Restaurant Name-Twister

It's always sad to hear of the closure of a restaurant.

In this case, however, we're rather glad that Fung Ding Hung Restaurant has ceased operations since December 2015, so that henceforth, there won't be a repeat of the confusion we encountered.

While checking on the outlets that American Express Platinum was tied up with, American Express Customer Service lady merrily told us that their card will get special discounts at "Din Tai Fung" restaurant.

We were so happy!

After a merry go-round where we were unable to get confirmation from Din Tai Fung directly, it appears that she had gotten confused.  It was "Fung Ding Hung" and not "Din Tai Fung" that American Express was tied up with for dining discounts.

Aigoo aigoo! 

Make us happy for nothing.

Reminder: Update Your CPF Nomination

Finally, the official reply as to why CPF monies not covered by a Will....
....it should have been in the CPF website's FAQ in the first place....



Why CPF monies, share of HDB flats not automatically covered by a willPublished
Dec 24, 2015, 5:00 am SGT

We thank Mr Francis Cheng for his feedback ("Let CPF monies, share of HDB flats be covered by a will"; Dec 12).

Mr Cheng suggested reviewing the Central Provident Fund Act so that CPF monies can be covered by a will, and standardising the manner of holding of HDB flats so that owners can specify in their will how their interest in the flat can be distributed.

First, CPF monies are not meant to be part of a CPF member's estate. This has the advantage of not subjecting the member's CPF savings to his debts upon his death.

This is to protect the member's CPF monies and ensure that the member's dependants receive the monies. Moreover, if CPF monies are distributed according to a will, any disputes arising from the existence and validity of the will may delay the receipt of the CPF monies by the dependants.

It is, therefore, in the interests of both members and their dependants for un-nominated CPF monies to be distributed by a public agency outside of the member's estate, in accordance with intestacy laws.

If the CPF member wants his CPF monies to be distributed in accordance with a will, the member can make a nomination of the same beneficiaries as those under the will. Upon the member's death, the CPF Board will pay the CPF monies to the nominees directly.

Most CPF members who have died had earlier made a nomination, and we continue to encourage members to make a nomination in their lifetime.

Second, on standardising the manner of holding of HDB flats, Mr Cheng has rightly pointed out that the law allows co-owners of HDB flats to hold their property as either joint tenants or as tenants-in-common. This provides flat owners the flexibility to choose the manner of holding of their flat, based on their individual needs and circumstances.

If they would like their interest in the flat to be automatically transferred to their joint tenants, they can opt for joint tenancy.

On the other hand, if they prefer to make a will to specify how their interest in the flat will be distributed, they can opt for tenancy-in-common.

Standardising the ownership would result in flat owners no longer having a choice in the manner of holding of their flat.

Shaun Goh
Director
Income Security Policy Division
Ministry of Manpower

Lim Lea Lea (Ms)
Director (Branch Operations)
Housing and Development Board

◘


Such info should have a permanent place in the FAQs, and then prominent advisories be rendered on a frequent basis as a reminder.  Until now, much of it had been left to public speculation or for the individual to seek answers on their own....



Let CPF monies, share of HDB flats be covered by a will
Published
Dec 12, 2015, 5:00 am SGT

The Ministry of Law and Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board stated that the CPF Act does not recognise wills, and that the distribution of CPF monies must be by official nomination ("CPF monies not covered by a will"; Wednesday).

However, the rationale for this policy was not explained. Elderly and illiterate CPF members may not understand or know the procedures on the distribution of CPF monies upon their death.

The authorities should review the CPF Act and streamline it so that CPF monies can be part of the deceased's estate and covered by his will. This is to make it less of a hassle for his beneficiaries; after all, a will is a legal document.

There is a similar conundrum with HDB flats. If the flat was purchased under joint tenancy, the share of the flat belonging to the dead man automatically goes to the other joint tenants, regardless of whether the dead man left a will.

If the flat was purchased under tenancy-in-common, the dead man's share of the flat will be distributed according to his will or intestacy laws.

What are the reasons behind these different policies?
Tenants can change their flat ownership from joint tenancy to tenancy-in-common if all parties agree. But some owners may not wish to alert the other co-owners on the change, to avoid animosity.

