Do's And Don't's At Coffee Shops / Hawker Centers.

I'm pretty sure most, if not all of us have eaten at hawker centers before and our eating experience isn't always as pleasant due to the crowd.

So here is a general guide and some tips on how you can improve not only your very own eating experience, but others as well, because who likes to be grumpy when food is supposed to satisfy our tummy and make us happy. In general, these tips and guides are most relevant to people from the working population. Enjoy.

Do's

1. Queue Up For Your Order To Be Taken

Queuing up to buy food in Singapore is the norm and this isn't a big problem. However, at times, even though there are queues, the queues can GET REALLY MESSY and can go both ways. This happens when space is really cram. Imagine when you would like to queue up for your food, you wonder if you should join the left queue or the right queue. Hmm..? How about the center one?

There could possibly be two queues, one for orders to be taken and another for the collection of food. Please just open your mouth and kindly ask the stall owner which queue you should join for your orders to be taken. And maybe if you're lucky, he/she might take your order first. (;

2. Kindly Give Up Your Seat When You Have Finished Your Food

It's a hawker center, a place for you to EAT, NOT CHILL. If you notice someone (Oh, don't pretend not to please) waiting for the seat, please have the INITIATIVE to give up your god damn seat once you have finished eating or if you are still eating then don't rush but at least don't take your own sweet time as well. And don't give excuses like 'Sorry lah, mouth small' etc. Unless you are a baby and need someone to feed you (which I'm sure you're not), better move your lazy ass and get going.

3. Take Away If You Are In A Rush

Not having the luxury of time because you are rushing to grab a quick bite before attending a meeting or meeting a client means that the obvious better choice here is to take away to eat at the office pantry or just grab some 'Fast Food' because of course they are meant to be fast. Just accept it that you can't have the perfect plan and having the time to find a seat to enjoy your meal just isn't realistic.

Deal with it. Accept it. Move on.

4. Return Your Trays And Dump Your Rubbish.

You are right. Those are the cleaners job. And you aren't a cleaner. Really? Because all I see are EXCUSES. Do you not do cleaning at home? Being a cleaner is far from being easy. It's probably one of the most tedious and low paid jobs out there, on top of long working hours. To think that their job is to only collect trays and dump our rubbish is simply TOO NAIVE. They still have to wipe the tables, sweep and mob the floors and wash all the utensils. It is excusable IF you are in a rush and the tray return station is few kilometers away. But oh come on, Just a few steps away from your seat and you're so lazy to carry the tray to the tray return station while making your way out? You might as well be lazy to return to work because I'm sure it's a longer walking distance to your own office.

Please make this YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

5. Order Only What You Can Finish.

Pretty straight forward. If you are rich and got the habit of ordering lots of food just to try then I suggest you should ASK FRIENDS who can really eat a whale to tag along. Or maybe you can just call me along. I'll do my best. Just don't make me pay. (;

Refer To Point 4 Of The Don't's.

6. If You Have Flexible Working Hours, Try To Avoid Having Lunch During Peak Hours.

This is really the SWEETEST thing you can do for those who just aren't as lucky: those who have employers who are really stringent about reporting back to work punctually after lunch hours. And I think more importantly, you get to find seats easily, avoid long queues and enjoy your meal in less crammed spaces. What's not to love?

Don't's

1. Use Packets Of Tissues To CHOPE (Reserve) Seats.

This is a situation that can only be found in Singapore.

There was once (was at Golden Shoe) I saw this group of tourists (Caucasians) taking seats on a table chope with packets of tissues. After buying and finishing their food. They thought that the packets were there for anyone to use, so they started using them. When the group who had chope the seats returned, they were really furious and started making a scene. It was most probably one of the UGLIEST scenes I've ever seen. Worst so for the Caucasians. Because their most 'enjoyable', 'memorable' and 'shareable' moments happen to be something this interesting. Of course, who would've thought that Singaporeans are this selfish? Great job guys. Definitely their last.

