Google Play star rating is not up-to-date

Google Play star rating doesn't help much to gauge the popularity of apps. It also doesn't help to inform users about how responsive the developers are to users' feedback. What the star rating does is to average off the rating of earlier versions down to the latest ones.Hence, if the earlier versions were good and millions voted for 5 stars, that rating stays throughout. Even when the app failed later that resulted in millions who removed the apps, the star rating would still contain the previous votes. If that is the case, it will not tell new users how good the app currently is. To me, when the star rating is not real-time it does not help. That is because it won't help users to gauge the real-time performance/popularity of the app in question.

Another benchmark about app performance (or popularity) is the number of downloads. Most hot apps would have millions "downloaded". However, this benchmark is also not useful for the same reason as the star rating, i.e. it is not real-time. Assume that initial release of the apps attracted millions to download it. The millions love it, but then due to complacency on the developers' part, the app lost its luster and millions removed the apps from their phones. Such movement is not reflected on the scale. To me, that is not informative. For all I know, the 10 millions downloaded could well be "1000 still using it" scenario.

All-in-all, these two ratings are not being helpful to both users and developers. If these ratings or benchmarks can be made into real-time, it would help users to decide if they want to waste their phone memory downloading the apps. Also, real-time rating will pressurize developers into addressing users' feedback in order to keep their rating high because they can't afford to have the rating drop overnight!

Wouldn't that be a good idea, Google?

"Smart" lift invasion in Singapore taken over human mind

This could be the first incident of "smart" lift that ignored and overridden human "command". An elderly lost her left hand to a lift at Tah Ching Road.
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I'm not sure if this incident happened due to machine fault, poor maintenance, or worst, "smart overriding" program installed into the machine (to prevent holding of lift by users). The lift that severed the elderly hand was from Sigma Elevator Singapore.
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I'm not sure if many have realized that we are seeing more smart lifts in Singapore. Lifts that are able to override user holding the lift doors open for longer than allowed time. There is a program now to prevent lift hogging/waiting by users. Although it is useful to many, such smart program is dangerous to some users.
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I've recently visited Gardens by the Bay. My family stopped at Bayfront MRT station. We travelled with two baby prams. On three out of four occasions, while using the lifts there, we had the lifts close their doors on us while we were trying to move the last pram out/in. This is in spite of holding the open button from both sides of the doors. The lift just sounded the warning alarm as it nonchalantly closes. For reason unknown, it has to close before it can open again. Anything in its way will surely get squashed, our baby included.
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In instance like this, I prefer the mechanical sensor over light-mediated sensor. With mechanical sensor, there is less likelihood of failure to stop the door from closing. I am made dumber by this smart lift. I hope this is not the reason for phasing the mechanical ones out.
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Having warning sign discouraging users from holding the lift door by hand is useless and insensitive. There is no need to hold the door if we are clear from it in the first place. Don't assume that users are holding the lift door for FUN. Think about the user's who are pushing someone on a wheelchair. How about parents with two baby prams? How about users who have difficulty moving? 

A no hand warning sign is stuck on the leave. I have no idea what it means, although it is safe to assume that users are discourage from stopping the doors with their hands.

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The case of the above "smart lift" can only be designed by someone who are clueless and ignorant about practicality. Having the know-how but lacking practical sense does unfortunately defeat the purpose and aim of developing a modern and useful living concept. If the programmer/designer had taken into account users such as those with difficulty moving, or family with members who are reliant on prams/wheels (make it a family with two prams and an elderly on a wheel chair going to the lift at a time), they would not have made the oversight in the first place.
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Another stupid example is the water faucet at public toilet. Most mechanical ones are phased out and replaced by "smart faucets" with motion/light sensor. To conserve water, users are only allowed a running water for like 1-2-3 sec. The time-out is irritating when the freaking liquid soap that these toilets provide are so foamy that they are difficult to get rid off by a 3 sec running water. It takes at least 5 x 3 sec to remove that stuff off my hands. Now, what happens if a parent needs to rinse a baby's bottle? Try it out and you will fume. That's because some sensors are homing only to heat signature (aka infra-red)!
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Sometimes, I think it would be much better to just walk out of the public toilet without washing my hand.
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Now imaging me shaking your hand later. Now imaging all Singaporeans in public shaking your hands daily. What happens if these people who forgone washing hands in washroom/toilet starts preparing food or drink? What if hospitals have these "smart faucets" and the staffs there starts to forgo washing their hands.
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Not so smart now, right? When technology impedes our daily activity, we "adapt". In other word, if we can't adopt a technology, we have no choice but to adapt.
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Having smart technology will only work if the public is given the avenue to give feedback. Don't just shove it up to our face and neglect to take note of feedback.
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While most tech gadgets die naturally in the market when they are deemed useless by the public, I can't say the same for public infrastructure. They will stay longer because of the higher cost of installation. So, before we buy in bulk or commit to signing contracts with manufacturers, at least have a trial run using the public as Guinea pigs. Our feedback will be priceless and helpful to prevent unnecessary cost/live later.
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Just a thought.

Getting a laptop in Singapore? What to look out for?

Whenever I am set out to look for laptop, I am never prepared. The thing that I took into consideration first was always price, CPU performance, and RAM. Most times, the acquired laptop would last me more than 5 years while one time it only lasted a year.
I have a Samsung notebook that I am still using for > 10 years. It can no longer support most of the software in use today, but is can still permit playing yesteryear games and doing some MS Office 97.
This particular notebook elevated my impression on Samsung product. I have another netbook and ultrabook from Samsung. Both never disappointed me so far. In our household, we have NEC Versa notebook and it is still working. However, NEC design was bad. the wiring from MB to LCD got severed when the notebook was repeatedly flipped open and closed. I had to disassemble the machine to notice the severed wire and get replacement cable to replace it. I did that DIY as the 2 years warranty was over.
Acer TravelMate was a bad experience. The machine constantly burns up whenever in use for a duration of time. It crashed after less than a year. A visit to the Service Centre suggested that the MB was dead. The tech guy suggested that I top up few hundreds to get a newer and better version. I adamantly declined since I didn’t want to invest further on a brand that didn’t do a good job in the first place. After the MB change, the LCD kaput after few months later. Fortunately it was the backlight problem and EBay again solved my problem. I scoured for the right inverter and got it delivered to me. DIY to replace that part. A visit to any store would have requested that the whole LCD be replaced, which would have cost S$200 or more as compared to S$20 to 30 for the inverter.
Now, after 3 years of using the current Notebook from Samsung, it is time to get a new Notebook that will support most of the current software in use. I am still a MS Windows supporter. Although, I have dabbled with Linux, Mac and Android, I think MS Windows is still the choice for me.
Criteria for the next machine:

• Processing speed. Intel is best, AMD is good and affordable. A review of processors at ComputersShopper and TechRadar. I would want one that is power efficient and “cool-headed” (not burning up with fever).
• RAM. Slots and maximum RAM available for upgrade.
• HDD. Now there are two main types, spindle-type/mechanical HDD and solid state SSD. The latter is like a thumbdrive/flashdrive storage, only better. The spindle-type HDD makes noise and if dropped, it will damage the mechanical parts, whereas SSD will not. Talking about that, a salesperson at Challenger did that demonstration for a colleague to make that point! I was an accidental observer. SSD is faster than HDD but SSD is expensive. Soon, there will be light-based memory to take the spot of SSD. Probably then SSD will cost less. The capacity of SSD/HDD isn’t very important (as long as most software/games can fit into it comfortably). A 1 TB should be safe, while 500GB is no complain. Cloud storage is the way to go nowadays with their great sync and RAID function allowing better protection of our precious data. For example, Dropbox charges approx. USD10 per month for 1TB to USD15 per month per user/team for unlimited storage.
• Graphic and sound should be above average.
• Additional features: USB-A, mini- and micro-USB ports are going obsolete, there is a newcomer in town and it is USB-C. However, I still don’t like the feel of USB-C. Similar to USB-A, mini- and micro-USB, they jut out like a patient wearing intravenous (IV) cannula on an arm which is easy to accidentally shift the connection (Fig. 1). Thumbprint security feature is a joke. Longer battery life is a must (at least 6 hours). Screen size should be > 10.1” diagonally. Should have desired preloaded software, e.g. OS, MS Office, Brand’s additional bundled software, etc. Noise level tolerable (without internal cooling fan making aeroplane turbine sound). Trayless DVD writer. Don’t get Blu-Ray Disc (BD) ROM because a 25 GB BD disk is very expensive (at a range of S$0.50 to >S$1.00 per piece. If you get an equivalent 1 TB, it is about 40 pieces BD. That will cost 40 x S$0.75 = S$30.00 (for comparison 1TB “rewriteable” external HDD is at S$85.00). Moreover, BD is rare in Singapore. Bluetooth, HDMI, and network port are must. Touchscreen is okay but not necessary. Built-in webcam. Wireless connection should dual band at both 2.4 and 5 GHz (e.g. 802.11ac) but not necessary because a  dual band wireless adapters are selling at S$20 to 40 on EBay.

