Calling Out To All in The Service Industry

Once again, I have come across an interesting experience in McDonalds, and this time, it is also focused on the cashier. The whole thing went like this: The cashier was awaiting a customer; wide grin on her face. Then, a middle-aged man approached the counter and asked, " Do you have four $1 coins?" He pulled out two $2 dollar notes while waiting for the familiar sound of clinking coins to ring in his ears. But, to my surprise, the cashier asked, " Take away or having here?" The man cast a curious glance at the cashier, before replying, "Umm..having here?" With out further hesitation, the cashier placed the coins on a tray, before realising her empty-minded mistake. She laughed to herself, and then took back the tray, apologising.
Well after this incident, it comes to my attention that customer service today isn't improving for the better despite the global economical crunch. As I have had first-hand experience in countries like Korea(who were hit very badly), I have found out that Korea is deploying a tactic that I'm sure many countries are soon to follow: Excellent service. Of course, as times are hard, many have tried all sorts of tactics, and some stoop as low as to cheat others. So I would like to prove my point that 'Good Service Is Important' from an article I have found. Here are some of the quotes in the article.
"Lately, tourists have been rushing to Korea to experience high-quality but low-priced medical services."
" Many of the visitors said the service they had was excellent and that they would come back here to receive other kinds of services."
Well, good service will not guarantee a 'get out of jail card' from the prison that is the economical crisis, but if people working under the service industry can all play a part and provide good service, I'm sure it'll help our current situation in one way or another.

The article obtained from : http://www.dynamic-korea.com/opinion/view_opinion.php?uid=200900044015&main=FTC&sub=&keyword=ko
Thank You

Entertainment,heh.

So,I've posted twice today,this being the second. The 'insightful' blogpost is below this one...so I guess this post will be a little nonsensical. But on to the good news.. I can finally do the neck-catch and the ATW!! For those who like freestyling, you would know. For the clueless ones, I mean freestyling as freestyle football. The neck-catch is a move where you 'stall' the ball on your back area(will show a vid). ATW stands for Around the World. A complicated trick to explain but watch the first vid at the football vids section and you'll know. It's a tutorial on how to do it. Try it. Anyway, here are some random pics. Who plays Ukulele/Trumpet hero?

The coin trick is like, lotsa patience+fun, try it.

That's friendly...

Now this is nice...

This happened earlier today,try to spot the faint and beautiful rainbow. Cheers you up.

'Nites my faithful audience.

Impromptu; Unexpected Killer

So today in school, we had this speaking competition called 'Angles'. There were many eloquent participants who 'recited' their prepared speeches with great voice-projection and good points-of-view, with each and every one of them brimming with self-confidence, with some imagining what ridiculous pose they might strike when receiving the grand prize. Like all of us know, the basics of what makes a good speaker is of course one who makes eye-contact with his/her audience, doesn't show his/her nerves, so on and so forth. However, nearly everybody can train themselves to voice out their speech perfectly if they had adequate time to prepare it; but what if this was not the case? Indeed, in the 'impromptu speech' section of the competition, where participants have to make a speech with only a meagre 1 minute. That proved the down fall of this year's 'Angles' competition as many nervous-but-once-confident- faces stepped up to the stage. So, I've decided to do up a little research and compile some information on "How To Prepare For An Impromptu Speech".
But first, to infrm you, there are different types of unprepared speeches; sometimes it can be a kind of ‘prepared for’ version of an unprepared/impromptu speech, wherein the speaker learns before hand that they will be required to do one. This type is often done in school competitions(like Angles). They are prepared for because the speaker knows in advance that they are going to do it, but the topic will usually be a surprise.
But sometimes you are just put on the spot – your name is called out at a function and you are requested to say a few words. So..

The best way to prepare for an impromptu speech is to analyze the nature of the function you are attending and examine any possibilities of someone asking you to do something or say something. Always be prepared. If it is a close friend, relative’s or a work function, be prepared for any “Mr./Ms. X, would you please say a few words”.
1. Ask yourself: “If this situation does occur, how would I like to handle it?” That way you are exchanging worry for advanced planning, thinking and courage.
2. The best way to be ready for impromptu speeches or any public speech for that matter- is to invest in a good public speaking book or audio. They are a very good investment since most of us will be called out to speak unprepared at some stage in our lives.
3. Have a few opening lines, quotes or humor, up your sleeves, just in case. Better still, have a funny phrase about being put on the spot.

Thanks for your attention, continue speaking well.