To provide more flexibility to flat owners on how they want their assets distributed, the HDB should standardise ownership of flats to just tenancy-in-common agreements.

Owners can then specify in their will how their share of the flat will be distributed, say, after the death of the other co-owner or if the surviving co-owner sells the flat.

Francis Cheng

Car Insurance

High time the authorities do something.

Car Owners' grief, as reflected in Letters to Straits Times -

||

Must insurer pay out claim if vehicle is not damaged?

Published Nov 4, 2015, 5:00 am SGT

I agree with Mr Kenneth Kong Kitson ("Greater transparency needed in motor insurance claims"; Oct 27).

I was in a similar situation when my car just "touched" the rear bumper of another car.

As there was no damage to either vehicle, I apologised to the other driver and assumed that everything was over and we would each go on our way.

To my surprise, I received a letter from my insurer NTUC Income that a claim had been made against me by the other party for $7,895.95.

I felt that the other party was trying to inflate the costs. So I disputed the amount and submitted photos to prove that there was no damage to the two vehicles.

Income sent me a second letter stating that it had negotiated a settlement with the claimant, and that my no-claim discount would be reduced.

My motor insurance premium would also be loaded as I had been blacklisted as a bad risk.

Must insurance companies pay out in damages even when there is no sign of damage to the other vehicle?

Is an insurance claim warranted when a vehicle merely "touches" another vehicle?

Such payouts are pushing premiums up.

Consumers need to know that insurance companies can be trusted and that they are working for their customers' interests.

Jimmy Lauw Thian Chye

||

Zero tolerance for fraudulent, inflated claims

Published Nov 6, 2015, 5:00 am SGT

Mr Jimmy Lauw Thian Chye asked why NTUC Income paid out a third-party claim in an accident he deemed to be extremely minor ("Must insurer pay out claim if vehicle is not damaged?"; Wednesday).

We agree with Mr Lauw that the initial demand of almost $8,000 from the other driver involved in the accident was excessive.

That was why we negotiated for a much lower amount, including legal fees and miscellaneous charges.

We spoke to Mr Lauw and received his consent before we settled the claim in June last year.

With the claim settlement, Mr Lauw's no-claim discount (NCD) was reduced by 30 per cent.

The details of the NCD are stated clearly in the motor insurance contract, and is a standard practice among all motor insurers.

Regarding Mr Lauw's assertion that his insurance premium would be loaded, he was, in fact, offered a renewal of his motor insurance at the standard premium rate.

It is also untrue that Mr Lauw was "blacklisted as a bad risk" as it is not the practice of NTUC Income to blacklist any motorist due to bad claims experience.

Claiming against another party in a road accident is a civil claim that typically involves costly and time-consuming legal proceedings.

We advise motorists to make road safety their top priority when they are driving.

In the unfortunate event of an accident, it is advisable to settle minor accidents amicably.

For more serious accidents, they should contact their insurers immediately, or as soon as it is safe to do so.

NTUC Income policyholders can engage the help of our Orange Force riders to render assistance at the accident scene.

Under no circumstances should motorists allow their vehicles to be taken away by unknown parties.

Finally, NTUC Income has zero tolerance for fraudulent or inflated claims.

Any suspicious claim will be thoroughly investigated and referred to the authorities once we have sufficient evidence.

Over the years, a number of these cases have been prosecuted in court.

Peh Chee Keong
Vice-President
Motor Insurance
NTUC Income

||

Why was claim paid out when car was not damaged?

Published Nov 16, 2015, 5:00 am SGT

I thank NTUC Income's Mr Peh Chee Keong for his reply ("Zero tolerance for fraudulent, inflated claims"; Nov 6). But a few points bear clarification.

First, I did not willingly agree to any payout, as I was trying to prevent Income from paying out a possibly fraudulent claim. But I was told that if I did not agree to its proposed settlement amount, I would have to represent myself in court to take up the case further.

Not wanting to take over the case myself, I had no choice but to agree with whatever payout Income had decided on.

Second, Mr Peh said I was offered a motor insurance renewal at the standard premium rate.

