Sunday, September 25, 2005

American Association Jazz Night - Video clip







Saturday, September 24, 2005

Who is themediaslut?

DisorderRating
Paranoid Personality Disorder:Low
Schizoid Personality Disorder:Low
Schizotypal Personality Disorder:Moderate
Antisocial Personality Disorder:Moderate
Borderline Personality Disorder:Low
Histrionic Personality Disorder:Very High
Narcissistic Personality Disorder:High
Avoidant Personality Disorder:Low
Dependent Personality Disorder:Moderate
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:Low

-- Take the Personality Disorder Test --
-- Personality Disorder Info --

www.themediaslut.com server down

The server host at threenetworks.com has been down since tuesday night (21 Sept) and so far the person in charge has been promising to look into the matter since has not come back to me about a solution.

Its already Saturday morning (24 Sept) and still no response from the person in charge.

themediaslut is seriously thinking of moving to another server space on monday and ask for a refund + interest.

Sunday, September 18, 2005

Agencies favourites for Cisco Systems a/c

themediaslut overhead in the grapevine that Cisco Systems AP office has invited several agencies for pitches for its Singapore account.

However, some of these agencies have existing clients that could put them rank outsiders and almost impossible.

themediaslut ranks the favourites base on these agencies market talk.

Favourites

Edelmen - Possible conflict against their Symbol account. But Symbol comparatively small a/c compared to Cisco and might drop the former.

Outsiders

Burson Mastella - Handles HP Enterprise accounts. Maybe have conflict, may not have. Doesn't handle HP Procurve networking account. Cisco Systems also have HP as their partners. So might not be an issue.


Almost impossible

Text100 - Juniper Networks is one of their biggest clients and the vendor has close relationship with the AP bosses..

Hill & Knowlton - Handles HP Procurve account hence totally in conflict with Cisco Systems.

Strange

Big PR brand, FLEISHMAN HILLARD, is missing from the invitation to pitch.

themediaslut wonders why.


Know of any other PR agencies pitching for this account. email the.one@themediaslut.com



Sunday, September 11, 2005

TRICK from french mag MAX

If HOTmail every needed a new model, TRICK will be one that can beat GMAIL...



TRICK from french mag MAX








themediaslut will never get the birds and the bees wrong this time!

TRICK from french mag MAX







New dengue fighter?

TRICK from french mag MAX







themediaslut says, "I wonder what Mrs Santa will say of Santa's new assistant."

TRICK from french mag MAX

One of my girlfriends got me this mag during her visit to France recently.

I wonder why they never never have TRICKS on FHM or MAXIM here in this little red dot..









themediaslut,"I bet Superman never had this problem."

P-Origami


Origami, originally uploaded by The Media Slut.

The french uses the Euro 20.... guess that's what it is worth..

Sure makes a good bar trick!

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Top 3 photos at themediaslut flickr site





No of views: 119










No of views: 86











No of views: 54

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Elephant Buffet


Elephant Buffet, originally uploaded by The Media Slut.

No.. don't worry, I am not adding elephant meat to my exotic menu. Saw this picture in the Bangkok Post today..

Its to celebrate Thai Elephant Day. The elephants, all 70 of them, are given grass, sugarcane, banana, pineapple, coconut (could have given them some of my kaya), sticky rice and watermelon.

70 Thai Elephants having a high fiber diet... Can you imagine the amount of Poo they going to produce? Looks like a certain part of Chiang Mai's Mae Rim District will be full of shit, literally..

Porting some old blog entries over 2


Menu, originally uploaded by The Media Slut.

Some exotic delicacies I had over the years...

Porting some old blog entries over 3

I left Cisco System To Become A...

1. Pool Cleaner

I have to clean my swimming pool behind the office daily now. Start off at 7am in the morning to fish net out the floating debris.. usually can find some flying insects that drown from drinking too much water, or fallen leaves and tree bark. Those water sking insects are hard to catch though.. but if you clean the rest of the debris, they don't really have much food source and they leave..

This is followed by switching on the filter and have to start vaccuming the floor. The vaccumm is best done when in water.

This is just one pool. Imagine if I have to clean 14 swimming pools... Why did I leave Cisco?

2. Snorkerlling Guide

The beach outside have very nice smooth sand further out but you have to go through some rough sand first. Further out, there is a dying coral reef but there still fishes swimming around the coral. It can be quite nice especially in early morning when the sun is bright and shinning. However, before the corals, there is a seaweed patch which you have to skillfully guide through, otherwise you wil itch..

Hence, if there are guests to the office and would like to see the corals, I have to guide them out to find the corals. Did it today when I got to bring a girl from BKK to look at the coral so had to guide her.. in the hot afternoon sun.. so why did I leave Cisco again?

