Thursday, September 20, 2007

Of Bimbos and the Like
Career-killer #1: Did anyone watch the awful video of Britney Spears performing the opening act at the MTV VMAs? If you haven't, go watch and try not to cringe. The performance was supposed to be her comeback from a long hiatus, but it looked more like a lethargic stripper act. Ok, perhaps she had gained a little weight (cut her some slack, she just popped out two kids not too long ago, and sure some women might not even look as healthy as her after that). Despite that, it's still sad to see that her showmanship deteriorate to such a standard. Let's see, she was lip-synching out of snyc, moved around the stage sluggishly, pretended to be interested in what she was doing, all in a glittery bikini get-up which does nothing to hide her paunch. And if you noticed, the audience were bewildered, flabbergasted, and downright speechless when the camera focusced on them. Sure, we can have our laughs and criticise her for being a performer who had been at the top of her game dancing with a phyton and kissing Madonna on stage, but it's just plain sad that she turned out like this; bald, panty-less, and channelling the stereotype of a has-been trailer trash.

Career Killer #2: On a lighter note, did anyone see the nude pictures of Vanessa Hudgens on the net? Haha, ok so she's barely legal, so what? I've never watched High School Musical, but I'm sure Disney is rolling in his grave over the whole fiasco. There's no denying that despite the amount of effort you put in to project a squeaky clean tween image to the masses (cross-reference Britney's "I'm still a virgin" remark), we all have a dirty, naughty side waiting to be explored. Let's face it, it's boring being a nice, politically correct person all the time, and it's hard to (also quite hypocritical), if you're really a kinky person inside. And come on, teenagers do have they're urges. Call it self-expression, identity forming or whatever. On another note, the public always conects better when someone is wild, as compared to some one whose demure. It makes them intrigued, and catches their attention. Sex definitely sells, look at Nelly Furtado and Rihanna . They started out with mainstream pop, but enjoyed only modest success. Then "the good girls became bad", and they changed their acts to become sexier, with legs, and cleavage and with an all new no-holds barred, take no prisoners attitude. And look what happened, their records sky-rocketed through the roof. So, in conclusion, there is nothing wrong with exploring your naughty, sexy side, after all your young only once. Just as long as you manage to control your career after that, unlike Lindsay Lohan or Ms Hilton with no underwear.

Btw, I've cut my unkempt long hair short. Yes, it's about time I guess. It was curling all over the place, and it gets quite hot soemtimes. Oh, and I also rebonded it slightly. I'm still trying to get used to it though....

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {1:43 AM}
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Thursday, September 13, 2007

And You Thought I was Gone
News flash: This blog is not dead, yet. Yes I know that the last post was almost a month ago. Well, uni happened, and I've been busy ever since. Having not studied anything on a high intensive level for the last 2 1/2 years (yes being in the army too long can rot your brains away, make you do stupid things which you dont normally do, and generally lower your level of intelligence, which can be seen in the example of the guy who brought his rifle out of camp), it is quite hard to gain the momentum of going back to school. This is what I thought; go back to school, and slowly pick up the pace as the weeks progresses. Boy was I wrong about the demands of uni altogether. You're expected to be ready for every class, which means constantly reading the textbook beofre going to class. Otherwise, you'll find yourself lost for most of the lesson (which is the state I'm in for every Stats class). Instead of warming up to student life again, felt that I'm thrusted into a stressful lifestyle again, and forced to adapt to survive. What I can say is that I'm tired. Yes, it's been only about a month since school started , but I'm confined to reading mountains of readings, and bound to project and assignment deadlines already.

Despite all this work, I'm strangly satisfied with the school and myself. At least I'm busy, it's better than lazing at home and doing nothing at all. Although work did keep me busy for about 4 months before that, but that also became mundane. Face it, how interesting can retail get? The long hours and relatively low pay also doesnt really provide any real incentive. Now, at least I feel like I'm utilising my brain.

Watch this space; I'll update more again when I have time.