Before the accident, my insurance premium was $800, but after the accident, it went up to $1,400, even after the 20 per cent no-claim discount (NCD).

I have tried to obtain quotes from various other insurance companies, but was told that since a claim had been made against me, there will be a loading on my future premiums. Does that not make me "blacklisted as a bad risk"?

As the accident was very minor, I did try negotiating with the other party, as I did not want to lose my 50 per cent NCD, but the other party was very unreasonable and wanted an exorbitant amount from me.

From the very outset, I had informed Income many times that the other party would be trying to inflate the claim.

I submitted photos taken after the accident, which supported my contention that there was no damage to both vehicles.

Moreover, how could my vehicle have caused so much damage to the other party's vehicle if there was no damage to mine to warrant any insurance claim?

I appreciate Mr Peh's stand of zero tolerance for fraudulent claims but he still did not address my question: Must insurers pay out claims even if a vehicle is not damaged?

The insurer would not have disagreed with me if it had reviewed the photos I sent them.

Jimmy Lauw Thian Chye

||

Insurers shouldn't pay out claims too readily

Published Nov 17, 2015, 7:06 pm SGT

A few years ago, I experienced an incident similar to Mr Jimmy Lauw Thian Chye's ("Why was claim paid out when car was not damaged?"; Nov 16).

A bigger car reversed into my car and damaged the left rear door which was subsequently replaced.

The other owner, a younger man, apologised to me and suggested that we settle our own repairs without claiming from our insurance policies.

His car was hardly damaged as its spare tyre was mounted externally, at the rear.

I claimed from my insurance company while the other owner engaged a lawyer to make a claim against me.

My insurance company's claims executive called me to inform me that the insurer had agreed to the payout to the other party even after my explanation.

The reason that many claims are paid out by insurance companies is very simple: They do not want to spend money on costly litigation. Any payout can be recovered from clients' increased premiums over the next few years.

Lim Jit Chaing

Mr Tharman and the Jurong Hand-Severing Lift Incident

Exactly what we were thinking, and it takes a brave minister to say it:

"There’s nothing to hide, there must have been something wrong with the lift even if maintenance checks were done,” Mr Tharman told reporters after visiting Mdm Khoo Bee Hua, 85, at the National University Hospital.

There must have been something wrong, so we have to take responsibility. We will wait for the authorised examiner to do an independent report and then make sure on the basis of the report that this never happens again.” — Jurong GRC Member of Parliament and Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Source: Today http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/jurong-town-council-take-responsibility-lift-accident-tharman?sc_customer=952c9467-31d3-4f90-83b8-e9fd114f4f78&sc_src=email&sc_llid=27205&sc_lid=33987208&sc_uid=19xVRsbQ0Q



Wish we had Mr Tharman as our MP when our Ama was beaten up while under observation for dementia at a local hospital in Singapore.

Hospital had tried to cover up; we had lost faith in our district MP; and when we tried to contact the Health Minister, and then the Home Minister for help with housing so the family can stay closer to look after her, we were blocked by the staff.

Ever since then, we realize that in spite of the niceties presented in the media, we are in effect truly on our own when problem arises.

Below are some pics from the 2010 incident which left us, and our Ama severely traumatised, and in perpetual fear thereafter (she was lucid on and off despite dementia)....


Our poor, poor Ama — beaten in the very place we thought would keep her safe....
Till this day, we cry at the thought of it.

Ball formation on hand due to being plucked off shoulder.

Ama was 85 years old at the time of incident.
Her body took a major hit from the beating that arises from the negligence of the Singapore hospital.

Physical injury is visible. The trauma that lives on is unseen.

The perpetrators brought her down to her knees....

The knee area suffers excruciating pain when busted....

Other parts of her body were whacked too, but as the pictures were too graphic, it will not be shown.


When such a thing happens, we really, truly, are on our own.

GrabCar, Uber Brings Relief to Decades-old Taxi Shortage

All the King's Horses and All the King's Men could never solve the critical shortage of taxis in Singapore.

For decades, you can see the look of frustration - some even bordering on panic - in the eyes of locals and tourists alike, as they stood in hour-long queues, or running up and down the road vying with one another for the scarce cab that comes along, all figuring out if they should pay the hefty booking fee or tolerate the one to two hours wait standing in line for a cab.