Fig. 1 USB-A, mini-, micro-USB, and USB-C all share the same bulky plug that jut out precariously like an IV cannula.

Singapore checking/current accounts

I am not going to talk about interest rate for customers because interest rate nowadays is negligible.
Citibank checking account
This is for personal checking account: Minimum balance is SGD5000; below SGD5000, SGD10 fee per month applies; free checkbook.

OCBC current account (bank opens on Sundays)
This is for personal current account: Minimum balance is SGD3000; below SGD3000, SGD7.50 fee per month applies; checkbook is charge at SGD10 per book.

POSB eCurrent account
This is for personal eCurrent account: No minimum balance required (BUT there is the risk of POSB taking money from your SAVINGS ACCOUNT to pay any outstanding amount in the current account); A monthly fee of SGD 2 applies if SAVING ACCOUNT is below SGD1500; SGD10 per checkbook.

UOB current account
For personal current account: Minimum balance at SGD3000; SGD7.50 per month applies if deposit is below SGD3000; SGD10 per checkbook.

Standard Chartered “Cheque & Save” (current) account
For personal account: Minimum balance of SGD5000; monthly fee of SGD2 applies; additional SGD7.50 per month applies if deposit is below SGD5000, thus, if deposit is SGD4999, you pay SGD 9.50 (compared to SGD10 per month for Citibank with same condition); free checkbook

CIMB current account
Note that I don’t like complicated product choices (which CIMB is doing).
For StarSaver account: Minimum initial deposit of SGD5000; there is no minimum balance required (BUT interest to customers is applied when balance is at SGD5000 or above); SGD1 per month applies; Balance below SGD5000 is not charged any additional fee; checkbook cost not mentioned.
For Shariah type, refer to CIMB StarSaver-i account.

HSBC Current account
For personal account: Minimum balance of SGD3000; below that, SGD7.50 per month fee applies; free checkbook

Comparison and my thoughts

• Minimum balance requirement should be less than SGD5000. SGD3000 seems to be the standard (except POSB which tap into SAVINGS ACCOUNT, which is risky in my opinion because SAVINGS & CURRENT SHOULDN’T BE MIXED!).
• Not interested in any interest on deposit to customers because the number is negligible nowadays. I would prefer to use the SGD2000 for other investment purposes rather than park it in CURRENT ACCOUNT (which charges 2.5% fee if the balance drops below SGD5000 [Citibank]).
• I am not interested in FREE checkbook. I haven’t even used up 10% of the 50 pages checkbook given by Citibank! Why would I be bothered with SGD10 per book then? FREE books don’t interest me. Reasonable monthly fee is more enticing.
• Low to no monthly fee for CURRENT account with requirement for low balance in current/checking account. I prefer to keep SGD3000 in the current rather than park additional SGD2000 for the minimum SGD5000 current account. The extra SGD2000 could have been used in other investments.
• CURRENT and SAVINGS account should be SEPARATED! Banks that tap into SAVINGS to pay off CURRENT accounts are risky business unless that SAVING is not the only and main savings basket to the customer.

Are we by default leasing our home to domestic helpers?

I have a colleague who was shocked when she saw via real-time recording of her home CCTV that an unidentified man went into her house. That man was led in by her helper (without consent from the employer). That man came into the house when my colleague's 2 years old girl was asleep.
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That man knew his way into the house and which room to go to. He went directly to the helper's bedroom. The thing about real time CCTV is that there is no playback. You can press a record button (when you need to record) but the rest of the footage is not saved (unless you opt for pricier hardware that can accommodate recording for several days before it overwrite).
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Panic struck my friend and she had to leave work to rush home. Several calls were made and neighbour was alerted. My colleague's main concern was for the child. The neighbour was instructed to go into the house and retrieve the baby. Reluctantly, the helper let the neighbour into the house and told the neighbour that she had guest. The guest was let off and most importantly, the baby was safe.
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My friend decided to terminate the helper's contract. The agency advised my friend against reporting to the police because that will delay the replacement. To a family with working parents, my friend had no choice but to comply. The helper was sent home with high probability of returning to Singapore to work. That would be a disaster to the next household.
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After some thoughts, my friend decided to report to the police. After much deliberation, the police decided that there is no case against the helper and the "intruder". The police said that since the helper invited the unidentified man to the house, there is no criminal element to it. My friend insisted that the helper "invited" the man without their consent. To that, the police said that since the helper is staying in my friend's house, she has the right to invite people over.
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All in all, it would suggest that if a household hire a domestic helper, it is by default that the said household is leasing their home to the helper and thus, the helper has the rights to invite people over.
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I was shocked to know this!
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An advice to parents/employers who have to leave their babies at home with domestic helpers (especially without any other family members such as grandparents at home): -
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The next time you renew your helpers' contract, please include a term in the contract that forbids helpers from inviting people over to your houses (esp. without your consent). Having it written in legally binding contract will protect you from having to go through what my friend went through. I guess that would make the "invitation" illegal then.
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For now, the helper is already back to Singapore waiting for the next assignment.
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Just to share.

HDB ceiling leak in bathroom

If you noticed that the ceiling paint inside your bathroom(s) is peeling, don't assume that it is due to Singapore's humid weather (or the humidity in your bathroom). That is because, most paints are resistant to humid condition and will not peel due to exterior condition.

A most likely reason for the peel is due to a leak that resulted in wet ceiling that caused the paint to deteriorate and peel.

Now, how can a ceiling be leaky? As I got to find out, bathroom in HDB is layered by water-proof membrane (it is just paint-able waterproof polymer that will solidify and function as a water-proof layer). This waterproof layer act to direct excess water to a sink (or drain), while preventing water leak to the lower unit. See the figure for explanation. Due to wear and tear, the water-proof membrane need to be replaced.

 Fig. water-proof membrane (dark gray) and the bottom layer is the concrete scaffold holding the whole bathroom unit. A sink/drain is shown. Please don't be misled to think that the water-proof membrane is thick; they are not and comprise just a thin coat of paint!

 Fig. 2 dimension representation of bathroom floor layers. The uppermost is the tiling, the layer immediately down to the tile is the concrete/screed (for support?), the dark gray colored layer is the water-proof membrane. The bottom-most layer is the strong scaffold/concrete supporting the bathroom unit. The blue arrows are the water-flowing to the sink/drain whereas the red arrow shows a leak when the membrane is worn out.

I was surprised (if not shocked) to know that the water-proof membrane can only last 10 to 20 years. That is a short time as compared to a 99 years leasehold for HDB home. It means that we will have to repair our bathrooms at least 5 times throughout the lease. Well, that's not actually a bad news, considering that some of us (not me yet) tend to renovate our home after some time. Having said that, please remember to ask the contractor to repair the waterproof membrane too the next time you decide to renovate your house (especially bathrooms). This is to prevent unpredictable leaking to the lower unit that will cause a revamp/redo of your newly renovated bathroom! A competent interior designer (ID) will be able to advise homeowner about this (to save future cost and headache).

