I have to profess that I enjoy eating alone. It wasn’t always the case and the change didn’t happen overnight.
When I was younger, I took great pains to ensure that even if I ate alone, I wouldn’t be spotted by anyone I knew — to avoid their sad, pitying glances, of course.
But as I got older, whether due to a more assured sense of self or the hectic duties of motherhood and life in general, eating alone became my refuge. It was time I could claim as my own.
Dining alone is so common in Japan, the Japanese have come up with original ideas to cater to the solo diner — from individual booth seats at ramen shops (Ichiran, anyone?), to ‘anti-loneliness’ cafes that provide soft toys for company.
But what about dining alone in Singapore with no such options? Despite a growing trend of solo diners, eating alone can still be a daunting experience for some.
As healthcare workers battle the coronavirus on the frontline, another group of people — public transport workers — is also at higher risk of getting infected.
A photo shared on Reddit Singapore on Wednesday (Feb 12) depicts a driver who wrapped a clear plastic sheet around his seat, separating him from his passengers. It is unclear if the picture was taken here.
A sign plastered behind the driver’s seat read: “Please wear mask protect yourself and other. Emerge ncy crisis. Coron a virus (sic)”.
In another notice, passengers are shown the precautions they can take, such as putting on a mask if they’re feeling unwell.
While it is uncertain whether the barrier will actually help cut down the driver’s risk of infection, some netizens have praised his sense of responsibility while a few others questioned if the man was paranoid.
But the driver’s worries are not unfounded.
Just last week, a cabby and two private-hire drivers, who had no recent travel history to China, were infected by the coronavirus.
SINGAPORE – Some commuters had their journeys disrupted on Wednesday morning (Feb 12) when three public buses were involved in a chain collision, injuring 11 people who were taken to hospital.
Two SBS Transit buses – services 19 and 37 – and a service 34 bus operated by Go-Ahead Singapore were involved in the collision at 6.45am at the junction of Tampines Avenue 7 and Avenue 9.
The police said a bus driver and 10 passengers were taken to Changi General Hospital. They were conscious after the accident.
Ms Tammy Tan, SBS Transit’s senior vice-president of corporate communications, said the two SBS Transit buses had stopped one behind the other at the junction as the lights were red when the Go-Ahead Singapore bus knocked into one of them.
“Service 37 was rear-ended by another bus, a service 34, causing it to surge forward to hit service 19 in the rear,” she said.
Ms Tan said the SBS Transit bus drivers and passengers were not injured in the accident.
A Go-Ahead spokesman told The Straits Times that its bus driver was among the injured. He and nine other injured passengers have since been discharged.
SINGAPORE: Eleven people were taken to hospital after an accident in Tampines involving three buses on Wednesday (Feb 12).
Police said the 11 comprised a bus driver and 10 passengers aged between 21 and 65, who were conscious when taken to Changi General Hospital.
On Thursday, SBS Transit confirmed that it operated two of the buses, services 19 and 37.
“At about 6.45am yesterday, two of our buses, services 19 and 37, had stopped at the junction of Tampines Avenue 7 and Tampines Avenue 9 to comply with the red traffic lights.
“Service 37 was then rear-ended by another bus, a service 34, causing it to surge forward to hit service 19 in the rear.
“Thankfully, neither of our bus captains nor passengers from our two buses were injured,” said SBS Transit’s senior vice-president for corporate communications Tammy Tan.
A chain collision involving 3 buses in Tampines on Feb 12, 2020. (Photo: Facebook/Singapore Bus Drivers Community)
Operator Go-Ahead Singapore also confirmed on Thursday that one of its buses was involved in the accident.
“A Go-Ahead Singapore service 34 bus was involved in an accident on the morning of Feb 12 when it collided into another vehicle along Tampines Avenue 7.
“We have been in contact with the injured commuters to provide our full assistance. We thank the emergency services for their swift response and are fully cooperating with the authorities as investigations continue.”
Photos circulating online showed two double-decker buses and a single-deck bus standing stationary along the street. The windscreen of the third bus appeared smashed in one photo.
Ever wanted to take a quick dive into a part of Singapore’s history but don’t wish to be bogged down by long and dreary texts? Then you’ll be glad to know that Singaporean illustrator and the artist behind A Good Citizen Dan Wong has done up a comic for your easy viewing.
The comic, titled The Aceh Attack of 1613, was produced in collaboration with the SG Bicentennial Office and tells the tale of well… the Aceh attack of 1613 where Singapore was attacked by 20,000 Acehnese warriors after their attack on the Johor Sultanate. It is rather aptly titled if we do say so ourselves.
