English Mistakes in Blue Labyrinth Preston & Child

I just found 2 mistakes in this book. What's their editor doing? Are the writers in too much of a hurry to publish that they are making mistakes in their writing?  These days, their writing is getting more & more shoddy in order to publish quickly in a year.

I read your books to get inspired by excellent English, not to have to worry if it's right or wrong or worse to have to correct it in my head. Didn't you guys say you read plenty of the old writers such as Sir Arthur Conan Dolye? How can you get it wrong? 

I really loved your first Pendergast novel. Your writing has changed a lot since then in your hurry to meet the deadlines. Some things cannot be rushed. Can't just churn out book after book according to deadlines & money.

1) Chapter 16 page 75. "protesting what they considered tomb desecration.".
Should be: protesting against what they considered was tomb desecration.

When I read the sentence, I thought it was odd. It didn't sound right.

2) Chapter 4 page 18. "The man did not return Pendergast's glance, instead pulling a Sig Sauer P229 from his jacket and placing it on the shelf of bay 17.".

Should be: instead he pulled ... and placed.

Listing/Selling Without Paypal on Ebay.com?

It's sad that in this day & age, it's still not possible to sell online across the world. Why? Because of monopoly. Domination by a single entity. There is no choice, no good or better options with regards to Paypal.

Can you list/sell an item on Ebay.com without Paypal? No.  Some forum comments say you can list with merchant accounts (pay a fee). But if you un-tick Paypal option, you can't list. You can try.

Can you list/sell an item on Ebay.com with just a confirmed e-mail on Paypal? Yes. However, you can't receive or send money.

How do you sell from Singapore to an Ebay.com audience without Paypal? Impossible.

Even if it's not Ebay.com, how to sell to an overseas audience without Paypal? Add to that, you don't want to give up your personal information via sending & scanning documents to unknown entities such as Skrill & all the other "legit" money transfers options.

If say, I am willing to receive cold, hard cash through the mail, I would still have to provide an address to the buyer.  Not comfortable with that?

How about subcribing to a PO Box? With Singpost being so shitty these days, it would be risky to have the mail go through an extra step to a PO box or to a private suite address.

Say, I suppose it's fine for a buyer to send cash to my address & the buyer don't mind waiting 7 days or more for me to receive it, there is also the high cost of sending the item overseas (not to mention the number of days it's going to take for buyer to receive it).

No buyer is going to bear such a delay & few buyers will be ok with high overseas delivery cost (Craigslist hunter is different. His deals are within the US).  Already, some people say they would rather buy from a US seller without much waiting time, than from a China or overseas seller. Just like on Qoo10, buyers prefer local sellers.

How is an overseas seller going to compete?

So already, you see holes in the idea that the world is now so convenient. 1) Paypal problems 2) Mailing system problems.  How is this modern & advanced?

The ideal method is to receive money directly into my bank account with no surrender of personal data to some entity that handles my money for me (such as Qoo10 that is technically a seller's employer since Qoo10 holds the cash that is owed to sellers for 2 weeks before paying sellers).

I don't want fees because fees add to product cost that gets passed to the buyer. Buyer wants cheap. All these fees eat into sellers' profit. But sellers still pay the fees because they need the selling platform with a governing entity mentality. Paying fees becomes a small price to pay for the traffic at such a platform.

It becomes a very awful & ugly cycle. Behind a simple buy & sell is all this crap.

I become restricted to selling only in Singapore which is a damn small market with damn stingy buyers. I have products that I can't seem to get out of my hands. Stuck with inventory & can't move any damn thing.

What will Craigslist Hunter say to that?

I must have the money straight into my bank account. I don't want any surrendering of personal documents to an entity to receive money. I don't want to deal in Bitcoins. 

China Alibaba Investment in Singpost & Lazada

Well now you know why these 2 companies are doing badly. China.

Singpost & Lazada (I almost typed Laxative). I just finished reading a complaint by a buyer about Lazada that uses TaQBin.  Below quote is from Todayonline June 2, 2016.

Alibaba is also a strategic investor in Singapore postal and logistics services firm SingPost and recently also bought over Lazada, a growing e-commerce platform in South-east Asia.

 “We believe Alibaba is a very, very solid business,” said Mr Arora, pointing at SoftBank’s 28 per cent shareholding in Alibaba after the stake sale.

Very, very solid business. Frankly, I don't think anything is solid, let alone "very, very"  solid.

http://www.todayonline.com/business/singapore-buys-us1b-alibaba-stock-softbank-sale

Confirmed: SMRT Trains Made In China

That's why always break down.  As we have known all along.

So who still says Made In China is good? Who still say "depends on brand"? China can't even make a goddamn QC lightbulb, let alone a train or plane.

Bro always say China should just stick to planting rice. Everything also don't know & cannot learn.

I haven't been taking trains since last year. Been avoiding as best as possible in case break down. If bus breaks down, at least passengers just get off & get free ride on the next bus. But train break down will be terrible underground as previous cases have shown.

 https://sg.news.yahoo.com/35-smrt-trains-recalled-by-china-manufacturer-due-100717823.html

Sources from China and Singapore told FactWire that problems with the trains have surfaced since they began service in 2011. They said the trains were of poor quality and glass next to passenger seats have shattered repeatedly.

