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SINGAPORE: The TOTO jackpot just got bigger. But it will cost you more and it will be more difficult to win the jackpot. In changes that will take effect from Oct 7, An ordinary bet of six numbers will now cost S$1 as opposed to 50 cents previously, while System 7 will now cost S$7, as compared to S$3.50 previously. Punters will, however, get a higher chance of recouping their bets with the introduction of a new winning tier of S$10 by matching 3 numbers. The number pool will also be increased from 45 to 49. The minimum guaranteed amount for the jackpot will be increased from S$500,000 to S$1 million. And with the new Group 7 prize category, customers need only match three numbers to win a $10 payoff. Singapore Pools said the change is in response to customers’ requests for a larger jackpot prize, and well as prizes for successfully matching three numbers. With the addition of Group 7 prizes, the odds of winning any prize will improve from 1 in 321 to 1 in 54. The chance of winning the jackpot, however, falls from 1 in 8.14 million to 1 in 13.98 million. Other changes include increased pay-outs for groups. Group 5, which requires four matched numbers, will be increased from S$30 to S$50, and Group 6 – three matched numbers, plus the additional number – will now pay S$25, up from S$20 currently. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/larger-jackpot-with-more/1333876.html?cid=FBSG siao liao. Min bet for all levels x2 current prices. max numbers increased to 49. match 3 numbers win $10

https://www.straitstimes.com/tech/pilot-scheme-to-facilitate-hiring-of-foreign-talent-in-tech-firms?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=STFB&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1564531412

I hope this move can aid in having more enforcement check, nail down violators to the Fire Safety Act and Fire Code, and indirectly saving more lives. SCDF can appoint third parties to conduct checks under proposed changes to Fire Safety Act SINGAPORE: The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) can soon appoint authorised third parties to conduct routine fire safety enforcement checks and building inspections under proposed amendments to the Fire Safety Act introduced in Parliament on Monday (Jul 8). The move will enable SCDF to better utilise its resources and allow officers to focus on "more complex" enforcement inspections, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in a press release. In order to regulate their operations, these third parties will be required to don body-worn cameras during inspections. They will also be subject to routine checks by the SCDF. Under the new amendments, the SCDF will also be able to compel building owners to install critical fire safety upgrades, such as fire alarm systems and fire hose reels, if they are deemed necessary for public safety. The SCDF regularly reviews the fire code, which specifies fire safety standards for buildings. However, changes to the code only apply to new buildings, and to existing ones that undergo addition and alteration works. There are currently no measures to mandate owners of existing buildings which have not undergone any addition and alteration works to install the latest fire safety measures. "In exercising this mandate, SCDF will adopt a judicious, risk-based approach in identifying buildings for fire safety upgrades," said MHA. "For example, relevant considerations include the buildings’ fire risk profile, based on factors such as building age, purpose and the profile of its occupants." STRICTER REGULATIONS There will also be harsher penalties for five offences under the Fire Safety Act. These offences mainly involve the unauthorised change of use of premises which could cause the existing fire safety measures to become inadequate, as well as instances where industry professionals such as registered inspectors do not responsibly supervise and certify fire safety works. The penalty for the unauthorised change of use of premises will be raised from a maximum fine of S$10,000 to S$200,000 and/or up to two years’ jail. The penalty for the failure of an appointed Qualified Person to supervise fire safety works will also be raised from a maximum fine of S$10,000 and six months’ jail, to a maximum fine of S$200,000 and/or up to two years’ jail. In addition, SCDF’s enforcement and investigative powers will be enhanced to hold responsible those who flout fire safety rules. Currently, when dealing with fire hazards, SCDF must first issue a Fire Hazard Abatement Notice and can only take action against the errant parties if they fail to comply with the Notice. But as some fire hazards may pose "serious and significant" fire safety risks, SCDF will have the option to immediately prosecute culpable parties. Its officers will also be able to investigate suspects for fire safety violations, and take statements when there is reasonable suspicion of an offence. The Bill will also allow SCDF officers to enter any premises that may have evidence of fire safety offences. Said MHA: "While the number of fire incidents in Singapore has remained stable and our fire fatality rates are low, we must periodically review and update our fire safety regulations, so that they continue to remain robust and relevant, and we can effectively respond to new and evolving fire safety risks and challenges."

