Cheap KTV in Singapore? It's too good to be true.

If you know me in person (or even if you do not), it is not difficult to guess that I frequent karaoke places quite frequently.

With the uprise of karaoke places, the prices are getting competitive - and I would say many are offering cheap rates for a few hours.

There is this particular KTV which I am sure many karaoke goers may be familiar with - It's so freaking' affordable ($10 for 5 hours session!?) and with the offer of free-flow drinks, what is there not to love about the place, right?!

NOT.

Yes,  I am not going to mask the name here because I feel that everyone ought to know how they have been treating their customers - in such a way that will leave them feeling emotionally scarred. 

To the management of Ten Dollar KTV Club, it was not my initial intention to post about my negative experience but I really felt that the customer service rendered was too outrageous for me to leave it at that.

So what did we get for paying the $10+ price?

- Being accused by your staff

- The receiving of long, cold, hard stares

-Being shoo-ed out even before our last song ended

Let me elaborate on what happened before anyone thinks I am just being unreasonable. Well, you guys can judge for yourselves whether these are acceptable if you were in our shoes.

As Ten Dollar KTV Club claims that there is a free-flow of drinks (in other words, unlimited) , of course we would utilise it, right? (We even did it reasonably by ordering the next drink ONLY after we finished our first)

And the only way for us to order the drinks is through the service button that's provided in the Karaoke system. (It works in such a way that the staff will only come in upon customer's request after activating the button)

The first time I ordered my drink, I just felt odd that there was a weird vibe (which I ignored) from a male staff who came in. He opened the door with a poker face and looked at me.

'I would like one iced honey water'. I gave a polite smile and said my thank you.

Without a word nor acknowledgement , he turned around and went off. 

Alright, that's fine. I was not really bothered about it. 

(He did serve me the drink eventually.)

As we sang our hours away, we had to order more drinks. Afraid that we would trouble the staff too many times, my friend decided to go the extra mile and walk to them instead to place our orders.

Surprisingly, he came back in soon after with a puzzled look.

He was not sure if the staff acknowledged his orders.

"I am not sure.. He did not look at me when I was talking to him and kept playing with his mobile phone," he said.

He attempted to order a second time.

"So you girls want 1 cup of Barley each right?" my friend confirmed again.

Before we could even answer him, the door swung open and in came the male staff.

He did not seem amused. He looked at my friend and started his accusations.

"你跟他們說我沒有理你？我是有聽到！我沒有不理你！" (Translation: You told them that I did not give a hoot about you? I DID HEAR you okay?!)

All of us stared at him as we were taken aback by his sudden outburst.

"Huh?" my friend stared at him blankly.

The staff stared back and began pointing his finger at him.

"You told them that I DID NOT give a hoot about you right?!"

At that moment, I was sure that he had misheard my friend when he said the word "BARLEY" (which sounded like 沒有理妳)

But he did not stop to listen to any explanation and went out.

After a long while, he came in (black-faced) and placed our drinks on the table. 

HE DID NOT EVEN GET MY ORDER RIGHT. 

I ordered barley and he brought in a coke. 

But well, I did not make noise about it so as not to make matters big.

(Seriously, we did not dare the drink them anymore as the male staff looked as though he would've spat into them anytime)

And this was not the end.

When 3 of us made a trip to the toilet, we spotted him sitting on a chair as we walked past him.

After we were done, he had a colleague with him and both of them were giving us LONG, HARD stares as we walked past them - All 3 of us saw and felt the stares ; it was most uncomfortable.

Like erm, hello?? Did we offend you in any way?

But well, again.... This was NOT the end.

When we were finishing the KTV session, we were already at our last song. 

Suddenly, the counter girl came in and started to MANUALLY switch off the electricity. She switched off the TV, etc and said nothing to us. She did NOT even look at us in any direction at all when she did all these.

The message was clear. 

We were totally not welcome and they couldn't wait for us to leave the place.

And all because of? I could think of nothing that we could've offended them. I mean, I would understand if there was anything that we said or did wrongly - but for the whole time, we did not and all I could remember was them giving us a bad attitude right from the beginning.

Yes, I understand that the prices are seriously one of the cheapest in town - but that does not mean that the price I am paying is inclusive of such treatment, making me feel like an unwelcome/unwanted guest.

 I was even very polite throughout the session,  smiling and saying my thank-yous. 

If your staff was losing patience because of the fact that the customers kept requesting for drinks after they had finished theirs, then why on earth would your company offer "FREE-FLOW" drinks and making it compulsory for us to request for service every time we need a refill?

Seriously, get a container and I would not mind refilling my own drinks.

And to the staff who offered such a bad attitude, why on earth are you still working there if you are really THAT unhappy about your job and taking it all out on the customers?

