Singapore is famous for its kiasuism and kiasiism. Basically it translates literally to "afraid to lose" and "afraid to die". Those two behaviour is good to spurn the sense of competitiveness. The drawback is that I think they are the causes of Singaporean men having quite a bad reputation on ladies. Not being prejudice, but that's what I hear, perhaps I have heard from the wrong end.
What I realize is that most ladies that complain mentioned the unwillingness of the guys to treat. Not that I treat often as well. I intend to analyze the perception a bit further.
If one guy was to go out with a lady and the guy has "afraid to lose" mentality, the guy may think twice. After all, if he really spends that extra money treating the lady, he may perceive that he'll part with all those expenditure while there is no certainty to gain the lady's heart. Hence, he'll definitely think twice before treating the lady. Furthermore, it's perceived to be difficult to earn your keep nowadays.
Another reason is perhaps the sense of adventurous among the people. After all, courting a girl requires some sense of adventurous. Part and puzzle of trying to win a girl's heart is to try out something new and go beyond the comfort zone. Without adequate willingness to be adventurous, no effort will be spent appropriately.
Strangely though, being competitive should have helped the guy if he see that a girl he likes is being chased by some other guys. Not sure why it doesn't help...
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Business Travel
I like business travel for the sake of travelling and seeing other things, so more dynamics working life. However, I realize that business travel is normally tiring. The main reason is that when you travel, you don't have the time allocated to do other normal office work, while it "seems" that other people (your superior) and perhaps yourself, expect that work to continue even while you are travelling. So the tendency is for you to work at hotel even to late night, after you finish your work at the client side. All this additional working tires people eventually.
Furthermore, the travel time normally takes quite long as well, especially if you have a long flight.
It may be hard to find a boss that understands the toll of business travel and gives the worker a bit more break or compensation due to the travel. Unless perhaps the boss is also travelling like mad and is not that workaholic. Haha..
But well, the easiest is to strike balance and work smart. Easier said than done, isn't it?
Furthermore, the travel time normally takes quite long as well, especially if you have a long flight.
It may be hard to find a boss that understands the toll of business travel and gives the worker a bit more break or compensation due to the travel. Unless perhaps the boss is also travelling like mad and is not that workaholic. Haha..
But well, the easiest is to strike balance and work smart. Easier said than done, isn't it?
Sungei Kadut
Heard so many good news about Sungei Kadut, so we went there thinking that perhaps we'd be able to get good deal for furniture, what the area is famous for. What we realize was that the stores there have branches in the city area as well. Basically, they carry the same items! Hence, not sure what actually make Sungei Kadut famous for. We actually realize that we found some items we like in the city branches, but the items were not available in the Sungei Kadut.
Basically the stores in Sungei Kadut is the HQ for most of the furniture chains. It's partly their warehouses as well. Hence, it could have more display sets, more rejected products, or something in that line. It'd be definitely cheaper if you are willing to settle for those things. But if you don't, don't go there. Useless.
Basically the stores in Sungei Kadut is the HQ for most of the furniture chains. It's partly their warehouses as well. Hence, it could have more display sets, more rejected products, or something in that line. It'd be definitely cheaper if you are willing to settle for those things. But if you don't, don't go there. Useless.
Condo priced HDB?
Recently the Government of Singapore built quite a number of condo like HDB. Basically HDB is the apartment for average public in Singapore. Condominium is a private apartment with guard, swimming pool, gym, and bla bla.. so basically it's more expensive. However, the government now has started building HDB that is styled like condo minus the extra items... so basically HDB with more expensive content and better layout. The average price for HDB, 3 bedroom is around S$300k. The condo style HDB is priced at S$700k!
The amazing part is that, normally HDB is only allowed to be purchased by Singaporean with household income <>
The S$8k a month actually excludes the 20% CPF contribution. Hence it's actually S$6.4k real income a month. Subtracting S$2.5k from S$6.4k, the household has S$3.9k to spend including savings... Not so wise a choice for the buyer I frankly say. Considering that on average a couple will spend on average S$1.2k a month, I am not so sure that that couple with a long 30 year loan can live a decent life when they grow old. In addition, some household tend to buy a car which can amount to around S$800 more expense a month. Not much money left for savings, services bill, etc. huh?
But one thing for sure, the government takes away a small slice of private condo pie from the private.
I'd strongly advise friends to refrain from buying such a pricey apartment. Not worth a living style.
The amazing part is that, normally HDB is only allowed to be purchased by Singaporean with household income <>
The S$8k a month actually excludes the 20% CPF contribution. Hence it's actually S$6.4k real income a month. Subtracting S$2.5k from S$6.4k, the household has S$3.9k to spend including savings... Not so wise a choice for the buyer I frankly say. Considering that on average a couple will spend on average S$1.2k a month, I am not so sure that that couple with a long 30 year loan can live a decent life when they grow old. In addition, some household tend to buy a car which can amount to around S$800 more expense a month. Not much money left for savings, services bill, etc. huh?
But one thing for sure, the government takes away a small slice of private condo pie from the private.
I'd strongly advise friends to refrain from buying such a pricey apartment. Not worth a living style.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Public servant
I heard a very truthful comments from my friend about public servant in Singapore. She said the public servant has forgotten that they are serving people not people serving them.
Well, if we are to examine the phrase "public servant", it's quite clear that the person is in the position to serve the public. However, often, nearly all the time that I face a public servant in a public office, it's I who is supposed to bow to them and follow their half-hearted explanation. Especially in Singapore, we'd often be asked to attend a preset meeting by the government office on working hour! and you are of course allowed to change them, but for another working hour at an appointed day! Outrageous. Not that I don't appreciate that the public servant is also a normal employee. It's just that any appointment should be agreed by both parties, not being dictated by one party feeling themselves as the King!
