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Vietnam Graduate Unable to Obtain LTVP+ (Update)

My last post is here . Today I was surfing the net a bit while at work and found that ICA responded to the story of the Vietnam bride who was unable to obtain LTVP+. Source In Madam Pham's case, her long-term visit pass application was not successful as her Singaporean husband did not meet the criteria then. Nonetheless, we granted her a six-month long-term visit pass on compassionate grounds. Upon expiry of her long-term visit pass in the middle of this year, we will reassess and review her case, given that her husband has recently found employment. So from what I can see, her husband was unemployed when they were applying for the LTVP. I would like to hear more into the story because when you look at her husband's unemployment, plus they paid almost S$20,000 for the delivery charges and they live in a condo, it does sound a bit unusual. Perhaps they have a substantial amount of savings. Anyway, since the reason for rejection was her husband's unemployment, I...
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Vietnam Graduate Unable to Obtain LTVP+

Source How come? Let's look at her "qualifications". Degree Holder. Have a Singaporean boy. Husband is an English tutor (see the comments). They were married in Singapore. They are living in a condominium (richer than me). Let's look at requirements for LTVP+ . 2. Couples who have at least one Singaporean child from their marriage will be eligible to apply for the LTVP+.  For those without a Singapore Citizen child, ICA will look at other factors such as the duration of marriage, and will in general consider more favourably those who have been married for at least three years. So why not? I don't understand why her application was rejected, or at least grant her a LTVP, why totally reject her? The article was published on 12 Feb 2013 and at that time, she was only given a 6 months visit pass which was non-renewable. What is going on? I totally agree with what she said at the last paragraph. What I find staggering is the number of foreigners l...
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Hello Kitty Craze? More Like Herd Mentality

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Source The article mentions the S$126,000 black Hello Kitty bid on ebay. I don't think anybody with a functioning brain would pay for that, more like the seller was a victim of fake bidding. I did a search on ebay sorted by highest price first, I laughed at what was presented in front of me... Ridiculous Now let's sort by lowest price first... Still ridiculous The lowest price is S$12.50, the toy was originally priced at S$4.60 by McDonald's, it is now 171% more expensive, ultra-inflated pricing, but still, there are 9 bidders, it might even go higher since there's still about 2 days before the bid ends. Look at this, S$155.50 with 3 bids... Would you pay S$155.50 for a soft toy? I wonder if the bidder will honor the deal since there are cheaper deals available. Let's be realistic, there's really nothing attractive about this soft toy, obviously profiteers have a good reason, but why the heck then would everyone else queue for it? Ever no...
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Foreign Spouse Support Group (FSSG) - Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants & Itinerant People (ACMI)

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Source FSSG was formed by ACMI on Jun 15 2013, and ACMI is a catholic organisation powered by volunteers and donations and their aim is to help foreigners in Singapore; yes, they also provide assistance to foreign spouse of Singaporeans. First thing that came to my mind after I read the article was, do we need to convert to catholic before we get help? So I went to ACMI's website and saw this section, ACMI TRAINING CENTRE COURSES & REGISTRATION (TERM 2) 2013 Submitted by acmi on 5 June, 2013 - 11:56 Our training centre centre provides skills training and re-integration courses for foreign domestic workers with valid work permits, regardless of nationality and religion . Location: Blk A, 98 Hougang Ave 8, S’pore 538791 Phone No: 6284 8797 or email: tc@acmi.org.sg So they are providing courses regardless of nationality and religion, so how much does it cost? So I read through their course brochure, ACMI Course Fees So the courses are around S$90 to S$100, th...
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Interesting IQ Test

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QuickIQTest.net - IQ Test You have reached  10  points and your IQ is:  117   IQ Score Table Points Level IQ Range Description 20 Genius 140+ You are probably a genius. 16 - 19 Gifted 130 - 139 You have a unique imagination and logical mind. 10 - 15 Above average 115 - 129 You have a good imagination and logical mind. 6 - 9 Higher average 102 - 114 You have an average imagination and logical mind. 3 - 5 Lower average 90 - 101 0 - 2 Below average 70 - 89 You have a below average imagination and logical mind. I got 117 according to the website, guess I'm not as stupid as I think I am haha... Go ahead and try, but don't take it too seriously, if you get a low score it doesn't mean the end of the world, the website says that IQ can be improved, I think maybe lazy people would get low points, but it doesn't mean that they are stupid, some smart people are just lazy to think, and I know such people.
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Going Well at The Gynaecologist

We went to see the gynae today, he said the pregnancy is looking very good, he did a ultrascan for my wife and I can see that the egg is much bigger now, it's about 8.5 weeks old and I can see the heartbeat, it's a white coloured patch and it's pulsating, I was happy at that moment when he said "very good". Then the doctor arranged for us to see a blood doctor on 26 Jul, not really sure what it's for but no harm getting more checks, I just want everything to go well. Finally the doctor prescribed more Enoxaparin and that's about it, can go home. Today's spending: S$69.55 for repeat consultation under consultant. S$105.90 for 7 days of LMWH; 14 syringes.
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Degree Holder Earn S$1000 More, Maybe

