hongjun's Blog

Navigating Singapore Made Easier: The Singapore Bus Arrival Companion

2026-04-05T10:56:00.001+08:00

For anyone living in or visiting Singapore, mastering the public transport system is a rite of passage. While the MRT is efficient, the extensive bus network is the true lifeblood of the city, reaching into every corner of the heartlands.

However, we have all been there: standing at a bus stop, humidity at 90%, wondering if my bus is two minutes away or twenty. I am excited to share the Singapore Bus Arrival Web App, the perfect companion to the Singapore Bus Arrival app on Google Play.

If you find the web app useful, you will love the convenience of having it natively on your Android device. The Singapore Bus Arrival app on Google Play includes location-based features that automatically show you the stops closest to you, making your daily commute even smoother.

Check out the tools today:

On the Web: Singapore Bus Arrival Web
On Google Play: Download the Android App

Introducing the Singapore NRIC / FIN Utility (Generator and Validator)

2026-04-03T16:06:00.006+08:00

For developers, data analysts, and QA engineers working within the Singaporean digital ecosystem, handling NRIC (National Registration Identity Card) and FIN (Foreign Identification Number) data is a common task. Ensuring that input data follows the correct checksum logic is vital for maintaining data integrity and providing a smooth user experience.

To solve this, I have developed a streamlined Singapore NRIC/FIN Utility, built using Google AI Studio. This web-based tool is designed to simplify the validation and generation of identification numbers through a clean, functional interface.

Key Capabilities:

Bulk Generation for Testing: Need dummy data for a database migration or a software stress test? The utility can generate valid identification numbers across various series (S, T, F, G, and M) instantly.
Instant Validation: Quickly verify if a specific NRIC or FIN is syntactically correct. The tool applies the weighted checksum algorithm used by Singaporean authorities to ensure the prefix and suffix match the numeric sequence.
Smart Suggestions: The tool predicts the remaining digits and the final checksum letter based on the series (S, T, F, G, or M).

Try it out here: Singapore NRIC/FIN Utility

Is this a prelude to plastic bag charge to increase to 10 cents?

2025-12-28T22:07:00.007+08:00

Despite the implementation of a mandatory plastic bag charge in local supermarkets in July 2023, recent data reveals that consumers still purchased over 119 million disposable plastic bags in 2024. Interestingly, while approximately 70% of shoppers now bring their own reusable bags to save money and protect the environment, the report notes that overall usage rates have remained relatively flat or even increased slightly. This creates a puzzling contradiction: if the vast majority are switching to reusables, why hasn't there been a significant drop in plastic bag consumption?

To further discourage usage, experts suggest that authorities may need to increase the current five-cent fee to ten cents or introduce more robust reward systems.

Is this news or study a prelude to a mandatory plastic bag charge increase to 10 cents?

Recursively List All Files with PowerShell

2025-11-07T22:28:00.002+08:00

If you are working with PowerShell and need a fast way to list all files in a directory, including those buried in subfolders, this one-liner will work:

Get-ChildItem -Path . -Recurse -File | Select-Object FullName

This script performs a recursive search starting from the current directory (.), finds all files (excluding folders), and outputs their full paths.

PowerShell Tip: Bulk Appending File Extensions with One-Liner Magic

2025-10-14T21:49:00.007+08:00

Ever found yourself staring at a folder full of files and wishing you could batch append them all with a .txt suffix? PowerShell makes this delightfully simple with a one-liner:

Get-ChildItem -File | Rename-Item -NewName {$_.Name + '.txt'}

To expand further to include files in all sub folders, use below instead.

Get-ChildItem -File -Recurse | Rename-Item -NewName { $_.Name + '.txt' }

If you wish to rollback what you just did, use the following:

Get-ChildItem -Path . -Recurse -File -Filter "*.txt" | ForEach-Object {
    $newName = [System.IO.Path]::GetFileNameWithoutExtension($_.Name)
    Rename-Item -Path $_.FullName -NewName $newName
}

Feel free to replace the txt with a different one based on your needs!

