Thai Princess Visits Singapore. Singapore is one of the most multicultural areas in the world and tradition is very strong here. Wherever you are from, whether you are an ambassador visiting from another country or just a backpacker on holiday, you can count on a very special welcome. In January 2013 Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien and his wife welcomed one of Thailand's premier dignitaries, the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

On these celebrated occasions when two great neighbours reacquaint themselves and consolidate lasting friendships, there is a great sense of optimism. Singapore has so much to offer, and there was quite an itinerary of entertainment planned for the Princess while she was in the region.

Everywhere she went she was greeted by some of Singapore's most respected and treasured people. She met the Chairman of the National Reach Foundation, Teo Chee Hean, the Minister for the National Development, Khaw Boon Wan, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Foreign Affairs, Sam Tan and Lawrence Wong, the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth.

Having been greeted in true style the Thai royal was then escorted to an amazing banquet lunch and was show a number of native artworks. Given the Princess' artistic background, it no wonder that Singapore's finest wanted to show off their best in culture. She majored in Art at Chulalongkom University and came out with an impressive Bachelor of Arts degree with first class honors.

Like her last trip in July 2012, she re-visited The Gardens by the Bay. This is one of Singapore's most exciting architectural projects, backed by the Singapore Government. This inventive new venture is to transform the land onto a ‘City of Garden'. You can find the Garden's by the Bay directly in Marina Bay, it is a sight worth seeing by all accounts. Here the Princess donated a Lychee Tree at the official planting ceremony which she attended. This is a potent symbol of the friendship they share which will bear fruit for years to come.

Sim Wong Hoo

Sim Wong Hoo is a man who has totally transformed the image of Singaporean business during his long and varied career. At the age of 45 he became the youngest billionaire in the wealthy city-state. He earned his fortune as CEO of Creative Labs which is competing with heavy weights like Apple for a share of the new technology and personal computer market. One day they hoped to knock Apple from their perch and become the market leader, which never quite materialised. However, Sim is making a comeback with some new products to shake up the market place again.

Sim Won Hoo is hugely ambitious, and wants to push the company up the ladder and become number 1 eventually. He also believes they have the personnel, investment and expertise to do just that in the long run. He once said: “I'm planning to spend some serious money - I intend to out-market everyone.”

After many years playing catch up to Apple, now Sim Wong Hoo has rose from the ashes like a phoenix and is back on the trail of his competitors. Creative's share price surged after the announcement of the brand new HanZpad Alliance in Beijing.

In an industry where the finest margins are the difference between success and failure, when lawsuits are filed constantly over patent infringement, Sim has made it known that Creative will own the rights to all of HanZpad's hardware specifications, chips and content framework.

However there is a trade-off here as they will be using Google's Android software to power the new device.

Moreover, Creative is doing something no one else is doing with any great emphasis at the moment and that is creating Chinese-language content for its tablet. This will include educational material like textbooks designed for school children.

The company is determined to reinvent itself and has spent $1 billion over the past 10 years to deliver the ZMS to such a high standard.

A live video online broadcast will be held on:

Date: 27 June 2013

Time: 8pm – 9pm

URL: http://www.ntuc.org.sg/expertseries

Event registration page: https://www.facebook.com/events/473367086073694

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Social media is like a Swiss-army knife in many respects, it has multiple uses for a range of different tasks, but only if you use it correctly. For the tech-savvy out there, social media can play an important role in finding jobs and engaging with employers, cutting out the middle man. Particularly on platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter, where jobs are posted daily.

However, it correlates that with a bigger online audience comes greater competition. So to get the job you really want, that means you have to stand out from your peers, right? This is where the NTUC-PME webinar approach can help you get ahead of the game, as part of their ‘Workplace Expert Series'.

A range of speakers and industry professionals will talk directly with the online community who can ask them all the most pressing questions surrounding work and employment today. Social media will be particularly significant in the opening session with a high-flier of the tech industry, Jessica Tan of Microsoft Singapore, on the 27th of June 2013 so be sure to tune in.

Singapore itself is a thriving and dynamic economy which has proven its ability to adapt to tough economic times recently. But helping young people onto the ladder is a question that many societies are facing across the world right now with greater urgency, and Singapore is no exception.

Singapore, which has historically been one of the stronger economies in the region, has an estimated 57,800 citizens, including 50,000 Singaporean nationals, who are out of work as of March 2013.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel, particularly when enterprises like the “Workplace Expert Series” are spreading awareness and trying to create a community of learning. This is why you need to tune in! Because sometimes the best approach is to listen to people who have been successful in their respective industry, and who have shown the determination and creative acumen to achieve something exceptional. Their advice and words can be invaluable, and can also spread hope, because if they can do it then so can you.

To get the ball rolling we want to know this. What have your experiences of social media and finding work been like? Has it been a help or a hindrance do you think? Positive or negative?

Please feel free to express your opinions in the comments and follow for more details.

Scientific Break-Through in Singapore

The National University of Singapore has been instrumental in what many scientists are calling a ‘significant break-through' in the development of molecular devices, which is good news for consumers of the latest technology it seems.

It has taken years of research by a team of scientists from the Tyndall National Institute at University College Cork and the National University of Singapore to come up with the design and configuration of these miniature devices which help to make electronics more energy efficient. It was their ambition to discover how the devices work on a molecular level and increase the overall productivity.

It occurred to them that only a small change can deliver miraculous results on this scale, as with the addition of just one carbon atom they have noticed a ten-fold increase in efficiency. In the future this technology could help to cool down electronics that have a habit of over-heating and could be used in laptops and mobiles. But there could also be wider health benefits as electrical stimulation could be used in bandages to help promote the quicker healing of wounds.

The breakthrough research will be released to the press in February through Nature Nanotechnology. Dr. Damien Thompson (UCC) and Prof. Chris Nijhuis (National University of Singapore) headed the two groups which conceived of these new instruments, which uses the idea that molecules can act as electrical valves, or diode rectifiers.

Dr. Thompson said: "These molecules are very useful because they allow current to flow through them when switched ON and block current flow when switched OFF. The results of the study show that simply adding one extra carbon is sufficient to improve the device performance by more than a factor of ten. We are following up lots of new ideas based on these results, and we hope ultimately to create a range of new components for electronic devices."