The coronavirus epidemic may be peaking in China where it was first detected in the central city of Wuhan but it is just beginning in the rest of the world and likely to spread, a global expert on infectious diseases said on Wednesday.
The Chinese government’s senior medical adviser has said the disease is hitting a peak in China and may be over by April. He said he was basing the forecast on mathematical modelling, recent events and government action.
Dale Fisher, chair of the Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network that is coordinated by the World Health Organisation, said that predicted “time course” may well be true if the virus is allowed to run free in Wuhan.
“It’s fair to say that’s really what we are seeing,” he told Reuters in an interview. “But it has spread to other places where it’s the beginning of the outbreak. In Singapore, we are at the beginning of the outbreak.”
The flu-like virus has killed more than 1,100 people and infected nearly 45,000, predominantly in China and mostly in Wuhan.
Chinese New Year usually involves indulging in festive goodies, giving out oranges, receiving red packets, having get-togethers and more.
For Stomp contributor Matthew’s family, it is also about capturing these activities on camera and putting them together into a ‘music video’.
Matthew said: “I have a huge, loving and tight-knitted extended family. My mum has 10 siblings, and my dad has nine siblings, and my immediate family is close to both sides.
“Every Chinese New Year, my extended family on my mum’s side (there are probably almost a hundred of us across all generations) will spend several days together celebrating the new year, with almost every family hosting a meal or two.
“We will also spend time eating a lot and talking a lot (all in good fun)! This year is no different.
“In recent years, my cousin’s girlfriend has been making videos of the crazy things my family will do during Chinese New Year (again, in good fun) and the videos have been hilarious!”
The recent announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip at the Samsung Unpacked event alongside the Samsung Galaxy S20 series earlier this week no doubt raised the pulses of many prospective owners. This, and the Motorola razr, are signalling the return of the classic flip phones of old, and in some style too.
Boasting a slinky new clamshell design that trumps last year’s Galaxy Fold in both style and substance, thanks to its new foldable Ultra Thin Glass, reinforced in a nylon fibre-enhanced Hideaway Hinge, the Galaxy Z Flip is a stylish yet super reliable device that can fit easily into your pocket.
Features such as Flex mode allow users to be extra creative with the way they capture content, as the free-standing hinge allows the Galaxy Z Flip to support itself without the need for a tripod.
Furthermore, when folded this way, the screen essentially splits itself into two, which allows for easier navigation and greater flexibility in virtually any situation.
SINGAPORE – Two workers, a Singaporean and an Indian national, died after suffering burns at a chemical plant on Jurong Island on Feb 7.
They were among a group of workers who were carrying out purging of a hydrocarbon pipeline when a fire broke out in the plant at 21 Sakra Avenue.
The 38-year-old Singaporean and the 29-year-old Indian were taken to Ng Teng Fong Hospital, where they died later.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had deployed a combined platform ladder to rescue the two men from the top platform of a process vessel when it responded to the incident at 11.25pm on Feb 7.
The fire involved the top platform of a process vessel and was put out by the company’s emergency response team before the SCDF arrived.
The Ministry of Manpower said the Singaporean worker’s employer, Celanese Singapore, is also the occupier of the worksite, while the Indian was employed by Texeco Engineering.
The ministry is investigating the incident and has stopped all purging activities at the site.
SINGAPORE: Valentine’s Day is the occasion when Mdm Wong Li Hua’s makes the most money in the year.
But the florist was visibly frustrated when she spoke to CNA. Sales at her shop at The Arcade have fallen by 50 per cent compared to the same period last year after Singapore raised its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) alert level to Orange last Friday, Mdm Wong said.
Since the announcement, companies islandwide commenced their business continuity plans to limit the spread of the COVID-19. Many, including the financial institutions and technology giants that have offices in the Central Business District (CBD), have arranged to split employees’ shifts or have them work from home.
Besides fewer walk-in customers because those who work in the area are staying at home, the closure of the linkways between The Arcade and Clifford Centre has caused some confusion among her customers, Mdm Wong said.
Linkways between The Arcade and Clifford Centre have been closed. (Photo: Rachel Phua).
Some who finally made their way to her shop said they thought her store was closed, the florist said.
“Who isn’t worried,” Mdm Wong said in Mandarin of the virus creating a dent in her business. “Every year, we rely on this occasion to earn money.”
