Food Updates: Viral banana cake shop Bake It Babe arrives in Singapore from Bangkok!

Source:

https://thehoneycombers.com/singapore/bake-it-babe-singapore/

ChatGPT:

Bake It Babe, a viral banana cake brand from Bangkok, has officially launched in Singapore, riding on strong regional demand for trendy dessert concepts. The brand gained popularity after a TikTok by Tuk Little Monster went viral, amassing over 1.7 million views and helping the business sell more than 250,000 boxes despite limited production.

Originally a home-based venture, Bake It Babe was founded after its creator, Tarn, set out to recreate a memorable banana cake she once tasted. The brand later expanded to a physical store in Chonburi before making its international debut in Singapore. Its success is driven by a commitment to small-batch production, ensuring consistent quality and freshness. Bananas are carefully selected and ripened to optimal sweetness, while oil is used instead of butter to produce a softer, moister texture.

In Singapore, Bake It Babe currently offers its signature banana cake priced at $19.80. Due to high demand, the brand operates on a pre-order system rather than walk-ins. Customers must place orders online at least two days in advance and select a collection time, with delivery services expected in the future. The cakes are not halal-certified, although they do not contain pork or lard.

Looking ahead, Bake It Babe plans to expand its menu beyond its signature item, with potential new flavours and Singapore-exclusive offerings. There are also discussions about opening additional outlets locally, signalling continued growth and strong consumer interest in the brand.

Travel Updates: Grab gets first Singapore-Johor ride-hail licence as ‘anywhere’ drop-off rules kick in May 4

Source:

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/transport-logistics/grab-gets-first-singapore-johor-ride-hail-licence-anywhere-drop-rules-kick-may-4

ChatGPT:

Grab has secured the first licence to operate cross-border ride-hailing between Singapore and Malaysia, marking a major shift in regional transport. Issued by the Land Transport Authority, the three-year licence allows passengers to book cross-border taxi rides directly through Grab’s platform.

Starting May 4 under an enhanced Cross-Border Taxi Scheme, commuters can enjoy greater flexibility and convenience. Licensed taxis can drop passengers off anywhere in Singapore and across key Johor areas, including Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri, Forest City, Kulai and Senai. Pickups within a taxi’s home country remain unrestricted.

Grab’s new “Cross-Border SG-JB (beta)” service enables users to pre-book door-to-door rides between 12 hours and seven days in advance. The initiative integrates ride-hailing into cross-border transport, replacing older restrictions that limited taxis to fixed terminals.

The framework is also designed to protect drivers. Authorities are introducing stricter enforcement measures, such as mandatory identification markings, ERP 2.0 units for Malaysian taxis, and a 10-year vehicle age limit to curb illegal operators. Street-hailing for foreign taxis will be banned; instead, drivers must rely on app-based bookings and operate from designated pickup hubs.

Fleet capacity will expand from 200 to 300 taxis per country initially, with a long-term target of 500, focusing on larger six-seater vehicles. Fares are structured to ensure driver sustainability, starting from about S$80 per trip, while improving commuter convenience and cross-border connectivity.

Rewards Updates: The ShopperLink App Is Celebrating Its 5th Birthday, Play Games To Redeem Goodies & Win Prizes

Source:

https://thesmartlocal.com/read/shopperlink-5th-birthday/

ChatGPT:

The ShopperLink app is marking its 5th anniversary with a series of weekend celebrations across seven HDB malls from 9 to 24 May 2026. The events kick off at Canberra Plaza and culminate in a grand finale at Plantation Plaza in Tengah, with activities held at different malls each weekend.

The main highlight is a set of three free challenges—Birthday Bash Strike, Cake Smash, and Lucky 5 Timer—open to ShopperLink members who complete simple tasks like rating the app and following mall social pages. Participants who complete all three challenges can redeem a limited-edition ceramic plate. Top performers from each mall will advance to the finals, where they compete for a $200 supermarket voucher.

Another activity, the Guess The Cakes Challenge, invites shoppers to estimate the number of cake plushies on display for a chance to win a $100 gift bundle. Winners will be announced at the finale and on participating malls’ Facebook pages.

Families can also enjoy bouncy castles at selected locations for 50 reward points. Meanwhile, shoppers who spend at least $25 (with up to three receipts) can enter a lucky draw featuring prizes like a robot vacuum, USB fans, cakes, and retail vouchers.