Then there is the constant "Change Shift" drive-by; the cabs which magically appear around the corner only after you activate the booking fee; disappearing cabs during rainy days; and the cab drivers who put the green sign on yet zoom past on their own errands. 

The scene still persist, but there is noticeable relief for consumers in the more agile alternatives of GrabCar and Uber.

Just hope that competitors rise to the challenge in terms of service standards, and not try to kill a good thing.

American Express ~ Making Life Easier

Customer Service Officers at American Express Hotline are known to provide exemplary standards of customer care.











We put their standards to the test:-

January to September 2015 : 5 stars all the way.

October 2015 : 2 stars.  Polite and helpful.  But gave wrong information.

October 2015: 1 star. Impersonal, promise to call back on wrong information, but went MIA.

New Taxi "Operators" on the Road

Other than Uber, Grab Taxi, and other taxi app services, there appears to be a new class of operators on the road.  We call them "Zippies".

No fear of competition, however, since these cabs have the Green Light on, i.e. no passengers, yet choose not to stop.  No matter how we hail, they simply zip by blatantly, thus we call them "Zippies".

We hope this is not a new tactic to beat the authorities at their game, because ever since the Land Transport Authority (LTA) impose taxi availability standards for the major operators (Comfort, CitiCab, TransCab and Premier), we are experiencing an increase of taxis driving around with Green Light on and not picking up passengers, where prior to this, they would have the Red "Hired" sign on to indicate that they are not available.

The current taxi availability mileage counters that monitor the minimum daily mileage of 250 km that the cabbies have to log in, may not be sufficient to curb some cabbies' habit of using their cabs for private use.

POSB's Puzzling Overseas Spend Promotion

Despite voicing the puzzle to POSB Hotline, there has been no clarity to this computation in relation to POSB's 2% rebate for Overseas Spend.

Promotion link:-
https://www.posb.com.sg/personal/cards/credit-cards/posb-everyday-card


In the promo link, it says:-

Get 2% Cash Rebate on your Overseas Spend
Your POSB Everyday Card now lets you enjoy more savings when you travel. Charge to your POSB Everyday Card when you travel and get 2% cash rebate⁵ on your overseas spend!

However, in the T&C, it says:-

Full terms and conditions

5.   Subject to a minimum total spend of S$1,000 on your POSB Everyday Card within the same calendar month and capped at Daily$10 per Card account per month (effective 01 February 2015).

?!?

First off, to qualify for the promo, spending $1,000 is a must.

So happily, you would think that you are getting $20 as rebate based on the promo of 2% on $1,000.

However, according to the T&C, your rebate is capped at $10 (Daily$10 per Card account per month).

So after spending a minimum of $1,000 to qualify for the 2% rebate promo, you can only get a maximum of $10 rebate.

The effective rebate is therefore 1% and not 2%, as claimed in the promo.

The Customer Service Officer agrees with me.
I've asked for a revert confirmation from POSB Marketing in May.

But there has been no clarification till now.

Furniture Movers

Yesterday was a day of drama.

Auntie Pearl finally got the key to her resale apartment, and a mover was supposed to move her furniture from the apartment she sold to the one she bought. 

Repeated queries as to whether he can handle two truckload's worth of furniture met with no objection.  In the end, despite us waiting till close to midnight, the mover was a no-show.

A blessing in disguise because when we opened the door to the resale apartment, we had the shock of our life.  Bundled up black plastic bags and items were strewn everywhere.  The stench of musty, old stuff was pervasive throughout the house.  This was surprising because the house had looked and smelled completely different during house viewing day.  Guess we didn't eyeball each nook and corner and sniffed enough during house viewing.  Now it look like we had wandered into a hoarder's smelly compound.

Either the seller ran out of timeline to clear the space, or simply junk the stuff onto us. 

It took us a full night to clear just one portion of the seller's loot, sufficient to create space for the furniture to be shifted in.  As it turns out, it took another few days to complete clearing the loot from every room.  That's how much stuff was left behind for us to clear.

