Jetstar Asia Take a friend free promotion

For a more recent promotion see Jetstar's take a friend for free promotion reloaded.

Jetstar Asia has a promotional offer for you to celebrate its 8th birthday. Valid until December 13th 2012, unless sold out prior, for every passenger who books a specially marked sale Economy Starter fare, another Economy Starter fare will be free! The flight deal is for the 8th birthday of Jetstar and will be offered for selected routes. All the flights are originated from Singapore.

To receive the free ticket, you must include all travelling passengers (including the free passengers) in the one booking for travel on the same flight. Also a minimum of 2 and maximum of 8 passengers per booking applies. You can make bookings which include an odd number of passengers; however the last passenger will not receive a free fare.

Sale fares come with carry on baggage only. You can choose between 15kg to 40kg checked baggage for an additional $15 - $80 per passenger, per flight. Additional baggage charges vary by route.

Jetstar Asia, a low-cost airline headquartered in Singapore, was launched in 2004.  It operates services to regional destinations in Southeast Asia, Australia, China and Japan from its main base at Singapore Changi Airport.

Jetstar Asia Take a friend free promotion

Flight from Kota Kinabalu to Shanghai by Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is starting to fly direct from Kota Kinabalu to Shanghai from Dec 11 2012. Flights will be operated  twice weekly and depart Kota Kinabalu on Tuesdays and Fridays at 8.20pm and arrive in Shanghai at 12.45am the next day. Inbound flight would depart Shanghai on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 1.45am and arrive in Kota Kinabalu at 6.25am. On December 1, MAS has increased direct connectivity between Kota Kinabalu and Hong Kong with two more weekly flights.

MAS regional senior vice-president for Malaysia/Asean, Muzamil Mohammad, said the introduction of more international direct flights to and from Kota Kinabalu met the growing demand for premium connectivity to and from Sabah. He added that Kota Kinabalu was an ideal gateway for air travel to and from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, North Asia, Indonesia, and Australia.

MAS said it would be putting the new two-class configured Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 144 economy class seats and 16 business class seats to operate the Kota Kinabalu-Shanghai return service.

Kota Kinabalu is a major tourist destination and a popular gateway for travellers visiting Sabah and Borneo

Kota Kinabalu is the capital of Sabah state in East Malaysia and also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah.  It is a major tourist destination and a popular gateway for travellers visiting Sabah and Borneo. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies on one side and Mount Kinabalu, which gave the city its name, is nearby. Kota Kinabalu proper has a population of 452,058 while the larger urban area which includes Penampang district has an estimated population of 651,658.

Malaysia Airlines,  flag carrier of Malaysia, has recently been awarded 5-star status at the SKYTRAX World Airline Awards™ on 12 July 2012 for its consistent and high quality products and services. The airline is set to join OneWorld Alliance in Feb 2013.

Celebrity Cruises Maiden Asian Season from Singapore

Celebrity Cruises started her maiden Asian season with Celebrity Millennium on 9 December 2012. Celebrity Solstice has docked at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore  (MBCCS)  on November 23rd 2012, the first stop in her maiden  voyage to Asia. Named by the world renowned Frommer’s travel guide book as ‘the most flagrantly beautiful megaship ever built’, this sleek, contemporary marvel of modern engineering was the first of the Celebrity cruise ships to visit Asia.

Following closely behind  Celebrity Solstice was Celebrity Millennium, which home-ported at MBCCS from 8 December 2012, using Singapore and MBCCS as its hub for its Asian voyages in the coming year.

Both world-class ships are operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, which has chosen Singapore and MBCCS as the springboard to cruise destinations within the region. This significantly underscores the cruise company’s confidence that Singapore and MBCCS have the resources and facilities to accommodate its cruise liners’ foray into Asia, and ultimately be the catalyst to grow the cruise industry within the region.

Melvin Vu, Chief Executive Officer of SATS-Creuers Cruise Services (SCCS) says, “MBCCS was built to
dock bigger cruise ships and enhance cruise passengers’ experience, and  Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Millennium will definitely enjoy their stays. Our facilities and proximity to the  city centre have been the key reasons for Celebrity Cruises’ decision to use our terminal, providing passengers with a seamless transition from the luxury vessels to the vibrancy and unique appeal of Singapore. We look forward to welcoming more premium cruise ships to MBCCS and giving Singaporeans a rich variety of travel options and reaffirming our status as a world-class cruise hub.”

