i don't really see the logic here.
if i were to engage a photographer to shoot my wedding and he's not available on that day, i'd look for another. simple as that. why would i want to insist that he shoot for me? he's not the sole surviving photographer on the planet is he?
there are so many wedding photographers out there. just throw a an invite and you are bound to snag one.
sorry ah... this is how i see things lor.
Friend, you just read my post, lifted my analogy but didn't see the bigger picture huh by reading the other earlier posts.
I gave the analogy as an example of what Parchiao, the thread starter, seemed to be demanding. So it also supports my point that you also don't find logic in his way of thinking?
My point is simple: Move on!
The typical Singaporean sales staff or telephone operator is not known to be eloquent. Let alone, care to explain to you things in such manner like: "Sorry Sir, I'm afraid we can't serve you now 'cos we are currently short of....hope you understand our predicament...." It's so much easier for them to tell you straight: "We can't serve you ah..." With so many calls to pick up, I doubt she would bother to do so anyway.
Actually, most of us Singaporeans are not good English speakers cos to begin with, our pronunciation is often rojak, Singlish or not quite smooth (despite English being shamelessly proclaimed as our first language and we learn it for more than 10 years). I'm not just comparing ourselves to native speakers but non-English speaking foreigners who learn English properly and speak like the native English speakers.
I've encountered numerous times when in a public overseas forum, conference or in public, native English speakers can possibly find Singaporeans hard to understand (among those who have supposedly learnt English for many years). Many times, I've seen the puzzled looks on ang moh tourists' faces when they asked for directions or enquired a product they wished to buy. The typical Singaporean got to repeat himself or herself a few times before the right message could be conveyed. Not an encouraging sight for a country where the standard of English is supposed to be higher than our "mother tongue" language, if I have to honestly admit.
Ironically, foreigners who learnt American or British English for only a few years could speak better and be understood cos their words are often enunciated clearly and the sentence structures are grammatical.
I've got so many experiences to share. Ok, here is one hilarious one... I was on a farm tour in NZ many years back and a lady from a Singaporean family told our NZ farm hosts a few times her daughters were all "big". The hosts looked puzzled for some time, pondered over the word "big" but did not pursue further what was really meant. I didn't clarify for them too, but I guessed what my dear fellow compatriot was trying to put across was that her daughters were grown up or young adults then!
Wow, think I OT liao. Anyway, it's really up to the TS to choose to interpret what the tel operator meant when she said KFC could not or would not serve him cos of where he lives. Maybe to him this is a poor way (but very clear to me) of saying they were short handed. If he chooses to feel discriminated, then it's unfortunate indeed.
In Singapore, I encounter poor communication almost everyday, even from those who are in the service industry. Think it's either the lack of proper training or more likely, incompetence in the English language, or both. If we want to make our own lives difficult, then whoa, we will have to boycott so many things over here! Anyway, Singaporeans are well-known to complain about many things. It's good to complain sometimes, but when it's about something insignificant, it's bad.
Ok I'm outta this forum for now. Interpret life miserably and it will be miserable for you!