3. Cook

I have been cooking lately to save some money. Made Bak Kut Teh, but was too salty.. added too much salt.. Also did Herbal Chicken Soup today... no choice but got to finish it up myself.. So why did I leave Cisco again?

Porting some old blog entries over 2

Come On... Is Singapore Transportation System So Daunting?

Before I go to sleep, I had to write about this article I read at the online version of the Straits Times at Asia1. How daunting is Singapore's transportation system and how big is Singapore?

Living in Thailand has made me appreciate what we do have in Singapore (like a proper transportation system) and what we don't have (corruption is one of them). But what I would like to highlight is about transportation. I have seen workers travelling 1-2 days to Samui to work for 2 weeks. One group even came just for a few days. Transportation in Thailand is not regulated and even the price for each trip can vary at any moment. Not to mention that the bus route also changes base on individual driver.

Travelling to Chumpong, I had to first take a truck to the ferry station (30 min wait, 10 min ride), hop on the ferry that leaves only every hour to mainland Thailand (1 hr 30 min ride), board a bus to main town of Surat Thani (45-60mins ride), find a mini bus that leaves for Chumpong (2 hr 30min), wait for another bus in Chumpong (about 1-2 hour wait and 45min ride) and then on motorcycle into the plantation. And I was travelling for leisure and some these people are actually taking the same route to return from work and the otherw way to travel to work.

A ride on the MRT from Bedok to Boon Lay only takes 45mins and there are maps readily available. Buses come regularly and the bus drivers go on a fixed route. So how daunting can this be for Singaporeans looking for job?

"In Parliament yesterday, South East CDC Mayor Matthias Yao explained that the reason for the no-shows is not a lack of motivation, but fear and lack of confidence.
'Some workers just don't know how to get to the place of work if they have never been there before... They don't know where to change buses, which bus stop to get down at. The thought of not being able to find the location... is so daunting to some that they don't even give it a try.

Mr Yao cited the pilot project, called the Bus-In Recruitment Exercise, as an example of how the new ComCare Fund can be used to create self-reliance among the needy by instilling basic survival skills, instead of just dishing out cash.

The fund for poor families, children and the elderly, was unveiled by the Government in January. To help these groups, said Mr Yao, 'we must understand their fears and constraints and give them the knowledge and resources to overcome them'.

In that spirit, the jobseekers' service was designed so that two officers escort jobseekers to the workplace, travelling along a public bus route from the CDC office in Eunos.
Along the way, they point out the MRT stations and bus stops to applicants - who range from O-level holders in their 20s to those without formal education in their 50s."

Porting some old blog entries over 1

The Best Place To Learn How To Count In Thai Is In A...

Crowded Thai Bank

I went to the bank yesterday to deposit a cheque and realised that its the best place to learn to count in Thai. No, its not by counting the money but by looking at the electronic counter with voice description of the numbers.

Let me explain. The bank here has adopted the "take a number" system instead of having to queue up (I guess Thailand is more advance here in Singapore. Singapore banks did try the system, but it reverted back to the queue system. Guess the queue system more adapt to Singaporeans).. So every time the next number ticks, a female voice will say out the number...

"Song Roy Ha Sip Saam (253), something, something but its sounds like please go to row, Ha (5)..."

"Song Roy Ha Sip Si (254), something, something but its sounds like please go to row Song (2)..."

"Song Roy Ha Sip Ha (255), something, something but its sounds like please go to row Neung(1)..."

So if you need to brush up your counting in Thai, guess the best place would be in the bank.. You can bring stacks and stacks of 20 bahts (maybe up to 100,000 baht) and start counting with the bank teller. Next thing you know, the sweet voice will spell out "Song Roy Ha Sip Hok (256), something, something but its sounds like please come back tomorrow."

Friday, September 02, 2005

The Girl From Ipanema?


angelgrid, originally uploaded by The Media Slut.

not really, but from shen Zhen, China.

Thursday, September 01, 2005

EZ-Link Horror Story

Bus rider get charge for mysterious train ride

If you are in Singapore and if you get charged for a mysterious train ride from the EZ-Link card you are holding, be warned that the claim process is not as easy as it seems.

A friend of themediaslut related the incident and his fraustrations over a similar incident.

Let's call my friend Sirius.

At the Dhoby Ghaut NEL Station, Sirius tapped his EZ-Link card only to find that it refused to open, beeped a red alert sign and blinked "Card Error".

Sirius then took the card to the ticketing machine and it showed that he boarded the East West MRT from Tanjong Pager and did not exit the train station. Hence, in EZ-Link speak, Sirius entered Tanjong Pager MRT station and has not exited any train station.

Either that or Sirius forget to tap the gantry gate on his way out of the train station.

However, Sirius did not sit the train the whole day and was nowhere close to Tanjong Pager. He sat the bus to meet his girlfriend on at Dhoby Ghaut.