The four year old Celebrity Solstice features a wide range of premium dining and activity choices in keeping with the legendary  Celebrity cruising experience. The 122,000 tonne ship ensures a premium experience for all its 2,850 passengers by effortlessly combining elegance and elements of modern art in a plethora of open, public spaces, including a freshly manicured natural grass lawn on the top deck.

With luxurious accommodations and intuitive service for its 2,138 passengers, the 91,000 tonne Celebrity Millennium is top of the rankings among large cruise ships. Passengers can enjoy a myriad of Solstice Class features such as the Celebrity iLounge SM, an ice-topped Martini Bar, Café al Bacio & Gelateria, a Cellar Masters Wine Bar, and the uniquely unordinary SM Qsine specialty restaurant.

Celebrity Millennium

The 2,158-guest Celebrity Millennium which was launched in 2000, underwent a major renovation earlier this year and now features the Solstice Class features, including the spa-inspired AquaClass staterooms, Blu the ‘spa’ restaurant, ‘uniquely unordinary’ Qsine restaurant, stylish creperie Bistro on Five and Cellar Masters with a bold collection of wines from around the world.

For her maiden Asian season from now till next April, Celebrity Millennium will visit nine countries new to the brand, including Vietnam, Thailand and China, among others. She will feature a series of 14-night one-way cruises between Singapore and Hong Kong, with overnight stays in ports like Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Halong Bay and Hong Kong.

The season also will include two 14-night round trip sailings from Singapore with overnight stays in Bali in January 2013. This ship will also be returning for the second consecutive Asia season in 2013/2014.

In conjunction with the arrival of Celebrity Solstice, a new DriveCruise service has been introduced at MBCCS, giving cruise passengers special parking rates and a valet service to ensure an uninterrupted passage from car to cruise ship. Upon their return to MBCCS, the valet service will move passengers’ cars to the pick-up area, expediting processing time and promising the perfect end to any cruise holiday.

iFly Singapore to host first indoor skydiving world championships in Asia Pacific

iFly Singapore will host its first indoor skydiving world championships at its world’s largest wind tunnel facility on Sentosa Island. It is the first time that a competition on this scale is held in the Asia Pacific region. Up to 400 flyers from around the world are expected to compete in professional and amateur categories during the four-day event from 13 to 16 December 2012.

During the competition,  enthusiasts and spectators can expect to see  top international  skydiving teams vie for the top positions in five different disciplines under the professional category including:

• 4-way formation skydiving
• 4-way vertical formation skydiving
• 2-way vertical formation skydiving
• 2-way freefly
• Neofreestyle

Besides the professional category, competitors can also join the amateur category to pitch their skills in the following disciplines:

• 4-way formation skydiving
• 2-way freefly
• Kids (Neofreestyle)

iFly Singapore is making skydiving available to the public exclusively only on Saturday, 15 Dec 2012 on Sentosa island, another first for iFly Singapore. This will be an once-in-a-lifetime experience for anyone who wants to skydive in Sentosa, Singapore. Only a total of 30 tandem skydives will be offered to the public as part of the inaugural iFly Singapore Indoor Skydiving World Championships 2012, to be held in iFly Singapore from 13 to 16 December 2012. Reservations are on a first-come basis.

Participants of the tandem skydive will experience a skydive experience from 10,000 ft that includes training and the helicopter ride over the South China Sea before jumping off the helicopter attached to an experienced tandem master.

All tandem participants will be securely attached by a harness to an experienced tandem master who is a “D” licence holder which is the highest skydiving licence available in the industry. All tandem masters have more than 1000 jumps experience in their skydiving career. The tandem master will guide the skydiver through the entire jump from the leap, free-fall, under parachute and till the landing, allowing the skydiver to completely enjoy the adrenaline rush and breath-taking views of Sentosa and the South China Sea before landing on the Palawan beach of Sentosa.

iFly Singapore

To cap the inaugural world championships, competitors and spectators can look forward to a grand finale at SkyLoft – a rooftop bar and restaurant at iFly Singapore with a capacity to hold events up to 250 people. Recently launched, SkyLoft offers diners a panoramic view of Sentosa Island and South China Sea. Besides the view, there are also live performances by local talents such as Jack and Rai, Shirlyn and the UnXpected, and 53A, and nightly fireworks from Sentosa’s Songs of the Sea. This F&B restaurant is the latest addition to the three existing F&B outlets: O’Briens Irish Sandwich Café, Bora Bora Margarita Bar and McDonald’s.

