cover this shit
martedì, giugno 20, 2006
its been awhile
Since i last checked in... yup, been consumed by work. not in the sense that it has been frightfully busy such that I've had no time to breathe, but busy enough, in the happy buzzing bee kind of way. Well, they alloted my very first official day at work at the Sky Tower, which has the highest amount of human traffic within the attraction zone. I was quite literally thrown into the deep end, but with a very capable colleague showing me the ropes. and the crowd came in. i guess what we're doing aint that difficult although stressful enough, and since you're handling money you have to be constantly cautious to make sure everything tallies.
Going to work everyday is an experience, and I do love the feeling of watching the morning sky against the dark sparkle of the sea onboard the sentosa bus as it makes its journey across to the island. its the, "hey, it's a brand new day," kind of feeling.
i guess one of my favourite parts of the job is the people we get to meet. You really see all sorts of people. I might be doing a little stereotyping here so no offense, but its truly based on my observations and interactions with them. ** Bitchy post ahead **
the Jap tourists are reallyy kawaii. =) heh. the adults as well as the sailor-moon schoolgirl types. They really are polite, and sweet. Like, when they're buying tickets @ the counter they'll give a really earnest expression and say , " ticke-tto, tu !" making the peace sign with their fingers. Super duper cute.
the Korean tourists are less friendly, perhaps due to the language barrier. they just seem louder, ruder and more dao then the japs and seldom say their thank you-s at all. But I've met a few nice ones too. I do have this one memorable encounter where this middle-aged korean farmer ( He really looked like one with that rugged tan and the hat on his head, i swear! ) approached me at the info counter, and started speaking to me in korean and showing me this letter in his hand which was, totally typed in korean too! you could practically see the question marks popping out above my head. eeps. heh, but my shift i/c managed to figure out that he wanted to make a phone call, which we did, lending him our phone.
the Indian tourists come in SWARMS. Seldom lone rangers, they're usually with tour groups. (Lotsa these groups lately, signifying their growing affluence and spending power.) Its not uncommon to see 3 generations of them on holiday, the mum, the dad, the grand-dad, grandma and the lil ones all tagging along. And it can get quite chaotic when they come, cos they crowd around the ticketing office, waving their cash-wielding hands into the gap at you. whoa. NOT GOOD AT ALL, they just don't have the habit of queueing! madness, perhaps that was a 1-off incident, cos after that we were pretty strict and insisted that they queue. I suppose they're the only ones who may beat singaporeans at being kiasu. seriously, its not as though the ride will break down any momment, so why the rush and pushing ahead just to purchase the tickets?!
They also tend to ask ALOT of questions and are very cost conscious, I had to breakdown the prices for each individual attraction for them for our packages cos they didn't believe it was already discounted. I mean, that's fine when we don't have so many guests around, but sometimes they end up hogging the staff's attention a tad too long and the queue behind starts lengthening, the other guests get impatient. A typical exchange with them would go like this: B asks a question, I answer, before I can finish explaining, he cuts in and asks another question, or maybe make a statement.. and you realize he didnt really get it, and proceed to repeat yourself, before being cut off again perhaps by him, or B's wife, or mum..and so on -->x n times. Then the entourage shifts aside, and a family conference proceeds, usually pretty close to the counter. Finally, they come to a decision and get back to you, slightly chargrined when they realize that you've decided to serve the guest behind them.
Singaporeans the notoriously stingy, whiny types. They've always lots to comment and complain about. Favourite question of theirs? " Singaporeans got discount or not?" Then they give you the bleah face when the answer is a negative. They're also very in tune with credit card promotions, definitely another faq from them. And when they realize all's naught, they reluctantly purchase the tickets and complain, " So expensive you know.." My darling fellow singaporeans, let's get this straight once and for all: SENTOSA IS EXPENSIVE. seriously, i do feel the pain on your purse-strings, but since you've decided to visit, make what's best of it and just be prepared to spend. Otherwise, just do the freebie activities, they're just as fun and fulfilling. Refer to bottom of post for my recommended free low budget sentosa tour.
the Caucasions angmohs are usually in a chirpy and cheery mood, very good-natured but can be a little patronizing at times. Its a pleasure serving them really, because they do respond to you. Like if you greet them a good morning, they'll greet you warmly back. I guess its all in the culture, we Asians just don't do the friendly bit natuarally. And you wonder why salesgirls discriminate against locals but suck-up to the caucasions. It ain't intentional really, but let me choose between serving a warm, friendly guest versus a picky, stand-offish one, you know the outcome. I do believe customer service is reciprocal, basically, treat others how you'd like to be treated.
