Tuesday, June 28, 2005
The Bizad Canteen
Alright I admit. I do miss NUS, although I was delirious with joy after my last paper at NUS. The nostalgia seems to have hit a few notches up as my convocation draws near.
In case all the memories fade, Being plain bored, I decided to reminisce about the times spent at the Bizad canteen, known officially as The Terrace, but plainly to practical Bizaders, Bizad canteen. In fact, I doubt any NUS student would even address their respective canteens by their affectionate names. A bit funny leh!
I love the Bizad canteen. Although we have to share it with the Law people! But, from my friends’ and my observations of these aspiring lawyer wannabes, we gathered that most do not sit down and nua the whole afternoon away (like us Bizaders) while indulging in a proper lunch (sandwiches and coffee not included!) In fact, we wonder if they ever eat! The very rare occasions they are eating, they are probably discussing some court case or debating over a particular clause in some law! The canteen is airy and there are plenty of seats. Even if there is a seat shortage (which is rare), we can bring our food to the study benches and continue with project discussions at the same time. The main grouse is probably the presence of disgusting crows that are on standby to pounce on your food once you leave the table or leave it on the clearing shelves. Yucks!
The Bizad canteen is famous for its Chinese dumplings (jiao zi) and Western food. With regards to the jiao zi, one can smell the overpowering vinegar smell come Thursdays and be prepared to join a long, long queue for your food. It is so popular that the assistants do nothing but make only jiao zi on Thursdays. The situation seems similar to a mass production operation in a factory! Personally, I have only eaten them once and even then, I shared the plate of jiao zi with a friend. No offence to jiao zi lovers, but the vinegar smell combined with seeing many people (especially PRCs) indulging in one whole plate of jiao zi alone totally put me off them for the rest of my time in Bizad. I don’t even want to find out the quantities that are being sold! I couldn’t imagine seeing someone finishing 15 jiao zi on his own! *Shudder*
But the Western food gets my two thumbs up! Not considering the first semester of Year One, where I wasfrightened pissed off by the uncle’s Edward's stern looks and army-like “Next, please!” or “Fried fish to go”, I am a very regular patron of the stall, to the extent of us striking up conversations! But only when he is not busy! I still don’t have the guts to ka jiao him with special orders during peak periods! As seen from my “extreme likeness” for this stall, I do have several regrets about leaving Bizad and this stall.
Firstly, being not very adventurous when it comes to eating, I have not tried all the food that is available, partly also because his menu is so freaking extensive!! And he does introduce new items once in a while! If I had the opportunity, I would try the Atlantic salmon, lasagna etc. anytime!
Secondly, the taste of the Fusilli (the twisty and screw like pasta) with chicken and mushrooms still lingers in my mouth. This item is not available for sale but my IA class had the privilege to be the first “critics” of the food because Prof Low requested for it to be prepared during our IA make up class! The dish definitely pleased most of our taste buds because it received such rave reviews. And the turnoff of it all, this dish would only be available next semester! Boohoo! NUS students better try this dish or they would be missing out on so much!
Lastly, the stall has some items that are only available up to 10am. During my 3rd semester, I had thehorror opportunity to experience attending four 8am lessons so I had the opportunity to try this dish. It’s called Cheesy Farmer and basically, it is egg omelette with cheese and mushrooms. 2 slices of toast complete this divine meal. For the benefit of most Bizaders, can the uncle sell this item full day or at least extend the timing? Afterall, Bizaders are notorious for being slackers late-starters. Most lectures start at 10am and the place is virtually like a ghost town before 10am, save for the people with 9am sectionals. Even then, they would be stuck in class and would only be “released” at 12!
Besides the Western stall, the café is my “saviour” during the dreadful 3-hour sectionals. There is cheap Milo and Teh-O to tide me through the difficult times, and various varieties of pastries that are cheap without compromising on the “professional café” quality as well. I have one grievance of the café though. The aunties are all super inefficient! Sometimes they seem to look through you and continue chatting although it is very obvious that you want to make payment. And the proverb “Too many cooks spoil the broth” is perfectly epitomized in this situation.
One typical scenario would be this: One auntie serves the main queue. Another queue is forming near the soft drinks dispenser and another at the sandwich department (sandwiches made a la Delifrance). All this while, the two aunties would either be (1) continuing to take the croissants out from the oven, or (2) just hanging around the dispenser, wiping God-knows-what. It seems as if she is just trying to act busy. Easy! Go and attend to us! We are pathetic souls! Sometimes we only have measly break times of 10 minutes so it won’t be wise to waste our time in this manner!
There used to be a Kyros Kebab stall and it closed down this semester. My guess is their business wasn’t good and they probably received less than complimentary reviews. Because their service is yawningly slow and they are, in my opinion, the pioneers of the “Too many cooks spoil the broth” theory. There are also several assistants, in fact more than sufficient to handle the traffic. My friends and I once contemplated focusing our Operations Management project on them. I don’t know the exact Logistics term but their workstation layout was hampering their service efficiency. They had the biggest stall space but this was no excuse. For example, they could be walking to one end of the stall to get the fries and then walking to the other end to collect their kebabs. I can’t really remember the exact details but it was along that line. I used to get so frustrated just looking at how they work. But they have a redeeming point though. I love their fries!
I also patronized the Malay food, Indian food stall, the Chinese rice stall, chicken rice stall, Chinese noodles stall and the Yong Tau Foo stall, albeit not very frequently.
I love the Bizad canteen. Although we have to share it with the Law people! But, from my friends’ and my observations of these aspiring lawyer wannabes, we gathered that most do not sit down and nua the whole afternoon away (like us Bizaders) while indulging in a proper lunch (sandwiches and coffee not included!) In fact, we wonder if they ever eat! The very rare occasions they are eating, they are probably discussing some court case or debating over a particular clause in some law! The canteen is airy and there are plenty of seats. Even if there is a seat shortage (which is rare), we can bring our food to the study benches and continue with project discussions at the same time. The main grouse is probably the presence of disgusting crows that are on standby to pounce on your food once you leave the table or leave it on the clearing shelves. Yucks!
The Bizad canteen is famous for its Chinese dumplings (jiao zi) and Western food. With regards to the jiao zi, one can smell the overpowering vinegar smell come Thursdays and be prepared to join a long, long queue for your food. It is so popular that the assistants do nothing but make only jiao zi on Thursdays. The situation seems similar to a mass production operation in a factory! Personally, I have only eaten them once and even then, I shared the plate of jiao zi with a friend. No offence to jiao zi lovers, but the vinegar smell combined with seeing many people (especially PRCs) indulging in one whole plate of jiao zi alone totally put me off them for the rest of my time in Bizad. I don’t even want to find out the quantities that are being sold! I couldn’t imagine seeing someone finishing 15 jiao zi on his own! *Shudder*
But the Western food gets my two thumbs up! Not considering the first semester of Year One, where I was
Firstly, being not very adventurous when it comes to eating, I have not tried all the food that is available, partly also because his menu is so freaking extensive!! And he does introduce new items once in a while! If I had the opportunity, I would try the Atlantic salmon, lasagna etc. anytime!
Secondly, the taste of the Fusilli (the twisty and screw like pasta) with chicken and mushrooms still lingers in my mouth. This item is not available for sale but my IA class had the privilege to be the first “critics” of the food because Prof Low requested for it to be prepared during our IA make up class! The dish definitely pleased most of our taste buds because it received such rave reviews. And the turnoff of it all, this dish would only be available next semester! Boohoo! NUS students better try this dish or they would be missing out on so much!
Lastly, the stall has some items that are only available up to 10am. During my 3rd semester, I had the
Besides the Western stall, the café is my “saviour” during the dreadful 3-hour sectionals. There is cheap Milo and Teh-O to tide me through the difficult times, and various varieties of pastries that are cheap without compromising on the “professional café” quality as well. I have one grievance of the café though. The aunties are all super inefficient! Sometimes they seem to look through you and continue chatting although it is very obvious that you want to make payment. And the proverb “Too many cooks spoil the broth” is perfectly epitomized in this situation.
One typical scenario would be this: One auntie serves the main queue. Another queue is forming near the soft drinks dispenser and another at the sandwich department (sandwiches made a la Delifrance). All this while, the two aunties would either be (1) continuing to take the croissants out from the oven, or (2) just hanging around the dispenser, wiping God-knows-what. It seems as if she is just trying to act busy. Easy! Go and attend to us! We are pathetic souls! Sometimes we only have measly break times of 10 minutes so it won’t be wise to waste our time in this manner!
