their primary languages.

It is a shame that such an important part of our culture is slowly being forgotten. Our dialects are an important part of our identity and heritage, and it would be a tragedy if they were to completely disappear.

I understand that language evolves over time, and it is natural for some dialects to become extinct. However, I believe that it is still possible for young people to learn and appreciate their dialects.

I truly believe that it is not too late to save our dialects. With the right effort and dedication, young people in Singapore can still learn and appreciate their dialects.

After all, this is an important part of our heritage and identity, and it would be a shame if it was lost forever.

We got an email from our boss one day. It was a memo to all employees with the context that he was going to start micromanaging us.

He said he was going to be overseeing every aspect of our work and that he was expecting us to do more to make money for him.

Started to nitpick on every single detail

At first, I thought it was strange. My boss had never been one to meddle with our day-to-day operations. He had always trusted us to handle the tasks assigned to us. But now he was saying he wanted to be involved in every little detail.

It wasn’t long before my boss started micromanaging us. He wanted to know every single thing we were doing, from how we answered the phone to how we filed paperwork.

He also started giving us new tasks that weren’t in our job descriptions, like making cold calls to potential clients and researching new markets.

At first, I was okay with it. I figured that if my boss wanted to get more involved in our work, then I should let him. I wanted to prove to him that I was a hard worker and that I could handle the extra tasks.

But soon, I started to feel overwhelmed. My boss was constantly checking in with me and nitpicking my work. He was demanding more and more from me and I was struggling to keep up.

I was also worried that he was going to start cutting hours or even worse, let me go.

Decided to talk to him and left the company after he didn’t change

Finally, I had had enough. I went to my boss and asked him to stop micromanaging me. I told him that I was doing my best and that I didn’t need him to be constantly hovering over me.

But he didn’t listen. He just kept pushing me harder and harder until I felt like I was about to break.

Eventually, I quit my job. I couldn’t take the stress and pressure anymore. I had been doing my best, but my boss had been too demanding and I just couldn’t take it anymore.

I’m still looking for a new job, but I’m not sure if I’ll ever find one. I’m scared that I’ll end up in another situation like this one and I’m not sure if I can handle it again.

My experience with my boss has made me realize just how important it is to have a supportive work environment.

It’s not just about making money, it’s also about feeling valued and appreciated. I hope other employers will realize this and create an environment where their employees can thrive.

It was a tough moment when my mum found out that I was working part-time while I was studying. She had been helping me out since I started university, and had always been understanding of my needs and wants.

But she was so angry when she found out that I was working. She said that I should focus on my studies and since I wanted to work, she would stop paying for my University fees and I can pay for it myself.

The reason why I started working part time was because I found out that while her finances were able to help me pay for my tuition, I could not pay for my daily needs.

Had to take up more jobs to cover for everything

I was left with no other option. I had to take up another part-time job to cover the costs of my tuition fees, textbooks, and other expenses.

I knew my mum would be angry, but I didn’t have any other choice. I was determined to finish my degree, but without her help, I knew it was going to be a lot harder.

I tried to explain the situation to my mum, but she would not listen. She said that she had given me enough money, and that it wasn’t her responsibility to help me out any more.

She said that I should be more responsible and that it was my own fault that I was in this situation.

I felt helpless and hopeless. I wanted to explain to her that I had worked hard and that I was doing my best to complete my degree. I had worked so hard to get where I am, and I was so close to finishing. But she wouldn’t listen.

She said that she was not going to help me any more, and that it was my own responsibility to pay for my own degree.

I felt so defeated. I had worked so hard and had put so much effort into my studies, and yet I was being denied the help I needed to finish my degree. I was so close to graduating, and yet I felt like I was being pushed back.

I had no other choice but to find a way to pay for my degree. I had to take up more shifts at my part-time job, and I had to cut back on other expenses.

It was hard, and it was stressful, but I was determined to make it work.

After months of hard work and struggling, I finally finished my degree. I was so relieved, but at the same time, I felt a deep sadness.

My mum had not been there to support me, and that hurt. I wished she had been there to cheer me on, but instead, she had decided to cut me off.

