New arrivals in store!
Collection 2: Tavik Marlee Spring Summer 2011
SHOP NOW! CLICK HERE

Quote 'Beatrice' for 10% off!

Sometime last week, I was brisk walking to Bugis MRT station when I happened to chance across a disabled man in a wheelchair, sitting by a wall. He was obviously asking for donations but he didn’t even have the ability to speak or sit straight, for that matter. I guess he might have been a victim of a serious stroke as his muscles didn’t seem to be functioning. He was flopped over the side of his wheelchair, arms bent out at weird angles, with absolutely no control over his facial muscles and panting heavily. It was a pitiful sight; heartbreaking, to say the least.

I found myself staring at him, mildly transfixed, and stopping to look back at him. I contemplated retracing my steps and perhaps giving him a donation, but I was rushing against time. I turned away and continued walking for another couple of steps, but somehow I turned back for the second time to look at him. It was an inner battle; fighting with my selfish desire to just walk away and save that few precious seconds of time, and my inner conscience telling me to extend a helping hand in the simplest of ways: a donation.

I turned my back on him and continued walking away.

I couldn’t get the image of him out of my mind for a good half hour after. Thoughts of my selfish act came back to haunt me and made me feel shameful. There is no excuse for a selfish act. People may say ‘I was in a rush!’ or ‘I’ll donate some other time to some other disabled soul.’ But that doesn’t change the fact that in that very moment, we made the decision to place our own petty selfish intentions over someone else’s livelihood.

If the selfish act were as simple as not giving up a seat on the bus, or not helping an old woman with her groceries, perhaps the sin would not be as heavy. Why do I say this? Because every cent donated to a man as disabled as the one I saw goes into providing his next meal; goes into paying his rent, bills and his livelihood. I guess a part of me, as much as I would rather deny it, was afraid. Afraid, apprehensive and a slight bit horrified at how pathetic the disabled man was. I was afraid to approach him and I feared going into close proximity. And for that, I am fully disgusted with myself. As I walked away, all I could think about was how myopic I really was to the poor man’s plight. And I would never forgive myself for making the choice to turn a blind eye to a man in need.

I chose to share this story in a bid to send a message across to anyone who happens to read this: Be not afraid; Make the choice to extend a helping hand if it’s within your power. The world will be a better place if we all just tried a little harder. (:

How does one go about dealing with difficult and unreasonable customers?

I have always prided myself for being incredibly even-tempered. I strongly believe in exceptional service and have always operated under the motto that ‘customers are always right’.

That being said, after working in the online enterprise industry for 3 years, I’ve met countless people who have blatantly challenged my beliefs by being completely unreasonable, irrational and unfair.

As all online shoppers will know, there are 2 postage methods commonly used for the delivery of purchases: Normal and Registered Mail. The difference between these 2 methods are as follows:

Normal Mail is completely untraceable should a parcel go missing in the mail. However, this option is cheaper and the delivery rate is faster. Most customers actually choose this option as parcels will be stuffed into your mailbox so you don’t need to be home to wait for the mailman.

Registered Mail comes with a tracking number which can be entered into SingPost’s system to locate where your package might be. Registered Mail requires you to be physically at home to sign the delivery notice slip when the mailman arrives. This option is costs an addition $2.25 on top of Normal Mail charges.

Most people do not opt for the Registered Postage option as it might be inconvenient to stay home to wait for the mailman, or going down to the Post Office should they miss the mailman to collect their package. Some others are also unwilling to fork out an additional $2.25 to get their parcels registered.

This is the part that angers me so. We, the owners of online boutiques, do not work for SingPost. We do not work for the government. We are not shareholders of the local delivery system company. How then, do some people, expect us to magically trace their packages? What do you expect us to do? Go down to the post office and hold a gun to the service staff’s head, demanding that our packages be located? Because in case you didn’t know, SingPost does not entertain us when we try to trace your lost packages. Yes, they may try to help, but there is no guarantee.

I have customers coming to me and demanding an explanation and even refunds for their lost packages dispatched via normal mail. It is stated clearly on all online shopping sites that companies are not liable for purchases sent via Normal Mail. There is essentially nothing we can do about it, which is why registered mail is always strongly encouraged. How can someone pin the blame on us for their missing parcel?

You made the decision to save $2.25 and not get your parcel registered.
You made the decision to take the risk of losing your parcel.
You made the decision to agree to all Terms and Conditions when a purchase is made.
Why then, are you coming back and biting us? Some customers can be harsh and demanding in their complaints of lost packages. This kind of unprovoked hostility is unwarranted and we do not have to entertain it.

Yet, I do still go the extra mile to help any customer who might experience a missing parcel, because I personally understand the frustration and worry at the prospect of losing your money. I understand the anger that might come with not receiving what you paid for. What I don’t understand is the misdirected anger towards us that we do not deserve.

This is a call to everyone who shops online; please understand the amount of anguish that we, blogshop owners experience when customers act like we owe them a living. It hurts when we have strived for excellence and have done everything we can to provide great service, yet people ask for more that isn’t within our power to deliver.
I don’t deny that there are some blogshops that provide really bad service, that don’t reply to emails or are rude and inefficient. So take precaution when you shop and know which establishments are accountable and responsible.

