Month: November 2004
end of exams!
FREEDOM!! AT LONG LAST!! \^-^//
Exam has finally ended and sad to say, I don’t think I will do well for today’s paper. This is the subject that I have studied the most but yet I have forgotten a lot of the things that I have memorized!
I think I have confused SES answers with CUR‘s answers as the two subjects have so much in common! Sighz, they shouldn’t arrange these two papers back to back lar!
This morning before the paper starts, I handed Mrs Tahir my consent form and the deposit money for the Leadership Camp. Then when I was having the paper, Mrs Foo came and said that she need to collect the full payment.
After the paper, I have to go withdraw some money from theJ8 ATM then go back to school to give her the money.
Anyway, tomorrow morning 9.30 am will have to go POPULAR HQ for attachment briefing as well as to collect the uniform.
The SC have a meeting with the school Director tomorrow at the same time after which, followed by another meeting for the Leadership Camp at Kota Tinggi.
Darn, all the timing clashes and I can’t attend the school meeting though I wished I could.
ses paper
The SES paper is still okay.
I have a hard time studying yesterday because it is soooo noisy.
First, there’s a Malay wedding going on downstairs and they have been singing since morning. Then there is the garang guni man patrolling persistently at the car park with his old, faithful horn, while waiting for some auntie to call out to him from the kitchen window followed by this?ice cream man with his bell as well.
The stupid weather is so warm and humid! The singing, the horning, and the bell-ringing make me so drowsy and tired!
should i keep another piggie
Someone is selling local smooth coat GP babies at $20 leh… Do you think I should buy?
The 2 on the left are females and the right one is male…
Which female should I choose?? Or should I buy any at all??
The parents
Quite cute wor but I wasn’t sure if I should take in another piggie now.
EFC paper
The EFC paper today was quite okay. Comprehension, Telephone Message and Face-To-Face is a breeze and even the Data Organization is much easier than usual.
Hope I could get an A for this!
I took another step towards being a vegetarian today. I ordered Ban-Mien but I asked the lady not to put meat or egg. Now, I feel so… guilt-free because no chicken or pig died for me today!
However, the Ban Mian is a bit yucky because the soup is not those clear, watery kind but rather gooey and sticky like glue!
the piggy bug
I have been bitten by the piggy bug all over again. I’ve been spending the whole day surfing and looking at piggy pigtures.
I’m mulling over whether to get Rainie a playmate or not? It’s twice the fun but then, it’s also twice the work and twice the bill! At the speed that they are eating, the piggies are going to eat me into a pauper!
Hay (basically its just imported ang moh grass) is NOT cheap, so is Cavy Cuisine. How the heck am I gonna feed a young and a old piggy together? Rainie is eating Cavy Cuisine pellets and the younger pig is def going to eat Cavy Performance? What about hay? Rainie is eating Orchard Hay and the younger one will need to eat Timothy hay!
Gosh, I will need to buy d o u b l e of everything!!
Dilemma! Dilemma!
It’s been almost two years since Sunnie and her kids has passed on. Poor Rainie has been living in loneliness till now. Poor girl, I know it’s not easy to cope with the loss of her only sister and niece/nephew but since fate decreed, what can we do but to accept it?
ofc paper
Just had my first paper OFC yesterday.
It was quite easy and I only used one piece of printing paper for the three questions attempted. I didn’t even reprint any answers at all!!
Luckily, there wasn’t any Column Work or Minutes Of Meeting if not I sure die jialat jialat!
In fact, the three questions that came out yesterday were all my favorites! Letter, Tables and Newspaper Column!
Bad, bad customer service
I have had a very bad experience with both KODAK and FUJIFILM at Lot One today.
What is Customer Service?
Customer Service can be described as what a customer expects to receive when he buys a product, service or information from a company.
Perhaps being a retail student, I have a certain service standard for myself and if I do not receive the level of service that I expected, I would deem it as bad customer service. Or rather, as a retail student, I have better understood the importance of a service provider to an organisation:
The attitude of a service provider can make or break a company’s image and reputation.
Judge for yourself:
KODAK
It was the first time that I wanted to develop photographs from a digital camera so, I went to KODAK and the lady took my CF card and started pressing on the screen. As a first timer, I was filled with curiosity as to how the machine works so I asked a few questions, but what I got was an irritated look on her face.
Meanwhile, another customer stepped into the shop and she told me to touch on any of the pictures that I wanted to develop on the screen and she left me to attend to the customer.
After I had finished selecting what I wanted, I asked her did I do it correctly but she threw me a dirty look and said in an unfriendly tone, “why didn’t you ask me that earlier?” I was quite upset by what she said so I removed my CF card and left the shop without developing any photographs.
FUJIFILM
On another occasion, after my bad experience with KODAK, I decided to try FUJIFILM. Nobody attended to me although I was standing right in front of the counter. The service provider was attending to another customer but she could have asked me to wait politely when I asked for assistance but she did nothing. She totally ignored me.
She did not greet me or even lift her head up to look at me. Am I not a valued customer?
I do not ask for much? All I wanted was an acknowledgement from her. A smile or a nod of the head would suffice to let me know that my presence was noted and that I’ll be attended to shortly.
After a while, the service provider came to attend to me and similar to my experience at KODAK, the service provider left me there alone to figure out what to do even though there were no other customers in the shop.
She didn’t even tell me where to insert my CF card nor teach me how to use the machine. She just stood behind me and watch while I fumbled around on my own. In the end, I think I managed to insert the CF card into the correct slot but wrong direction.
