Stupid MRT ticket machines does not like POSB cards

For some reason, the stupid MRT ticket machines nowadays mostly refuse to accept POSB ATM card for NETS transactions, and I do include the NEL line.

Whenever I try to insert the POSB ATM card, it refuses to register that the card has been inserted and removed. Out of 10 ticket machines, I may be able to get 1 machine to accept my card.

I do wonder if anyone is ensuring that the ticket machines work as advertised. Isn't there a standard User Acceptance Plan that ensures that the machines accept all NETS cards? What's the use of accepting NETS if the machine doesn't accept the most popular ATM card in Singapore?

Cashless society? Yeah right. Provided it works.

LTE? First Resolve the 3G problem

Recently the 3 telcos have been saying that they have testing the new 4G technology, also known as Long Term Evolution (LTE), that allows transmission speed as high as 100Mbps.

My question to the 3 telcos is very simple. To date, are any of the 3G users making full use of the speed that 3G can offer? HSDPA+ (3.5G) is suppose to hit up to 42 MBps. Are any of the 3G users consistently hitting this speed?

I don't have the telco's statistics but based on my personal usage statistics, I can say that the 3G users are NOT hitting the promised speeds. Not only do we have serious coverage problems even for EDGE (2G) in the SMRT tunnels (yes, I had no problems with the NEL tunnels), whenever I do have 3G coverage, I need to wait for a while just to launch my Facebook app. Even if I'm taking the conservative speed of 7.2MBps for 3G, loading of the Facebook app should be instantaneous, which isn't the case. Heck, even if I try to load the Channelnewsaisa app, I have to wait for a while during peak hours (morning and night) even though it's mostly textual.

So why on earth are we going towards LTE if the telcos are still having coverage and speed issues? If 3.5G cannot hit speeds of up to even 7.2MBps, then admit it. Don't use the same network congestion excuse. No matter how fast the technology is, if you cannot resolve the 3.5G network congestion issue, what makes you think that you can resolve the 4G network congestion issue? Oh yes, and the other favourite excuse given. Too many users are logging into the network. Does 4G resolve this problem?

Resolve these fundamental problems before you should even think of going towards LTE. I do wonder if anyone is monitoring the service level of the telcos. Recently Singtel got rapped by MDA for the Mio service downtime. How about the internet service level?

Power of Letting Go

I quote from Julia Butterfly Hill:

As I started to picture the trees in the storm, the answer began to dawn on me. The trees in the storm don't try to stand up straight and tall and erect. They allow themselves to bend and be blown with the wind. They understand the power of letting go. Those trees and those branches that try too hard to stand up strong and straight are the ones that break.


This analogy rings true for the problems we face everyday. Some battles should be fought, but not all battles need to be won. Energy can be saved for battles that matter.

For those with minimal impact, live and let live. For those with outcomes that we cannot change, escalate it to someone who can make the difference, and not try to resolve something that's not achievable within your power.

Letting go helps us mentally. Learn to do that.

Summary of HDB changes for Budget 2010

HDB has came out with a list of changes designed to prevent HDB speculation and enhance the distinction between Singaporeans and PR, which was what people have been complaining about for the past few years. Is the election coming?

Anyway, the summarised changes are as follows:

• Effective on or after the date of policy announcement, allowing all eligible households to apply for a second concession HDB loan regardless whether they upgrade, downsize or move to the same flat type;
  
  
• Effective on or after the date of policy announcement, tightening the rules of the second concession HDB loan by reducing the quantum of the second concessionary loan by the full CPF proceeds and part of the cash proceeds from the sale of the existing or immediate past HDB flats. Details can be found here;
  
  
• Effective from 1 Apr 2010, the Lease Buyback Scheme (LBS) eligibility criteria are:
  - Citizen household living in a 3-room or smaller HDB flat;
  - All lessees are at least at the CPF draw-down-age, currently at 62 years old;
  - The household must not have enjoyed more than one housing subsidy in the past;
  - The household must have lived in their flat for at least 5 years;
  - The monthly household income must not exceed $3,000;
  - The household must not have owned or currently own a private residential property; and
  - The household must not have any outstanding housing loan on their flat that exceeds $5,000 unless they have minimum proceeds of $60,000 for the purchase of an Immediate Annuity under CPF LIFE.
  