LTA's Official MRT Map Feb 2025 - With Hume Station

2025-03-02T20:52:00.003+08:00

Singapore's Land Transport Authority has just released an updated official MRT map including one additional station on the Downtown Line i.e. Hume Station.

Copy directories recursively from source to destination

2025-01-08T07:46:00.000+08:00

Robocopy, short for "Robust File Copy" is an advanced command-line utility included in Windows. It's designed to copy files and directories with more features and control than the basic copy commands. If you need to efficiently and reliably replicate a large number of files and folders, Robocopy is your go-to tool.

robocopy source dest /s /e

LTA's Official MRT Map Dec 2024

2024-12-14T11:34:00.000+08:00

Singapore’s Land Transport Authority has just released an updated official MRT map including one additional station on the North East Line (NEL): Punggol Coast Line. Punggol Coast station will now be the terminating station replacing Punggol station.

Updated: Singapore Bus Arrival Timing

2024-09-25T18:08:00.015+08:00

Get accurate and real-time bus arrival information for public bus operators in Singapore, including SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Go-Ahead Singapore, and Tower Transit. Our app provides you with up-to-date details on when the next bus will arrive at your stop, helping you plan your journey efficiently.

Key Features:

⭐ Star Your Favourite Bus Stops: Save your favourite bus stops for quick access, and easily rearrange them by dragging starred items up or down.

⛯ Find Nearest Bus Stops: Discover bus stops within walking distance, making your commute even more convenient.

🔍 Search Functionality: Quickly locate bus stops by bus stop number, bus service number, or road name.

📍 Bus stops plotted on map: Tap on a bus service number and voilà, its route and stops appear like magic on the map.

🚇 View the full MRT/LRT Network Map right in the app.

🔔 Train Service Alerts: Receive important train service advisories and alerts through push notifications, so you're always in the know before you travel.

📷 Traffic Cameras for Expressways & Checkpoints: Now you can view real-time traffic conditions before you head out. Check the cameras to plan a smoother, stress-free journey.

⟳ Automatic Updates: Stay informed with regular automatic updates for bus services and routes. Customize the update interval on our Settings page to suit your needs.

Please note that we are an independent app and are not affiliated with the Singapore government, Land Transport Authority (LTA), SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Go-Ahead Singapore, or Tower Transit in any form.

Download [ Singapore Bus Arrival Timing ] now!

Singapore Bus Arrival Timing - Privacy Policy

2024-07-22T18:46:00.006+08:00

Terms Of Use

By downloading or using the app, these terms will automatically apply to you - please read them carefully before proceeding.

We are providing this app for your personal use at no cost. However, the app itself, along with all trade marks, copyright, database rights, and other intellectual property rights associated with it, remains the property of hongjun.sg. Specifically, all content within the app, including images and videos, is owned by hongjun.sg and must not be reproduced in any form.

You should be aware that you may not distribute the app to others, nor are you permitted to copy, translate, or modify the app, any part thereof, or our trade marks in any manner. You are also prohibited from attempting to extract the app's source code.

We do not accept any liability for injuries, damage, or losses that may arise from your use of the app.

Privacy Policy

What information does the Application obtain and how is it used?

User Provided Information

Nil

Automatically Collected Information

Nil

Does the Application collect precise real time location information of the device?

Nil

Do third parties see and/or have access to information obtained by the Application?

Nil

Singapore Bus Arrival Timing [ Android App ]

LTA's Official MRT Map 2024 (Thomson-East Coast Line)

2024-06-23T21:32:00.004+08:00

Singapore’s Land Transport Authority has just released an updated official MRT map including seven new stations on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL): Tanjong Rhu, Katong Park, Tanjong Katong, Marine Parade, Marine Terrace, Siglap, and Bayshore. It shows where the stations are and how they will connect to other MRT lines.

Useful openssl commands to generate certificates and keys

2024-04-10T13:30:00.005+08:00

I hope the following will come handy when it comes to generating key pairs and certificates.

