Dear Diana,

The problem began when I responded to Starhub's promotion on 5/11/08 and applied for the digital voice modem to replace Singtel as my current ground line provider.

1st Bad Experience

The appointment was 24/2 between 6.30pm to 8.00pm. On 24/2 (was incorrectly report as 28/2), I was called out from my management meeting at about 1.00pm because my mother informed me that your staff decided to pay us a visit at 2.00pm that day 'because he was near us'. Even after I had contacted 1633 to question the decision to unilaterally change the schedule and asked them to instruct your staff to adhere to the schedule, he appeared at my home at 2.00pm and I had to take both my mother's call and your service staff's, and to manage these calls I was pulled out of the meeting three times.

What is the purpose of having a schedule when it cannot be kept?

2nd Bad Experience

Thinking all was well with the set up, I only began using the Internet on Sunday, 1/3. When I switched on my laptop and attempted to access my email on the Internet, I was kept being directed to your 'pay as you surf' webpage. My default home page points to Google but the IE kept referring me to your 'pay as you surf' page.

I called 1633 and it took me almost 30 minutes to reach your staff. He was unable to help me and told me that he had to check with some other department to find out about what had went wrong with my modem and server. I am unsure if your staff had called me as promised but I had a 'private number' missed call. As I was rushing off for an appointment, I couldn't afford to call back. It costs me about S$8 to take a cab to catch up the lost time because of all the waiting time with Starhub.

Why does it take so long to reach your support staff?

Isn't there another way I could call back for an emergency?

3rd Bad Experience

I came back home at about 9.00pm, 1/3, and made another attempt to reach your customer service staff at 1633. The situation had turned from bad to worse. It took me almost 45 minutes to reach your staff. What is going on with Starhub? If your cost cutting strategy is to cut the number of your staff manning the phone drastically, I suggest that you shut the entire help line down. Maintaining your line open creates expectations, which cannot be met, and your suggestions of using the fax to reach your staff is just madness since how many households keeps a fax machine and when I cannot even get to the Internet, the use of your email is just wishful thinking.

Your night staff was more learned and, unlike your afternoon staff, was able to immediately identify the problem. He had reactivated my old modem and now, after all the costs involved, I could write you this email using my Pacnet account.

However, on thinking this a bit further, why didn't your staff told me that the old modem will be disconnected when the digital voice model has been linked up? There are a lot of things your staff did not tell me when he visited my on the last day of Feb 09.

Diana,

I think something is seriously very wrong with the service your company is providing and I am seriously reconsidering if I want to continue using Starhub.

I need an explanation for all these.

Also, I need you to compensate me for the cost for delays, reaching you and the potential loss of business. The transportation cost and phone bill is not much and a company of your size is capable of repaying me but if I loss my deal, Starhub will be responsible.

I like to know when you will be free this week. I like to suggest a meeting with you on these matters and to discuss the reimbursement of the costs involved.

Do let Tong Hai know of these too. I think your COO does not really know the challenges and frustrations happening at the ground.  

I was at Wong Tai Sin this morning.

I was there to give prayers and thanks.

The main temple is under renovation to expand the place so that more people could ask for their future, pray and thank the gods for making their wishes come true.

This is a video clip I have taken in the morning of the 1st day of the lunar 8th month.

Insert Video 33

The first time I heard this song by Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis was on the night I watched the New Year Day's fireworks from the windows of a suite in Peninsular Hotel with a bunch of new and old friends.

I was holding someone very special to me with one hand and a glass of Champaign in the other when this song was played to a rainbow of lights in front of us, and I couldn't hold back my tears. The vocal was warm and reassuring but the strings produce certain degree of longing and sadness.

It had made me think all those that had happened in my life; the regrets, the unhappiness and the unfulfilled dreams. Also, rushing to the surface was appreciation and gratefulness for those years my beloved has invested in me.

Call me sentimental if you wish but this is me.

This is a piece of traditional material (visit http://www.imeem.com/people/42BTZ_H/music/IrZ4FRcC/auld_lang_syne_mairi_campbell_and_dave_franci/)
that was arranged by the Scottish group - The Cast, and they have given a it very refreshing rendition. Unlike music we hear today, the voice takes precedence over the music, and it is the voice that had touched our soul that night and I think some of us were emotionally changed at that occasion.