SINGAPORE: Several measures will be put in place to reduce vehicular speed and improve pedestrian safety at the roundabout in Marine Parade where a fatal accident took place in March. Announcing the measures on Monday (May 20), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it will implement tighter turning angles that lower motorists' speeds before entering the roundabout. "To slow down motorists as they turn into Silversea condominium, the turning radius will also be tightened," LTA added. SINGAPORE: Several measures will be put in place to reduce vehicular speed and improve pedestrian safety at the roundabout in Marine Parade where a fatal accident took place in March. Announcing the measures on Monday (May 20), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it will implement tighter turning angles that lower motorists' speeds before entering the roundabout. "To slow down motorists as they turn into Silversea condominium, the turning radius will also be tightened," LTA added. The crossing point for pedestrians will be moved to allow them to cross further away from the main flow of traffic at the roundabout, said LTA. These measures are in addition to the road warning signs and speed regulating strips announced in the wake of the accident, which killed an 82-year-old pedestrian. Residents of Marine Parade had called for more safety measures, saying they have seen motorists drive dangerously at the roundabout, and that the pavement on the perimeter of the roundabout is too narrow. The two-lane roundabout has three exits that lead to Marine Parade Road, Amber Road and the Silversea condominium. According to residents, the roundabout is heavily used by drivers to get to the city via Mountbatten Road or towards Parkway Parade on Marine Parade Road. never thought of this road as dangerous in particular. in fact i treat all roundabouts in sg as dangerous becuz we dun use it often enough to be very familiar with how a roundabout works. if want to compare which more dangerous im looking at newton circus. u see cars doing last min exits from inner lanes etc.... drivers not familiar with roundabouts, jus go slower, signal ur intentions, check b4 u exit. if its not safe to exit, just go another round. its a roundabout u can go on and on and on w/o obstructing anyone.

