The reverse culture shock has pretty much worn off. A far cry from the first morning home, where I woke up wondering if I was dreaming my life back here, or were my memories of the past year the dream. In the days that followed, it often felt like I was on the outside looking in through a window. At a life that was so very familiar, but somehow not quite “in-sync” with my reality. I would tell myself every now and then, “I am back home now” and occasionally followed it with a pinch just to make sure.

It does not take long for me to be swept right back into the beat that this city marches to. Life will, and must, go on. Come what may, I will always have the memories of my year in the mountains.

That was helpful (grammar aside). Same thing after multiple tries and using different browsers. 1610 obviously wasn’t a number I could use being outside of Singapore, so I went hunting for an alternative line and found it easy enough on the Singnet website (+65 6838 3899 is the Sales and General Enquiry number for Singnet for those in a similar predicament). Unfortunately it is only available from Mondays to Saturdays, 8am – 6pm and so I decided to get up earlier today so that I could call. I explained my situation to the gentleman that took my call and after verifying my particulars (name and IC number) and my choice of plan, he asked me to hold on. After a few minutes, the conversation went something like this (not verbatim obviously since I didn’t think there was a need to take notes for a simple thing like this).

Singnet: Thank you for holding, madam. Our department will notify you to confirm the re-contract.
Me: But I’m overseas. Can you call me on my overseas number?
Singnet: Can you hold on please? Let me check.
Me: Okay.
Singnet: Thank you for holding, madam. We are unable to call you internationally. We can only call you on a local line.
Me: But I’m an overseas, how can I give you a local line? Can you email me then?
Singnet: Yes we can, we will email you at your Singnet email.
Me: But I don’t use that account. (Wonders silently, why would anyone use that miserly 30mb account?)
Singnet: I’m sorry, madam, we can only email you on your Singnet email.
Me: But I have never used that account, and I don’t even know the password. (Starts getting really annoyed)

He asks me to hold again while he goes check again. We are stuck in this silly stalemate situation for a few more minutes. Then it struck me, why can’t I actually re-contract on the phone and be done with it.

Me: What is the problem actually? Why can’t I recontract now? (Exasperated)
Singnet: No Madam, you were eligible for recontract 3 months from the end of your contract, so you are eligible since April. Our department needs to contact you later to confirm the re-contract.
Me: Why can’t it be confirmed now?

I could not get an answer and we are getting absolutely nowhere. This was an international call and I had to leave for work. My frustration was now pretty obvious and to his credit, the Support Staff took down my non-Singnet email and mobile number, promising to try and get the relevant department to contact me. I didn’t think much of this and asked if it was better that I call back. He was obviously relieved, and said yes. I then asked how long it will take. “7 working days” was the answer, and at this point, I hang up so that I could get to work.

Throughout the entire conversation, the Support Staff was polite and I was not made to wait very long every time he asked that I hold the line while he goes “check”. But this was a situation where he clearly was not able or empowered to provide support to me as a customer.

Weigh these options:

1. Agree to notify me on my non-Singnet email account which contains both my first and last names in the email ID, and risk… Sorry, I can’t think of anything that would be a risk. No sensitive details would need to be in the email. I have already identified myself to the call centre staff with my full name and IC number. I would be willing to provide any other necessary details but none were requested.

   Email: $0. Satisfied Customer: Priceless.

2. Agree to call me on my overseas mobile number. Assuming that he/she says hi, chats about the weather and finally tells me, “Yes, madam, we have successfully processed your re-contract request. Thank you for subscribing to Singnet. Have a nice day.” it wouldn’t take more than 10 minutes.

   International Call: $20 (to be generous). Impressed Customer who swears eternal loyalty: Priceless.