I’m a 40-something woman and I’ve recently started dating someone who is seven years younger than me. I’m not ashamed of it and I don’t care what anyone else thinks, but I can’t help but notice the double standard society has when it comes to relationships between older men and younger women versus older women and younger men.

Society thinks its normal for older men to date younger women but not older women dating younger men

It seems as though it’s perfectly acceptable in our society for older men to date much younger women, and nobody bats an eye.

In fact, men in this age bracket are often praised for their taste in women, and it’s seen as a sign of success and power. It’s almost as if it’s expected that an older man will have a younger woman on his arm.

On the flip side, when it comes to older women dating younger men, the reaction is often much different.

Instead of being praised for their taste in men, older women are often ridiculed and judged for their decision. It’s seen as a sign of desperation or an inability to find someone their own age.

It’s a shame that this double standard exists, because older women are just as capable of having relationships with younger men as older men are with younger women.

Women in their 40s and 50s are just as attractive and desirable as they were when they were younger, and they should be able to pursue relationships with younger men without being judged.

It’s also worth mentioning that the age gap between older men and younger women can be much larger than the age gap between older women and younger men.

This is something that society often overlooks, but it’s important to point out because it further reinforces the double standard.

At the end of the day, relationships are between two people, and they should be judged on an individual basis instead of being lumped into one big group.

Whether it’s an older man and a younger woman, an older woman and a younger man, or two people of the same age, it’s not anyone else’s place to judge.

Everyone should be free to pursue relationships that make them happy without worrying about what other people think.

Family members that do embarrassing acts in public – how do you deal with it?

Hi all, just wanted to rant about my dad and gather some opinions on what can be done.

My dad is retired (50+) and stays at home all day, leaves the TV on along with 2 mobile phones to watch different things (at full volume).

It has become his routine ever since he retired and he does not exercise or do any household chores.

He smokes a lot as well and he’ll usually stand at the corridor to smoke. He throws the cigarette butt literally over the railing and onto the grass patch just below (we stay on a low floor).

Time to time he will let out a loud (i mean reaaaally loud) fart while he smokes outside. It is so damn embarrassing, because our neighbours are just next door and I am pretty sure they can hear it.

I don’t know how to stop him except accept the situation and pretend that none of it exists when I am WFO.

Do you have any embarrassing stories like mine? how do you deal with it?

Netizens’ comments

1. my door faces my neighbour’s door. sometimes my dad does his morning stretches shirtless and in his boxers with the door open totally nonchalant of the fact that the neighbours have one of those smart doorbells with the camera. he also likes watering his plants outside in the same attire.
2. My Dad always shouts when he drops something. He’s extremely clumsy so it happens frequently outside. The most common things he drops is his cutleries. Always got people stare. What to do. Just pretent nothing hapoend and move on.
3. I’m less worried about the embarrassment, and more worried about how inconsiderate your dad is.
   Then again, all smokers are inherently inconsiderate, so you’re probably used to that by now.
4. At least your retired dad is not like mine, spend the whole day everyday moving furniture around the whole f’ing house and hammering here and hammering there while I’m trying to WFH.

Working in a branding agency

Anyone working in branding agency? How is it for you guys? I just started working in a branding agency and I expected the OTs but I am starting to feel that it’s a bit much. We were supposed to work from 10 am to 7 pm but most of us just continue working until 10 pm. No OT pay but our transportation home is paid for.

Idk if it’s the results of my boss having unrealistic timeframe/ that’s just the work culture of branding agency or my time management.

Example of timeframe:

Animation -> 1 day Website -> 2 days Poster/ Menu -> 1 day Brand Guideline -> 2 day

Netizens’ comments

1. Agencies are notorious for having zero work life balance. I knew of people who had colleagues who died at their desks after pulling multiple all nighters.
   Better to go in house.
2. Depends on the culture and professional respect.
   I tell clients to back off with unrealistic deadlines and have the team complete tasks within reason. Happy team = creativity = satisfied clients.
   Ramping up to launches / events can be tiring but overall, I get in by 0930 and leave by 1800hrs.
3. Agency life pretty much. But if there’s no break in between at all (down periods) might wanna consider leaving. People usually give it a couple years then jump from agency to agency and rise in ranks per jump
4. I used to OT during periods that are close to events or deadlines, but it shouldn’t be an everyday thing. Sounds like they are understaffed.
5. This is the traditional agency model but some are slowly changing, mainly because less and less people are accepting this OT culture.

