Perception

Some Singaporeans says flyers tickets are priced too high

12 April 2008

I couldn't help but agree more that the Singapore's flyers tickets are on the pricey side despite the overwhelming responses when it was first launched. It is a 30 minutes ride on Singapore's lastest iconic attraction costing a dollar for every minute! Tickets are selling at S$29.50 for adults, S$20.65 for children and S$23.60 for senior citizens.

I've sat on the Singapore Flyer once and i thought it wasn't much of a big deal. Frankly speaking, i wouldn't even have gone on the flyer unless i had free tickets, and coincidentally my friend did! I would say its just a very slow, nice experience. It's all about the scenic view across Singapore's central and coastal area. However, i definately would not pay to sit on the flyer again. Call me stingy, but it was something that i felt not worthed the money.

Everyone has their different point of view,some may feel that the uniqueness of the Singapore Flyer can be in comparison with the fee.However i feel that Singapore is a very small country with mostly high-rise buildings which roughly look alike wasn't that appealling to me. The 30 minute ride i experienced, wasn't much of an excitement as i knew how the view would look like judging from the pictures i saw on the brochures. Besides, i was living so near the flyer that i saw the whole construction of the flyer just by looking out of my balcony.

Besides have to pay nearly $30 per person, you'd have to share the capsule with other strangers. There isn't any privacy and could get very awkward having to sit in the capsule with strangers, especially for couples. Maybe it was the overwhelming crowd that could not have accommodate to those situation, but then i've thought of a better way to solve this solution. I feel that there should be local rates. This would then not only attract more tourist, but also Singaporeans to be able to experience the ride. Tourist would find the ride worth the money as it is a once a lifetime opportunity for them. But what about the Singaporeans? As i said, i'll

definately not pay for the ride, what more twice! Thus, the flyer would not benefit for the long run if the rates does not decrease.

Some may beg to differ, but honestly i would rather go to the Pasir Ris e!hub where the 25m ferris wheel is at a comparably much lower price of $6.50/pax.

Non verbal Communications

TATTOOS

The question would be: Why do people get tattoos?

Well, most people who actually have it are either fans of body art or professionals in the business.. This one is for the skeptic that just doesn't understand their love for living art. The tattoo that people usually choose actually has a significant meaning to their lifes. And they want to display their devotion on their skin for all to see. By understanding the persons tattoo, you begin to actually understand the person himself. It is as though this one tattoo tells the story about the person and his life without any words at all.

For example, the wind-up bird as shown in the picture. It actually relates back to a japanese novel. The novel is about a low-key unemployed man, Toru Okada, whose cat disappears. A chain of events follow that prove that his seemingly mundane monotonous life is much more complicated than it appears. The girl who got inked with this tattoo should have probably related alot of herself with the main charactor or so.

Personally, I am not fascinated by body modification, nor do i belong to any subculture that encourages tatoos. but i would be interested in getting a tattoo of personal significance that is not visible to the general public. I haven't yet because of the very nature of tattoos being relatively permenant, the wrong choice is one to regret for a long time.

Perception

THE STRAITS TIMES
saturday, may 17 2008
China to come down hard on shoddy work


Everyone by now, should have read about the massive earthquake in the Sichuan province of China which has killed thousands of people, mostly children.The 'one-child policy' has been contentious inside China as well as out. The government says it has prevented an additional 400 million births. But critics say it has also led to forced abortions, sterilisations and a dangerously imbalanced gender ratio as local authorities pursue sometimes severe birth quotas set by Beijing and families abort girls out of a traditional preference for male heirs.Parents lost their one and only child leaving them alone through their years.

Personally, i feel that it was not the earthquake that killed the the people but actually the poor infrastructure of the buildings that led to destruction. China, known as the" sleeping tiger" has been advancing rapidly in terms of economically and their technology. It has also been a major field of global power and strength that even the Americans are weary of China. The earthquake allowed me to have my second thoughts of China, as looking closely, China is a huge country and there are bound to be corruptions. Humans are drawn to greed, thus that led to the slipshodiness. Only when the disaster happened, the government realized how this little mistake could actually be the cost of thousands of people's lives. The minister also said that school buildings were not the only serious infrastructure casualties, despite media reports of several thousand schools toppled in the earthquake. This is to show the amount of people whom died from the toppling of buildings. The government in China has even launched an investigation into the buildings that had collapsed on the tragic Monday afternoon, but i feel that it is all too late of that now. Even if they found the culprits of the slipshod foundations of the buildings, lives has already been taken away and many people are suffering from the lost of their love ones. Therefore, China should now be taking precautions for such inevitable natural disasters.

My heart goes out to all of them, either those who've died, the children who've lost their lives and the pitiful parents. I feel so lucky, compared to those children. I think being buried alive is one of the most painful thing. This is a lesson learn for all.