About iFly Singapore
iFly Singapore, located conveniently next to the Beach Station Hub on Sentosa, is the world's largest indoor skydiving wind tunnel. A first-of-its-kind for Singapore, the state-of-the-art wind tunnel allows anyone from first time flyers, to professional skydivers, the opportunity to fly in an easily accessible, realistic, safe and affordable setting. At a height of 56.5ft with a diameter of 16.5ft, iFly Singapore can accommodate up to 20 professional flyers at any one time. The facility is the only themed wind tunnel in the world that offers flyers a flight experience like no other. Designed like an airport, flyers check-in for their flight, go through a hanger, and suit up before taking flight.

Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay offers Holiday Saver in Singapore

Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay has unveiled an exclusive Holiday Saver Package that makes staying at this perfectly located hotel even more attractive. The Holiday Saver promotion, which is available until December 31st 2012 and priced from SGD 233++ per room night, comes wrapped with the necessities of a getaway package:

-       Complimentary tickets to the Singapore River Cruise for two
-       Complimentary international buffet breakfast for two
-       Complimentary in-room WI-FI
-       Complimentary access to the hotel’s fitness center and swimming pool.

Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay, is a premier business hotel situated in the heart of Singapore within the vibrant and dynamic Clarke Quay area.  One of Singapore’s best located hotels, both for tourists and business travelers, Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay features 403 redesigned rooms each with magnificent and un-obstructed views of the meandering Singapore River. The hotel’s guest rooms have been recently upgraded offering modern amenities such as flat screen televisions with a multimedia connectivity panel, Nespresso machines, iPod Docking Stations and contemporary workstations developed with the travelling executive in mind.

“With the Holiday Saver Package, we want to let our guests enjoy one of the most charming journeys in Singapore. The Singapore river cruise is a uniquely memorable experience that provides glimpses into Singapore’s pre-independence history. Stretch out, look around, soak in the warm breeze and literally transport yourself briefly into a bygone era,” said Kevin Bossino, General Manager of Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay.  “Moreover, the recent renovation of all the 403 guest rooms coupled with the additional perks we offer our guests should make their stay an extremely comfortable and thoroughly enjoyable one. The Holiday Saver Package is one excellent opportunity not to be missed!”

Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay

Besides the Holiday Saver special, Novotel is offering guests a fabulous Weekend Escape special, perfectly suited for guests looking for a memorable weekend break in Singapore. From just SG$223++ per room, this is a great chance to grab a weekend loaded with goodies: daily international buffet breakfast for two; one-time dinner buffet for two and a complimentary welcome drink at the Le Bar Rouge, besides a host of other benefits!

Meanwhile, Ms.Rhys Challenger has joined Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay as the Resident Manager as the hotel continues to raise the bar in customer service excellence. “I have joined the hotel at an exciting time. With all the recent enhancements and our continuing effort to deliver memorable stays in Singapore for our guests, I am looking forward to welcoming and serving even more guests here this year.”

The British & Irish Lions vs The Barbarians game in Hong Kong

The British & Irish Lions, a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, will be on a six-week tour to Australia and the tour will start with a game in Hong Kong against the famous Barbarians Club on Saturday, 1 June 2013. The six-week tour marks the 125-year anniversary of The Lions’ heritage and traditions. Lions were formerly known as the British Isles and the British Lions.

Tickets for this historic game are now on sale to the public. The Lions Tour will be the pinnacle of the rugby calendar next year and is eagerly anticipated by rugby fans globally. This match on 1 June 2013 will be the first time The Lions have every played in Hong Kong.

To launch the historic 125th year anniversary Tour to Australia on 1st June 2013, The Lions will make history as they play their first ever match in Hong Kong against the Barbarians on 1st June 2013.

The British & Irish Lions, a team selected from the elite Rugby Union players from the four fiercest of rivals (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) join forces to go on Tour every four years, playing 10 matches all around Australia, South Africa or New Zealand. Underpinned behind The Lions' players are the very values which reunite them together as a team: Pride, Exclusivity, Passion, Responsibility, Pioneering and Friendship.

They will be playing the legendary Barbarians; an extremely exciting match for the very large British, Irish, Australian and South African population in Hong Kong.

The British & Irish Lions vs The Barbarians

Who are the Lions?

The first official tour by the British Isles Rugby Union Team, selected by a committee from all four Home Unions, was to South Africa in 1910. But the idea was not a new one, as combined British & Irish teams had been heading for the southern hemisphere since 1888.

The first tour was a commercial venture made without official backing, but the six subsequent visits that took place prior to 1910 enjoyed a growing degree of support from the authorities, although only one of these included representatives of all four nations.

Who are the Barbarians?