From 4 to 31 May, members earn double reward points at participating malls, and existing users can redeem a multi-purpose organiser. New users who sign up at pop-up booths in community clubs will receive freebies, including a shoulder bag and items from brands like A&W and Jollibee.

Overall, the campaign blends games, rewards, and shopping perks to drive engagement and celebrate the app’s milestone.

Technology Updates: Notepad++ is finally available on the Mac, 23 years later

Source:

https://www.howtogeek.com/notepad-plus-plus-for-mac-available/

ChatGPT:

Notepad++ has finally arrived on macOS, 23 years after its original Windows debut in 2003. The new Mac version closely mirrors the familiar interface, offering features like macros, plugins, syntax highlighting, tabbed editing, and split views. It has been adapted to use native macOS interface elements and runs smoothly on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Previously, users had to rely on compatibility tools such as Wine or CrossOver to run it.

The Mac release remains free, open-source, and distributed under a GNU license, with no ads or data tracking. However, it is not an official version from creator Don Ho. Instead, it is a community-driven port led by Andrey Letov. As a result, updates and new features may not align exactly with the Windows version.

Plugin support is currently a key limitation. Many plugins must be adapted for macOS, so availability varies. While some, like ComparePlus, already work, others are still missing. The development team is releasing updates frequently, but users may need patience if they rely on specific add-ons.

The Mac launch is significant because Notepad++ has long been a popular alternative to basic text editors. It offers a lightweight yet powerful option compared to built-in tools like TextEdit, which lacks advanced features. Competing apps such as BBEdit and Sublime Text often require paid licenses or subscriptions for full functionality.

Ultimately, the arrival of Notepad++ on macOS gives users—especially those switching from Windows—a familiar, flexible, and cost-free editing tool, though plugin compatibility remains a work in progress.

Investing Updates: What to Expect in the Week Ahead (FOMC Rate Decision and Earnings from AAPL, GOOG, AMZN, META and MSFT)

Source:

https://www.moomoo.com/news/post/68887107/what-to-expect-in-the-week-ahead-fomc-rate-decision?level=1&data_ticket=1776586985975155

ChatGPT:

The week ahead is packed with major tech earnings and a key Federal Reserve decision, set against a backdrop of geopolitical tension and rising energy prices.

Five “Magnificent Seven” companies—Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft—headline earnings. Revenues are expected to remain strong, driven by AI-related growth, but heavy capital expenditure on AI infrastructure is likely to pressure profit margins.

On the macro front, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold interest rates steady at its April meeting, as policymakers remain cautious due to inflation risks linked to the Iran conflict and oil price volatility. Markets anticipate rate cuts later in the year as unemployment rises.

Economic data will also be closely watched. Consumer confidence may weaken due to high fuel costs and a soft labor market. Later in the week, GDP growth is to rebound to around 2%, while the PCE inflation index could rise to 3.5% year-on-year, reflecting higher gasoline prices.

Corporate earnings outside tech reveal mixed trends. General Motors may see declining revenues and margins due to higher input costs and weaker demand for fuel-heavy vehicles. In contrast, Coca-Cola and Visa are expected to show resilience, supported by pricing power and international growth.

Energy giants ExxonMobil and Chevron face profit declines despite higher oil prices, as production disruptions offset gains.

Overall, the week will test whether AI-driven growth can outweigh rising costs and macroeconomic uncertainty.

Comments:

Interesting week for tech 😋

Technology Updates: Robot Smashes Human World Record, Signaling Big Changes

Source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw9LAjm9pso&list=PL1-GUwM7PCPYqFm-LWavVoHDcWu9716o9&index=2

Comments:

Robots are very fast indeed 😮

Technology Updates: Glass is glass

Source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YrdI7h2XoY&list=PL1-GUwM7PCPYqFm-LWavVoHDcWu9716o9&index=3

Comments:

Interesting information 👍

Sports Updates: The FASTEST players in Premier League history

Source:

https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4573557/the-fastest-premier-league-players-ever-include-micky-van-de-ven-kyle-walker-mohamed-salah-adama-traore

ChatGPT:

The fastest players in Premier League history, based on Opta tracking since 2020/21, highlight how elite pace has become a defining modern attribute. Micky van de Ven holds the all-time record, reaching 37.38 km/h in January 2024. Remarkably, he is also one of only three players to exceed 37 km/h—and the only one to do so three times, underlining his exceptional recovery speed as a defender.