And regarding those times when there's only one piece of tissue in that pack and it gets blown away by the fans or wind, I find them rather hilarious. When you are back and you see the packet lying around on the floor, you kick up a big fuss saying you reserve the seat bla bla bla. Don't give me this bullshit please. Your packet of tissue get blown away, I see a vacant seat, my fault? (you can just make things more convenient for yourself by tossing them on the floor (;)

Refer To Point 3 Of The Do's If You Are In A Rush.

2. Place Your Handbag Or Whatever Bag On An Empty Seat That You Are Not Reserving For A Friend.

Oh come on. It's the peak hours. Don't give me the BULLSHIT that your handbag cost you $1,000. Even if it is $100,000,000, do I look like I give a shit? Everyone are looking for seats during peak hours and yet you are being a selfish prick. Can some kind soul rob this bag so that another poor soul can have a seating space?

3. Cut The Queue Because Your Friend Or Family Member Is At The Front Of The Queue.

Queue cutting in Singapore isn't common and yet I find this really disturbing. It makes you look so bad and I'm sure people will start staring at you or even request you to join the queue from the back. But you can always choose to be smart and just text or call your friend/family member in the queue and tell them what you would like to have from that stall to avoid unnecessary conflicts that could possibly happen. Or well, you could just get your lazy ass up and join the queue from the back.

4. Food Wastage.

This point definitely isn't just limited to eating at the coffee shop or hawker centers. Wasting food is a really bad habit as there are many people out there who have BARELY SUFFICIENT FOOD to eat and yet how can we have the heart to leave food unfinished. And that actually isn't the sole problem. Have you ever thought of the hygiene issues that could result from this? Think you're being kind by leaving food behind for the crows? Unless you would like to have some free additional 'Ingredients' in your food, I suggest you better THINK TWICE.

Food For Thought?

1) Whenever I see an elderly or disabled aunty/uncle passing by and selling tissues, I tend to give them a dollar occasionally without accepting those tissues. The times I do, I enjoy leaving behind the packets of tissue with a note that says: 'Feel Free To Use'. CARING IS SHARING, So why not? The only problem here is that it might not actually work as intended because we all think we know why the packets of tissues are there for. But do we?

2) If I am a regular customer of a particular stall and I feel that the standard of the food has raised or fallen, I like to give compliments and feedback to the stall owners as a form of respect and appreciation. It DOESN'T COST YOU ANYTHING to give compliments so why not be generous with them? Maybe you'll get a free meal. (;

Conclusion

Each and every small and considerate act really goes a long way. You never know how much your positive actions can influence others to be positive as well, after all, everyone's common intention at hawker centers is to have a pleasant meal. I believe there are more points to add on to the ones I've already mentioned so feel free to leave comments or feedback. Thanks for reading! (:

Graduation And Age +1.

Finally, It's Time To Graduate, After Three Seemingly Long Years Which Flew By Like The Wind. I Still Remember When I Was In Year 1, I Was So Active In Camps. I Really Thought Making Lots Of Friends And Being Popular Was The Way To Go In Poly. But NOPE. If Wanting To Feel Popular In Poly Was The Way To Go, I Would've Screwed Myself Over And Over Again. It's A Cool Thing To Make Friends But I've Learnt Really, That It's Those Whom You Can Count On That Really Matters.

And I'm Glad That After 3 Whole Years, I've Found These Amazing Friends And Lecturer(s). Be It Through Knowing Each Other In The Same Class, During Internship, Project Work Or Even On Taiwan Trip (During Year 2). They Have Helped Me To Grow So Much In Different Ways Which I'm Really Thankful For. And Of Course, My Parents Too. Back Then When I Chose To Go Polytechnic My Mum Wasn't Too Happy With My Decision. But Now, I Guess She's Happy With The Choice I Make So Long As I Have Planned Ahead (Which I Have).

