Source
"Last weekend I attended a wedding of a not-close friend with my boyfriend and as a gift we gave $100 cash. This was generous considering my financial situation. I just finished university with $40,000 in student loans, and have only found part time (12-18 hrs per week) minimum wage work. I gave as much as I could and attended to show my support.
"Today I received a rude and condescending message from the bride via Facebook messenger:
"'Hi Tanya, how are you? I just want to know is there any reason or dissatisfaction of Mike's and I wedding that both you and Phil gave 50$ each? In terms of the amount we got from you both was very unexpected as a result we were very much short on paying off the reception because just for the cocktail + reception alone the plate per person is 200$ (as per a normal wedding range with open bar is about) and Mike and I both have already paid for everything else including decor, photography, attire etc and didn't expect we had to cover that huge amount for reception as well. As I know you both live together and work, so I did not see any reason for that amount, when it comes to your wedding hopefully you'll know what I mean. I hope for the best as from what we receive is what we will give back. Anyways, good luck on everything." [all sic]'
"It's infuriating that she had the nerve to make assumptions about my finances, and assume that I or my boyfriend had an extra $400 lying around.
"Those $100 were hard-earned and she didn't show an ounce of gratitude for what she did receive. That money didn't grow on a tree.
"If she had a minimum gift requirement, she should have specified it...or asked everyone for income statements before inviting them."
How tragic when wedding is all about the money...
This reminds me that I'm invited to my long time friend's wedding, it's at a really nice hotel, one table costs about S$1500 and that makes S$150 per pax. They invited 35 tables and they would need every single seat to give S$150 ang bao so that they can break-even. Actually, he invited me, my wife and my parents, my wife and mother are both unemployed and my father is at the low income group and as for me, I'm doing okay but I'm trying to save as much as possible for my wife's pregnancy.
My parents are planning to give S$75 each, I'm thinking whether I should top it up and bring the total amount to 600, or at least 588, which looks nicer so my friend won't lose face with the girl's family. 588 - 150 means I have to top up 438... which is a big deal to me. I'm happy for my friend, he finally got married but his wedding is giving me a headache... Sigh. I think it would be okay if he only invited me, I think I can afford S$150 if I go alone, or maybe S$300 max if I go with my wife, but his parents know my parents for a long time as well, so they invited my parents too.
Sigh.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Money Stolen from DBS Bank Account Via PayPal
Source
Based on her article, Chanise seems to be holding on to a Debit Card from DBS and she has an iBanking account so there should be Two Factor Authentication (2FA) for any transaction made. But the problem is that for transaction made through PayPal, there isn't any 2FA. Anybody can add a new debit/credit card in PayPal and start using it for payment. You may argue that there is a sending limit if the PayPal account is unverified, that's true, but confirming your debit/credit card in PayPal is not the only way to get verified; you can also add a bank account to get verified status hence removing all limits.
And also for the limit, according to this FAQ, the sending limit (buying limit) for unverified account is USD2000,
That means an attacker can steal up to USD2000 before hitting the limit.
So what exactly happened in Chanise case?
Hence I rushed back home immediately to login to my ibanking account and found out that there were 2 pending transactions made to AirAsia of amount $797.79 and PayPal $1 without my knowledge.
The PayPal $1 is USD1.00 charged by PayPal, in her case, it should be for adding Chanise's debit card to the attacker's account. This is just a card validity check on PayPal's part to make sure the card added is valid.
Actually I did a test since I have recently changed my debit card and I haven't updated into my PayPal account, so let's see whether what I'm saying is correct. I removed my old card from PayPal so now you'll see only one card and that is my new card.
As you can see, there is a Confirm My Card link under Action, I added but I didn't confirm it because there is no need to since my account is still Verified. I still have my bank account linked to my PayPal, no change to that.
This proves that I can maintain verified status with just a bank account. And by adding my new card, all I did receive was an SMS saying,
The 1st txn on your DBS Card ending XXXX was USD1.00, PAYPAL XXXXXXXXXX SGP on 14 JUL 14:30 SG time. If you did not use the card, pls call +65 6327 2265.
