Reasons to study for a hospitality management degree

Hospitality and tourism have the largest share of jobs among all industries. Getting a degree in these sectors gives you enormous career prospects and the possibility to visit new places. While you may be still undecided which diploma course to follow, here are 5 reasons to choose hospitality management.

1. Diverse career choice

The hospitality sector is divided into many branches. From hotel management, to running an overseas exotic resort, to organizing luxury events, to planning memorable weddings, it’s your choice in which direction to thrive. Just find what you like and choose the specialization in which you have the most chances to shine. If you are fond of design, you can focus on planning marriage proposals and wedding parties. However, if you are full of energy and love socializing, you can opt for a career in hosting events. No matter which specialization you choose, be sure that searching for a job will not be a problem.

2. Travel

A hospitality job is often related to travelling. Of course, if you become homesick fast, this career is not for you. However, if you are hungry to visit new places and start a new life overseas, a hospitality degree may be your best choice. Top universities offer internship programs in other countries for students who crave travelling around the world and develop their hospitality skills in posh hotels and luxury beach resorts.

3. Huge network

Hospitality management features the highest number of jobs among all industries, and new jobs continue to be created at a fast pace despite the hard times for tourism today. By following a hospitality course, you are going to join a huge network of alumni that are ready to share their rich experience via events organized on the university platform. You get the chance to contact alumni around the world, listen to their success stories and get inspired. In addition, you are going to interact with lots of students who have also chosen to follow a hospitality management degree, exchanging ideas and supporting each other.

4. Develop valuable skills

The course provides students with a variety of skills, including leadership traits, management and soft skills. Leadership and management abilities are paramount for a successful manager career. Whether you manage a small fashion boutique or a luxury hotel, you have to know how to manage human, financial and technology resources efficiently. Besides operational competences, though, managers also have to possess soft skills, which allow them to interact with customers, satisfy their needs, and motivate workers to perform at their best. A hospitality management course aims at building professionals with a perfect balance of hard skills and soft skills.

5. Highly paid

Hospitality manager is one of the highest paid jobs, along with other tourism-related positions. The high salaries are explained by the big revenues in the tourism industry and the strong demand for hospitality staff. So if you want a job that will bring a generous amount of money to your bank account every month, a hospitality career may be exactly what you look for.

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Finding an authorized inspection centre

If a car or vehicle is not properly maintained, the driver is more likely to lose control of the car. The car may get involved in accidents, damaging property and causing injuries. Hence in Singapore the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has made it mandatory for vehicle owners to get their vehicle inspected periodically. To ensure that the inspection criteria matches that of the LTA, the car owner should get his car inspected at a LTA authorized inspection centre (AIC). The LTA will send a message to the car owner three months before the inspection of the car is due.

Inspection frequency

The inspection frequency of a vehicle by the LTA depends on the age, type of the vehicle and how it is being used. No inspection is required for new cars which are less than three years old since they will still be in good condition. For cars which are more than three years old and less than ten years old, the car should be inspected once every two years. If the car is more than ten years old, it should be inspected every year. If the car is being used as a taxi, it will be used for more hours daily compared to a personal car. Hence, the taxi should be inspected every six months.

Inspection centre

Additionally, car owners who are using their car to travel long distances on road trips often would like to get their car inspected as a preventive measure. So like car owners with older cars, these car owners would like to find a suitable LTA inspection centre for regular car inspection in Singapore. Many of these inspection centres will charge more for the first car inspection, and for the subsequent car inspections the inspection charges will be less. Hence, car owners should spend some time finding a reliable inspection centre, which they can use for all their car inspections.

Selection

There are a large number of vehicle inspection centres in Singapore. Some of these are businesses, while others are run by associations, especially car owners associations. The commercial inspection centres are sometimes offering better prices for customers who are bringing their vehicle to the centre for re-inspection. The non-profit associations will offer better prices, especially for members. Another consideration while choosing the inspection centre is the location, most car owners prefer a centre close to the place where they work or stay, they do not want to travel long distances only for inspection.

Procedure

Usually the car owner who wishes to get his car inspected will first have to contact the inspection centre where he wishes to get the vehicle inspected on phone or using other methods. He will hand over the car to the vehicle inspector, who will inspect the vehicle and test the braking system, steering system, suspension system, lighting and other parts. It is observed that more than 95% of the vehicles are passing the inspection. In case the vehicle does not pass the inspection, it will have to be reinspected after fixing the defective component or system.