There used to be a Kyros Kebab stall and it closed down this semester. My guess is their business wasn’t good and they probably received less than complimentary reviews. Because their service is yawningly slow and they are, in my opinion, the pioneers of the “Too many cooks spoil the broth” theory. There are also several assistants, in fact more than sufficient to handle the traffic. My friends and I once contemplated focusing our Operations Management project on them. I don’t know the exact Logistics term but their workstation layout was hampering their service efficiency. They had the biggest stall space but this was no excuse. For example, they could be walking to one end of the stall to get the fries and then walking to the other end to collect their kebabs. I can’t really remember the exact details but it was along that line. I used to get so frustrated just looking at how they work. But they have a redeeming point though. I love their fries!
I also patronized the Malay food, Indian food stall, the Chinese rice stall, chicken rice stall, Chinese noodles stall and the Yong Tau Foo stall, albeit not very frequently.
Yong Tau Foo: The stall used to be one of my favourites until they changed vendors. I prefer to go over to the Arts canteen for Yong Tau Foo now. And the stall has rather orthodox items that doesn’t quite qualify as traditional Yong Tau Foo. Luncheon meat? Carrots?
Indian Food: The Indian food is good; the menu does not totally cater to the Indian palate, they have introduced more local-like food as well. I tried the naan once. I like! Service speed could be improved though! And it won’t hurt if prices could be less steep! After one meal, I feel so heart pain…
Chinese rice: I started trying out the Chinese rice stall this semester because I was finally convinced by my friends’ testimonials of the good food and more importantly, the quick service speed. I never liked the stall before because the queue was always very long, all days of the week!
Chicken rice: I quite liked the chicken rice in the past and I even pitied the owners when the bird flu broke out. The business became very bad. I still patronized it, but I can’t make that great a difference mah! You can’t expect me to eat chicken rice everyday! I don’t know if the declining business dampened their morale and affected their food quality. It just did not taste as good as before. Once, my portion of cai xin had turned all yellowish! Business never really recovered from the virus attack and the queues are no longer as long as before. However, it took me too long to discover their hidden gem: the duck guo tiao. Tastes heavenly with the chili!
Chinese noodles: This was another stall which I initially patronized out of “sympathy” due to its bad business. Also, the stall belonged to a friend’s uncle so I thought just give some mian zi (aka 'face') and just shang lian (patronize out of good will). My “compassion” soon ran out because I found the noodles too sticky and “clumpy”. And, they gave pretty stingy portions that were ill fitting of the price paid. So, a no-no for this stall too.
And, the perfect place to quench my thirst after the plethora of food choices available besides the café, is the fruit juices stall! They have fresh cut fruit and I suppose, many, many combinations of fruit juices available. But being the boring old me, I have stuck to the same old combis: apple + guave, orange + guava, honey lime. That is how boring I am.
I think I have tried honey dew + guava before but it was too sweet and I didn’t like it. Also tried blueberry juice, but tasted far too synthetic for me to qualify it as fresh fruit juice. In fact, no one would believe that all their juices are freshly squeezed. I don’t think guavas produce so much juice that is so green in colour and consistently tastes sweet. Must be the concentrate version. Besides juices, they offer desserts as well and I like their grass jelly and almond jelly.
The herbal soup stall just opened this semester but I have not tried it before, save for little mouthfuls here and there from friends. And my verdict? The menu, with stuff like water cress soup, chicken ginseng soup and lotus root soup, does remind me of home, my Grandma’s wonderful soups, but that is where the similarity ends. The soup tastes a tad too MSG-ie. Enough said.
Sigh! My stomach is growling in hunger already! What a glutton I am!
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Not again!!!
Alright, alright. Another bo liao quiz because I am feeling bo liao.. I like the pic though.. :)
You are like majority of the people in today's
society. You probably like the latest trends,
but not because they are considered cool; just
because you like them. Continue being you,
people like you for it.
A Deeper Look Inside Yourself (with pics)
brought to you by Quizilla
You are like majority of the people in today's
society. You probably like the latest trends,
but not because they are considered cool; just
because you like them. Continue being you,
people like you for it.
A Deeper Look Inside Yourself (with pics)
brought to you by Quizilla
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Do I sense some form of preaching here?
I totally hate it when NKF sponsors yet another Chinese drama on Channel 8.
Given that I am slacking now (unemployed a fresh graduate. Btw, I wonder how long I will stay "fresh". Hate this term! Makes me feel like I am fresh pork being displayed at the market!) and I do not have cable (i.e. I don't have much of a choice of what I can watch on the google box), I don't want to spend my week nights going through one whole hour of goody advice like "You should eat your vegetables", "go for regular checkups", "do regular exercise" blah blah. Yes, yes, this is good and sensible advice, we should all listen to NKF. But come on, life as it is, is already hard and so stressful. Nobody would want to have to face such grim albeit the truth advice. Watching serials should be a light hearted event. It should not make anyone worry if their cholestrol level has shot up from that heavy dinner they had the other night or wonder if they had taken enough water for the day.
To be fair, some credit has to be given to this serial. At least, it is different from the usual weepy NKF-sponsored serials in the past. The plot, as of now, is lighter, but very, very familar. MediaCorp is a copycat. Christopher Lee (the lead) reminds me of Forrest Gump and Ah Wong from Square Pegs. Why are they so into portraying idiots/mental retards? I don't get it. Is it the trend? But of course, there is an abundance of subtle tips and hints here and there to remind the viewer of NKF's existence.
To make matters worse, as if viewers do not know the show is sponsored by them, they air their advertisements aggressively, with most of them consisting of testimonials from cancer patients... something along that line. I am not sure coz I usually switch channels or go for toilet breaks when they first come on, so I am not really sure of their content.
AND, they have a 1/2 hour documentary on Sun about cancer survivors! AGAIN!
To top all this disgust, it seems that NKF is having yet another charity show for their cancer patients this time. My grandma always questions why they need so much money. Don't they already have countless shows for their kidney dialysis department? NKF will give all the crap about kidney dialysis patients requiring lifelong treatment. I do sympathise with the patients. I do donate ok! But like what many Singaporeans ask, how much of our donation actually goes to the patients? I tell you, the kidney dialysis centre opposite my house is super nice! All airconditioned and so beautifully decorated! I wonder if some of my money went towards paying for that vase I saw. Hmm...
Back to the charity show. Everytime my sis sees the commercial, she questions which celebrities are going to perform. I can't be bothered. Because even if a celebrity I really like comes to perform, I won't watch it anyway. It is too "preachy" and "emotional". But the truth is, Singaporeans need some "incentive" in order to call the donation lines. So if NKF still does not tell the public who the performers are, it is not likely the donations will come flooding in at this time.
To conclude, (my favourite term when churning out reports/doing GP essays. Alternative is "To sum it up") can NKF please stop all this nonsense? Let me watch my TV in peace!
Given that I am slacking now (
To be fair, some credit has to be given to this serial. At least, it is different from the usual weepy NKF-sponsored serials in the past. The plot, as of now, is lighter, but very, very familar. MediaCorp is a copycat. Christopher Lee (the lead) reminds me of Forrest Gump and Ah Wong from Square Pegs. Why are they so into portraying idiots/mental retards? I don't get it. Is it the trend? But of course, there is an abundance of subtle tips and hints here and there to remind the viewer of NKF's existence.
To make matters worse, as if viewers do not know the show is sponsored by them, they air their advertisements aggressively, with most of them consisting of testimonials from cancer patients... something along that line. I am not sure coz I usually switch channels or go for toilet breaks when they first come on, so I am not really sure of their content.
AND, they have a 1/2 hour documentary on Sun about cancer survivors! AGAIN!
To top all this disgust, it seems that NKF is having yet another charity show for their cancer patients this time. My grandma always questions why they need so much money. Don't they already have countless shows for their kidney dialysis department? NKF will give all the crap about kidney dialysis patients requiring lifelong treatment. I do sympathise with the patients. I do donate ok! But like what many Singaporeans ask, how much of our donation actually goes to the patients? I tell you, the kidney dialysis centre opposite my house is super nice! All airconditioned and so beautifully decorated! I wonder if some of my money went towards paying for that vase I saw. Hmm...