In December 2011, SMRT experienced its worst train service disruption to date, which the operator suspected were caused by the C151A trains, the report said.

Another former SMRT worker said, “(Chinese-made trains) are very cheap. How can you have (something) that is very good and pay a very cheap price? So this is (the) trade-off.”

The CEO earns millions but buy cheap trains from China. Don't know where all these CEOs come from. Hire all the wrong people. They should make me CEO. If I were leader of this country, I'll make sure Singaporeans will enjoy better lives.

A Chinese manufacturer is secretly recalling 35 SMRT trains due to cracks and structural defects found in them, according to a report by FactWire of Hong Kong on Tuesday (5 July).

A source from the Chinese railway industry told the Hong Kong news agency that Singapore train operator SMRT was shipping the defective trains back to manufacturer CSR Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Company for replacement and repair.

One of the China railway industry sources said that the quality issues of the C151A trains began to worsen in 2013 due to serious structural problems.

EMS/Speedpost SG Delivery: Mystery Solved

1 July Friday 2016

When the delivery guy finally rang my doorbell at about 6.45p.m., I was prepared to scold a lousy-looking man who hasn't been delivering my parcel for the past 3 days during which I waited & waited & gave up 2 days of swimming for.

When I looked through the peephole & saw a casual-looking guy in a polo shirt adjusting his chest pouch, I was thinking in look-down way: "It's a private courier like Taqbin & Qxpress.".

When I opened the door, EH? I was pleasantly surprised to see a young, pleasant-looking Singaporean (?) Chinese guy who looked somehow familiar as I went near to take the parcel from his hands.  Well, I can't possibly scold him. He didn't look the sort who was intentionally & maliciously delaying parcels. He wasn't the Evil Delivery Man.

His eyes weren't beady. His complexion wasn't dark. And he had such a pleasant-looking face. Damn.

He reeked of cigarette smoke however, for a while before it dissipated as I interrogated him. 

"What happened to Speedpost?" was my first question once I took the parcel from his hands.

He gave me a genuine-looking curious look. So I elaborated.

After talking to the friendly, forthcoming guy who seemed honestly unaware of what is going on,  I finally found out what the heck is happening.

It is not the delivery guy's fault. In fact, he doesn't know what is going on. He only knows that people have complained to him about the Indian call centre. He didn't even know that I have been waiting for 3 days. As far as he knows, he only picked up my parcel this morning.

I said, "But yesterday, it was with a courier but then returned to service centre.".

He said it wasn't him.  He said if for some reason they cannot finish a load (of example, 50 parcels), they will pass it to friends who can finish it for them. But usually, all parcels will be delivered by the end of the day.

Does he return to Speedpost service centre at the end of the day?
He thought about it & said he only sometimes returns to the service centre at the end of the day. Not every night.  He says they deliver until 9p.m. & if person is not home, they will call the person. They try their best to finish delivering all parcels.
 
(However, the Indian call centre gives the impression that their couriers return to the service center every end of the day at 6p.m. & workload is heavy, resulting in undelivered parcels that will be re-delivered the next day.).

I said the online status says the parcel was picked up at 9.20a.m. this morning. Was it him? Did he pick it up at that time? I mentioned that previously (some years ago), there was a lady who appeared to be a contractor who delivered punctually at 10.30a.m. & when I checked the online status, it would say parcel was picked up at service centre at around 7a.m..

He said the private contractors cannot pick up parcels earlier than 11a.m.. They have to wait until the regular Speedpost staff are done, then it's their turn. Which means, no, it wasn't him who picked up at 9.20a.m.. (So who entered that online status?).

In the morning. he only goes to "kio" (pick up) leftovers or remnants left behind that Speedpost staff can't do. For instance, if a staff is on MC or has resigned (I was thinking 'resigned'...). The route is then left open for private contractors to take over. However, Speedpost prefers getting their own staff to do it because such staff are cheaper.  Private contractors are paid at a higher rate per box/parcel (very low $. I won't reveal how much.).

At such a super low price, you can imagine how much even lower that Speedpost staff are paid. No wonder they quit.

Based on that, it is also therefore not true that contractors are paid commission for every unsuccessful delivery since it is in their business interest to deliver all the parcels by the end of the day.

He was even obliging enough to ask usually what time I'm home so that he will drop by accordingly. When I shook my hand & said, "Noooo,  I won't be ordering again.", he replied with disappointment, "Then I won't have business.".  (With Speedpost like that, how to give him business? A pity.).

He also confirms that Speedpost has outsourced their call centre. "Everything is outsourced.".

Do you drive a Speedpost van?
No, I have my own vehicle. 

Did your vehicle breakdown?
He looked puzzled, "No.".

Then who entered those ridiculous reasons for unsuccessful deliveries?
"I don't know.".  It wasn't him. He wasn't holding any handheld device. He said after successful deliveries, he will tell his boss who will update with Speedpost. But whether his boss entered those reasons, he doesn't know. I think since it's Speedpost's website & his boss is just a contractor, it is Speedpost staff (India call centre?) doing it.