# Generate a Private Key
openssl genrsa -out privatekey.pem 2048

# Generate a self-signed certificate
openssl req -new -x509 -key privatekey.pem -out self_signed_certificate.pem -days 365

# Convert PEM certificate to CER format
openssl x509 -inform PEM -in self_signed_certificate.pem -outform DER -out self_signed_certificate.cer

# Convert a PEM certificate to a PFX (PKCS#12) file
openssl pkcs12 -export -out certificate.pfx -inkey privatekey.pem -in self_signed_certificate.pem

# Extract a private key from a PFX file (contain bag attributes)
# openssl pkcs12 -in certificate.pfx -nocerts -nodes -out privatekey_frompfx.pem
openssl pkcs12 -in certificate.pfx -nocerts -nodes -out privatekey_frompfx.key

# Extract a private key (no bag attributes) - identical to privatekey.pem
openssl rsa -in privatekey_frompfx.key -out privatekey_frompfx.key

# Extract public key from key pair
openssl rsa -in privatekey_frompfx.key -pubout -out publickey.key
#openssl rsa -in privatekey.pem -pubout -out publickey2.key

# Convert CER to CRT
openssl x509 -inform DER -in self_signed_certificate.cer -out self_signed_certificate.crt
#openssl x509 -inform PEM -in self_signed_certificate.cer -out self_signed_certificate.crt

# Convert CRT to CER
openssl x509 -in self_signed_certificate.crt -outform DER -out self_signed_certificate2.cer

#####
# Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) - optional if going to generate a self-signed
#openssl req -new -key privatekey.pem -out certificate_request.csr
#openssl x509 -req -in certificate_request.csr -signkey privatekey.pem -out self_signed_certificate3.crt

Oracle: Find out total number of records of all tables

2024-01-14T14:01:00.003+08:00

An efficient method to find out the total record counts of all tables in an Oracle database.

select table_name,
  to_number(extractvalue(xmltype(dbms_xmlgen.getxml('select count(*) c from '||owner||'.'||table_name)),'/ROWSET/ROW/C')) as count
from all_tables
where owner = 'SchemaName';

Hope it helps.

MSSQL: Find out total number of records of all tables

2024-01-14T13:59:00.006+08:00

An efficient method to find out the total record counts of all tables in a MSSQL database.

SELECT tbl.name, CAST(p.rows AS int) 'count', tbl.schema_id, SCHEMA_NAME(tbl.schema_id) schema_name
FROM
  sys.tables AS tbl
  INNER JOIN sys.indexes AS idx ON idx.object_id = tbl.object_id AND idx.index_id < 2
  INNER JOIN sys.partitions AS p ON p.object_id = CAST(tbl.object_id AS int) AND p.index_id = idx.index_id
--WHERE ((SCHEMA_NAME(tbl.schema_id) = 'dbo'))
ORDER BY 2 DESC

Hope it helps.

Kit Chan - Home (25th Anniversary Remake)

2023-08-06T21:18:00.003+08:00

LTA's Official MRT Map 2023

2023-02-25T09:44:00.002+08:00

The below is LTA's official MRT map that includes both current and future train network.

LTA's Official MRT Map 2022

2022-10-28T16:11:00.001+08:00

The below is LTA's official MRT map that includes both current and future train network.

Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms

2021-04-01T22:43:00.001+08:00

Gartner Report on the Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms as of February 2021.

Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms - 26 Jan 2021

2021-02-06T23:26:00.000+08:00

Gartner Report on the Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms as published on 26 Jan 2021.

PM Lee urges Singapore to take courage amid coronavirus outbreak, see through stressful time together

2020-02-08T20:42:00.001+08:00

Is your phone secretly listening you? NO!

2019-05-03T06:36:00.001+08:00

I have been hearing people telling me that they are suspecting their phones are listening to them because they have been seeing creepy advertisements appearing on their phones with pinpoint accuracy despite them saying they never performed a search on that subject. My immediate response is IMPOSSIBLE! These technology giants e.g. Google, Facebook and Microsoft just have too much information on us, huge enough and yet still growing, to profile us and possibly know us or our partners better than ourselves know ourselves or people around you.