Very disappointed at the state of grab/GOJEK

Drivers will accept your ride, then never move at all to your pick up location or respond to your call/msg. Once the grace period is up they just cancel and you get charged a cancellation fee.

Why do they do this, and why is it that they do not seem to face any consequences? These apps were supposed to add value but now better to use taxi / public transport…

Netizens’ comments

• These apps were supposed to disrupt, now they just suck your blood
• I use comfort now.
• Had a driver who wasn’t aware that the rule changed to groups of five back during the CB. And then proceeded to make a false report about my family not wearing masks during the ride. Gojek and their shitty customer service didn’t even bother to listen to the customer
• Wait why is no one addressing the elephant in the room? How do you get charged a cancellation fee if the driver is the one to cancel? I’ve had drivers cancel on me and I’ve never once been charged a cancellation fee.
  With drivers who don’t pick me up, I sometimes use another platform and keep the booking with the errant driver anyway. I figured if they’re still supposed to pick me up, they won’t be getting any job until mine is canceled. I’ve never entertained any request they make asking me to cancel. If they don’t want to pick me up, they should cancel instead.
• Just report to grab, if they get multiple reports eventually they’ll get ban. Make sure to explain to grab that they are cheating customers.
• Need to get somewhere far far away from you? Leave house earlier. We do have one of the best and well-connected transport in the world. There aren’t exactly crazy jams like what you see in Bangkok or Vietnam, so just take it.
  Going drinking till late? Start drinking earlier and take the last train home. Honestly, I’ve been accustomed to this because of COVID as bars had to close at 10:30PM previously, so I started at around 6pm.
  If really no choice but need to take private hire? Check Grab, Gojek, Tada & Comfort. Remember to use all the points and vouchers you have too.
  Grab is a flop, can’t wait for them to finally run out of money.
• I am really glad that I only used these apps twice last year to book rides to and from the airport. I avoided using them altogether not just for ride hailing but also for food delivery. I really hope that such ride hailing companies who try to masquerade as lifestyle apps but in reality fleecing the consumers, will disappear for good one day.

Pending pes F but my mother wants me to serve.

I’m pending pes F from the army but my mother keeps asking me to serve.

I was diagnosed with severe adjustment disorder and just cannot deal with being in the army and being around people that clearly also hate their own situation.

So should I continue to serve or not?

I can definitely continue to serve but I know if I do my mental health will continue to worsen.

Netizens’ comments

Fellow PES F here. Finance industry. You’re scared about the uncertainty ahead, there are so many what-if’s and I am here to answer that.

Most of the commenters here obviously did serve NS and know nothing about PES F.

I’ll just share with you what I have encountered.

Job application, this may affect if you are applying for government-related job in both public sector or GLC. You will have employers raising your eyebrows at the fact that you’ve been exempted from army. They WILL ask you for reasons. So go think of a convincing story, and don’t tell them “oh it was in a different environment and hence i developed severe adjustment disorder” because they can form the impression that you may also undergo the same situation as you did when you were in army. Something like “I was being bullied in army…etc but I have since been certified by a specialist that I no longer suffer from adjustment disorder and that I have been functioning well. The diagnosis is no longer in the system, etc”. You need to make sure that you convince them that your adjustment disorder happened because SOLELY of army. Army environment is not for everyone after all. Of course if you’re interviewing for a SME with a very strong hierarchy and “yes-man” culture like army then please go cook up another reason.

I applied for 5 roles previously a year ago. 1 government/GLC and 4 private sector. I got offers from all 4 private companies. Government outright rejected me the moment they heard of the word “exempted”. Some commenter mentioned that it is against TAFEP tripartite guidelines to ask or to be rejected based on NS or PES-related matters, but seriously TAFEP is nothing in Singapore. They don’t give a f. They just churn out guidelines and occasionally official circulars. Yes, they are an outright arm of the Ministry of Manpower but they’re just like a toothless tiger, similar to CASE.