Bro pieced together the scenario: Speedpost receives the parcel, but own staff unable to handle it. Stingy Speedpost waits for contractor to pick up at some specific slot (perhaps busy contractor). Meanwhile, online status bullshits about parcel going in & out of service centre with all kinds of ridiculously false reasons (vehicular breakdown, new address could not be located, etc...). Actually, the parcel never left for days. Result: customer waits for 9 days.

Based on his scenario, my scenario: I think contractors are only too happy to pick up parcels so there is no need to wait for any slot when they are free.  Therefore...

Speedpost receives parcel, but own staff unable to handle. Stingy Speedpost don't want to give to more expensive private contractor. Prefers to wait for either own staff or cheap contractor.  After days of not getting either one, decides to open to more expensive contractor. Result:  customer waits for 9 days.

That would be how Singpost became rich enough (millions) to acquire more shares in the China company 4PX. Pay staff the least & sacrifice the customers.

Bro said, it's all about money. He rubbed his fingers together.


Earlier today, I called Singpost for help but no help.  From the website, I realized Speedpost has no physical address for me to pursue. Singpost Malay woman on the phone said it's just a processing area (she wouldn't give me an address or phone number of a manager.).

"Let them do their job." were her words.

I said, "That is IF they are doing their job. If workload a lot, that is understandable. But this is intentionally not delivering parcels. Then it is a different matter.".

She repeated, "Let them do their job." & said she has entered a "small note" to Speedpost & see if they can deliver today.

Useless talking to such a stupid, useless woman.

Based on a Hardwarezone advice from an upset customer last year, I then went down to my post office to talk to the manager who said she called & a liason will call me 'today'. I didn't ask who she called but guessed it was the India call centre. I said, "No use calling them. They are very good with false assurances.".

She said, "No, no. This one said will liase with you today. I said you came down here.". She confirmed with me that I'll be home the whole day.

I said, "What happens if still no one calls? And the parcel still didn't arrive today?". (This is Friday & everyone will be off tomorrow.).

She gave me the "that's all I can do for you" look.  "You can come back to me & I'll call again.". 

I said, "Then keep calling & calling??".

She had no answer.

As expected while talking to her, that the asshole liason didn't have the brains to wait for me to get home before calling. I am at the post office, how can that idiot call my home??  Luckily, bro was at home. True enough, when I got home from post office, he said Indian man called with heavy accent, said 'checked' & confirms parcel is with courier now. -.-


Conclusion: Just don't use EMS/Speedpost unless you are willing to wait whole days at home. They will deliver the parcel (I have not read of cases of non-delivery), but you have to wait.  Speedpost has become Tortoise Post.

What used to take just 1 day of delivery, now takes 3 days or more. Once that happens, your parcel is held hostage, you can't do anything until it is delivered by who knows who. If you're lucky, a contractor will pick it up fast & deliver to you, but only after you've waited days + an entire day & almost going out to dinner.

To be honest, I almost wanted to speak to the police after the 2nd day of seeing the crazy excuses of not sending my parcel.

Collapse of Singpost/Speedpost: http://therevolutioner.blogspot.sg/2016/06/collapse-of-singapore-singpost.html

Qxpress SG qoo10.sg: Why Ur Parcel Missing?

Answer: Because passer-by took it.  Qxpress delivery man had no choice but to record it as "delivered".

I confess I had the urge to take the top box in a white sealed packet.  Either it or one of the white packets said "Clothing. Clothing. Clothing.". Well, I ain't interested in other people's clothes. Not going to wear them. But I can sell them.

In fact, why take one when you can take the whole trolley?

Hard to resist taking at least the top box.

How did it happen that such a great opportunity presented itself for me to take?

I finished my swim & was walking home at about 3p.m.. Hot afternoon, nobody around. Suddenly as I was walking along the sheltered pathway, this trolley of goodies was right in front. Unattended.

Oh Ho ho ho. X'mas has come early.

I stood beside it, examined the boxes by looking at where the heck they came from. 3 big boxes with the top one filled with many white sealed packets & a brown envelope.

On the side of the last box at the bottom, it said Qxpress in big printed words across. I also saw the word Korea.

Korea? So these are from Korea? But the white packets look like what local sellers like to use. A label on 1 parcel said it came from Guangdong. China? Taobao?

Another label on another package said Incheon. Seoul? Then it can't be Taobao or one of the China couriers like 4PX.

Looking at the heap of stuff.... So. This is an assortment of packets from different countries.

Now why does Qxpress sound familiar? I've seen the name before. Not Taobao. Not one of the China couriers.

Then I recalled seeing Qxpress on Q100 that is the only one I've seen using this delivery provider. So, these stuff are from sellers on Q100. No wonder it's a hodgepodge of things from different countries (because they are from different sellers.).

The delivery person must be away delivering upstairs to one of the blocks, leaving the trolley completely unattended.

I contemplated whether to take a package. Very tempting.  But I walked away. When I turned round to look, a man & a woman together walked by it, followed by a man behind. All 3 paid no attention to this bonanza parked right in front of them.

