Sunday, June 27, 2010

dog eat dog

some of the rather interesting takeaways from Marketing class, as provided by the bow-tied, legendary Assoc Prof Hooi Den Huan. with his experience in the field, he likes using examples of marketing techniques to teach concepts.

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with Asia's welcome of the budget carriers after the turn of the millennium, people can fly much cheaper without the frills. one of the pioneers, Air Asia, came up with the apt slogan "Now everyone can fly."

a rivalry between them and the traditional airlines, as the market split, thus began. Cathay Pacific soon had a slogan seen as a counter-attack: "Now you really fly."

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in the US, major car rental company Avis had sought to challenge Hertz' position as the market leader, in a successful campaign using the slogan "We try harder."

(im not exactly sure of my facts here) Hertz returned with a low blow, "Keep trying."

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in the tourism market, our humble, little home of Singapore started the ball rolling with "New Asia". as we all know by now, Malaysia soon came up with "Truly Asia". like a true-blue trilogy, Yogyakarta in Indonesia gave themselves the slogan, "Neverending Asia".

wtf.

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we see this everywhere, but never stop to appreciate its intrinsic power: "American Express is welcome, but Visa is preferred."

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and finally, one of Prof Hooi's classic quotes:
"Never argue with a woman. If u have to argue, never argue with a woman."

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Interview with local actress Jeanette Aw for Channel 8 drama New Beginnings

<br/><a href="http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/will-jeanette-aw-win-best-actress/tnu1w27g?fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Will Jeanette Aw win Best Actress?">Video: Will Jeanette Aw win Best Actress?</a>

Monday, June 21, 2010

Scott Adams hates engineers.

some of the brilliant Dilbert cartoonist's famous quotes:

Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems.

Normal people... believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Beer policy prompts Carlsberg strike

Associated Press, Copenhagen

Scores of Carlsberg workers walked off their jobs in protest yesterday after the Danish brewer tightened rules on workplace drinking and removed beer coolers from worksites, a company spokesman said.

The warehouse and production workers in Denmark are rebelling against the company’s new alcohol policy, which allows them to drink beer only during lunch hours in the canteen. Previously, they could help themselves to beer throughout the day, from coolers at worksites.

The only restriction was “that you could not be drunk at work,’’ said Jens Bekke, company spokesman.

Carlsberg had considered a stricter drinking policy for years and decided to impose the new rules April 1, prompting protests from the staff.

Bekke said around 800 workers went on strike Wednesday and some 250 walked off their jobs yesterday, resulting in interruptions to beer transports.

Carlsberg’s truck drivers joined the strike in sympathy — even though they are exempt from the new rules, Bekke said. The truck drivers are permitted to bring three beers from the canteen.

The trucks have alcohol ignition locks preventing the drivers from driving drunk, he added.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Interview with local actor Chen Hanwei for Channel 8 drama The Best Things In Life

<br/><a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-sg&vid=f66728cc-11a1-4667-ad83-f82fd347ac8e&fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Hanwei: DYT & Elvin can be better 汉玮觉得阳天与俊雄有进步空间">Video: Hanwei: DYT & Elvin can be better 汉玮觉得阳天与俊雄有进步空间</a>

Interview with local actress Ann Kok for Channel U drama The Illusionist

<br/><a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-sg&vid=0611803e-e829-4ee1-bb8b-11c97b9e7c43&fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Ann Kok is better than Thomas Ong 郭舒贤呛声王沺裁不是对手">Video: Ann Kok is better than Thomas Ong 郭舒贤呛声王沺裁不是对手</a>

Interview with local actress Rui En for Channel 8 CNY drama Happy Family

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://video.xin.msn.com/?mkt=en-sg&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;from=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;vid=862858b5-1f79-4657-9c66-544aa669aebc&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Rui En and Remus on bad terms? 瑞恩与金沛晟闹不和&#65311;"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Video: Rui En and Remus on bad terms? 瑞恩与金沛晟闹不和&#65311;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Friday, June 11, 2010

i heard this on radio some time back. thought it meant so much.

"love isnt a fairytale. real love really works."

for all e pragmatic, heartbroken, idealistic, happily-in-love, sceptical, cynical, emo, or just anyone out there.

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Best XXII not at World Cup

with the many injuries, omissions, retirements from international duty and world-class players whose national teams aren't that world-class, this month, footballers not going to South Africa can easily form two all-star teams that those at the World Cup may just shudder at.

presenting to you the two best XIs missing from the biggest football showcase in the world.

beat this.