Okay, I am now significantly less angry after my long rambling session. In other news, my new room does not have an air conditioning unit installed. I must be living in the 1960s.

Brendan's 21st Birthday partaye.
He attempted to organize a ridiculous theme of facial hair - I guess he was expecting us all to stick on fake mustaches. But being the geniuses that we are, we thought of the perfect girly solution to an otherwise manly theme. False eyelashes and cat whiskers! ^_^

I know I haven't been here much, but staying home and compulsively watching American TV Serials while editing pictures and mailing out packages has rendered me at the highest point of my laziness. And for anyone else who might be interested in home entertainment, you might wanna check out these TV shows: No Ordinary Family, Witches of Eastwick, Cougar Town, Nikita and Rules of Engagement!

With just a single day left before the general elections, I have decided to sit my ass down and translate my thoughts and views into words. First things first, I don’t usually give half a damn about politics and I tend to keep my opinions to myself, but recent events have fuelled me to stand up and say something. These recent events can be loosely translated to mean: Celebrity bloggers taking stands against the opposition and subtly nudging citizens to support the PAP through their influence.

I used to strongly believe in the PAP and speak up for them when people passed harsh judgement about their policies. I used to think that most people were just itching for something controversial to talk about. It was till this upcoming General Election when I found out that my parents were going to vote for the opposition that I questioned my dad about his decision and have since opened my eyes to the things I have been blind to.

I do not doubt that the PAP has done a fantastic job governing Singapore over the past 40 years or so. They have successfully put us on the map and boosted our economy growth, allowing us to flourish tremendously. However, people are so myopic about what’s happening around us right now by constantly referring to the achievements the PAP has accomplished in the past.

The PAP has garnered such a tremendous amount of unopposed power that they are allowed to pass any law they deem fit and draw a salary of millions of dollars a year. Want an idea of the amount of money our Prime Minister earns a year? He earns a whopping $3,000,000 a year, as opposed to Obama, the president of United States who earns a mere $400,000. Where do you think the money that funds our PM’s salary comes from, my friends? It comes from our pockets. It comes from the wallets of our parents; our taxpayers. Do you know that according to the Guinness Book of Records, the 30 highest paid politicians in the world all come from Singapore?

You may not physically see it, but there are poor people all over Singapore who can barely afford 3 square meals a day. There are old people working their asses off in hawker centres, cleaning toilets and mopping floors. There are old uncles sleeping on playground benches and old aunties sleeping in temples. The golden question is: Why doesn’t the government help these people?

It’s not as though the government is poor, as seen from the insane salary they earn a year. I’m not just talking about the PM. I’m talking about all members of parliament. They may not earn $3 million a year like our Prime Minister does, but you can make an informed guess based on his salary. Why can’t our government take out a mere portion of their salary a year to help the less fortunate? Why can’t our government establish a pension scheme to help the elderly after they have contributed to the growth of the economy over the years?

I, for one, will not stand the possibility of seeing my own parents working and suffering in their retiring years. You may think, ‘Oh, my parents have saved enough money for their old age. They’ve got their CPF to keep them afloat, too!’

To that, I say: Do you honestly think your parents (I’m talking about average income families here) have enough money in their CPF accounts to last the rest of their retiring years? How about housing? Most of them would have used this CPF money to pay for the house you are currently living in.

And the best part? Our Health Minister actually suggested that we send our parents to nursing homes in Johor Bahru if we cannot afford to take care of them in Singapore.

So that’s his genius solution. To ship our parents off to the neighbouring country instead of using our extensive resources to help them. If you think it’s just and right to ship your parents off to another country then by all means, please vote for the PAP. I just hope you like Malaysia enough to be prepared to go there when YOU retire, too.

Some people may argue that although our ministers may draw an exorbitant salary, at least the government is clean and free from corruption. Yeah, our government may be free from corruption because everything they do is legitimized. They don’t need to steal funds by some backhand channel – They are licensed to take our taxpayers’ money outright in the form of policies that are implemented, unimpeded.

Essentially, I do not doubt that PAP has done a fantastic job governing us in the past, but they have since gained over two-thirds of the seats in Parliament and this has allowed them to pass and force any laws down our throats over the recent years. They have, time and again, drawn up schemes and acted to their own whims and fancies without an opposition strong enough to question them. If the opposition is granted at least half the seats in Parliament in this election, we will then have an alternate ruling party to keep the PAP in check and ensure that biased laws that selfishly benefit any government’s personal interests are not passed, unchecked.

Some friends I have spoken to have disagreed with me, preferring to stay in their own comfort zones and avoid ‘biting the hand that feeds you’. But what you may fail to realize is: This hand has not been feeding you in the recent years. This hand has been taking your food and slapping you in the face with it yet you numbly come back for more, willingly. Should we let our fear for change stand in the way of the hope of a brighter future? Open your eyes to what’s happening around us and know that you have the power to make a difference.

After all, change is the only constant.