It was my second visit since I bought my iPhone in November 2008. The first “attempt to repair” was only 3 months after I used my iPhone. Somehow the motion sensor did not work very well. I had to wait for close to an hour to be served.

What I was more furious than having to wait was the nonchalance of the staff. She used the torchlight and shone onto both ends of my phone and said:“Oh..the liquid indicator is activated, that means your phone has been exposed to water. Because of that, your warranty is VOID. You can replace your phone with our DISCOUNTED PRICE – SGD 950.”

“Huh?? That’s it? I don’t think I am stupid enough to “immerse” my phone in the water!”
*carefully brushed off any dust on my phone* “You see, I take good care of my phone! It is all wrapped up!!”

She just shrugged her shoulders and asked me to replace. I felt so accused!! But knowing that there was no point to argue with her, she was only asked to do this SOP with her TINY TORCHLIGHT.

Miraculously, my phone went back to normal after 1 week.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago, it decided to act crazy again. My iPhone refused to detect any wireless network. Well, iPhone is useless if it is not able to connect to internet so I traveled half way through Singapore to Singtel repair center again.

Believe it or not, this was the queue that was in front me of (minus the long queue behind me)

At first, I thought the queue was waiting to get a Q-number. Then I saw this banner.

Obviously, there were SO MANY people taking their iPhone for repair.

While I was waiting, I observed how the staff handled the cases. Similarly, they used their tiny torches to look at the indicator and said:“It is activated, hence the warranty is void…” Then, followed by grumbles, @#*(#$&*#, and lots of arguments from the customers. This repeats xx times.

A very demure and polite lady who queued behind me tapped on my shoulder and asked softly:“This is the queue for iPhone repair right.”

“Yup! What’s wrong with your phone?”

She showed me her phone. The buttons on the side was gone.

“Wow…what happened?”

“I don’t know. They just decided to fall off one day. I thought it was still under warranty so I could get it repaired.”

“Mm…just to mentally prepare you..you may need to get it replaced. Look there, (point towards the counter) if they found that your liquid indicator is activated, your warranty is void.”


“But the buttons came off, nothing to do with the liquid indicator right?”

“Well..” I shrugged my shoulders.

When my turn came, exactly as I thought, I was told to replace my phone. The staff didn’t even bother to check through my phone. The indicator said it all. I thought I was pretty prepared but I felt so accused again. This time, I need to pay SGD 350 to replace it. The price has dropped from 950 to 350 in 5 months!! Worst thing was, it is out of stock! Too many people need to replace their phones. -_-

Of course, the demure lady after me raised her voice and argued till the cow came home.

Obviously, too many replacements that I had to be put on waiting list. I wonder how valid the indicator is. It said it will not be activated by change of temperature and humidity but how do we know for sure if it isn’t just a “design gimmick” to be excused from manufacturing flaws due to the mass production to meet the extreme high demands when it was first launched?

If you do a search, you can find many who have the similar complaints about the same issue.

I miss my Nokia phone. Went into the toilet bowl twice and was still able to function well until I replaced him with this OH-SO-SENSITVE-AND-FRAGILE iPHONE! *ROAR*!!

Posted under Life documentaries | [7] Comments 

I spent 18 years in Malaysia and I never watch the national parade, not even on the TV. My family is never keen to celebrate national day.

After I left Malaysia for Australia, I celebrated Australia Day for several years. I can sing Australia national anthem -”Advance Australia Fair” without lyrics.

It was my friends who invited me passionately each year to celebrate and to share the Australian spirit with me, together with other races. I wondered how one could be so patriotic and SO IN LOVE with his country.

Did not take any photo at Singapore national day firework.This was taken at Perth Royal Show

Now I am in Singapore and it just celebrated its 44th birthday. As usual, I was never keen to celebrate any national day. But this year, Don passionately invited me to watch the parade at Clark Quay, where a huge projection screen was set up with live footage from Marina Bay. Of course, the highlight was the fireworks that blast in the sky. Thousands of people squeezed together just get a good place “to stand” to watch the firework.

When the pledge moment came, everyone stood and put their right hand on the chest. I was also asked to stand up.

It was a weird moment. Looking at all the Singaporeans beside me saying the pledge out loud and their heads held high..I wondered why I never had so much “spirit” for my country before. Tear rolled down from my eyes.

After that, I told Don. “It’s great to see that you are so IN LOVE with your country. I wish I could do the same.”