The obvious was for Sirius to bring the EZ-Link card to the train control station and get the well-trained station manager to handle the situation.

Wrong move.

Despite several attempts reminding the well-trained station manager not to tap the card on the gantry, the well-trained station manager tapped the card on the gantry. Tapping the card "legitamize" Sirius's ride. So in EZ-Link language, Sirrus has sat the MRT from Tanjong Pager to Dhoby Ghaut.

When asked why the well-trained station manager tapped the card, the well-trained station manager refused to give Sirius an answer. The well-trained station manager continued in his disbelief that Sirius had not sat the train at Tanjong Pager.

Fortunately, Sirius has a big wallet full of receipts and movie stubs. He took out a pair of movie stubs and showed that he was in the cinema at the same time he was supposed to have entered Tanjong Pager Station.

Unfortunately, the customer is never right.

The well-trained station manager still refused to listen to Sirrius and insisted on going through each of Sirrius's past 20 transactions, spanning five days of records of Sirrus public transport habit.

That took the well-trained station manager a full 20 minutes.

After constant bickering, Sirius was refunded the full amount for his mystery train ride.

Singapore is asking its people to speak up right? So Sirius feedbacked the situation to the PR-trained professionals at SMRT so that SMRT can improve the relations between train station control managers and its riders.

Another wrong move.

Sirius was given a scripted reply by the PR-trained professionals. It seems like they have a cut-and-paste template which they use to address suggestions, feedback and complains. The template went on to explain that if Sirrius doesn't tap the EZ-Link card at an exit, it would cause problems.

But the biggest problem was that Sirius was nowhere close to Tanjong Pager Station.

Refusing to admit a problem with the EZ-Link system, SMRT went on to reply that the refund was done out of goodwill.

Goodwill because SMRT is right and Sirius is wrong.

The above incident shows how much SBS-Transits listens to its riders. They were given many opportunities by Sirrius to show their goodwill, but they just wouldn't listen or were unable to take the hint.

This raises a lot of questions for SMRT:

1. Are the bus captains and control train station trained in handling problems resulting from the EZ-Link card? The expected answer from their PR templates is yes, and that Sirrius is an isolate incident.

Isolate? themediaslut don't think so as there are many cases out there that might go unreported. If there are problems with the EZ-Link system, just admit it and look at solving the problem, rather than swept the problem under the tracks.

2. Did the PR respond to Sirius feedback positively?

themediaslut has posted the email below and you be judge if that is a positive reply.

the reply showed that the PR person did not read Sirius email, thus ignoring the effort and time he took to craft the feedback. Instead of thanking Sirius for highlighting a possible bug in the EZ-Link card, they blamed it on his incompetency for not having tap his card on the way out.

(share your ezlink horror story with themediaslut at themediaslut@gmail.com)

First Reply


>From: "xxx (SMRTCORP/CMC/CMC/CREL/CREL)"
>
>To:
>CC:
>Subject: FW: Feedback Form
>Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2005 13:21:53 +0800
>
>Dear Mr xxx,
>
>Once again, I would like to apologise for the confusion.
>
>As the staff mentioned is a staff of SBS-Transit, and service 14 comes
>under the perview of SBS, we have taken the liberty to forward the case to
>SBS for their inverstigation and follow-up.
>
>I hope that I managed to clarify and thank you for your patience.
>
>Your sincerely
xxx(ms)
>Officer, Customer Relations
>Tel : 1800-366 8900
>
>
>
>cc: SBS - for your attention and direct follow up with Sirius.
>
>Thank you.
>
> From: pxx@hotmail.com [mailto:xxxr@hotmail.com]
>Sent: Sun 14/08/2005 19:37
>To: SMRT Corporate Communications
>Subject: Feedback Form
>
>Feedback send by Mr xxx on Sunday, August 14, 2005 at 19:37:08
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Date: 14 August 2005
>Time: 6pm
>Station: Dhoby Ghaut
>Train Number: n/a
>Staff: Mr xxx
>Title: Mr
>Name: xxx
>Email: xxx@hotmail.com
>Tel: 9106xxxx
>Address: xxx
>Comment: To whom it may concern,
>
>I am writing in question SMRT’s policy on handling erroneous
>transactions.
>
>The story is roughly as follows:
>
>On 14 August 2005, at approximately 6pm, I tried to take a ride from Dhoby
>Ghaut station. The EZLink card showed CARD FAILED.
>
>I went to a ticketing machine and it showed that I had a previous ride
>open. It asked for 65 cents for a ride from Tanjong Pagar station.
>
>This is wrong because I had arrived in town from Siglap Road on bus 14.
>Before that I took 55 from Bedok and switched to 13 at Marine Parade. There
>was no way I could be at Tanjong Pagar.
>
>I offered him cinema slips for the movie Sin City at 3pm at Cineleisure
>Orchard, and shopping receipts from Plaza Singapura’s Carrefour at
>5-plus pm.
>
>So I took this to the station master on duty – a dear Mr xxx,
>Asst Station Manager – telling him the transaction is wrong.
>
>Here is where the problem begins – he just took the card and closed
>the erroneous transaction, deducting the spurious claim for 65 cents!
>
>After that when I questioned his quick “solution” does he
>attempt to provide due diligence. Of which begins 20 minutes of pointless
>retracing of the previous 20 transactions on the EZLink card trying to
>prove that the transaction is valid. He tried to tell me that a ride I took
>yesterday from Harbourfront to Clarke Quay was the reason, which was a
>closed transaction and hence utter rubbish from him.
>
>Only when I lost my patience and asked him what is the end result of all
>rechecking then he quietly refunded me the 65 cents.
>
>This is something which he could have avoided if he bothered to ask me what
>was wrong when he took my card. A precious 20 minutes of my time.
>
>So what is SMRT’s stand on this, are his actions correct and endorsed
>by SMRT? The card details and incident report should be available from the
>log at the station I presume.
>