Next thing I did was check my iBanking account,
This proves that PayPal is allowed to make charges to my debit card without 2FA i.e. without Chanise's control. And if I'm the attacker, I can now officially make payment using Chanise's debit card since in PayPal's view, the card is valid and ready for use.
This is a major loophole and I can understand why people are losing confidence, I think DBS should make it compulsory to have 2FA for any transactions charged to cards, be it debit or credit cards, it really puzzles me why transactions from PayPal can go through without the user's control, it really defeats the purpose of 2FA.
What we can do to protect ourselves is this, from what I know, PayPal only allows one debit or credit card to one PayPal account, that means if you link your debit or credit card to your PayPal account, an attacker won't be able to link and abuse it, but provided you have a PayPal account.
As for the charges for card linkage, it's actually free, PayPal will charge USD1.00 (validation) and SGD3.00 (card confirmation code) for the linking, it will be charged to your debit or credit card, the USD1.00 will be removed in a few days depending on the bank and the money will go back to your bank account, and the SGD3.00 will be refunded to your PayPal account within 24 hours.
Oh by the way, I have confirmed my debit card, so if you have a PayPal account, please do the same for your own safety, as for people who don't have a PayPal account, try not to keep too much money in the bank and make sure you log in to iBanking daily to check.
Based on her article, Chanise seems to be holding on to a Debit Card from DBS and she has an iBanking account so there should be Two Factor Authentication (2FA) for any transaction made. But the problem is that for transaction made through PayPal, there isn't any 2FA. Anybody can add a new debit/credit card in PayPal and start using it for payment. You may argue that there is a sending limit if the PayPal account is unverified, that's true, but confirming your debit/credit card in PayPal is not the only way to get verified; you can also add a bank account to get verified status hence removing all limits.
And also for the limit, according to this FAQ, the sending limit (buying limit) for unverified account is USD2000,
 |
| PayPal Send Limit USD2000 |
That means an attacker can steal up to USD2000 before hitting the limit.
So what exactly happened in Chanise case?
Hence I rushed back home immediately to login to my ibanking account and found out that there were 2 pending transactions made to AirAsia of amount $797.79 and PayPal $1 without my knowledge.
The PayPal $1 is USD1.00 charged by PayPal, in her case, it should be for adding Chanise's debit card to the attacker's account. This is just a card validity check on PayPal's part to make sure the card added is valid.
 |
| USD1.00 PayPal Card Validity Check |
Actually I did a test since I have recently changed my debit card and I haven't updated into my PayPal account, so let's see whether what I'm saying is correct. I removed my old card from PayPal so now you'll see only one card and that is my new card.
 |
| Added my new debit card |
As you can see, there is a Confirm My Card link under Action, I added but I didn't confirm it because there is no need to since my account is still Verified. I still have my bank account linked to my PayPal, no change to that.
 |
| My PayPal is linked to my bank account |
 |
| My PayPal is still verified |
This proves that I can maintain verified status with just a bank account. And by adding my new card, all I did receive was an SMS saying,
The 1st txn on your DBS Card ending XXXX was USD1.00, PAYPAL XXXXXXXXXX SGP on 14 JUL 14:30 SG time. If you did not use the card, pls call +65 6327 2265.
Next thing I did was check my iBanking account,
 |
| PayPay charged USD1.00 to my debit card |
This proves that PayPal is allowed to make charges to my debit card without 2FA i.e. without Chanise's control. And if I'm the attacker, I can now officially make payment using Chanise's debit card since in PayPal's view, the card is valid and ready for use.
This is a major loophole and I can understand why people are losing confidence, I think DBS should make it compulsory to have 2FA for any transactions charged to cards, be it debit or credit cards, it really puzzles me why transactions from PayPal can go through without the user's control, it really defeats the purpose of 2FA.
What we can do to protect ourselves is this, from what I know, PayPal only allows one debit or credit card to one PayPal account, that means if you link your debit or credit card to your PayPal account, an attacker won't be able to link and abuse it, but provided you have a PayPal account.
As for the charges for card linkage, it's actually free, PayPal will charge USD1.00 (validation) and SGD3.00 (card confirmation code) for the linking, it will be charged to your debit or credit card, the USD1.00 will be removed in a few days depending on the bank and the money will go back to your bank account, and the SGD3.00 will be refunded to your PayPal account within 24 hours.
