WTF. Nowadays, many students like to spend a lot of time "Yam Cha". They dont do it at the coffeeshops like the old folks do but at 'branded joints' where a cup of coffee is several times higher than what you pay at the coffeeshops. My Kit has many "Yam Cha" friends but one of them stand out among the rest. Mind you, most of these guys and gals are still dependent on their parents for pocket monies. No wonder, we see so many of these joints springing up - the high end ones include Starbucks, Black Canyon, Deli France etc. whereas the midrange ones will include the now famous Kopitiam chain which you can find located in most busy office areas.
Parents are complaining about the rising cost of living and the lack of purchasing power and yet they are pampering the children by giving them allowances to patronise these joints. Are parents to be blamed? To a certain extent, yes. Most parents want and try to provide the best for their children and if within their range they will give even if it means making some sacrifice.
I have no complaints over such indulgence but I think these people understand what their immediate priorities are. They have to understand that when they play hard, they have to study equally hard.
Or else you would 'Yam" and let people "Cha" (squeeze)!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
The Fat Arse........
There is this fat arse who is considered to be one of my most hated aliens in this wide world. He has made life difficult for quite a number of people and I have to admit that quite a number of persons has also benefitted from him whether directly or indirectly.
That is why, every arsehole has got an equal number of friends as well as an equivalent number or more of enemies.
The last I heard of this idiot is that he is now nesting with a young bird somewhere in a resort in Ipoh.
That is why, every arsehole has got an equal number of friends as well as an equivalent number or more of enemies.
The last I heard of this idiot is that he is now nesting with a young bird somewhere in a resort in Ipoh.
Monday, December 15, 2008
The Guangzhou Revisit
On November 13, 2008, I went on my second trip to Guangzhou. I was picked by the driver at about 5.30 a.m. in the morning. Ron was in the Toyota Innova. We then proceed to pick up Khoo and then Jack. We reached KLIA at about 8.00 a.m. and the flight was scheduled at 11.00 a.m. and subsequently retimed at 11.30 a.m. We checked in our lugguage, got our boarding pass and then went for our breakfast with Khoo. About an hour before departure, we were allowed into the departure hall to wait for our MAS flight to Macau.
The flight to Macau took about 3 hours and 45 minutes. After disembarking from the airline and going through the long immigration check out, we were greeted by Chew who brought along two motor vehicles to take us to the ferry terminal to cross over to Zhuhai. It was another round of Immigration check-out and in again as Zhuhai is part of China.
After crossing to Zhuhai, two motor vehicles from the factory took us to the hotel. A normal 31/2 hours journey turned out to be a long long journey as the road leading to the Pearl River bridge was jammed with motor vehicles. We finally reached the hotel after travelling for over 6 hours. It was about 9.30 p.m. when we reached the hotel. As we have not taken our dinner yet, we asked the management to extend the closing time by half an hour so that we can scrape whatever crumbs still available on the plates and containers.
As it was a tiring journey, we adjourned to our hotel rooms soon after for a warm shower and rest for the night.
The morning after, after a good breakfast, we went to the factory to have our meetings. Before the commencement of the meeting, we were taken on a guided tour of the factory premises to have a look on the set-up. Frankly, I was quite impressed with what I see compared with the last visit and were also informed that all available land has been utilised and should there be any expansion plans, additional land would have to be acquired.
The meeting lasted about one and a half hours and thereafter we adjourned to Huizhou to have our lunch. It was a 'high cholesterol' lunch with hairy crabs, prawns, sotong and others to make you sweat.After lunch, it was about 4.00p.m. and it was back to the hotel again.
Ron, Jack and myself then decided that we should take a stroll down the road to see whether we can get anything cheap or buy some souveniurs for our wives, girlfriends, children etc.
It was while doing window shopping that I found out how naive Ron was when doing bargaining.
Maybe, a kedekut person like me is always a better bargainer. We were looking for some nice jackets and costume jewellery to buy. Ron was interested in a jacket and asked me whether I wanted to buy one. I asked him how much and to my surprise, he said less 20% discount. WTF I think, he must be crazy to pay such a price in China! At a departmental store Ron was attracted to some nice costume jewellery and purchase some for less 20% discount. You know what. While we were walking back to the hotel at about 6.00p.m, we noticed some traders already putting their goods on the canvas sheets laid out on the road. I saw some of the stuff that Ron bought were on display. Gosh! the price was about 1/6 what my dear friend paid for it. He was smart enough to average down his cost by picking up additional pieces.
Our evening dinner was at the same place where we had our buffet crumbs the day before. All Malaysian staff who were seconded to the factory in China were invited for that occasion to be introduced to the directors. I thing those who attended were more interested in the food that anything else. That night we managed to have some decent food. I managed to find some very nice seafood but each time when it was replenish, it was quickly snapped up, their were quick to spot us after two rounds of replenishment, they replace with some other food.