Well, that's what you'd most likely find in Singapore.
Well, if we are to examine the phrase "public servant", it's quite clear that the person is in the position to serve the public. However, often, nearly all the time that I face a public servant in a public office, it's I who is supposed to bow to them and follow their half-hearted explanation. Especially in Singapore, we'd often be asked to attend a preset meeting by the government office on working hour! and you are of course allowed to change them, but for another working hour at an appointed day! Outrageous. Not that I don't appreciate that the public servant is also a normal employee. It's just that any appointment should be agreed by both parties, not being dictated by one party feeling themselves as the King!
Well, that's what you'd most likely find in Singapore.
Monday, May 26, 2008
SMRT and its 'additional' train in the peak hour
Hurray!! The newspaper exclaimed when the SMRT, train operator in Singapore announced additional trains for service at peak hours in the evening.
On the other hand, I (as one of the throngs trying to get train space), frowned and asked myself where the additional train is. The fact is that taking daily train to work at 6.50 AM and back at 6.05 PM, I don't feel any reduction on the crowd or even tiny additional space.
In fact this afternoon I experienced once again the poor logistical problem or woe that passengers of SMRT train experiences. The train from Changi Airport to Tanah Merah station (2 stations a way) is at 10 minutes period!! The moment the train come, every single soul in expo seems to board the train and of course automatically the train became packed the moment it left Expo station (between Changi Airport and Tanah Merah). Now, that's an extremely smart business decision huh? The train is calculated to arrive when the train is guaranteed full (Smart SMRT analyst, whoever that is). The fact is that the frequency has increased from 8 to 10 mins, in my experience. Now, the moment the train reach Tanah Merah, every single souls seem to migrate from that train to the train heading to Boon Lay. Hence, another packed train. Now I know where the additional train is taken from. I think it may actually be the train that normally serve Changi Airport - Tanah Merah route. Gee... how smart is SMRT.
And o yeah, despite the addition of train, I don't feel that I actually have higher chance to getting more space in the train. Gee......
Not that I have much choice since we only have one train operators serving that line. Taking bus is going to take forever to reach home and taking taxi is extremely expensive (~S$ 40+++). I guess the economist will say that's my price of convenience. Not that I have enough fund to pay for taxi trip everyday!
On the other hand, I (as one of the throngs trying to get train space), frowned and asked myself where the additional train is. The fact is that taking daily train to work at 6.50 AM and back at 6.05 PM, I don't feel any reduction on the crowd or even tiny additional space.
In fact this afternoon I experienced once again the poor logistical problem or woe that passengers of SMRT train experiences. The train from Changi Airport to Tanah Merah station (2 stations a way) is at 10 minutes period!! The moment the train come, every single soul in expo seems to board the train and of course automatically the train became packed the moment it left Expo station (between Changi Airport and Tanah Merah). Now, that's an extremely smart business decision huh? The train is calculated to arrive when the train is guaranteed full (Smart SMRT analyst, whoever that is). The fact is that the frequency has increased from 8 to 10 mins, in my experience. Now, the moment the train reach Tanah Merah, every single souls seem to migrate from that train to the train heading to Boon Lay. Hence, another packed train. Now I know where the additional train is taken from. I think it may actually be the train that normally serve Changi Airport - Tanah Merah route. Gee... how smart is SMRT.
And o yeah, despite the addition of train, I don't feel that I actually have higher chance to getting more space in the train. Gee......
Not that I have much choice since we only have one train operators serving that line. Taking bus is going to take forever to reach home and taking taxi is extremely expensive (~S$ 40+++). I guess the economist will say that's my price of convenience. Not that I have enough fund to pay for taxi trip everyday!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
HSBC and language use
HSBC or The Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation is a global bank. Hence, I again do not expect the bank to have any blunder in English.
Was trying to register for Internet Banking and sadly after typing a username containing all alphabets, I was prompted that the "username can only contain alpha numeric characters (i.e. A-Z, a-z, 0-9)". The key word there is "can". Hence I thought, hey my username containing merele alphabets should fit into the category. However, apparently who ever program the login page means that I MUST have ALL those variations (some capital letters, some small letter, some number). So, I can only create a username having some capital letter, some small letter, and some number. Such misconception that the warning sentence can provide the customer is very sad for a global brand like HSBC.
Perhaps the bank is really living to what the say "... local bank". Maybe HSBC of Singapore is using a twisted form of English.
Or I guess language spell check and grammar check for software are very much lacking nowadays.
I wonder what the point of cutting cost (by outsourcing to countries with cheaper labour) is the brand image is degraded by multiple small mistakes as simple as spelling error.
I don't think any company should dare to say its a global (or famous or premium) brand unless it's willing to spend money to be correct in the smallest detail.
Was trying to register for Internet Banking and sadly after typing a username containing all alphabets, I was prompted that the "username can only contain alpha numeric characters (i.e. A-Z, a-z, 0-9)". The key word there is "can". Hence I thought, hey my username containing merele alphabets should fit into the category. However, apparently who ever program the login page means that I MUST have ALL those variations (some capital letters, some small letter, some number). So, I can only create a username having some capital letter, some small letter, and some number. Such misconception that the warning sentence can provide the customer is very sad for a global brand like HSBC.
Perhaps the bank is really living to what the say "... local bank". Maybe HSBC of Singapore is using a twisted form of English.
Or I guess language spell check and grammar check for software are very much lacking nowadays.
I wonder what the point of cutting cost (by outsourcing to countries with cheaper labour) is the brand image is degraded by multiple small mistakes as simple as spelling error.
I don't think any company should dare to say its a global (or famous or premium) brand unless it's willing to spend money to be correct in the smallest detail.
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