Here are the lyrics to the song and I hope you enjoy it with me over a glass of wine, and sit back and appreciate what life has already given us so far…….

Auld Lang Syne…..
 

Shid ald akwentans bee firgot,
an nivir brocht ti mynd?
Shid ald akwentans bee firgot,
an ald lang syn?

CHORUS:

Fir ald lang syn, ma deer,

fir ald lang syn,

Wil tak a cup o kyndnes yet,

fir ald lang syn.

An sheerly yil bee yur pynt-staup!
an sheerly al bee myn!
An will tak a cup o kyndnes yet,
fir ald lang syn.

CHORUS

We twa hay rin aboot the braes,
an pood the gowans fyn;
Bit weev wandert monae a weery fet,
sin ald lang syn.

CHORUS

We twa hay pedilt in the burn,
fray mornin sun til dyn;
But seas between us bred hay roard
sin ald lang syn.

CHORUS

An thers a han, my trustee feer!
an gees a han o thyn!
And we’ll tak a right gude-willie-waught,
fir ald lang syn.

CHORUS

from the album - The Winnowing

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

I was reading Low Lin Fhoong’s article on ‘Olympic Report Card – No Excuses, SailingSailing; Chef-de-mission Tan feels NSA should own up after poor performance in Qingdao’ (Sports Section, Today, Wednesday, 17 September 2008). I want to share my views about Dr Tan Eng Liang’s comments.

I know that Dr Tan was displease with SingaporeSailing’s report but being a sailor myself, I know we faces challenges in our physical make-up, experience and luck in the sport. Unlike those who were competing in a controlled environment, our sailors had no control over wind, wave and current at the sailing arena. These create new dimensions in the sport and the sailors had to work hard to win given these constraints. While we could discount these as excuses but they are there and should be acknowledged, and I think this was what the sports association attempted to do.

By saying ‘but if you come in 42 out of 43, what is there to argue?’ he has discounted the years of efforts these sailors and SingaporeSailing have given to Singapore in bringing sailing to where it is today.

Dr Tan should have checked the time the 42^nd boat had taken to cross the finishing line at each race before making that remark. Maybe he was elated with what he brought back for Singapore that he had forgotten himself. As Chef-de-mission, Tan has to exercise extreme care in the words he used to avoid sending the wrong messages to the public and hurt those who had worked very hard to represent Singapore.

In this aspect, I am very pleased and gratified with what has happened in the sailing community. Each year, hundreds of sailors, from as young as 8, learn sailing from their school and at their sailing clubs. They are grouped into squads with dedicated coaches working with them on their techniques. Regularly, there are in-house races and national competitions where they hone their skills and measure themselves with their peers. SingaporeSailing maintains a table of national ranking for all competing sailors, and the top few get to join the national team for further development. We work our way up, and our coaches and clubs have tirelessly providing and facilitating our progression.

In this home grown thriving and competitive environment, we have answers to the question of who are going to succeed the current patch Olympian sailors when they retire.

Yes, I am disappointed with the performance of our sailors, unlike the biggest winner in this year’s Olympic, I am very proud of them. Our peddlers deserved to be applauded for bringing in the medals but this is transactional in nature because it was set up this way when they came to Singapore. This has nothing to do with whether they are locals or otherwise. It is about the nature of the agreement and the corresponding national expectations they produce..

The outcome has proven that this arrangement does provide good returns. However, it has long term impact. We do not who are going to succeed these peddlers in the future. I will be vexed if their NSA brings in another batch of imported players at the expense of sacrificing talents that could be found in the local community.

It is good to give each sportsman and sports association have performance indicators, and I agree that what gets measured gets done but it is more important that they are doing the right things when meeting these national expectations. I am seeing that the sailing community is doing the right things. I definitely prefer we do not win any medals and do the right things than to do the wrong things in order to bluff ourselves of our sporting power.

Our sailors were called on to represent Singapore at the Games. They had considered and took on the challenge. This was an agreement they made with their sporting community and the nation. They could choose not to but they did not and they do it out of their love for the sport. This is most honorable. When they do not perform as expected, they and their sports association are chilled. There is something very wrong in this equation. I hope that in the process of hunting the witch we do not end up frightening aspiring sportsmen and women from taking up the challenge for representing the country called Singapore.

I hope the next Olympic Chef-de-mission will be more enlightened when he is preparing his report after the 2012's Game.

