Being single...whats wrong?

Met up with chikun and zhaoyu for supper at Liquid Kitchen in Upper Thomson Road. Hmm.. A nice place to chill out, but the mocktail i had was horrible... zhaoyu appears tired, probably because she is still recovering from jetlag. However i can sense that everyone seem to be feeling very moody. I didnt probe further, everyone is entitled to their own personal secrets, and if they want, they will tell me... but my guess is that quarter life crisis has a part to play, and also the fact that they need someone to fill that void in their lives.. well.. me too ah.. haha.. if this is a sampling of the age 24-26 population, no wonder SDU is so worried, and is actively involved in student's activities, promoting companionships among the undergraduates...

one of the finest example of how enthuastic SDU is in trying to pair up young undergraduates is the 500 pairs 'secret pals' meeting organised by NTU. Another example will be this email that i received in my mailbox recently.


Event Title: Dating Strategies that Work!

Organizer: Eugene Tan Sern Ting, Kong Jing Wen & Chung Pin Soon with collaboration Social Development Unit

Description:
“Love Clinic – How to lose your bachelor’s degree” is an exciting new book on dating and relationships that is written by 3 medical students who share a passion for creating romance. It is packed with innovative ideas and proven strategies designed to help you succeed in your love life.

There will be a talk by the authors on dating strategies that work! The authors will be sharing their insights on “Finding that Special Someone”, “Preparing for the First Date” and “Secrets of a Successful Relationship”. We look forward to your support!

In our commitment to make our book more affordable for undergraduates, we are proud to bring you an unbelievable special offer – NUS students are entitled to buy the book at an incredible price of just $6, a whopping 60% off the retail price of $15. To purchase the book, simply email sales_nus@loveclinic.sg with your name, matriculation number, faculty, email address and contact number, with the subject header “NUS Special”. We will get in touch with you on book collection dates. But hurry, because we have only reserved a limited number of books for this promotion and the offer is only valid till 10 August. So get your copy today, while stocks last!

The book and talk are supported by the Social Development Unit. For more information on our book, visit http://loveclinic.sg .

Date/Time: 5th August 2005 (Friday) 1830-2000 hrs
Venue: NUS LT 15 (Law Faculty)
Price: Free of Charge
Contact:Jingwen (jingwen@loveclinic.sg) The book and talk are supported by the Social Development Unit.

My first reaction to this mail was "KAO... I know i am still single, i know i need a company at some point of my life... but I dont need the government or any other agencies to keep harping on that. Much less the need for someone to conduct a course LVE1101 on how to find that special someone...

haiz.... what is wrong with being single...

Volunteer Appreciation Tea

Attended Student Care Services "Volunteer Appreciation Tea" last saturday... well.. how time flies... I have been involved in yishun scs activities for 3 years. From being the youngest boy in yishun, i have grown to be one of the more lao3 jiao4 ..... haha...

I still have the faintest idea why i join wonderkids, was it the gals??? ehh..nehh... dun think so ..i remembered during the first session, i was in front of the glass door , not sure whether i should walk in or walk off . i'm glad i made that choice to walk in, because i haven't regret doing so.. As a typical engin student, my life is all screwed up and stressed up with the mountains full of tutorials, labs, projects... and undeniably, the trip from nus to yishun can sometimes be so long and lonely, but the children's smile and voice really makes my day loh! haha.. my heart always melt when they call me kor kor loh..



I felt that I've benefited more from the programme than the children themselves.. keke.. I have to admit that I have become a much better person through sessions which taught us to manage our emotions and how we should treat our families and friends... these are very simple concepts, but i guess most of us are rather 'lost' in this phase of our life, these sessions actually made us think about what we want to do and how to identify our emotions etc.

Friendship came as a super duper gigantic bonus, though it didnt come immediately, but once we started to bond, it became a path of no return. haha.. the numerious chalets, the late night chats....really glad to have known the seniors and juniors in wonderkids... all of them came with the simple idea of contributing without asking for any returns, where else can we find such like-minded friends?? It was the program that started our friendship, and it was the friendship that led us to look forward to each session.

Moving on from the 'wonderkids' programme was not an easy thing to do, however it was necessary most of us felt that our experiences are overshadowing the juniors, denying them of a chance to grow and learn. Also as many of the friends start leaving the programme, the place which holds so much memories for many of us suddenly turn unfamiliar.. The feeling was just not the same anymore... and that was the reason why many of us started leaving Yishun.


