Casino

And so the Decision has been made - Not one but two intergrated resorts with the casino will be built.

The State Government has announced the decision after a year long debate, following the main focus of their discussions as economically driven.

While the social costs had been a major source of debate, including possible gambling addictions and family breakups, it seemed more like a debate between possible worries versus possible economic benefits.

The Press has released detailed reports of how the Casinos, together with the integrated resorts, will create up to 35,000 jobs for Singaporeans with expected $1.5 billion in investments. What set me thinking was - How? On what basis was this figure calculated? By the investments in infrastructure? The projected costs of building the 2 integrated resorts were between $2 - $3 billion for both Marina Bayfront and Sentosa. However, the size of Marina Bayfront would only be 12.2 hectares while Sentosa would be 47 hectares. Such a startling contrast.

35,000 jobs created. Would they be completely filled by only Singaporeans? Would our own local people face discrimination from their parents or relatives who snuff at the ills of gambling and threaten to disown their children who tries to work in a casino? Would the casino be adopting a standard wage scale for their employees?

A Council of Gambling would be set up to look into the progress and perhaps administer necessary actions or policies to assist in the possible social consequences of gambling. While the decision has been announced, no mention has been made about any policies to help curb gambling addictions. Personal Observation? The debate was more economically driven than anything else. Earn the money first, we'll talk about social costs in the process.

And the structures that were going to be built - Who were the main investors? Is it going to be state-subsidised? Will the State have a share in these investments?

The focus of the next generation's income appears to be shaping towards Tourism and the Arts. Singapore had always been reputed as a Country that provides excellent service, now the State aims to upgrade the service industry to a new level. It's called the Entertainment Industry. Think of the relaxation on Bar-top dancing, the American Idol following the Singapore Idol, the focus on street dancing and the Busking Activities. Now, the Casino. A process had been slowly unravelled.

Perhaps I should consider launching a new degree programme called Degree in Public Entertainment with majors like Clowning, Acrobatics and Dance with modules like Pole Dancing PD1101 and Advanced Body Flirting BF2203. I'm sure it'll gain recognition someday.

Self-Service

Dearest apologies for the recent absence again, I'm currently enjoying a long holiday but the excitement has gone to my head and I've almost forgot about my blog.

This article was posted on the Straits Times recently [Tues, 12th April 2005]

Guilty as Charged: Tricked into self-service
By Nicols Fox


I extracted the following excerpts for references:

"..My children would shrink into their coats while people stared disapprovingly if I tried to abandon a cluttered table. In fact, it was a manifestation of the Great Labour Transfer. Companies that had already applied every possible efficiency to their businesses were looking for other ways to cut costs and saw an entirely new pool of workers who did not have to be paid. Call them - consumers."

"..Ordinary people, it seemed, could operate petrol pumps without causing explosions. They could check their own oil. They could fill their tyres. They could then be persuaded to complete their purchases with a swipe of a card and be out of the way quickly without any human being at all."

"..Some of them even seemed to prefer to do the work themselves.. and began to look down upon those people who still wanted to be served."

"..A good part of the increase in productivity during the last 2 decades can be credited to the Great Labour Transfer. We have taken on more than anyone ever thought possible.."

"..Someday, consumers will become passive refuseniks or revolt. Or they will simply collapse with exhaustion, unable to take on more task."


The writer is the author of Against The Machine: The Hidden Luddite Tradition in Literature, Art and Individual Lives.
Copyright: New York Times Syndicate.


So it seems that the culture in America is DIY, a stark contrast to our Singaporean culture where a browsing sweep around any fast food restaurants and you see cluttered tables everywhere. Ironically I am one of the few who throws the food into the nearest bin and places the tray on top. I get smiles from the elderly staff on duty and once in a while weird looks from some teenager.

Now the author's main point is that the future of the Service Level will be reduced to automation. In fact, you do see it happening in Singapore. Think of the AXN and SAM Machines where you can pay your bills and purchase your movie tickets and even book a chalet. Think - Are we able to choose our seats if we were to queue up really early? Are we able to choose a chalet unit with easy access to the rear gate or the resort facilities? What happens then when the Machine prints the message "Out of order" what will we do next? Call the technician?