The Photo Montage

So today for our Arts and Acts of Reasoning Class(what a mouth-ful), we learnt about the different kind of camera shots and angles. We also shot some of our own, which was both fun and engaging.

These are some photos I decided to show. Not all are school-taken.

Oh yea, a montage means a combination of several photographs joined together for artistic effect or to show more of the subject than can be shown in a single photograph. And we've(Jim and I) need to do one. Not sure where the following pics will lead us to though. Along the way I'l explain the shots.

So,the above is a Medium Shot. The medium shot is from just below the waist to above the head. There is more headroom than in the bust shot. This show is used if the person is animated with their hand movements, etc.

The Extra Long Shot. Also known as the Establish shot, this gives the viewer some perspective as to where the subject is. This is very important if the subject is moving to new locations or times. It lets the viewer know where the video/pic is taking place.

This is a Medium Long Shot. Remember in this shot to not cut ther person off at the knees. With this shot, you can still see expression on the persons face, while getting more information from what is going on around the person.

This is a Long Shot. This shot is useful for someone that is walking or moving.

Well, I might do more on this with better photos and more cam shots. More info at http://www.saskschools.ca/curr_content/cpt/projects/welcomeassignment/typesshots/typesshots.html

Night'.

So,today is Valentines'. But unfortunately got lotsa work to do so can't go out.

So, here are some interesting facts about Valentine you probably never heard of.

• 1.Teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, and then, sweethearts. Children between ages 6 to 10 exchange more than 650 million Valentine's cards with teachers, classmates, and family members.

2.In the Middle Ages young men and women drew the names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned on their sleeves for one week. This was done so that it becomes easy for other people to know your true feelings. This was known as "to wear your heart on your sleeve".

3.On February 14th wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on Valentine’s Day in Wales. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite Valentine decorations on the wooden spoons. This Valentine decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"

4.Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant that she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire. (Ideal day to go to the bird park.)

5.The Chocolate Manufacturer's Association of America says that 36 million boxes of chocolate are sold for Valentine's Day. (Hungry..)

6.Around 3% of pet owners prefer to give Valentine gifts to their pets, as they are more grateful than humans! (???)

Have a great Valentines Day,Byes

Oh yeah, Praise The Lord!!

Yes, got my blog a totally new look,which i've been trying to do for so long, Thank The Lord for helping me. No less thanks to Hui Ting too who gave short but useful advice. And well, emphasis on Liverpool has lightened....but Liverpool still rocks!! And my apologies to the Pac-man luvers. Also, my cbox is refreshed...cos I forgot my cbox password. Pathetic reasons for pathetic causes.
Happy (early) Valentine Guys,Rock On.

Check this out!

What a totally screwed ichat vid..



Create A Playlist

Try to Comprehend

I saw something interesting when reading throughmy new book, 'What's Wrong With Eating People?'. But firstly, I'm guessing you'll all probably be thinking; is this some kinda joke?! Nope, it's actually a very 'thinking book' book. Simply put, philosophical. This book is about author Peter Cave's very own world of puzzling paradoxes, logical loopholes and classic conundrums. Complicated, but once you understand his mind-boggling concepts, it actually all makes sense. so, this isthe thing I was talking about; chew on this: "When Does 'Yes' mean 'No'?": Human that we are,we often seek the unobtainable. Jack has a great passion for Jill, but only so long as she remains aloof and unobtainable. Were she to say 'yes' to his marriage proposal, his desire for her would evaporate. We may sum this up by saying that Jack wants Jill if & only if she does not want Jack, that is, if & only she does not say 'yes' to his proposal. No contradiction arises, just the misfortune of our perverse human nature. Let us now add that Jill is a sensible lady. She will only say 'yes' if Jack wants her. Now, if she says 'no', then Jack wants her ; so. then should she say 'yes', but that ensures that jack does not want her- As a result, she then does not want Jack' which brings Jack back to wanting her.

That was the easiest passage I could find, so may be I'l give more next time. Thanks for Reading.

Okay..Here Come the 'Insightful Blog Prompts'

Okay, so we(class) are supposed to write more insightful blog posts now..Arghh..mental block, don't know the meaning of insightful.

Insightful: /ˈɪnˌsaɪtfəl/ [in-sahyt-fuhl]
–adjective
characterized by or displaying insight; perceptive

Good..now i think I know. Okay, going to do a review of the parang attack news. So, just a short summary (in orange) first:

A Singapore bus driver was attacked by parang—wielding men in a bold robbery attempt in the southern Malaysian city of Johor Bahru on Tuesday evening.
The incident occurred on SBS Transit bus service number 160 which had just left the Kotaraya shopping centre. The bus was heading for the Woodlands Checkpoint at the border with Singapore.
A caller to MediaCorp’s News hotline said the driver was slashed with a parang when he tried to close the door on the men who were trying to board. The assailants fled immediately after the incident.