The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain. The Barbarians play in traditional black and white hoops, though players retain the socks from their "home" club strip.

Membership is by invitation and the only qualifications considered when issuing an invitation are that the player's rugby is of a high enough standard and secondly that he should behave himself on and off the field. Being asked to become a Barbarian is an honour and not one restricted to British players; in addition to all four of the Home Nations, players from 27 other countries have worn Barbarian colours.[1] Traditionally at least one uncapped player is selected for each match.

Gates will open at 4.00 pm and the game between  The British & Irish Lions and The Barbarians will kick off at 7.30 pm. There are 3 categories of tickets (all reserved seating):
Gold    - HK $1290 (USD 166)
Silver   - HK $1000 (USD 129)
Bronze - HK $750  (USD 98)

It has been a long time since such a game has taken place en-route to the main tour destination. "The last Lions Tour to Australia in 2001 heralded the dawn of 'The Red Army' with tens of thousands of English, Irish, Scottish & Welsh tourists and ex-pats wearing the red jersey in support of the Lions. For 2013 we have the perfect opportunity to expand this in the developing rugby region of Asia with the inclusion of a match in Hong Kong," said Tour manager and former Lion Andy Irvine.

Trevor Gregory, Chairman of the HKRFU added: "We are proud to be hosting this truly unique rugby occasion. It will be an honour to welcome the British & Irish Lions and the Barbarians for a fixture that continues their remarkable legacy. I have no doubt it will capture the imagination of rugby supporters in Hong Kong, the Asian region and the rest of the world.

Unregistered Singaporeans are urged to sign up for GST Voucher by 31 December 2012

In a Press Release on December 7th 2012, Singapore's Ministry of Finance published a reminder for unregistered Singaporeans to sign up for GST voucher by 31 December 2012. According to the press release, as at end-November 2012, Singapore Government has disbursed about $335 million in GST Voucher – Cash to eligible Singaporeans, and about $100 million in GST Voucher – Medisave to older Singaporeans. 800,000 eligible HDB households would have also automatically received the GST Voucher – U-Save in July 2012.

According to the Government, the GST voucher, or GSTV, is a permanent scheme introduced in Budget 2012 to help lower- and middle-income households with their expenses, in particular, what they pay in GST:

"Retiree couples living in smaller flats can expect to receive a GSTV that will more than fully offset their yearly GST expenses. The GSTV for lower-income households (with no elderly persons) living in 3- or 4- room flats should cover about half of the GST they pay each year. Middle income families can also expect to receive a GSTV that will partially offset their GST expenses. 

The GSTV has 3 components: (i) GSTV  – Cash, to help defray some immediate expenses; (ii) GSTV  – Medisave, a Medisave top-up to help the elderly with medical expenses; and/or (ii) GSTV  – U-Save, a rebate  to help households offset utilities bills. Singaporeans will receive some or all of the three components depending on their age, income and the annual value of their home.
Source : 2.1 Million Singaporeans To Receive Their GST Voucher

Singaporeans aged 21 and above who are eligible for the GST Voucher and have yet to sign up should do so by 31 December 2012. They will be receiving reminder letters from the Government from 7 December 2012 onwards.


Only those who are eligible for GST Voucher – Cash and GST Voucher – Medisave need to sign up to receive the payments. There is no need to sign up for the GST Voucher – U-Save which is a benefit for the household.


Singaporeans may sign up either:

a) Online at the GST Voucher website (www.gstvoucher.gov.sg), or

b) By completing the GST Voucher sign-up form available at any Community Centre, Community Development Council or CPF Service Centre. All forms should reach CPF Board before 31 December 2012.

More information can be found at www.gstvoucher.gov.sg or Singaporeans can also call 1800-2222-888 for details on the GST Voucher – Cash and Medisave, and 6671-7117 for information on the GST Voucher – U-Save.

Singapore Workforce 2012 Videographics by MOM

Singapore resident work force (Singaporean and Singapore Permanent Resident workers) grew 1.9% over the year in June 2012. Although this is faster than 1.6% of 2010-2011 period, the growth is significantly lower than the average of 2.6% per annum average of last 10 years (2002 – 2012 period).  According to MOM, this reflects the slower growth in resident population in recent years.

There were 2.12 million residents in the labor force in June 2012.The faster growth in the resident labor force came from the increase in resident labor force participation rate. In June 2012, a record 66.6% of the resident population aged 15 and above were participants of labor force. This is up from 66.1% in 2011. This was supported by labor force participation rate among older residents and women in the prime-working ages.