  Those who previously owned 4-room HDB flats and above will enjoy a subsidy of $5,000 while those who previously owned 3 room HDB flats and below will enjoy the same subsidy of $10,000. Details can be found here.
  
  
• Effective to resale transactions on or after the date of policy announcement, the minimum occupation period for resale of non-subsidised flats (i.e. resale flats bought without CPF Housing Grant) will be increased to 3 years, regardless of whether the buyer takes an HDB loan, a bank loan or no loan at all. There are no changes to the minimum occupation period of 5 years for resale of subsidised flats. Details can be found here.
  
  
• Effective on or after the date of policy announcement, the housing subsidies for Singapore Citizens (SC) and Singapore Permanent Residents (SPR) will be the following:
  
  
  

  Household Type*	Buying New Flat from HDB	CPF Housing Grant for Resale/DBSS flats or EC unit		Citizen Top-Up
  		Basic Grant	Higher-Tier** Grant
  SC / SC	No change	Receive $30,000	Receive $40,000	N.A
  SC / SPR	Pay $10,000 Premium	Receive $20,000	Receive $30,000	Receive $10,000

  * Withheld subsidy of $10,000 will be restored when an SPR family member in the SC/SPR household takes up citizenship or if the couple has an SC child while still in ownership of that flat
  ** Not applicable to EC
  
  
• Effective on or after the date of policy announcement, the SPR quota will be set at 5% and 8% at the neighbourhood and block levels respectively, and will apply in addition to the existing Ethnic Integration Policy limits.
  
  Details can be found here.

Shaking away Negativity

I quote from Terry Orlick:

Negativity sucks away energy. If part of the negativity stems from your attitude or perspective, commit yourself at the beginning of each day and each activity to find something positive in yourself and in others around you. If the people around you are negative and you can't change that, either remove yourself from the situation or view it simply as one obstacle you face in pursuing your own potential. Stay focused on your own goals and make the best of the situation.

Something wrong with the Phone reception in SMRT lines

It may have been due to the influx of iPhone users but I've realised that the phone reception in the SMRT underground tunnels is increasingly going from bad to worse.

Why did I single out SMRT underground tunnels? That's because I've done a simple experiment. I had an uninterrupted phone call with someone from the start of NEL line to Serangoon. After which, my friend switched to the Circle Line (SMRT) towards Bishan. During the journey in the NEL line, I had uninterrupted access to my friend (both of us on mobile phones and I'm at home). However, the moment my friend switched to the NEL line, I kept losing connection. The same dropping of connection also happens during the journey from Braddel to Dohby Ghaut.

Therefore, it's definitely not true that only the old SMRT lines have the phone reception problems. Even the new Circle line is having the very same problems. Therefore, I can only put it down to the SMRT design that prevents phones from getting reception. There are no such problems in the NEL line.

This could be dangerous in certain situations because in certain parts of the SMRT tunnel, I got absolutely no signal on my mobile phone. This simple experiment can be duplicated any time during the peak hours (going to and coming back from work).

I'm not even asking for 3G access. Sometimes, I don't even have EDGE signals in SMRT tunnels or a reception for that matter. Are you sure the 3 telcos coverage are over 99% ? Doesn't look like to me and I'm being reminded of this fact everyday.

Universal Studios Singapore Opening 18 Mar 2010

Resorts World has finally announced that they will open the Universal Studio on the 18 Mar 2010, at 8.28am. Seems like there are a variety of tickets. I have copied the table from Resorts World below. You can refer to more information here.

I do not understand the part on the lanyard with 2 pins and lanyard with 4 pins. Why the differentiation? :)

Ticket Type		Adult		Child		Senior
One Day Weekday Pass		SGD66		SGD48		SGD32
One Day Weekend Pass		SGD72		SGD52		SGD36
Two Day Pass		SGD118		SGD88		SGD58
Annual Pass- Fun Pass *		SGD318		SGD238		SGD188
Annual Pass- Superstar Pass **		SGD1,098		SGD828		SGD738

Ticket Type		Off- Peak		Peak		Super Peak
Express Pass ***		SGD30		SGD48		SGD68

* Fun Pass

• Enjoy unlimited admission for 312 days (Most weekdays and weekends)
• Universal Studios Singapore lanyard with 2 pins.
• S$25 Resorts World Sentosa gift voucher.
• 5% discount off selected F&B outlets at Universal Studios Singapore and Resorts World Sentosa.
• 5% discount off selected retail outlets at Universal Studios Singapore and Resorts World Store and Resorts World Gift Shop.
• Receive our monthly E-bulletin on the latest happenings in Resorts World Sentosa and Universal Studios Singapore.
• 10% early bird discount for Universal Studios Singapore events.
• Sneak previews of new rides and attractions.
• Entitled to a maximum of FIVE Universal Studios Singapore day passes at 10% discount for your accompanying guests during your birthday month.