I Used To Question Myself If JC Would've Been The Better Path For Me. And Up Till Now, I'm Still Not Sure If It Would've Been. Maybe It Would. But I Have No Regrets. I've Not Accomplished Much During These 3 Years But I've Definitely Gained Lots And Lots Of Insight In The Banking Sector After Going Through The Various Modules And Hands On Experience During Internship At OCBC. Of All The Modules, Business Communication Was Definitely The More Significant And Practical One To Me As We Get To Learn And Practice For Interviews, Boardroom Presentation And Even Writing A Report. Communication Skills Are Crucial In Networking And Helping One To Find The Right Connections.

Learning Definitely Doesn't Stop Here. Continuing To Upgrade Myself Further And Trying To Gain More Exposure Is What I Am Going To Keep Doing, Starting With Basic Macro Programming.

~~~~~~

Yet Another Year Had Past And I Am Just One Year Away From Being An Adult With Full Voting Rights. Not Something I'd Say I Am Exactly Looking Forward To But I Guess One Year Older Means It's Time To Think And Act More Maturely.

Perhaps, Just Maybe A Birthday Is Supposed To Be A Very Special Day. A Celebration When You Were Brought To This World. But Honestly, Without My Mum, I Wouldn't Be Here. It's A Day To Be Thankful For. I Love My Mum And I Don't Need A Celebration. No Need For Cakes Or Presents. They're Just Unnecessary Money Gone Down The Drain.

But Still My Mum Insist And My Parents Ordered A Lovely Cake Online And My Dad Went Down Specially Just To Collect It. It's So Colorful, Maybe Just The Colors I Needed In My Life.

Again, It Wasn't A Big Celebration Or What But I'm Happy And Contented. Because At The End Of The Day, Your Family Will Always Be There For You. It's Little Moments Like This That I Really Cherish Because How Many More Birthdays Will There Be For Us To Celebrate As A Family? I Like To Be Positive But The Fact That My Parents Are Growing Older Year By Year Means That I Shouldn't Take For Granted The Little Things In Life Which I Always Am Thankful And Grateful For.

Family. <3

It's Been A Long While.

I Know I Have Been Away From My Blog For A Long While. Writing A Posts Is Not Easy As It Is Rather Brain Draining For Me And I Guess I Needed A Long Break From That. But I'm Back, At Least For Now.

~~~ JOB ~~~

Have Been Working As A Relief Teacher For The Past Two Months And It's One Of The Few Things That Happened In My Life That I'm Really Thankful For. From This, I Have Found My Love For Kids, I Never Really Like Kids Nor Do I Hate Them. It's Just, I Was Never Able To Click Well With Them.. Or Maybe There Wasn't Any Opportunity For Me To Do So.

But Teaching Primary School Kids? How Could I Possibly Find So Much Joy In Something As Simple Yet Complex At The Same Time. Yea. The Subjects Are Easy Because They Are The Basics To Education In Life. Oh, BUT TEACHING KIDS Is NO EASY JOB. Or Maybe I Should Rephrase That: Teaching Is One Thing But How Many Are Actually Paying Attention To You? Kids Have Really Short Attention Span And Getting Them To Pay Attention Is Not An Easy Feat For Starters. And Yet It's One Of The Challenges That I Really Enjoy. And Of Course, All The Little Things That Happens Along The Way. They Reminded Me Of My Childhood.

Let Me Share With You Some Of The Cute Things That Happened Along The Way That Made Me Smile. While Going Through The Answers To The Assignment That I Have Tasked Them To Do, Each Time They Get It Correct, They Will All Shout 'Yay' As A Whole Class. Complaining To The Teacher (Me) 'My Friend Pinch Me'. Trying To Escape Doing Homework By Saying 'My Hand Pain' Or 'My Leg Pain' And Bla Bla Bla...