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {1:08 PM}
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Saturday, August 18, 2007

The Comulsory Camp That Was
Yes, I'm talking about the Freshman Team-building Camp that I went to last week, on National Day no less. The camp which I so adamantly had to attend, which I almost wanted to take MC from (Was thinking of playing my conjuntivitis/sore eyes scam at the doctor's, hey it worked before, helped me escape Grand Slam during ASLC). Now, you might be wondering why i would go through such lengths to skip the camp, after all, it was supposed to be an orientation camp and orientation camps are supposed to be all ra-ra let's cheer kind of affairs before school starts. Well, there were a multitude of reasons, first being the fact that I was partially swayed by peer pressure. No, my friends didn't discourage me from attend the camp, but they compared it to the army SIT test. For the uninitiated, an army SIT test is a test of leadership, behaviour and character of a person while he works within a team in completion of certain tasks varying in difficulty. After the mission/task, the group has to evaluate their actions and decisions, basically a personal reflection on how the task could be done better, what was lacking, what contributed to its success or failure etc. Which of course made the idea of the camp sound boring and regimental, something which I didn't wish to go through again. Next, SMU has a lack of transparency when it comes to planning such events. The "compulsory" label was slapped unto the camp,which was of course to make sure that the freshmens attend it and would not purposely come up with some excuse to skip it (which was what I initially thought of doing). If you did miss it, it would mean that you would have to do an additional 120 hours of community service on top of the mandatory 80 hours. Which, if you calculate it (take 6 hours per day), will require you to take a whole month to complete.

I went to the camp with low expectations. Found out that I had 3 people from China, one from the Maldives (like how cool is that), and one guy from Thailand who was quite effeminate. The people from China didn't speak much English, or had trouble communciating because of their English was bad, so they didn't provide much help. The Thai guy was so uninterested to do anything, and would always manage to disappear from the group, or take discussion time to go sleep in one corner. Oh, and there was this loud-mouthed fat girl who couldn't stop yakking the whole time there. I was utterly disappointed. I was put into a group that was not only physically limited, but one which the people couldn't do anything right from the start. And as the day progressed, my assumptions were correct, and most of us didn't really intereact much for the rest of the day.

We were required to construct a floatable raft on the second day using barrels, poles and rope. The objective for us was to test the raft in the sea and paddle towards a buoy. If the raft collapsed, capsized, or came apart in the sea, it would mean that we failed the task. The flaw of the group was not that we couldn't construct the raft, but rather, that they spent too much time discussing how to construct it that they didn't construct it properly in the end. Total time taken? at least 2 hours of bickering and half-heartedly building the raft. I wanted to throw in the towel, it was the most bullshit exercise ever and the group was obviously incapable to working together. I didn't wish to talk to most of them, and continually bitched about them to the guys I was close to in the group. However, the failure of us not constructing the raft made some of them come to a realisation that our group must band together in order to succeed, and the morale got higher as the day progressed. Which was a good thing too, because if it were to get worse, all of us would just quit and not co-operate for the rest of the activities. By the time the campfire was started, and it was time to enjoy ourselves at night, all of us managed to at least be civil to one another and communicate mutually.

I did enjoy the camp although I had my reservations before joining it and also on the first day for various reasons. I had fun participating in the activities, despite it being physical (yeah, but once in a while is fine). But an important lesson was learnt from this experience, it is hard to control and motivate a group when most or all of its members are not co-operating with one another. Teamwork is important in a group and each individual must be taken seriously for work to be done properly.

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {1:32 AM}
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Friday, July 27, 2007

Animal Instinct
This article is interesting...visit website below to find out more

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070725/ap_on_fe_st/death_cat

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {1:45 AM}
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Thursday, July 26, 2007

Summer has come and gone
It's supposed to be a hot summer in these months of June and July, followed by haze around September and October before the monsoons hit in Dec, early Jan next year. But it seems like its been raining, with relatively cooler weather we're having so far. I'm not complaining, its definitely much better than having to sweat buckets under the hot and humid conditions of this period of the year, but I'm seriously thinking that the climate patterns are really screwed up due to the whole global warming phenomenon. Parts of Greece, Turkey and other mediterrean countries are facing high temperatures up to like 45 degrees celsius in the afternoon. Can you imagine how warm that is? Our highest temperature hovers between 30 - 31 degrees and we are already complaining about ti being so damn warm, I bet it's like sweltering in hell over there. Meanwhile, Indonesia, India and parts of the UK are experiencing flash floods due to heavy rainfall. Which made me think, how would it be like if freak weather conditions occur in Singapore? Like say snow? or hail storms? That would be a blast, and which also would probably hearld the end of the world (after all, we are so close to the equator, and somehow if that is screwed-up too, then I believe, we are all doomed). Wouldn't it be comical to see Ah peks and Ah mahs decked out in winter wear, grouping together in coffee shops, desperately sipping cups of hot teh tarik to keep warm? Or how mats would try to make crappy snowmen along Orchard road, and having snowball fights with each other, thinking that they are oh-so-cool?