>
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>


2nd Reply ( 1 week later)

Hi,
you have not addressed my concerns.

Points of contention:

1.
I am contesting that there was no prior train ride!
No *trains* of SMRT/SBS was taken for that day.
So obviously I could not perform an exit on an entry that only exists
electronically.

2.
I told the station manager there was an error and YET he still closed the
erroneous ride! The previous few card uses all were for buses, unless SBS
chooses to correct me that Service 14 is actually classified under the
Trains category.

3.
Therefore I then asked that station manager to show me which ride had that
outstanding exit he was touting or just refund the error.
And then he pored over 20 minutes -- over 19 legitimate transactions
spanning 5 previous days -- before I pushed him to conclude something.
Only then did he give me the refund.
I have seen the printout, are 20 rides of A to B + concluded fare so hard to
understand, especially for a trained personnel?

This waste of time was the last straw to make me write in, requesting on
what the proper procedures that staff should follow in such situations.

I question such "goodwill" if it is to cover up the error.

I also regret writing in if only to receive more of such "goodwill".

No thanks.

xxx
1SEP2005

>From: xxxy@sbstransit.com.sg
>To: xxx@hotmail.com
>Subject: Feedback on Station staff at Dhoby Ghaut NEL Station
>Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 09:40:25 +0800
>
>
>
>
>
> Our Ref : 2005/Aug/1403 Tel :
> 6284 8866
>
> Fax :
> 6282 5583
>
>
>
>
> 1 Sept 05
>
>
>
>
>Mr xxx
>xxx@hotmail.com
>
>Dear Mr xxx
>
>Feedback on Station staff at Dhoby Ghaut NEL Station
>
>We refer to your above feedback which was conveyed to us by SMRT on 23 Aug
>05.
>
>Please allow us to explain that when passengers enter the system to take
>the train via the Automated Fare Collection (AFC) Gates, they need to exit
>the system via the AFC at their destination station. Passengers will
>encounter difficulties using their Ezlink cards when the entry or exit
>process is not properly done. Failure to do a proper entry or exit process,
>due to whatever reasons, will result in a minimum fare of 65 cts being
>automatically imposed before the passenger can use his Ezlink card for
>subsequent travel on the train.
>
>The deduction of 65 cents from your Ezlink card on the alleged day was for
>payment for a previous train ride. Nevertheless, as a gesture of goodwill,
>our staff has waived the amount.
>
>Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused. Should you have
>further feedback on our services, please contact us (our Customer
>Relations Centre) directly through the following channels:
>
> Toll-free hotline : 1800 287 2727
> DID : 6383 7214
> Dedicated fax line : 6282 5204
>
>As an additional alternative, customers can also provide feedback on our
>services via our Feedback Form which is available at our website
>(www.sbstransit.com.sg). For route enquiries, commuters can also call the
>TransitLink Integrated Service Information Toll-free Hotline at 1800 225
>5663.
>
>Thank you.
>
>Yours sincerely
>
>
>xxx (Ms)
>for Assistant Director
>Corporate Communications
>SBS Transit Ltd
>
>
>
>**************************************************************

>
>Privileged/Confidential Information may be contained in this message. If
>you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for
>delivery of the message to such person), you may not copy or deliver this
>message to anyone. In such case, you should destroy this message and kindly
>notify the sender by reply email. Please advise immediately if you or your
>employer do not consent to Internet email for messages of this kind.
>
>Opinions, conclusions and other information in this message that do not
>relate to the official business of ComfortDelGro Group of Companies
>(including its associated companies) shall be understood as neither given
>nor endorsed by it.
>
>SBS Transit Ltd
>

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