I was at the Marina Bay Floating Gallery tonight to watch the Korean edition of the Singapore Fireworks Celebration 2008.

Although the fireworks were to begin at 9PM, the gates were opened from 5.30PM onwards.

Crowding @ City Link, Raffles City

Wet Seats After Hours of Raining in Singapore

As usual, there was crowding, and this year, there was rain too.

Here were some activities held under the gallery to entertain early arrivals.

Balloon Sculpturing

Dance Performed by Student from Catholic Primary School

Food, Drink and Handicraft Stores Below the Gallery

This is how the floating platform looks like at night.

Floating Platform from the Gallery

This Year the IR didn't Switch Off the Lights During the Fireworks. Maybe they are behind in their construction

There was a performance of fire stick throws which I think was the only highlight at the makeshift stage tonight.

I am going to show you four numbers of the Korean edition of the Singapore Firework Celebrations 2008.

The dramatic opening number, which is my favorite.

Here is a slow number of the fireworks performance.

This is another dramatic performance at the beginning of this segment. I don't like the ending part though.

Here is the final movement, which is a disappointment. Maybe the rain dimmed the fire and the finale was not as bright as could be.

As usual, Singaporeans do what they know best; leaving rubbish behind after the show:

Trash Bags Left by spectators

More Rubbish Left Behind

This is bus-stop that is built near my house.

It looks new but practically a waste of tax-payer's money. Once the sun passes noon, we have to hide one corner. To save money, maybe the seats should be taken out. Afterall, metal is expensive. Maybe, let's stop building bus-stops altogether.

We went to the biggest sea food market restaurant in Bangkok this evening and what we found is very impressive.

This restaurant is located at Sukhumvit Soi 24.

It is about 500 metres or 10 minutes' walk from the Emporium Shopping Centre.

These are the landmarks along this road.

The front facade of the restaurant.

This is how the inside of this restaurant looks like. It is big. It is about three times the size of the event hall at the basement of Ngee Ann City.

The way this place work is to have the customers pick up the sea food, most of it is alive, from the display counters and place them on the trolley. The staff there will help them with the selection (so smart) and wheel the food to the checkout counters.

However, this is not all. After selecting and paying the food, the trolley is wheeled to our table and another staff will ask us how we like the food to be prepared. There are cooking charges involved, and the order is sent to the kitchen that is manned by over 40 cooks.

Among the two of us, we selected and ordered several dishes and the highlight of the dinner is the 4,200 Baht Maine Lobster.

There are other dishes. These are big dishes for two of us.

Of course, watermelon is a must for all my meals.

If you are keen to give this place a visit, here is the detail.

We went to Siam Paragon today. We were told that it occupied 23 football fields!

 There is one particular restaurant we usually visit when we were at the shopping centre and this is Vanilla.

Vanilla presents itself as two stories and it is well know for its Vanilla House Tea. Its cakes are okay but pasta is good. Just a bit peppery.

We had our tea there.

For dinner, we went to the 'haunted' Thai Ban Khun Mae Restaurant, which is located at Siam Square.

Regularly, when we were there, we will order Tung Hoon in Clay Pot, Spring Roll, Phad Thai and Stir-fried Beef in Basil.

And we have all these over traditional Thai music performed by two lovely ladies.

The quality of the food has deteriorated. So much so that the Tung Hoon was so dry and the Phad Thai so hard that we decided not to go there again.

Like Watson, Boots is a chain of stores selling toiletries. 

In Bangkok, Brand's Chicken of Essence is sold in individual bottles and positioned just any other beverages, and are sold from the chillers.

Just outside of Siam Square, there are road side stores selling different things. There is something I think very enterprising.

Bangkok has changed much since I visited her.

What used to be the World Trade Centre is now Central World, and the floor space has expended by many folds.

Here are some pictures of this revitalised shopping centre.

Opposite this shopping centre is Gaysorn, a high end shopping complex. You practically can find most of the high fashion brands there. Some pictures of the shopping centre is provided below.

	One of the many brands	Sitting area in the centre
	Thann Spa Products	They have now a wider range and the packaging is very good

We went to the Chinatown this morning to both shop and have lunch.

Chinatown has a number of temples and they are observing the month-long Hungry Ghost Festival at the moment.

Temple, which we made donations to

Offering to the ghosts

Free food distributed in front of the temple

It has a shop that sells moon cakes and traditional Chinese pastries. I bought some. While I had not eaten the rest, I had tried the moon cake and I found that the lotus paste tasted different even though they do served it with a salted egg.