After discharge, please make sure you go back to the same specialist and get him to write a memo that you are no longer suffering from adjustment disorder and you are well and functioning in school/work. Do make sure that he writes that you were suffering from adjustment disorder with army as the stressor. You will need the memo not just for jobs, but also for insurance.

Private sector doesn’t give a crap about army, provided that you don’t act like a screaming creep plagued with insanity. As long as you can convince them that you’re an asset to the company, you’re hired. Public sector can be very conservative. The one I interviewed at even asked me to write down my PES status.

On to the next, insurance. PES F will have dire implications on insurance application in the near future, and it is because of the diagnosis, not too much on the PES. No one will even know what is PES status if you’re applying for insurance overseas. We’re not in Western countries where policies are too liberal and insurers are not allowed to discriminate based on disabilities/illnesses or get a hefty fine. In SG, no insurer will underwrite someone with severe adjustment disorder as it is too risky. Just think about it, if you’re an insurance company, will you insure someone with severe adjustment disorder with scientifically-studied high risk of self-harm/suicide? What if the insured starts self-harming like starvation and it leads to other implications that require treatment? You will need to pay for their treatment if this happens, or if death occurs, you will need to give a huge payout that consists of hundreds of thousands of dollars if that happens. Of course not.

You will need the specialist memo to even get insured, but you will need to be off-meds and wait 1-2 years before they will even consider underwriting you. Do keep in mind that you may have exclusions on your insurance policy or even additional loading (so e.g other people pay $100 but you pay $150, an additional of $50).

All in all, just ask yourself. Do you still want to serve? If the answer is an resounding no, then just PES F. That’s about it. Mental health is as important as physical health.

Just make sure you plan your route well. Think about what do you want to do after PES F. Uni? Work? Take a short break before you start hustling? You gotta think about all these before you go down the road of PES F. It is irreversible. There is no point PES F-ing if you’re just gonna be useless and do nothing at all at home with no goals and aim, because trust me that will make you feel way worse than now.

Keep in mind, always have a goal. It doesn’t have to be some extremely high-flying goal like “wow I want to be earning $20k/month once I get out of army” because you’re still young and that goal is unrealistic. Something as simple as “I will go to the gym 3x a week and make it a habit to watch Bloomberg 30 minutes every morning” will suffice for your age, at least you have something to work towards and make sure you better f-ing stick to it and don’t give yourself excuses.

Your PES doesn’t define you. I used to believe that PES F is absolutely shit and I will not make it in life because I look around me and everyone served NS except for me and no one will want me, but I always had a goal and I was disciplined to stick to it. And today, I am in the process of moving into an investment role in one of the F500 companies. Believe in yourself, always remember that and good luck.

I thought I had found my match on Tinder. We had been messaging for a few weeks and he seemed like the perfect guy. He was handsome, funny, and had the same interests as me.

So when he asked me to meet up for a date, I was more than excited.

Asked me to feed him my ‘milk’ because I called him ‘baby’

Little did I know, I was in for a big surprise. We had been chatting for a while when he suddenly asked me if I could feed him milk. I was taken aback and not sure how to respond.

He then explained that it was because I called him “baby” in our messages. I didn’t know what to say, so I just laughed it off and changed the subject.

But then he kept bringing it up again and again. He said he really wanted to try it and that it was an experience he was dying to have.

I tried to be polite and told him that I didn’t feel comfortable doing something like that. But he kept pushing, saying that it would be a unique experience for us.

Finally, I had enough and told him that I didn’t want to do it. I could tell by the look on his face that he was disappointed.

He started to become aggressive and started telling me that I was being selfish and that I was denying him something he wanted.

I was so shocked and scared, so I quickly stood up and said I had to leave. He tried to stop me, but I managed to make it out the door.

I was shaken up from the whole experience and started to question my judgment when it came to online dating.

I never heard from him again and I was relieved.

From now on, I will take more precautions when it comes to meeting someone from an online dating app. I’m just glad that I made it out of the situation without any harm.