Singapore Cigarette Duty

At the time of writing, there is NO GST RELIEF AND DUTY-FREE CONCESSION ON CIGARETTES AND OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS (Source). Meaning to say come into Singapore to use their toilet for 5 minutes still have to pay Duties & Tax.

So how much would that be?

For a full unopened pack of cig;

The rate gotten from HERE states '35.2 cents for every gram or part thereof of each stick of cigarette'. What better way to put that into perspective than to actually do the real thing...

Simply, the duty is counted 35.2cents per stick (meaning 1 stick equals 1g?). So 20 sticks cost S$7.04. and S$0.63 will be the 7% Goods & Service Tax (GST).

Is it worth it? Malaysia cig selling at RM9.00 or S$3.75 (with 2.4 exchange rate) plus S$7.65 equals S$11.40. The exact same cig would cost S$11 to S$11.60 in Singapore.

Wonder no more.

Smoking Cigarette in Singapore

If you're a smoker and you're coming into Singapore, the odds are that someone will tell you "when go to singapore ho, you can bring only 19 sticks of hongkee (cigarette)." The odds are, you'll do just that and you'll find out that it's true.

Kind of.

Apparently since 1st of January 2009 (source), that is no longer the case. Although you can still get through the checkpoint, if you're unlucky enough to get caught smoking or carrying them.. you'll get fined S$500 for it. Why do I bring this up? well... ladies and gentlemen... *TADA*

I got fined for smoking Malaysian cigarette which I brought in when I came into Singapore. Of all the time, they picked to conduct an operation on that day. And it is S$500.

Story in brief...

I smoke, a guy come up flash card ask for my cigarette pack (he noticed that my cig don't have the SDPC on it).

I show. He took it and ask for my IC. I show. He took it and tell me to follow him (Note to myself: never give people my IC ever, just show). I follow. then under a nearby HDB void deck (wiki entry to what is HDB void deck)...

Explained to me why I got fined. I explained how I got the cig and asked for appeal (I wasn't smoking illegally bought cig). Ask me to talk to his superior for appeal after 3 working days. Called more than 10 times before someone picked up the phone. Told to call back a day before the payment day to make an appointment for the appeal. Called on that day and was told no need to make appointment, just come on the payment day. Went on that day and was greeted by an officer that thought my appeal was to make the payment via installment. Explained my stand on appeal. Had my passport photo-copied and wrote a letter of appeal. A week plus later, head back to Custom Office. Photo-copied my IC, wrote a statement of acknowledement, finally given a warning and pardon (with second offence costing S$1000 and without pardon).

Someone should have told me when I was young that I oughta become a lawyer cause if I ain't gonna learn it from a book, I'll learn it from getting into trouble with it.

End of My Night Shift Era...

Jerk Looking for Weight-Scale

Eating Fast Food

Always have thought I ate alot of Fast Food... OK, maybe a bit too much. Around 4 dinners a week. I really took notice of this when... well, the weight gain was a good sign although I manage to ignore it.

Huh.. Now I understand why some people gain weight and doesn't seems to mind... I believe it is because we all wear too much clothes. Hhhmm.. can't make sense as to why some still wear skimpy clothes even when they are...

Anyway, I took notice because of these;

McD was giving out free glasses for every up-sized Meals over the period of 5 weeks. If they didn't run out of glasses to give I might end up with twice that amount.

Well, aside from the possibility of me dying of obesity, high blood pressure, kidney diseases or heart diseases... the great part is;

I got a complete set of the glasses. Hah, I'll keep it for like 100 years and I just might make a fortune out of these.

Old Jerk

10 most influencial SuperHeroes of my childhood (2of2)

No. 5 :: Captain Planet

It managed to achieve its main purpose, I was concern about earth and the environment... well, at least for as long as the show was still on. Won't say that it has no effect on me, cause it does. I'm aware of recycling and alot of other environmental issues of today.

Aaaand 10 years after that, I gotta say... they were on to something there. I mean 10 years ago, nights were accompanied by cool breeze and people would come out from their home and walk around to relax after a long day at work or study... today ya have to go to a mall for that cause apparently just outside our apartment/hdb/condo/home will make u sweat as if it is in the day. (In case that you don't have the similar problem at your place and you're staying in SG, Tell me where you live... I'll move ASAP)

No.4 :: Hulk

OK, this is the only Super Hero that kinda screw up my brain as a child. It gives the idea that if I get angry and start beat the shit of of the person that makes me angry, everything will be great. Imagine that idea when I'm in my teenage years... Life was indeed a bitch.

And in the old series, the dude just keep moving from one town to another. I like the new Hulk, he learnt to master the beast... and well, they can't do that with a series cause it would be a 3 episodes series. Can't make money there.

And the bugging thing about Hulk had been and still is even in the new Hulk, WHAT IS THAT PANTS MADE OF?? And I am sure as hell that ain't JEANS!!

No. 3 :: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

First movie watched in a cinema was the first TMNT real life movie. Spend half of my childhood drawing them.

One of the main argument with TMNT was that; Aren't they suppose to be 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Tortoise'? Logically YES. That's when I learn that there's no point in being always right, acknowledge it as it is and just let it be cause turtle sounded cooler.

And at times when I started to talk and sound like old wise man, sorry about that... that's Splinter in me talking. Heck if all adults were like him when I was a child... I think I might be meditating on a rock somewhere.

No. 2 :: Dragon Ball

Wah... to use one word to describe Dragon Ball is 'Overwhelming'. Imagine that I followed this series through anime and manga for around 15 years. So much was learnt from this, the concept of time travel, Ethics, Heaven and Hell, Fighting concept, Logics, Androids, etc etc.

Loved DragonBall and DragonBall Z and at the end of Z I was really happy that the ending was meaningful and filled with possibilities... until GT screwed it up with that sadistic ending. -_-"

Learnt Dragon Ball Z; 'Find what you like and love to do and do it with all your heart and give it everything you got'.

No. 1 :: The Super Inframan

I know, ya never heard of it let alone seen it. Thank goodness for Youtube and internet. Imagine what I have to go through to explain to friends what is it about.

The movie is released in 1975. And the first time I saw it was when I was around 4 years old. My dad have it on VHS video tape and I can still find it at home. I watched this like 50 times or more.

And I manage to find in on DVD and my goodness... it is in wide screen O.O

As I was growing up, I constantly watch it from time to time and I gotta say... the older I gotten the more I find it illogical. And I laughed my ass off watching it last week. Goodness...

Above all the silly acting and silly storyline and silly scripts, I feel that I got my black humour from it. Cause there's one saying that I constantly remember even until today is when the evil eeh... baddie was confronting the super hero, she said "今天不是你死就是我活!" (simple translation; "Today is either you die or I live"). They don't make baddie like that anymore.

(watch til 0:35 for that cool quote...)

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