Some more minutes later, I saw a guy in a black T-shirt come down from the block just in front of the trolley & walk towards it. That must be the delivery guy.

Well, his whole trolley could have been gone & nobody would have known what happened.

Under the void deck, some old folk were chatting but they wouldn't be able to see the trolley or anything from there.

I told myself not to use Qxpress. 

Collapse of Singapore Singpost Speedpost/EMS Even More Important Than Tree Pruning (Review)

30 June 2016. Thursday.

Speedpost breaks record with failure to deliver on 2nd day!! Spilling over to 3rd day!! Never happened before.   

1st call: India Indian man answered. False assurance that it'll arrive by 6pm today.  
2nd call: Another India Indian man answered. Assured me will deliver by 6.30p.m.  
3rd call: India Indian woman answered with strong Indian accent. She didn't even understand/hear what I'm saying & there's something wrong with their phone! Like long distance sounding (I suspect they are in India but the Speedpost distribution centre is in SG. Some years ago when I had problem with Starhub, their Filipino customer service also sounded distant. And the phone number was overseas number.).  She said delivery man won't be coming at all because it's past 6p.m.. Delivery only from 9a.m. to 6p.m.

I said earlier staff said to wait. Can't you call your delivery man to confirm if he's coming? You don't have the numbers of the delivery men? She said no.

Holy shit.  Even Peeka has the number of their delivery guy & he called me all friendly on my phone (back when I used Peeka).

I said I waited 2 whole days from 9 to 6 p.m..Tomorrow is the 3rd day! Again 9 to 6?  Speedpost has never been like this. This is the first time. Can you call the delivery man to confirm at least whether he's coming tomorrow morning or afternoon? At least a time frame?

Indian woman: Sorry? 


29th June: 1st unsuccessful delivery--reason: Vehicular breakdown.
30th June: 2nd unsuccessful delivery--reason: Delivery could not be completed as new address could not be located. (Really absurd. What new address? I've been living in this same place for years.).

Check this out: Hardware zone: Click to enlarge.

-----------------------------

It is very sad, very worrying & very horrifying when a key infrastructure of a country breaks down. It goes beyond just delivery service. Without realizing it, these Singpost & Speedpost people are causing the country to fall apart.

This is not just about a small delivery company. If it's bad, people can just use some other. This is the country's main nationwide delivery company.  If it breaks down, it is a reflection of the country's breakdown because just 2 years ago, it was not like this.

Speedpost parcels always arrived in 1 day for me once it arrived in Singapore. It was delivered either morning or afternoon. As recent as last year, it was still fine, although starting to show signs of deterioriation (1 parcel from Japan was delayed by 1 day because it left on the first day but returned to service centre that day without being delivered.).

Why are foreigners even allowed to run our Singapore delivery system?  They shouldn't even be hired in key positions yet they frequently appear as managers in fastfood restaurants. And look how badly run those fastfood restaurants are. Look how badly run their countries are.

I still recall that very rude Filipino woman manager at McDonald's @ ARC. Because of her super slow service & poorly managed staff, I looked at her name tag with intention to lodge a complaint. She noticed that I was looking & demanded rudely as if she owned the place, "WHY? Want to see my name?".  


What Singpost & Speedpost need, is a competitor or competitors. With the kind of money at stake, they will be forced to improve.


As I write this, the noise of tree pruning in my area is outside my window. But it's not the noise that is disturbing. What I'm worried about is whether my Speedpost parcel will be delivered this morning or even by the end of today. Shall we bet?

It should have been delivered yesterday, but didn't arrive whole day. It was with delivery courier since 8.41a.m. yesterday. After 6pm, I knew the delivery person had most likely stopped work. Speedpost don't do nights.

I constantly refreshed the online tracking page the whole day. At about 11p.m., it updated to "unsuccessful delivery", reason "Delivery could not be completed due to vehicular breakdown".

Vehicular breakdown.

I have seen Speedpost vans along the roads. Is it possible it broke down?  That the van broke down is a bad sign.   Sounds like China or some other place.

Didn't they service their vehicles to ensure smooth deliveries on the roads? The vehicles are the main "ingredient" in their service & they are not taking care of it?

I imagined the van breaking down. More likely, the delivery guy just clicked on the most convenient reason in the list of reasons on his iphone system update.  Possible that he had too many parcels because he started late at 8.41a.m. & couldn't complete. In any case, he should return early morning the next day.

But till now 11.50a.m., the morning is almost gone & no sign of Speedpost at the door.

Bro said they could be undermanned. So they are unable to complete their rounds. I say it's either that, or the men are lazying around. Already, they start picking up the parcels later than in the past.

The later you pick up, the less time you have to complete the deliveries.


Four years ago (2009-2011) when I used to order regularly from Korea & Taiwan, a Speedpost Singaporean Chinese lady used to deliver to me punctually every time at 10.30 a.m.. The online status would state that the parcel was picked up very early morning at around 6 or 7 a.m.. At 10.30a.m., she would be at my place. Amazingly, she was always very punctual.  She always wore a white polo T, a bit plump & jovial (although not talkative). Hardworking lady.