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {1:51 AM}
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Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Hero or Zero?
Sure, Catwoman was shit and Elektra was a pain to sit through (although Jennifer Garner in te red bodysuit helped ease much of it), but I'm sure there are other awfully tasteless comic adaptations out there.

So, here's a list which ranks the best and the worse of the comic to movie adaptations for your viewing pleasure:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/features/special/2007/comic/

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {1:08 AM}
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Bombastic Bali
Okie folks, I'm back from Bali, and no, I didn't get bombed or anything like that, otherwise I wouldn't be typing this would I? The place was beautiful, all I can say is I love the sun, sand and sea. And of course, the myriad of girls clad in bikinis around the beach.

I did have some initial reservations about going before the trip. I say reservations just to make it sound a little more polite, but what I felt was really bordering paranoia. After all, we were flying Garuda and Bali did get bombed twice before, and I certainly didn't want to be experiencing the plane bursting into flames mid-air or be involved in a crash landing, much less getting blown up into smithereens in a foreign country. Travel horror stories, as told by Mommy dearest, of unsuspecting tourists being murdered, kidnapped and raped by locals overseas because they took the wrong turn, boarded the wrong taxi, met some bad company, etc furthur rattled me, especially so since Indonesia itself has quite a screwed-up bureaucracy. Knowing myself, I had a habit of worrying over mundane stuff like this for the longest time before I can get a grip of myself. As I tried to come to terms with being such a worry-wart, the members of the EU released a statement to their respective citizens not to book, or if they already have, to cancel, flights on Indonesian air carriers like Garuda and Adam Air, for fear that they do not meet the required safety guidelines and checks due the recent spate of accidents/tragedies invovling Indonesian airlines. This was followed by the Australian government releasing a statement warning Australians take extra precaution travelling to Indonesia, in particular, Jakarta and Bali, as they predicted another terrorist attack was imminent. And this was a week before I was leaving for my holiday. To make matters worse, Mom decided to let me watch a documentary about an airplane which crashed in Sioux City, Arizona, due to a 13mm crack in the engines' fan blades which resulted in the whole engine spitting apart. How was I not to worried?

But soon, the fateful day came, and I was to board the plane to Bali. I was definitely worried that with each bump from the turbulence, the engine of the plane might fall off, or that the pilot might not take off or land properly. Nothing happened, luckily. And as the days progressed, I began to shed the worry that I had, and started to enjoy myself to the fullest extent that I can. After all, I was on holiday and having to be in that constant state of agitation would not relax myself in the end. And I must say that I did look back and laugh at how unduly worried I was being. If the plane were to crash, or I were to be in the centre of a bomb explosion, so be it. Thats life, and shit happens. That doesn't mean that you should rush on a round trip tour of Iraq and Afghanistan, but what I'm trying to say is, the bottomline of living is to take risks. You wouldn't start to enjoy the finer things in life if you were to singly calculate the pros and cons of each step you take, of each action judged and scrutinised. Just do what your heart tells you, and never regret your decision. Life is made out of decisions with each its own quantity of risk-taking, and you will never get anywhere if you continue to go around in circles. What matters most is that you have a ball of a time at the end of the day, and look back and laugh at the old worrisome you.

I know, thats what I did. And will upload pictures soon

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {12:24 AM}
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Thursday, July 12, 2007

