Mon 09/10/2006 18:15 simple things
Somewhere last week, while i was shuttling around the region, the bus fare increased at an estimated 2.5%. This is to counter the petroleum increment of 5% over the last quarter.
What does this means to the average housewife and salary taker?
5 to 7 cents tops, per bus ride, individually.
10 to 14 cents tops, per day, individually.
30 to 42 cents tops, per family of 3.
9 to 12.60 dollar per month.
The problem is, this is all that the policy makers sees. Individually. Per household, the people can afford it.
So there shouldn't be a problem.
Or is there?
Well, taking into consideration that the average person probably does not know how they can voice out against the fare hike.
Given that the average person would not dare to voice out their concerns to the authority.
Given that the authority, one that is supposed to understand the heartlanders the most.
Would you say that it is okay?
"okay", that's the simple word, one that an average person would understand.
The fare hike? Well, the average person might not even have a chance to voice out even if they understood.
Showing posts with label complaint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label complaint. Show all posts
Friday, October 13, 2006
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Old style of Life
Years ago, when i was still in primary school, a hair cut costed S$4. (roughly 2 euros)
The barber is usually an Indian man with silver hair and a pair glasses for see me better with.
The seats in the barber shop had those vintage looking state of the art barber chair with flexible height adjustment and inclination adjustment. (always wanted to buy one, refurish it and place it right in the middle of an empty room - which, i do not have anyway)
He would use his scissors for snipping off my fringe and top, then proceed to use the electric razor to shave off my back and sides, ending with the usual question, "side burn, want?"
Come 1990s, a new trend of barbers came onto the scene in Singapore. They were not longer called barbers, they were hair dressers, in a hair dressing boutique.
Those used to be places where my mum would go, but not my dad. Man would go to barber shops with the friendly Indian man that speaks in 3 words sentences.
Then we move on to late 1990s, express hair cutting booth becomes popularized. All it cost is S$10 (around 5 euros), and you would have a hair cut done in 10 mins.
Typically, you would walk into the booth, whip out a ten dollar note, slot it into a queue dispensing machine and, wait for your turn.
There would be an indicator light that looks like a traffic light with Red, Yellow and Green.
Red means that you'll be served in 20mins or more.
Yellow means that you'll be served in 10mins or more.
Green means that you'll be served within 5mins.
This is a high tech self programming hair cutting system, wala, welcome to the new world of automation.
Automation in Hair Cutting industry, people would have laughed at the idea back in the old days.
Imagine the weird sense of deja vu when i come across this barber shop. (in picture)
the photo of the JBK barber shop sits on Dunlop St, Singapore
The barber is usually an Indian man with silver hair and a pair glasses for see me better with.
The seats in the barber shop had those vintage looking state of the art barber chair with flexible height adjustment and inclination adjustment. (always wanted to buy one, refurish it and place it right in the middle of an empty room - which, i do not have anyway)
He would use his scissors for snipping off my fringe and top, then proceed to use the electric razor to shave off my back and sides, ending with the usual question, "side burn, want?"
Come 1990s, a new trend of barbers came onto the scene in Singapore. They were not longer called barbers, they were hair dressers, in a hair dressing boutique.
Those used to be places where my mum would go, but not my dad. Man would go to barber shops with the friendly Indian man that speaks in 3 words sentences.
Then we move on to late 1990s, express hair cutting booth becomes popularized. All it cost is S$10 (around 5 euros), and you would have a hair cut done in 10 mins.
Typically, you would walk into the booth, whip out a ten dollar note, slot it into a queue dispensing machine and, wait for your turn.
There would be an indicator light that looks like a traffic light with Red, Yellow and Green.
Red means that you'll be served in 20mins or more.
Yellow means that you'll be served in 10mins or more.
Green means that you'll be served within 5mins.
This is a high tech self programming hair cutting system, wala, welcome to the new world of automation.
Automation in Hair Cutting industry, people would have laughed at the idea back in the old days.
Imagine the weird sense of deja vu when i come across this barber shop. (in picture)
the photo of the JBK barber shop sits on Dunlop St, Singapore
Friday, August 18, 2006
Waiting for the little green man
Waiting for the little green man
"that's a really thought provoking movie..."
# reaches a pedestrian crossing.
"ya, can you imagine that it is real and people can really control their lives like this."
# still waiting behind the crowd at the pedestrian crossing, waiting for the little green man.
"the DVD would be worth buying. Hrmm...i haven't manage to find Mr Rain Man...think i should go to froogle and put that in my wish list, you'll know what to do eh? Ha"
# little red man is still standing there with his hands by his sides.
The impatience sets in and pushed me looking for an explanation.