I don't recall seeing a Speedpost logo on her polo T & she seemed to be a contractor rather than a real staff.

In fact, during those days, I would sometimes still be sleeping & get a shock out of my bed when the doorbell rang. My bro would go to answer it. Before her, I think there was also a Speedpost Singaporean Chinese man who was also very super early punctual like 9.30a.m..

Then one day, the timing changed. No longer morning.  When I opened the door, it was no longer her. Different guys delivered unpredictably (but always before 6p.m.).


All my overseas EMS parcels arrived the next day after arriving at airport. In the rare instance I was not home (happened once or twice), I would call Speedpost which would automatically re-deliver punctually the next early morning or afternoon.  The person who answered the call was always Singaporean.

Last night,  I read that Speedpost hasn't been doing re-deliveries since Sept 2012. 
How can a country's postal delivery service collapse in just 2 years? Bro said an entire country can collapse overnight. Not surprising.

If you think I'm exaggerating, you should read what people say in those accounts/reviews about Speedpost. It sounds like they must be joking. But there is no reason for them to spend time & effort writing such jokes. And Singaporeans are not so creative to make jokes like that.

Every comment I read about what Speedpost delivery men did, is absolutely crazy.  I don't know why they do these things. Are they all foreigners?

A postman's job is not just a job. It is a responsibility. Just like a doctor's job. When you take the salary, you're not working just for the money. Behind, is a duty, an important role. Such people have forgotten that.

If you cannot fulfil that role, then do not take the job.

It is now 12:06p.m., still no sign of Speedpost.  Is the delivery guy having lunch? Maybe they should have an status update that says "Delivery courier on lunch break".

I will avoid ordering anything that sends by EMS next time. It's a pity.

This morning, I felt so comforted by Ezbuy's service that's even more reliable & trustworthy (for now) than Speedpost. How can China win Singapore? Ezbuy just refunded domestic shipping fee without me saying so & left a note.

At 1.16p.m., I just called Speedpost. I concur with the reports (& confirm) that the person who answered the phone is a foreigner. An India Indian man with curly accent. Polite but a foreigner & completely useless.  "I assure you that it will be delivered by 6p.m. today.".

[Update at 6p.m.:  His assurance is false as expected. No Speedpost. They can't control their drivers. I just called again & another India Indian man answered to ask me to wait some more, 6.15 or 6.30p.m.. He doesn't think it'll be later than that. Says if any problem, can call again.].

I noticed that the phone machine intentionally waited with a distant pause after smoothly announcing what #1, 2 & 3 are for before providing #4 "for other enquiries".

Also, it announced a closure of a Singpost branch. Why is Singpost under Speedpost's phone line? Was there ever an announcement on Singpost-Speedpost merger? The 2 have always been separate.


It's strange that in a few of the reports I read, people say Speedpost didn't bother delivering their parcels but put a notice slip into their mail box to collect from their post office.

In the past, during missed delivery when occupant is not home, Speedpost would then put a notice on the door or gate for re-delivery to be scheduled via phone or online.

Also, about 2-3 years ago,  larger parcels could be sent via registered Singpost.  Suddenly, only packages within than their very restricted size limits can be sent that way & everything else goes to Speedpost (& their very expensive prices).

Not only that. 2 days ago, I found out that Singpost "tracking system" is no longer tracking. Some time ago this year, it was still working, but was not updated well.  (In the past, the update was on time.).

Now it's completely Zero for local & overseas registered articles. I sent a package to a Carousell SG buyer & I am also expecting a parcel from Greece. Both tracking numbers are failing to show up in the tracking system (in the old & new websites).  Why bother doing a new website when the basic system isn't even working??

And why install the inconvenience of an extra step when previously it wasn't there? I have to additionally type in a security code!

I checked the SG tracking number so many times, I have memorised it. 


From 2009-2012, I very often mailed local parcels at my nearby post office. Everyone always received their packages whether registered or normal post. If it's registered, it took 2 days to receive. If normal, it took 1 or 2 days.

The only time a normal mail package was lost was because I mailed at a different post office for the first time & their deposit box was outside. So after they closed for the day, it is possible that someone managed to steal parcels out of that box at night. Or it was temporarily lost but later finally arrived (I don't know about this since the recipient never contacted me again.).
 

Recently, I have been reading reports of Singpost losing people's mail, which I find very strange.

Also, I noticed that only as recently as last year, counter staff at my post office would demand that I write a return address (even though it's local package). I say "demand".  They wouldn't budge. Last year, the counter woman serving me even called over the manager who was walking around. Said I wouldn't write a return address on my registered parcel. The manager let me be only after some argument.

Back when I used to mail plenty of local parcels, the staff never cared whether or not there was a return address.

Why now?  Because many people complain of lost mail. Ok. Then why are mails getting lost when previously there wasn't such a problem? Because you are hiring foreigners? Because you are hiring contractors?

I read that Singpost is making a lot of profit & even rich enough to purchase additional $36 million shares in a China delivery company 4PX. Singpost has expanded. But why then has it deterioriated?

I noticed that even the layout of the Singpost branch I go to, has changed. So rundown, so makeshift, blank white & poorly done.  Even the entire staff with the manager have changed. What is happening?  

