From 15 September 2025, the UOB PRVI Miles Card will offer 8 miles per dollar (mpd) on Expedia hotel bookings, but reduce the earn rate for flights to 3 mpd. While the earn rate for hotels will increase, the earn rate for airlines will decrease. The new earn rates will apply until 31 March 2026.
Interesting development.
I might try using Expedia to book next time.
I don't mind the mark-ups by Agoda, Expedia for better platform features.
Why Chinese Bubble Tea Chains Are Brewing Billions (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ghcW81-MJs&utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Here’s a concise breakdown of the video “Why Chinese Bubble Tea Chains Are Brewing Billions”:
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Key Takeaways
- Global Phenomenon: Bubble tea has evolved from a viral novelty into a multi-billion dollar global industry. In 2025, major Chinese brands like Mixue Ice Cream & Tea are at the forefront of this boom. (YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ghcW81-MJs&utm_source=chatgpt.com))
- Brands Leading the Charge:
- Mixue Ice Cream & Tea — Now a powerhouse with internationally expanding operations.
- Guming, Heytea, and ChaPanda also play significant roles in shaping this booming market. (Financial Times (https://www.ft.com/content/7cd22551-22cb-4777-8d4d-e79be48f143d?utm_source=chatgpt.com), Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChaPanda?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
- Investor Interest & IPO Activity:
- ChaPanda is preparing a listing in Hong Kong aiming to raise approximately $330 million, fueling its international ambitions. (Financial Times (https://www.ft.com/content/7cd22551-22cb-4777-8d4d-e79be48f143d?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
- Mixue has already listed in Hong Kong, raising $444 million, with share prices surging 43% on debut. (Financial Times (https://www.ft.com/content/c20bc216-1d95-4df2-a787-407d2b5d47fc?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
- Guming also completed an IPO, raising $232 million. (Financial Times (https://www.ft.com/content/c20bc216-1d95-4df2-a787-407d2b5d47fc?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
- Market Growth in Numbers:
- The Chinese market for freshly made tea beverages grew from RMB 53.4 billion ($21B)** in 2023. (Financial Times (https://www.ft.com/content/7cd22551-22cb-4777-8d4d-e79be48f143d?utm_source=chatgpt.com), Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChaPanda?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
- Why Bubble Tea Thrives:
- It's seen as an affordable yet enjoyable indulgence—making it resilient amid economic stress. (Financial Times (https://www.ft.com/content/7cd22551-22cb-4777-8d4d-e79be48f143d?utm_source=chatgpt.com), The New Yorker
(https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/where-the-bubble-tea-industry-has-gone-into-hyperdrive?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
- Innovative branding and deep cultural appeal—including guochao (“national trendy”) aesthetics—have made bubble tea culturally resonant and aspirational. (The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/where-the-bubble-tea-industry-has-gone-into-hyperdrive?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
- Efficient food-delivery infrastructure in China plays a crucial role in supporting this sector. (The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/where-the-bubble-tea-industry-has-gone-into-hyperdrive?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
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Summary Table
| Topic | Insight |
|---|---|
| Economic Scale | Bubble tea is now a multi-billion dollar global industry. |
| Fast-Growing Brands | Mixue, Heytea, ChaPanda, and Guming dominate the market. |
| Recent IPOs | Mixue and Guming have gone public, ChaPanda plans to follow suit. |
| Market Expansion | Industry value rose dramatically from 2018 to 2023. |
| Cultural Appeal | Creative branding and cultural identity are major growth drivers. |
| Delivery Ecosystem | Rapid delivery networks fuel high consumer engagement. |
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Final Thoughts
The video highlights how bubble tea has transcended its humble origins to become a powerhouse in the beverage industry. Chinese chains are not just expanding domestically—they’re establishing footprints overseas, backed by investor capital, cultural marketing, and efficient logistics.
Bubble tea's an amazing invention.
I like to drink occasionally.