Fortunately, any bathroom leak in HDB unit will be "subsidized" by HDB in their Goodwill Repair Assistance (GRA) scheme, in which HDB will co-pay 50% of the repair cost and the the remainder is shared by both vertical neighbours at 25% each. For more information, refer to HDB website pertaining to "repair of ceiling leaks".

All the following took 2-3 months time (and it depends on the speed of home owners to response to HDB because HDB is powerless to "compel" owners, and so being responsible neighbour is important):


Once you report a leak, an officer will come to your home and inspect the leak. Once the leak is confirmed to be due to ceiling leak, they will send request for GRA scheme and repair. You will receive a letter confirming that HDB will co-pay the repair and an HDB contractor/surveyor will visit to assess the bathrooms and write prescription about the repair work and they will show you the type of tiles, toilet bowl and explain the procedures. When we agreed to the repair, the surveyor will arrange a convenient time for the repair work.

For the repair, the first day will be very noisy and dusty. The contractor will provide a protective sheet for you to cover your bed (up to king size about 6.1 inch in width). You might need to prepare more protective sheets for your other items on the master bedroom (if that's the case). The first day will likely fall on a weekday, and ideally on a Friday (so that you will only need to take one day off work). Your bathroom will be demolished along with your favourite toilet bowl (you can't salvage it UNFORTUNATELY!). Any fixture at the bottom will be removed. However, anything that can be salvaged will be removed with care (that's how good the HDB contractor is; at least what I experience that day).

On the second day (ideally on Saturday), there will be two visits per day. The first visit is to paint the water-proof material (black in colour) to the slab of concrete layered on the first day. When the water-proof layer is dry, the next visit on that day would be to layer the subsequent void with concrete (or screed). That will be left to dry for two days (because Sunday is off day).

On the third day (or rather fourth day because it fell on a Monday), your chosen tile will be laid. Now, if you don't prefer to have the 20 x 20 cm tiles (and would prefer a larger 30 x 30 cm tiles or larger still), you will need to source it elsewhere. A minimal fee of SGD 80 will be charged for the tile work (if they are not from HDB specification). I don't understand why HDB is not providing a minimal 30 x 30 tiles (because that will ease the contractor's work during laying down the tiles (rather than having to repeat many times for the smaller dimension tiles). Furthermore, the price difference is not a lot for these tiles (see different types of tiles in Singapore). For those owners with concealed piping for sink or other fixture, you will not be able to conceal it once HDB contractor finish their work. If you insist on having them concealed especially those "ugly" piping, you can arrange with the contractor (but with added cost). That is because HDB only allowed basic repair work that fix the problem while preserving the function of your bathroom, rather than to "beautify" your room. HDB contractor can advise you about added work but they normally will not "hard-sell" you of their added services (due to HDB regulation I guess, which is good because you are assured to get the best of what HDB expect, while better than best would require your own insistence).

The work comes with a warranty (10 years).

A letter to therealsingapore highlighted a ceiling leak of a 20 years old building, the title was "HDB not taking responsibility for building defects" (19 May 2014). The complainant was unaware that waterproof membrane is not forever, and HDB does help owners to subsidies the repair work. Any warranty for the waterproof membrane on the new HDB unit is for 10 years and it is owners' responsibility to repair the leak thereafter (but co-paid by HDB on Goodwill scheme). The complainant was unaware of his role and blamed HDB for defect without approaching HDB for help and clarification.

Here are several responses from readers (of therealsingapore):
Khor Wee Siong · Top Commenter
"This accusation is based on assumptions which may not be accurate - namely - that the building work was defective and that the leak was caused by defective materials and/or workmanship. The normal warranty for waterproofing is only 10 years. So, if the slab remained watertight for over 10 years, it has already performed beyond the warranted period. This leak is thus fair wear and tear. The cost of repair should thus fall upon the owners, not the HDB."

Tempest Abraham · Top Commenter
"Seriously dude, your ceiling has started to leak after close to 20 years. Poor initial workmanship or not, likewise premium quality construction materials or otherwise, it is not unreasonable for them to start failing now. How often do you get life time warranties?"

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Do I like my bathroom now?
Well, I preferred my previous bathroom because it was sleek and beautiful BUT I don't dislike the current fixed bathroom because the work was surely not done shoddily. The officer-in-charge, the surveyor, and down to the contractors and workers were friendly, helpful and professional. Based on all these, I would give 4 out of 5 stars, with one star left out to encourage continued effort to improve.

My hope is that the waterproof membrane will last for 10 years plus plus.

Just a thought.

Updated (20141129)

• HDB ISN'T DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THE LEAKING PIPES IN MY CEILING (TRS, 2 Jan 2014) - I guess it's really difficult to expedite some repair, especially severe leakage that causes drips (if not pour), and it is important to spot the fault early so that immediate action can be taken. Fortunately, the above neighbour cooperated (as according to the contributor). We need to understand that HDB is powerless to compel people to act according to being neighbourliness and responsible because there is no law for HDB to act upon to compel owners to cooperate. It all boils down to being responsible neighbours. For example, in my case, when HDB informed me that my unit was leaking water to my neighbour at lower level, I immediately followed HDB recommendations to repair the leak. It was all done in less than 2 months time. As for my upper level neightbour unit that is causing my ceiling leak, it was difficult for HDB to contact them for several weeks but when HDB did, this neighbour followed the recommendation to fix the bathroom and the expected repair took about 3-4 months time. Considering that repairing leak (plus the paper works) takes longer time, it's always good to spot the fault before it gets bigger. However, there is also a hotline to call HDB in case of emergencies, e.g. ceiling pouring down water overnight instead of drips (e.g. 1800-225-5432 from 8.00am to 5.00pm on Weekdays). I guess we should hope that there is no emergency on weekends... All in all, we should understand that HDB is not superman (who can fix any problems immediately), the importance of being good and responsible neighbours, authorities act within bound of law (and not "common sense"), e.g. HDB don't hand-cuff people because they failed to cooperate.

Updated: 4-year-old's death from eating tainted food a misadventure, says coroner

Updated from the previous post re: 4-year-old's death from eating tainted food a misadventure, says coroner. Yesterday news reported that NEA will take action against the stall owner in court (Straits Times; 1st Oct 2014). Under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations, the stall owner faces a fine of up to SGD 2000 for each charge. In addition, Kopitiam was also reported to be taking action against the stall owner by terminating the license agreement with the said operator. On top of that, the boy's family could also take legal action against the stall owner, as pointed out by criminal lawyer Justin Tan. However, the boy's family was reported to have decided not proceed with that course of action.

I hope that this incident will provide a strong reminder to all food stall operators/owners to be extra vigilant and responsible in terms of ensuring that food safety/hygiene is followed. Owners should also ensure that all of their staffs handling food are well trained, certified and responsible. They should be made aware of stool-to-food transmission of lethal pathogens, in this case Salmonella spp. and never handle food when they are feeling unwell.

I remember that there was a case of Salmonella poisoning (or Salmonellosis) reported in 2007 and affected PrimaDeli product, in which scores of people were affected by the contaminated food product. Fortunately no lethality was reported. Sadly, the transmission of this bacterium was due to poor food hygiene practices and was attributed to food handlers (in which two were tested positive for Salmonella Group C) and management.

Food poisoning is not life-threatening to majority of adults, but I would like to remind food operators that food poisoning could be detrimental/lethal to certain susceptible group of people, such as children and elderly.

Re: 4-year-old's death from eating tainted food a misadventure, says coroner

As any readers, I was surprised when I read this news 4-year-old's death from eating tainted food a misadventure, says coroner (The Straits Times; 30 Oct 2014). What was more surprising was reading it in The real Singapore, CORONER: DEATH OF 4YR OLD THAT ATE TAINTED FOOD FROM FOODCOURT WAS JUST A "MISADVENTURE". Do take note of the quotation marks in the latter.

I asked myself, "Surely, I must be reading this wrongly?".