Save the Earth
Live Earth, the concert for climate change for 24 hours last sat. Only watched a small segment of it, mainly Rihanna in Japan, and got bored after like 10 minutes. So what if she was wearing a skin-tight leotard, she was sweating like crazy (which is not sexy) and looked like she was lip-synching thru her song "Umbrella". It's dandy that Al Gore wants to hold a mega worldwide spectacle to raise awareness of global warming, and how we can help to save the planet from enviromental damage, but it would be counter-productive in this cause. Let's see, hold a round the clock concert which is beamed global to over a billion over people to watch. That's like wasting electricity watching tv, switching on the air-conditioning, turning on the lights while watching the concerts right? Multiply that by the amount of people tuning in, and that's a lot of energy being wasted. In addition, to promote good ecological habits like recycling, re-using and reducing requires much practice from the public rather than tuning in to some advertisement to remind you about pollution or wastage. It's like your mother constantly nagging at you, but you just choose to filter it all out, all talk no action. So even if you hold a concert, what will that benefit? People will still litter in public areas, use plastics like no one's business, and basically still continue their old rountines as usual. Live Aid/Live 8 concerts were held before to raise money for the world hunger cause, which I think is more plausible because money from the sale of tickets can go to purchasing of grains and other perisables to the countries in Africa which need them, but no so for this event. Even if you manage to raise a billion dollars through the Live Earth concert, that doesn't solve the problem at all; you just end up with a whole lot of cash while the environment becomes more crap. Let's face it, there is no way to tackle this climate change problem. The ice-caps will still melt, the weather will still become more chaotic, there still will be deforestation and pollution, and even if we try to change it, it would require a large scale collective effort from everyone. Which would not work if every body uses a bloody plastic bag for every little thing they carry.

How bleak our future is.

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {1:45 AM}
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Friday, June 29, 2007

If Men are from Mars, Women are from another planet
If I remembered correctly, Kenneth told me he's currently reading Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus in a bid to understand the fairer sex. He explained that reading the book allows himself to be more aware of the behaviour of male and females, how they think and communicate which each other. Of course, which also allows him (in any hope)to try to score with ladies in the future. I, meanwhile, found it quite quizzical, as to my understanding, female behaviour is something so complex that it cannot be easily understood just by reading a book. Gender politics is quite a difficult topic to comprehend, and the more you delve into it, the more perplexed you become. Men are easy to understand, so much so it becomes predictable. Men are easily satisfied, they (we) have only a few issues in their minds, namely sex/porn/girlfriends, money, career and entertainment in the form of a video console/booze/soccer etc. Men make decisions mostly on a whim like perhaps, sleeping with a girlfriend's sister and live to regret it some day when they realise how stupid they are. Men don't give a shit about schedules, organisation, timing and what not, unless absolutely necessary which can be a good or bad thing depending on circumstances. I know my description of guys sounds a tad bit insultive but its mostly true, unless of course your queer then it eliminates the theory altogether. Women, on the other hand, are not so simple to understand. Sure authors can pen stuff like how women cherish quality time together, are picky over details and stuff but there really isn't any hard and fast rules/guides for a guy to follow to fully appreciate, or at least, understand them. I myself cannot say that I understand females sometimes, and there are things which make me go "huh?" like for example,
how some ladies can be close friends, or maintain some sort of friendship which can be described as close, but secretly try to undermine, criticise and sometimes, bitch about each other like they hate each other's guts, but still act normal with each other. Even some of my female colleagues say that they rather hang with with guys as compared to girls because they are not so particular and that they dont put so much emphasis on trivial details. But really, why is it so hard to understand them?

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {1:11 AM}
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Sunday, June 24, 2007

A Sole-Searching Experience
I had to momentarily stand in for someone at the ladies' shoe department for an hour yesterday. The ladies' shoe department has always been notorious for being very busy regardless of what time of the day it is, so I was a little apprehensive at first. But given that I only had to stand in for an hour, from 10am to 11am in the morning, I thought I wouldn't have to serve anyone, after all it was in the early morning, and who really does their shopping at that time? And was I wrong. My colleague did give me a warning (Since she had experienced working there before) "You don't know how early women actually come to shop".

