[Post 402] My Side Hustle Now Brings In $25K/Month - Here's How I Did It

Summary

Liz Chick started making and selling art to get reprieve from her "windowless office" job. Now, she runs an art studio in Brooklyn and makes $5,500 per month.

[Post 401] I Spent 14 Years As A Stay-At-Home Dad For My Son. Here’s Why It’s Time To Reclaim My Life

Summary

“Why is an abled-bodied man being a stay-home dad?” For 14 years, father of two, Lee Kwong Luen dedicated his time and energy to caring full-time for his son, Jue Ming who has autism and bleeding disorder, haemophilia B. 

He shares candidly about the criticism he faces, his struggle with social isolation and depression, and how he’s slowly reclaiming his identity after putting his career and life on hold for over 10 years. 

[Post 400] Why Japan’s Economy Is So Fiercely Inefficient | WSJ

Summary

Japan is a country of contradictions. From bullet trains to pioneering robotics, it’s often seen as a land of innovation; but it also has a strong attachment to tradition with practices like hanko. Japan used to be the third largest economy in the world but lost the title to Germany last year. So why is the country falling behind?

WSJ’s Peter Landers explains how being fiercely traditional is weighing down Japan’s economy.

[Post 399] Our Japanese Bakery In A Hawker Centre: Meet The Shio Pan Sisters | On The Red Dot - I Am A Hawker

Summary

It had always been 28-year-old Danielle Tan’s dream to be a baker and own a bakery. She honed her skills by baking and selling cakes at pop-up stalls both as a student and a working adult. After two years of working, Danielle decided to start her own pastry business, specializing in “shio pan” – a Japanese salt bun. Teaming up with her 32-year-old sister Serene, they opened Butter Town.

Butter Town quickly became a roaring success, consistently selling out their breads within two hours of opening. However, their small oven, single mixer, and few trays couldn’t keep up with the overwhelming demand. Within three months, the sisters faced the urgent challenge of scaling up their operations to meet their customers’ needs.

[Post 398] Investing In Singapore REITs: Key Sub-sectors And Indicators To Watch In 2024 | Money Mind | REITs

Summary

Down but not out - why market watchers are optimistic about S-REITs.

[Post 397] From Hospitality Graduate To Noodle Hawker: My COVID Career Switch | On The Red Dot - I Am A Hawker

Summary

26-year-old Catherine graduated with a degree in hospitality, while her sister, 27-year-old Chong Kai En is a nursing graduate. Neither imagined that they would end up running a hawker stall specialising in noodles when finding a job during the COVID-19 period proved extremely challenging.

Neither sister knew how to cook, so they had to learn to cook the dishes, handle tough customers, and deal with financial struggles. Despite all that, they managed to grow their one noodle stall into three noodle stalls, a vegetarian food stall, and even a vegetarian restaurant. How did these sisters beat the odds and thrive in the competitive hawker scene?

[Post 396] Ultimate World Cruise: What's it like to spend 9 months on a cruise that goes to 60 countries?

Summary

What is it like to live 274 days on a cruise ship that's been closely followed by the entire world on TikTok? CNA Lifestyle talked to some passengers from Royal Caribbean's Ultimate World Cruise to find out, during a recent Singapore stopover. (Video: Joyee Koo)

[Post 395] The man who eats IKEA food for a living gives us insights on their famous meatballs and more

Summary

Ever wondered how IKEA makes its famous meatballs and popular chicken wings? How do they come up with new menu items? IKEA Singapore’s food manager Aeson Ong invited us into the kitchen to find out – and even got us to try some of their brand new dishes.

[Post 394] What to do if you get retrenched | CNA Explains

Summary

What should go into your severance package? Are non-compete clauses enforceable? We asked HR experts on what you should know if you get retrenched

[Post 393] The private driving instructor who's retiring after 48 years on the job

Summary

Sunny Kang has been working as a private driving instructor for 48 years. He retires on Apr 27 when he turns 75, the age limit for private driving instructors. And their numbers will only dwindle - Singapore has only about 305 such instructors left, since it stopped issuing teaching licences in 1987. 

[Post 392] Employment rate for private university graduates falls but median salaries rise

Summary

The employment rate for graduates from private education institutions fell, even as they earned more money. This, according to a SkillsFuture Singapore survey of 2,400 students who graduated between May 2022 and April last year. Monthly median salaries rose to $3,400 -- up $200, or slightly more than 6% from the previous survey. But fewer are finding full-time jobs. Over 58% found permanent employment within six months after graduation -- a drop of more than two percentage points from the previous cohort. The percentage of those unemployed crept up to over 16%.

[Post 391] How To Manage Your Money On Payday: The 50-30-20 Rule | Money Mind | Personal Finance

Summary

Can three simple numbers help you manage your money better on payday?

[Post 390] $13 For Restaurant-Style Fine Dining In An Yishun Hawker Center? I Am A Hawker | On The Red Dot

Summary

33-year-old Asyraffie Bin Mohamed Shukor is an accidental chef who fell in love with the art of fine-dining cooking while working in the modern European restaurant Iggy’s. When his dream to start his own restaurant fell through, Asyraffie, decided to continue his fine-dining journey in a hawker centre, blending haute cuisine techniques with the vibrant flavours of local street food.

From serving six customers a night in a private fine dining restaurant to serving 200 plates in four hours in a hawker centre,  Asyraffie has not compromised in his cooking techniques that brought him fame and acclaim. He serves a dish called Nasi Kerabu, which is unfamiliar to most Singaporeans. Yet it has attracted customers from across the island. So, why are people willing to pay more than $10 a dish and queue for up to 45 minutes for an unknown dish in a hawker stall?