Present

Celebrated Crystal's birthday last Saturday, the planning and the co-ordinating almost drove me nuts for the celebrating group was having packed schedules and exams were just around the corner not to mention project deadlines to be met before the actual examinations.

Thankfully things pulled together [somehow] and she was rewarded with a pleasant surprise when I escorted her through the glass doors of O'Brien @ Holland Village, with the dim lighting of the restaurant providing the perfect ambience for the lighted birthday cake awaiting her at far corner of the restaurant. Her smile was priceless as I watched from the corner of my eye, a slow smile playing on my lips. Her non-stop laughter from the teasing and birthday wishes that streamed continously from the group of friends around her. Later in the night after I left her void deck [I accompanied the lady home], she messaged me that the group wanted her to thank me on their behalf for making all this possible and she felt really blessed because this was the first time in her life someone really took the effort to plan everything from the venue to the present to surprise party. Well, her delight was reward enough for me.

Wanna share in her birthday present as well? ^-^



Basically it's an mp3 player called i-audio [Korean Brand] which boasts of highly advanced functions like Equalizer [EQ], something which is lacking in most MP3 Players because this possess the ability to fine-tune the mp3s so that they sound much better on this particular player. FM Recording has different speeds to download the song so that you can vary the quality of the song [so that it's smaller in file size] yet fine-tune it with the EQ to make it sound just as good as any CD-Quality mp3 song. Alright, enough of advertising. You can check out more details on their website.

What peeved me slightly though was a particular shop assistant sitting behind a counter glass showcase who presented with me bad service [I often have this unconcious comparison of staff's level of service], browsing around Sim Lim Square for the suitable mp3 player when I walked into his shop.

Myself: Hi, I'm looking for an mp3 player. Do u have any good recommendations?
Staff: [nonchalant tone] What you want for mp3 player.

Myself: Well I'm not sure but I'm probably having a budget of about $180.
Staff: [Uninterested] I don't have much models for you.

Myself: Is there any models you could recommend me?
Staff : [Points to some models displayed on glass case] All here.

I left without another word.

As I continued browsing along Sim Lim Square I walked into another shop and was greeted by a young-looking counter staff who smiled as I walked up.

I was feeling much more hopeful suddenly.

Myself: Hi, I'm looking for an MP3 Player but I'm limited. Any recommendations?
Staff: [Short Cheerful Laugh] No worries, what's your budget?

Myself: I could afford about $180 and I'm not sure what to look for.
Staff: Come, come. Let me show you my models then.

He proceeded to explain several models of Mp3 Players from China, Taiwan and the most notably Creative models from Singapore. What impressed me is he proceeded to explain the various aspects of each Mp3 Player in comparison to the rest. The final conclusion? I bought the Korean i-audio Mp3 Player at $215 which is beyond my budget but I guess I'm a sucker for good service. Following that I went back to the previous shop and walked to the same staff, he seemed surprised to see me come back. I smiled and pointed the same i-audio G3 model and asked how much. He gave a price of $220 with GST included, I told him flatly I have been offered $200 with GST from a shop downstairs. He pondered carefully for quite a while and pressed the calculator furiously and gave me the final price of $210. I smiled and showed him the package and said, "If you had offered me good service earlier, I would have bought this from you for $215. Take Care."

His expression was priceless as well.

I'm glad a friend of mine shares the same sentiments as me.

Perhaps I should be wearing a shirt and tie since I was dressed in T-shirt and jeans and carrying a sports sling bag looking every bit the poor shopper.





I am surprised that my dance class has a recent celebrity joining, guess he wants to learn to dance well.