However, Kids Nowadays Are Known As The Strawberry Generation Because Most Are Rather Pampered And Spoilt. Just Like How Back In Our Days As Kids, Our Parents Thinks We Are Way More Fortunate Than Them As In Our Generation, We Had Computers. We Had Phones. While Back Then, They Were Playing In The Field, Catching Spiders Or Even Guppies From The Drain On A Rainy Day. I Was Still Independent Compared To Most Others (I Started Taking Public Transport Independently When I Was In Primary 1),

Indeed, I Was Much More Fortunate Than My Parents As I Did Not Face The Hardship They Face Back Then. And Talking About The Current Strawberry Generation, Most Of The Parents Are More Well To Do And They Drive Posh Cars. Their Kids Are Being Pampered And It's Down To The Teacher's Responsibility To Not Only Fulfill Their Roles As An Educator But Also As A Disciplinarian. And It Is No Easy Task. Parents And Teachers Should Hold Shared Responsibilities When It Comes To Guiding The Children. This Is Because Parents Have Full Control Over Their Kids, Something Which A Teacher Lacks Of. I Think This Is Something Parents Of The Current Generation Should Take Notice Of And I Cannot Emphasize This More.

No Doubt, Technology Is Ever Changing And Advancing Whereby Even Education These Days Are Taught Through The Means Of Laptops And Even Tablets. Social Media, Games, Video Surfing Are All Distractions. Let's Not Forget That We Are Living In Reality, Not A Virtual World. Things That Happen IN REAL LIFE Should Matter More Than Things That Happens Virtually.

~~~ AGM/EGM ~~~

I Have Always Been Interested In Investments Since I Was 13 As I Started Getting Exposures Through Reading Of Newspapers And Partly Because My Dad Was An Active Trader Back Then. I Have Found Interest In How The Stock Markets Moves And What Are All The Factors That Affects The Movements Of Different Financial Markets Around The World. Last Month, I Had The Chance To Attend The AGM Of 4 Companies: Keppel Corporation, Venture Corporation, Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation As Well As Cambridge Industrial Trust And An EGM: Magnus Energy, As My Parents Own Shares In These Companies.

This Was My First Time Attending These Meetings And They Actually Gave Me A Better Insight On The Overall Performance Of The Companies, Especially When I Did Not Did Any Research Prior Or Read Up On The Annual Reports.

For Keppel, It Was Good To Know That The Directors And The Company Acknowledges That Producing And Focusing On Building Oil Rigs Is No Longer Profitable As Oil Prices Are Near Historical Lows. They Are Now Focusing On Property And Has Recently Acquired The Remaining Stake In Keppel Land To 99.7% (What They Described As 'Low Hanging Fruits') And Have Expanded To Overseas Market In China, Having A Stake In Tianjin Eco City.

For Venture, Definitely One Of The Better Performing Tech Stocks In The Market Right Now, Among The Few Which Is Still Making A Profit In The Current Economy. Dividends Has Been Consistent For The Past Few Years As Company Continue To Grows And Expand.

For OCBC, Their Recent Acquisition Of Barclay's Wealth Management Was A Good Move As Their Customer Base Has Been Expanded And They Will Most Likely Profit In The Long Run. Previous Acquisition Of Wing Hang Bank Is Also Starting To Show Results As There Was A Growth Of 8%, Up From 7% The Previous Year.

For Cambridge, Their Distribution Per Unit (DPU) Has Generally Increased And Their They Have Healthy Occupancy Rates As The Company Is Involved In The Rental Of Industrial Properties And Office Spaces.

The Most Unique And Cool One Was Actually The EGM For Magnus Energy Whereby It Was Called For By Shareholders Who Hold Substantial Holdings In The Company To Vote Out The Independent Directors. It Was Rather Exciting As The Atmosphere Was Very Tense, With Some Shareholders Throwing Questions To The Board Of Directors As There Were Some Things That Weren't Full Disclosed In The Company Reports And The Company Performance Had Been Poor. The Price Of The Share Has Plummeted From Over $0.40 2 Years Ago To Less Then $0.01 Due To The Issue Of Convertible Notes As An Option To Raise Funds For The Company As Well As The Fall In Oil Prices Which Caused Their Drilling Projects To Be Delayed.

Overall, Definitely A Great Experience.