A few years ago, they were even trying to sell irrelevant groceries such as canned Abalone & cookies that the staff were asking people to buy at the end of the postal services.  Absurd.  Even selling electrical appliances. I thought Singpost must be closing down to be desperate enough to be doing this.

But far from going bust, Singpost has made millions of profit & acquired stakes in China's 4PX.


2 days ago on 28th Tues, I was angry with a Singpost woman. Yes, I have her name. Yeo Chay Boo (you can call her "chuay bo" for "cannot find" in Hokkien). Is she even Singaporean or Malaysian?

Fat balding Chinese woman in spectacles who loves to talk but does as little work as possible & holds up the queue.

A Singpost staff herself holding up the queue.  I'm surprised she don't get yelled at every day.  I bloody well almost yelled at her.


A Carousell buyer had ordered an item from me.  I was to mail it via local registered Singpost.  Queued for a long time. In front of me was a local Indian man who obviously had been waiting for a long time.  In front of him was a local Chinese office man who left the queue when I entered because he couldn't wait any more. Further in front, were another 3 persons.

Delay after delay. She chatted with a woman customer who said she was shortchanged by a certain number of stamps. Baldy Singpost woman who was sitting very comfortably in her chair for a nice chat, admitted that it was possibly her fault because she was busy.

It went on for some more minutes until the matter was solved, then the customer went away.

Next. The franked mail Malay man arrived with a sack. She went to open the side door for him. Then seeing the sack & confirming it's franked mail, told him to put it outside. I was thinking "What if it goes missing if you leave it outside??".

Luckily, the manager (a woman I never seen before) appeared & said that the sack of mail has to be left inside the room. That stupid chuay bo woman relented. But she suddenly had the idea that it was too heavy for the Malay staff to carry off later & insisted that the delivery man take out some of the mail in the sack & put into another sack that was on the countertop.

I think she had left the folded sack there for precisely this purpose, waiting for him. 

He was completely upset by this demand because it wasn't his job. It was double work for him. He said it wasn't her who would be carrying the sack later. She said, "Yes, but pity the poor staff...It's too heavy.".

I don't know what's the matter with her. There must be some benefit for her to force him to do this. She kept saying, "It's too heavy. Too heavy.".

He said, "It's not heavy. I was able to carry it here.".

He said that he was fasting (implying he has no energy to be doing extra work). She replied that "They are also fasting".  (meaning the Malay staff who would be carrying it off later).

He said she should be separating the mail herself because this is not his job. She said she was already full-handed.  He said, "Then you think I'm very free? Come on. I already delivered this to your door.".

Meanwhile, customers were waiting for her in the queue. I was watching her. Wondering what the heck is she doing.

While the delivery man finally relented & started taking out chunks of mail to put into the other sack, she finally went back to her seat.

By the time it was the Indian man's turn (in front of me), his patience was completely used up. But she said he was unable to collect his item because it's been "too long". After waiting in line for so long, he discovered he couldn't get his mail because according to her, it's been returned to sender. She didn't even bother to check inside whether the mail might perhaps still be lying around.

He left in a huff but amazingly held his temper very well (partly because it was his fault for not picking his mail up earlier).

Then it was my turn.

She weighed it. I already knew the weight since I did it at home & knew how much it cost.  I paid. She scanned the barcode, stuck it onto my parcel & gave me the receipt with tracking number. Then started complaining.

She said there is only address, no name.

I said the person only gave me his address (& I didn't take down his Carousell userID. In the past, it was fine just to have an address for the postman to send to.).  

She said, "Then write your address here.". She turned the parcel behind on the counter.

I said it's fine as it is. She demanded that I write my address.

I said I have sent parcels this way before & it's been fine.

She said without a return address, how to recover the parcel? "Throw it away?".

Pissed & wanting to get her off my back, I said, "Yes. Throw it away.".

She didn't know what to say for a second. Then cotinued to demand for a return address.

To distract her, I asked whether she can give me more of those registered article slips of paper for next time. It seemed to boost her ego.

She rudely ignored my request & even increased her demand that I write a return address.
So I took the pen, thinking of writing a fake return address. Meanwhile, she grumbled, "No return address. Then what for register it?".

What a stupid woman. Registered mail means I pay extra for the postman to deliver to this address. Make sure this address receives this package. If it is delivered honestly, there will be no problem. Therefore a return address has never been necessary in all the years that I have been posting mail.

I should have told her that.

Instead, I took the pen,  trying to think of a fake return address. Then decided, what the heck. Why should I rack my brain thinking of a fake address or be forced to write any address??! 

I said in a firm & getting angry voice that I did not know the person & did not want to write it because it is private & confidential information.

She still kept demanding & insisting that I write it. Bloody woman.

My temper suddenly rose & I tossed my hand up & said, "I have spoken to the manager before & it's fine!".

When I looked down at her again, the bold & demanding attitude in her eyes had disappeared. Her stupidly confident attitude had shrunk. She looked taken aback & instantly relented when I repeated, "It's fine. It's fine!". She then muttered in agreement or something while I walked away.