So began my quest to understand the terminology used in coroner's language. Sure enough, the terminology used, e.g. misadventure was used in a proper context, and in line with the coroner's work. That is because, terms such as these: Misadventure, accidental death or an open verdict only meant to be used to describe a death that was not due to deliberate action by someone/oneself.

In the above case, the boy did not intentionally poison himself, and similarly the food stall operator did not intentionally (nor premeditated to) poison the child. That's the coroner's language...

Having said that, it does not mean that Kopitiam (or the stall owner) is free from liability. Civil liability or negligent cases can still be heard by the court and compensation can still be meted out. In addition, Singapore authority can proceed with additional charges and include punitive measures to curb a recurrence.

Let's just hope that the parent will proceed with a civil suit against the stall owner (and/or Kopitiam) to get justice. There is a pro bono legal services in Singapore for help. Having said that, we as readers shouldn't be too shocked with the term "misadventure" used in the reported news. The verdict do not preclude/omit a civil liability of Kopitiam/stall owners (nor did it free them from any wrong). With sufficient circumstantial evidence provided by investigators/authorities, and if the evidence is strong (e.g. presence of Salmonella in the stall/operator), it would make a strong case to get justice and mete out a deterrent sentence.

Just a thought.

References

1. Inquests in England & Wales (Wikipedia)
2. Civil liability/Legal liability (Wikipedia)
3. Negligence and negligence suits (Wikipedia)
4. The Law of Negligence (SingaporeLaw dot Sg) - Note that it's too technical for me...
5. Pro bono legal services in Singapore (by the Law Society of Singapore that provides free legal service for public).

Sim Lim Square under a bad light again (this time involving coins)

Sim Lim Square is under bad press once again. It is due to a bad shop at Sim Lim Square that caused bad publicity for other shop owners operating under the same complex/building. According to The Real Singapore, the shop mentioned was Mobile Air Pte Ltd (Reg. number 201327396H; ACRA). What happened was that a woman shopper was tricked into opting-in for in-house warranty for iPhone product, which cost SGD2400 (for a two year warranty) whereas her phone only cost SGD1600. She wanted a refund and failed to get it. She went to Small Claims tribunal for help and the shop was supposed to refund her the money owed. To her surprise, the shop employee handed her a bag full of coins of different values. The customer had to spend hours counting the coins and all the time enduring harassment by the staffs.

A snapshot taken from The real Singapore. For more pictures, visit the New Paper too.

A check at Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority Singapore (ACRA) Bizfile showed that there are two shops with "Mobile Air" business name, e.g.

1. MOBILE AIR PRODUCTS (SINGAPORE ) PTE. LTD (Reg number 197200673H) at Penang Rd that was no longer active
2. MOBILE AIR PTE. LTD. (Reg number 201327396H) at 1, ROCHOR CANAL ROAD, #01-41, S188504 (at Sim Lim Square) which was active

 There are two entities with "Mobile Air" business name.

To find out the business owner, you have to fork out minimal SGD5.50.


To find out who is the owner of the business, one has to pay SGD5.50 (which is not expensive but not cheap if consumers need to check multiple companies belonging to the same owner). The information (or business profile) is not sufficiently informative and relevant. I'm saying this because, although the name of business owner is available in the business profile, there is no mention of other business names registered under that particular/same person (or am I wrong?). Furthermore, the online search form does not allow search by individual/owner's name. The only option is to search by business name or registration number.

There is no search option to find out how many other business names a particular business owner owned/registered.

For example, if a "Wong Ah Kiew" registered ten business names, and one of them, e.g. "Mobile Shitty Service Pte Ltd" was currently under bad press, consumers would be unable to shun (or avoid) the nine other businesses under the same "BAD" MANAGEMENT. Also, if the owner can swiftly change multiple business names at ease, it would be difficult for consumers to keep track, esp. considering that updating such information would require frequent purchasing of business profiles (from ACRA) that lacked information regarding other business names the same owner registered. If I'm Wong Ah Kiew, I would register several backups (if it's not too hassle). If that's easy, no wonder business owners can afford to be shitty, no?

I believe, if ACRA helps to list down businesses owned by an individual, that person will have to think extra hard before smearing his/her business with shitty services (because it would be easy to find out all other businesses he registered). Alas, for the time being, owners are able to change names whenever they fancy and consumers have difficulty keeping track of these changes. Probably that's a major motivation for businesses at Sim Lim Square having the audacity to roll out shitty services.

Just a thought.


References

• Sim Lim Square shop refunds woman $1,010 in coins (the New Paper).

Sim Lim Square, scams, contracts, consumer protection, misrepresentation and lack of help

Malaysian diver who performed badly during a game blamed his bad experience at Sim Lim Square while buying two iPhone 6s at doubled the price (> SGD4,500; that included exorbitant, misrepresented, ill-informed, contracted in-house warranty). The Commonwealth gold medalist Ooi Tze Liang was so much affected by the experience that he lacked concentration for the dive afterwards.

Sim Lim Square is a place full of vultures. That's the ugly side of an actually wonderful place to hunt for electronics (but the best is still IT Fairs, Electronic Fairs, and the likes). We are more careful and smart (after several past lessons) when dealing with Sim Lim Square salespersons. Alas, for the visitors to Singapore, they are more susceptible to being conned. They should have consulted TripAdvisor before heading to Sim Lim Square (but unfortunately, some was directed there by hotel staffs instinctively upon being asked, especially Sim Lim Square is known by many as a place for electronics minus its bad reputation). Also note that Lucky plaza is another retail place known to "con" tourists (read reviews before visiting any place). If you are a tourist and need internet access, you can access Wireless@Sg for free with one-time registration (for more information about registration and the hotspots available, visit Singtel Wireless@Sg page). With an internet access, study the review of any place before visiting them.

Next, to deal with the salesperson at Sim Lim square, one important attribute buyers/visitors should NOT have is to be FRIENDLY and SMILEY. Wipe that look away from your face. You don't have to be rude, but you must not be too friendly and smiley (which will be your Achilles' heel). Be serious with your buy and let the other person know that "I'm here for a bargain and everything is about PRICE". Ask about the NETT price (inclusive of 7% GST [tax]) constantly.

What to look out for:

1. STARetailer is a label to identify shops at Sim Lim Square that are less risky. For more information, visit Sim Lim Square Star Retailer.
2. Behaviour of salesperson in a shop. If they are persistent, aggressive, unfriendly, and act in a pack (like wolves), say "bye bye".
3. If you spot that most of the items are not price-tagged, say"bye bye". It is really sad to know that in Singapore, tagging items with price is not mandatory. In Malaysia, if any product is found to be untagged with a price, the business entity will be FINED. At times, I wanted to report to the authority about the lack of price tag in certain shops, but I'm clueless as to where to make such report. I haven't consulted CASE for advice. Probably someday.