So, I went to the counter to view the display, to examine the types of shoes. Quite nice really, although common. Stillettos, pumps, wedges, ballerina shoes, wrap-around sandals in patent leather, suede, canvas, etc. And then they came. One lady came by about 5 mins after I arrived, and asked to try on one of the shoes she picked out. "Ok", I thought, "probably it wouldn't be much of a challenge". Until of course, I ventured into the store room to search for the right pair in the right size. The boxes of shoes were stacked high up on this shelf which, hmm would estimate to be about the height of a void deck in a HDB flat. And the ladder which was provided was broken and wobbly. The height of the boxes didn't bother me, but the fear of falling from the creaky ladder and/or having the boxes of high-heeled shoes come crashing down on me, with a possibility of being impaled by them final destination style, fazed me a little. After getting the shoes, she said it was too small and decided against purchasing it. And it was like that for the next few. Too uncomfortable, too tight, colour not really that nice... However, some ladies did manage to buy some of the shoes, which was a welcome satisfaction for going through all the trouble. To think, within that short span of an hour, I managed to sell 3 pairs of shoes, and serve at least 7 customers. In the morning when the store just opened. Looks like my colleague was right. Furthurmore, what I noticed was that when it comes to shoes, bags, and other accessories, women have no qualms in spending their money. Even after the discounts, the average price for a Ck shoe was between $136 - $299. And they're like "Ok, I like it, I'll get it". Initally, I was quite taken aback of the prices, and the ease in which women spend their money, but I realised that if you really like something, and if it makes you look prettier, sexier, more confident of yourself, then why not? Heard that the Jimmy Choo boutique nearby gets a lot of customers based on this fact alone, despite the outrageous price of $1000+ per pair.

And thats why retail catering for females is the most lucrative and profitable industry there is out there. Men, on the other hand (especially Singaporean men), will always check the price, and probably second guess themselves, before diving head on to purchase anything branded.

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {11:37 AM}
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Friday, June 15, 2007

Superficial Layer
After a month's long hiatus, I've returned top find a topic worthy to compose an entry about. But before that, yes I'm sure you guys can see I have a new layout, and yes I do agree it's not centred properly and you'll have to search for the scroll bars in the dark, but other than that, I'm perfectly happy with the graphics. I'm still working in the same job which I share a love-hate relationship with, and I think my face has gotten from bad to worse with a sudden outbreak of acne. I still have no social life, albeit the occasional movie-going session.

But enough about that...

There's this new girl working in the men's wear department who, I should say, is the least bit attractive. That's putting it too harshly actually. She looks rather ordinary, she has the type of face which you won't remember if you walked past her in the streets. She's also rather plump, more in a jovial, cheerful kind of way (you know, something like those caricatures of fat people where they're always smiling as if being that size instantly dictates that you have to have a cheerful disposition), not the morbidly depressed and obese kind. And she claims that she is attached. To which my colleague quipped: "Really? Even she can get a boyfriend?" Now, the romantic side of me believes that no matter how unattractive a person is, there is still a special some one out there who is willing to accept that person as who he/she is, regardless of appearances. Thats the kind of thinking which always leads to heartache from unattainable expectations, so naturally, I rather choose to listen to the more cynical side of myself, which beckons me to ridicule and question how on Earth does someone of her looks and stature be able to hook up with some one else? Perhaps its jealousy, or envy, or maybe hurt pride (I am a little regretful for thinking those thoughts back then, and penning them down now) that made me feel that way. Or maybe it's just how society is built and how much we are victims under its constant scrutiny.

Let's face it, our society is superficial. We are all weak-willed, shallow individuals who idolise the ideal kind of beauty and perfection perceived by the media and the majority. And therefore, we tend to view people who are overweight, who have acne problems, who have bad dress sense, as people who are imperfect, as social misfits who would live their lives in lonliness because of their imperfections. And the worse part is, we all cannot escape from thinking or uttering these judgmental sentiments about how certain people look or dress before actually getting to know them personally. Anyway, my colleague then asked me "Would you date some one like her?". To which my answer was a resolute "No". I had no clue of her persoanlity, her character or anything about her, and I based my answer solely on her appearance. I cannot help it. Im also a shallow, superficial person. I feel bad about it, because since then, I realised how fun-loving and compassionate she really is. But still, I would'nt date her despite knowing this. Once again, I admit to being a shallow superficial person.

And that's the sad fact of life today...

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {1:17 AM}
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Thursday, June 14, 2007

Psycho-Analysis

You Are 52% Abnormal

You are at medium risk for being a psychopath. It is somewhat likely that you have no soul.

You are at medium risk for having a borderline personality. It is somewhat likely that you are a chaotic mess.

You are at medium risk for having a narcissistic personality. It is somewhat likely that you are in love with your own reflection.

You are at medium risk for having a social phobia. It is somewhat likely that you feel most comfortable in your mom's basement.

You are at medium risk for obsessive compulsive disorder. It is somewhat likely that you are addicted to hand sanitizer.