We never did leave our volunteering spirits or forget our friendships, many of us are now volunteering in other places, and we also meet up regularly for dinners.... I dont know what it will be like 5 years down the road, what i know is that I will always cherish the present and the past. =)

Thank You Volunteers!

Arrows flying all over...

Came across these mails from a particular activity group...... Can't help but laugh when i read the mails. WHY? thats because all the emails have double meanings in them, subtle yet its there for all to see.... well maybe i'm just too sensitive.. who cares, its just my own personal thoughts and i shall leave you to be the judge...

A little background of this activity group: Fun loving bunch of people who came up with brilliant ideas for many of the games. Not too strong in the adminstrative sense probably because they are all still young and lack the relevant experiences. Girls in their Logistic team, hmm... probably to advocate gender equality?

And now for the disclaimer* (its redundant i know but freedom of speech still comes along with a price tag in this little red dot.)

"No part of this material presented attempts to portray any particular individual or incident. All resemblences are merely coincidental, and the blogger should not be held responsible. "

Also note that some of the sensitive parts such as names have been omitted to protect the people involved... This blog is meant to be funny , not to shame pple ya...

*my comments are in RED

Email 1: The story

heyoz!

just askin, wuld u all be bringing along de balls, frisbees etc. from the clubroom? cos i want de frisbee back as my welfare comm breathing frisbees down my neck liao, muz return them liao haha...

Email 2: First Reply

hmm yeah well now that it's been brought up - i think we've gotta set aside perhaps half a day or so to go sort out all the logistical madness that is the clubroom. things left behind, things taken home by mistake, cleaning up, the whole nine yards. i'm saying we set aside some time cos i don't wanna be the only one sifting through mountains of lime magazines whilst in the presence of the host of a cappella dudes none of which i will profess to know very well. if you get what i mean and i'm sure you do. if not. well. someone just say yes.for the record i've in my possession a top which my gramma refuses to wear cos it's not hers. goodday.

This guy usually speaks his mind... somehow he didnt this time.. After throwing many smoke bombs and decorating his words with flowery words (trying to be nice as far as i can see...), what I summarised was : "I am sure no one is going to do anything about it! I am willing to help sort out the mess. But someone please be stupid and garang like me and volunteer too.... "


Email 3: 2nd Reply

Sigh.. Yar i agree we need to return all the stuff that are loaned to us for the camp. But don really have to the time to get down to do it BEFORE the coming fri leh.. How??

Ok, to aid things, could ALL ppl who wans their things back put down your names, DIRECT contacts(eg HP no, freq checked email add, etc) & the items that you wan back? Continue from this list which i'll be attaching.. Thanks!

PS: To all log comm ppl, think i most prob wont b able to go help out. Think wx oso.. U guys c wat u can do kk? Thanks!
PPS: For wxe's stuff, pls put them into the cupboard in the club rm can? Thanks!
PPPS: U may wan to check the inventory list(uploaded on yahoo gp..) for who loan out wat stuff. Not updated though..

This is really a powerful email.... The first sentence already suggested that she will not do the job, which she reiterated and make it clearer in the third sentence.... Her question 'HOW' doesnt need a reply actually because she already said in sentence 3 that the guys are supposed to the job....

I like her use of the word 'aid', which simply suggest that she has already used her brain hard enough to come up with an idea to FACILITATE the smooth transfer of the task from her to others.... whatever happens after that she is not obliged to care...

Haha it is also interesting to note that she doesnt mention any names, but just leave it to those who desperately need their stuffs back ("could ALL") or anyone who reads the mail and has a heart to step forward and help... my goodness.. how power!

She said in her mail to request pple to add to her attachment, where is the attachment then? If what she meant was to append the list to her mail, then basically she is just offering lip services... haha... everyone who has tried to organise something and request people to continue adding their list online would have know how inefficient this is.

In summary, what this mail say is: "I am not going to help! Someone else will do the job! I dunno who will do the job, but someone will ....I dont care anyway! "


Email 4: 3rd Reply

Hi,I have created a database in this yahoo gp for u all to update the list of log items u all want to collect back. This way, we will not all receive so many attachmets and the list will always be fully updated.
U all can click on this URL to ge to the database

Must we arrange the items in club rm by this fri? This wk I only thurs before 3.30pm free. If next wk, I'm free on Tues to go down to help..
pps: Pls don't try to squeeze my hula hoop into the cupboard hor

Nothing much to say about this mail.. alright he cant make it, but at least he did something concrete to remedy the situation... haha. by offering another day, and also setting up a database to consolidate all the stuffs.... well... what can i say... good job. =)

Haha.. this is the problem when you have an activity full of seniors... who have seen enough of these bull_cxxx excuses. You cant run away la... one sneeze and most of us will know what you are up to.... So for those juniors who are reading this blog hor... take this as a learning experience and try not to be funny and show pattern.... keke.. cuz we have all done that before too =p

Lousy customer service....

