NTUC FairPrice

Last week I purchased a bottle of marmalade (Hero of Switzerland) from NTUC Bedok for my after dinner snack whilst watching Wimbeldon Tennis. To my surprise when I opened the cap, the jam was already mouldy. The seal was intact and the cap was vacuum sealed as well. Expiry was stated as Dec 2009.

I brought it back to NTUC for an exchange and of course I had already thrown the receipt away. The service and their attitude was very good. Without question they took down my complaint and particulars and gave me a new bottle with profuse apologies.

Kudos to NTUC.......well Done!

Dinner @ Hua Yu Wee June 08

Attached are some pictures taken during our dinner in June 08

How, then, ah?

I was driving out of the open carpark (ie ground level uncovered carpark as opposed to a multi-storeyed and hence covered carpark) this morning and discovered an idiotic driver in an MPV parked along the driveway kerb just before where the drive (and kerb) turned left. He was waiting at this under-arm part of the T-junction.

As I wanted to turn left, and his vehicle was in my way, I was forced to do a huge left turn all the way, on the wrong side of the driveway. Bet you, he didn't get my killer glare.

In my view, he should have waited further back along the driveway and not at the junction.

Or he could have waited, parked directly in front of the parked cars in the parking lots. That way, he could move his vehicle aside when someone wants to drive off one of those parked cars. And those car owners wouldn't be miffed one little bit as they can see that he's there to move his vehicle.

Now why are there such idiotic drivers around? Where to park and wait in a carpark is not something coverd in the Highway Code which you are tested in before you can go for a driving licence test drive. But that should not be an excuse.

What to do with these inconsiderate idiots?

This is Quality Service

I broke the little white part (see photos) of one hinge when I walked in the wrong direction against an opened door of a BILLY bookcase from IKEAI.

That's the damaged piece, a new piece and the hinge cover.





Could I buy the little white part? Or the entire hinge? Or a pair of hinges?

Checked the displays in IKEA.

Couldn’t find any BILLY bookcase or cupboard with frameless glass doors which use these hinges.

Photo shows upper hinge with white piece intact.



Checked with IKEA customer service.

They don’t sell the glass doors which came with these hinges, nor the hinges, any more.

A discontinued item.

Photo shows lower hinge without white piece which was broken and removed.






“But wait a minute and we’ll see if we can find that part.”

Photo shows door in closed position, but hinge wasn't holding door in closed position as white piece was missing.



And in a little while the young lady came out with “... only this. Looks like what you want. Our last one.”

No charge, you're welcome.


Photo shows upper hinge capped.




It seems IKEA keeps every bit and piece of anything that’s not sold, or from damaged unsellable items, and hold them as spare parts.

What a wonderful practice.

And what great service.







Photo shows lower hinge repaired (ie white piece replaced) and capped.

Water hazard at CGH

Watch out for this water hazard on way from the open carpark to the main porch of the Changi General Hospital.

Water collects at this spot after slight rain due to a depression left there by poor workmanship during road construction.

Obviously somebody did not do a good job supervising the work.

And, obviously no one in CGH bothers about the present condition.

$2 a plate chicken rice

Couldn't resist trying it when I saw the $2 sign at this stall in Tekka Centre foodcourt (hope I got the name correct).

Portions of rice and chicken meat were decent, like what you'd get for the usual $3 plate sold everywhere else. The rice was good tasty chicken rice. And the white breast meat was deboned and pretty. The soup was very good, without all the junk add-ons of fried garlic etc. And chilli was brought out from under the counter in a little chilli container ie it's not there in the open for you to take too much and abuse as wasteage. The chilli is garlic-plus; taste in my mouth the whole day was good evidence.

Two plates makes a better deal than a chicken burger at those fast food franchises.


Click here for another post about coffeeshop food.

Stick no bills

Most of us see such ads daily. Stuck all over the place, on lamp poles, bus stop shelters, walls of common properties, etc. The only places that are free of such ads are the walls of public toilets because these are cleaned a few times every day and the cleaners remove them. So the culprits who stick them up know it's a waste of time and money to plaster them on toilet walls.

Sticking such ads on public property dirties and defaces the public proerty and the act is plain littering and vandalism. The culprits should be fined, jailed and caned. Hang them? why not?



The irresponsible, inconsiderate act, nay, criminal act, requires cleaning up after at extra cost to us all. It's no wonder our conservancy costs keep going up.

It is getting rampant because there is no publicity of action being taken against these vandals. Possibly because enforcement action is not being taken at all.

Report to your Town Council and they'll reprimand the cleansing contractor for their tardiness in removing the ads resulting in your "public complaint". I always wonder why the TC doesn't call those advertised telephone numbers and get the advertiser's particulars and go prosecute them.

And as it is littering of a kind, why doesn't the National Enviroment Authority catch and prosecute these litterbugs?

And, can't the senior officers of NEA and advisors to TC's ie the MP's see all these cases of vandalism? Are they all blind? or what?

Or have all those in senior positions gone so complacent that their underlings follow suit and we're to face such situations in the heartlands where we live while they live in their expensive condominiums where there are no public properties to be so defaced?

A lot of people are not doing their work.