Back to the charity show. Everytime my sis sees the commercial, she questions which celebrities are going to perform. I can't be bothered. Because even if a celebrity I really like comes to perform, I won't watch it anyway. It is too "preachy" and "emotional". But the truth is, Singaporeans need some "incentive" in order to call the donation lines. So if NKF still does not tell the public who the performers are, it is not likely the donations will come flooding in at this time.
To conclude, (my favourite term when churning out reports/doing GP essays. Alternative is "To sum it up") can NKF please stop all this nonsense? Let me watch my TV in peace!
Monday, June 20, 2005
I feel like a telephone operator today
It is only 3.22 pm now but it seems as if one whole day has past, because of the flurry of activities that came my way since 9am.
I am facing yet another dilemma.
Firstly, I was scheduled for an interview with Recruit Express for the position of recruitment consultant today at 4pm. I postponed that interview to tomorrow because the Exel people called. (See below.)
The position with Exel was an internship position D recommended. The HR person told me to come down for an interview at 12.30pm, all the way at ulu Changi, near the Air Freight Terminal. *&%$@#**^% That is a bloddy ulu pandan place lah! I had to take a 25 minute bus journey to Pasir Ris MRT Station and transfer to a cab. How troublesome!
And on my bus journey, another lady from Recruit Express called and had a position as Claims Officer in an insurance company for me. I want I want! Much more than the recrutiment consultant position! Because I don't like the "sales" aspect of the job. But I told the lady I would go for the interview for RC first before giving her an answer. But I so want this job! I just can't bear to cancel on the RC position! :(
Alright, back to Exel. I transfered to a cab and it cost me 7 bucks! True to my belief, the place looks totally detached from civilisation. I don't mind working to gain the experience, but the interviewers seemed concerned that my ideal job would be in finance and that I was on the lookout for perm jobs. With regards to the first concern: Yes, Exel is a logistics firm, but surely the company needs employees other than those with a logistics background? Ridiculous! Besides, D told me the nature of this position was not entirely to do with logistics! As for the second concern, I was told initially I had to commit one month, that's all. But I was told a different thing just now: I had to commit at least one month, and maybe slightly longer until they found a permanent replacement. So, of course they had apprehensions of whether I could commit myself.
And as I left the place, I had a missed call from an unfamilar number. It was some recruitment agency, which I don't remember sending my CV to. This lady had a 2-month data entry assignment for me at NKF that pays $5.50/hr after CPF, which is much better than the $600/month I would receive if I chose Exel.
Besides, the NKF building is at Toa Payoh, which is so much better than 81, Airport Logistics Park of Singapore (aka Exel)! Bleah!
I am seriously considering the NKF offer because the added benefit of that is the no-commitment clause. I only need to give one week's notice if I do intend to quit.
Then, I just received an SMS from S, inviting me to join her at Tioman for three days next week. I want! But what if I get a job, temp or perm? I am giving her an answer tomorrow, but I think it would be a 'no'.
Here comes my dilemma. What if Exel wants me (NKF hasn't replied yet) and given that I am not exactly keen on the job, I reject their offer and wait patiently for NKF. But it turns out that NKF also doesn't want me! And at the same time, I get rejected for the perm positions as well. That would be real tragic! And I would be back to square one again! I really want the NKF job, of course not forgetting the "claims officer" one. I can only hope now that NKF would call me first.
I hate the situation now! So many uncertainties!
I am facing yet another dilemma.
Firstly, I was scheduled for an interview with Recruit Express for the position of recruitment consultant today at 4pm. I postponed that interview to tomorrow because the Exel people called. (See below.)
The position with Exel was an internship position D recommended. The HR person told me to come down for an interview at 12.30pm, all the way at ulu Changi, near the Air Freight Terminal. *&%$@#**^% That is a bloddy ulu pandan place lah! I had to take a 25 minute bus journey to Pasir Ris MRT Station and transfer to a cab. How troublesome!
And on my bus journey, another lady from Recruit Express called and had a position as Claims Officer in an insurance company for me. I want I want! Much more than the recrutiment consultant position! Because I don't like the "sales" aspect of the job. But I told the lady I would go for the interview for RC first before giving her an answer. But I so want this job! I just can't bear to cancel on the RC position! :(
Alright, back to Exel. I transfered to a cab and it cost me 7 bucks! True to my belief, the place looks totally detached from civilisation. I don't mind working to gain the experience, but the interviewers seemed concerned that my ideal job would be in finance and that I was on the lookout for perm jobs. With regards to the first concern: Yes, Exel is a logistics firm, but surely the company needs employees other than those with a logistics background? Ridiculous! Besides, D told me the nature of this position was not entirely to do with logistics! As for the second concern, I was told initially I had to commit one month, that's all. But I was told a different thing just now: I had to commit at least one month, and maybe slightly longer until they found a permanent replacement. So, of course they had apprehensions of whether I could commit myself.
And as I left the place, I had a missed call from an unfamilar number. It was some recruitment agency, which I don't remember sending my CV to. This lady had a 2-month data entry assignment for me at NKF that pays $5.50/hr after CPF, which is much better than the $600/month I would receive if I chose Exel.
Besides, the NKF building is at Toa Payoh, which is so much better than 81, Airport Logistics Park of Singapore (aka Exel)! Bleah!
I am seriously considering the NKF offer because the added benefit of that is the no-commitment clause. I only need to give one week's notice if I do intend to quit.
Then, I just received an SMS from S, inviting me to join her at Tioman for three days next week. I want! But what if I get a job, temp or perm? I am giving her an answer tomorrow, but I think it would be a 'no'.
Here comes my dilemma. What if Exel wants me (NKF hasn't replied yet) and given that I am not exactly keen on the job, I reject their offer and wait patiently for NKF. But it turns out that NKF also doesn't want me! And at the same time, I get rejected for the perm positions as well. That would be real tragic! And I would be back to square one again! I really want the NKF job, of course not forgetting the "claims officer" one. I can only hope now that NKF would call me first.
I hate the situation now! So many uncertainties!
Friday, June 17, 2005
Engrish is a global language
Nope, I didn't coin this term. The Singaporean context of Engrish (aka English) would probably be "England", I suppose.
"Wah, your England very powderful leh."
I wonder who came up with such "ingenious" terms.
Do Singaporeans really speak terrible English? I don't know if this was mentioned anywhere, but I think Singaporeans in general are very adaptive creatures. We have the ability to switch from Singlish to English and vice versa effortlessly as and when the situation calls for it. And since there has been much (long past) debate on Singaporeans speaking poor Mandarin, are Singaporeans equally bad at the subject as well?
For the record, I think I am pretty good at both subjects. I got an A1 for both O level English and Chinese and A2 for both General Paper and Chinese in JC ok! Don't pray pray! And my JC tutor wrote this in my testimonial:
"She writes and speaks fluently in both English and Chinese which makes her geniunely bilingual."
Hee. I am not trying to boast about my "excellent" results here, but my point is, most Singaporeans who have had decent schooling ( i.e. up to the secondary level. Not a bad benchmark right? Most young Singaporeans at least finish secondary school.) speak at least average to above average English/Mandarin. Sure, we still hear the lahs and lors everywhere, but when confronted with formal situations, we switch to standard English.
However, I must agree that we can't rest on our laurels. Singapore seems to be portrayed as a "neither here, nor there" nation in terms of language ability.
Moving away from the language debate, I chanced upon this site, Engrish.com that showcases a wide selection of pictures depiciting poor and sometimes puzzling English from all around Asia (mostly).
According to the website, Engrish is defined as "the humorous English mistakes that appear in Japanese advertising and product design". However, the use of Engrish is no longer confined to Japan although "the vast majority of the really funny and creative Engrish is from Japan."
The website also gives a rather thorough explanantion of why the Japanese are such poor speakers of English, despite having one of the world's best eduational system.
The pictures are divided into many categories and I found a couple of interesting ones.
Nothing wrong. Jeans are meant to serve this purpose. But a little too crude?
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
Found in a restaurant menu from China.
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
A brand of er.. toilet paper from China. A very apt and "functional" name I must say.
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
Literal translation.
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
Another case of literal translation.
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
Speaking of literal translation, I still remember this classic example of literal translation 14 years ago (boy! I am really growing old!) when I was in Primary 2. I overheard a classmate telling my teacher:
"Sorry, Miss X. I didn't bring come." Which should have meant: "Sorry, Miss X. I didn't bring it/(the thing)."