Think of the new National Library {NLB) and you see rows of signboards with clear signs indicating which section contains what kind of books. Unfortunately, I had to help an old lady once to find her grandson in the library. She got lost trying to move around. The only Service Staff were located at the Enquiry Counters and they could not provide immediate assistance. What happens then if you have a foreign tourist who could not understand english unfortunately and wandered into our spanking new and beautiful library located at the busiest areas of Singapore like Orchard and the Esplanade?

The Civil Service has also introduced plans to remove the Service Counters over the next few years, so the only kind of service that can be provided will only be via email or at best telephone service. A classmate of mine mockingly joked about it saying,"Yeah, thats lip service for you alrite."

One final question therefore looms in our minds - To what extent is automation expected to assist Customer Service and not take its place? The Human touch afterall is still the most formidable weapon in any Service Industry and I believe thats what our Service Industry has been providing. We still have to consider the effectiveness not just the efficiency.

Enough blogging for today - A new topic has loomed inside my head and I will publish it soon.

Present

Celebrated Crystal's birthday last Saturday, the planning and the co-ordinating almost drove me nuts for the celebrating group was having packed schedules and exams were just around the corner not to mention project deadlines to be met before the actual examinations.

Thankfully things pulled together [somehow] and she was rewarded with a pleasant surprise when I escorted her through the glass doors of O'Brien @ Holland Village, with the dim lighting of the restaurant providing the perfect ambience for the lighted birthday cake awaiting her at far corner of the restaurant. Her smile was priceless as I watched from the corner of my eye, a slow smile playing on my lips. Her non-stop laughter from the teasing and birthday wishes that streamed continously from the group of friends around her. Later in the night after I left her void deck [I accompanied the lady home], she messaged me that the group wanted her to thank me on their behalf for making all this possible and she felt really blessed because this was the first time in her life someone really took the effort to plan everything from the venue to the present to surprise party. Well, her delight was reward enough for me.

Wanna share in her birthday present as well? ^-^



Basically it's an mp3 player called i-audio [Korean Brand] which boasts of highly advanced functions like Equalizer [EQ], something which is lacking in most MP3 Players because this possess the ability to fine-tune the mp3s so that they sound much better on this particular player. FM Recording has different speeds to download the song so that you can vary the quality of the song [so that it's smaller in file size] yet fine-tune it with the EQ to make it sound just as good as any CD-Quality mp3 song. Alright, enough of advertising. You can check out more details on their website.

What peeved me slightly though was a particular shop assistant sitting behind a counter glass showcase who presented with me bad service [I often have this unconcious comparison of staff's level of service], browsing around Sim Lim Square for the suitable mp3 player when I walked into his shop.

Myself: Hi, I'm looking for an mp3 player. Do u have any good recommendations?
Staff: [nonchalant tone] What you want for mp3 player.

Myself: Well I'm not sure but I'm probably having a budget of about $180.
Staff: [Uninterested] I don't have much models for you.

Myself: Is there any models you could recommend me?
Staff : [Points to some models displayed on glass case] All here.

I left without another word.

As I continued browsing along Sim Lim Square I walked into another shop and was greeted by a young-looking counter staff who smiled as I walked up.

I was feeling much more hopeful suddenly.

Myself: Hi, I'm looking for an MP3 Player but I'm limited. Any recommendations?
Staff: [Short Cheerful Laugh] No worries, what's your budget?

Myself: I could afford about $180 and I'm not sure what to look for.
Staff: Come, come. Let me show you my models then.

He proceeded to explain several models of Mp3 Players from China, Taiwan and the most notably Creative models from Singapore. What impressed me is he proceeded to explain the various aspects of each Mp3 Player in comparison to the rest. The final conclusion? I bought the Korean i-audio Mp3 Player at $215 which is beyond my budget but I guess I'm a sucker for good service. Following that I went back to the previous shop and walked to the same staff, he seemed surprised to see me come back. I smiled and pointed the same i-audio G3 model and asked how much. He gave a price of $220 with GST included, I told him flatly I have been offered $200 with GST from a shop downstairs. He pondered carefully for quite a while and pressed the calculator furiously and gave me the final price of $210. I smiled and showed him the package and said, "If you had offered me good service earlier, I would have bought this from you for $215. Take Care."

His expression was priceless as well.

I'm glad a friend of mine shares the same sentiments as me.

Perhaps I should be wearing a shirt and tie since I was dressed in T-shirt and jeans and carrying a sports sling bag looking every bit the poor shopper.





I am surprised that my dance class has a recent celebrity joining, guess he wants to learn to dance well.