BUT BUT BUT, I'd like to stress that there are black sheep amongst them. Like this annoying pompous know-it-all male angmoh i met today. BAH. bloody annoying. He asked me how to get to the beach, so i kindly explained to him, even using my pen to indicate on his map our current location, the bus-stop he should go to, which stop to alight and so on. I gave him the directions from the merlion, which was where i was working today.
shao says:
so i gave him the directions to the merlion bus stop
shao says:
slightly complicated.
shao says:
but the gist of it was... walk straight and turn right at the white boarding
shao says:
Before I could finish he cut in and said. "Yes i know what you're saying but that's the ferry terminal up ahead, which is at the other end of the island !!!!!! the beach is the opposite side.." *points to map*
shao says:
He obviously misunderstood my directions. So i repeated myself.
shao says:
thn he impatiently cut in AGAIN " yes yes i UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, but there's no way through there !!?" *frustrated tone*
M@N 珊 : dracula says:
uh huh
shao says:
" The beaches are closed aren't they ? There's like these construction works going on everywhere. "
shao says:
and i was like "No sir, they aren't. The construction works are for the sentosa express, due to open end of this year.
shao says:
and HE FREAKING DINT BELIEVE ME LA.
shao says:
and he was like insisting, " NOOO, you MUST be MIS-informed, they ARE closed, I saw them all boarded up. "
M@N 珊 : dracula says:
haha n then?
shao says:
oh so to appease him and also to prove my point, I said i'd check, so I CALLED my supervisor to ask, " the beaches aren't closed right?" when I already bloody knew they weren't. My colleague answered and was like "huh, I just like went to the beach yesterday!"
shao says:
Even after that he wasnt happy
shao says:
still insisted he was right.
M@N 珊 : dracula says:
hahaha
M@N 珊 : dracula says:
wth
shao says:
then he gave tht exasperated expression, rolled his eyes... and muttered sarcastically.. "this IS singaPore man."
shao says:
and went " never mind we'll find our way on our own"
shao says:
then the entire family freaking turned LEFT UP THE ESCALATORS INSTEAD OF RIGHT.
M@N 珊 : dracula says:
my gosh
M@N 珊 : dracula says:
wat an ass la
M@N 珊 : dracula says:
hahah
M@N 珊 : dracula says:
hope he lost his way at some jungle man
shao says:
yeah man. Thing is, he has no right to be frustrated. I was trying to explain to him
shao says:
but he keeps cutting in, thinking he knows everything even before I can clarify myself, then he has the cheek to raise his voice at me.
Bah. and there was it. Disgusted really, these are usually the people who complain about you to the management when they themselves were so unwilling to LISTEN in the the first place. Looking back it was just a horrible miscommunication. Though the Singapore comment really got me bristled, if he's so unhappy being here scoot back to where-ever you came from! super duper annoying. grr.
Kla, other than that, work's mundance, involves qte alot of stoning when i work @ Fort Siloso, Images of Singapore or the Merlion. It's definitely the busiest at the Sky Tower. Perhaps its the rebellious wandering restless streak within me, but i never feel like i can stay anywhere for long. I feel like I've learnt all I can from this job- PR, guest service, promoting/explaining about packages,opening and closing of the ticketing offices...So i guess its time to move on!
Job hopping come july, temping @ a brand consultant firm, keeping my fingers crossed that the stuff i'll be doing is interesting, at least its more relevant to my business course, get a taste of what corporate communications + marketing would be like.
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Morning-Afternoon
Hit the BeacHes !! (Free! )
Lunch @ Koufu, the new food court at Palawan Beach
Animal Showtimes @ Palawan Amphitheatre (Free!)
1230pm, 1530pm, 1700pm
Visit 1 attraction --> make this the highlight, since you'll be paying admission for it. Prices range from $5-$12.50 for kids, $8-$19.50(underwaterworld's gasp!)for adults. **Underwater World's ticket is a 2-in-1 pass to both Dolphin Lagoon and Underwater World. Dolphin shows @ 1330pm, 1530pm, 1730pm daily
Evening
Musical Fountain (Free!)
@ 7.40pm, 8.40pm be seated early to avoid disappointment.
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Gemstar blogged on 6/20/2006 06:56:00 PM
mercoledì, giugno 14, 2006
tomorrow's my first official day of work @ sentosa!
go me! the past 2 days have been fun, going through their orientation cum training.
You can't help but feel at ease with the warm hospitality of the people there. =)my peers are nice too, and it was pretty easy for us to click since we're all about the same age. the coolest thing was, we got to visit a few of their attractions on day 2, so we could experience them for ourselves. grin. so my kind of job.
my personal favourite was Images of Singapore, which was surprising cos i had initially pictured as a museum i.e booooooringg. It was anything but that, colourful, vibrant and vivid, it was an interactive display of shows, exhibits depicting our cultural heritage and Singapore's life in its early days till present. Really fun to explore... and a tad scary too, so many lil dark alleyways and winding jungly bits. they have quite a few surprises hidden in there too and i must say it was thoroughly enjoyable fo me, pity we werent given enough time to plough through everything in our own sweet time.
