A comment spotted on TOC:




LOL!

On Episode Five of JuicyNDelicious TV we spice things up a little with *drumroll* a Black Box Challenge! We've brought two of our chicest Tummyrubs, Ms Glitzy and Mr Jet Aw together to see who can make the best use of mystery items for the perfect Christmas table setting! To spice things up a lil', we'd love for you to vote for the winner of the Black Box Challenge. Which do you love?   - juicy

  

I posted this on my journal but some people think it best to publish this fuckery in a more public manner.

This is the reply email from EZ-Link dated 27 Nov. I sent them my rant feedback regarding the EZ-Link automatic top-up facility charge of $0.25 for each top-up on 6 October. LOL CUSTOMER SERVICE.


( tl;dr )

Yes, I always am agitated AND CAPITALISE WITH NO REGARDS FOR importance in my complaint letters.

Basically the point of my rant was:
- who is getting the $0.25 top-up fee?
- why go ahead with the mandatory switch when they seem so unprepared?
- why no response to letters in the press?
- what the $&#% have they been doing the past 9 months to be so unprepared for this switch?


Their reply:

Dear XXXX,

With regards to your query, with the urgency to roll out the EZ-Reload by Giro, manual forms were implemented. As EZ-Reload by GIRO is a new scheme, a new system has to be developed to support GIRO top-up transactions. As with any new system, time is required to develop, test and commission the new EZ-Reload by GIRO service prior to public launch.

The roll-out of the new top-up facility also took into consideration the implementation of reduced bus and train fares which was brought forward from October 2009 to 1 April 2009.

To accommodate system testing and fare verification so to ensure a smooth implementation of the reduced bus and train fares, the introduction of the top-up facility was thus rescheduled to 27 August 2009.

The nominal $0.25 fee covers the processing cost incurred in the provision of the EZ-Reload service. It is not imposed by the bank. It is to cover the entire end-to-end process of providing that service. This fee is incurred only when the automatic top-up facility is used. How often the card holder automatically tops-up his/her card depends on the extent of usage and how much customer tops-up his/her card each time.

Customers have the choice of the type of top-up they want for their card according to their lifestyle needs.

We would like to highlight that EZ-Reload is a premium service that is offered in addition to the numerous free top-up channels that are already available to commuters, such as General Ticketing Machines, Add-Value Machines, TransitLink Ticket Offices, Passenger Service Counters at MRT stations. In addition, top ups of ez-link cards at all DBS/POSB ATMs and AXS D-Pay stations are similarly.

Thank you.

Brgds,
POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE GUY AT EZ-LINK (name removed)

Customer Service Hotline: 6496 8300

Basically the gist of the reply:
- SHUT THE #$^^ UP YOU HAVE NO CHOICE
- reduced bus and train fares affect our systems because we suck at multi-tasking and/or our systems suck and can't handle both processes
- we use manual forms because we have committed to a date but it's not up yet due to above
- and then because we suck at implementing the new system at the new committed date, we are still stuck at manual forms
- $0.25 consists of printing that piece of paper so you can write on it and send it back to one of our poorly paid staff to key into system to send to the banks for approval
- we are now making even more money by discontinuing the previously free GIRO automatic top-up which one can apply for with immediate approval through one of those machines at MRT stations and without any fuss because the bank will just send a letter to your home in case of discrepancies.

Ergo, they lack preparedness. I don't even know who the #$^@ approved this mandatory switch when everything is so chaotic. Why can't the EZ-Link card readers read both the new and old cards?? The people who thought of this up through the chains of command are the least efficient bunch of people ever. BLOOD SUCKERS.

I pity the customer service guy all sorts of way because they must have serious backlog. My anger is directed at the company because they are just full of shit. ASDFGHJKL; I can't even calm myself down; the automatic GIRO top-up facility was the best thing ever because it was a necessity.



To be honest, despite my original email, still no idea who we can look for to have this weird/unethical practice by EZ-Link looked into.

