This Cinema Has Sucky Service

I just encountered the most sucky service I've ever received at a cinema.

I was out with Weng and thanks to his constant humming of the Indiana Jones theme, I suddenly had a strong urge to watch Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

On a whim, we decided to watch it at Kallang Leisure Park. It was a little out of the way but we decided to bear with this minor inconvenience rather than squeeze through the weekend crowd at Tampines.

When we arrived at the ticket counter, we asked for two tickets and the girl behind the counter put the seating selection page on the screen in front of us. She had a permanent "I couldn't care less" expression on her face and she said to the space beside my head, "How about B2 and B3?" indicating two seats at the extreme top right hand corner of the cinema.

I hate watching a movie from the side so of course I decided to choose seats in the middle section. Since the seats were mostly booked or occupied right in the middle,I opted for two seats alongthethe aisle somewhere in the middle. That particular row had three empty adjacent seats and I actually chose the two further in.

To my surprise, sour face said, to nobody in particular, "We cannot leave one seat empty."

I was shocked. Never in my life have I ever been refused a ticket because there is one empty seat left unsold.

I looked at her and asked what she meant by that and her reply was, "We can't leave one empty seat."

While I was still reeling from shock,Weng quickly pointed out that the first two seats she had suggested also had one empty seat left unsold. Sour face then said, "We cannot leave an empty seat in the middle section."

If not for the fact that we have made our way out to this god forsaken part of the island, we would have walked off. Instead, I put on my most perplexed and disgusted face and chose two seats in the third row, right in the middle.

What pissed me off was her service attitude. If she had been apologetic about it or had offered some form of explanation, I would have been ok with another seat. It just goes to show how bad the service standard is in Singapore.

Needless to say, we will not be patronising this cinema in future, and we will not be recommending it to any of our friends. SERVICE SUCKS!

Update...

We arrived back at the cinema close to showtime to find a small notice saying that the movie will be delayed by 15 minutes. maybe they haven't managed to sell off the single seats. Ha ha ha.

SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS

Public Transport Sideshow

I'm on the bus on my way to work. A few stops earlier, this woman got on the bus and plopped down on the seat next to me. She has a snooty air about her and gives me a bad vibe.

I'm not trying to be mean but something about her just sets off my negative sentiments. It's weird how you can immediately form a bad impression towards someone you don't know the moment you meet him or her.

I was just telling myself that "There's something about her that I don't like." when she started unfolding the newspaper and began to read. I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE READ THE NEWSPAPER NEXT TO ME ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.

Firstly, I don't like the smell of newspapers. Being in such close proximity is as good as thrusting the damn thing under my nose. Secondly, it's very irritating when they keep turning the pages and in doing so keep jabbing you with their elbows. Thirdly, the crackling sound of the newspaper irritates me and this is despite having my headphones on.

Uh! Thank god she just hopped to the recently vacated seat infront.

While we are on the subject of things I hate on public transports, here are more:

I hate people who play music on speaker. I mean if I had that bad taste in music, I'd keep it quiet and not broadcast it to the whole world.

A similar group of human asses are those who speak at high volumes. It could be over the phone or to someone sitting on the same bus I once had the "pleasure" of sitting between two enthusiastic loudmouths who were bitching about their colleague. The thing was, one was seated in front of me while the other was behind me. NO KIDDING! I put on my headphones hoping that they'd get my hint but they just carried on chattering away like monkeys.

The next group I find more amusing (and sometimes nauseating) than irritating. Those who sing. I once heard 2 schoolboys singing the Tokyo Drift song. The song is irritating enough by itself but hearing it sung by two prepubescent boys made my skin crawl and my eardrums want to crawl out of my ear canals and search for some dark cave to hide in.

There was also this teenager on another encounter who was singing requests from his bimbotic female travelling companion who was obviously stone deaf.

Yet another group of people I can't stand (there are alot) are those I call the temporary stroke patients. These people normally sit on the outside seat and are paralysed from the waist down the moment their butts touch the seat. If you want to get in or out of the seat, you'd better be stick thin or have the ability to levitate or better yet, teleport cos these half paralysed souls lack the ability to stand up to let you through. At most, they will turn as much as their half paralysed bodies allows and expect you to squeeze through the narrow gap between their thunder thighs and the seat infront.