Meaning of the words in Chinese:
I = "wo3"
didn't = "mei3 you3"
bring = "dai4"
come = "lai2"
Ok, she can't be blamed. But given my above-average English standards at that time, I was already feeling very puzzled!
Continuing...
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
No, I won't be so silly. In case, they get dumped into the Kallang River too. Sorry.. I know this is not funny.
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
Yucks! The chicken is going to taste all "mousey".
Btw, despite efforts to blur the company's logo, it's still pretty obvious that this ad came from a popular fastfood chain, also available in Singapore, whose food just tastes better. Hmm...
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
No, no I won't. I don't think I will get scalded. Anyway, the cup can't get scalded by the heat right?
Sometimes, one small little alphabet is all it takes to cause the damage...
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
Utterly hilarious! Should check out the site!
P.S. Engrish.com has cautioned readers of their site to refrain from using the site's pictures for their own Engrish.com site. This isn't one; it's a blog. So I suppose it's okay right? Besides, I am doing free advertising for the site!
ciao!
"Wah, your England very powderful leh."
I wonder who came up with such "ingenious" terms.
Do Singaporeans really speak terrible English? I don't know if this was mentioned anywhere, but I think Singaporeans in general are very adaptive creatures. We have the ability to switch from Singlish to English and vice versa effortlessly as and when the situation calls for it. And since there has been much (long past) debate on Singaporeans speaking poor Mandarin, are Singaporeans equally bad at the subject as well?
For the record, I think I am pretty good at both subjects. I got an A1 for both O level English and Chinese and A2 for both General Paper and Chinese in JC ok! Don't pray pray! And my JC tutor wrote this in my testimonial:
"She writes and speaks fluently in both English and Chinese which makes her geniunely bilingual."
Hee. I am not trying to boast about my "excellent" results here, but my point is, most Singaporeans who have had decent schooling ( i.e. up to the secondary level. Not a bad benchmark right? Most young Singaporeans at least finish secondary school.) speak at least average to above average English/Mandarin. Sure, we still hear the lahs and lors everywhere, but when confronted with formal situations, we switch to standard English.
However, I must agree that we can't rest on our laurels. Singapore seems to be portrayed as a "neither here, nor there" nation in terms of language ability.
Moving away from the language debate, I chanced upon this site, Engrish.com that showcases a wide selection of pictures depiciting poor and sometimes puzzling English from all around Asia (mostly).
According to the website, Engrish is defined as "the humorous English mistakes that appear in Japanese advertising and product design". However, the use of Engrish is no longer confined to Japan although "the vast majority of the really funny and creative Engrish is from Japan."
The website also gives a rather thorough explanantion of why the Japanese are such poor speakers of English, despite having one of the world's best eduational system.
The pictures are divided into many categories and I found a couple of interesting ones.
Nothing wrong. Jeans are meant to serve this purpose. But a little too crude?
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
Found in a restaurant menu from China.
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
A brand of er.. toilet paper from China. A very apt and "functional" name I must say.
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
Literal translation.
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
Another case of literal translation.
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
Speaking of literal translation, I still remember this classic example of literal translation 14 years ago (boy! I am really growing old!) when I was in Primary 2. I overheard a classmate telling my teacher:
"Sorry, Miss X. I didn't bring come." Which should have meant: "Sorry, Miss X. I didn't bring it/(the thing)."
Meaning of the words in Chinese:
I = "wo3"
didn't = "mei3 you3"
bring = "dai4"
come = "lai2"
Ok, she can't be blamed. But given my above-average English standards at that time, I was already feeling very puzzled!
Continuing...
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
No, I won't be so silly. In case, they get dumped into the Kallang River too. Sorry.. I know this is not funny.
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
Yucks! The chicken is going to taste all "mousey".
Btw, despite efforts to blur the company's logo, it's still pretty obvious that this ad came from a popular fastfood chain, also available in Singapore, whose food just tastes better. Hmm...
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
No, no I won't. I don't think I will get scalded. Anyway, the cup can't get scalded by the heat right?
Sometimes, one small little alphabet is all it takes to cause the damage...
Image courtesy of www.engrish.com
Utterly hilarious! Should check out the site!
P.S. Engrish.com has cautioned readers of their site to refrain from using the site's pictures for their own Engrish.com site. This isn't one; it's a blog. So I suppose it's okay right? Besides, I am doing free advertising for the site!
ciao!
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Green tea everywhere
I dunno if this is a current trend or I am already too late in observing this trend. But there's green tea everywhere!
First, it started off with the very plain, in taste and looks, old-fashioned green tea.
Then marketers got a little smarter, and decided to market the plain old green tea as a "cool" drink. Add in jasmine and you get:
My all-time favourite drink! Pokka also decided to come up with Peppermint Green Tea, which I think it's a totally bad move! Yucks!
And after judging the popularity of the green tea, companies went berserk and introduced all kinds of green tea products due to its medical benefits, ranging from lowering the risk of heart disease, lowering chlorestrol, prevention of cancer, promotion of weight loss, and of course beauty remedies.
Speaking of beauty remedies, several companies like Ginvera have even devoted whole ranges to include Green Tea.
Some examples...
Step 1: Cleanser Step 2: Toner Step 3: Moisturizer
First, it started off with the very plain, in taste and looks, old-fashioned green tea.
Then marketers got a little smarter, and decided to market the plain old green tea as a "cool" drink. Add in jasmine and you get:
My all-time favourite drink! Pokka also decided to come up with Peppermint Green Tea, which I think it's a totally bad move! Yucks!
And after judging the popularity of the green tea, companies went berserk and introduced all kinds of green tea products due to its medical benefits, ranging from lowering the risk of heart disease, lowering chlorestrol, prevention of cancer, promotion of weight loss, and of course beauty remedies.
Speaking of beauty remedies, several companies like Ginvera have even devoted whole ranges to include Green Tea.
Some examples...
Step 1: Cleanser Step 2: Toner Step 3: Moisturizer
And to refine the beauty regime, they also introduced
The Green Tea Mask.
Ginvera also has a range for the body.
Body Lotion
Shower Gel
Their claimed benefits range from "removal of dead cells", "revitalization of skin cells to lighten age spots and freckles", "anti-oxidant effects", "prevention of prickly heat, skin rashes and dryness" etc.
This is still OK. I like green tea. They smell good. In fact, I am using this shower gel now:
Shokubutsu Green Tea Shower Gel. And I love it!
But things seem to have gotten a little far off with Darlie's introduction of their Tea Care toothpaste:
Like every other naive consumer, I tried it out of novelty. Green tea mah. I like all things green tea. So this should be good!
Boy was I wrong! It tastes ultra sweet, not like toothpaste at all, and like my sister commented, it felt like eating sweetened tea leaves! Pui!
Of course, green tea still has its redeeming points. A googling session brought up these finds:
Green Tea Capsules, although I don't know what this is good for.
Elizabeth Arden Green Tea perfume. Bought this on the plane. Just the scent I like. Fresh, sweet, light.
Bvlgari Green Tea Perfume
Green Tea Ice-cream!
And... green tea pocky! WHY DON"T THEY HAVE THIS IN SINGAPORE??!!!
That's what I have found so far. Don't be surprised to see more innovative green tea products like green tea facial tissue??! Okay, I am not very creative... But really, the green tea fad is still on!
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
I want these!
I am trying my darnest best to resist the temptation of shopping online before my actual shopping trip on Saturday.
And I tell you, it's hard!!
Browsed over to Estrella Shopping for the second time in 2 days to their Trendy Tops section.
I want these:
Front. So nice right? Always had a soft spot for halter necks. This is sooo nice! The material looks so flowly!
And I tell you, it's hard!!
Browsed over to Estrella Shopping for the second time in 2 days to their Trendy Tops section.
I want these:
Front. So nice right? Always had a soft spot for halter necks. This is sooo nice! The material looks so flowly!
Back. I wonder if the straps are detachable. If not like not very nice leh..
I also like this:
And while I was happily doing boh liao browsing, I accidentally stumbled upon browsed to Victoria's Secret, and took an immediate delight to..
This
and this
Sigh. I doubt I would get the Victoria Secret's stuff, yet. The shipping fees are exorbidant and I think it would be more hua suan if someone else buys stuff too, so we can share the fees...
So for now, they will be KIV. Just for now.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Saturday was spent...