Haha....now I'm afraid of myself, Go get yourself tested here:

http://www.blogthings.com/howabnormalareyouquiz

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {11:58 AM}
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Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Empty Vessels
Pardon me if this sounds slightly discriminatory: We Asians seem to complain a lot over the most trivial things. Take a look at the forum pages in the newspaper if you want examples. I'm sure for most people who write in to the papers have good intentions behind "filing" their complains, but there's a fine line between publishing what is useful and what is a waste of article space. Like writing in to highlight that pet owners should control their pets to prevent barking in the morning, or that too many provocative ads are displayed around Orchard. For the former, its more of a personal grievence rather than a pressing issue that requires the whole nation's attention, which can be solved if the writer himself decided to confront this issue. As for the latter, we are after all, not a communist state. It's a free country, and if advertisers want to display such adverts, then they have the right to do so, given that these ads are not too risque or overtly graphic in nature. Like for example ads for lingerie companies, of course they have to show women wearing their featured items for females to be aware of what their selling. And I'm sure that's what this particular woman was protesting against.

And not to mention the whole Richard Gere furore in India. Let's get it straight, he kissed Shilpa Shetty out of pure entertainment. Now, he could be tried and possibly be thrown into jail for his "obscene" act. Come on, it's not like he stripped her in public or anything. People would think that they would protest against hunger or unemployment issues, but here they are, burning effigies and issuing death threats over such a small matter. And dont you think its a little hypocritical? I'm sure there are quite a few Hindi Bollywood movies which feature sensual scenes, or maybe showing the leading lady frolicking around in song-and-dance routines in skimpy coustumes, or cavorting with their male leads, and here people are outraged by the mere idea that a Hollywood actor gives a peck on the cheek or two on an Indian actress, calling it immoral, a sacrilegous act in a holy city. For more info, visit http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20070426/117760068000.html. Looks like more birds, sometimes doesn't mean more luck (with the Indian community).

It's always easier to point a finger at some one else rather than to admit one's faults. Most complaints in the forum pages can be easily resolved or reconciled if people actually took matters into their own hands and actually faced the problems themselves. And its crucial that people realise that at some point, they must reflect and understand their own mistakes. Two days ago, the newspaper reported anohter accident where an elderly man stood too close to the MRT tracks at Tampines station and as a result, was knocked on head by an incoming train, and dragged a distance when his pants got caught unto the train when it was pulling into the station. He sustained minor cuts and bruises. And the reaction from his loved ones? Quote: "I wish that SMRT would come up with more preventive measures to prevent such accidents from happening in the future". Come on, be realistic. If you were stubborn enough to stand over the yellow line when a train is approaching at a high speed, obviously your bound to meet with an accident. It's your fault that it happened, and not anyone else's, and they most certainly dont have to foot the responsibility for your (silly) actions.

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {11:20 PM}
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Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Whatever Rocks Your Boat
It seems that it's the season for business meetings in Singapore. One good indicator of this is when there is a sudden surge in people purchasing white business shirts. After all, the humble white shirt is the most basic of all shirts, the one classic one which is often worn for business functions, meetings etc, and not to mention, the most popular choice for those PAP ministers. But would you pay $109 for a plain white shirt? Now, these are the traditional white shirts with no visible patterns, stripes or any other sort of embellishments, other than the left breast pocket. I am glad when I serve customers, but I am rather concerned when they start making this type of purchase. Sure, the brand plays a part in them getting it, but surely that doesn't mean that we should all throw practicality out the window. It's possible to get a simple shirt like that from any where else at a lower, more affordable (and to mention reasonable) price. Even when you have a great job which pays you a hefty salary, I still think its ridiculous to spend it like that.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Did any one read the Sunday newspaper last week? It featured several places in Singapore, "The oases of calm left to be discovered", places which are isolated, or left untouched by progress in Singapore. I understand the intentions of the article being an enlighting read, after all it was in the Sunday paper, people expect something light-hearted in the mornings. But I think otherwise. Some of the places featured were around the old camp back in Lim Chu Kang, like the farms and the deserted roads. From experience, I do not see the beauty or have the interest to re-visit these places. For one thing, the farms usually use a lot of fertiliser (or in other words, cow manure or maybe human manure, we are not sure, after all, they all smell the same after a few days), and the smell usually travels to the camp in the mornings and in the late afternoons, to engulf the entire place with its stale and putrid stench. And it lingers for about 10 - 15 minutes, enough to ensure that you are gasping for fresh air. And as for the uninhabited forests around Lim Chu Kang? Im very sure that they have been used over and over again by NS personnel for their training, so imagine the amount of rubbish and excrement which lies behind the topsoil, buried away from visibility. Not to mention the number of mosquitoes, sand-flies and other insects eager to make a meal or two in your presence. Last but not least, it featured some cemeteries (the ones in Lim Chu Kang included) which are "tranquil and serene". I mean of course cemetaries are supposed to be peaceful. Cemetaries are places to respect the dead, and its fine if you think that the various tombstones that line the cemetery are remarkably beautiful, and do asthetically accentutate the landscape, but a cemetary isn't really a place I would like to visit for its "tranquility". After all, you dont see a large din of people having picnics in such places, do you?