We are lucky that the gentlemen who bought Auntie Pearl's house was obliging enough to allow the massive haul of furniture to reside there though the house now belongs to him, till we locate a new mover. Many movers could not fulfill last minute requests or would charge a premium.

Thankfully, mover Jervis (Mobile 94899985) came to the rescue, moving the stuff across the very next day.  His team of workers were polite and resilient despite the two truck's loads of hard work.

Now, our journey towards turning this house into a livable space begins..

Ceiling Fans Review

After years of living with various types of ceiling fans (12'x12' rooms), these are the ones we wish to avoid --

Ceiling fans with Dome Light

Translucent dome light shade blocks off the glare but that means lighting is not sufficient bright.


Ceiling fans with Individual Light Bulbs

The light bulbs need constant replacing as compared to bulbs which are fixed onto walls or ceilings.

Every brand of ceiling fans or light bulbs that we change to promises that theirs won't see incidence of constantly fused or blown bulbs.  But with each change, out of four bulbs that are fixed to the base of the ceiling fan, only one or two would finally remain.  And the remaining ones eventually blew up faster than those fixed onto concrete surfaces.  We read that the bulbs fixed onto ceiling fans sees constant vibration as the blades move, thereby shortening their life span.  In fact, Philips refused to replace our light bulb despite their one-year warranty, because it was fixed onto a ceiling fan and not on solid surface.


Ceiling fans with any sort of light attachment

Finally got tired of the 3-switch options: On once for light; click twice for fan; click thrice for light and fan.

Just want to go back to the simple life when one flip of the switch puts the light on, while another dedicated switch deals a one-time activation of the fan.


Other aspects

We tend to think that more blades is better.  But we are beginning to realize that five blades do seem to add clutter to the already small space.  We also do not seem to use the topmost speed so we should do fine with lesser blades.

Research indicates that three or four blades may be the optimum number of blades for best air moving performance.  Five blades may be less efficient due to the higher aerodynamic drag on the motor.  Coincidence or not, our five-bladed fans see more breakdown than our friends' three-bladed fans.  More blades to clean as well. 

For a 12"x12" room, Reka offered us a 56-inch ceiling fan when their 42-inch stock ran out. They didn't charge extra.  However, it was a mistake to accept the free upsizing. The rooms looks overwhelmed. The noise level appears "upsized" as well.  Its only saving grace are the acrylic blades, which maintains well and has good blade pitch that moves the air well.


The above reviews are based on the following brands: Mountain Air | Reka | Crestar. 

An electrician friend recommends that we go for the made-in-Japan KDK brand in our next replacement.

Irresponsible Cab Driver

Mid-way through the journey, this cab driver started to frantically chomp on lozenges.

Oh-oh.

A sign he's trying to suppress a cough.

Nearing the last leg of the journey, he couldn't suppress it no more and coughed violently to the extent we thought the cab was going to crash. 

We were too nice to tell him we want out - right there and then. 
Bad mistake. 

To cover the awkwardness, he struggled to talk about how he was cheated with fake US dollars followed by another cheat who ran off in the middle of Chinatown's heavy traffic.  You could hear from his shaky voice that he was not well.  He shouldn't be driving.

He spread the cough virus of course, causing us a loss of 3 days' work as we lay bedridden.

Before he picked us up, he must have coughed and coughed to his heart's content.  By the time we boarded the cab, it must have been infused with virus.

Very irresponsible.

Harvey Norman

Different quotation offered by different branches.

So far, they have attracted loads of purchases from us through attractive sales discounts and service level.

Cameras / lenses / PCs - they are willing to beat out the competition!
Often successfully!

Gain City

On occasions when we are able to seek out the more efficient managers or sales representatives at Gain City stores, we manage to obtain very competitive pricing on home appliances and electronics.  Far lower prices than even their sale at expos.

Run your quotations through them whenever you have big purchases.

Challenger Online

Overall good experience shopping via Challenger Online.

The range of items and its quantity remains much less than that offered directly at their stores.

This is generally the case with most retailers here.

The first major retailer or supermarket who can somehow sync their online and in-store facilities seamlessly, would undoubtedly capture a larger share of the market.