... watching Mr and Mrs Smith! This is definitely one of the nicest movies I have caught in a long time! Watched it at Jubilee with W. This is a perfect heartland location if you want to beat the town crowd. Jubilee AMK is even more "heartland" than Bishan J8, which in recent years, has become so like town. I call it it the Orchard Road of the heartland. I have experienced trying to buy tickets but were sold out for the slots I want on several instances and my next best alternative? Jubilee, which is only a convenient 2-bus stops away!
Right, back to the movie. Yes, critics can argue that the plot is a little far fetched.. What is your take on a routine "couple quarrel" consisting of machine guns, explosions, grenades, shattered glass... *you get the drift* ? Kua zhang. Definitely.
BUT, the oozling chemistry between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie more than makes up for the odd and sometimes-exaggerated storyline! No wonder Brad Pitt won the "Sexiest Men Alive" award not once, but twice. And Angelina... she has such a great bod that turns me green with envy! :p
Not going to divulge more about the plot, as if you can't find out from the plethora of movie reviews from so many sources.. A definite must-watch!
Right, back to the movie. Yes, critics can argue that the plot is a little far fetched.. What is your take on a routine "couple quarrel" consisting of machine guns, explosions, grenades, shattered glass... *you get the drift* ? Kua zhang. Definitely.
BUT, the oozling chemistry between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie more than makes up for the odd and sometimes-exaggerated storyline! No wonder Brad Pitt won the "Sexiest Men Alive" award not once, but twice. And Angelina... she has such a great bod that turns me green with envy! :p
Not going to divulge more about the plot, as if you can't find out from the plethora of movie reviews from so many sources.. A definite must-watch!
Sunday, June 12, 2005
I am Sleeping Beauty?!!??
Do I really sleep that much to warrant such a embarrassing glamourous award? But thank goodness for the beautiful, enchanting, and as sweet as ever part. :D
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You scored as Sleeping Beauty. a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty! You are beautiful and enchanting, and as sweet as
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Friendliest Blogger
I figured that since I can't be as popular as Xiaxue, I will just pretend that I won an award: "Friendliest Weblogger".
Not bad, not bad at all. After all, this is the truth. I am a very friendly person :)
Not bad, not bad at all. After all, this is the truth. I am a very friendly person :)
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Friday, June 10, 2005
New skin!
Yay! I changed my blog ski... AGAIN!
It's not as if this is some very creative skin or what. This is from Blogger also. But I can't be bothered. Most of the blog skins from www.blogskins.com look so cutesy, teenager-ish with all the "5566", "Kelly Clarkson", "Taufik", bears/fairies/puppies themes. *Goosebumps*
And... I have finally figured out the ideal font size I had been craving since I browsed JLLT. It's Verdana in font size 8.5!
Why did I take so long to figure it out? I was fiddling with size 8, 9 and 10 but never 8.5 until now...
So here it is! My new blog!! I love the new skin!
:)
It's not as if this is some very creative skin or what. This is from Blogger also. But I can't be bothered. Most of the blog skins from www.blogskins.com look so cutesy, teenager-ish with all the "5566", "Kelly Clarkson", "Taufik", bears/fairies/puppies themes. *Goosebumps*
And... I have finally figured out the ideal font size I had been craving since I browsed JLLT. It's Verdana in font size 8.5!
Why did I take so long to figure it out? I was fiddling with size 8, 9 and 10 but never 8.5 until now...
So here it is! My new blog!! I love the new skin!
:)
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Ouch!
There's an irritating ulcer in my mouth, stuck deep inside, in between my gums! And it's hurting like crazy!
Arrghhhh!!
Arrghhhh!!
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
The shopping bug has bitten again!
I had an interview with AIA yesterday morning 10 am, at their headquarters, AIA Tower. Nope, I made sure I clarified with the lady who called me a few days ago that this was not a position of financial adviser. Thank God! This position, Management Intern, requires the candidate to work in "Insurance Operations", they call it. And I call it, Management Intern: the dirty work, backroom stuff.
One-year contract, doing largely administrative work. But I do so hope I get it! Getting desperate liao...
The two HR executives who interviewed me were nice, like every other interviewer. Even if they are disgusted or totally turned off by you, they would not show it. Professional ethics?
I had expected a much more intense session with them shooting very vague I-don't-see-the-link-to-the-job kind of questions like:
Tell me more about yourself.
Hello! So ambiguous! Which aspects do you want to know?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I ain't have any job now. How do you expect me to see where I am in five years' time? Or as suggested by W, "I hope to be happily married with 4 kids by that time." Duh.
Do you want to talk more about your job experience at XX Company?
No, I don't! Can't you see everything is already written on my resume?
And blah.. a whole lot of other stupid and cliched questions that I have not encountered before!
But, no. I was feeling so at ease throughout the whole session because it was so one-sided. The two executives kindly explained AIA's operations, the departments, the hierarchy, the position's expectations patiently to me. Now I am beginning to worry if such a session bodes well. :(
Anyhow, the interview ended around 11.20 am and I was off to Orchard to feed my shopping bug.. which had been waiting impatiently since AIA called on Thursday coz it knows I can sneak in some shopping after the interview!
On the way to the MRT at Raffles' Place station, I was stopped by another financial adviser, Prudential again! Promoting some new savings plan! And I was so stupid to give the guy my number again!! When he slipped me his namecard, I made a mental note to keep it and remember the numbers on the card so I can miss his calls! Bah!
And I reached Orchard before 12. Early by my usual standards, but the place was already packed with oh-so-young-I-miss-those-times teenagers walking in huge groups. Sian! I know it is hard to go to Orchard without bearing the big sardines squeeze, especially during this time, but at this time?!! I was dead wrong!
That spoiler aside, I love retail therapy alone! This was one of my more successful shopping trips because I managed to get something within 15 minutes of the start!
I am so into boleros (Is that what you call it? You know, those small "sweaters" with sizes that fit someone half your age?) at this moment! So everywhere I went,I only saw boleros I only looked out for boleros! I was ooh-ing and ahh-ing and comparing prices quietly at every boutique I passed. And by chance/accidentally/unknowingly, I stepped into bYSI. I settled for this:
I love the fakey pearl buttons! So oriental! So in! And I think the pink contrasts very nicely with the black spaghetti top! But I was quite pissed off with the sales assistant! I spotted a green one that looked very nice because green is THE colour now. But I decided against buying it because the colour would go out of fashion and green isn't exactly very easy to match. So I asked her:
Me: Does this design have any other colours?
Finally after much cajoling, she has "ventured" in making jewellery. Not bad for a first attempt :)!
Tired liao! Another long entry! lo so!
Tata!
One-year contract, doing largely administrative work. But I do so hope I get it! Getting desperate liao...
The two HR executives who interviewed me were nice, like every other interviewer. Even if they are disgusted or totally turned off by you, they would not show it. Professional ethics?
I had expected a much more intense session with them shooting very vague I-don't-see-the-link-to-the-job kind of questions like:
Tell me more about yourself.
Hello! So ambiguous! Which aspects do you want to know?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I ain't have any job now. How do you expect me to see where I am in five years' time? Or as suggested by W, "I hope to be happily married with 4 kids by that time." Duh.
Do you want to talk more about your job experience at XX Company?
No, I don't! Can't you see everything is already written on my resume?
And blah.. a whole lot of other stupid and cliched questions that I have not encountered before!
But, no. I was feeling so at ease throughout the whole session because it was so one-sided. The two executives kindly explained AIA's operations, the departments, the hierarchy, the position's expectations patiently to me. Now I am beginning to worry if such a session bodes well. :(
Anyhow, the interview ended around 11.20 am and I was off to Orchard to feed my shopping bug.. which had been waiting impatiently since AIA called on Thursday coz it knows I can sneak in some shopping after the interview!
On the way to the MRT at Raffles' Place station, I was stopped by another financial adviser, Prudential again! Promoting some new savings plan! And I was so stupid to give the guy my number again!! When he slipped me his namecard, I made a mental note to keep it and remember the numbers on the card so I can miss his calls! Bah!
And I reached Orchard before 12. Early by my usual standards, but the place was already packed with oh-so-young-I-miss-those-times teenagers walking in huge groups. Sian! I know it is hard to go to Orchard without bearing the big sardines squeeze, especially during this time, but at this time?!! I was dead wrong!
That spoiler aside, I love retail therapy alone! This was one of my more successful shopping trips because I managed to get something within 15 minutes of the start!