After all, we DID PAY and just wanted a pleasant karaoke experience - Is it that difficult to grant such a simple request? 

Honestly, this was not my first time experiencing black-faced staff from the same place - but I did not pursue previously as I deemed that as a small matter. 

But to the extent of accusing, staring and chasing us out? That is just too much for me to stay silent anymore.

If you guys are planning to head down to Ten Dollar KTV Club, be sure to check out their faces. Almost ALL of them are black-faced (which I have no idea why) - I guess one of the criteria to be able to work there is to have a default black face?

Oh well.

GO AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU WERE WARNED.

"I don't feel proud to be a Singaporean" - Stephanie Koh/Steph Micayle

So I came across this piece of "I-don't-feel-proud-to-be-a-Singaporean" news on STOMP, which made its headlines shortly after the interview video was released.

Initially, all I saw was this screenshot of a sweet-looking girl. (At this stage, I was only judging a book by its cover. "Hmm," I thought to myself. "Not bad-looking".)

But gosh, I had the horror of my lifetime when I was watching the video. I don't know exactly how to put it, but she doesn't really give off a very good vibe the moment she began talking.

The "I-don't-give-a-damn-to-what-you-think" attitude was SO NOT APPEALING AT ALL. (I am not criticizing her for the sake of criticizing - If you have watched the Kpop Star Hunt 3 episodes, you'll see what I mean.)

The episodes are still ongoing.

Anyway, back to her razorTV interview - She dropped the big bomb when she claimed that she doesn't feel proud to be a Singaporean.. and went on to rant on how Singaporeans lack creativity, etc.

Needless to say, the recorded interview offended many who have watched it. 

I was trying so hard to remain neutral - but boy, was it hard. 

In case you still have no idea who she is (but I am sure most people do by now), her name is Stephanie Koh, or more widely known as Steph Micayle. 

Perhaps this video of her might ring a bell - as her acoustic version of "Gangnam Style" went viral previously.

No doubt I do think she is talented. In fact, VERY. I love the way she sings; and I do agree that the future seems to be bright ahead for this young girl.

BUT... As bad as it sounds, I have to say that her attitude SUCKS BIG time. You can't deny it from the way she talks - it was like she's some high-and-mighty princess who doesn't care less of what others think. No, don't get me wrong, I am not talking about the content of her video yet. Let's just focus on her portrayed personality first.

Somehow, her accent is quite off-putting. Seriously, in what way does she sound like a Singaporean? Oh wait- she doesn't appreciate being one anyway. *laughs*

Oh well, it's obvious how she is trying to be a man-made ang moh - with a name such as "Steph Micayle" and having a thick fake accent that I have no idea which country of accent she is trying to make people think she is from. 

Not sure if anyone notices that she tilts her head alot when she talks (and even rolling her eyes at some point).. It reminds me so much of an arrogant bi*ch that everyone hates at high school. Is that some kind of over-confidence symptom? *grits teeth*

Since then, she has made another video to elaborate on her points WHY she isn't proud to be a Singaporean:

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO

Yaddah-Yaddah.. and she has this sudden growth of fans after posting this - Many seem to be supporting her viewpoint since she indeed did make a few valid points about "majority" of the Singaporeans.

Yes, no doubt that she managed to speak the hearts of our people out there - but come on, WHERE ARE THE GOOD POINTS ABOUT SINGAPORE? All you can ramble on is just the education system, and how narrow-minded and pathetic you have made Singaporeans sound to be.

Freedom of speech is your thing, huh?

As much as she dislikes Singapore, nobody appreciates her presence here as well - Why do we need someone here who feels ashamed to represent us when it comes to international competitions? 

You can disagree with the lifestyle here (nobody gives a damn), but does that really deter you from taking pride in being a Singaporean?

Personally, I feel that Singapore should be a place for people who appreciate being here. Yes, you may think negatively of Singapore, but never forget that there are pros and cons to everything. 

It's not easy that Singapore is being shaped to what it is like now - and looking back, we sure have came a long way. 

I apologize for my spur of anger - Everyone knows I am a proud Singaporean and that one-liner "I don't feel proud to be a Singaporean" kinda' got on my nerves.

Conclusion:

Stephanie Koh/Steph Micayle, I dislike you.

Get a life (Not in Singapore, please)

Edit:

Okay, so there are many of you out there who have begged to differ regarding my previous post on Steph Micayle/Stephanie Koh.

Yes, no doubt that she has gained alot more supporters after she posted her rebuttal video, in which a hell lot of Singaporeans have wrote of how she managed to "speak their hearts", how "spot on" her points were, etc etc.
Granted that she was able to voice out what you may not have been able to, but I was not targeting my blog entry on the content of her video.

I was more towards her personality or character as an individual, which I think it pretty sucks.