This was brought up a few days ago, in the "President" 's policy suggestions... Instead of stopping people using their CPF to pay for their mortgages, why not reduce the prices if HDB flats and not peg them to market prices with land prices? Then Singaporeans will have more money to save with lower HDB flats prices. What Would Happen if You Couldn't Use Your CPF Savings to Buy a Home? https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/happen-couldn-apos-t-cpf-213202807.html In response to President Halimah's call for policy suggestions, economist Walter Theseira suggested disallowing the use of CPF savings for home purchases. The measure was proposed in order to address inadequate retirement saving. This could be a logical concern, as putting a significant amount of one's retirement into home may leave them with too few remaining assets to retire comfortably, especially given the uncertainties around the 99-year HDB lease. This proposal would likely have a massive impact on the housing market—over the past decade, around S$82 billion was withdrawn from CPF accounts in order to purchase HDB flats. Given the scale of this proposal, it is worth asking: how would homeowners and prospective homebuyers be affected? How Does The Current System Work? Currently, the Public Housing Scheme (PHS) allows individuals to use their CPF Ordinary Account to pay for a part of their HDB flat purchase. However, homebuyers are limited in the amount that they can withdraw from their CPF savings for the purchase of a HDB lease. Limits are based on the number of years remaining in the lease at the time it is purchased. How Would This Proposal Affect the Real Estate Market? In the short-term, we expect that housing prices would drop as result of proposed rule. The rule will likely prevent many prospective homeowners from being able to afford to purchase homes, as they would have significantly less money to contribute to the purchase. The decreased ability to buy a property should lead to a decline in market demand, which should in turn cause a decrease home prices. For example, we can approximate the scale of change with some basic calculations. In 2017, $7.4 billion was withdrawn for the purpose of purchasing new and resale HDB flats. There were 22,077 resale applications and approximately 17,500 new units in 2017. Assuming average resale values of S$450,000 and average BTO prices of S$310,000, the S$7.4 billion withdrawn in 2017 represents about half (48%) of the total HDB market transactions (S$15.4 billion). Although these are rough estimates, roughly 20% of this might be supporting the actual home value, while the other 30% is being used to pay interest on home loans. In the long run, it seems reasonable to expect that HDB prices could drop by 10-20% as developers acquiesce to consumers' reduced purchasing power while prospective buyers take longer to build enough savings to buy a flat. Good News for Prospective Home Buyers? Overall, this proposal appears that it would be a net-neutral event for prospective home buyers. On one hand, these individuals may have to save longer in order to purchase a home since they will not be able to access their CPF savings. On the other hand, a drop in housing prices could offset their reduced ability to purchase homes. Additionally, these individuals will benefit from having additional retirement savings since their CPF will be able to compound untouched over a long period of time. Bad News for Existing Homeowners However, this proposal definitely could have a negative impact for current property owners. If all buyers in the market are less able to afford current real estate prices, the market forces tend to adjust the prices lower until people can afford flats without the help of their CPF accounts. This would ultimately mean a reduction of wealth for those who already own HDB flats. Additionally, current homeowners may face another negative consequence. Currently, individuals re-selling their HDB flats must refund their CPF account based the principal amount withdrawn for their HDB flat purchase, as well as the amount of accrued interest that the savings would have earned if they had not withdrawn from the CPF account initially. If property values drop significantly, these homeowners will have much more difficult time meeting this refund requirement. How to Make a Smooth Transition The proposal would certainly incentivize increased personal savings and promote wealthier retirement, which could be a financially responsible goal. In order to make this transition easier, however, there are a few concepts to consider. First, because existing homeowners must refund their CPF account based on the amount withdrawn for purchasing a home, declining home prices could put them at significant financial risk. One way to make the proposed rule more palatable would be to decrease the refund requirements for current homeowners. Additionally, if HDB leases were extended, policy makers might be able to both buoy short-term home prices as well as mend a long-term structural issue related to HDBs. It could also help the owners of older flats, whose retirement savings could benefit from increased resale value if leases were easily extended beyond 99 years. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The truth behind proposal to prevent CPF for housing https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/truth-behind-proposal-prevent-cpf-065043359.html An academic’s suggestion which seemed to propose that the Central Provident Fund (CPF) monies no longer be allowed to be used to buy residential properties, has in recent days stirred the hornet’s nest. Walter Theseira, professor of Economics at UniSIM, made that suggestion in responding to President Halimah’s call for policy suggestions. Prof Dr Theseira said that the use of CPF savings for housing should be curbed in a bid to prevent the people from over-investing their savings on housing. He noted that people typically over-invest on housing as a way of “unlocking their CPF funds” and that installing measures to limit the use of CPF monies for housing could help the people conserve their savings for retirement and health. He said: “My view is that the CPF system tries to do a little too much, and we should consider focusing CPF on retirement and health…I do believe there is some over-investment in housing, which creates retirement risks if housing values do not grow, and this over-investment is because Singaporeans see housing as a way of unlocking their CPF funds.” One such measure the authorities could instate is slashing CPF contribution rates, Theseira suggested. This would mean that workers would receive more take-home pay that they could allocate to housing. “A CPF system focused on retirement and health would require lower contribution rates, and allow people more choices in using their higher take-home income on housing, investments, business, and family.” While Theseira advocated for a redesign of the CPF system “so that people no longer need to pay for housing out of CPF, by cutting contribution rates to focus on retirement and health,” he added that he is unsure what the right contribution rate should be. His views on the redesign of the CPF system drew sharp criticisms from the members of the public. Some were initially even confused that it was President Halimah who had made that suggestion in her call that there were ‘no sacred cows’. After the public uproar, the professor took to his Facebook to clarify that he did not argue for CPF to be removed completely or even for the housing component of CPF to be removed completely – since it may help people save for their first home. Theseira said: “What the right contribution rate should be, I cannot say. Perhaps some housing component remains important to help people save for their first home. Nor would I argue to remove CPF, because mandating retirement savings remains important, even for (especially for?) people who believe they can do a better job on their own. But this is a topic for another day.” Elaborating, the economist asked: “What choices would we make if a different policy was in place? What trade-offs would we accept if we designed policy? It’s easy to make fun of policymakers, and it’s also easy to critique policy. Finding workable solutions that promote the public interest is a lot harder, but more than ever, we need to work together to help improve policy in Singapore.” Prominent commentator on economic policies, Chris Kuan, said that Theseira’s views on CPF usage are generally sound. Kuan explained: “This bring Singapore back to normality in terms of what social security is used for and will go a long way to minimise the large trade-off between paying for housing and saving for retirement and healthcare. It will also reduce the known tendency of Singaporeans of over-extending housing affordability and hence driving up prices because of the instant gratification they received over CPF being released to pay for property when that gratification can only otherwise be realised decades into the future.” Kuan added that the trade-off between CPF being used for housing and retirement is a complex one, to which there are no easy answers. “There is always that easy argument that the whole problem of the trade-off between housing and retirement is due to HDB affordability and that tiresome mantra that all it takes is just make HDB affordable. Well, making HDB affordable from this point forward is the easy part. The difficult part is how to make HDB affordable without destroying the housing equity and hence retirement proposition of current HDB owners. That is the intractable part of the problem.” “I always held that the huge increase in CPF assets due to the high contribution rates are too much of a temptation for the government,” Kuan, a former international banker, said. Adding: “What better way to use it up than let public housing prices rise – it increases the government reserves which is essentially a very large transfer of wealth from households to the state and slow down the accumulation of government indebtedness.” Although highly unlikely, if Theseira’s proposal was accepted by the Government, it would mean that housing prices will drop drastically. This is because without CPF, many home buyers will be deterred by the large out-of-pocket down-payment that they would have to pay for their prospective homes. This would in turn lead to a decline in demand in the residential property market, driving down prices significantly. A scenario which would be prevented from happening at all costs by policymakers who have vested interests in a healthy real estate market. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What the forefathers has given Singaporeans the flexibility to buy homes with their CPF money in the past, and now these people are thinking of removing this scheme? https://www.cpf.gov.sg/Members/AboutUs/about-us-info/history-of-cpf The evolution of CPF a) CPF and housing – the twin pillars of retirement adequacy To help workers save for retirement, the CPF was established on 1 July 1955. Workers contributed part of their monthly income to their CPF to build up their retirement savings. In 1968, the government introduced the Public Housing Scheme, allowing Singaporeans to pay for the mortgages of their HDB flats using their CPF savings instead of having to use their take-home pay. This increased the affordability of housing and provided many Singaporeans with a home. Home ownership became a key pillar of retirement security as it relieves Singaporeans from having to pay rental fees out of their retirement funds during their senior years.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/australia-prime-minister-scott-morrison-malcolm-turnbull-10647458 The PM musical chairs continue. 6th PM in 10 years. @jamesc. another of your good friend out of a job.