I am so into boleros (Is that what you call it? You know, those small "sweaters" with sizes that fit someone half your age?) at this moment! So everywhere I went,
I love the fakey pearl buttons! So oriental! So in! And I think the pink contrasts very nicely with the black spaghetti top! But I was quite pissed off with the sales assistant! I spotted a green one that looked very nice because green is THE colour now. But I decided against buying it because the colour would go out of fashion and green isn't exactly very easy to match. So I asked her:
Me: Does this design have any other colours?
She: There's pink, blue and white. But the white one is sold out.
Me: Can you show me the pink one?
I take the green and pink one to the dressing room.
Me: (I come out) You sure there are no more white ones left? Can you help me check the other stores?
She: (She doesn't bother to check.) Oh, the white one, a customer is trying it.
Me: (in my mind) WTF! I thought you said it was sold out?!! Keeping my fingers crossed.
She: (The customer comes out) Sorry, the customer wants the piece.
And the customer, the lovely angel, tries to comfort me by saying the pink one is "very nice". Thanks, but I still feel bitter!
And as I hear the sound from the NETS machine indicating successful transaction, I see I-strongly-believe it was a bloody WHITE piece!
She: That is the blue piece.
Me: (in my mind) Fine, if you insist. Anyway the blue one looks pretty good too.
Me: Can I change the pink one for it?
She: NO.
$%#*&%&^!
Nvm. I am loving it more the longer I look at it. :)
Then I made my way to Tangs, swearing hoping to use up my gift vouchers. No go. Nuff said.
Off to Isetan Shaw the next. I just love Isetan Supermarket! I feel as if I am transported to Japan. The huge array Japanese foodstuffs never fail to mesmerize me! There was Japanese ice-cream on sale (which I can't bring back coz it will melt.), lovely, can't-bear-to-eat Japanese cakes on display. I only browsed lightly. My feet were starting to give way...
Took the escalator to Isetan, Fashion Department. I was greeted by a plethora of capelets! Yay! Not a wasted trip! I am not exaggerating! Everywhere I turned, I saw capelets. Classy, cutesy, smart casual, denim material.. You name it, they have it! And by 20 minutes, I was armed with 5 different capelets to try out. I just bugged the sales assistants with my endless "What colours do you have for this?", "Can I try this one?", "No thanks."
And my final decision after my exploits:
From Sugarlink. It came in green also, but I thought yellow flattered my skin more!
I am sooo pleased! 2 capelets in one shopping trip!
My last stop was Bishan J8. Walked into the bYSI. And I saw the white capelet! $#%@^!#&*
Cool it.
Grandma just passed me a pair of earings she made. So nice!Finally after much cajoling, she has "ventured" in making jewellery. Not bad for a first attempt :)!
Tired liao! Another long entry! lo so!
Tata!
Sunday, June 05, 2005
SMRT and SBS, hear me out!
BUS and MRT fares are going to be set for yet another increase from 1 July 2005. See link here. Sure, the increases this time are minimal. But, like any typical Singaporean who relies on public transport, I only have this to say: SBS and SMRT, please bloody hell kindly ensure that there is a corresponding improvement in service levels!!!
I have read so many letters in the Straits Times' Forum page, requesting the same things. Why aren't there any replies from the relevant authorities? Or even any significant improvements made?
Yes, yes. Singapore's transport fares are among the lowest in the world. And I am not that well-travelled to compare our system with that of many countries, much less even show appreciation for it. Singapore ranks among the top in several areas: Our port, "Best Seaport in Asia", airport, winning the highest honour in the aviation industry for 4 years running, business competitiveness, globalisation, low corruption level etc etc. And the transport system? No, it's not that bad that it is of a Third-World level, but there is definitely much room for improvement.
I am more of a bus taker so most of the complaints are with the bus system. In fact, save for the occasional delays, I think the MRT system is doing a wonderful job! I have no complaints!
The Frequency of Buses
I am not expecting buses to arrive at intervals of one minute. But buses travel at ridicuously uneven intervals within the same peak (or off peak) period!
I once had a terribly bad experience waiting for Service 151 at the Kent Ridge Terminal after school. The time was around 7pm, peak period. I walked to the terminal and did not feel very good when I realised that there wasn't a single stationary 151 bus parked at the lots! Which means to say, I had to wait for at least one 151 to come back, drop off passengers, rest a while before that same bus would pick up passengers again. Fine. It was a Friday, I remembered very vividly. I have no school tomorrow, I can afford to wait.
10 minutes. 15 minutes, 20 minutes. The time flew by without a single 151 coming back. And I had to bear the annoying sight of seeing all the other bus services breezing by me, some of them in repetition!
After 25 minutes, an air conditioned 151 comes back. As expected, it parks itself in its lot. And I have to wait for it to cool down. It was another 10 minutes later before I boarded a non-aircon bus whose driver picked us poor souls up without "resting". Bless him!
The (in)frequency of buses really hits me hard. This explains why I am always late for school. Although I admit that I have a tendency to dilly dally as well. :p
The Physical Condition of Buses
I have had countless experiences with the poor physical condition of the buses. That was just one of the unhappy and annoying incidents I have had with this particular service in my 3 years at NUS. I haven't mentioned about the time the bus broke down on the day I was rushing to school for my last paper and a few of us NUS students were already planning to share a cab before another comes along and I reach school right on the dot. Or the time when smoke started to come out from somewhere on the bus and we all had to be evacuated.
SMRT buses are not spared as well. Why bother to have super duper long buses that are a pain on roads when you can't even maintain the basics? I took Service 853 when I was in AJC from 2000 to 2001 and I tell you, the non-airconditioned buses look like they are way past their scrape off date! Everytime I board the bus, I feel as if I am transported (pun intended) back to Malaysia. I worried whether I could make it back home in one piece. Aren't there supposed to be periodic inspections of the buses? Why do these buses pass the tests everytime? What is the criteria for assessing their condition?
Pass assessment = no need to buy new old = save costs?? Probably.
Sensed Bias Towards Concession-Holding Students
This is with respect to my taking 151 to NUS again, although I no longer need to do so. Anyway, what is the rationale for deciding if a bus should be made non-aircon, partial aircon or full aircon?
I just can't help but feel SBS has a bias towards us pathetic students. You see, 151 is partial aircon, and when they mean partial:
Definition from www.dictionary.com:
Of, relating to, being, or affecting only a part; not total; incomplete
they really, really mean it. Because out of their entire fleet of 151 buses, it seems that only 20% are aircon buses. Out of the at least 8 trips of 151 I make in a week (2 per day * 4 days of school), at least 6 would be on non-aircon buses. What the f***! And when this happens, it really makes my concession fare "bo hua"!
1 non aircon trip = $1.18
1 aircon trip = $1.43.
In one week,
6 trips of non aircon = $1.18 * 6 = $7.08
2 trips of aircon = $1.43 * 2 = $2.86
In one month,
total spent on transport = ($7.08 + $2.86) * 4 = $39.76 = a freaking $12.24 less than $52!!
Okay, this calculation is probably too exaggerated. I am not a hermit, I do go out on weekends. But couldn't SBS just increase the number of aircon 151 buses, especially during the semester?
I think there really this bias. Because the service plys along many schools. First, along MacPherson Road, I do see some Cedar Girls students using the service. Then along the PIE, Whitley Road, it's CJC students, followed by SJI and SCGS students.
SMU is next, using NUS's campus although this is no longer applicable since they are moving to their city campus this August! Pui! Jealous jealous!
Then, it's the famous Bukit Timah stretch, lined with schools which every parent would aspire to send their kids to. Hwa Chong Institution, Nanyang Girls', NJC, Raffles Primary, MGS. Whoa! All the ming xiao!
Then, turning into the Clementi stretch, where I am finally going to reach school, Ngee Ann Poly and SIM end the memorable route of schools 151 plys. I used to be so interested looking at all the schools when I first started at NUS, although I just slept the whole way through after a while!
So, you see! All the schools along the way! The SBS people must be thinking, how to have full aircon service?!! Sure will lugi one! Therefore, all the poor students, including me, have (had) to go through each school day by bearing the super packed buses + infrequent timetables + the sweltering heat... Sigh!
The Planning of Routes
I know of some bus stops where the buses that pass by all stop at the same interchange and worst still, ply along very similar routes.
For example, along Hougang Ave 3 at the bus stop I always wait to take 151, there are a total of 6 services.
And a breakdown of their alighting and boarding points. I have purposely grouped them together so you can see how dumb SBS/SMRT are.