Damn pissed with Minolta customer service... the representative is so bochup and insincere in its dealing... promise this and that, and cant deliver... sux big time... read the emails below for the full story.... argg....



Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2005 2:35 PM
Subject: Printer exchange
Dear Sir,

I was referred to you with regards to exchanging my minolta pagepro 1101L printer for the newer printer which is compatible with windows xp. I would like to know when i can bring it down for an exchange. Please advise.

Attached is the mail that was sent to me.


regards,
Jun Jie


Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2005 11:00 PM
Subject: Re: Printer exchange
Hi Mr.Wong,

The PP-1100L does not work on Windows XP at all, there is not exchange policy for a new one if it does not work.

We are running a promotion of in Harvey Nornan on low end monochrome, please drop by and have a look.

Mr Fujita is not handling printer anymore, so please contact us instead.

Regards.
Teddy Ho

Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2005 12:03 PM
Subject: Re: Printer exchange
Hello Mr Ho,

For your information, the problem was highlighted in December, and Mr Fujita had agreed to exchange the PP1101L for a newer model at a discounted price. A second email request was sent in February when I heard no news of the printer, and the reply was that the shipment was still in Australia, yet to be shipped over. I am aware that Mr Fujita has forwarded you an email back then with regards to that matter, in which I received no further replies.

I am not aware of Minolta's exchange policy in Singapore, and has based my trust on the goodwill and integrity of the company to deliver its promise, as it did for many users worldwide. Having waited for 6 months and spending more than $200 in printing from external sources, the reply that you gave is utterly disappointing.


Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2005 10:46 PM
Subject: Re: Printer exchange
Hello Mr. Jun Jie,

Your case was reviewed by our headquarters in Australia and because Mr. Fujita had promised you a replacement, we decide you give you a replacement printer, the model is PP-1200w, it works fine on Windows XP, please take note that this is a showroom unit and it will not be covered under warranty as your printer is way off warranty period.

If you agree to the above, please let me know if you can come over to collect on Friday in our office located at 271 Bukit Timah Road, #03-06, Balmoral Plaza.

Regards.
Teddy Ho

Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2005 1:18 AM
Subject: Re: Printer exchange
Mr. Wong,

As it is already passed the collection date but I still did not receive ant respond from you, if you do not respond within 7 days from now, I will treat it that you are not interested in our offer and will cancel this arrangement.

Regards.
Teddy Ho

Sent: Sunday, July 03, 2005 11:25 PM
Subject: Re: Printer exchange
Mr Teddy,

Please note that from my knowledge through past correspondances back in January, Mr Fujita had promised me the PP-1300w and not the PP-1200w. It was also not a display set unit, as the shipment was still in Australia then. As for the issue on the warranty, it should not be an issue if you as the representative have faith in your product.

Please also note that I am not being unreasonable in my request. I am just asking for a better customer service which I feel I deserve. After going through the months of waiting for something that was promised, what I have received so far were insensitive and irrelevant replies.

Regard,
Jun Jie

His final reply was:

Mr Jun Jie,

The problem with your PP-1100L is that it is not working with Windiows XP, we are providing you a printer that can work with XP which is solving your problem. The PP-1200w is working fine with Windows XP. This is the only printer we can offer you, if you do not accept this, I am sorry to say, I have no other option.

Regards.
Teddy Ho


Alright, so its true that customer may not be always right. But the fact, that you have promised the customer something, u should deliver your promise irregardless of the change in command. Minolta printer is really cheap, costing only $189 at Harvey Norman. What i'm really angry is their attitude. From the very first letter, you can see that they are totally not apologetic nor think its their fault. As an engineer in training, if your product doesnt work, your product sucks. Its actually that simple.

This is a case of a bad handling the feedback of customer, where the matter is blown out of proportion... He could have just aceded to my request and save all the hassles of having to correspond with me further.. It will only be a matter of time someone wrote something again with regards to the poor customer service in Singapore.

Teddy, You are really so UNCUTE......