After dinner, Ron and I went for a foot massage in the hotel. It was my first experience after hearing about so many stories. What a horrible experience for me and I got fleeced by that fucking idiot. If it was a nice SYT, it would not be so bad.
We check out the next morning from Huizhou and took a bus back to Macau. The travelling was equally bad compared when the time we came. It was another 6 hours back journey back to Macau and the double hassle of going out from Zhuhai and entering into Macau again.
We then checked into the President Hotel in Macau which is just beside the racing track. Some F3 or A3 races were being held during that time.
Later, some of us took a trip to Venetian. Many have heard a lot of the Venetian and how grand that place was. We were placed in Venetian and the bus driver told us that he would pick us up after 4 hours. My dear group of 'tourists' felt bored after just one and a half hours and asked to go back! For those who wanted to go to the Vemetian, if gambling is not your cup of tea, dont waste your bleady time there unless you are shopping for BRANDED GOODS.
After Venetian, we were taken to a Portugese dinner and this was my very first experience. To me, it looks more like another round of seafood dinner as we have prawns and crabs again. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and opposite it was the WYNN casino complex. Here for non-gamblers, you can witness the nice musical fountain or the fortune tree inside the complex.
The next morning was spent walking to shops around the hotel and had my first experience of 'milk tea'. No more milk tea for me please!
Before my flight back to KLIA, I bought some almond biscuits at the airport. It was pretty expensive though.
Looking forward to my next revisit.
The flight to Macau took about 3 hours and 45 minutes. After disembarking from the airline and going through the long immigration check out, we were greeted by Chew who brought along two motor vehicles to take us to the ferry terminal to cross over to Zhuhai. It was another round of Immigration check-out and in again as Zhuhai is part of China.
After crossing to Zhuhai, two motor vehicles from the factory took us to the hotel. A normal 31/2 hours journey turned out to be a long long journey as the road leading to the Pearl River bridge was jammed with motor vehicles. We finally reached the hotel after travelling for over 6 hours. It was about 9.30 p.m. when we reached the hotel. As we have not taken our dinner yet, we asked the management to extend the closing time by half an hour so that we can scrape whatever crumbs still available on the plates and containers.
As it was a tiring journey, we adjourned to our hotel rooms soon after for a warm shower and rest for the night.
The morning after, after a good breakfast, we went to the factory to have our meetings. Before the commencement of the meeting, we were taken on a guided tour of the factory premises to have a look on the set-up. Frankly, I was quite impressed with what I see compared with the last visit and were also informed that all available land has been utilised and should there be any expansion plans, additional land would have to be acquired.
The meeting lasted about one and a half hours and thereafter we adjourned to Huizhou to have our lunch. It was a 'high cholesterol' lunch with hairy crabs, prawns, sotong and others to make you sweat.After lunch, it was about 4.00p.m. and it was back to the hotel again.
Ron, Jack and myself then decided that we should take a stroll down the road to see whether we can get anything cheap or buy some souveniurs for our wives, girlfriends, children etc.
It was while doing window shopping that I found out how naive Ron was when doing bargaining.
Maybe, a kedekut person like me is always a better bargainer. We were looking for some nice jackets and costume jewellery to buy. Ron was interested in a jacket and asked me whether I wanted to buy one. I asked him how much and to my surprise, he said less 20% discount. WTF I think, he must be crazy to pay such a price in China! At a departmental store Ron was attracted to some nice costume jewellery and purchase some for less 20% discount. You know what. While we were walking back to the hotel at about 6.00p.m, we noticed some traders already putting their goods on the canvas sheets laid out on the road. I saw some of the stuff that Ron bought were on display. Gosh! the price was about 1/6 what my dear friend paid for it. He was smart enough to average down his cost by picking up additional pieces.
Our evening dinner was at the same place where we had our buffet crumbs the day before. All Malaysian staff who were seconded to the factory in China were invited for that occasion to be introduced to the directors. I thing those who attended were more interested in the food that anything else. That night we managed to have some decent food. I managed to find some very nice seafood but each time when it was replenish, it was quickly snapped up, their were quick to spot us after two rounds of replenishment, they replace with some other food.
After dinner, Ron and I went for a foot massage in the hotel. It was my first experience after hearing about so many stories. What a horrible experience for me and I got fleeced by that fucking idiot. If it was a nice SYT, it would not be so bad.
We check out the next morning from Huizhou and took a bus back to Macau. The travelling was equally bad compared when the time we came. It was another 6 hours back journey back to Macau and the double hassle of going out from Zhuhai and entering into Macau again.