How you are tricked:

1. Price or lack of. When you parted your credit card without asking to see the itemized bill (or receipt) first, what comes later in credit card bill can be scary sometimes... that's when you ask, "what happened to the price we were talking about?". Even if the darn salesperson printed the credit card bill for your signature, you can ALWAYS say NO. Just say "I want to cancel the deal, the price is not right". Note that the final bill can be bloated with "sale taxes" that is not itemized on the bill. In Singapore, Goods & Services tax (GST) is only 7% and will be printed clearly as such. If the final bill lacked itemized bill for price of item (negotiated) and GST at 7%, just refuse to pay! Note that for tourists, the GST is refundable in Changi Airport. For more information, visit Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) for GST refund.
2. Contract signing, in Ooi Tze Liang's case. If the contract didn't state the price or coverage for the services provided (e.g. in-house warranty) and the price came out too much for you, you have the right to void the contract and SCREAM, MISREPRESENTATION!!!!! FRAUD!!!! That will grab attention... but seriously, if the contract was pushed to you and they did a lousy explanation about the price and the coverage (due to non-disclosure, or deliberate omission of facts), you have the rights to void the contract. Call for help, e.g. police or Sim Lim management, especially when they refuse to return your credit card or hold you hostage. BUT NEVER PAY THEM FOR "DAMAGES"/BREACH OF CONTRACT. It's better that the police come to the shop and "arrest" (I prefer to see it as rescue) you rather than to let the police inform you later that, "this scam has happened to two tourists before you" suggesting that it's normal thing to happen in Singapore.
3. Cooling off period and rights to cancel a contract. Don't let unscrupulous salespersons scaring you off by saying that contract cancellation on the spot will subject consumers to paying for compensation for breach of contract. Recently, with amendments to Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) (Cancellation of Contracts) Regulations 2014, consumers are more protected and there is a cooling off period to cancel contracts. Refer to Ministry of Trade & Industry Singapore (MTI) Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act for detail.
4. Selling consumers defective, used or refurbished (resold), mismatched (e.g. items sold is different from advertised), reduced (e.g. removal of some parts to compensate for price reduction without informing buyers), Frankensteined (e.g. mixing old components or cheaper generic alternatives into products) goods, and other unacceptable practices. We tend to find out about the problem after some time and by then, the salesperson or shop will not entertain us for refund. However, Singapore Lemon Law provides a protection to consumers against such deceptive practices by business owners. However, Lemon Law only covers products. It does not cover services (I called CASE to find that out). Refer to CASE for FAQ on Lemon law. Refer to CASE for Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA) & Lemon Law.
5. Selling buyers items at exorbitant price.
6. Selling fakes. Note that Kingston now has an genuine labels using Phantom and Colour-shift technology. Alas, there are other products that can be easily imitated and sold as genuine. Some provide product validation online, but most still lacked this security measure to protect consumers.
7. Charging items with additional "service fees", e.g. "unlocking fees" for game consoles, hence increasing the amount of the final bill.
8. Huckster behaviour, e.g. harassment, aggressive sale tactic, throwing "freebies", begging, insulting, etc. to pressurize customers into buying. We don't have to feel pressurized to buy anything (even if there are three to four salesperson hogging to talk to us at one time). Don't feel bad about wasting anyone's time or effort. Just say, "I will consider". Never be FRIENDLY! We are not going to Sim Lim to make friends! Don't let our friendliness be our Achilles' heel.
9. Upon inspection of the item and deemed satisfactory by the potential buyer, this item is then swapped/switched during transit from customer's hand to the cashier. When the buyer realize this, some might have already boarded their flight and heading back to their country. An easy prey would be those buyers who disclosed to the salesperson that the item purchase is "actually a gift for someone" (which will only be opened by that person).
10. Misled buyers into buying "cheaper alternatives" that ends up useless, below par, defective product. For example, buyers being misled into buying "generic" camera lenses (instead of original) that end up having super blurry effect. Worst, the alternative is way cheaper than a factor of five elsewhere, e.g. sold SGD500 when it could be bought at SGD100.
11. Overpriced in-house warranty being hard sold to buyers. Sometimes, buyers are tricked into signing a contract for this useless item (without proper consent). It is akin to installing freeware in which the installer tricks user into opting-in for all the bloatwares.

What you can do:

1. Don't go down silently, file a complaint with Sim Lim Square and Consumers Association of Singapore. Write a review on TripAdvisor, Google, Straits Times newspaper, Stomp, Singapore Tourism Board (hotline from 9am to 6 pm 1800-736 2000), or blog it. You will need the receipt and other necessary information for the above action.
2. If you have not parted money or signed your credit card bill, because you are surprised by the amount stated on the bill, you have the right to void the deal. That is when your lack of FRIENDLINESS and SMILE comes into play. You don't have to explain, but if you want to, just say "the price is not right".
3. Visit the place with someone. Let the other person be the "bad guy" who will spoil the deal by saying, "I don't like it, let us go elsewhere". You will be the person who will ask about the product, the price, the promotion, the freebies etc. while your friend will pull you out from the deal if you give the right signal to abort. If the salesperson insist on knowing why, just say that the item is a gift for someone and my friend knows best! Just leave the place if the salesperson is still persistent.
4. Don't pay in cash. Allow all transactions to be paid by credit card. If the salesperson take your money, it will be very difficult to get it back if the deal turn bad. At least by credit card, you are well protected.
5. Get the product first with warranty before making payment. Trust goes both ways, and the shopper should ready the item and place them in front for you to inspect and ready to take away before you part your money. Allow the time you part your money/make payment the very last step of the deal/transaction, just right before the "thank you and bye bye". If there is any "activation" or "messaging" craps, just withhold the payment until that is settled. Keep your card/money until the "activities" stop and your product is finalized and ready-to-go before making payment.
6. Don't sign any paper/invoices/contracts until you get the final bill. Even after getting the final bill, always be very reluctant to sign anything, except for the credit card bill. There is no logic in signing anything extra.
7. If you can't find any review about a shop on TripAdvisor, tread with caution because name changing by shoppers is as easy as paying SGD 26.75. This suggest that the bad press associated with the shop name can be removed by changing to a new name for the shop. Refer to Asiaone news on "Shamed Sim Lim Square retailers change signboards".
8. If you refused to pay and being held hostage, CALL THE POLICE (999). Don't pay, just get "arrested" (or rather, rescued) for "failure to purchase at Sim Lim Square".
9. Ask for refund if you felt that the item was not what you wanted (or defective). Shops that carried the Staretailer are obligated to refund buyers if they are not satisfied with the purchase (or the price sold to them are higher than it is supposed to be). See Staretailer pledges.

Safety nets:

1. Contact Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) at +6561000315 (hotline) for assistance and enquiry.
2. Call Sim Lim Square office at +6563383859 for assistance if you are in a predicament at one of the stores
3. Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA) & Lemon Law.
4. Call the police @ 999. Police are not authorized to force business owners to refund money paid by buyers. However, the police surely is able to help customers to leave the shop without being forced to pay (especially if customers are being held hostage). Hence, buyers should not part their money easily except until they received their items in good order and receiving the final itemized bill for the payment.

Just a thought.

 Great references

• Yahoo "Scams at Sim Lim Square: How to shop smart" by Elizabeth Soh.
• Travelfish dot org "How to avoid rip-offs at Sim Lim Square" by Tanya Procyshyn.
• TripAdvisor rating shows 128 out of 202 votes is unsatisfactory with Sim Lim Square.
• Asiaone news on "Shamed Sim Lim Square retailers change signboards".
• Ex Chersonesus Aurea "Where Singapore scammers, scoundrels and scumbags are: Sim Lim Square".

What were you thinking Google YouTube, for allowing the video thumbnails to be misused to show graphic sex scene?

I don't understand. 

Google YouTube please think. Whenever someone uploaded a video, why did you allow them to "deviate the content" by adding whatever thumbnail they deemed fit? For example, I can upload a kids MTV song and add whatever thumbnail I wished by searching for the "best image" on my computer. What if I decided to add a graphic sex to the kids' song? How about adding a thumbnail with violent beheading in action? Can you see the irrationality? I don't really care if you had validated their accounts prior to allowing them to use the thumbnail function, or that you would promptly remove/inactivate their accounts if any violation had been detected. I only care for the safeguard that you will be implementing to ensure that thumbnail function is not being misused anymore. Why not allow thumbnail to be derived from the video being uploaded instead, and how about showing randomly selected thumbnail from the uploaded video (and minimising user intervention)? When a thumbnail for a video can be misleading, then the use of thumbnail is defeated, and thus, I don't see the point of using thumbnail, do you Google?

Now, as a parent yourself, can you see the risk of me keying search term, "Kid song" and end up with thumbnails in some results showing graphic sex, demented action scene, violent beheading snapshots, grisly ghost shots, and all in front of my toddler? Although the thumbnail is small in a 17 inch LED monitor, it ain't so when you are using YouTube with your Smart TV that might be 40 inch or more.

So Google, please do the right thing before YouTube ends up with more complaints than views.

Just a thought.

K box leak could be due to human error and biggest culprit, the management

Own experience, two cents' worth.