Prices are too high to drink regularly as compared to traditional kopi c, teh c, etc.
Scoot has introduced a new award chart for KrisFlyer members, allowing fixed-price redemptions starting from 1,500 miles each way. The chart offers two award types: Saver and Advantage, with Saver requiring fewer miles but having limited availability. Award tickets are non-refundable, but date changes are permitted with additional fees.
Scoot has introduced a new award chart for KrisFlyer members, allowing them to redeem flights at fixed rates. This new option complements the existing Miles + Cash system, where the number of miles required varies with the airfare. While the award chart offers better value, availability is limited to a subset of seat inventory.
Excited to redeem KrisFlyer miles for Koh Samui flights again, especially for budget travellers who prefer Scoot.
The killer for me is still the limited selection of available seats.
Need to sit together for practical reasons with a family of 6 people (3 adults, 3 young kids)
Apple Arcade is adding major titles in September, including the exclusive NFL Retro Bowl ’26 and Jeopardy! Daily on Sept 4. NFL Retro Bowl ’26 offers official NFL rosters, retro graphics, and a live Championship Leaderboard tied to the real 2025 season. Jeopardy! Daily delivers authentic clues, daily boards, tournaments, and global leaderboards. On Sept 18, Hello Kitty Island Adventure adds Wheatflour Wonderland with new quests and characters. Other additions include My Talking Tom Friends+, plus big updates to Disney Dreamlight Valley and Mini Motorways. The service costs $6.99/month with 200+ ad-free games.
The article argues that many high-quality mobile games deserve console ports to improve accessibility, preservation, and player experience. While some console games get mobile adaptations, the reverse is rare, leaving many mobile titles trapped on app stores until they're delisted or shut down. Touch controls, hardware limitations, and storage issues make complex mobile games less enjoyable than on consoles with controllers and large screens. Examples like Genshin Impact, Fantasian: Neo Dimension, and Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition show that console ports can expand audiences and save games from disappearing. The author urges developers to overcome the stigma against mobile games and bring more of them to consoles.
UOB Lady’s Cards give 4 mpd on selected bonus categories (Dining, Family, Fashion, Transport, Travel, Entertainment, Beauty/Wellness) but only 1 category for Lady’s Card (S$1K/month cap) or 2 for Lady’s Solitaire (S$750/category cap, S$1.5K total). Categories can be changed quarterly.
Best picks depend on spend patterns and other cards you own. Dining is broad but has MCC gaps; Family is mainly supermarkets; Transport suits high taxi/petrol spend; Travel caps limit big-ticket use; Entertainment/Beauty are niche. Fashion is powerful via HeyMax vouchers (MCC 5311), covering many merchant types indirectly.
Author’s choice: Dining + Fashion, splitting across principal/supplementary cards to manage caps.
When a child turns two, they must have their own airline seat, ending the cheap 10% infant fare. Child fares are much higher—often 75–80% of adult prices—and full miles are needed for award seats, with few exceptions (Air France-KLM, TAP Portugal). Aaron Wong outlines four travel options:
1. All in Business Class – costly, rarely worth it for toddlers.
2. All in Economy – cheaper, but harder on long-hauls.
3. Split family seating – one parent in Business, others in Economy.
4. Avoid flying – opt for cruises or regional trips instead.
The 8BitDo Pro 3 ($69.99) is a highly customizable, comfortable controller with swappable face buttons, joystick caps, adjustable triggers, macro buttons, and improved TMR joysticks and Hall effect triggers. It works across many platforms via Bluetooth or 2.4GHz and includes a charging dock. While excellent for PC and multi-platform use, it’s limited on Switch 2—its rumble feels imprecise, and it can’t wake the console. It’s a worthwhile upgrade from the Pro 2 for most users, but Switch 2 players may prefer the official Pro controller.
