Wednesday, August 22, 2007

SBS Response to my 2nd Letter

Yesterday I received the reply.

Well you read and tell me how sincere is it....haha...

Look like a template response, I wonder how much they pay Tang May May.


Dear Mr Sir

Please refer to the feedback received on 13 August 2007.2

2.We regret to learn of the inconvenience you experienced while using Service 89.

3 Although our records revealed that our capacity provision is adequate to meet demand, we will remind our despatcher to ensure both the runs and bus types are according to schedule. We will also remind our bus captains to advise passengers to move to the rear when space are available so other passengers at the bus stop can board the bus.

4 We have noted your suggestion to publish the time table of Service 89 and will review the matter for future planning.

5 We apologized for any inconvenience caused.

Thank you for your feedback.

Yours sincerely
Tang May May for
Deputy DirectorCorporate CommunicationsSBS Transit Lt


SBS replied on 13th July:

1.Please refer to your feedback regarding Service 89.

2.We are sorry to learn of the inconvenience caused while waiting for this service.

3. The Manager has noted your concern on the frequency of the service and is monitoring the situation closely. Rest assured that, where it is within our control, we will ensure that buses arrive at regular intervals.

4. Bus captains have also been reminded to try their best to adhere strictly to their time schedules to ensure service reliability.

5. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

Yours sincerely
Tang May May for
Deputy DirectorCorporate CommunicationsS
SBS Transit Ltd

Note the similarity between the 2 letters.

They are all summed up within FIVE points.

Also note point 2 for both letter are 99% the sane! This prove that it is a standared template. Well at least Tang May May borther to type in "89" in her 2nd letter.

Point 1 - They will acknowledge your letter.
Point 2 - They apologise
Point 3 and 4 - They pacify you and tell you they will do what they can.
Point 5 - The thank you.

This kinda stadard and the still dare to increase the bloody fares.

Can even response to a feedback sincerely.

Sad.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Retirement

Official retirement age is going higher and higher, faster then the speeding bullet.

Face it! We may never be fully retired till we officially retired from this world. (Even so you may still need to work at the place you are going depend on your God)

So we should start thinking what actually is retirement.

Let say if I retired tomorrow, what I will I like to do then?

After some thinking, I listed below some of the things I would like to do:

1. Spend more time with family or pet.
2. Pick up some new hobbies.
3. Travel the world.
4. Watch Movie / Surf net / Hiking.

But hey! Actually we can start doing these things now and don’t have to wait for our retirement.

There is not point of “working towards your retirement” anymore. No point working long hours ignoring whom and what is around you daily. Simply your retirement may never come and if when you are rich at say 65, you may not be healthy enough to do the things you like.

We can never know when we are going to die, but we can, at least to some extend, control how we live.

So think of what you like to do when you retired and start doing some of them, if not all of them, from today onwards.

Monday, August 20, 2007

NDP Rally 2007

Yesterday our PM delivered his 2007 NDP rally on all Singapore’s channels.

So I guess this is the compulsory blog entry to it.

http://app.sprinter.gov.sg/data/pr/2007081905.htm

I just wonder what is the logic of showing them on Channel News Asia, Channel 5, Channel 8, Channel U, Arts Central, Suria and TV mobile.

The only reason I can come up with was to forced you to watch it or forcing you to subscribe to Cable TV.

I didn’t really manage to sit through the whole thingy but I did managed to read through his speech.

I like to touch on the issue of Ageing Population which result to Working Longer which result to Delaying Withdrawal of you CPF.

Singapore just like any other developed countries are facing this problem. People are living longer and are just not having enough babies.

Lets face it, when you are old; you are a burden to the government. You are not contributing to the GDP and the government hope you will died before your CPF money run out or they could export you to Batam.

The government had been trying to encourage people to give birth to more babies but I still think they had failed to tackle the root cause and that’s the main reason they failed. In my opinion, I think the root cause of people not having babies are the rising cost of living and the un-proportional increment of Salaries. I guess they know this but since there is not quick fix to it they just try to brush it off.

Salaries are being kept low down (unless you work for certain political party) to makes Singapore attractive to foreign investor. As living standard are high, increasing bus fares, GST.....etc etc. Therefore dual income families are necessary. Childcare system are also not very established. Working hours are not flexible at all and there are no compulsory paternal leaves.

So you see, Singapore is just not a very family orientated country.

Therefore the quickest solution to this is to import “Foreign Talents”.

Currently it is still under control but I sense dormant Social Problems will surfaced in a few years time.