I had to go to a private clinic to get an x-ray done, for the purpose of employment. Everyone should have done that one time or another, especially in Singapore.

At the counter, a lady (or the customer service staff) was serving many customers. In front of her was a computer terminal that was used to input customer personal data and medical reports/results. To get into the x-ray room, you will be walking right pass this customer service staff. What I saw when I walked out of the x-ray room to the front desk was that she was updating herself with Facebook on the computer terminal that was also meant for sensitive/private data.

Since the K box saga, it led me to think that the easiest way hackers can get into a server and its data would be to fool the staff manning a terminal to the server. By phishing (or spear phishing), staffs are the easiest to fool. By fooling the staff to divulge their login and password, hackers can easily get the key to the server. By fooling the staff to download and execute an attachment (or link), usually with sensational/sexy feeds, people can be easily fooled to click them and compromise the security of their network (and ultimately server containing sensitive data).

For a staff at the clinic, the sensitivity and privacy of patients are at risk and at the mercy of the staff manning the terminal. The management is mainly at fault, because the management allowed (by not preventing) the staff to use the company's property for personal use that could jeopardize the privacy of many patients who entrusted the clinic to protect them.

We are all guilty of wasting companies' time by idling in front of computers and doing things that are not beneficial to the company (nor customers), but rather for personal reasons. For example, the guy blogger who landed in a libel suit for maligning another person was using his healthcare provider company's time and property to write blogs and doing "research" on his blogging material (this can easily be proven by studying the entry time for the blogs he posted/updated). Instead of reading more about how to improve his service method, or studying his patient files diligently so as to provide personalized care to patients, this healthcare provider-cum-blogger was busy with something else.

In my opinion, phishing is still the easiest and effective method to execute. By just sending spam claiming that the person receiving the email has won SGD 10,000, a low but significant number of people receiving this email will click on the corresponding link. A webpage will appear and trick that person to divulge his/her company email login and password. The subsequent prompt, "Congratulation, you will receive a call from us soon", will not raise any alarm to these gullible people. What comes next will be very unpleasant, normally the IT department will call the staff, ask to meet him/her. The IT dept will explain to them that thousands of company's staff data (e.g. email, name, phone number, designation, etc.) have been compromised. This is on top of having received spam/phishing emails from this staff on the company's email network. Normally, the IT dept would suspend the staff's email account for good (or until the staff completed proper awareness course on network security).

However, if management is flawed, don't blame any staff for the compromised/lax security. Onus is still on the company rather than staff.

Just a thought.

Re: K box customer personal data leak a wake up call for businesses

More than 300, 000 members of karaoke bar chain K Box leaked and made public due to hacking of K Box (or "inside job"). Regardless of how it got leaked, the weaknesses of K Box to protect customers' personal data is against Personal Data Protection Act (enforced on July 2, 2014), and is liable to be punished with a fine of up to SGD 1 million. The official website of K box is down for Personal Data Commission investigation.

The hackers collectively called The Unknown posted personal data, such as name, contact numbers, email addresses, NRIC numbers, dates of birth and marital status of innocent people. This act allowed unscrupulous people with ill-intent to manipulate/misuse such data to commit fraud, intimidation, threat and others on these victims (e.g. as experienced blogger Alfred Siew with a "loan shark" reported in Straits Times, Home B8, Sept 20, 2014).

The Unknown, if indeed an activist group, failed miserably in their effort to draw public support (akin to shooting at your own foot). They failed in their effort when they hit the wrong cord and stoked peoples' anger towards them, especially when they purposely exposed innocent people to vulnerability to malicious attacks (by anyone who can get hold of the "free-for-all" data, especially extortionists/frausters). If they wanted monetary gain, they again failed to "bargain" with K Box. Note that K Box is liable to a fine of up to SGD 1 million under Data Protection Act, and not to mention that this episode has tarnished its reputation. Also, why punish hundreds of thousands of innocent people, which The Unknown can't gain zilch, when the party deserving punishment is K Box for the lax in their server security?

Finally, I do believe that no hacker is really invisible in the internet nowadays (or soon anyway), especially when there is international cooperation (to combat/counter terrorism) that see participation from numerous countries (which will also cast wider net on combating hacking activities). This cooperation will soon be a death knell for malicious hackers, unless if they work (via zombies, bots, or the likes) in countries not supporting such international collaboration (or if they are Edward Snowden given special protection by the country). With cooperation and cross-border extradition agreement, it is easy to bring hackers (from different nationals to any country where they committed their crimes).

For those wanting to know why it's not possible to arrest "Anonymous" group, the answer can be referred in this exchange (from Stackexchange). Briefly, it's very possible to arrest any members of Anonymous group (who can be anyone with any misdeed, especially those with malicious/criminal deeds). But to arrest all members of Anonymous group would be improper as it would be akin to arrest all employees of Enron (which is illogical) considering that only a few of Enron members/bosses are guilty of crime/fraud (Enron Scandal). That is why, it's uncalled for for the arrest Anonymous group (a collection of people).

Anyone interested to read about how hackers are able to attack and how they cover their tracks (in order to be invisible), there is one article which is enlightening (from Scientific American). There is ongoing effort to try to minimize and penalize malicious hackers (via international collaboration and the establishment of a "trace-back" system to catch bad hackers). Furthermore, if national security is breached, Singapore with its internet service providers (ISPs) can at any time blacklist and block IP addresses originating from certain countries (which is neither a member nor supportive of international collaboration against cyber crimes or terrorism), and thus prevent hackers from using bots/zombie machines from these countries to attack Singapore. However, it is still dependent on the extensiveness of the bot network and compromised computers, with huge network being unfavorable to law enforcers (I don't think hackers will want to share their network just to see it being shut down by "misuse"). See DNS-based Blackhole List (DNSBL) or Real-time Blackhole List (RBL) by Wikipedia.

For now, I'm as excited as anyone to know how the whole episode will unravel. For example, will K Box be fined for negligence and being incompliant to the Data Protection Act and how much is the fine? Will the culprits who hacked and leaked personal data of innocent Singaporeans be caught and brought to justice, similar to the fate of James Raj Arokiasamy? How will the other businesses in Singapore react to this episode? I guess a huge fine for K Box will serve as deterrent and wake up call for other businesses to enhance their securities (which will be good news to many customers).

Just a thought.

Other articles
1. Identifying bots/zombies, filtering, stopping (or catching/caching) them (by distilnetworks).

Mosquito fogging in private properties

I can never understand the rationale of frequent mosquito fogging at private properties. Don't they know that it is useless considering that the toxic fog was only effective within their compound and that the mosquitoes will come back to repopulate their estate after a period of time has lapsed (unless the chemical used are those environmentally unfriendly type that cannot deteriorate/degrade and hence might pose a health long term hazard to people)?

I'm not saying that we shouldn't be fogging mosquitoes. I'm just saying that fogging frequency should be moderate so that we don't overdo it. Constant fogging will only increase the resistance of mosquitoes towards the chemicals used (similar to the effect of overusing antibiotics that caused bacterial resistance to antibiotics). Furthermore, we might also be killing slower flying/moving insects, an unintended casualties.

I think the best way to prevent "mosquito bloom" would be to remove their breeding grounds. It's really hard to do than thought. Mosquitoes can breed at places we can't even reach. They are resourceful and adaptable. These mosquitoes could also breed on unreachable tree (or plants) crevices with trapped water, and they could thrive especially during rainy days.

The claim that certain plants are natural mosquito repellants are not scientifically proven BUT have been used in earliest times, from which modern repellants were developed from (e.g. citronella). These plants could act as decoy to overwhelm mosquito senses.

Another useful plant to have around would be the pitcher plant (Nepenthes spp.). Although these plants have been shown to harbour mosquito larvae, a symbiotic relation of these plants with pitcher ant (Camponotus schmitzi) ensures that these mosquito larvae are eliminated early. Hence, it is crucial to have both of pitcher plant and ants in order to effectively control mosquitoes. Otherwise, pitcher plant could be a mosquito breeding place (although at very low frequency as compared to other types of breeding grounds)...