Chinatown attracts many visitors who are interested in gold and there are a number of gold smiths around.

There are also many road side stores selling different types of Thai food. Here were some of these delicacies found today but do not ask me what they were and how they tasted. I had not bought or eaten any yet.

The main through-fare of Chinatown is lined with restaurants selling shark fins and bird's nest soup. They hang or display the dried fins around and my nature conservatism mindedness will prevent me from ever touching them.

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However, there is one restaurant I will always go. Not for the food but for the refreshing cups of chilled and sweeten Chrysanthemum Tea. It comes as free flow and is very effective in cooling the body in a warm Bangkok afternoon. I have learnt that Nam Sing has outlets in Hong Kong as well.

The Claypot Tung Hoon is by far the best we had tried during this trip. The noodle is soft and 5 pieces of big head prawn are very fresh.

There are a few Chinese medical halls and shops selling dry goods on the main street.

 Besides food, Chinatown is famous for its wholesale market. We bought loads of stationary. They are cheap when purchased in bulk. We usually shopped at 'Be Gift' and this is how the inside looked like:

'Be Gift' is only one of the many wholesalers. There are plenty to be purchased.

And I must get Camphor sachets whenever I am in Bangkok.

Of course, Chinatown is unique because of these unusual sights as well unlike Singapore's Chinatown, which is dead and boring.

We went to Patpong Night Market (via Ratchadamri station, BTS) only to find much have not changed.

The usual stuffs sold as still there.

Of course there are stores selling fake and piracy items.

Nevertheless, there are some surprises and I like this collection.

There are several things we like to do the next time we are at Bangkok.

We will definitely want to visit the Moon Bar at Banyan Tree.

Also, we are keen to take up any kind of spa activities at Hua Hin in the future.

We visited MBK in the afternoon.

Travellator bringing us to MBK

Information counter at the end of this travellator

Inside MBK

It contains one of our favourite food courts in Bangkok. Go to level 6 and you will find the food court. We will be there every time we are in Thailand.

Level 6 of MBK

The row of eateries in the food court. Beats Singapore's biggest many times over

My favourite Tomato Rice

Besides eating, this is where you could get a copy of Royston Tan's 15.

After a 3-hour wait at the Changi Airport, we finally boarded the SQ flight for Thailand. About 2 hours later we are at Bangkok and the ride on the expressway brought us to the Pullman Hotel in less than 30 minutes.

It is a huge hotel.

Newly opened with a big duty free shop, which we will visit tomorrow.

It is just a stone throw from the Victory Monument BTS Sky Train Station. In fact, the hotel provides free shutter service to the Century Shopping Centre and back, which is just next to this BTS station. Do not expect too much about the service. We were shuttered between the two places on the hotel's tuktuk.

The hotel has the looks of Hotel Intercontinental Singapore but it presents itself with local delights.

Here are some of the highlights of the hotel.

Main Entrance

Fountain in the Garden

Restaurant that Serves Thai Food

Here is how the interior of the room we stayed in looks like. It has a touch of class. 

Also, the hotel is littered with many pieces of such metal sculptures. They give the hotel an artistic look and feel that break down the hard and cold nature of most accommodations.

We will have more activities tomorrow and I will continue to update whenever I could.

This is the 3rd time we watched movie in Bangkok. We were at the Paragon Theaters to catch the 3D 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth'.

While the movie is so-so, the theater is impressive.

The path towards theater 14.

We went to MK Steamboat for our dinner.

This is located in Siam Paragon and is MK's 200th outlet.

They adopt the open kitchen concept and we can see the chefs preparing the food.

As usual, we started feeding and over ordered again. Among other stuffs, we order the duck noddle:

It is quite easy getting around in Bangkok. Besides taxis, buses and the occasional Tuktuks, there is the BTS Sky Train.

We bought the Sky SmartPass for 100 Baht (not including the 30 Baht deposit for the card and the non-refundable 30 Baht admin charges).

Like the MRT in Singapore, the station places maps showing the various stations and the what I like most is that they include the key attractions on these maps too.

Here are some really interesting collectibles.

Here is a teddy version of Marilyn Monroe..... at her most sensual moment....

And here are the characters from Alice from Wonderland in an orgy session. Warped!!