HealthHub and Health Buddy payments with Citi Rewards Mastercard/Visa are now coding as MCC 9399 (Government Services), making them ineligible for rewards. Previously, they coded as MCC 8099 (Medical Services), allowing up to 4 mpd. DBS Woman’s World Card transactions still code as 8099, with points awarded, and NUHS app remains unaffected for all cards. The MCC change may be issuer-specific, so other cards can still earn 1.2–2 mpd. Users are advised to check MCC before paying, using tools like HeyMax, Instarem, or DBS Digibot.
With AI tools like ChatGPT, anyone can create cute personalised chibi WhatsApp stickers without drawing skills. The process: take a selfie, upload it to ChatGPT with a prompt for 12 chibi expressions and matching outfit, crop the images, then use the Sticker Studio app to cut and save them into sticker packs. The author made stickers for herself and family, noting they’re fast to create and highly customisable. She recommends ChatGPT for best results, as other AI tools produced less appealing designs.
OpenAI has launched GPT-5 and its variants (Pro, Mini, Nano), calling it its “best AI yet” with fewer errors, better coding, and ‘safe completions’ for sensitive queries.
Key points:
- Free access for all ChatGPT users (with limits); Plus and Pro get higher or unlimited use. GPT-5 Pro replaces o3-pro.
- Simulated reasoning now available to free users for improved logical/analytical answers.
- Capabilities: best coding model (74.9% SWE-bench), strong in math, multimodal, medical queries (with disclaimers).
- Accuracy: up to 80% fewer factual errors vs. o3; reduced sycophancy from 14.5% to <6%.
- New features: custom chat colors, preset personalities, Gmail/Google Calendar/Contacts integration (Pro), unified “Advanced Voice,” and safe completions instead of hard refusals.
- Developer API: 256k-token context, cheaper Mini/Nano tiers, new tools like free-form function calling and reasoning effort control.
- Rollout: replaces GPT-4o, o3, o4-mini, 4.1, 4.5; enterprise/education access next week; old voice mode retired in 30 days.
Opinion :
Fascinating.
Note to children - You need to run your life like a GPT π
Vending machines in Singapore have evolved beyond snacks to offer everything from roti prata to luxury cars, driven by demand for 24/7 convenience, low-cost retail, and self-service culture. Sales hit S$117 million in 2024, and are expected to rise further.
They work well for sealed, on-the-go products, but can’t replace the human touch needed for items requiring advice or experience—like skincare or tech gadgets. Upfront costs, maintenance, and lack of instant support are downsides.
Conclusion: Vending machines are a powerful retail tool, not a replacement. The future lies in hybrid models, blending convenience with personal service.
LG has launched LG Subscribe, Singapore’s first home appliances subscription service, with a physical store at Suntec City. Customers can select appliances with no upfront payment, and instead pay a monthly fee over 3, 5, or 7 years. At the end of the contract, you own the product.
What sets LG Subscribe apart:
- Includes extended warranties (up to 7 years)
- Bundles regular maintenance and servicing
- Two care options:
- Self Care: DIY maintenance kits and consumables sent regularly
- LG Careship: In-person professional servicing
- Launch promo: Free 1-year Redmart+ membership (until 30 Sep 2025)
Example: For the LG Objet Tankless Water Purifier WD518AN, LG Subscribe costs more overall than retail, but includes warranty and filter costs, unlike traditional instalment plans.
Bottom line: You pay more, but get peace of mind through servicing and warranty coverage.
72-year-old Mdm Sng Mui Hong, owner of Singapore’s last kampung in Lorong Buangkok, has rejected S$70M offers from developers, staying true to a promise made to her father to preserve the land for future generations. Despite no children, modest savings, and aging infrastructure, she continues renting homes at S$6.50–S$30/month to about 20 families.
Her quiet defiance and simple lifestyle have earned viral admiration. To her, peace, legacy, and dignity matter more than millions. Her nieces and nephews are committed to keeping the kampung intact after she’s gone.