Tutors advertising their services online are a dime a dozen, but their quality is often a mystery.

A new website aims to give parents and students a one-stop solution to finding tutors who have been well-reviewed.

The idea for Yodaa, which was launched in July last year, came after its founder, Mr Samuel Huang, discovered that 70 per cent of parents he spoke to relied on word of mouth to find tutors for their children.

The name Yodaa is a reference to Star Wars character Yoda and a play on the Hebrew word yada, which means to know.

“We realised that in the tuition industry – especially for something home-based – a lot of parents were going on forums or to friends and colleagues for recommendations,” said Mr Huang, 28, a business and finance graduate of the National University of Singapore.

“So we wanted to find out if we could organically bring word of mouth online.”

Yodaa offers tuition services for students from Primary 1 to junior college and has tutors who teach a wide range of subjects, from Chinese Literature to Design and Technology.

When a parent logs on to the site, he or she will be asked to provide a description of their child’s tuition needs, such as how regularly they want their classes and the subject they wish to be tutored in, and also where they go to school.

Within 24 hours, parents will receive five custom quotes which include tutors’ personal messages, references, price estimate and contact details.

Yodaa now has 80 to 100 parents visiting the site a month and a database of 3,000 tutors.

RESEARCH

It took the team of five 11 months of research before they wrote a single line of code.

“We went on the ground – community centres, libraries and anywhere we could find parents. We asked parents about the issues they faced, their thoughts about the education system,” said Mr Huang.

The team cold-called about 500 tutors and invited suitable ones to join Yodaa.

The business has been self-funded by the team and is free for both parents and tutors.

Mr Huang said: “For parents, this service will remain free.

“We’re looking at several potential revenue streams, but implementation will come only when repeated value has been proven and studied in greater detail.”

myklim@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Feb 8, 2017.
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A life-changing red packet awaits a couple of lucky Singaporeans – or just one – this week, when the winning numbers for this year’s Toto Hongbao draw are announced on Friday (Feb 10).

With a jackpot of $12 million up for grabs, even the once-a-year punters will be tempted to join in the fun.

Singapore Pools outlets across the island will extend their operating hours for the draw, while there will also be lion dance performances at 41 outlets.

Here are some stories from The Straits Times archives that just might help you clinch that winning combination.

HOW TOTO WORKS

Having gone through several changes since it was launched in Singapore in 1968, the Toto Game’s present incarnation (updated in 2014) calls for punters to pick at least six numbers between 1 and 49.

Six winning numbers and an additional number are drawn for each draw, and a cash prize is guaranteed if at least three chosen numbers are included in the six winning ones.

All six chosen numbers must match the winning numbers in order for a punter to win the jackpot (Group 1 prize), which can be shared among multiple winners.

TWO WINNERS FOR LAST YEAR’S $13.9 MILLION HONGBAO JACKPOT

The winning numbers were 16, 18, 20, 21, 27 and 49. The additional number was 23.

Last year’s Toto Hongbao Draw carried the biggest ever prize pot of $13.9 million, with the two winning tickets bought at a Livewire outlet in Marina Bay Sands and Ng Teo Guan Self Service at Block 301, Ubi Avenue 1.

QUEUING FOR A SHOT AT INSTANT WEALTH

Last year’s draw understandably drew scores of punters to Singapore Pools outlets, with some even travelling across the island to so-called “luckier” outlets.

The Straits Times spoke to the hopefuls who stood patiently in the queue for a shot at instant wealth.

INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC: LOCATE LUCKY OUTLETS AND CHECK OUT WINNING NUMBERS

Wondering which numbers to buy? Know which Singapore Pools outlet has sold winning tickets more once?

Our graphic contains all the statistics you need – stretching back to the start of the Hongbao draw in 2000.

DEBUNKING COMMON MYTHS ABOUT WINNING THE JACKPOT

Past draws do not determine what numbers will come out next – every draw is independent and a fresh start, according to a statistician from the National University of Singapore.

We break down the odds of winning the draw, depending on whether you purchase an Ordinary Bet, System 7, System 10 or System 12.

This article was first published on Feb 7, 2017.
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Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Cabinet celebrated his upcoming 65th birthday with a birthday cake and a song on Tuesday (Feb 7).

Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin posted a Facebook Live video of the celebrations on his page.

In the 2min 22sec video, PM Lee, who turns 65 on Friday (Feb 10), is shown standing before a large cake with candles on it as the politicians sang him a birthday song.

Those present included Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu, and Workers’ Party chief Low Thia Khiang.

Thanking those present, PM Lee said: “In the spirit of inclusiveness, this is to all those whose birthdays are in February.”

At this, fingers were pointed at Mr Gan, whose birthday is on Thursday (Feb 9).

Nominated MP Chia Yong Yong wished PM Lee another 65 years, to which he responded: “No such chance.”

The MPs mingled and joked, with Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Sun Xueling pointing to the cake and asking Mr Gan: “Pass or not.”