The service provider gave an ear-splitting scream and took out my CF card promptly to check whether the machine was spoilt or not. When she checked that the machine was all right, I was given the green light to start exploring again.
A while later, she went to the back of the store to join her colleagues. I finished selecting my pictures after much difficulty and I called for assistance to proceed to develop the photographs. My first plea for assistance went unanswered. Then I called again. She looked up but said nothing and showed me her open palm, asking me to wait.
I find this hand gesture very rude to be shown to a customer but still, I waited. Two whole minutes passed and I was still waiting.
I removed my CF Card from the machine and left.
My purpose of this letter is not to find fault with any of the service providers mentioned or to seek redress for myself. As the customer, I have nothing much to lose. If this shop does not satisfy my needs, I can always take my custom elsewhere.
I would just like to highlight about the service attitude of most service providers in Singapore. They sees it demeaning to serve someone else but little do they know that we, the customers are the only reason why they are there.
Whilst the goal of every service transaction is to satisfy and delight customers in ways that will keep them coming back for more, most service providers do not seem to realise it. They think that it’s all right to lose one customer; after all, it is only ONE customer.
However, they do not realize what this ONE unhappy customer could do. He could tell ten friends about his unpleasant encounter and these ten friends will in turn tell another ten friends about it. So, do not underestimate the ‘power’ of ONE customer.
I have learnt in school that if the customers are in the wrong, use your knowledge about the products and services and your skills to help make them right/understand AND do not blame or embarrass them.
If Singapore were to advance into a global shopping paradise, the foremost thing that we have to improve on is the mindset of our very own ambassadors – the service providers.
Leadership Training or Industrial Attachment?
Before the SC briefing this morning, Fanny asked me whether I was interested to attend a Leadership Training Camp at Kota Tinggi, Malaysia? It would be located inside some remote rainforest and we would pitch and sleep in tents!
I lurrrrved adventure camps!
However, the date clashes with my December attachment at POPULAR!!
Mrs Tahir told me to choose either one but both are equally important to me so how to choose? I wanted the attachment for the pocket money as well as for the work experience and I heard from Rizwan that the camp is for selecting next year’s EXCOs!
In the afternoon, POPULAR called me and I was informed that I was posted to LOT 1 branch while Soon Ho is at Chinatown and Ari at Orchard.
I was thinking whether POPULAR could allow me 4 days off to attend the camp anot? Perhaps I can repay the 4 days by ending my attachment 4 days later than my peers?
Tomorrow must ask Mrs Tahir to help me email POPULAR.
Your answers suggest you are a Nurturer
The four aspects that make up this personality type are:
Summary of Nurturers
Care for the important people in their lives
Strive for harmony and avoid confrontation
Think of themselves as gentle, conscientious, and mature
May have trouble making decisions that could hurt others
More about Nurturers
Nurturers are quiet people who believe in order and diligently look after the people they care about. They focus on the needs of others and establish routines to help them meet their commitments.
Nurturers are the most likely group to say they prefer a job where the same thing happens every day, according to a UK survey.
Nurturers remember details that are important to them, such as their friends’ birthdays and anniversaries. People with this personality type value others’ feelings and may challenge behaviour they think is insensitive.
In situations where they can’t use their talents or are unappreciated, Nurturers may feel bitter and seek support by complaining to their colleagues. Under extreme stress, Nurturers may become preoccupied with the worst possible outcome and believe that they are heading for disaster.
Because they are so caring and loyal, Nurturers run the risk of being taken advantage of.
Nurturer Careers
Nurturers are often drawn to jobs that allow them to help others.
Grace and her eccentric behavior again
My class was having our OFC lesson with Mrs Gaffar when Grace came into the computer lab DEMANDING to use one of the computers.
I couldn’t hear what Mrs Gaffar was telling her but I think she was explaining to Grace that she couldn’t use the computer as she is not from our class but before Mrs Gaffar finished talking, Grace turned abruptly and stare at the empty notice board.
Mrs Gaffar walked Grace to the door and she called out my name. I thought she wanted me to look after the class while she sends Grace away but instead, she wanted me to escort Grace out instead!
Why me of all people? I’m not the only Councilor in the class what? The whole class were laughing away and made me so embarrassed because of our unusual relationship. She is always coming into my class to laugh at me for no apparent reason and whenever my classmates saw her coming from afar, they will inform me that my ‘bor’ is coming and I’ll have to go into hiding!
Anyway, I was instructed to escort her to the staff room to look for her form teacher but as her teacher was not around, I told her to wait for her teacher while I have rush back for my OFC test.
Then all of a sudden, she started screaming at me, “BUT I WANTED TO USE THE COMPUTER! I CAME TO SCHOOL EARLY TO USE THE COMPUTER BUT THE ACCESS ROOM AND LIBRARY ARE CLOSED!!”
I asked her why she needed to use the computer so urgently and she said, “I want to do my BLOG!”
I thought she wanted to do her schoolwork or something important but all the fuss she has created is just to do her blog? I told her not to throw a tantrum anymore because Mrs Gaffar isn’t going to allow her to use the lab computer for her personal stuff!
Finally, I decided to abandon her outside the staff room and go back to class but she actually followed me back! When we almost reach the lab, Mrs Gaffar was talking to Hana (who was in tears) outside the room and I quickly told Grace, “You better not follow me back in there because Mrs Gaffar is in a verrrrrry bad mood today! You see how she scolded that girl into tears?”
This ploy actually works because Grace turned and walked away!
After school, I sms-ed Yuye about Grace‘s little adventure and she told me no wonder Grace was being scolded by their form teacher today! I guessed Mrs Gaffar must have complained about her, bah?
The Dead Cockroach 