More workers = Good GDP = Good taxes for the Government. Yes we are a Rich country.

We need to maintain the number of workers working and pay their taxes!!

Easy solutin?Raise the retirement age.

How to keep the cost down?

Easy, offer you a lousier job at a cheaper price.

Say today you are a Manager drawing $8000.

At 62, by law the company has to offer you a job. So they offer you a Clerical position at $1200 a month. You have to take the job as you still can’t draw money from you CPF remember?

See where the cheap labors come from?

Personally I don’t mind the raise the retirement age, but I think you should still keep the same pay and benefits if you can’t still perform. I believe this how American Companies (and our cabinets) are doing it.

Today at 62, you retired and draw from you CPF say $700 monthly. You look for a cleaner job which pay you $700 monthly, so you take home $1400 a month.

In the not so far future, at 62 your company offer you a clerical position which pay you $1200 monthly. You have on choice but to take it as you are not drawing any money from your CPF. Total you get $1200 a month.

Are you better off?

The only benefit is the government, they are delaying the payout of your CPF and hope you will die before your CPF runs out.

I foresee the retirement age will be raised to 70 so let say your CPF can last 20 years. You can draw monthly payment till you are 90.

Remember life expectancy is 81. So the government had immediately bought 9 years buffer for themselves and I guess not many people can live up to 90 compare to 81.

The odds had turn favorable for CPF board just like that.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Blood Donation

Few months ago I actually am contemplating to donate blood.

Being a first time donor, I did a little surfing on the net to find out where and how do about doing it. And guess what… I am not eligible to donate as I spend a couple of years in UK. Look like I can never be a blood donor.

So if you are poor Singaporean who never visited Europe. Then we want your blood to save people who had been staying in Europe. Haa… my propaganda.

· Donors who have spent three months or more cumulatively in the United Kingdom from 1980 through 1996 (i.e. from 1 January 1980 through 31 December 1996) will be permanently deferred from any type of blood donation.

· Donors who have spent five years or more cumulatively in France from 1980 to the present will be permanently deferred from any type of blood donation.

· Donors who have lived cumulatively for 5 years or more in Europe (excluding France and UK) from 1980 to the present will be permanently deferred for whole blood donation but they can donate plasma by plasmapheresis only (Provided wt >51 kg and Haemoglobin >12.5 g/dl).


Source From:

http://www.hsa.gov.sg/internet/dcController?next=i_donorcare_question

I find the last point a bit "cock". Say if you go Europe every year for holiday or work for 2 months cumulatively every year. So after 30 years you cannot be a blood donor.

My 2nd Letter to SBS today

With regard to your computer generated replies:

"Our Ref:2007/Jul/0463 Toll-free: 1800-287 2727 Mainline: 6284-8866 Fax: 6282-5204 Website: <http://www.sbstransit.com.sg/>

13/07/2007

Dear Mr Lee

Please refer to your feedback regarding Service 89.

2 We are sorry to learn of the inconvenience caused while waiting for this service.

3 The Manager has noted your concern on the frequency of the service and is monitoring the situation closely. Rest assured that, where it is within our control, we will ensure that buses arrive at regular intervals.

4 Bus captains have also been reminded to try their best to adhere strictly to their time schedules to ensure service reliability.

5 Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

Yours sincerely
Tang May Mayfor Deputy DirectorCorporate CommunicationsSBS Transit Ltd"

The service level of Service 89 had not show significant improvement.

Between 0740 and 0810 today there are 3 buses of which 2 are single deck with people standing at the step of the front door when the buses arrived at Bus stop 77019.

Again please response to my query as per my pervious feedback letter.

Please published the time table for service No.89 as this was no where to be found on your website.

Please explain why single deck buses are used during peak hour.

Please advice is a wait of 45min at peak hour for a passenger within SBS transit KPI.

I hope SBS transit will show some sincerity by replying the letter without using the standard template.

Sick

Last week I was sick for 2 days. A case of gastric flu.

It started on Monday evening, feel a little tummy arch and didn’t really think much about it.

Woke up in the middle of the night as the pain is getting worst but its still bearable. So I decided to go see the doctor the next morning.

Got a day MC and didn’t feel too bad after all.

However things got really bad when I reached. By then my stomach was so painful that can’t moved from the sofa. Try to take the medicine but threw out everything.

It was really like hell I tell you. All together I vomited 4 times in the afternoon and didn’t eat anything at all.

It only got better in the evening.

The next day was better but still not fit for work. So I took another trip to the clinics.