At lunchtime on Wednesday (Feb 12) afternoon, the CBD was still visibly bustling with office workers, but most owners and staff of the 13 eateries and retailers located in the area CNA spoke to said that sales are down anywhere between 10 and 50 per cent since the beginning of this week.
Other shopkeepers at The Arcade also saw a dip in sales.
At minimart Haja T&T Trading,its owner Haja Aladudeen said that against last week’s records, his daily takings have tumbled by 40 per cent. He does not know what to do to shore up his business and can only fret in the meantime, he said.
Minimart Haja T&T Trading’s owner Haja Aladudeen said that in the past week his daily takings have tumbled by 40 per cent. (Photo: Rachel Phua).
ZTP Ginseng Birdnest supervisor Loh Ken Tiam said that the Chinese medicinal shop has seen daily earnings dip by 30 per cent compared to last week. On a normal day, the shop takes in about S$2,000 to S$3,000, he said.
Tomy Chen, the co-owner of Pho Stop at Downtown Gallery, said that sales fell by 20 per cent on Monday, and 30 per cent on Tuesday and Wednesday compared to the same period last week.
If dine-in sales continue to fall, Mr Chen said some staff will be transferred to their delivery kitchens located at Lavender and Katong. He is hoping that an increase in demand for food deliveries will offset the dip at their CBD outlet.
Lum Von-Nie, who runs the Basil & Mint hawker stall at Amoy Road Food Centre, said that delivery orders have helped to cushion some of the dip in revenue. For example, she earned 20 per cent less on Tuesday week-on-week, but deliveries cut her losses by 10 per cent.
Lum Von-Nie, who runs the Basil & Mint hawker stall at Amoy Road Food Centre, said that sales from her delivery order has helped to cushion some of the dip in revenue. (Photo: Rachel Phua).
“It’s good that the authorities are quick to respond to false news, so hopefully that helps assure the public that there is no reason not to eat out,” Ms Lum, who runs the stall alone, said, “but yes, (I’m) bracing for the worst”.
It is a difficult situation to be in, especially as F&B businesses operate on thin profit margins, said Mr Willin Low, owner of Relish@Frasers Tower. His lunch business has dropped by 45 to 55 per cent. Mr Low said he is talks with other restaurant owners to see if they can come up with a plan collectively to tide through this period.
“Hopefully regular customers and landlords will support restaurants to keep them in business,” he added.
But for some others, it is business as usual.
One Korean grocery store shop assistant, who asked not to be named as he was not authoritied to speak, said that sales have been brisk, especially over the weekend when people came to stock up on rice and instant noodles.
OFFICE STAFF WORKING FROM HOME
Last Friday, the Singapore government moved the DORSCON status to orange. The Ministry of Health urged companies to “step up” their business continuity plan, with suggestions that employees could telecommute or be divided into separate teams.
Banks, technology firms and property consultancies with offices in the CBD have heeded the advice and kickstarted their segregation strategies.
United Overseas Bank (UOB) said in a media statement on Monday (Feb 10) that it activated its business continuity plans for all critical functions and services, with employees working from split sites, from home and on split shifts.
Similar measures have been put in place at DBS, according to a spokesperson. Its 12,000 employees across Singapore, either work from home or from separate sites.
A DBS employee was confirmed on Wednesday to be infected by the coronavirus, prompting the bank to evacuate 300 of its staff members from its offices on the 43rd floor at Tower 3 of Marina Bay Financial Centre.
Temperature screening notice at UOB Privilege Banking’s branch at One Raffles Place. (Photo: Rachel Phua).
Twitter, whose Asia-Pacific Headquarters is located in CapitaGreen, said that they have a “cross-functional operational taskforce in place (to) take necessary measures, including work from home policies, to protect our people and our business operations”.
Tech giant Facebook said that they have “taken steps to protect the health and safety of our employees”, although the company already has a flexible working approach in place. Microsoft noted a similar arrangement in their response.
Facebook and Microsoft’s Singapore offices are located at Marina One and Frasers Towers respectively.
Real estate firm Colliers International, which has 350 employees in Singapore and an office in Asia Square, said that it has encouraged all its staff to work from home following the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
“This flexible work arrangement will remain in place until the end of March 2020 and we will review the need to extend it,” its managing director Tang Wei Leng said.
Staff based at CBRE’s offices are also split into teams who are either working from home or at the office, the company said. Employees who are pregnant and those with prior respiratory conditions, will work from home.
The property consultancy has about 1,600 employees in Singapore. Four hundred are based in one of its two offices at Paya Lebar Quarter or Six Battery Road. The rest of the estimated 1,200 are based off-site in clients’ offices.