Mount Kinabalu Disaster

Deepest condolence to those who lost the lives of precious ones.

Natural disasters can hit like a bolt out of the blue.
But there appears to be risk-avoidance issues here.

First impression when we heard about Tanjong Katong Primary School kids being trapped at the mountain was disbelief.  Mount Kinabalu proper — as in not the outskirts but right on the mountain itself?  Primary 6 — as in Primary School — as in 12-year-olds? 

Wait a minute.  It can't be. 

Primary School kids are under-aged for this type of terrain. Is it motivated by a case of up-man-ship — where one has to look to more and more extreme activities to stand out from the rest?

At that age, there are so many more suitable adventurous places where one can receive experiences of impact.

This reminds of the South Korean Ferry Disaster where school kids (and their parents) look up to the school authorities to ensure a safe journey, but safety protocol was lacking.

Schools are given a lot of autonomy these days. 
There's good and bad.

The last time we dispute one school's approach on a certain subject, we were told they know best.

Do they?

OCBC 360 Deposit Account

The last time Standard Chartered bank did a promo similar to this, our heads spin 180 degrees. Who has time to grabble with all the rules, and terms & conditions?  And with this kind of promotions, there is always tallying to do.  That can take days because it isn't unheard of that in the end, the tallies doesn't add up, leading to a flurries of call and emails to Customer Service hotline.  That is, if you have the patience to deal with the robotic "Press 1", "Press 2" instructions, and in the case of banks which are also resource-constrained, it is often a long wait before a human come on board to help.

For those with the time and inclination to pursue its many guideposts, the latest "Wake Up Your Money" OCBC promotion is better than letting idle money lie in a close-to-zero interest rate account.

For us, our heads already spin 360 degrees staring at this OCBC 360 deposit account ad.

Call us goons for skipping any chance to wake up our money, but we are trying to de-stress, not throw in more hassles into our already over-worked life.

GST-exemption for Singaporeans flying home

7% GST is exempt for $150 if a Singaporean travel out of Singapore for less than 48 hours.

7% GST is exempt for $600 if a Singaporean travel out of Singapore for more than 48 hours.


Source: www.customs.gov.sg

The Affliction of Amos Yee

High IQ - Low EQ.

That's the deadly combo Amos Yee is afflicted with.

He is in need of good mentorship that could transform the current EQ coding that causes him to self-destruct.




"Hello!!" Amos said in this YouTube greeting. 

But it's going to be "Goodbye!!" if he doesn't get his act together.

M1, StarHub Explore Legal Action Against Singtel

No surprises for many honest bloggers when we read Xiaxue's exposé on the rampant and irresponsible means applied by some bloggers who are lured by benefits.  Some of the relatively unheard of bloggers have site statistics that do prompt curiousity. 

Doing research before engaging a service or buying any product takes time, and it is such a drain on genuine customers who take the trouble to diligently comb the net for true user opinions, only to land up with fakes reviews that stands in the way of obtaining the solution that one seeks.

Xiaxue's http://xiaxue.blogspot.sg/2015/03/the-big-gushcloud-expose-2_14.html has now moved on to Gushcloud campaign for SingTel that understandably makes M1 and StarHub see red.



Our user experience with M1

We use M1 for our mobile phone lines, and all these years, our interaction with them is very less because their services simply function without incident, except for an odd incident here and there (involving some roaming setting or some add-ons) which they easily rectify.. ..well, without much incident.  As long-time M1 mobile customers, we have never come across the degree of foul-ups that the bloggers (they are a.k.a. influencers?) claim are their regular encounters with M1 reception. If true, we are curious what transpired with their calls to M1 Customer Services.  Presumably, one don't just put up quietly with foul services and not even bother to call or approach the Telco.

We do get a lot of temptations to switch over to other Telcos.  Thus far, M1 has been able to lure us back during their Fairs.


Our user experience with StarHub

We use StarHub for cable TV.  They are the best.  No experience with their mobile services.


Our user experience with SingTel

We use SingTel for broadband and fibre plan, and there's been loads of disconnect issues, that has by now become routine for us. And yes, we have tons of text and taped conversations via SingTel customer hotline over this issue so this is legit user experience. 