Source The poly grad is saying a degree holder earns S$1000 more, at least in the financial industry. Looking at my own salary, I think it don't just apply to financial, I'm in the IT line. If I didn't have a degree, my salary now would probably be S$2300, but I'm now drawing S$3300. But it really depends on which industry, which company and the company size, and if your working in a big company, a degree is a must have, and it makes a lot of difference in terms of salary, and it also helps a lot with promotion, but of course I'm not saying it's a sure win ticket, work performance is important too, can't expect the employer to employ only the paper. For small companies, I don't think they really care much about your qualification as long as you can solve their problems, but of course, don't expect a high salary. I think it's good to think hard before going for that degree, and if money is not a problem, no harm having it, but if you are like ...
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Semb Corp Industries Lingered at S$4.8x

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I was thinking maybe it would go down to S$4.7x, well it did but the lowest was S$4.79. Then something else caught my eye, I saw SATS at S$3.11, was thinking maybe I should get 1 lot since they are going to give out a S$100 dividend in Aug 2013, and I was busy at work, came back and bam, S$3.20, what the heck. Anyway, the federal stimulus thing is really annoying, I think the fed people wanted to stop the stimulus because the US economy is improving, it's like taking life support off a person who no longer needs it, which sounds like a good idea, but it's a bad idea to the stock market so that's why most investors reacted negatively to that and caused most markets to tumble. I don't know why but I keep getting the feeling that it's mostly american investors that are selling off stocks, I think by the time they finish with their selling, it would be a good time to buy, which I don't know when. I'll see how, I have the cash now, I can take my own sweet ti...
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Should I Buy Stocks With My Spare Cash Now?

Nowadays the market seems to always close low, seems like a good chance to buy, I am especially looking at Semb Corp Industries, since I bought 1 lot at S$5.15 earlier, it's been devaluing and today it close at S$4.80, seems like a good chance to average down. I think I can spare S$5000, maybe I should start queuing tomorrow, maybe aim at S$4.70.
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Got a Great Bonus and Increment

I was expecting at most 2 months of bonus and 3% salary increment, and I got 3.2 months of bonus and 5.4% increment instead. Our company had a good financial year, and I think it's really nice of them to give back to employees. I also think it's nice of them to answer the government's call to increase employees salary, although I don't really fall under the low-income bracket, but I have my wife dependent on me, furthermore she's now pregnant, and she's a foreigner so everything is going to be very costly. I was still worrying about the coming medical bills so this big "ang pao" is really going to help. Finally a load off my mind, I think I can focus more on my job, it's not easy having to worry about things at work and at home. And since I have 1.2 months extra, probably see what stock I can get with it, always invest the extra cash!
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Long-Term Visit Pass - Plus (LTVP-PLUS)

http://www.ica.gov.sg/news_details.aspx?nid=12665 Good news for those of us who cannot get PR for our beloved spouse, because the Singapore government has come up with a enhanced long-term visit pass called LTVP-PLUS or LTVP+. I'll sum up the key points in the FAQ provided by ICA so you don't have to go through one big page. Do let me know if I missed out anything or correction is required by dropping a comment. GENERAL LTVP+ will be in effect from 01 Apr 2012. LTVP+ holders will enjoy extended duration of residency, public healthcare subsidies and easier access to employment. No separate application required for LTVP+; an application for LTVP will automatically include your spouse for LTVP+, if eligible. LTVP applications submitted from 01 Feb 2012 will automatically be considered for LTVP+. The first approved LTVP+ will grant 3 years residency and subsequent renewal will be 5 years. Current holders of LTVP will be considered for LTVP+ on next renewal. If holde...
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How to Marry a Thai in Singapore

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You should refer to here -  https://www.rom.gov.sg/reg_info/rom_marriage.asp Please spend some time to go through and understand the information on that section (legal provision, other information, filing of notice, solemnization and etc), if your still not sure, feel free to drop a comment here or you can use their FAQ . The ROM website did a really good job of putting together the information that you need in a well-organized manner. I've done it once and I think the guide is very easy to follow. The only hiccup I've had with my marriage is during the  Appointment for verification & Statutory Declaration where both of us were required to read out a wall of text and my wife had difficulty getting past the first few lines and the counter guy got fed up and told my wife to stop. Definitely my oversight as I didn't arrange for an interpreter beforehand but luckily, there was a licensed interpreter at the scene and we managed to get her to do the interpretation ...
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Commission Calculator for DBS Vickers SG Stocks

Made this little tool to help me calculate the costs of buying or selling a stock, just enter number of shares and price and it will show both buy and sell costs at the same time. Can even choose by cash upfront, online or phone and it will calculate using respective rates. Cash Upfront ONLINE By Phone Shares: Price: Value: Commission: Clearing Fee: ...
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