When I turned round, the queue had built up! The stupid staff had held up the queue! All because she kept demanding that I write a return address.


I was so goddamn upset.  Initially, seeing the queue, I had wanted to post via normal mail but was afraid that buyer might not receive it. If it's lost, it would be troublesome to say I didn't post via registered. Should've posted at another branch.

When the tracking number didn't show up after that, I began to wonder if that woman had stolen it.  Previously, once it's at the post office, tracking will display that it's been posted there. Since the day I posted, the page displayed nothing.

I got so worried that I ordered another of the same item to stand by, just in case the buyer didn't receive this one. Was thinking no loss because I can sell this 2nd one also. Either that, or I could refund the buyer. Small loss.

Only earlier today at about 2 or 3p.m., the update suddenly showed up that it's delivery in progress.

It's now 6:03p.m. & the Speedpost man is still not here.  Even the garbage collectors are more punctual than Speedpost. 

[Update: 10:31p.m. Fri 1 July. I finally received my parcel today at about 6.45p.m.. After 3 days of waiting, today being the 3rd day, I had given up hope of receiving today. And I now know what is going with Speedpost after asking the young & forthright delivery guy.]


Speedpost Mystery Solved: http://therevolutioner.blogspot.sg/2016/07/speedpost-sg-mystery-solved.html

Brexit Young People Have No Pride In Their British Country

All their comments in this post against Brexit, contain the mistake that they are not seeing. Youth is really wasted on the young:

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/grey-brexit-vote-angers-younger-britons-135739091.html

In another report, they say that they see themselves as Europeans first, Britons second & Londoners last.

The fact they see themselves as Europeans first, is already a mistake. No pride in the worth of their own British country. As if they will die without being in the EU. Have pride for heaven's sake.  Why can't you have pride? Because the country is overrun by immigrants?

Those who didn't experience the past, can't say that the elders are longing for "a past that never existed".  That is selfish thinking. Narrow-minded. Shallow. Too much iphone.

Rebecca, tweeting at @ReallyRew said: "Our country's fate has been decided by people longing for a past that never existed and they've created a future that's bleak".

She means, it never existed for her.  Her mind is small & narrow with no knowledge or experience of a past to compare her current life with.  A future that's bleak? The future is not yet for her to see. Or rather, how can she possibly see the future with such a small, selfish mind as hers?

A united people is a country's strength. 

Look at how shallow young Britons are. They even say that they are leaving their country just because Britain has left the EU. No pride. Only selfishness.

If you have no pride in your own country, nobody will respect you or your country.

They never think that they can still make something good out of this. They don't see it as an opportunity to make things better. Instead they see it as a disaster because they are spoilt. They can't fight. They want things easy. Lazy.

This is the tragedy of the younger British generation.

They don't think, why the elders want a past? Because it must have been better & stronger.

Why don't they think that with their own hands, they can make their country a better & stronger place without the EU?

Young people vented their anger on Saturday against more eurosceptic older voters as they came to terms with a momentous referendum to pull Britain out of the EU, with the hashtag #NotInMyName trending on Twitter.

 "I feel angry. Those who voted leave, they're not going to fight the future," said Mary Treinen, 23, a technological consultant who lives in London's trendy Shoreditch district.

A 12,000-strong survey of referendum voters published by pollster Michael Ashcroft found that 73 percent of 18-24-year-olds and 62 percent of 25-34-year-olds had voted "Remain", while 60 percent of people aged over 65 had voted "Leave".

Within hours of the results, there was a small demonstration outside Downing Street.

Richie Xavier, a 21-year-old barman, said: "I don't feel it is right for the old people to speak for us. Not to be insensitive, but we have a lot longer to go than they do. So I do feel a little bit robbed of my future."

Paddy Baker, 21, agreed saying: "Older people voted for this -- but we are the ones who are going to feel the ramifications."

At a meeting of the opposition Labour Party in central London on Saturday, many also voiced concern about the generational fault-line exposed by the vote, between those who cannot remember a Britain without the European Union and those who can.

"The young people that voted overwhelmingly to remain must not be short-changed," Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the audience.

Terence Smith, at 19 Britain's youngest mayor, said he had voted "Remain".

 "I'm still coming to terms with what we are facing," said Smith, mayor of Goole in Yorkshire, northern England.

He said there was "a terrible generational divide that we must seek to overcome".

- 'I'm out of this country' -

Many young people took to social media to vent their frustration after the shock result from Thursday's vote, in which "Leave" won by 52 percent to 48 percent.

"This vote doesn't represent the younger generation who will have to live with the consequences," Luke Tansley wrote on Twitter under the handle @rams_luke.

Eleanor on @PrettiestStar_ wrote: "I refuse to hide my anger, fear and sadness at a decision that will change my future to one I never wanted".

Rebecca, tweeting at @ReallyRew said: "Our country's fate has been decided by people longing for a past that never existed and they've created a future that's bleak".

Matthew van der Merwe wrote to the Financial Times newspaper describing how his great-grandparents fled violent nationalism in Europe in the 1930s for South Africa and how his parents fled apartheid.