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Top Tips When Buying Your First Guitar

Playing guitar is one of the most fulfilling hobbies. For children, it is reported to improve fine motor skills and develop focus and concentration. Of course, it’s a great idea for adults too, as it can keep your creativity sharp and give you something worthwhile to do. If it’s your first time buying your own guitar, know that it’s not always cheap.

For those who want to commit to learning this instrument, it’s important to do your research and find the model that fits your preference and budget. You can get an entry-level acoustic guitar for under $100 or even lower if you’re okay with buying secondhand. However, the more elaborate ones can go for thousands of dollars. Don’t feel overwhelmed with all the options and features you have at your fingertips. Below, we enumerate some tips to help you buy your first guitar.

Decide Between Acoustic or Electric

There are two main types of guitars: acoustic or electric. As a beginner, you’re going to want to invest your money in something that you can use in the long run. Be sure to think about the style of music you want to play and perform before choosing between acoustic and electric guitars.

If you want to have a good foundation for guitar, an acoustic guitar would suit you best. For one, you can play it anywhere without plugging it in. However, acoustic guitars tend to be harder to play as most come with steel strings — but this will strengthen your hands and fingers quickly. Plus, they’re convenient to practice with since its neck is thinner and the strings don’t have a lot of tension. On the other hand, electric guitars tend to be on the more expensive side since it needs additional equipment like amplifiers.

But as we’ve mentioned, the type of guitar that you’re going to need largely depends on the style of music that you want to play. When in doubt, be sure to ask musicians or guitar instructors, so they can help you figure out the guitar that’s ideal for you.

Consider Your Budget

Once you’ve figured out what type of guitar you’ll need, you have to consider how much you’re willing to spend. When it comes to guitars, the price is often indicative of their quality. This means that buying cheap will likely get you a guitar with a lousy build and bad sound quality. For this reason, it’s important to look for a model that fits your budget the best without compromising quality. Besides reading reviews on the internet, it’s also a good idea to interact with and ask experienced guitar players for recommendations. For starters, you can peruse online guitar forums and discussion groups and reach out to people there.

Don’t Forget the Accessories

Certain guitar accessories can impact how a beginner guitar player develops their skills. As such, be sure to create a checklist of various guitar accessories that you need alongside your guitar. One example is a guitar tuner, which allows beginners to make accurate adjustments for intonation. Besides that, guitar tuners can also help beginners train their ears. For acoustic guitars, a clip-on tuner will do. For those using electric guitars, it is recommended that they get a tuner pedal. These accessories are an invaluable tool for electric guitar players, as they allow you to tune up without any distractions or ambient noise. It can also be integrated into your pedal chain for easy adjustments, so it’s worth learning how to use them even when you’re just starting out.

Other accessories that beginner guitar players need is a pick, a guitar maintenance toolkit, a capo, and a metronome. By having these accessories, you cover all your bases and can have a smoother journey to becoming a master player.

Buy In-Store

Lastly, it may be best to buy your first guitar in-store instead of ordering online. Even if you’ve done your research, visiting a store allows you to actually try out your instrument. After all, the best way to know if a guitar is a good match for you is by taking it on a test drive. Moreover, you may find it very helpful to talk to someone at the store who can answer any questions you have about the guitar.

Your first guitar can dictate how enjoyable and fulfilling the rest of your guitar-learning journey is ⁠— whether you choose to learn from video tutorials on Youtube or a guitar teacher. So, be sure to follow the tips we’ve listed above if you want your first guitar to be well worth your time and money.

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Johor chief minister says they will put in “more effort” to reduce COVID-19 cases for Singapore to consider border reopening

Empty Singapore Johor border

Johor chief minister Hasni Mohammad has noted on 31 May that Singapore and Malaysia have put talks to reopen cross-border travel on hold. This is due to the pandemic situation in Malaysia.

Following the recent news report, our neighbouring country has also entered a two-week “total lockdown” from 1 June.

“This decision was made after taking into account the current situation of COVID-19 transmission in Malaysia with daily case numbers exceeding 8,000 and active cases exceeding 70,000,” read a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“More effort” needed to reduce Johor’s COVID-19 cases

Mr Hasni remarked that Johor has always been a city contributing to Malaysia economy. Thus, activity in the capital of the Malaysian state of Johor must resume as soon as possible.