Oh by the way, I have confirmed my debit card, so if you have a PayPal account, please do the same for your own safety, as for people who don't have a PayPal account, try not to keep too much money in the bank and make sure you log in to iBanking daily to check.
Friday, July 12, 2013
What a Despicable Human Trash
Source
I'm not talking about the 20 year old boyfriend, I'm talking about this guy who posed as a police officer and raped a 16 year old girl. Remember this name Sivakumar Selvarajah and remember this face.
You might think that I'm only reading one side of the story but if you read the 3rd link, you will realize why I'm angry.
At the last few paragraphs,
He (Sivakumar) then approached the car with the girl and her boyfriend because he saw something being thrown out of the rear window. He told the boyfriend to step out of the car to ask him about the litter. He also asked the couple for their identity cards and where they lived. When he caught the girl out for lying about where she lived, he became concerned whether her parents knew of her whereabouts, he said.
The girl kept mum when he asked for her parents’ phone numbers. But she volunteered to let him drive her home, and the boyfriend agreed to it, he told the court. During the journey, he accepted her offer to have sex with him for $200, he claimed. He said she chose the spot and directed him there.
But he stopped having sex with her after a while because he felt uncomfortable as the environment was too “open”. He handed her $50 as he did not have enough cash, he claimed. This made her unhappy, he said.
When the DPP asked how he went from being concerned about her welfare to agreeing to have sex with her, Sivakumar replied that he knew it was wrong but could not resist as she had asked in a “seductive” way.
What a f*cking stupid liar and rapist, I hope he gets the maximum sentence.
- http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Crime/Story/A1Story20130711-436456.html
- http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/this_urban_jungle/1862492/man_accused_of_raping_16yearold_student_after_posing_as_cop.html
- http://therealsingapore.com/content/man-accused-raping-teen-says-girl-offered-him-sex-200
I'm not talking about the 20 year old boyfriend, I'm talking about this guy who posed as a police officer and raped a 16 year old girl. Remember this name Sivakumar Selvarajah and remember this face.
 |
| Sivakumar Selvarajah the Stupid and Despicable |
You might think that I'm only reading one side of the story but if you read the 3rd link, you will realize why I'm angry.
At the last few paragraphs,
He (Sivakumar) then approached the car with the girl and her boyfriend because he saw something being thrown out of the rear window. He told the boyfriend to step out of the car to ask him about the litter. He also asked the couple for their identity cards and where they lived. When he caught the girl out for lying about where she lived, he became concerned whether her parents knew of her whereabouts, he said.
The girl kept mum when he asked for her parents’ phone numbers. But she volunteered to let him drive her home, and the boyfriend agreed to it, he told the court. During the journey, he accepted her offer to have sex with him for $200, he claimed. He said she chose the spot and directed him there.
But he stopped having sex with her after a while because he felt uncomfortable as the environment was too “open”. He handed her $50 as he did not have enough cash, he claimed. This made her unhappy, he said.
When the DPP asked how he went from being concerned about her welfare to agreeing to have sex with her, Sivakumar replied that he knew it was wrong but could not resist as she had asked in a “seductive” way.
What a f*cking stupid liar and rapist, I hope he gets the maximum sentence.
Why Do Singaporeans Have to Fear That Their Foreign Spouse Might Not Be Able to Stay?
I've been thinking about this question a lot lately, there are thousands of LTVP applications rejected yearly and our fear is not without reason, and from what I know, it's usually because of income, but how much is enough?
Just think about this, if the foreign spouse is not able to stay in Singapore and has to stay in his/her homeland, I think it really puts a strain on their relationship and it also puts a strain to both of them financially as they have to travel in order to be together.
But in the first place, if it's due to income, then why allow them to marry? Why let them marry and then break them up? If stopping them from marriage is a violation of human rights, then how about stopping a married couple from being together?
It's not as if the foreign spouse cannot find employment in Singapore to increase their household income.
And foreigners with high salary can easily get a PR, but Singaporeans with low income have to be afraid.
