Lifts behaving badly, more ERP developments and beehoon drama—read on for a quick round-up of the city’s burgeoning (and dying) trends.
From left: Tim Parkinson, iphonedigital
Hot: Telco price wars
Not: Data plans before discounts
The price war between telcos M1, Singtel and Starhub, which came after the announcement of plans by local telco startup MyRepublic to offer an $8 a month mobile plan with 2GB of data, threw up some questions of how much more we were actually paying these telcos before this happened. Still, with heavily slashed data plans, it’d still be worth investing in a new smartphone, (even if the new iphone 7 is rumored to be launching only in September).
From left: Tarte by Cheryl Koh, sonictk
Hot: Celebrating local chefs
Not: Abusing hawkers
It’s been a great month for Singapore chefs, with the likes of Jason Tan’s Corner House being listed as #17 on San Pellegrino’s Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list this year, and pastry chef Cheryl Koh recently named Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2016. But while we’re celebrating our local chefs on a global arena, a Singapore beehoon seller had to endure the rage of a customer whose queue was allegedly cut at the stall. The incident was apparently triggered by the stall assistant handing a packet of noodles to a customer who arrived after the man, who then threw a noodly fit by buying 30 packets of beehoon which he later hurled onto the floor.
From left: The Music Run Singapore, Charlie Day
Hot: Party runs
Not: Taking the lift
The Music Run is returning to Singapore on Apr 23, with a 5K running course lined with over 120 speakers blasting tunes ranging from rock, pop, old school, hip hop and dance across five interactive themed zones. But really, it’s the music festival, which features international DJs, live bands, dancers, laser lights, LED screens and fireworks that’s worth running for. Keeping trim also means taking the stairs instead of the lift—and you’ll have more reason to do so now. Recent reports, like how a domestic helper was trapped inside a lift in Ang Mo Kio after it shot up 17 floors, made us nervous about taking the lift for a while.
Karl Baron
Hot: New ERP system
Not: New ERP system
There’s a new, high-tech ERP system in the works and come 2020, the Land Transport Authority will launch the satellite navigation system that has the ability to charge for distance covered. It also comes with functions such as real-time traffic information, electronic streetside parking, and automatic payment for offpeak car owners who drive during peak hours. Future ERP charges will be under review for now, but with new implementations like distance-charging, owning a vehicle in Singapore seems set to be costlier than ever.