Well, I think this incident reflects badly on our neighbour's, Malaysia, border-line security. Although I do not want to sound harsh to our neighbours, I think more effort should be put in from Malaysia. Since many Singaporeans are crossing the border to Malaysia daily and vice versa, the Malaysian security board (if it actually exists) should step up and protect both the locals and the foreigners.

As both Singapore and Malaysia have gone through a lot together in the past, I feel that something should be done to help both citizens of these countries feel a sense of security when exceeding their respective territories. This would ensure that the strong bonds with the country that we have shared thick and thin with for many years does not deteriorate and wither away over time.

Part || of Total Defence Day Post

In the earlier post, I posted info on Total Defence Day. I am going to touch on Civil Defence and Economic Defence today.

Firstly, I'll touch on Civil Defence. Civil Defence provides for the safety and basic needs of the population on the home-front so that life may go on as normally as possible during emergencies. It involves training, with the help of the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the civilian population in rescue work, evacuation, first-aid and damage control.It aims to produce a civilian population familiar with procedures for survival and protection, and with arrangements for relief services and emergency supply of critical items like blood, water and food. The knowledge and assurance that loved ones are cared for will fortify the morale of our citizen-soldiers in military training or fighting at the front-line.

So, let's find a way to contribute to the citizen population and grasp the basic knowledge of the necessary ways to protect ourselves in an emergency.

Next, Economic Defence. This aspect mainly concerns the government, business and industry organising themselves in such a way that our economy will not break down in war or under the threat of war. It means putting in place contingency plans (meaning: like a back-up plan) to ensure that our offices and factories will be able to continue their operations during emergencies, even after National Servicemen (NSmen) and equipment have been mobilised to deal with the emergencies. Economic Defence involves the economic sector sharing material and manpower resources to meet the needs of Civil and Military Defence. At the level of the individual, Economic Defence requires the cultivation of a good working attitude and constant upgrading of one's skills. This is necessary to help Singapore stay ahead of the competition.

Although people of my generation might be to young to contribute to this aspect, lets all strive to be calm and wise when we progress to the working industry and to contribute to the economy.

Finally, I would like to give my opinion and my feelings towards Total Defence. I feel that although these 5 aspects have different lengths in terms of description, all of them are equally important. Singapore is a small country. It has a small population base and no natural resources. It is a multi-racial and multi-religious society, a young country whose roots are still being planted. All these make Singapore vulnerable not only to military attacks, but also to exploitation of our economic, social, political or psychological weaknesses by those who may wish to do us harm. Thinking back, when Singapore were attacked by the Japanese during the Japanese Occupation, Total Defence was not yet implemented. However, right now, Singapore have experienced no wars since Total Defence Day was implemented 25 years ago. This emphasises on the importance of Total Defence.

Thank You.

Total Defence Day is 'Round the Corner.

Today is the 8th of February, and Total Defence Day is just a week away. Yes, Total Defence Day falls on the 15th of February. I would like to dedicate this post to those who have been helping and protecting our country, be it through the means of the five main aspects of Total Defence. To freshen up my audience, here are the 5 aspects of total defence:

1. Physical Defence
2. Social Defence
3. Military Defence
4. Civil Defence
5. Economic Defence

So, today I'l be covering my first three points, Physical, Social and Military Defence today.

To begin, I'l start with Psychological Defence. This aspect refers to the individual citizen's commitment to the nation and confidence in the future of our country. It is about having pride, passion and patriotism for our country. United in Psychological Defence, we develop the collective will to stand up for our rights; to protect what is ours; to seek to be left in peace; to progress and prosper in our own way as a nation. A strong Psychological Defence allows us to safeguard our independence and hence chart our own destiny.

So, let's set our mindset to one that is proud of Singapore at all times.

Next,Social Defence. This aspect is about Singaporeans of all races and religions living and working together in harmony. To build a strong Social Defence, there must be racial and religious tolerance and respect, as well as equal opportunities for all regardless of race, language or religion. Social Defence also refers to every citizen, especially those with the ability, education and training, having the social conscience to contribute to the larger community and country. This includes showing care and concern for the less fortunate and underprivileged, as well as active participation in volunteer work.

So, let's make an effort to extend a helping hand, thus tightening our bonds as a nation.