 "My brothers and I were the first in four generations to be born into an open, liberal democracy, and in a world that had moved towards co-operation," the Cambridge University student said.

"On Thursday we moved backwards, and it's not clear quite how far. A great deal of the optimism I shared with most of my generation in this country, is gone," he said.

An anonymous young letter writer in the FT also complained about the vote, raising the burden of paying to bail out banks and fund pensions for older people.

"What do we get in return? We lose the right of freedom to move, study, work, live and be treated as equals in any European country."

 The letter concluded: "As soon as I've finished my studies I'm out of this country".

Look at the reasons why the so-called "older" British want back their country:  It used to be vibrant but the EU destroyed it all.   https://sg.news.yahoo.com/english-town-voted-brexit-love-040144126.html

What happened is that the EU ran over Britain.

"When self-esteem is stripped away, there is anger."

 "I voted Leave on the principle that the Prime Minister David Cameron promised us that he wasn't going to let more than 100,000 immigrants into this country," he said.

"A lot of the people coming in are from poorer nations and willing to work for less money. I think that's all wrong.

Well, sir,  it's also all wrong in Singapore, but bloody Hell, nobody in Singapore seems to see it that way.   Hats off to you, sir, for your pride in your country. At least you have the choice to vote out.

Sukin Intensive Firming Serum (Australian Sukin Organics Review)

Sat 25 Jun. 1:51p.m..

Many skincare products are just shit. Sukin is one of them.

The entire Sukin line don't work. For what appears to be affordably "cheap" pricing at first, that's some expensive shit that don't work.

My own natural ingredients facial treatment works even better than Sukin.

Due to the "surprisingly" less expensive pricing, I bought quite a few Sukin products about 1-2 years ago. Only now am I writing this because this so-called firming serum is the last one that I am throwing out (after just 2 or 3 uses).  I threw out all the other products last year (or recently) because they have expired.

Despite listing it on Carousell for plenty while, this firming serum didn't sell. The product expired 2 months ago. As I take it (still inside the box) to throw away, I get quite upset with this shit.

How much did it cost? I recall it was $20+.  Purchased from Watsons @ Takashimaya.

What are the goddamn ingredients that cause it Not to work?  Reading the ingredients list, there is actually nothing in there that will make it work.

The first ingredient is water (Aqua). So it's watery.  The other ingredients are just fruit & seed extracts that are for show.

According to a website I read, the ingredients of skincare products have already lost their effectiveness even before they reach the shelves.  Consumers are buying dead products.

After using a few brands of "organic" skincare products (including those made with soy), I have found them to be as useless or even more useless than non-organic.

Goddamn gimmick to use the word "organic".  No this, no that, a whole list of "Nos" (11 of them on this firming serum box). But the damn thing doesn't work.

I think many people have already realized the Sukin brand doesn't work because I haven't seen anybody buying the products anymore.  

Now, I'm going to throw it away.

I haven't bought a single "skincare" product for a long while. And I don't step into Watsons or Guardian anymore to look at facial/skincare arrivals.  All goddamn crap.

Now I don't even need to bother reading ingredients on the "skincare" product boxes anymore. I simply stopped buying.

I just use natural single ingredients for my facial needs & they work even better than all the Korean/Taiwan/Australian/USA products I have imported online or purchased in stores.  (USA serum from Amazon is the best but not good enough).

Recently,  I had to clear out all that heap load of "skincare" stuff I accumulated. Most products I used only a few times & abandoned. All expensive.  They were purchased some time in 2013 or 2014 within some months when I was experimenting with these products.

I even threw away the Mule Korean brand face toner (emulsion) & foundation compact set with brushes. Goddamn useless. That was damn expensive because I ordered online through a shopping agent.

Carousell Is Not Carouhell (Buyers' Guide)

Just because of a few scammers, the whole thing is blown out of proportion. Read the poor sellers' feedback. So many sellers are in fact being run over by buyers. I say Run Over.

Look at how buyers treat sellers. And how generously "patient" & "understanding" sellers have been. The lengths they go to just to please thick-skinned buyers.

I have read 232 profiles' feedback columns & I can say that it is the buyers who are at fault. If buyers get scammed, it is because they deserve it.

What more you want me to say?

Tell you how to rip off sellers? How to be super late at meet ups?  How to cut sellers' prices by unreasonable amounts?  Buyers are already doing all that very well.

Buyers are so professional at bullying sellers.  I am amazed. It's appalling.

I can't possibly write a buyers' guide/manual to teach buyers how to further bully poor & honest sellers.

So many buyers lack common sense, they can't be taught.  A stupid person cannot become smart even if you send him/her to university.

Carousell SG is the best & only platform currently, that is fair to both sellers & buyers. It gives freedom to all users to buy & sell without too many restrictions.

Carousell SG is unique. Only fools avoid it.

As I mentioned in another post,  there are more things to be discovered on Carousell than in any physical flea market. It's a great gathering of all the vintage stuff you can ever find in 1 place.

Not just vintage stuff, but really great finds (new or used).

Erase the mentality of grabbing cheap deals & you can get some unique stuff from the many genuinely honest sellers on Carousell.