In case some of you may not notice, some observations recently : 1. Traffic Red Light Camera now doubles as a Speed Camera mostly 50-60 km/h limit. So when driving through these junctions please observe the speed limit even its Green. 2. At some junctions, Pedestrian 'GO' Green Light seem to be On earlier (by a few sec) than the corresponding Vehicle Green Light. So please only proceed upon 'Green' traffic light instead of Pedestrian 'Green' light. Some of us have been conditioned to proceed with either of the Green lights on. So be careful! Any others ?

Hi I read from papers saying that this month onwards can change our old parking coupons to new one with revise price Can anyone advise me where can I get it done? Regards Airwave

FYI bros .. especially those who still use phone at the red light when vehicle is stationary. please note it is now illegal to do so without a mount. http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/transport/story/what-you-need-know-about-the-new-changes-the-road-traffic-act-feb-1-2 SINGAPORE - As of Feb 1, it will be illegal for drivers to hold any type of mobile device while driving. Previously, only calling or texting someone on a mobile phone was barred. On Sept 8, 2014, changes to the Road Traffic Act were passed into law and a wider range of mobile devices, as well as heavier penalties for offenders, was added to the Act. The changes were prompted by a 20 per cent rise in the past two years in the number of summonses for using a mobile phone while driving - from 2,938 in 2012 to 3,572 in 2013. Here's what you need to know about the changes. 1. Mobile devices Anyone caught using and holding a mobile device while driving can be found guilty of committing an offence. To be specific, mobile devices are any hand-held equipment which are designed or capable of being used for telecommunication. This means phones as well as tablets. 2. As long as you are using it, you can be charged It is no longer just talking or texting that will get you in trouble. The new changes include surfing the web, visiting social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and downloading material. The law applies to using and holding a device while driving, including when the car is stationary at a red light. 3. Okay if the device is mounted The amended law applies to drivers holding a device. It is not an offence to use the mobile device if it is mounted on a holder. 4. Penalties First-time offenders can be fined up to $1,000 and/or jailed for up to six months. Repeat offenders face up to $2,000 in fines and/or up to 12 months in jail. 5. What about wearables? Wearable technology such as the Google Glass and smart watches are not covered in the amended law. But the use of such devices could be classified as inconsiderate driving, an offence which carries up to a $1,000 fine and a six-month jail term. Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli commented on this during the amendment of the law in parliament on Sept 8, 2014, saying: "We will continue to monitor the situation... and study the practices of other jurisdictions as they evolve to deal with (new) types of smart devices."

