Singapore’s New Year’s Eve Eating Destination

If you think that all establishments are closed during New Year’s Eve, well, it’s not. A lot of restaurants and food chains in Singapore are open to serve their customers to the fullest during New Year’s Eve. However, there are other businesses that close early to prepare and celebrate together with their families during New Year’s Eve.

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1. Catalunya. International Chef for the year 2013 Ferran Adria, brother of Albert Adria who serves his sample recipes at Catalunya which includes sashimi, crab cake withblue crab, premium beef and many mouth-watering foods. This is exclusively discounted every Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

2. Au Chocolat. Presenting their 3-dish dinner menu, Au Chocolat is not behind when New Year’s Eve comes. Their delicious duck recipes and other sea foods make them popular and making people find their way back to the place.

3. Caffè B. Italian cuisine is here in Singapore, as Caffè B serves their extraordinary New Year’s Eve menu in an exceptionally reasonable price.

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4. Edge. Before you say that crab is just an ordinary food, let Edge give you the chance to taste their one of a kind Alaskan king crab. Apart from their best seller, you can also dig into their hams, oysters, salmons and etc.

5. Gattopardo. When you want an extremely extraordinary New Year’s Eve, you cannot commit mistake once you choose to celebrate your New Year’s Eve at Gattopardo. Most of the food served here are of chef Lino Sauro’s work. In here are fine Italian plates like braised octopus, pasta and their top food in the menu – seafood stew.

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Protecting Yourself from Personal Data Theft

On January 21, 2014, South Koreans swarmed banks to withdraw their credit cards after the news of personal data theft. This was a big issue because twenty million South Koreans were compromised. According to FSS (Financial Supervisory Service), about 1.15 million victims on January 20, 2014 permanently cancelled their credit cards or requested for a new one.

Hacker sold personal data of 4 million US citizens online

Earlier this January, someone was arrested for stealing and selling of personal data (such as credit card numbers, phone numbers, names, social security numbers and many more) from 3 credit card companies. The 3 credit card companies include Lotte Card, KB Kookmin Card and NH Nonghyup Card.

Hopefully this does not happen here in Singapore. Stealing and selling of personal data is prevalent that customers will not know it already hit them. It is important that you protect yourself from thefts. Here are some tips that you can consider:

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  • Check your statement: Checking your statement is the first step.
    This is obvious and you may think that this is useless but it will give you an idea if your card has been compromised. In your statement, look for suspicious activities. For example, if you recognized an item you did not buy, that should alarm you.
  • Call the company: If you discovered that your card has been compromised, avoid using it again. The next thing that you need to do is call your bank. Never wait for the bank to call you. You should move quickly. You can go to the bank personally if you prefer it.
  • Replace or cancel card and change PIN: The bank will give you an option – replace the card or cancel it. If you replace it, make sure that you update the companies with your new information. When you replaced your card, change the PIN (Personal Identification Number).

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No Foreign Worker Abuse

On January 20, 2014, Acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin faced the Parliament and denied the accusations that foreign worker abuse is prevalent here in Singapore. Foreign media and civil activists saw the riot that happened on December 8, 2013 the uproar of unsatisfied, abused and exploited foreign workers. If you can remember, there was a riot in Little India that involved four hundred rioters. The angry mob attacked emergency response cars and law enforcers.

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The government handled the riot well. The forces quickly contained the situation. After the restoration of order, the government put its attention in Little India and launched a temporary bill (called Public Order Bill) that gives law enforcement officers the power to search, review and ban individuals. The bill also gives officers authority to cancel and suspend licenses.

In the Parliament, Acting Minister for Manpower Tan mentioned a survey conducted by the ministry. In 2011, his ministry steered a survey that seeks to find the satisfaction of foreign workers here in Singapore. About 90% of 500 S-Pass holders and 3000 work permit holders were satisfied and contented with their work. In fact, 80% of the respondents desired to continue working.

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It was mentioned earlier that foreign media and civil activists saw the riot as an uproar of foreign workers. The government is clear that the contributing cause to the riot was alcohol consumption not abuse, exploitation and other things. Tan also stressed that from January-November 2013, the ministry assisted more than 7000 foreign workers having difficulties with their permits or passes.