Finally, the Military Defence. The Military Defence is having the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) able to deter aggression. A first-class SAF - one that has the capability to act effectively and decisively should deterrence and diplomacy fail - is essential to building a strong Military Defence. While Military Defence is the responsibility of NS men, full-time National Servicemen and regulars in the SAF, it also involves our own military industries having the capacity to meet the SAF's weapons and ammunition requirements. With these heightened security measures, Singapore can be a safer place.

So, for all those Singaporean boys who are yet to go for NS just like me, let's put in effort when that day comes.

Thank You.

Whoo! Got the Jason Mraz Album!

Good news for me! Got the Jason Mraz album 'We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". It might be a very random album name but so are the songs in the album,which genres stretch from pop to acoustic and a bit of rap. Its a real good album, but no less is expected from an experienced singer like Mraz. I've got my 2 favorite songs of the album on the playlist, 'The Dynamo of Volition' and 'Live High'. Thats all for tonight.

Little Ironies: The Stories Of Singapore; The Taximan's Story

• The Taxi Man's Story

1. What is the irony of the story?

The irony is the fact that the taximan criticizes young people of our generation for being too immature by hanging out at places like Hotel McElroy; while he still goes there to make an easy living as Hotel McElroy is a popular spot to earn more money. This is an act of contradiction, and instead of 'practising what he has preached', he has gone against his stand and decides to put money and making a living over his own beliefs and mind-set.

2. What are the themes raised in the story?

The themes raised are:

• How young people of Singapore have grown to be bold and reckless; as compared to the youth's of the 'old' Singapore.
• Differences of the 'old' (taximan's generation) and current (Lay Choo's generation) Singapore
• How making a living in Singapore has overcome the need to stand up for our own beliefs and make a stand to whatever opposes us

3. How realistic is this story?

This story is very realistic as it touches on how fast Singapore has advanced, be it for the better or the worse, just like how the current youths of Singapore have been 'learning' from older generations more quickly. This is realistic as it narrates a current affair of Singapore.

4. What do you think of the taxi man? Do you feel sympathy for him?

I do not think highly of this taximan. Although it is alright to put your job ahead of everything else in order to survive, I think Singaporeans should also have a sense of pride at the same time. We might be a small country, but we are advancing fast and it is important for us to be proud of what we believe in; rather than let that belief crumble under circumstances like earning a quick buck. Therefore, I do feel sympathy for this taximan as he struggles between putting the food on the table and having a sense of pride.

5. Do you agree with his lamenting?

As his 'lamenting' is supported by evidence through experience, I do agree.

6. What about the other characters in the story? Do you feel sympathy for them?

No.

But maybe the 'madam'. She has to bear with the taximan's rants for the whole trip. Seriously pity her ;)

Summary

Anyway, for a clearer view of what I am saying above, I have made a summary:

So, the story starts of with a first person account of the taximan.(Note: the whole story is about him speaking, no other dialouge or narration included.) This taximan is engaged in a rather one-sided conversation with his passenger, whom he adresses as 'madam'. The setting of the story: 'madam' is a teacher and is rushing for a meeting. So, the taximan goes on and on about how the younger generation of Singapore are being unfillial to their parents by stating that they have a school -related activity while in actual fact the child is off enoying themselves in the company of their 'European or American boyfriends', which the taximan claims are filthy rich. He also states a personal experience as evidence, with his daughther being the unfortunate culprit. but in the end, the irony would be evident. find out for your self in Catherine Lim's Little Ironies: Stories of Singapore

A Fictional Account of a Mentally Retarted Person

today was a bad daey fr mi bcos i saw my fren gt mayd fun of. three pepul wen into de mentul instituitin n started to say bad tings abt my fren. i fil sad fr him. whiy do dise pepul treat us so badlee. i noe we dum pepul al gader here so de doktors can help us. whiy do the doktors alow dise eveel pepul to distrb us. it is not fair bcos we al are born dis wae. we canot controel it. now i fil sad fr al my frens here. i remembr de doktor sayin mi n my frens hav an eye q of biloe 70. i wan de doktors to help us jus like charlie gordon. lyk dat we wun b mayd fun of. n dat wuld b gud. liyk dat we can show de pepul we are not dum. dat is wad i drim of smetmes in my slp. bt de doktor told mi my drim is not reyl. bt de operashun charlie wen troo mayd him smart. ok. tmrw i wil ask de doktor to giv mi the opershun. den my eye q of 59 wil go haiyer n dat wuld b gud

source: http://www.fitnessforyouth.umich.edu/mentally_challenged.htm