OK I have been receiving so many PM regarding what is said in the title, I will explain and make this sticky. Upon receiving your new Aveo, you will be entitled 3 free servicing. Please note that the servicing labor is free but the engine oil is not. SA will supply the oil and you have to pay for it. The 3 free servicing mileage are 1k km, 5k km, 10k km. You will forfeit the free servicing if you don't return at the specified intervals. SA will use Mobil Super S 15W50 for all the servicing. It costs $51.50/4L. I do not know what the factory fill is but it does not matter. Some have asked if they can use synthetic oil for all the servicing. You can actually but because synthetic oil is usually very expensive and draining it too early is terrible waste of money and oil. That being said, I don't think Mobil Super S is that great either. At that price for 4L and it is a blended oil! Blended meaning it is semi-synthetic, a mixture of mineral oil and synthetic oil. So what oil should you use? I would recommend any oil that is cheap at up to the 40wt grade. When I say 40wt, I mean any oil that is 0W40, 5W40, 10W40 or 15W40. As long as it is cheap because of the short change intervals encountered. For those who missed the boat, cxxxxxe Triple R Fully Synthetic 5W40 at the offer price of $29.90 is unbeatable. That is why I keep encouraging you all to get it when Carrefour puts it on the discount shelf. It is 5L per bottle and if you do your math right, you can buy enough for oil changes until 20k km. Aveo uses 4qt of oil not 4L. That is around 3.75L per change. Another good candidate is Castrol GTX 15W40. At $32/4L bottle, better than Super S and reputedly have more detergents. Another 15W40 that should not be overlooked if you frequently go to JB to get petrol is Caltex Delo 400 15W40. I know it is used for diesel engines but it also can be used for petrol engines. At MYR60/5L bottle, it is the cheapest you can get but it is the thickest of all the candidates here. The losses in the fuel economy department is very high but it will keep your engine very clean and have loads of antiwear additives. Next is Conoco Hydroclear Super All-Season Gold 10W40 at $30/4L bottle. You can get this from Yung Soon Auto Supply at Upper Weld Road near to where Song Yi is (Song Yi is very important when you drive a Chevy). This oil is uses a hydrocracked base. Very highly refined stuff instead of the neither here nor there sh1t called Super S. Royal Purple is another candidate. At $38 for 4qt, it is cheap and it is synthetic though I would say a bit wasteful to use it. Makes sure it is either the 10W40 or 15W40. Both are available. 0W40 oil is 100% fully synthetic and the only famous one is Mobil 1 Gold with Supersyn. If you are that rich to drain out this oil with less than 15k km intervals, you shouldn't be driving an Aveo. BP Visco 7000 is the other one and it costs about the same as the Mobil 1 Gold. You can't get it cheaper than $51.50. Finally how long for the break-in process. Don't mean to scare you but it takes as long as 25k km. You cannot rush it and neither will it be prolonged. Just drive normally as you normally do. No need to drive like a slow turtle and driving fast like a race driver will not speed it up. Finally, after the break-in with all these cheap oil what oil should I use at the 30k km servicing? Any 30wt oil will do. Just look for 0W30, 5W30 or 10W30. You will then start to enjoy the fruits of a more rev happy engine and in many cases with speed discipline, better fuel economy. Now if you cannot take all these losses in the fuel economy department, go get 5W30 or 10W30 and start using immediately and don't bother with changes in oil grade to confuse yourself. Unfortunately, the cheap oil with these grades can only be found across the Causeway. For 5W30, there is Conoco Hydroclear Super All-Season Diamond 5W30. You can find them at Projet stations for MYR79. If you know of friends or workshops in Malaysia that service Peroduas, you will find Castrol M-TEC 10W30 that is specifically formulated for them. They can be found with rock bottom bargain prices. However, Castrol has stopped producing M-TEC and instead. Perodua Genuine Oils (PGO) has taken over. http://www.autotrade.com.my/emzine/review/...d=RT.ATC.CAR.PV See if you can buy PGO oils from our local Perodua stealership. These are not synthetic oil but the Conoco one is very highly refined. After the break-period, you can get more expensive synthetic 30wt oil like Royal Purple (actually still cheap) or Castrol SLX-A3 0W30. All this advice does not just apply to Aveos. Optras and Vivants can take this course of action as well.