3. Stonewall all my suggestions on how to contact me. Instead, expect customer to call back.

   Poor Customer Service: $0. Disgruntled Customer who blogs about her crappy experience: Priceless Worthless

Clearly, customer service is not just saying please, thank you, and good bye. It is about putting yourself in your customer’s shoes and anticipating what she/he really needs. Throughout the conversation, I was the one asking for and suggesting alternatives so that I can get what I need, with the least amount of hassle for everyone concerned. The easiest (and definitely cheapest) thing in this situation would be to just agree to send me an email for the confirmation, but apparently this was not possible.

I want to continue giving you my business Singnet, but you’re not making it easy. I don’t see how I can file and pay my taxes with ease despite not being in Singapore (kudos to IRAS), but I cannot do a simple thing like extend my broadband subscription without all the haggling on the phone.

We will see what happens when I call them again tomorrow.

I took the afternoon off from work today. In part because I have a birthday dinner to attend later in the evening, and largely because I wanted to go sit in a cafe, by myself, and just be “unoccupied” for a while. I had to get connected to the office network for a spot of work, but I managed to get it cleared up in an hour.

Now I’m just sitting here. Watching the crowds stroll by. Typing leisurely on the laptop.

I have nowhere to get to. No calls that I must return. Nothing I should have gotten done yesterday.

Just chillin’.

From the initial videos online, it looked like a night to remember.

A big thank you to everyone at TalkingCock.com and IndigNation 2006, for that swell of pride (pun not intended) that a month full of speeches, parades and fireworks couldn’t.

Happy National Day, Singapore.

Damn it, someone kick me. Hard.

Days like this make me proud to be a geek.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

- Dylan Thomas

[via BoingBoing]

While I understand where she is coming from, and her arguments are not without merit, I find it hard to agree with her.

My reasons are simple. There will not be an overnight reversal of long entrenched attitudes and prejudices just because there is now a campaign/media blitz about it. Especially in our little nation where public campaigns are a dime a dozen.

The vast majority of ex-convicts are still going to be rejected by employers, shunned by the public and even family, and held up as negative examples by mothers to their children. Life as a former convict will always be a struggle.

The best the campaign can hope to achieve is to chip a little window in the social prison what ex-convicts live, so that some hope can shine through for those who seek it.

There will always be rotten eggs, but if we can learn not to throw out the entire basket without taking a closer look, it would have been worth it.

Yellow Ribbon Project

1. Always consider the impact of your choice of mobile phone ringtones on your professional image. Imagine what people will think when your phone goes off and a bright “Cock-a-too-too!” or “Dian wey hiang liao!”* breaks the relative silence of a management meeting…
2. Put your PDA/laptop on mute in a meeting. This bloke sitting 2 seats away was fiddling with his XDA II and with the speakers ON. I could hear every tap on the XDA, including the fake shutter click when he decided to test the built-in camera.
3. There is no need to leave your mobile ring volume at max. If you can’t bear to put it on silent/vibrate mode, you can always turn the volume down. A meeting room isn’t a fish market. Really.

Not that it has ever happened at my work place. I’m just saying, ya know.

* Translated from dialect, “Your telephone is ringing!”

I believe the police had been call in before over this and every single time, a warning that is not heeded is given. Just because someone is old, does it make it right to give exemptions over and over?

Because in that case, every other convict will also have a sob story to tell and to that, they shall be pardon.

Bullshit!

There are probably more beggars than dustbins on the streets right now already.

It was a cynical response at best. At worst, a disappointing reflection on the state of society. Shame on us all.

The movie tracks the arduous journeys that Emperor penguins undertake; to mate, and to raise their young. It is a heartbreaking story at times, and ultimately a moving one. Who knew that penguins would be capable of such emotion and heroism? I give the movie 2 thumbs up. Will consider catching the version narrated by Morgan Freeman in the cinemas.

Catching the preview at the Birdpark gave me a chance to have a short stroll around the grounds. I managed to catch the feeding of the penguins and also walked through the owl gallery (can’t remember the exact name of that exhibit). Very delightful, even if walking pass the squawking parrots meant suffering an aural assault.