Social Stigma and Prejudices Against Doing O.T (Overtime)

Have you ever feel guilty having to stay back in the office to finish up those unfinished work?

No, I am not referring to the group of O.T (overtime) mercenaries who laze around in the day and stay back in the evening to finish up what could have been done in the day for that measly 1.5x monetary compensation.

Most supervisors/bosses do not want to see their staff working overtime. Why? Besides having to pay for the O.T claims, it is a direct signal to the boss that you have poor time management and/or you are not skilled in doing the work given to you i.e. inefficiency.

Of course it all depends on the nature of the industry you are in. If you are in the I.T industry, working O.T is part and parcel of the job. A server crash in the computer room or in one of the regional office (where there is zero I.T staff) would mean canceling that dinner appointment with friends or loved ones. While it also means extra money in the pocket, most people would rather choose to spend the evening watching TV with family members at home.

Companies with work life balance policy usually do not encourage their employees to stay back after normal working hours. They believes that staff that do not have a healthy work life balance will either get physically or mentally burnt out and will end up clocking in more medical leaves.

Although I personally do not like to do O.T, I do see the rationale behind doing one if the situation calls for it. And there are works to be done and if you have nothing much to do at home, it does not hurt to do a few hours a week for help pay off some of that car or mortgage loan.

And if you are one of those "couch potatoes" who happen to have unfinished works in the office, then instead of feeding the stomach with junk food while lying on a couch watching predictable drama series on the TV, you are obviously better off working in the office for some extra cash for you to splurge on your next holidays in Korea. :)

Like I said, while it is fine to earn that extra pocket money, do also consider the social and personal impact on your life. e.g. If you are someone with a new born kiddo at home and a single mum, the impact for your case will be HUGE and it will come back to haunt you for years to come.

Part 1 - 10 Must Eat Hawker Food in Singapore

Most Singaporeans love to eat - and that includes yours truly too. :)

Although there are chains after chains of restaurants in Singapore, I am sure most of you would agree most of the food are pretty much the same. After all, there are only so many ways you can prepare a US beef steak, Japan Bento sets, Korean Bibimbap, Italian pizza and so on.

Boring.

Unlike hawker food, there are basically endless varieties you can choose from when you step into hawker centers. Although hawker centers are not air-conditioned, and seats are hard to find during peak hours, the food there are good and economical for the most part.

If you are like me who has gotten sick and tired of restaurant food, below is a list of food that you must really try - especially if you are a tourist. :))

1. Hainanese Chicken Rice

Truly one of the most popular local hawker food in SG

Just a simple Google search will reveal a few stalls in Singapore

If you are new to Singapore, you really MUST try out this local delicacy. You can easily find it across hawker centers. If you really can't find any, refer to the above few that I screenshot from Google search portal.

2. Bak Kut Teh

 

Yet another DDMT (die die must try) food in Singapore

 

Almost every hawker centers in Singapore have at least one Bak Kut Teh stall and personally I feel that the hawker center ones taste so much better than those in restaurants. So why spend that extra ten or more bucks (including GST) eating out at air-conditioned Bak Kut Teh restaurants when you can get a more authentic and more economical version everywhere else.

3. Indian Rojak

 

 This food needs no introduction for local Singaporeans. I have not known anyone who has not eaten or tried Indian Rojak before. If you really have not tried it before, please, do yourself a favor, order one today. This dish can also be found at almost hawkers out there.

4. Fried Hokkien Mee

 

My favourite food of all time!!

With the few locations listed inside the Google listing above, there is really no reason for you to miss trying out this local delicacy if you are new to Singapore. Try it and thou shall hath no regret...:)

5. Fried Carrot Cake (Chai Tow Kway)

 

 

I have been eating this food since I was six years of age and no, I have not grow sick of eating it at all. I personally like it fried in black sauce but the white one is equally yummy. Please never try this dish in restaurants, most of them will never be as nice as those in hawker centers. Trust me on this. 

6. Satay

 

This is probably one of those food which my hubby and I have different opinions when it comes to which meat taste the best when dipped inside the peanut sauce. I like the mutton best and my hubby love only the pork and the chicken meat. Anyhow, please give it a shot if you are tourist and have never eaten a single stick of satay your entire life.

7. Roti Prata

 

 

There are many argument in the web where this food originate from but to me, who cares. My stomach wouldn't care any more than I do. :) Good food are meant to be eaten, and not to be argued about, ya?

8. Katong Laksa

 

Another one of my all time favorite local delicacy.

 

If you are a tourist and have only one more food to eat and one more place to go - your choice is clear. Go to the above address listed in the image above - 328 Katong Laksa. Yo will simply love it
!!! Nope, unlike typical Laksa, you do not need a chop stick to eat this bowl of delicious Laksa.

9. Char Kway Teow

 

How can any restaurant food beat hawker food like this one!

 

My whole family is in love with this simple looking hawker food and although there are many version of it in Singapore, most of them taste the same. Refer to the above Google search listing if you can't find any decent one.

10. BBQ Sambal Sting Ray

 

This one SIMPLY rules them ALL! IMHO of course.

BBQ Stingray. Who could ever resist its taste and its sambal fragrance. This food go extremely well with rice and if you are simply NOT a sambal lover like me, do ask for a non-sambal version. :)

As you can see by now, Singaporeans will never ever grow sick and tired of hawker center food - there are just too many to choose from and this post is only part 1 of the series of hawker food.

Meanwhile, make sure to go try out the above list of food and stay tuned for the next post.