From advertising to data mining, do we need regulation or legislation? An interesting an hour discussion over this topic below.

How to buy gym pass using ActiveSG app?

2019-04-26T15:37:00.001+08:00

ActiveSG is a national initiative from the Singapore government to encourage all to stay healthy and keeping fit. Membership registration is free for all Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents! To add onto the sweetness of this programme, one should receive FREE ActiveSG $100 upon membership verification (valid for a limited period) which can be used to join programmes like gym, swimming pools, and so on.

This post is a guide on how to buy gym pass using the new ActiveSG app (based on Android). Do scroll all the way down for a tip from me!

Screen when you tap on Buy followed by Gym Pass

Scroll down and look for Single Entry pass

Add Single Entry pass to cart

Switch to your cart to complete payment (10 minutes to complete transaction)

Present and scan QR code (deliberately masked out) to enter ActiveSG gym
(SCREENSHOT your QR Code now and I will tell you why later)

You will find yourself checked-in under the My Booking & Passes section

Present and scan QR code (deliberately masked out) to exit ActiveSG gym
(SCREENSHOT your QR Code now and I will tell you why later)

TIP

The version prior to April 2019 app upgrade was so much simpler to use (at least from my point of view). Back then, entry to gym is as simple as just launching one's VCard QR Code and all the necessary will be taken care of. Miss this one step approach? Here comes a tip!

The next time you wish to enter into an ActiveSG gym, you may simply scan the first QR code you screenshot and $2.50 will automatically be deducted from your account. Likewise, you may simply scan the second QR code you screenshot to exit. This should save you some "clicks".

Special Achievement Award to Chew Chor Meng

2019-04-16T13:00:00.000+08:00

Chew Chor Meng is awarded the Special Achievement Award in the recent Star Awards 2019 event. Watch below for Chew's heartfelt speech that moved so many to tears.

How to make Samsung Pay work for SimplyGo?

2019-04-15T17:00:00.006+08:00

If you have been reading the mainstream media or the social media, it is likely that you would have heard of SimplyGo - an initiative by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), a partnership between LTA and TransitLink to enables commuters to use their credit or debit cards with contactless function for transport fare payments. Mobile devices linked to Mastercard i.e. Apple Pay/ Fitbit Pay/ Google Pay/ Samsung Pay are also supported. The need for upfront top-ups is no longer required and your train and bus fares will be processed and charged to your credit or debit card bill. Visa is expected to be accepted only from the the second half of 2019 onwards.

This post is pertaining to how to get Samsung Pay to work for SimplyGo (tested on Samsung Note 9)

Add Mastercard to Samsung Pay as per usual.
Set Default NFC method to "Android operating system".

On the Apps screen, tap Settings > Connections > NFC and payment.
Tap on the 3 dots on the top right corner then Default NFC method.
Choose Android operating system.

Set "Samsung Pay" as the default mobile payment service.

On the "NFC and payment" screen, tap on "Tap and pay".
Choose Samsung Pay.

Travel with Samsung Pay.

Make sure NFC is enabled.
Make sure phone screen is OFF.
Tap on card reader.

For more information on the use of SimplyGo, please visit SimplyGo FAQ page.

WhatsApp - Block and Stop Adding to Random Groups

2019-04-08T09:32:00.000+08:00

Ever getting annoyed by strangers adding you in some random WhatsApp groups? I feel for you!

WhatsApp is rolling out a new feature gradually globally that will allow you to control who can add you in groups.

To enable it, go to Settings in your app, then tap Account > Privacy > Groups and select one of three options: "Nobody", "My Contacts", or "Everyone". "Nobody" means you'll have to approve joining every group to which you're invited, and "My Contacts" means only users you have in your address book can add you to groups.

In cases whereby the person adding you to a group is unable to add you into group, the person will be prompted to send a private invite through an individual chat, giving you the choice of joining the group. The invite will expire in three days.

» New Privacy Settings for Groups | WhatsApp Blog