For those still affected. Me ang teng kee gia liao, 11B sayonara bye bye lo so heng bo wa eh dai ji liao SAF to hire more professionals to enhance NSFs' training By Saifulbahri Ismail POSTED: 06 Mar 2014 14:29 The Singapore Armed Forces will employ more professional trainers to make the training of National Servicemen (NSFs) more effective and efficient, possibly even shortening the training duration. File photo: Cadets of the Specialist Cadet Course celebrating after graduating as specialists of the Singapore Armed Forces. (Photo: MINDEF) SINGAPORE: The Singapore Armed Forces will employ more professional trainers to make the training of National Servicemen (NSFs) more effective and efficient, possibly even shortening the training duration. Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen made this announcement in Parliament during the Defence Ministry's Committee of Supply debate on Thursday. Dr Ng said that as many as 1,100 more full-time trainers could be employed. This will help boost the ratio of professional trainers to trainees in the Basic Military Training Centre to about 1:3. Currently, the ratio is 1:6. This initiative arose from discussions organised by the Committee to Strengthen National Service (CSNS). Dr Ng said the largest impact of having more regular trainers will be on the training of full-time NSFs. Under the current system, second-year full-time NSFs train and lead new recruits and servicemen. Even though this system has its merits, having professional trainers will have greater impact on training outcomes, inculcating discipline and transmitting values. Dr Ng explained that some time is required for NSF trainers to adapt themselves to the training environment in their units and training schools and having regular trainers will smoothen this transition. He stressed that time savings, if any, will be a few weeks at most. In addition, Dr Ng said although having more full-time army trainers can possibly shorten training durations, the number of In-Camp Trainings (ICTs) that NSmen have to perform will not be reduced. However, he said one area the ministry can improve on, is to reduce the waiting time before enlistment. Dr Ng has asked the SAF to develop a system where it can commit to enlist all enlistees, except for some exceptions, within a fixed time frame, of within four to five months. The army expects to complete its detailed studies on the issues raised by the CSNS in the second half of this year. - CNA/xq (source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/saf-to-hire-more/1022726.html )

Read from ST 'Breaking News' " : SingTel hints at fee changes in letter to BPL subscribers Singtel lost a match against a government ruling on cross-carriage earlier this month, but launched a counter-attack last week by sending a strongly worded letter to its BPL subscribers. In the letter, the pay-TV provider urged its customers not to take any action until the outcome of its appeal to the Media Development Authority is known. It admitted that mio TV had "missed some goals" in the past, "but like any good football team, we will work harder and keep bouncing back to give fans something to cheer about". It also reassured existing BPL subscribers that should its appeal be turned down, those under contract would not be affected by any changes during the full term of their agreement period. link: http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/...ribers-20130617 Look like I have to pay more to watch BPL ....

Remember as a kid when you yearned for those crazy Hot Wheels cars that changed color when you dunked them in hot and cold water? It was about as much fun as you could have, short of striking first in a game of roshambo. It's the kind of fun you just can't have as an adult. Fortunately, a small UK body shop called Auto Kandy claims to have created a solution for those still dreaming of multi-colored Mustangs: Paint your car in thermochromic paint, and have yourself a full-size Hot Wheels color shifter. As the video below documents, the car used to showcase the wacky paintwork is an orange Nissan Skyline R33. By pouring cold water on the car, the paint transforms from orange to deep purple. While lacking smoke, the heat-sensitive paint adjusts its coloring via pigments, changing color as the temperature swings. The whole process costs just $320, but it will only last four to six months, due to excessive damage from UV light exposure. It begs the question: What's the point? After all, it looks as if the car's been vandalized by a giant flock of pigeons that feed only on purple Skittles. And how bored must you be to pour cold water on your car, only for it to change back minutes later as the temperature normalizes? Personally, I'd rather the ChromaFlair colorings used on cars like the TVR Tuscan. That way, I wouldn't look as if I'd bumped into Barney after an all-night bender. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT6raekYHG4&feature=player_embedded

Hello Folks! Were very excited to announce the new myCarForum forum board and interface! As we're very happy with some of the recent changes we've made, we want to share them with you! These changes are meant to bring about a better user experience. The below are some of the major changes. You will see that all posts now come with a Praise and a Junk button. This is a new function that will allow myCarForum to be a self policing community. The praise button is for you to click should you find the post useful. Clicking it will increase the points of the poster, which will ultimately increase his rank. The inverse is true for the Junk button. Users with too high a negative reputation will fall under moderation. Take note that the number of points you have available per day to praise/junk posts is limited by your Power, which you can see on the top right corner box. The old MCF ranking system which is by number of posts will be replaced by the point system described above. The moderators have done a point conversion for your account. Your past number of posts has been converted to points. If you have received yellow card warnings before, your points will be deducted. Read more on Guide to Point System Additional folders have been created to better cater to different interest groups. They are Healthcare & Wellness, Mens Hobby & Car Accessories. Not only are we enhancing the forum, we are also taking this opportunity to officially change myCarForum logo to better present the standing of myCarForum as the official forum of sgCarMart.com We hope the new myCarForum can be a place to ask, discuss, learn and share about cars. Keep those posts coming in! For feedback on bugs, errors and usability, please post them in our MCF feedback thread.