The pedestrian crossing i was at would usually take less than 30 seconds to change from red to green.
Well, guess what?
Nobody activated the traffic light button.
We are talking about having more than 10 people, waiting, on each side of the road, and nobody bothered to take a quick check on whether the traffic light button had been activated.
So a thought flashed past my mind;
"Is this the reason why there are no innovators in Singapore?"
People are always waiting for someone else to do something about their environment.
People are waiting for someone else to do something first.
If nothing is happening, people simply Wait.
This is the reason why the leaders in Singapore are worried.
We are all programmed to be followers.
Robots that are satisfied doing the correct job, the correct thing, bring home the correct pay, watching the correct show, drinking the correct drink, talking the correct language, typing the well~ correct blog...etc
Nobody wants to stand out, nobody wants to take a lead.
If you write a thesis, you need to take reference from a published article, even if the idea you have to totally new in the market, you need that reference.
If you are applying for a job, you need to have prior experience, being confident on being able to learn on the job is not an acceptable and correct trait to have.
If you are applying for a credit card, you need to show your past year earnings, your current salary simply isn't enough to assure the credit card company that you would be able to pay on time.
Follow a fixed set of rules and you would have a comfortable life.
Be a doctor, a lawyer, a civil servant, a banker, a financial controller, because those jobs worked.
Do not be a singer, a writer, a photographer, a hair-stylist, an artist, because those jobs are only for dreamers, and dreamers are loser, "What are the chances that you would be successful?"
Then the ultimate comes, mass media manipulation, and lack of a thinking brain.
Treat your child with love and tender, becomes, treat your child with 100% love and tender at the expense of basic respect and discipline.
This resulted in a new generation of children that grew up watching some idol programs and yearned to become the next star, because they are being told to do so.
They are all aspire-ers, in another words, wanna-bes.
No problem with that, someone who wouldn't even know better to check on the traffic light button and prefer to wait.
Are you the person to check on the traffic light button, or the person standing there waiting for someone to make something happen?
"that's a really thought provoking movie..."
# reaches a pedestrian crossing.
"ya, can you imagine that it is real and people can really control their lives like this."
# still waiting behind the crowd at the pedestrian crossing, waiting for the little green man.
"the DVD would be worth buying. Hrmm...i haven't manage to find Mr Rain Man...think i should go to froogle and put that in my wish list, you'll know what to do eh? Ha"
# little red man is still standing there with his hands by his sides.
The impatience sets in and pushed me looking for an explanation.
The pedestrian crossing i was at would usually take less than 30 seconds to change from red to green.
Well, guess what?
Nobody activated the traffic light button.
We are talking about having more than 10 people, waiting, on each side of the road, and nobody bothered to take a quick check on whether the traffic light button had been activated.
So a thought flashed past my mind;
"Is this the reason why there are no innovators in Singapore?"
People are always waiting for someone else to do something about their environment.
People are waiting for someone else to do something first.
If nothing is happening, people simply Wait.
This is the reason why the leaders in Singapore are worried.
We are all programmed to be followers.
Robots that are satisfied doing the correct job, the correct thing, bring home the correct pay, watching the correct show, drinking the correct drink, talking the correct language, typing the well~ correct blog...etc
Nobody wants to stand out, nobody wants to take a lead.
If you write a thesis, you need to take reference from a published article, even if the idea you have to totally new in the market, you need that reference.
If you are applying for a job, you need to have prior experience, being confident on being able to learn on the job is not an acceptable and correct trait to have.
If you are applying for a credit card, you need to show your past year earnings, your current salary simply isn't enough to assure the credit card company that you would be able to pay on time.
Follow a fixed set of rules and you would have a comfortable life.
Be a doctor, a lawyer, a civil servant, a banker, a financial controller, because those jobs worked.
Do not be a singer, a writer, a photographer, a hair-stylist, an artist, because those jobs are only for dreamers, and dreamers are loser, "What are the chances that you would be successful?"
Then the ultimate comes, mass media manipulation, and lack of a thinking brain.
Treat your child with love and tender, becomes, treat your child with 100% love and tender at the expense of basic respect and discipline.
This resulted in a new generation of children that grew up watching some idol programs and yearned to become the next star, because they are being told to do so.
They are all aspire-ers, in another words, wanna-bes.
No problem with that, someone who wouldn't even know better to check on the traffic light button and prefer to wait.
Are you the person to check on the traffic light button, or the person standing there waiting for someone to make something happen?
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