The use of electronic mosquito repellents are doubtful. The claim of efficacy of these devices are based on the believe that the frequencies produced mimicked predatory noise or annoying to mosquitoes. However, recent studies have debunked such claims. There was no effect of electronic repellents in repelling mosquitoes in one study, whereas in another independent study, such electronic devices could be increasing mosquito bites (akin to ringing the dinner bell). Also, the electronic zappers that are supposed to be zapping and killing mosquitoes have been found to be doing more harm to harmless insects than mosquitoes. For example, outdoor bug zappers actually killed 0.22% insects corresponding to biting insects whereas the rest was harmless and beneficial insects.

All in all, constant fogging is useless considering that mosquitoes will become resistant to the chemicals if overused. Controlling mosquito breeding grounds is more useful but it will be challenging to beat the resourceful and adaptable mosquitoes. Planting natural mosquito repellents could help alleviating bites by acting as decoys and messing up mosquito senses (however, some studies have found that the phytochemical level is too low to produce sufficient effect, e.g. citronella concentration too low in these plants to be effective). However, considering that these plants have been used in ancient times should provide credit that there could be benefit in them. Last, the use of electronic mosquito repellents are useless and could be detrimental. Similarly, outdoor zappers only zap beneficial insects while the percent kill for mosquitoes are extremely low.

P.S. Other claims such as increasing bat population will help minimize mosquito population is misleading. Although bats do consume mosquitoes as part of their diet, but they only eat mosquitoes when other food sources are unavailable. Similarly, although we do take bitter gourd, but we don't eat them regularly or make them as our main diet. Hence, bats won't be the natural predator that will help eliminate mosquito menace.

Singapore zoo Kidzworld Wetplay an incubator for infection

Nothing of real concern as kids will get sick frequently, especially once they are out playing and mixing with other kids, and especially true when they start schooling. For my kid, she was playing at the Kidzworld Wetplay last Saturday. The water was not clean and it was murky white (I have no idea what could have caused the discoloration). I can't imagine how dirty the water was. I can only bet that the water must have been the result of kids (or parents) passing water, spitting saliva, emptying runny nose, and other more (which is not unusual). I can bet that the water is just full of waste from kids or parents who were not feeling well. If the water is not properly sanitized (e.g. with salt or chlorine), you can bet that some kids will get sick after playing in it.

Sure enough, my daughter fell sick after two days playing in the water. She contracted fever and had ulceration in her mouth, suggesting that it could be viral infection. Her throat was not yet sore. Her temperature reached 38.6 degree Celsius. We couldn't do anything except to reduce the fever by medication. The rest would require her own immune system to acquire the immunity against whatever was/were assaulting her system. Poor kid. I guess it's part of her growing up process, i.e. to be exposed to as many pathogens as possible so that she will grow up to be stronger.

Anyway, I really hope that Singapore Zoo will be mindful of the poor quality of water at their Wetplay area and do something about it. Having viruses originated from other kids are not really bad (well except for the hand, foot and mouth, HFM caused by coxsackie A virus). I'm not sure if HFM virus is transmissible by dirty wetplay water or not (especially considering that viruses tend to die very quickly outside the host/vector).

Streetdeal and the likes cheap tricks exposed

I'm referring to the article "Customers complain about StreetDeal Singapore ‘trap’, company responds" (by Yahoo News). I thank the prudent and tech-savvy customers who exposed the cheap trick by such online companies using unscrupulous method to trick customers to OPT-INTO their membership subscription.

A streetdeal Singapore spokesperson said, "Premium charges are clearly stated twice on the payment page, first in the offer itself, second in the legal T&Cs right before customer confirm their purchase. Customers might not pay attention to the offer when they purchase a deal; at no moment the offer is misleading. They can unsubscribe without any charge in one simple click in their account. If you require a refund, no questions will be asked we will process refund within seven working days".


Let us judge for ourselves, okay.

• First, for the promotions, there are the premium only and usual promotions (such as Gucci Key holder)

• At the payment page, the spokesperson claimed that the "Premium charges are clearly stated twice on the payment page" (where the heck was this or these indicated on the payment page???? Oh, the checked box stating Premium membership $88 quarterly (hmm...12mo/4 = 3 months; or ~$33/mo).

 

 

• At the payment confirmation page, there are the general and membership T&C (but there isn't any indication of what I'm confirming to, except perhaps for  payment to the price listed, especially if I might once in hundredth occasion forgotten to uncheck the subscription!!!!!). There should be a pop-up to remind users that they will be charged membership fee once confirmed, especially when users might accidentally forgot to uncheck the default OPT-IN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheap stunt.

• I've read the general T&C (it's approximately 10 pages in Times Roman New 12 point font in A4 size). The summary is the usual:

1. Intro and definitions (standard)
2. Personal Data Protection Act
3. Exoneration/limitation of liabilities/Disclaimer of warranty
4. Self protection regarding copyrights and trademarks
5. Compliant to Rules and Procedures established by SIAC ("Rules and Procedures") within Singapore Arbitration Act
6. Streetdeal as agent, not merchant of "goods or services".
7. Streetdeal member subscription linked to other page.

• I've read the member subscription T&C and have several comments

1. Automatic renewal ((fees incurred)): You agree that StreetDeal will not provide You with any notices prior to each renewal payment ((charge you for membership fee)). You must cancel the Services before the renewal date to avoid being billed for the renewal ((can be done at My Account page)). This is completely UNTRUE, StreetDeal should remind subscribers to OPT-OUT especially if the SUBSCRIBER had no idea HE/SHE was accidental subscriber. The ONUS should not be placed on users solely (especially considering that no reminder/confirmation was given regarding CHARGED membership subscription during checkout payments (unless email was sent to notify consumers, all else is void). Let us try to remember the cheap tactic to charge unsolicited credit card to users for membership fees for failure to opt-out of the service...... nostalgia?
2. Trial period offers ((after which fees incurred)): If you are taking part in any trial-period offer, you must cancel the Services by the end of the trial period to avoid incurring new charges, unless we notify you otherwise. If you do not cancel your Services at the end of the trial period, we may charge you for the Services ((according to CONSUMER PROTECTION (FAIR TRADING) (OPT-OUT PRACTICES) REGULATIONS 2009, Streetdeal should remind subscribers to OPT-OUT at least a week before they start charging users. In other words, users should be given sufficient time to OPT-OUT...........)).

 Summary

1. Premium charges are clearly stated twice on the payment page, first in the offer itself (but not very clear to me on the non-premium offers with default check-in box for subscription), second in the legal T&Cs right before customer confirm their purchase. I disagree, the premium charge is inconspicuous to me and I'm not sure of what I'm confirming myself into except for the payment for the price of the item (there is no reminder if I had forgotten to uncheck the automatic opt-in TRAP). Imaging one time failure to remember to uncheck the "auto opt-in membership" on my hundredth and one-th transaction (pull hair and bite toenails).
2. Customers might not pay attention to the offer when they purchase a deal; at no moment the offer is misleading. I disagree, the offer is not intuitive and although it's not "misleading", it is not "leading" as well, i.e. not easy to comprehend or understand what most users are getting themselves into, sometimes by accident/forgetfulness to the opt-in TRAP.
3. They can unsubscribe without any charge in one simple click in their account. Most shitty spams and unsolicited services can be unsubscribed too. To prevent bad feelings, good companies always ensure that there isn't any accidental subscribers by providing sufficient warning popups notifying users of extra charges prior to proceeding to payment.
4. If you require a refund, no questions will be asked we will process refund within seven working days. I hope it's as breezy as accidentally having to pay for it in the first place.

 Fortunately Singaporeans are prudent and mature users. Just a thought.

To StreetDeal, your promotional items are good. But remember that your greatest assets are your HAPPY USERS. If 5% of your users are unhappy and growing each month, soon, you will have more than 5% unhappy users. Once your assets are leaving, don't hit yourself on the head for being stupid and greedy.