151: From Hougang Central Interchange to Kent Ridge Terminal
51: From Hougang Central Interchange to Jurong East
25: From Ang Mo Kio Interchange to Bedok Interchange
87: From Sengkang Interchange to Bedok Interchange
854: From Yishun Interchange to Bedok Interchange
55: From Bishan Interchange to Siglap?
See? There are 3 services all going to Bedok Interchange and I tell you, I have taken both 25 and 854 to Bedok before and I can't tell the difference between their routes!
Yes, it is always good to be able to have the luxury to wait for more than 1 different service to the same destination, but 3??
That's a joke!
EzLink
It's been nearly two years since it has been implemented, and the system's "teething" problems are still unresolved. Kudos to the company for allowing us commuters to exit and tap our cards at the front door and introducing an auto-updating of bus stops.
There still exists just one teeny-weeny problem.. Overcharging of fares.
I thought the auto-updating system was meant to solve this problem? I still see letters written to the Forum Page, with readers complaining about the overcharging of fares due to "tweaks" in the system, and not forgetting, the not-so-friendly procedures involved in getting the few cents back.
Frankly, I can't be bothered and am too poor in mental calculations to make sure that I am deducted the correct amount each time I take the bus or MRT. God know how much I have been overcharged (undercharged) ever since...
There! I have finally aired my grievances about the transport system! Now before you brag about how Singapore has such a state-of-the-art transport system, and to be appreciatiive of what I have, consider this:
The Ezlink system was implemented in July 2002 if I am not wrong. Hong Kong already had their own "Octopus" card waaayy before us. The card could even be used to access the buses, trams, trains and ferries. The card could also be used for supermarket purchases. And only now, our Ezlink card can be used at McDonald's!
Our family was at Foochow in 2001 and the commuters at the city already enjoyed such "card travel", complete with "TV Mobile" with super good reception!
Which brings me to my last grievance...
TV Mobile
I really appreciate the effort because it really saves me from the boredom of long journeys to school. But why is the reception so bad??? I hate the screechy sounds and can't bear looking at distorted-looking faces on the screen.
And why is there this habit of recycling TV programmes? I know it, because I have watched the same Channel 8 show on three separate occasions. It is repeated because out of sheer coincidence, everytime I catch it, it is always the first episode!!
There you have it, I have finally aired my grievances!
I have read so many letters in the Straits Times' Forum page, requesting the same things. Why aren't there any replies from the relevant authorities? Or even any significant improvements made?
Yes, yes. Singapore's transport fares are among the lowest in the world. And I am not that well-travelled to compare our system with that of many countries, much less even show appreciation for it. Singapore ranks among the top in several areas: Our port, "Best Seaport in Asia", airport, winning the highest honour in the aviation industry for 4 years running, business competitiveness, globalisation, low corruption level etc etc. And the transport system? No, it's not that bad that it is of a Third-World level, but there is definitely much room for improvement.
I am more of a bus taker so most of the complaints are with the bus system. In fact, save for the occasional delays, I think the MRT system is doing a wonderful job! I have no complaints!
The Frequency of Buses
I am not expecting buses to arrive at intervals of one minute. But buses travel at ridicuously uneven intervals within the same peak (or off peak) period!
I once had a terribly bad experience waiting for Service 151 at the Kent Ridge Terminal after school. The time was around 7pm, peak period. I walked to the terminal and did not feel very good when I realised that there wasn't a single stationary 151 bus parked at the lots! Which means to say, I had to wait for at least one 151 to come back, drop off passengers, rest a while before that same bus would pick up passengers again. Fine. It was a Friday, I remembered very vividly. I have no school tomorrow, I can afford to wait.
10 minutes. 15 minutes, 20 minutes. The time flew by without a single 151 coming back. And I had to bear the annoying sight of seeing all the other bus services breezing by me, some of them in repetition!
After 25 minutes, an air conditioned 151 comes back. As expected, it parks itself in its lot. And I have to wait for it to cool down. It was another 10 minutes later before I boarded a non-aircon bus whose driver picked us poor souls up without "resting". Bless him!
The (in)frequency of buses really hits me hard. This explains why I am always late for school. Although I admit that I have a tendency to dilly dally as well. :p
The Physical Condition of Buses
I have had countless experiences with the poor physical condition of the buses. That was just one of the unhappy and annoying incidents I have had with this particular service in my 3 years at NUS. I haven't mentioned about the time the bus broke down on the day I was rushing to school for my last paper and a few of us NUS students were already planning to share a cab before another comes along and I reach school right on the dot. Or the time when smoke started to come out from somewhere on the bus and we all had to be evacuated.
SMRT buses are not spared as well. Why bother to have super duper long buses that are a pain on roads when you can't even maintain the basics? I took Service 853 when I was in AJC from 2000 to 2001 and I tell you, the non-airconditioned buses look like they are way past their scrape off date! Everytime I board the bus, I feel as if I am transported (pun intended) back to Malaysia. I worried whether I could make it back home in one piece. Aren't there supposed to be periodic inspections of the buses? Why do these buses pass the tests everytime? What is the criteria for assessing their condition?
Pass assessment = no need to buy new old = save costs?? Probably.
Sensed Bias Towards Concession-Holding Students
This is with respect to my taking 151 to NUS again, although I no longer need to do so. Anyway, what is the rationale for deciding if a bus should be made non-aircon, partial aircon or full aircon?
I just can't help but feel SBS has a bias towards us pathetic students. You see, 151 is partial aircon, and when they mean partial:
Definition from www.dictionary.com:
Of, relating to, being, or affecting only a part; not total; incomplete
they really, really mean it. Because out of their entire fleet of 151 buses, it seems that only 20% are aircon buses. Out of the at least 8 trips of 151 I make in a week (2 per day * 4 days of school), at least 6 would be on non-aircon buses. What the f***! And when this happens, it really makes my concession fare "bo hua"!
1 non aircon trip = $1.18
1 aircon trip = $1.43.
In one week,
6 trips of non aircon = $1.18 * 6 = $7.08
2 trips of aircon = $1.43 * 2 = $2.86
In one month,
total spent on transport = ($7.08 + $2.86) * 4 = $39.76 = a freaking $12.24 less than $52!!
Okay, this calculation is probably too exaggerated. I am not a hermit, I do go out on weekends. But couldn't SBS just increase the number of aircon 151 buses, especially during the semester?
I think there really this bias. Because the service plys along many schools. First, along MacPherson Road, I do see some Cedar Girls students using the service. Then along the PIE, Whitley Road, it's CJC students, followed by SJI and SCGS students.
SMU is next, using NUS's campus although this is no longer applicable since they are moving to their city campus this August! Pui! Jealous jealous!
Then, it's the famous Bukit Timah stretch, lined with schools which every parent would aspire to send their kids to. Hwa Chong Institution, Nanyang Girls', NJC, Raffles Primary, MGS. Whoa! All the ming xiao!
Then, turning into the Clementi stretch, where I am finally going to reach school, Ngee Ann Poly and SIM end the memorable route of schools 151 plys. I used to be so interested looking at all the schools when I first started at NUS, although I just slept the whole way through after a while!
So, you see! All the schools along the way! The SBS people must be thinking, how to have full aircon service?!! Sure will lugi one! Therefore, all the poor students, including me, have (had) to go through each school day by bearing the super packed buses + infrequent timetables + the sweltering heat... Sigh!
The Planning of Routes
I know of some bus stops where the buses that pass by all stop at the same interchange and worst still, ply along very similar routes.
For example, along Hougang Ave 3 at the bus stop I always wait to take 151, there are a total of 6 services.
And a breakdown of their alighting and boarding points. I have purposely grouped them together so you can see how dumb SBS/SMRT are.
151: From Hougang Central Interchange to Kent Ridge Terminal
51: From Hougang Central Interchange to Jurong East
25: From Ang Mo Kio Interchange to Bedok Interchange
87: From Sengkang Interchange to Bedok Interchange
854: From Yishun Interchange to Bedok Interchange
55: From Bishan Interchange to Siglap?
See? There are 3 services all going to Bedok Interchange and I tell you, I have taken both 25 and 854 to Bedok before and I can't tell the difference between their routes!
Yes, it is always good to be able to have the luxury to wait for more than 1 different service to the same destination, but 3??
That's a joke!
EzLink
It's been nearly two years since it has been implemented, and the system's "teething" problems are still unresolved. Kudos to the company for allowing us commuters to exit and tap our cards at the front door and introducing an auto-updating of bus stops.