She throws her tantrum when thing don't really go the way she wants; and doesn't seem to be able to accept opinions from others in a graceful manner.

In situations when she felt that she has a point, she would speak up fiercely for herself and doesn't give a damn about what others feel.

Such arrogance and selfishness... I am glad she didn't win the title of Champion in the Kpop Star Hunt.

[SMRT] Priority Seats = An obligation to give it up?

Don't you just hate it when a stranger tells you what to do?

I do. And I hate it.

A guy, whom apparently thinks he is a kind ambassador, tapped me on my shoulder and pointed to a guy who wasn't even standing near me - indicating that I should give up my seat to him.
(No, I wasn't sitting on the priority seat)

Stunned, I got up from my seat (and almost tripped over someone's feet (*#$# ) and he was already motioning the guy to come over and have my seat.
Fine, that guy looks like an uncle... But not exactly those in 70s or 80s look, you know?
I mean, I don't mind giving up seats...But why is that "kind ambassador" telling me what to do?
Is he trying to tell people "OH, I'm such an extinct good man who fights the evil and help the poor?"

NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, GUY.

I hate the fact that giving up seats is no longer a form of goodwill like it used to be , but more of an obligation
That explains why there are many people nowadays who do not usually take priority seats.
For fear of being stomped?

Yes, probably.
When we sit on priority seats, we feel more stressed than anything else.
If you happen to be really tired and fall asleep, you might end up seeing your face on STOMP the very next day.
Granted that there are people who pretended to sleep so as to feign ignorance, but there are still people who really (and accidentally) fell asleep, you know?
Priority seats are meant for people who need it better than you do, so it doesn't necessarily meant the elderly.
There was once I felt such a major discomfort in the train, and I was sitting at the priority seat. But no, I did not give up the seat at all even though I spotted a pregnant lady right in front of me.
I probably needed it better than she did at that moment of time.

I don't suppose there is anything wrong with it. I was physically unwell, so don't I deserve the seat?
But I believe there were people who think that I was being inconsiderate (since all I did was just closing my eyes and tried to fight against the discomfort I felt.)

I don't freaking care if it's a priority seat. I will give it up if necessary.
People should stop with the STOMP thing, seriously.

A bad train journey a day, keeps my good mood at bay

This is probably not the first time that I'm complaining about crowded trains and buses.

And congrats, SMRT outdone itself again a few days ago while I was on my way to work in the morning:

(That explains my blog title, "A bad train journey a day, keeps my good mood at bay!!")

A fast pic that I captured using my phone - so don't expect superb quality in resolution. But you get the idea... Yeah.

According to the announcement, it seemed that there was a train issue again that resulted in the crowd.

(Shucks, I had to wait till the 4th or 5th train before I could finally get my butt in!)

I was more then half an hour late by the time I reached my office. (=_=)

Thanks, SMRT.

(Actually I was not the only person who took photos. There were 2 guys capturing shots non-stop before I decided to do so as well. Haha)

Anyway, my torture didn't end just THERE.

I am not trying to be racist here, but I was REALLY irritated by an indian guy who raised his freaking armpit - which unfortunately, fell at my nose level.

Okay, that armpit did not really smell bad - but it was enough to provide me a  great deal of discomfort throughout my train journey. 

To make matters worse, I suddenly smelled something bad. And no, it wasn't coming from that armpit... But it smelled like saliva + something weird that I couldn't really describe in words.

As I looked up, I finally knew the origin of the smell.

It was coming from a guy who was about 2 heads taller than me ...

 And he was breathing down on a poor me.

So the "smell" that I actually breathed in was his freaking carbon dioxide aka CO2.

Like, seriously...???!

Armpit + carbon dioxide?!

I was like, "GET ME OUT OF HERE PLEASE!!" 

(And I was secretly praying hard that I could survive till I reach my destination)

This is not the first time that I encountered such issues - and I often ended up with a grumpy/bad morning.

I know not everyone will encounter what I did cos I am short.

Hence, the average armpit level = my nose level.

Oh darn. WHY oh WHY...

*sighs and shakes head*

Ok, enough of my grumpy train journey. I'm gonna blog about other topics before I feel the urge to puke. (Can you believe that I actually, really PHYSICALLY puked after one of my train journeys to work? All thanks to a guy who had such a strong BAD-smelling perfume + odour)

Is anyone following SMRT Ltd (Feedback)'s Facebook page? 

(It is actually a page used for trolling innocent people)

They sure have got some guts there.

Just don't freaking believe what you read on the page. 

They are not associated with the original SMRT, but still an entertaining read at times as they have witty responses to different situations. 

(But I don't know why there are still people who took them for the real deal despite them making it so obvious that they are nothing but trolls.)

Oh well.