Ms Sun shared Mr Tan’s video and wished PM Lee “good health and many blessings in the year ahead”.

She also referenced her quip, explaining that there was a war on diabetes.

The Ministry of Health in April last year declared this war, describing diabetes as one of the biggest drains on Singapore’s healthcare system.

Last year, PM Lee’s Cabinet celebrated the occasion for him early, as he went on a trip to the United States on his actual birthday.

PM Lee quoted the Beatles on his 64th birthday, saying: “There is a Beatles song When I’m Sixty-Four, and now I have got there!”

This article was first published on Feb 8, 2017.
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Six lifts at two Housing Board blocks near Tekka Centre in Little India stopped working for five hours on Monday night after a power surge that left a third of the units without electricity.

Residents were left without lift access till midnight, which happened at 7pm at Blocks 662 and 663, in Buffalo Road, Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday.

A resident who gave his name only as Mr Chen, 66, a hawker, said more than 10 residents were stranded at the void deck.

INVESTIGATE

Another resident, 73-year-old retiree Shen Jinyu, told Shin Min that she walked down from the 17th storey past 7pm and thought the lifts would be fixed by the time she returned at 10.30pm, but they were not.

A spokesman for Tanjong Pagar Town Council, which manages the area, told The Straits Times yesterday that electricity was restored to the 35 affected units in Block 662 and 38 affected units in Block 663 by 9pm.

“Power to the lifts were restored between 12am and 12.30am,” said the spokesman.

The town council is working with SP PowerGrid to investigate the cause of the power surge.

This article was first published on Feb 8, 2017.
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Commuters who were returning home from work got caught in “human jams” at some stations along the East-West Line on Tuesday (Feb 7) evening, with one commuter saying at least two packed trains went by without stopping.

The crowds spilled out of the platforms and up to the gantries, eyewitnesses told The Straits Times.

SMRT had said in a statement posted on its Facebook page on Tuesday afternoon that urgent works near Joo Koon station were needed to replace a track point, which guides the direction of train travel.

It advised commuters to expect similar delays in the evening.

Senior marketing manager Patrick Lim, 42, told The Straits Times that he was leaving his workplace at International Plaza with his colleague at about 6.30pm when he saw that Tanjong Pagar MRT station was packed with people.

“A lot of people were at the platform but we saw that people couldn’t get on when the train came. They didn’t even open the doors,” he said.

At least two trains went by, pausing at the platform but not opening the doors for commuters, he said.

Mr Lim added that there were no announcements or signs put up to inform commuters of what was going on.

“The station people were quite nice and helped us, deducted the entry charges,” he said.

He took a bus home to Tiong Bahru and got home about 40 minutes later, when he usually gets home in less than 10 minutes.

His colleague, senior marketing manager Nadia Dawood, 37, was still on the bus home at 7.25pm when she spoke to The Straits Times.

She said she would have been at Bukit Batok by 7.15pm if not for the jams.

There were jams at other MRT stations including Buona Vista, according to posts by commuters on social media.

SMRT in its earlier statement on Facebook said that its urgent works are usually planned to take place over a weekend to minimise impact on commuters, but added that this was “an urgent and critical case”.

This article was first published on Feb 7, 2017.
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Drivers headed to the Central Business District may have a robot as their next valet. By the end of the next year (2018), the redeveloped Robinson Towers will feature a new automated system that makes use of robots to park cars.

Guided by lasers, cameras, as well as markings on the ground, the robots will ferry cars – with a maximum weight of 2,600kg – from a drop-off point to the nearest available parking space.

Developed by engineering firm MHE-Demag, it is believed to be the first application of the technology in Singapore.

Unlike other mechanised parking systems the system does not require steel supporting structures or parking pallets, said MHE-Demag sales and markets regional director Klaus Schilling. Parking pallets are platforms on which cars are placed on before moving them.

“No additional building provision is required for the system and it can be adapted into a conventional parking provision in any building development easily,” he said.

The parking fee will be “similar” to other carparks, he added.

At CapitaGreen, across the road from Robinson Towers, it costs $3.10 per half hour to park between 7am and 6pm on weekdays.

Conventional mechanised parking systems – which use mechanical car lifters to carry a car to a storage space – can be found at several locations in Singapore, including three Housing Board car parks at Changi Village, Yishun and Bukit Panjang.

During peak periods, retrieving a car from these carparks can take about 10 to 15 minutes.

MHE-Demag’s system offers “relatively faster” parking and retrieval times, said Mr Schilling, adding that the average time to retrieve a car – which is done using a mobile app – will be about two minutes.

The firm is also looking at introducing the technology at “several other locations”, which it did not disclose. It has also started to introduce the technology in other countries in the region including Malaysia and Indonesia.

While the firm declined to say how much the system will cost, a similar system by Chinese firm Yee Fung Automation – introduced in Nanjing, China in December last year – is said to cost around $200,000.

This article was first published on Feb 8, 2017.
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