Singapore zoo, a jungle of people

Today visited Singapore zoo. It's a Saturday. At Woodlands bus interchange, bus number 926 was not operational except on Sunday and Public holiday (can't understand why not). We proceeded to wait at the taxi stand. It seemed that taxi drivers were selective with their patrons. Some didn't want to go to the zoo. At last, caught one taxi (thank goodness not all taxi drivers are bad apples).

At the zoo, all we saw was a flood of people. It seemed very lively. Our Singapore zoo was indeed popular. This was good. 

Once we entered, there were still plenty of people. At each station, there were plenty of people (with family and kids). It was good. However, I'm not sure if the animals enjoyed the flock of people. The White Tiger moved back and forth repeatedly looking at the mass of people. I'm not an expert in animal behaviour but I suspected that the animal was stressed (or intimidated by the sheer amount of two-legged creatures staring, clicking away cameras, and talking (we were like flock of birds perched on tree branches at late evening making loud noises before flying off to our nests). That's how I thought the animals must have felt.

Today seemed to be a family day. No wonder. That was why there were plenty of people today. Furthermore, it was near school holidays. Kids were seen playing happily with parents, grandparents, and siblings. I'm not sure if they appreciated the animals though, because some were obviously enjoying the greeneries, tracks, and stops, more than the animals. I know my kid was not at all interested to know what the animals were doing. She was more interested to move to the next stop and the next. The only stop she stuck to for the longest time was the kids' world Wet Play (see the Singapore zoo map). We had the tan to prove it. Talk about the Wet Play, the water was milky white in some places. There were indications of wear and tear everywhere, but that didn't stop the kids from having the best moment of their day at the zoo. My kid was so happy there she didn't want to leave the play afterwards.

We stopped at the Polar bear station. There was a single bear (similar to the white tiger; I heard that the other white tiger had to be euthanized because she was terminally ill. It was indeed sad for the other tiger). I'm not sure why there is only a single bear. It was swimming the whole day except during feeding time when it could be seen resting on an artificial platform made to look like a block of ice. I always thought that polar bear was completely white. This one was not completely white. The bear was brownish, with a tinge of green on the head. It's amazing how close we were with the polar bear. I felt sad that the bear couldn't have its natural habitat, but I felt amazed too that I could see a polar bear up close.

During our visit to the zoo, the one thing that surprises me was how unbelievably expensive a bottle of drink can be. For a bottle of isotonic drink (approximately 450 ml), it cost SGD 3.50. I wanted plain water but couldn't find one when I really needed it. I couldn't find any drinking water fountain nearby too. Probably it's somewhere in the zoo, but not easily found (unless if I ask someone who works there, but I didn't). The weather today was hot and humid as usual (sort of like in a sauna). Staying hydrated was surely a good idea (and a bottle of isotonic helped).

Our favourite hangouts would be the polar bear station where it's cooling and cozy. The igloo was fun.

The tram helped with the travel, especially with kids around. It would also be handy for expectant moms and the elderly. However, there were long queues at some stations, but luckily the flow was fast. The ticket for tram was SGD 5.00 per person (whereas kids below 3 years old are free).

The orangutans were spotted nearby Ah Meng restaurant. We were able to catch them during feeding time. A handler was using a long pole to extend/reach the edible leaves to the orangutans. I felt a little bad for the orangutan. They were completely reliant on men for food and shelter. I'm not sure how they felt, but I do know some people would be thinking, "why not? free food without breaking a sweat, that's the best lifestyle to be in". I hope these primates are used to the presence of men by now, so that they are more at ease with the noise and crowding.

The elephant ride tickets were sold out today. I am glad to see this happening. That would mean that the elephant handlers were being very sensitive and empathetic to the creature and their well being (thanks to the prudent management by Singapore Zoo and AVA). The tickets must have been capped at a specific number so as to prevent these creatures from over-exhaustion due to carrying too many people per day.

We visited fragile forest and spotted several mouse-deers, a variety of birds, insects, spiders, beetles, and butterflies.

During lunch time, finding a seat is a challenge. Food there is okay, the price is pricier, and thus we didn't get any drinks from the restaurant. The vending machine shows the same price for drinks, e.g. SGD 3.50. We should have gotten our bottle of water today.

The vending machine for pressed penny of Singapore zoo costs SGD 2.00. I wanted to get something as momento, and thus slipped in SGD 2.00 note, turned the wheel and waited for the coin. I couldn't believe how thin the coin was. It wasn't even a coin, it looked like a locket, but with sharp edges, and pointy print. A youtube video showing the pressed penny uploaded by someone; or you can just Google "Singapore zoo pressed penny" and jump to image to search for these coins. Some people are selling them at Ebay at higher value (I'm not sure I would be buying or selling these coins). I think it could be made of copper (not entirely sure, but the metal is bronze and pliable).

Today, it rained and drizzled. The air was cooling. The street was wet and some places are slippery. The roof to the polar bear pavilion was leaky. There wasn't sufficient sheltered walkway to escape the rain. There were plenty of visitors donning raincoat they bought from the Zoo with "Orang Utan" printed on them. These coats came with many colours and I would be getting one too if it was not for the umbrellas we remembered to bring along.

When it was time to go back, the bus stops were full of people queuing up. Bus number 138 came more frequent than 927. The difference could be five 138 buses to one 927 bus frequency. People queuing were friendly and didn't seem to be as agitated as commuters we have seen rushing to work and rushing back home after work during weekdays. Several considerate people were seen letting their seats to expectant moms and parents with newborn babies. Children were happy just to stand beside their parents holding on to bus poles during the journey home. Some kids were heard talking about how happy they were today. One kid was seen crying out loud just because he thought he didn't have sufficient time to play at the Zoo. A dad was seen cuddling and consoling him... 

It was still a happy trip to Singapore Zoo. There were still many places we didn't manage to cover. Probably next time.

Different types of tiles in Singapore

Google is disappointment in this topic too. Sigh, probably lack of data to show.

What I wanted to know

1. Different types of tiles
2. What are the material that made up these tiles
3. Comparing the performance of each tile, or the pro and con of these tiles

I've got one blogger who provided a good answer to my query, "Home Memory" blog and the types of tiles (Laminate, homogenous, granite, parquet, teak, marble, ceramic), and the pros and cons. Parquet is a flooring design made of wood, whereas a teak is a wood derived from evergreen tree (Tectona grandis) of southeast Asia. Therefore, parquet is a process whereas teak is the material. Similarly, don't confuse with mosaic with tiles. Mosaic is a process that uses materials other than tiles.


Types of tiles
Homogenous(or homogeneous) tile
Man-made tile composed of uniform materials (no information regarding the material used), and considered to be as tough as granite (coarse-grained, light-coloured, hard igneous rock [composed of quartz, orthoclase/microline, and mica]).

Marble tile (not to be confused with marble toy)
Durable, but weaker than homogenous and granite tiles. Marble tiles can be porous (even though after polished or honed) and coloured liquid can easily stain marble tiles. In addition, constant acid (such as lime juice) exposure will corrode marble tile (but not to worry because it could be repaired with cost).

Compressed marble
Not as durable as homogenous tiles. The compression might not be as efficient as nature intended.


Granite tile
Granite is hardest stone used for flooring, but can be slippery if not well maintained.

Ceramic tile (not homogenous)
Low cost, not durable (if in constant contact that could cause cracks) and hence not advisable for flooring. It is made of red clay and glazed with surface coating.



Pricing
Got it from Forum
Thanks to yoongf for the input in a forum estimating the price of different tiles (minus workmanship and other materials; which can markup the price 20% to 80%).

• Real Marble approximately SGD 12 per square foot (psf), 
• Compressed Marble approximately SGD 9 psf, 
• Homogenous Glossed approximately SGD 3.50 psf. 

Note that 1 psf is roughly 30 x 30 square cm (or exactly 929.0304 square centimeters). 


I will continue the blog once I visit the showroom and compare the prices for homogenous tiles. I'm looking for textured homogenous tiles.