We then checked into the President Hotel in Macau which is just beside the racing track. Some F3 or A3 races were being held during that time.
Later, some of us took a trip to Venetian. Many have heard a lot of the Venetian and how grand that place was. We were placed in Venetian and the bus driver told us that he would pick us up after 4 hours. My dear group of 'tourists' felt bored after just one and a half hours and asked to go back! For those who wanted to go to the Vemetian, if gambling is not your cup of tea, dont waste your bleady time there unless you are shopping for BRANDED GOODS.
After Venetian, we were taken to a Portugese dinner and this was my very first experience. To me, it looks more like another round of seafood dinner as we have prawns and crabs again. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and opposite it was the WYNN casino complex. Here for non-gamblers, you can witness the nice musical fountain or the fortune tree inside the complex.
The next morning was spent walking to shops around the hotel and had my first experience of 'milk tea'. No more milk tea for me please!
Before my flight back to KLIA, I bought some almond biscuits at the airport. It was pretty expensive though.
Looking forward to my next revisit.
Unscrupulous Travel Agents.........
The Tourism Ministry has to come down hard on unscrupulous travel agents who are taking the public for a ride and in certain situations are trying to make a fast buck from these innocent victims.
Assuming that you have make a booking for a tour three months in advance and paid your booking deposits. You have made your plans, taken your leave, change to your desired foreign currency and get ready to have a week of carefree sightseeing. Can you imagine that about a week before your actual departure date, your travel agent tells you the proposed tour has been cancelled and you are asked to collect back you refund. Some said I am lucky to have collected my refund whereas others have been hit by fly-by-night travel agents. Surely, some compensation needs to be paid to us for putting up with all this kind of nonsense.
Assuming that we will be cancelling the tour at the last minute, we will be penalised with a forfeiture of 70% on the amount paid. But if the cancellation is initiated by them, they can just walk away with a simple refund.
I think that some kind of a regulation has to be put in place that where a booking is made at least 2 months in advance, should there be any cancellation by such tour agents, we need to be compensated.
Assuming that you have make a booking for a tour three months in advance and paid your booking deposits. You have made your plans, taken your leave, change to your desired foreign currency and get ready to have a week of carefree sightseeing. Can you imagine that about a week before your actual departure date, your travel agent tells you the proposed tour has been cancelled and you are asked to collect back you refund. Some said I am lucky to have collected my refund whereas others have been hit by fly-by-night travel agents. Surely, some compensation needs to be paid to us for putting up with all this kind of nonsense.
Assuming that we will be cancelling the tour at the last minute, we will be penalised with a forfeiture of 70% on the amount paid. But if the cancellation is initiated by them, they can just walk away with a simple refund.
I think that some kind of a regulation has to be put in place that where a booking is made at least 2 months in advance, should there be any cancellation by such tour agents, we need to be compensated.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Weekends
How many working adults actually look forward to their weekends where they are supposed to spend some quality time with their family and catch up with their children's activities during the course of the week?
Your typical weekend day will start most probably with a breakfast gathering, either at your favourite curry mee joint or maybe one of your tim sum favourites. Do you know who makes the decision on where to go? You'll be at your wits end if you try to get a suggestion on where to go.
Your wife will say you decide while your children will keep mum and hope that you make a qucikie decision and load them off to where you plan to.
The next thing to do is what's after breakfast. What do you people normally do? Packed them up and sent them to the shopping mall to do some window shopping, pick up a novel or a gossip magazine, look whats'up on the latest fashion scene and then have your favourtie sushi to round up the first half of your day.
The kids will have their own programmes stocked up for the rest of the day while the parents will try to get some quality time and catch up on the to do things.
Your typical weekend day will start most probably with a breakfast gathering, either at your favourite curry mee joint or maybe one of your tim sum favourites. Do you know who makes the decision on where to go? You'll be at your wits end if you try to get a suggestion on where to go.
Your wife will say you decide while your children will keep mum and hope that you make a qucikie decision and load them off to where you plan to.
The next thing to do is what's after breakfast. What do you people normally do? Packed them up and sent them to the shopping mall to do some window shopping, pick up a novel or a gossip magazine, look whats'up on the latest fashion scene and then have your favourtie sushi to round up the first half of your day.
The kids will have their own programmes stocked up for the rest of the day while the parents will try to get some quality time and catch up on the to do things.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Loyalty and Hypocrisy
How would you have loyalty without hypocrisy? Why do you need to be loyal in the first place? Surely, there must be a motive, either in terms of rewards or patronage. Your loyalty will remains as long as you get what you aspire and when your expectations are not met, your frustration sets in. So do not preach loyalty when the hyprocrisy in you makes you look stupid!
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