jialat.... i meant TS btw

SINGAPORE: Several MPs have raised their concerns in Parliament over the latest changes to car ownership policies. Under the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) car loan curbs, buyers have a maximum of five years to their service car loans. They also have to foot a downpayment of 40 per cent or more for a new vehicle. The changes, they say, not only have an effect on second-hand car dealers but also large families. Mr Pritam Singh, MP for Aljunied GRC, said: "It would be imperative for the government to look at possible tweaks to the system if indeed larger families and families that include disabled singaporeans or elderly parents are genuinely affected, as the effects of the new policy kicks in over next few months. "One specific way could be to raise the LTV ratio for cars back to 70 per cent as it was previously, but only for families with two or more children so as to buttress and incentivise the government's efforts to raise TFR (Total Fertility Rate). Dr Lee Bee Wah, MP for Nee Soon GRC, said: "With regards to the restriction on private car loans, there has been plenty of unhappiness from the grounds, from existing car owners to second-hand car dealers. "Recently, I received a very long email from a resident of mine. He told me that he has been a second-hand car dealer for 17 years. He started off as a salesman after ROD, and he worked his way up and he is currently the CEO. He has 235 cars in hand and 50 staff, and he is crying out for help. He told me he is going to sell his house but he worries he cannot save his business." "As I read his email, my heart beats with his. Again, the change is so drastic and immediate that some second-hand car dealers like my resident will have to fold up their businesses. Is this cut so critical and so market sensitive that the Government cannot give any advance notice?" - CNA

The current Mitsubishi Lancer model was first introduced in 2007 and it is a very popular model. You could see it almost anywhere and it is named as the Mitsubishi Lancer EX locally. The model was given a refreshed look, roughly a couple of years back and it is rumoured that the next generation model will only be launched sometime in 2014. And the Japanese automaker has confirmed that the new model will shrink in size. Mitsubishi Motors

Seriously never remember parents last time getting so uptight about the PSLE or exams in general. Maybe we were from a kampong and the common response of these mostly uneducated folks including mine towards exams was "buay tak chek to ker cho gang lo" (If one can't pass an exam, the next recourse is to find a job) But now being a parent myself, though not a very rich nor highly educated one, I am fully aware of the high stakes in our kids' education process nowadays because if they fail any national exams, they may be categorised as failures and end up as society discards sadly. Having said that I reluctantly agree with the authorities that the PSLE is necessary to gauge the ability of kids for their stage of the education. Maybe some tweeking will be nice but strictly not radical changes to the system such as what this parent advocated please. On a side note I did not remember having problems mastering my mother tongue those days. This is probably due to us kampong kids being fans of Jing Yong, Gu Long or Liang Yu Sheng last time From ST Forum: http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-...needed-20120928 Radical changes to PSLE needed Published on Sep 28, 2012 I JOIN Dr Joshua Kua in calling on the Education Ministry to roll out concrete action plans to resolve unhealthy stress in schools and for parents to form a group to lobby for education reform ("Resolve unhealthy stress in schools"; Sept 14). The fundamental problem lies with the current "one size fits all" education policy, especially for primary schools. Every pupil takes four subjects: English, mother tongue, mathematics and science. How well the pupils do in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is based on the aggregate of all four subjects. The primary objective seems to be to produce top pupils. It does not take into consideration their strengths and weaknesses. If a child is weak in mother tongue but strong in the other three PSLE subjects, he is "penalised" as his aggregate is affected and thus his choice of secondary school. Mother tongue is the biggest cause of stress for pupils and their parents. Many parents believe mother tongue tuition is necessary and even critical to their children's ability to score good grades in the PSLE. Sadly, many pupils spend a disproportionate amount of time on mother tongue and still fare poorly, not because they are not clever but because of the lack of an innate linguistic aptitude. My wife and I have a daughter, 14, and a son, 16. We would have wanted them to learn Chinese and Malay because they are of mixed parentage. We chose Chinese for their PSLE and, fortunately, they performed well. But it was unnecessarily stressful; the time expended could have been better used for quality family moments. The PSLE need not be scrapped to fix the problem. Instead, change the current calculation of the PSLE aggregate from four subjects to the best three subjects. English must be a compulsory subject in the mix, and a pupil must pass mother tongue. In this way, a pupil who is not as innately talented in languages is not penalised as he can focus on his three stronger subjects. But if he is strong in mother tongue but weak in maths or science, he is also not penalised as his aggregate will be based on English, mother tongue and one other subject. In fact, with this change, parents may even be encouraged to have their children take two mother tongue subjects and not be concerned about the grades. Second, review the difficulty in maths. Currently, many children struggle with the very convoluted problem sums, which even many parents find extremely challenging. Education should not be just about the best, it should be more about the rest. Tan Poh Lam