Now I admit I'm not exactly stick thin and as much as I want to, I do not possess the power of levitation or teleportation. So if you do not get up to let me pass, be prepared that my sling bag does swing when I'm squeezing my way out as I'll need my hands free to grab the hand rails. Oh and did I mention that my bag is usually rather heavy?

Boy... if I'm such a picture of happiness now, I wonder what I'll be like as a senior citizen.

- Update -

I just donated blood! My first time ever. it was over and done with so quickly. i was given an anaesthetic jab so i didn't feel the big needle. I felt a little light headed after that but it soon passed. Think I'll make it a regular thing from now on.

WTF Is Wrong With Me?

Argh!!!

That word best describes my life at the moment. Again, the persistent thorn in my side is my studies. This time, I've managed to fail 2 of my exams. As a result, I have to take sub-papers for Analytical Biochemistry (AB) as well as Molecular Genetics & Molecular Cell Biology (MGMB). Also... as a result of failing these two exams, I've received a note from the school stating that

"As per the decision of the University of (Bullshit) Examination Board, please be informed that you are NOT permitted to proceed to Stage 3 and are required to undertake the following supplementary examinations and to re-module the modules indicated with an asterisk (I have no astrisk-ed modules thank God) with a view to proceeding to Stage 3 of the Honours/Ordinary Degree programme"

I did some asking around (complaining) and was eventually informed that those who received the notice (I was not the only one, thank God) should ignore it (for now) and continue attending lessons till after the sub paper results are out.

I mean... talk about demoralizing.

So anyway, my AB sub-paper is in 7 days' time and my MGMB sub-paper is 2 days after. So far, the total amount of studying I've done is... You guessed it! NONE!

In fact, at this moment, I should be doing my lab assignment which is due in 2 days. I started on it 2 days ago and till this moment, it is still stuck in the "starting" status. I mean look at the following picture... WTF are those black things in the wells???

*Cue Twilight Zone Theme* Ni Ni Ni Ni Ni Ni Ni Ni...

Don't get me wrong. I really would like to complete it. It's just that I am so sick of this that I can't find the concentration to do so. I look at the course material and my mind goes blank. I find myself struggling even to understand a simple sentence. It's like there's some kind of micro-alien or something hidden in the book who jumps out each time I open it and zaps me with some mind scrambling ray.

Ok... ok... so I exaggerate a little... but honestly... that's how I feel.

Once again... I wonder if I have chosen the right path in life. I have been watching quite alot of National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel recently thanks to Weng and I know for a fact that some people are born with certain talents and some people are born to never ever go down that same path. With that... I am coming to the conclusion that my mind is not built for science.

Initially, I thought I could do it, having done so well for the foundation program and the first year of the degree course. In fact, the initial year of the program was so simple that I could breeze through it by just reading my notes the day before my exams. Then halfway through, someone turned up the heat.

It was like someone handed me an X-Men comic book and halfway through reading it, I turn a page to find that it has morphed into some Annual Funds Report.

So my options now are:

1. Keep pushing on , possibly failing a few more and having to repeat a few modules.
2. Repeat step 1.
3. Dropping out and not getting anything out of the last 3.5 years (and $30K spent).

(All together now)

ARGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On a lighter note... I went shopping with Kimmie and Weng today and unearthed a rare gem in the Takashimaya Toy Department. A VINTAGE ETCH-A-SKETCH! It's about A5 size and the screen was pristine when I got it. (It's not now).

Here's a drawing of a lightsaber I just did. Took me 5 mins. *Beams with pride*

Now if I could only apply the same amount of skill to my schoolwork...

*sigh*

Ok... before I end this entry, here's a recent discovery at work. It was the end of the work day and we were all preparing to leave the lab when Fidah decided to be a kaypo and look into Malcolm's microscope...

She discovered the Smiley Faced Cell!

Adios!