Good evening to my fellow countrymen! (: &hearts

I came across this article which I found to be a really interesting read. Thought I might share it with you guys. Full credit goes to the writer off course. I have yet to formulate my own opinion on this article but still, I'll let you read and decide. Would love it if you guys could discuss about it. In a civil manner of course. (: Would love well thought out arguments from both sides of the coin. A-and I might add, the heated debates in the comments of both the Facebook and Wordpress link is an absolutely joy to read. :D And uh, you might like to join the debate yourself. LOL

Mods, please delete this if it's not allowed. But gah, I don't think I've broken rules. LOL :D

My vote counts: 10 reasons why I cannot vote for the PAP in the next election

That so many Singaporeans behave like sheep and recite the prescribed mantra all the time about our government (namely, that we owe it all to them) really only reveals the plight of our people. Not only are Singaporeans amongst the lowest earners in the developed world in monetary terms, they are also almost definitely the poorest in the faculty to think for themselves, as a result of the education system.

Now that I am of age to vote, I am unable to vote for the PAP in the coming election because there is such an urgent need to send across a strong signal through their very thick skulls that there is a problem in the way it’s running this country. I am not a member of the Opposition, and I do not want the Opposition to take over this country, but because there will always be too many sheep in Singapore anyway, we need every vote FOR the Opposition just to manage to produce a dent in the PAP’s smugly expected results. There will always be the apathetic, the boot-lickers, the cowardly, and the ignorant to ensure they win eventually anyway.

The difference we can make, however, is how much it wins by. Perhaps if it loses a GRC or two (and the GRC is a PAP invention), they will shake off their slumber and start ruling Singapore as a Republic, that is, for the public, for the People (rather than for personal interests).

Remember how LKY said he will send in the army if there ever is a “freak election” and the PAP is voted out of Parliament? In every other country, when the people vote out the ruling party, it is called a mandate. It is only in Singapore that such a vote is called a “freak election”. Also, whose Army is it anyway? Is it the Army of the people of Singapore – who have just voted out the PAP? Or is it the Army of the PAP?

I list here ten out of the many other reasons why I am unable to vote for the PAP:

(Read the author's 10 reasons here.)

have u ever wondered what ur favourite junk foods would taste like... together?



we test this very theory with two of our personal faves - tom yam pot noodles and peanut butter.



are you grossed out yet?



find out how it turns out and if anyone gets hurt, in this week's episode of juicyndelicious TV.

Here:

http://www.sealthedeal2009.org/index.php

The SIF Mobile Library Project in Hanoi is a partnership with the Hanoi Public Library. It will feature a ‘mobile library van’ that will travel to different villages in Hanoi province. The toys are for village children around Hanoi province, between the ages of 6 and 15 years.

Educational toys act as alternative learning tools for the children. The educational toys can help promote the intellectual and social development of children. The average village household that will be serviced by the SIF Mobile Library Project typically earns less than S$42 per month. Such educational toys are not commonly available to the village children.

The donation drive will run at the following times on Friday, 11 December – 10am to 8pm
and Saturday, 12 December – 10am to 5pm at the following libraries:

* Bishan Public Library
* Jurong Regional Library
* Tampines Regional Library
* Woodlands Regional Library

http://www.singaporekopitiam.sg/toydrive/faqs.php

You've got an event and you go "Oh, hey! Cosplayers would totally spice things up even though they've got completely nothing to do with what the event is about or is promoting!"

You get onto Google and search for forums where local cosplayers will congregate. You join for the sole purpose of recruiting cosplayers. You post stating your intent to hire cosplayers, the money involved and the time and place of the event.

And for some reason, you think of this only at the last minute, only a few days before the event will take place. You do not consider the time needed to prepare a costume, or even familiarise yourself with the forum before posting.

We are not tools for you. We are not professional mascots. Our costumes and our props often cost money which we must work and/or save for, and take hours of our time to make. Your proposed salary rarely covers even half the cost of a basic costume. Even the simplest of costumes can cost at least $150. Your events can get along without us. In fact, we usually look out of place there, and we have better things to do with our time than prance around to attract attention for your event.

Cosplayers have places they'd rather be. Like ACTUAL cosplay events. Your events have a distressing tendency to clash with those, and yet you insist on hiring cosplayers. At least google for a calendar of Singaporean cosplay events so you can be sure that you might be able to catch some cosplayer who wants easy cash.

If you want cosplayers at your event, hire professional models and costumes.

with thanks to Marcussy, ruru-x3, Rii-chan, SuikoBoy and other fellow cosplayers

EDIT 12/12/09: Also, learn some basic etiquette of the forums. Such as, for example, reposting someone else's photos, in order to legitimise your thread in a particular subforum, without permission. That's just plain rude.