Monday, January 19, 2004


Service with a Smile

Service is very important. It really makes you decide whether to do your business with them or not. Seriously speaking, I've come across some sales people who really give really good and wonderful services and who are always smiling, which makes you want to spend more money on their products. On the other hand, there are those sales people who really turn you off.

Last week, my hubby and I decided to get a car. We went to quite a lot of car showrooms. It was really interesting, seeing all those brand new cars waiting for us to buy! :P But gee ... the sales people at Toyota and Honda really made me feel like screaming. They were oh so dao. Treat us both like glass and were practically looking down their noses at us. Oh so high and mighty salesman ... especially the one at Toyota ... wah, the more I think of it, the more I wish they will plaster their faces in the toilet bowl so that the rest of humanity can have a better day. I mean, you don't show potential customers your black face or treat them like they're invisible or like they are only wasting your time or what right? Really vomit blood. Ha ... so we brought our money to some other company, and I must really commend the sales person at the Renault showroom. Gosh, he was so patient, and witty, and friendly and so eager to help us. Showed us around, catered to every whims and wishes of my hubby and had a rather impressive knowledge of the vehicle we were looking at. The car was rather expensive compared to the Japanese version of the same cc, but we were totally sold by the idea by the sales person. He was really good! Not only in selling his product but was one of the nicest sales person I've come across. Toyota and Honda are no big deal. So what if everyone buys your car? You just lost a potential customer! So Renault, here we come!

That's the problem with the sales in Singapore. Most of the time nowadays the sales people are rather friendly and they really made you feel good and want to buy things from them. Then again, there're always a small minority who are totally inflexible and unfriendly. If everyone in this country would boycott such sales people, I wonder what will happen to them? haha :P Okie, I know sometimes the customers can be very unreasonable. I've seen some very unreasonable customers demanding this and that, yet the very patient sales person still serve with a smile. I think those sales people are really impressive! At the end of the day, even the unreasonable customers became quite reasonable. We're not talking about those hard-core loud mouthed unreasonable customers. Those kind really no hope lah! :P

Tuesday, January 13, 2004


Untitled (for now)

The earliest memory I had was of this room. It was dark and gloomy with little light coming through the small window. The window was shut and the air was full of burning incense. The smell was smothering, and in the haze I could see a shaft of light passing through the dirty glass and lighting up a corner of the room – very dimly. In my memory, the walls of the room looked rather washed out. Were they painted red or was it just the gloom which caused it to look dark? There was a sound of someone sobbing which was being muffled by the continuous chanting of the priests in the background.

I could always see this picture very well in my mind’s eye. I remembered feeling annoyed that my dolls were taken away from me. Auntie whispered, “hush, no more playing” and quickly took my dolls away, dressed me up and shunted me into the gloomy room. I didn’t want to be there. The smoke hurt my eyes and there were many shadows in the room. There was a strong feeling of fear and anger surrounding me and everything in the room. Shadows shuffled in and out all the time. The sound of chanting left a buzzing sound in my ears and gave me a headache. I was very tired and there was no one to talk to. Was that my brother crying?

Whispers, whispers …. “poor child” ….. “does she know …. dying …. long and painful journey”. Footsteps on the wooden floor, long robes swishing around the door corner, and the monotonous chanting which went on and on and on …. I went to the dimly lighted corner and hid there. The dim light fell on my hands and I played with making shadows with my fingers. No one could see me. No one wanted to see me.

***

I haven't been thinking much lately, nowadays I'm just living in the present. Rushing from one place to another, at work when there's free time, I'll be preparing more work, and then doing another thing, followed by another or simply reading. Even doing yoga - especially the mediation part - one simply stops thinking and just be ... but mediation is good, it stills one and gives one a sense of peace and thoughts lay quiet.

Honestly speaking, there isn't much to think about nowadays! Am being very complacent and contented. Perhaps people who keeps thinking are still looking for something? I have found my peace and I don't seem to think so much about life.

But even if I do start thinking, what do I think about?

Monday, January 12, 2004

Bad blog ... last week I updated my blog with the things I always wanted to do, and guess what ... the bloody buggy bad blog bloody bleh on me. And I didn't save my work. Why should one save one's work when the whole idea is to simply type and post? Just like what a diary should be. Sigh ... guess I still have to save my work somewhere. troublesome. *bleah* Lazy moi. :P

Okie, let me see if I still remember what were the things I had wanted to do. I'll be 28 this year and there're so many things I really want to do before I get old. 28 is old. If one doesn't give oneself time to do the things one wants, then what would be the meaning of life?

1. I want to learn the violin.
2. I want to improve my piano.
3. I want to learn water colour painting.
4. I want to finish my knitting of the not-so-nice colour sweater which is actually for myself. Although everyone tells me the colour is nice, somehow I don't really like it very much. Do I change or simply stick with it till the end? ... I guess I'll just stick with it. Perhaps that's why I'm not too motivated to do it fast!
5. I want to learn Japanese.
6. I want to do more yoga. Basically I want to be able to do handstands properly by end of this year! :) I can do headstands now, but my arms and shoulders still lack the strength to do handstands on my own.
7. I want to go on a yoga retreat. *dream* :)
8. I want to improve my chess skills.

I'll add on to the list when I remember what else I want to do :)

Thursday, January 01, 2004

Happy New Year!
It's a beautiful morning today. The sky is so blue, the trees look greener, the air smells fresher since there are few cars on the road today. What a great way to start a new year! Although I don't feel any different, nor any wiser, nor older ... :P But it's a good morning to carve my New Year resolutions in stone ... I mean, on virtual paper. :)

1. I will wake up early in the morning and do my yoga.
Hmmm. same as what I resolved to do last year but didn't manage to do so.

2. I will work harder and spend less money.

Okie, that's more than enough. :P And so much for waking up early to do yoga ... I feel like going back to sleep now .... *yawn* :P