4-2-3-1

Petr Cech (did not qualify)

Javier Zanetti (dropped) Rio Ferdinand (injured) Alex (dropped) Gareth Bale (did not qualify)

Michael Essien (injured) Esteban Cambiasso (dropped)

Alexandre Pato (dropped) Paul Scholes (retired) Andrei Arshavin (did not qualify)

Francesco Totti (retired) 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karim Benzema (dropped) Ruud van Nistelrooy (dropped)

Luka Modric (did not qualify) Juan Roman Riquelme (retired) Ronaldinho (dropped)

Michael Ballack (injured) Lassana Diarra (injured)

Roberto Carlos (dropped) Richard Dunne (did not qualify) Marcelo (dropped)

Shay Given (did not qualify)

3-5-2

Subs:
Samir Nasri (dropped)
Theo Walcott (dropped)
Adriano (dropped)
Ronaldo (dropped)
Patrick Vieira (dropped) 
David Beckham (dropped) 
Pablo Aimar (dropped)
Alessandro Del Piero (dropped)
Mohamed Zidan (did not qualify)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (did not qualify)
Ivica Olic (did not qualify)
Robbie Keane (did not qualify)
Benni McCarthy (dropped)

Saturday, June 05, 2010

失恋学

在不到两年的时间 已为三个女人而哭

相见
相处
触电
好感
爱情

在许多专家及学者的理论上,每份感情都需要考虑到他们所谓的最后阶段,也就是在争扎过后关系松退,感情下滑

这是悲观的 也是理智,成熟的

虽然矛盾,该不该准备句点的到来?

一份情意是不是一个圆?

分手 是一段感情的结束 是两方在一开始时都无法预知的

失恋 是当另一方选择放手 自己却不愿意 或不能够

也许每颗心都愿意爱与被爱 都能够打开心房

我们在成长的路上 都一步一步地学会相恋

但往往 我们都忽略了学着失恋



初恋那个夏天 我们学会热恋
要快乐有条件 幸福有要诀
后来牵手很累 我们学会告别
低估了想念 越想越危险 越想见

我们忘了学怎么失恋 
深夜该怎么不掉眼泪
还不了解 爱的情节 
一旦下了片不再上演

我们忘了学怎么失恋 
移情别恋治不好失眠
偏让那不经意的遇见 
却视而不见
我们都掩着 哭红了的双眼

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

one day in heaven

it was an old, run-down coffeeshop. wallpaper yellowing, pure cement columns, a mosaic floor of little green tiles. age and dust don't seem out of place here.

all i needed to do was show up alone, and the wrinkled uncle - 55, maybe 60 - hurriedly prepared the VIP. three pieces of meaty bones, drenched then by soup, chaperoned by a cupped bowl of rice. words were redundant. they're too much of a fuss. one serving, it was.

Very Important Pork, i say.

like the coffeeshop, like the busy stewards, the bak kut teh had a decades-old richness. the flavourful broth transported me to another zone.

as did everything else.

a table away an old patron was having what looked like a daily affair. as he sipped the cultured tea like a veteran connoisseur, it was as if he grew up with the place, nothing looking out of its element.

behind me the wrinkled steward sat smoking. it wasn't unsightly or intruding. it is already a lifestyle, one you don't deny but accept as part of nature.

yet from another course came the whiff of medicated oil. all working together as a pleasurable myriad of smells threatening to yank out memories from before.

how could it be such a luxury, i asked. then you see the grandpa with his grandchild in his arms, and everything becomes crystal.

a love, linked by blood ties, yet also a relationship linked regardless of time. love is the only constant that withstands the storms of time.

life was slow. and simple indulgences were all that was needed. nothing flashy, but trivial talk of the least trivial: a hope that can be bought in dollars and cents. the uncles seem contented with regular 4D / Toto talk.

the haven had no polite, Anglo-speaking service staff. no aircon, nor a multi-storey carpark. be warned if you're contemporary: there's no cashless dining.

but i was happy. and happiness isn't material. it's an emotion, not an action. it's within, not without. it's a smile engaged by the heart, not stretched by botoxed / maybelline-splashed cheeks.

i was sweating, but sweating like i just didn't care. i had to have cash, because cards are like wicked foreigners colonising the indigenous.

scrambles and shouts are the antidote to the visiting parking attendant. it's not about comfort; it's about a spirit of community, fending off a modernising parking system.

the service offered would not pass any quality test. but as much as it was grumpy, it was also oddly excellent. nothing was fanciful, but the quiet service also is service that speaks directly to the heart.

in that luxury modernisation can be ignored. yet it's exploding everywhere around the coffeeshop. the ills we are so used to are nibbling at the old and traditional, our history and roots.

but will it fully vanish? or so enduring we subconsciously defend it?

that's for another day. for now, me, my VIP, the myriad of smells and a story of cliches. who needs company when the situation makes the best there can be?