From ST: By Christopher Tan Car buyers will get a small reprieve as a planned cut in COE supply from August will now be more measured. In an announcement following Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew's pronouncement on mitigating the COE supply crunch early this month, the Land Transport Authority announced three measures. One, the planned cut of allowable annual vehicle population growth rate will stay at the current 1.5 per cent till next February, when it will go down to 0.5 per cent. This rate, which is one of the determinants of COE supply, was originally to be cut from 1.5 to 0.5 per cent from August. Two, the claw-back of oversupplied COEs made in 2008 and 2009 will be further deferred to July 2013 - a delay of one year. The claw-back, which has been responsible for an average 7 per cent reduction in COE supply each month, will resume in August 2013. Three, the Open COE category will shrink. Currently, 25 per cent of certificates from each of the four other COE categories go towards making up the supply of Open COEs.

The STOMPer was not clear about this "stationary" car. Was the car on the road waiting behind another vehicle or at a traffic light junction waiting to move off OR was it illegally parked along the road when the bus hit it? If it is the former then the owner's insurer can file a valid claim against the bus company but if the car was instead parked along a road which it was not supposed to then it would be a different scenario and best outcome could be a 50:50 claim yes? From STOMP: http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sg...ly_damaged.html Posted on 15 May 2012 Parked car badly damaged after SBS bus changes lane and hits it STOMPer Huile witnessed a SBS bus swing recklessly into a lane at Airline Road, hitting a stationary car and badly damaging it. Huile said: "This SBS bus swinged suddenly into the lane recklessly and hit a stationary car at Airline Road at 8.30am yesterday. "The car was very badly damaged and part of the bus was damaged as well but the bus did not stop."

Guys, got a very noob question. Assuming totally no obstructions (this means you are accelerating only. No need to brake or anything): Will it save more fuel to: always shift gear up ASAP or wait for current gear to go past optimal torque (or some other point) before shifting? Or is this car dependant? Thanks....

SINGAPORE: From this year, Singaporeans will get absolute priority over permanent residents when it comes to balloting for primary school places. The Education Ministry said where balloting is required during Primary One registration, Singaporeans will be admitted first ahead of permanent residents, before home-school distance is considered. For example, when the number of applications exceed the number of school places, Singaporeans who live closer to the school of choice will get higher priority compared to Singaporeans who live further away. Citizens living within one kilometre will be admitted first, followed by those who live between one kilometre and two kilometres from school. Singaporeans who live outside two kilometres of the school of choice will then be given a place. If there are still vacancies in the school after all eligible Singaporean children have been admitted after balloting, places will be given to permanent residents, with priority given to those who live closer to school. MOE said by giving Singaporeans priority over PRs only when balloting is required, it retains the underlying principles of the Primary One registration framework, which reflect a careful balance of considerations, and provide for diversity in Singapore schools, while according citizens a further privilege. This is on top of a measure introduced in 2010, where Singaporeans are given two ballot slips for each child for Primary One registration, while PRs get one ballot slip per child. MOE also announced that there will be seven new primary schools next year - five in the new towns of Sengkang and Punggol, and one each in Jurong West and Woodlands. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1191133/1/.html

fact is it is really easy, have DIY it myself. Change fuel filter took me couple of mins to do it and cost me $3 for the fuel filter. Nothing too complex. simple easy step to change fuel filter 1) Take out the fuse of the fuel pump then start the engine, engine will stall in a while as no fuel is pump. 2) locate the fuel filter and pull out the hose connector 3) take out old fuel filter and replace with new one 4) connect hose, earth wire to fuel filter and place back fuse for fuel pump. That's all, 15-20mins and its done. If u care for your car, why just change oil filter, must also change your fuel filter But oil filter change every 30k km whereas oil filter every 5-10k km when u change engine oil As for brake shoe for the rear wheel, it is really tough job, took me 1hr for 1 wheel front brake pad is much easier, about 15m and the DIY is done for 1 wheel Take a look here

Hello. After getting feedback that many members' mail box gets flooded by MCF notifications, we have done some adjustments. 1) Default email notification will be "Daily Email digest". This will ensure that you get one notification per day only. 2) "Delayed email notification" has been removed. The delayed email notification seems to be very much the same as the immediate email notification. So we have removed that setting. Any feedback on this or other "email notification" related matters is appreciated.