There still exists just one teeny-weeny problem.. Overcharging of fares.
I thought the auto-updating system was meant to solve this problem? I still see letters written to the Forum Page, with readers complaining about the overcharging of fares due to "tweaks" in the system, and not forgetting, the not-so-friendly procedures involved in getting the few cents back.
Frankly, I can't be bothered and am too poor in mental calculations to make sure that I am deducted the correct amount each time I take the bus or MRT. God know how much I have been overcharged (undercharged) ever since...
There! I have finally aired my grievances about the transport system! Now before you brag about how Singapore has such a state-of-the-art transport system, and to be appreciatiive of what I have, consider this:
The Ezlink system was implemented in July 2002 if I am not wrong. Hong Kong already had their own "Octopus" card waaayy before us. The card could even be used to access the buses, trams, trains and ferries. The card could also be used for supermarket purchases. And only now, our Ezlink card can be used at McDonald's!
Our family was at Foochow in 2001 and the commuters at the city already enjoyed such "card travel", complete with "TV Mobile" with super good reception!
Which brings me to my last grievance...
TV Mobile
I really appreciate the effort because it really saves me from the boredom of long journeys to school. But why is the reception so bad??? I hate the screechy sounds and can't bear looking at distorted-looking faces on the screen.
And why is there this habit of recycling TV programmes? I know it, because I have watched the same Channel 8 show on three separate occasions. It is repeated because out of sheer coincidence, everytime I catch it, it is always the first episode!!
There you have it, I have finally aired my grievances!
Saturday, June 04, 2005
That.. was a surprise.
That piece of news crossed my mind again these past few days.
He's no longer attached. I think.
And I tell you, the level of surprise and shock is definitely no less than what I experienced when I heard that piece of news.
But I don't think I felt that upset or regretful than the first time. I seemed to have drifted further away from him since that piece of news. I didn't have the guts to face him, in case I gave myself away. And, I don't think it would be appropriate to get all chummy with him, especially since his "status" was now different.
And so, I went round first by immersing myself in agony and regret and confiding in my close friend about the news, before, at long last, (I think) I am finally over him, and can hopefully, get back to how we were in the past.
I know I haven't gotten over him. Because when the whole group of us meet up, I worry about feeling uncomfortable when he talks about his gf, or worse, even bring her along. In fact, I had even envisioned her sitting beside him, behaving all lovey dovey. I don't think I would have been able to take it if it really happened.
The first clues came from his MSN nicks. Initially, they were all about love, missing someone etc. I did not think much about it, because I know him to be a rather emotional person.
Then there came this nick about wanting to win someone back. I sort of guessed it.
Even before our latest KTV gathering, I was still worried about whether he would bring her along. Obviously, he did not.
Then came the all-important Friendster verification.
His status? Single.
It was here that I felt my suspicions were probably 80% confirmed. It was just like how his status was quickly changed to reflect his new "status" after that piece of news.
Then, W called to chat about 2 days after our results release. He talked about him.
I don't know why. W asked me how things were between him and his gf. How would I know?
I guess W had some inkling about the whole thing, especially in their typical guy-to-guy talk. Either that, or W heard it from the rumour mill.
It seems the gf left because she was having insecurities with him being so close with his female friends.
Truth or pure speculation? I'm not sure. But I know this isn't some kind of "golden opportunity" for me to take action (i.e. confess) because if I had the courage, things probably wouldn't have come to this state. So the most appropriate action now? Remain status quo.
He's no longer attached. I think.
And I tell you, the level of surprise and shock is definitely no less than what I experienced when I heard that piece of news.
But I don't think I felt that upset or regretful than the first time. I seemed to have drifted further away from him since that piece of news. I didn't have the guts to face him, in case I gave myself away. And, I don't think it would be appropriate to get all chummy with him, especially since his "status" was now different.
And so, I went round first by immersing myself in agony and regret and confiding in my close friend about the news, before, at long last, (I think) I am finally over him, and can hopefully, get back to how we were in the past.
I know I haven't gotten over him. Because when the whole group of us meet up, I worry about feeling uncomfortable when he talks about his gf, or worse, even bring her along. In fact, I had even envisioned her sitting beside him, behaving all lovey dovey. I don't think I would have been able to take it if it really happened.
The first clues came from his MSN nicks. Initially, they were all about love, missing someone etc. I did not think much about it, because I know him to be a rather emotional person.
Then there came this nick about wanting to win someone back. I sort of guessed it.
Even before our latest KTV gathering, I was still worried about whether he would bring her along. Obviously, he did not.
Then came the all-important Friendster verification.
His status? Single.
It was here that I felt my suspicions were probably 80% confirmed. It was just like how his status was quickly changed to reflect his new "status" after that piece of news.
Then, W called to chat about 2 days after our results release. He talked about him.
I don't know why. W asked me how things were between him and his gf. How would I know?
I guess W had some inkling about the whole thing, especially in their typical guy-to-guy talk. Either that, or W heard it from the rumour mill.
It seems the gf left because she was having insecurities with him being so close with his female friends.
Truth or pure speculation? I'm not sure. But I know this isn't some kind of "golden opportunity" for me to take action (i.e. confess) because if I had the courage, things probably wouldn't have come to this state. So the most appropriate action now? Remain status quo.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Results
It was doomsday at 1900 hrs yesterday, 31st May 2005. The release of my last results at NUS to put a temporary end to my academic pursuits.
Instead of using the phone to check my results, I used the Internet this time. I never really liked having to listen to the recorded female voice slowly pronouncing and articulating every single syllable.
At least I get to see all my results at one shot, irregardless of whether it was good or disastrous.
I always get mini panic attacks right before I am due to collect a test paper, exam script or results. I don't know if this happens to anyone. But my confidence that I might do well for a particular subject will take a drastic nosedive just before the results will be out. I would be thinking things like I didn't answer a question right or adequately enough or I should have participated more in class discussions blah blah blah...
Switched on my computer at 7.01pm.
Directed my browser to this page.
The page loads.
As I took a deep breath and braced myself to see a couple of Bs and hopefully no Cs, the browser brought me to this page:
[Home]
WTF! Yes, I know I am graduating and I am absolutely sure that my personal details are right. Even then, can't I check my results first???!!!
Panic.
Click "Proceed".
My overall CAP is a not-to-be-proud-of 3.42. Heck! At least I increased the figure.
A surprise and little disappointment. No 'A's but all 'B's. No 'C's! Investment Analysis B+!!!
Yes! I was not expecting to get an 'A' but I really really thought the subject would be at most a definite 'B-'!
B+?? I am eternally grateful!
And for the fun of listening to the female voice on the recording one last time, I called NUSPHONE.
This time all my panic was gone and in fact, I even called it a few more times after the first call! Hahaha!!!
Instead of using the phone to check my results, I used the Internet this time. I never really liked having to listen to the recorded female voice slowly pronouncing and articulating every single syllable.
At least I get to see all my results at one shot, irregardless of whether it was good or disastrous.
I always get mini panic attacks right before I am due to collect a test paper, exam script or results. I don't know if this happens to anyone. But my confidence that I might do well for a particular subject will take a drastic nosedive just before the results will be out. I would be thinking things like I didn't answer a question right or adequately enough or I should have participated more in class discussions blah blah blah...
Switched on my computer at 7.01pm.
Directed my browser to this page.
The page loads.
As I took a deep breath and braced myself to see a couple of Bs and hopefully no Cs, the browser brought me to this page:
[Home]
WTF! Yes, I know I am graduating and I am absolutely sure that my personal details are right. Even then, can't I check my results first???!!!
Panic.
Click "Proceed".
My overall CAP is a not-to-be-proud-of 3.42. Heck! At least I increased the figure.
A surprise and little disappointment. No 'A's but all 'B's. No 'C's! Investment Analysis B+!!!
Yes! I was not expecting to get an 'A' but I really really thought the subject would be at most a definite 'B-'!
B+?? I am eternally grateful!
And for the fun of listening to the female voice on the recording one last time, I called NUSPHONE.
This time all my panic was gone and in fact, I even called it a few more times after the first call! Hahaha!!!
About Me
- Name: raindrops
- Location: Singapore
True blue Gemini. Prone to bouts of split personality. Loves shopping, not rich enough to enjoy retail therapy yet. Bank balance is not dwindling at the moment but time has become such a precious commodity that I wish my bank balance could dwindle a wee bit more to satisfy my shopping indulgence! sigh~
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