Close behind is Kyle Walker, who clocked 37.31 km/h in 2023. His achievement is notable not just for the speed but for his age—32 at the time—making him the only player over 30 to feature among the top sprint records. Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jackson Tchatchoua ranks third with 37.30 km/h and also leads the 2025/26 season charts.

The data shows a clear positional trend: the fastest players are typically full-backs and wingers, such as Anthony Elanga and Pedro Neto, who operate in wide areas and rely on acceleration. Central strikers are rarely among the fastest, with Erling Haaland a rare exception.

Age is another key factor. Most top speeds are recorded by players aged 21–24, suggesting early 20s as the peak for explosive pace. Only Walker and Chiedozie Ogbene fall outside this range in the top 10.

Overall, Premier League sprint data reveals that elite speed is concentrated among younger, wide-position players, with Van de Ven setting a new benchmark for athleticism in the modern game.

Comments:

The younger you are, the faster you are 😙.

Investing Updates: Why DeFi isn't dead despite massive exploits and $13 billion investor exodus

Source:

https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/04/26/why-defi-isn-t-dead-despite-massive-exploits-and-usd13-billion-investor-exodus

ChatGPT:

Decentralized finance (DeFi) appears shaken after a $292 million exploit linked to KelpDAO and a roughly $13 billion drop in total value locked (TVL). However, the headline numbers overstate the damage. Much of the TVL decline reflects the rapid unwinding of leveraged positions rather than permanent capital loss. Looping strategies—where the same collateral is reused multiple times—inflate TVL during growth periods and exaggerate declines during stress events. As a result, the loss is likely far smaller than $13 billion.

The exploit itself stemmed from infrastructure vulnerabilities, not typical smart contract flaws, highlighting how DeFi’s risk surface has expanded. This will likely push investors to demand higher risk premiums for participating in on-chain systems. Still, such repricing is a correction, not a collapse.

History offers perspective. DeFi has endured larger crises, including Terra and major hacks like Wormhole and Ronin, each involving losses near or above $1 billion. Yet the ecosystem recovered each time. Similarly, recent outflows—such as billions leaving Aave—mirror past panic-driven withdrawals that later reversed as confidence stabilized.

Importantly, capital is not simply exiting DeFi but rotating within it. Protocols perceived as safer or more conservative, like Spark, saw significant inflows during the turmoil, with TVL rising over the same weekend. This suggests users are reallocating rather than abandoning the space.

The deeper issue may be structural: yields in DeFi have become less attractive, often failing to justify the risks compared to traditional finance alternatives. This has encouraged excessive leverage, amplifying volatility during shocks.

In essence, the incident underscores weaknesses but also resilience. DeFi is not dead—it is undergoing another cycle of stress, adaptation, and repricing, with pressure on builders to deliver safer systems and more compelling returns.

Comments:

Good information.

I'm still sticking with my ETH staking 😉

Investing Updates: Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB) 10-year return at 2.14%. Better than fixed deposits and T-bills?

Source:

https://growbeansprout.com/ssb-vs-tbill-vs-fixed-deposit-apr-2026

ChatGPT:

The latest Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB) issuance in April 2026 offers a 10-year average return of 2.14% per year, up from 1.99% in March. This makes it relatively attractive compared to other low-risk options like fixed deposits and Treasury bills (T-bills). However, projections suggest the next SSB issuance may see a slight dip to around 2.08%–2.09%, reflecting recent declines in Singapore Government Securities (SGS) yields.

For shorter holding periods, the SSB’s 1-year return is 1.40%, which is comparable to the best 12-month fixed deposit rates. It is higher than 3-month fixed deposits (around 1.30%) but slightly lower than top 6-month fixed deposits (about 1.50%). Compared to T-bills, the SSB’s 1-year return matches the latest 6-month T-bill yield of 1.40%, though it trails the 1-year T-bill yield of about 1.46%–1.47%.

A key advantage of SSBs is flexibility. Unlike fixed deposits and T-bills, SSBs allow investors to redeem their funds early without penalty, while still locking in a step-up interest structure over time. This makes them suitable for investors seeking both liquidity and stable returns.

SSB interest rates are closely tied to SGS yields, particularly the 10-year government bond yield. Recent volatility—driven by inflation concerns, geopolitical tensions, and easing oil prices—has caused yields to fluctuate, which explains the expected decline in future SSB rates.

Demand for SSBs has softened, with April applications falling to S$169 million, below the S$300 million offered.

Overall, the current SSB appears competitive, especially for long-term, low-risk investors. Given the lower future yields, applying now may be more advantageous than waiting.