Just think about this, if the foreign spouse is not able to stay in Singapore and has to stay in his/her homeland, I think it really puts a strain on their relationship and it also puts a strain to both of them financially as they have to travel in order to be together.
But in the first place, if it's due to income, then why allow them to marry? Why let them marry and then break them up? If stopping them from marriage is a violation of human rights, then how about stopping a married couple from being together?
It's not as if the foreign spouse cannot find employment in Singapore to increase their household income.
And foreigners with high salary can easily get a PR, but Singaporeans with low income have to be afraid.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Just Upgraded My Starhub Internet Connection to 100Mbps
And it's blazing fast, so fast that I don't feel anything, getting used to the speed already. My last connection was their obsolete 50Mbps plan and that one is already extremely fast. Anyway I upgraded because they got a hubber promotion which is overall about S$15 cheaper than my existing hubber promotion, and my contract is ending this month. It's cheaper and faster!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Gordon Ramsay Can Cook Singapore Chilli Crab (LOL)
Source
He is not just "can cook", his chilli crab even beat a dish from our local Jumbo Seafood Restaurant, now that's quite a feat. But for him to cook a local dish, and a spicy one, that's unimaginable, I always thought westerners cannot eat spicy food, not to mention cooking spicy food, he changed my mind.
He is not just "can cook", his chilli crab even beat a dish from our local Jumbo Seafood Restaurant, now that's quite a feat. But for him to cook a local dish, and a spicy one, that's unimaginable, I always thought westerners cannot eat spicy food, not to mention cooking spicy food, he changed my mind.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Save and Invest is Not, and Should Not be Limited to Rich Singaporeans
Source
Everybody should save and invest, not just the rich, and one has to balance earning, spending, saving and investing in order to survive the ever-rising prices in Singapore. Most people around me take it easy, but it's because they are still single but once they get married and have children, the weight of inflation will land hard on their shoulders.
I think most people should be doing fine with the earning part, be it through employed or self-employed, it's just a matter of how much each person earns but that's another topic. The most crucial part is spending, some people simply cannot get out of debt because they spend more than they can earn.
The rule is very simple, if you have the money, buy it, or else, forget it. I know purchasing with installment plans sounds like a good idea, but provided the interest rate is 0%, anything higher you might as well just save the money and buy later. Why pay more to buy now when you can pay less if you buy later, especially when most products have a cheapening trend, look at LED TV prices, they came out with a bang, see how cheap they are now.
What if your cash is limited and you have a lot of things that you need to buy? Prioritize. I'm sure a refrigerator is more useful than a TV. I'm sure a washing machine is more useful than a coffee table. List it down and then prioritize all the items.
So you see, if you are going to spend more than you earn, it doesn't matter how much you earn, you'll still be in debt.
Some people ask, "how to save", saving money is easy, actually it's the leftover of your earnings minus your spending, the really tough part is managing your spending.
Savings = Earnings - Spending
Everybody should save and invest, not just the rich, and one has to balance earning, spending, saving and investing in order to survive the ever-rising prices in Singapore. Most people around me take it easy, but it's because they are still single but once they get married and have children, the weight of inflation will land hard on their shoulders.
I think most people should be doing fine with the earning part, be it through employed or self-employed, it's just a matter of how much each person earns but that's another topic. The most crucial part is spending, some people simply cannot get out of debt because they spend more than they can earn.
The rule is very simple, if you have the money, buy it, or else, forget it. I know purchasing with installment plans sounds like a good idea, but provided the interest rate is 0%, anything higher you might as well just save the money and buy later. Why pay more to buy now when you can pay less if you buy later, especially when most products have a cheapening trend, look at LED TV prices, they came out with a bang, see how cheap they are now.
What if your cash is limited and you have a lot of things that you need to buy? Prioritize. I'm sure a refrigerator is more useful than a TV. I'm sure a washing machine is more useful than a coffee table. List it down and then prioritize all the items.
So you see, if you are going to spend more than you earn, it doesn't matter how much you earn, you'll still be in debt.
Some people ask, "how to save", saving money is easy, actually it's the leftover of your earnings minus your spending, the really tough part is managing your spending.
Savings = Earnings - Spending
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