Monday, May 18, 2015

Unsolicited sales or donation at HDB flats after office hours

Lately there have been several visits by salespersons or "volunteers" soliciting donations (hereafter will be termed as solicitors) to my HDB home at private hours (e.g. 7 pm to 9 pm where we would be having our dinners). There was one occasion when a solicitor rang our bell and knocked on our door at 10 pm.
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First of all, I would like to say that such action by them are unwanted and annoying. Secondly, I will not contribute a single cent to them mainly because of their inconsiderate action (e.g. encroaching our private time to have uninterrupted dinner especially after work), regardless of what they are push-selling (or push-marketing). For families with 4 months old babies and an unpleasantly loud door bell (which we never got the time to change), having someone pressing the door bell repeatedly can make your blood boil when babies started crying out from their slumber. One thing I suggest doing is to buffer your door bell with cotton balls (which worked for me).
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Let me tell you about my experience with these solicitors at my HDB neighbourhood.
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  1. Ice-cream students used to coax HDB occupants to buy their products. It worked initially (and I bought some) but after the frequent visits, the trend probably died with dying demand (because I have not seen anyone of them knocking on my door anymore).
  2. Donation solicitors with improper attitude and sometimes appearance. The ways they approach the subject of donation are akin to asking for fees. I got one that irked me tonight. He rang the bell and then knocked incessantly on my door. At time like this having a "legit" warning signage such as below would make my day.
    You can buy it at The Patriot Post Shop
  3. Singtel salesperson push-selling broadband service at our home is mind boggling. Why would an established brand such as Singtel go door-to-door soliciting subscriptions?
  4. Great Eastern insurance salesperson at my door step during dinner time is like asking to be shooed. What is worst was that he came back ringing my unmodified doorbell (i.e. prior to stuffing cotton balls into the darn thing) and woke up my baby at 10 pm later.
  5. There are plenty of others whom I did not bother to greet them at the door step. Those who are smart will not bother to ring my bell or knock on my door. However, the one who did incessantly knocking on my door was the guy with bad attitude and appearance (see point #2). I can only try to guess his odd and inconsiderate behaviour.
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Now, we must be asking the same question right now. Are those solicitors who knocked at our HDB doors are doing something legit? If private homes such as condos can afford to have securities protecting them from unwanted solicitation, what do HDB occupants have to protect them from such unwanted solicitation?
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What is not cool is that there are some HDB occupants who motivated such trade by buying into their solicitations, e.g. products, services, or donations (I'm assuming that these donations are legit but I am sure there are also those belonging to scams). These gullible customers are doing disservice to other HDB occupants because once there is motivation sparked by sales and profits (or positive response), many others will be jumping on the bandwagon to start "pushing" their trade to other HDB occupants. Be prepared to answer more door bells and knocks if that ever happen.
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Saturday, May 2, 2015

Bali Nine post-execution

Australia tried to save its citizens who were caught and sentenced to death by firing squad for trafficking huge amount of drug punishable by death. Prior to the capture, the Australians involved were given plenty of warnings (such as the figure depicted below) prior to the their endeavor in trafficking the huge amount of drug. I am guessing that they took a calculated risk.

Sourced from Death penalty news blog
It is understandable why Australia tried to save its citizens. Any country or government would do the same thing, probably Indonesia too in different circumstances. The reason being that it is the only time that any government is not dealing with difficult and pressing issues concerning home (e.g. tax, unemployment, economy, corruption, ineffective country administration, etc.) BUT rather a "war" between we and them (which is easier to tackle and serve to publicize to their citizens that "government is here to help you no matter what"). The show would be about the "we" trying to save ourselves (or preserving our good values) against "them", the perceived "enemy" (with negative values). I'm guessing that such an event would provide the only opportunity to divert the people/citizens from home-issues to something more manageable by any government (read about diversionary foreign policy).
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Bilateral ties between Australia and Indonesia will not be affected in the long run. All the threats and drama were just part of the show. No country is stupid enough to destroy a good bilateral (and economic) tie with any country just to save their convicts off-shores. There is just no real motivation to do so.
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I don't know the mastermind and Bali Nine members (i.e. who are they as persons), but the way they used people to trafficking drug sort of described some of their true selves. Furthermore, I don't really trust any people who claimed that they had turned-over-new-leaves or became god-fearing people. I only look at the cumulative deeds they had done (e.g. track record). Also, instructing teens to swallow cache of condom-wrapped-heroine to smuggle across country is considered selfish and despicable. I have no information/data about courier's death due to a leak of condom-filled-drugs that caused over-dose, but I do know that such incident happens, e.g. Henry Vera of Columbia died of over-dose due to leak of swallowed drug.
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What is the immediate effect of the post-death of Bali Nine?
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It is more interesting to know this.
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First, the drug that was meant for circulation had been eliminated (low supply).
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Second, the highlight of the case provided fresh/refreshed perspective of the real risk involved in drug smuggling in South East Asia, especially in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. With renewed reminder of such risk, the price for the drug will not be any lower any time soon (steady demand but low supply translates to higher-to-exorbitant prices).
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Third, exorbitant prices and low supply of the drug would mean that those with plenty of money will get it while the poor will be deprived of it.
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Last, less lives destroyed by drug.
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As a reminder, cocaine is not recreation drug with simple psychological addiction. It is the systemic addiction with severe withdrawal syndrome! So, don't play play (jangan main main; meaning don't fool around).
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Bali Nine death is welcomed by family and society devastated by the drug menace.
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Also, few crying moms for the death of their sons by firing square can't compare to the innumerable amount of crying mothers whose families were devastated by drugs all over the world (their crying faces were not recorded because there was no motive in doing so and hence their cries are forever hidden from the public. I guess if their crying faces were shown, there will be public unrest and any government will be butchered quickly by negative public opinion).

Sukuraman's mother Raji crying (mother of the convict). Sourced from this news.






Just a few 'Other' opinion

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If an ill person needs to kill a tumor in order to safe his/her life, then removing "societal tumor" is the same thing. Furthermore, no medicine would aim to contain any tumor with any chance of remission. We prefer to eliminate it completely. Furthermore, to contain tumor would be foolish and wasteful of resource which could have been used to help rehabilitate drug users (the real victims) instead.
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That is my one cent thought.