** Superstar Pass

• Enjoy unlimited admission with no black-out dates for 365 days
• Universal Studios Singapore lanyard with 4 pins
• S$100 Resorts World Sentosa gift voucher
• 5% discount off selected F&B outlets at Universal Studios Singapore and Resorts World Sentosa
• 5% discount off selected retail outlets at Universal Studios Singapore and Resorts World Store and Resorts World Gift Shop
• Receive our monthly E-bulletin on the latest happenings in Resorts World Sentosa and Universal Studios Singapore
• 10% early bird discount for Universal Studios Singapore events
• Sneak previews of new rides and attractions
• Entitled to a maximum of FIVE Universal Studios Singapore day passes at 10% discount for your accompanying guests during your birthday month
• One complimentary pass to Halloween Horror Nights™
• 30% off the rack rate of the Resorts World Sentosa VIP Tour
• Enjoy unlimited climbs at the Amber Rock Climb™ which is an attraction in The Lost World™
• Enjoy complimentary Universal Express access to all the attractions in Universal Studios Singapore
• Reservation made for a Deluxe Room in Festive Hotel™ and Hotel Michael™ will enjoy a complimentary upgrade to the Deluxe Family Room and the Club Deluxe Room respectively

*** Express Pass

• There are three types of express pass:
  - Off Peak: Valid for weekdays ONLY
  - Peak: Valid for weekdays School Holidays
  - Super-Peak: Valid for weekends and black-out dates
  
• Allows you priority access to all the attractions
• Express Access is a separate line with a shorter wait time at each attraction

Why people want to multi-task on phones??

Recently I've been reading about the advantages/disadvantages of different phone models from different companies and I've realised that the inability to multi-task on iPhone Apps have been cited most often as a must-have.

This is the part that puzzles me because when I was using a Windows Mobile phone a long long time ago, I've always make sure the application exits whenever I close a window. I personally find that the mobile phone is too small to effectively multi-task. Form factor is small and sooner or later, you will not know what applications you have running in the background and which applications are the ones draining your battery. It's also super unfriendly to find out what applications are currently running in the background.

I felt that instead, iPhone developers should be educated that there is also another way to "multi-task" on the iPhone. It's called saving the current state of the app.

The concept is very simple. Look at your Messages app. Type a SMS halfway and close the app. Re-open the Messages app and you're back to exactly where you have left off. This is how an iPhone app is suppose to work. However, look at the apps in the AppStore and you'll find very few people developing this functionality in the app. Few developers realised that this is the answer to multi-tasking. The ability to allow the user to quit the application to answer the phone or send an SMS, and get back to the app exactly where they have left off.

It's already possible and few people are using it. To me, this is very similar to the effect of multi-tasking. If you combine push notifications while saving the state of your app when it exits, you can boast to the rest of the developers that your application can be multi-tasked on an iPhone.

That's a real pity.

Problems of common currency have finally reared its head

I was never a big fan of the common currency idea that ASEAN was floating around previously and this is proven right by the happenings in the euro now. Due to the problems faced by Greece, partly also due to the common currency, the euro has free-fallen down to its true value. This is in a way also affecting the other countries in the euro bloc, and will most probably drive up their inflation rates this year.

Personally, I could never understand the logic behind the common currency. You have so many distinctly different countries, with different cultures, different strengths, different weakness and different state of economies. How could one currency be able to fit all countries? True, there are advantages to a common currency but the problem is whether the rules governing the currency be able to fit into the current state of the country. Greece is a good example.

I sincerely hope that the ASEAN members are looking at what is happening to the euro now and drop the idea of a common currency. No country is totally identical and what fits in one will not necessary fit into the other. 请三思而后行。

Actions speak louder than words

Personal thoughts:

There is no need to justify yourself as your actions will explain everything.


Actions always speak louder than words. There is no need to keep explaining yourself as quite often, just observing the actions will speak volumes of what you meant to do.