In 2012, 78.8% of the resident population of Singapore aged 25 to 64 was employed. This is up from 78.0% in 2011 and 72.1% a decade ago in 2002.

For more highlights you can watch the latest Videographic on Singapore Workforce, 2012 by Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Singapore Workforce 2012

Part time jobs in Singapore

Careerjet SG

Before browsing through individual online job sites or classifieds ads, you may want to shortcut by using job aggregation web sites. These sites basically crawls the web like google does and brings jobs into a search database for you to search centrally. Careerjet.sg is one of them. To look for part-time job:

1) Go to http://www.careerjet.sg.

2) In the main manu without entering anything in what/where boxes, click Find button.

3) A list of all jobs published in Singapore will come. Now you can filter this jobs by using Contract type on the left column. You can filter part time or temporary. If you are looking for a specific job, simply filter to part-time and write the keyword (i.e. receptionist) in the search box and press Find.

Indeed

This is another job aggregation site. You can look for jobs here which looks at advertised jobs and stores them in a centralized database. Simply enter part-time in search box and click find at http://www.indeed.com.sg.

Printed Newspaper Classifieds Ads
I think classifieds ads in printed news papers such as The Straits Times and The New Paper are still the best places to take a look at first if you are looking for a job. You do not need to pay for all of them. Just head to the nearest library where you can find all the local newspapers.

JobStreet
JobStreet.com has grown to become one of the leading Internet Recruitment websites in the Asia-Pacific since it was launched in 1995. It is one of the most popular job site in Singapore (most popular according to them) and have a Part Time Jobs in Singapore listing.

STJobs
STJobs (previously ST701 Jobs which was awarded ‘Best Recruitment Site’ by Marketing Magazine
in the 2011 Digital Media of the Year survey) has a Temporary / Part Time Jobs section listing many jobs.  The site offers several filter options as well as resume upload facilities which would make life easier to meet your dream part-time jobs.

Gumtree Singapore
Gumtree, an extensive network of online classifieds and community websites, has local noticeboards that now spans 76 cities across 11 countries. And one of these countries is Singapore. Gumtree Singapore has a section under jobs named Part time, evening, weekend jobs and work opportunities in Singapore which has a very busy listing of part time or weekend jobs in Singapore.

You can also leave "part-time job wanted" ads in this site which is a good way of looking for job id you are really not actively searching the web.

Craigslist Singapore
Craigslist, a classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, items wanted, services, community, gigs, resumes, and discussion forums, is one of the oldest in the web which has started operation in 1995. It has a local Singapore web site named craiglist sg and this web site has a part time job section. Although a significant number of these advertisements are looking for female escorts, there are a lot of other part-time jobs which can be suitable for your needs.

Singapore part-time jobs

Singaporeparttimejobs.com is a small and simple site which lists a few good jobs to take a look at.

You may also like to check this article by Ryan Ong named 5 Part-Time Jobs to Avoid in Singapore. According to Ryan Ong,  the best part-time jobs in Singapore are entirely subjective but the worst part-time jobs are not :)

Welcome the Year of the Snake with Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok

In Eastern mythology the Snake, the sixth sign of the Chinese zodiac, is said to be the most enigmatic, intuitive, introspective, refined and collected of the animal signs.

Why not welcome the Chinese New Year of the Snake at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok with the Chinese New Year 2013 package? Including luxurious accommodations, daily breakfast, and a special Year of the Snake good luck amenity, the package places guests in the heart of this dynamic city, giving them easy and convenient access to all that Bangkok has to offer. And guests staying three or more nights will also receive exclusive Executive Club benefits, including breakfast, evening cocktails and canapés in the Hotel's Executive Club Lounge, internet access and unlimited garment pressing.

The Chinese New Year package is available from February 1 to 28, 2013 at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok. Chinese New Year packages are also available at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai and Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, so how about indulging in a Tour of Thailand this Chinese New Year? The perfect way to start the new Year of the Snake in style with family and friends.

Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok Chinese New Year 2013 package includes daily breakfast for two, Chinese New Year welcome amenity, Complimentary Executive Club access for guests who stay three or more nights and Luxurious accommodations.

Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok

The Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok Bangkok is 25 km from the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, and is situated among many shopping venues and business addresses. It is also just a ten-minute walk to Lumpini Park, where guests can enjoy an evening walk or morning jog. There are many dining options available to guests including the Madison, a contemporary steak house that has an open kitchen. In addition to the displayed artwork, and sprawling 25 meter-swimming pool, this five-star hotel has a visually stunning tropical garden, which spreads over 10 acres of land.