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {12:33 AM}
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Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Far and Away
In less than 10 hours time, Teck will be flying off to Vancouver to furthur his studies. I've come to realised how many people I have known who have left the country for "an extended stay", be it for studies or for good: Daena, Sean, Jono, Nigel, Mei Jian, Ivan, now Teck. These are the people you have spent part of your life with, doesn't matter how much of an impact they have made, and suddenly that bond is severed, or somewhat diminished, after they have left. It's human nature to take people for granted, or to treat them, their views, their choices insignificantly until you realised how short a time you have left to spent with them before they leave. Ok, I know this is starting to sound like a eulogy with all the over-the-top sentimentality, but I guess that's how it is.

To those people who I've mentioned, if you are reading this, I miss you guys, and hope you see you all again some day. Never cant forget those times we shared together doing silly things, or talking about the most mudane things. And Teck, best of luck overseas.

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {1:00 AM}
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Thursday, April 12, 2007

Karma: What Goes Around Comes Around
Last year, the battalion participated in the S2006 project, otherwise known as the International World Bank meetings here in Singapore. One of the most important things that was stressed on was the need to be courteous and polite to foreign delegates, give them an excellent impression of Singapore. About a few years back, the PM raised the issue of Singapore have poor customer service to foreigners and locals alike, saying there is an urgent need to address the way in which people in the service industry approach thier customers, and to provide a "value-added" experience in this interaction, through a more sincere and friendly deliverance.

Ok, so prehaps I am totally bias in saying that I think that I have so far provided average or good enough service to my customers, maybe ignoring several due to fatigue or plain laziness. But what I notice about the colleagues/other sales promotors, is that I can generally say that yes, the people employed in the service industry do give a damn about good customer service, and definitely did go the extra mile in satisfying the customers' needs, no matter have troublesome they are. It might sound a little cliche, but we sales people are actually pleased to assist you when needed, and will (can) smile whenever you approach us (also because we are bored most of the time and your company for those few short minutes we are serving you in actually a welcome change from the monotony of the day). But we are, after all, only human. If we were to act friendly, we demand the same treatment in return too, what we initiate, we want followed. After all, for every action there is an equal and opposite (party)reaction. And its rather difficult to maintain having to smile the whole day, you try it and tell me whether its tiring to look cheery all the time, of course, unless you're like a clown or something. Anyway, when we are friendly to you, the least you, the customer, can do is to smile back, or maybe even to strike a conversation. Dont act like you dont care: as in pretend we are a voice in your head when we greet you, or to look the other way, or to give a blank stare, or to give no reaction whatsoever. Dont act like we owe you a living. Yes, it's our job to serve you, but dont talk to (or treat) us like your maid. And dont treat us like a slave. It's alright to want to try some clothes, but please dont pick out the entire rack, and expect us to alter them within the next hour or so if you are unsatisfied, then complain, pull a long face, and act like a complete diva when you realise that it is not possible. The bottomline is: The only way to improve customer service, is to improve ourselves to become better customers. Trust me, a little smile goes a long way. Adding to that, the worst customers to serve are the Singaporeans; they who are impolite, inconsiderate, demanding and haughty at times. You do get the typical tourist from China, or the rich Indonesian Chinese who spend thier money indiscriminately, but the disgruntled Singaporean customer takes the cake.

And this after all the government's efforts to promote courtesy in those campaigns.

-------------------As Told By Adam--------------- ; {2:24 AM}
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