As much as I wanted to be IN LOVE with my country, I just do not why it is so tough. Each time I pick up the newspaper to read the news in Malaysia, I never fail to be heartbroken. I have since stopped reading the “comics” on the newspaper.

Lousy decisions made for “personal economic advantages”. There were right people doing the right things for the country, but were condemned for some reasons. Seeing more and more people leaving the country, I wondered if the government is doing anything “helpful” to bring them back.

I do feel confused about my identity as a Malaysian sometimes. I know I am one but just don’t feel like one. I’m glad that I still have some friends in Singapore who are “originally” from Penang. It is only when we hang out together, the sense of being a “Penangite” comes back to me….

I am so confused..

Posted under Life documentaries | [3] Comments 

Yesterday, I came across a counter at TANGS that sells “diamond stimulants“. In another words, man made diamonds.

A 0.7 carat diamond only costs $69! Frankly, I can’t differentiate the real from the man made ones. According to the promoter, it was better than cubic zirconia (another kind of man made diamond) because it could not be easily destroyed by high temperatures.

I hopped over to a “real” diamond shop soon after to compare what I just saw. The 0.7 carat over there cost $24,000! I think they looked equally “shiny”.

A question was directed to me later the evening.

“Will you accept the proposal if the guy proposed with a fake diamond ring?”

Wow..frankly, I have never taken such a long time to answer a question in my life so far. Well, below is my VERY PERSONAL OPINION. No offence to anyone, just something that I reflected deeply on my own.

1) I think the word “FAKE” has a VERY NEGATIVE connotation. Like it or not, FAKE is always being perceived as deception, phony, pretender, cheat, manipulation and the list goes one. So my immediate answer to that question is NO. Just because how the word is placed in the context.

2) But when I think again, if the FAKE is replaced by “man made“, perhaps, I would take slightly longer to respond. The word “man made” carries a less “criminal” tone and context. Then it motivated me to think even deeper.

3) First, do I want him to spend a lump sum of money on a “ZERO VALUE” stone than something more practical? I was told by so many people that diamond has no resale value. If he could afford it, OK. But what if he can’t?

4) Does size really matter?

5) Does whatever cut/certificate matter? I know there is princess cut, and whatever-heart-arrow-poke-my-heart cut. Then the price also depends on what “certification” the diamond has…VII or don’t-know-what cert.

6) Then there is GRADE and COLOUR! Grade A – er…Z? The price also differs from grade to grade.

7) Frankly speaking, how many could tell if it is a grade A or E? Besides having a printed visual that the promoter put in your face that “clearly” shows the distinct colour of each grade. -_-

8.) Who on earth said it must be a TIFFANY RING!!?? I got that a lot from women and it started to get on my nerves! “Ohh…it is the blue box!! You’re so lucky!” (fyi: tiffany box is blue..) How could one tell whether the ring you wears is Tiffany? Unless it is printed with “monograms” all over like LV bags.

9) So why diamond deserves such a “high class” as compared to other stones?

10) WHO says proposal ring MUST HAVE DIAMOND?

I think it all comes down to INTENTION. If he wants to get a “GIGANTIC DIAMOND” but can’t afford it, thus bought a fake one..tsk tsk tsk.

But HANG ON! Isn’t it all about the marketing gimmick that made us believe that DIAMOND RING is A MUST for proposal? A stone that binds people together, the “real” and “genuine” stone that signifies “true” and “genuine” marriage?

Who gets to decide which kind of stone is more precious and valuable than others? Marketing….

My postgraduate research also deals with building perception. Designer has the power to change human’s perception, relationship and interaction with THINGS. That’s why most of us ended up buying things that we don’t need and the world keeps telling us that we NEED MORE.

That’s how we push our economy. People are told to buy/need more, hence have to earn more. To earn more, you have to work more. The vicious cycle. New shopping malls, the Singapore Integrated Resort, airport terminals that are packed with shops and campaigns to promote spending….

How do we differentiate NEED and DESIRE?

So I guess the whole diamond ring thing is just another object (just like every other possessions) that we are told that is mandatory. Ultimately, it is up to us to choose if we want to make it “compulsory”, as long as we could settle the differences (of desire and need) and accept it in our heart, and not be shaken by others. Just so when your friends or aunties came to ask you:”Eh?? HOW COME NO DIAMOND RING??!!!“, then you know what to stand for and be secure about it.

Just curious, a question to the lady, are you OK with a proposal ring without diamond? How about man made diamond?

Posted under Thoughts & musings | [11] Comments