The ministry know that they are looking for ways to improve the lives of foreign workers. For example, the ministry will intensify penalties for companies that fail to compensate the workers. Apart from that, the ministry is very keen on doubling the maximum penalties for companies or employers that break work pass conditions.

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Coping with the Stealing Addiction

There are people who suffer an undesirable disorder – Kleptomania. If you have this disorder, the urge to steal things prevails. The stolen stuffs can be hoarded or simply discarded after the act. Regardless, this is not a good disorder. You may think that this not serious but you should be reminded that it can taint your reputation if you are caught. It is important that while it is early, you control your urges.

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Controlling your urges to steal is not that easy. It needs your discipline and self control but if you are successful, it means freedom from the reins of this undesirable disorder. You do not wish to be like this but the urge is too powerful for you, right? No matter how strong it is, you need to stop it right away. Here’s how:

Learn about your disorder

You need to learn about your disorder. Reading about your disorder can help you understand yourself better. You can read a book about it or better yet, scan the internet for more information. It helps if you a lot about what you are going through so you will know how to proceed.

Seek help

Other Kleptomaniacs think that they do not deserve help because they feel guilty. It is crucial that you share your burden so you can be free. The first thing that you need to do is look for a psychiatrist or psychologist. Counselling can make a difference.

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Write it down

Writing therapy can be the first step of your improvement. You have to spend time so you can write your stealing history. In your paper, you should include your feelings every time you steal something, stealing episodes and many things.

Reflect

It is during your silent moments when you see the whole picture. Take time to reflect on your disorder so you will understand yourself more. If you reflect more, you will uncover the things that compel you to steal. It is important that you do not feel powerless in the face of Kleptomania.

Distractions

Distracting yourself is classic but it will never fail you. When you feel an urge or impulse, you should think or do other things. You need to consider things that will make you busy. For example, you can engage in physical activities like exercising. You can also engage in sports and many more.

It is important that you tell your family and friends about your disorder so they can help you. It is hard to admit it but if you are surrounded with supportive and positive people, they will accept you and try their best to help you overcome your disorder.

Competitive Swimming

Swimming can be a recreation or a sporting activity. If in this case you are into swimming as a sporting activity, you are referring to competitive swimming. You should know that competitive swimming is one of the most famous participant sports around the world. There are many minor leagues and international competitions that you can join if you are a professional swimmer.

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If you want to gauge your swimming skills, perhaps you should think about competitive swimming. But before anything else, you need to know the basics of competitive swimming. Here’s an idea:

Pools

Pools for the competition come in two sizes – short course and long course pools. Short course refers to pools that measure 27.3 yard in length. Long course refers to pools that measure 54.6 yard in length. Major swimming events occur in 50 meter pools. There are eight lanes for major competition. The lanes are about 8’2” wide. The floating plastic will serve as the lane markers. Apart from that, there are visual references at the bottom and walls of the pool.

Equipment

Before the swimmer gets into the water, he/she should wear the proper attire and the right equipment to ensure their safety. Swimmers are required to wear a swimsuit together with their swim cap and the goggles. The swimsuit that clings tightly to the swimmer will allow them to move freely. The cap is important because it decreases the resistance the swimmer meets when he/she is in the water. The goggles will help the swimmer see clearly under the water and prevent eye irritation.

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Training

Training is important because it is the difference between losing and winning. There are people who spend most of their time training or practicing. Apart from training in the pool, others consider a variety of flexibility exercises and routines. If you are nearing the competition, it is expected that you spend most of your hours honing your skill. The training will depend on the coach or the instructor.

Events

The events are divided in different styles – individual medley, butterfly, freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. During national and international competitions, the swimmer should deal with six lengths for freestyle (50m, 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m). For backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly, the swimmer should deal with two lengths (100m and 200m). For individual medley, the swimmer should deal with two lengths (200m and 400m) as well.

Reaching international competition will mean more hard work but if you set your eyes to your goals, you will surely achieve it. Who knows you will be one of the representatives of Singapore in the Olympic Games?

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