I remember the day I met my first Korean boyfriend like it was yesterday.

I was in a coffee shop in Seoul when he approached me. He was tall, with dark hair and big, bright eyes. I couldn’t believe my luck when I found out he was a fellow student, studying in Korea.

We hit it off immediately, spending hours talking about our lives and our shared love of Korean dramas. I was completely smitten with him, and he seemed to feel the same way. We started dating, and for a while, everything was perfect.

But as time went on, I started to notice that things weren’t as perfect as they seemed.

My boyfriend would get angry with me over the smallest things, and would often lose his temper and shout at me. I tried to brush it off as cultural differences, but as time went on, his behaviour only got worse.

One day, he hit me. I was shocked and devastated, but I didn’t know what to do.

I didn’t want to believe that the man I loved could be capable of such violence, but I knew deep down that I needed to get out of the relationship.

I googled and found out that domestic violence in Korea is extremely common.

I left him that day, and I never looked back. I realized that the romanticized versions of relationships I had seen in Korean dramas were just that – romanticized. They were not real, and I was better off without them.

I moved on with my life, and eventually found a kind and loving partner who treated me with the respect and kindness I deserved.

I learned from my mistakes, and I made sure to never let myself be fooled by the false promises of Korean dramas again.

Hidden dragons

I just moved into my bto in a humble and modest neighbourhood. The neighbours are quite close because some of us in the estate came from the same rental flats and upgraded to our bto tgt.

We have this neighbour, he is extremely quiet, keeps to himself and greets us politely whenever he sees us around.

We try to get close to him, to make friends, however he will always maintain his distance, very respectfully. After a while, we suspect he is rich rich.

Watches, he has many. He has been spotted with a patek, ap and many different rolexes. The watches are mostly in gold. We suspect his watch collection can buy all units on an entire floor. Sometimes, there will be a bentley, lambo or mclaren in the mscp and we are damn sure the owners are there visiting him. $1000 Jimmy choos or Louboutins, he has a few pairs as well. His outfit can be worth more than 2 years of our annual income.

Some of us talked to his wife and she mentioned that they got this bto when they were still students and chose this area coz it’s very cheap, and that her husband is very reserved, doesn’t like to talk to the neighbours. Also found out that his parents stay in a landed in one of the wealthiest areas in sg (not saying to protect his privacy)

Are rich people really that closed off? Or maybe he thinks he is too good to make friends with us?

Other than that, he is quiet, clean and respectful whenever he sees us la. One of the better neighbours actually. Just surprised a rich person will actually choose to stay in our area.

I graduated with a degree in Computer Science, so naturally, my parents and friends assumed I would pursue a career in the corporate world.

But I had other ideas: I wanted to work in the food delivery industry.

You see, I’ve always enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the food delivery industry. It’s fast-paced and exciting, and there’s something very special about the customer service aspect of it.

You get to interact with people from all walks of life, and it’s truly rewarding to make someone’s day with a delicious meal.

After graduating, I decided to take the plunge and started doing Food Panda and GrabFood. I was pleasantly surprised that the earnings are not as bad one might think, and I’ve been working as a delivery rider ever since.

At first, there was some resistance from my family and friends. They thought I was wasting my degree, and that I should be working in an office environment with a stable salary. But I knew that this was what I wanted to do and I was determined to make it work.

Fast forward a few months, and I’m still working in the food delivery industry. I work flexible hours, and I can choose when I want to work each day. I’m also able to make a comfortable amount of money just like I would in a similar office job, as I get tips from customers and I get to keep the delivery fees.

Plus, I get to see different parts of the city every day, and I get to meet new people. I love the independence and freedom that comes with being a delivery driver. It’s definitely not your typical 9-5 job!

I’m still open to the idea of working in an office environment someday, but right now I’m really enjoying my job. I’ve been able to take ownership of my career and I’m learning valuable skills that I might not have acquired in a traditional job.

I’ve been using social media for a few years now and have been lucky to have a decent amount of followers around 10,000.