Another place that captivated me was Sentosa Cove. Conceptualized similarly to Australia's Sanctuary Cove (visited the place when i was a lil girl), its Singapore's very first waterfront residential area. Like, where-else can you boast having the South China Sea as your backyard? I could almost picture each family having a yacht moored behind their houses in their personal wharf. BUT then again, they're conveniently located right next to where Singapore's first world-class, purpose-built mega-yacht facility is being built, so no worries about "parking" problems. =p cool stuff. The place pretty much reminded me of the OC. Welcome to the lifestyles of the rich and famous, my dears, your very own plot of land by the sea, IF you have a spare change of 3 million bucks, that is. woohoo.
me char and nic in the Carlsberg Sky Tower
cant help but feel a tad apprehensive about tmr though.hoping i can sustain my energy level throughout. esp since i'm so NOT a morning person. my colleague just told me that i'd be stationed at the sky tower, which is one of the busiest areas. whee. i shall have fun and enjoy myself! 
Gemstar blogged on 6/14/2006 11:54:00 PM
martedì, giugno 13, 2006
Scratching the Shopping Itch
My tastes in clothes have become rather eclectic of late. It has always been actually, considering all the hand-me-downs from the aunts and cousins. But I really do love experimenting with various styles and looks, mixing and matching till I come up with a get up that I’ve never tried before. I sure get a kick out of such frivolous stuff. =p
Introducing you to an absolutely INDULGENT and TIME-WASTING activity of mine: online window shopping. Reasons being 1) I don't have the actual moolah to spend, (I AM pretty stingy when it comes to shopping in sg) 2) www.asos.com doesn't ship to Singapore. So I am only allowed to drool at their stuff. 3) I always like looking at pretty things! 4) ITS FREE.
Alright, bimbo entry ahead. Please stop reading here if you aren't used to this side of me. You Have Been Warned.
Dresses and Tops
i've developed a recent fetish for crochet knit tops and dresses lately. Love its mix of innocent sexy girlish-ness and vintage appeal..
couldn't really find a favourite one online, but this one comes close. LOL hands up if anyone thinks this looks like a collection of doilies knitted together.
the backview.. combination of the dress w tights. (simple black tights which i've been searching high and low in singapore for, but YET to find any.)
Button grey dress with huge sash at the waist. The colour’s dull, yet this piece just screamed out to me. Love the folded flare of the skirt, huge bowtie sash and black buttons on the shoulder. =) my pick!
Sweet pink chiffon slip dress
Off shoulder polka dot top. All the better to show your shoulders off my dearr.
Accessories
Pretty Charm Necklace My pick! . This one costs a whopping 110pounds, cos its made of sterling silver. If I could I’d hand-make something similar myself, cept you can't really find such lovely charms in sg. Or maybe I'm looking in all the wrong places. Care to enlighten me anyone?
Mixed Hearts Necklace – heh I would name it, sending hearts aflutter again, definitely make-able.
Heart Charm Hoops – cute, I could do this. Question is, where to find the charms?????
Tights and Stockings
Rainie Yang Cheng Ling. Chanced upon this pict somewhere, and after seeing her Le Tea commercial. I must say I've fallen for her cutesy demeanor and babyface looks. Especially loved the pale green vintage heels and lacy socks, as well as as the whole layered dress she wore in the ad. The look here is kinda mismatched (sporty? funky? Sexy?) , but in a quirky way! I like the fishnet stockings+heels look.
fishnet stockings... Fishnet stockings. Fell in love with matching stockings w skirts whilst in shanghai. This pair has a finer texture as compared the previous pict, i.e less garish looking. Pair them with a pair of sexy heels and voila, hotttt ! Takes a great deal of courage to wear in sg, we've seen the occasional jap wannabes wearing them in malls, and boyy do they draw your attention.( I don't mean that in a flattering way.) Besides, the weather's highly unsuitable for these. So I choose to drool over them in pictures. And hope for the day where I get to visit temperate countries to wear them!
Dresses and tops from:
www.asos.com
www.tings-creations.blogspot.com
Acessories, Tights from:
www.asos.com
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Post-note: Am actually strangely satisfied after this post, even though i've got training at sentosa tomorrow and its a friggin' 2am. Looking at things you like but refuse to/can't buy have the effect of training up one's ability to resist temptations
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Gemstar blogged on 6/13/2006 01:09:00 AM
martedì, giugno 06, 2006
simple kind of lovely
This comes a lil belated. Happy 1 mth and n days dear!!
we were such adorablee lil kids~ grin.
Gemstar blogged on 6/06/2006 01:22:00 AM
me char and nic in the Carlsberg Sky Tower