The only factor that kept us with them all these years is their good and responsive customer service.
 
Otherwise, the modem that they provide (which we suspect is the cause of all these years of disconnect issues) needs an upgrade.  In fact the internet went down again in the midst of posting this.. ..!?!! We need go reset the ONT & Modem again.. ..!?!!

Rude Staff @ Old Chang Kee

Don't companies train their service staff anymore?  At least in basic courtesy?

We were at Funan yesterday, and decided to grab some snacks at Old Change Kee outlet near the entrance.

I asked for 2 crab nuggets, and 1 Curry O, which is their regular curry puff.  I then recall that they do occasionally carry the new crab curry puff, and proceeded to ask if there is crab curry puff.  If there is, I wanted to add in one to my order.

The young punk behind the counter rolled her eyes at me and with an utter look of exasperation, rudely screeched out: "So do you want Curry O or do you want crab puff?"

"I want one each. Why? Is there a policy that says I cannot buy two different types of curry puffs?" I shot back.

She ignored my question, and with a sour face, grabbed one crab puff.

"What a rude service!" I told her.

Instead of apologizing, she turned to the cash machine and counted the change aloud.

She was the only one manning the counter, but we were the only customers till someone else joined in as we were about done, so there wasn't a long queue pressing on her.  It wasn't closing time either, so why was she in a hurry to get rid of us?  And our order only total up to 4 pieces, not 40 pieces.  There wasn't any dragging on our part where she has to wait for us to make decisions, and as a result become impatient.

Perhaps it's due to the shortage of service manpower that creates a situation where the staff thinks everyone else is reliant on them to survive and therefore have to be subservient to his/her moods and attitude.

Or perhaps because she is not local, and doesn't abide by service expectations?

I should have scolded her in Mandarin, since she was pretending not to hear my words in English language.

Old Chang Kee, you are getting lax with your staff!

Those Pesky Credit Card Annual Fees

Time is central to everything else in this universe.

We have learnt to respect time a little more this year than in past years.

And when it comes to keeping a lookout for credit card's annual fees, and the subsequent process of reversals that would be involved, the savings in time takes precedent over the savings in monetary rebates from credit cards which do not offer outstanding value benefits. 

Because life is busy in every other aspects, it helps too to remove this one bit of hassle.

We keep those cards which do not charge. It's a plus to never have to worry about forgetting to reverse annual fees.  Peace!

Citibank Statements

Now that Citibank is no longer tied up with Tangs, we are thinking of giving up their other credit cards. That would leave us with Citibank-M1 card only.

Reason?

Citibank has the most unattractive monthly statement set in monotonous grayscale that's a pain to read.  Somehow, the presentation reminds of an accounts ledger, and who likes to be reminded that checking through credit card statements is as much a chore as going through bookkeeping sequences?

It gets worse when you have more than one credit card with them.  To make out the head and tail, you have to mark it out on your own.

The other banks are able to produce statements that are way better.

Typically Citibank.

Took us years of feedback to finally see that their log-in no longer has that dreadful on-screen keypad that nobody likes — even if it is for security reasons.

It would probably take us another few years of feedback before we see an improvement in their current statement interface.  We kinda run out of steam - and patience - on this one.

Taken — Cat vanish into thin air

Kinderella, an outdoor cat that calls the compound of an East Coast private block home, has gone mysteriously missing after the new year.

Docile, playful, furry creature, yet inexplicably, there were a rare few who hate the sight of this cat.

No response to missing posters with reward offers, and with 2 other cats also missing at the same time, it appears to be a coordinated wave of catnapping.

What could have happened?
• Cat hater drove it far off where it could never find its way back.
• Crushed by moving vehicle and body dumped.
• Locked accidentally in a garage or some other holding area.
• Adopted. Unlikely because of the cat's strong outdoor instincts.
• Captured for lab tests or for its fluffy fur.  Unlikely.
• Captured by cat-eating homo sapiens? Hopefully not. Horror tales a year ago has died down. 

Neutered cat but it has no ID tag.  Microchip to reunite the cat with its beloved caretakers has not returned the cat to its favorite spot.

Its tough being an urban cat in Singapore.