I’ve always been proud of my online presence and have enjoyed the interactions that come with it. I’ve even considered myself an influencer, but I never expected my bold statement to be met with such ridicule.

It all started with an Instagram I posted in which I stated that I deserved the same respect as celebrities. I was proud of the work I had done on my social media platforms and felt that I was making a positive impact on my followers’ lives.

Little did I know that my tweet would be met with such derision.

The backlash was swift and intense. People began to mock me, saying I was just another “Insta-famous” person who thought they were a celebrity. Some of them even called me a “wannabe” and said that I was only pretending to be an influencer. It was a tough pill to swallow, and I felt embarrassed and humiliated.

I quickly realized that I had made a mistake in making such a bold statement.

I had allowed my ego to get the best of me and had failed to recognize that being an influencer was not the same as being a celebrity. I had also failed to recognize that influencers come in all shapes and sizes and that having a large following does not necessarily mean that one is more important than another.

I decided to apologize for my statement and to take responsibility for my actions. I admitted that I was wrong and that I did not deserve to be treated with the same respect as celebrities.

I also acknowledged that there were many other influencers out there who were doing amazing work and that I had no right to claim that I was more important than them.

In hindsight, I’m glad that I was called out for my mistake. It was a valuable lesson that I will take with me as I continue to build my presence on social media. I now understand that I should be humble and that I should be grateful for the platform I have. I’m also thankful for the people who called me out and reminded me that it’s ok to be wrong sometimes.

The experience of being mocked for my post has taught me a valuable lesson and has made me realize that I should be more careful with what I say on social media. I now understand that a following does not equate to respect, and that I should be mindful of the words I choose to express my thoughts and opinions.

Overstaying is an immigration offence

Long story short, I’m pissed with how ICA works in Singapore.

Early this year, I engaged my sister as my confinement nanny (just in case you dont know, MOM got this temporary permit for confinement nanny) I got the approval from MOM but I didnt know I have to extend the visit pass validity with ICA. (Didnt know they work separately as I thought SG all linked – face palm)

So when my sister depart from Singapore, she got stopped by the officer, being held in the customs office for 4 hours! She is asked to pay a fine of SGD 300 and her name forever being blacklisted as an offender. Every time she comes into SG, she will be asked to go into the customs office and its at least an hour wait.

She will miss her coach bus every time.

There was once I was with her, waiting for her outside of the custom office with my 3 children for more than an hour. When i ask the officer please speed up the process as it is close to 11pm and we need to travel another 40 mins to reach home they simply said they are checking. Seriously?

What are they checking? Is she armed? Is she carrying drug? Is she a serial killer??? She is just a 40 years old fat lady who cannot even speak proper english. My sister is traumatised by the experience previously, every time she plans to come SG it bothers her.

Is there anyway ICA can do better for this?? How long more my sister gonna get this type of treatment from ICA?? Sigh FML

Here are what netizens think:-

2 mistakes – why apply for permit when she can enter SG as Malaysian (assuming that you are one) for Visa free 30days? You should have apply for STVP (90days) in the first place. Sounds like you are making her as an employee instead. Secondly, it is the duty of the employer/employee of a permit to ensure that employee is not overstaying. Please write in to ICA for grace to remove her from blacklist by providing reasons for her overstaying as well as being her guarantor for all possible future entering to SG. This is subject to approval from ICA. Best of luck. You need plenty.

• If its your sister, WHY would you apply for her to come over as nanny???????? Just one return ticket and log her as leisure traveller and you dont need a single thing other than visa.

• Hey, I forgot to extend the validity for my confinement nanny and she had to pay the fine. But she is not black listed or stopped by the immigration officer every time she enters sg

• Ur sis is foreignor, she should strictly follow local laws what. I’m appalled that Ur sis dare to pull off such stunt. Btw ignorance is not a valid defense. Usually msian social visit pass is alrdy 30 days, u want to extend cannt go ICA there get a manual extension stamp mey? U from which Era, cannot Google to double triple confirm?