“We just have to make sure that more effort is being put towards reducing the number of cases in Johor. And I believe once the number is reduced to an acceptable level, Singapore will consider our request to reopen the borders again,” adding that the ball is in their court now.

Vaccination priority: Malaysian “economic frontliners” in Singapore

The Johor state government is planning to tackle the COVID-19 numbers by accelerating the vaccination of its residents.

According to the ImmuPlan Johor initiative, 100,000 residents will be on the priority list for vaccination. These chosen ones would be “economic frontliners” working in Singapore and individuals intending to resume cross-border work commuting.

It seems like Johor is on track in their initiative, with around 70,000 people qualifying. This group of people will likely receive their Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 jabs next month onwards.

Johor eager to acquire vaccines from our tiny red dot
COVID-19 vaccines

Image Credits: health.harvard.edu

The chief minister also said that Johor is in talks to secure their vaccines through various channels, including Singapore.

“I was made to understand, from some vaccine suppliers… about their willingness to supply (to us). But they are tied to the understanding they will have to give priority to the country’s requirement first,” commented Mr Hasni.

He has also expressed keenness in working with Temasek Foundation again to up the supply of vaccines in Johor. As most of us already know, Temasek Foundation is a Singapore-based non-profit organisation. 

Previously in March this year, Temasek Foundation had planned to distribute 7.5 million face masks across 260 vending machines with a total worth of RM 25 million (S$8.04 million), to aid Johor in its COVID-19 fight.

“So, maybe from the foundation’s perspective, it is more of charitable work. But I suppose if it is on an understanding that can be developed to manage, control or reduce the number of positive COVID-19 patients, then why not?” Mr Hasni asserted.

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6 Ways To Practice Self-Care On A Tight Budget

Looking for ways to prioritize your physical and mental health is paramount during these times. It is easy to think that self-care means giving yourself expensive experiences or tools, but self-care can be free or low-cost. So long as you are more intentional with your choices, you will be able to tap into what your body truly craves for.

#1: PLAN A NATURE WALK

Research has shown that nature helps us cope with stress and pain. We are genetically wired to find natural elements such as plants and water engrossing. Being absorbed with the beauty of natural sceneries can distract us from discomfort and pain.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Nature can help slow down the internal rush that affects our feelings, especially when you are inside your home for too long. Planning a nature walk may help you with that. Get up close and personal with nature by embarking one of the walking or cycling trails in the parks, gardens, and park connectors.

#2: TRY AT-HOME WORKOUTS

Several gyms and fitness studios have postponed their operations last month due to the spike in community cases. When this happens, you can explore different at-home workouts. You can either take online group classes in your favorite fitness center or search thru YouTube and Instagram for free workout videos.

It might take more self-discipline to become your own motivator, but you will have the flexibility to workout whenever you want.

#3: EXAMINE YOUR HABITS

Examine your current and old habits. Evaluate whether these are healthy for you or not. Think about the long-term effects of each habit too. A simple shift in your routine can offer the same pleasure as a new purchase.

For instance, you habitually frequent the nearby Starbucks every morning. Upon evaluating this habit, you realized that you will be able to save more money if you made your own coffee at home. You switched to having your own coffee ritual and enjoyed it a lot.

Bringing awareness into your habits will enable you to see whether you are paying for something that you do not love or need anymore.

#4: MEET WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Self-care does not mean being completely self-sufficient. Instead, staying connected with the people you love will help reduce the loneliness you are feeling from being indoors for a long period of time. Stay connected with your loved ones by hosting Zoom/Skype hangouts or by creating a group chat.

Reintegrating yourself in your community after all the pandemic restrictions can help remind you that leaning on others for support is self-care. Best of all? It does not have to cost anything.

#5: PRACTICE MEDITATION

Many studies have highlighted the benefits of meditation. It helps improve focus, concentration, memory, and reduce stress. Relaxation techniques such as medication can be added to your holistic self-care.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Try breathing deeply as you follow through a guided meditation video online. You can also download free meditation apps like Calm and Headspace.

#6: SAVE MONEY

You read that right! Apart from working out in your own home or practicing relaxation techniques, you can take care of yourself by saving money. Financial struggles affect our physical and mental health. Not having enough money can affect your ability to pay for important health procedures or nutritious food.

Cushion the stress of financial woes by sticking to your budget and saving money. Sticking to your budget feels better than impulsively purchasing beyond your means.

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