In the middle of last month, I made a purchase on Ebay for a 60G iPod because my 20G iPod was really not serving its purpose anymore. I bought it second hand in the first place and after many repeated listenings, I found that it is far superior to any other form of portable disc player. Since I listen to such a huge variety of music - English, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese and some French and Latin, I started finding that I had to start deleting songs from the iPod so that I can fit the new songs in.
I don't usually have any problems with purchasing on Ebay which is why I proceeded with this purchase, seeing that the seller was a power seller with many positive comments. I paid for the purchase and after a week, did not receive any payment confirmation from the seller. I emailed him and asked him if he has received it and he said that due to some problems at Ebay, his account was suspended, but it was not his fault, he reassured.
I waited for another week before I confronted him again and he said it was going to be fixed in the matter of days. After more waiting, I was not only frightened but frustrated, so I wrote and said that his problem with Ebay really had nothing to do with me since I had paid for the item I purchased, so I should be shipped my iPod. He wrote back apologetically and said that it would arrive in 7 days. That was about 2 weeks ago. After waiting a day with no response to my upset email, he wrote back today to say that Apple was having some problems with supplying the 60G iPod because it has been discontinued, and would offer a free upgrade to 80G at no extra charge because of the blunder.
He also said it will arrive on Thursday. I later found out that it meant arriving to him on Thursday instead of me. I am a little miffed about this purchase because of the amount of money involved and even though he has been very polite, rather prompt and professional with his replies, I still can't help feeling cheated.
I am now praying that it will arrive eventually but I just don't know how much I will trust buying on Ebay for expensive items like this again. Why didn't Ebay inform me that there was going to be some problems with the seller if they were going to drop him? Why did he only tell me that there was a problem with supply only after I sent another email that it has not been delivered?
I "used to" work in the ecommerce industry which gave me the confidence to purchase online but this has rocked me a little. So, has anyone else had similar experiences? What should I do if it doesn't come through?
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
I Am Free
I hadn't expected it to be this difficult but it was nice to receive such appreciation and validation of the work that I had done over the past six and a half years. There were many surprised looks, voices and exclamations, many from people whom I only had a phone relationship with, and had never met.
I always thought that my family in Australia was my John and his family and my close network of friends, but then I was wrong. In some ways, I had created a family at work and many of the suppliers whom I had never met were like a family of some other sort as well. So, when I said Goodbye, I felt a wave of sadness, almost like my idol Momoe Yamaguchi when she was putting down the microphone for the last time and giving up this world. I could feel how it must have felt.
The last time I felt this way was when I left Seagate (my last company in Singapore) and there were tears. I wrote everyone a personal farewell card and did the same this time, though I was thankful that there were less to write. I also wrote emails to all my suppliers and some came back with beautiful compliments back, and I would like to share some of them here. It can be interpreted as "showing off" but I will take that risk to show how we can all colour others' lives with our efforts and make a difference:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear James,
What a truly beautiful email – I wish all our customers were as wonderful as you…!!!!
We will miss you very much as you have always been one of our very favourite “friends”
I want to wish you every success and happiness for whatever the future holds & also thankyou
for being such a genuine delight to deal with.
If the world had more people like you – it would be a much better place.
Take care and keep in touch
With my very best wishes & love
From Tara
Thank you James......It has been a real pleasure working
with you on the phones and helping you with your inquiries.
You always knew the products and your orders are just so
easy to work with and process.
Take care my friend ..the Book industry will not be same
without you and your knowledge of the products.
ALL THE VERY BEST.
Please keep in touch.
Cheers
Sylvia
If you ever move back into this line of business in the future, please contact me, as I would be more than happy to move my patronage to any enterprise you consider.
Regards, and all the very best for the future,
Tom
Congratulations James - we both wish you all the best in your new adventure!
We have always had the ultimate service experience from you and are sad to
see you leave the company. Thanks you so much!! We hope you have a very
special day tomorrow and look forward to your new journey!
Cheers,
Veronica
Hi James,
Thanks for the kind words.
Sorry to see you go.
You were the heart and soul of that business, I hope he appreciated everything you did!!
Good luck in your new ventures.
Cheers
Chris
LOL it’s the strangest thing being so attached to someone you have never
personally met but James we truly appreciate all the training and knowledge
you have patiently passed on to all of us here and really will miss you!
Just reading your email made me all teary and this customer walked in and
almost walked out again...and so I was trying to compose myself and then you
called and it made me cry all over again! Luckily hes a regular customer!
I really wish you all the best and hope you stay in touch with the bookware
team! It will always be a pleasure to work with you!
Best wishes and good luck with your future endeavours,
Maryam
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During my last interview that I was successful at, I was asked "What do you see as your biggest achievement" over the past 6 years at your current job? My answer was the relationships that I had built over the years with these people. That is my biggest achievement.
Friday was my last day and there was times when I cried when I read some of those emails. However, when I left my work as an ex-employee, there was a lightness that came along with the freedom. I can now look back on those days fondly and walk towards a new chapter of my life with new friends to make, and new lives to grace ...
I always thought that my family in Australia was my John and his family and my close network of friends, but then I was wrong. In some ways, I had created a family at work and many of the suppliers whom I had never met were like a family of some other sort as well. So, when I said Goodbye, I felt a wave of sadness, almost like my idol Momoe Yamaguchi when she was putting down the microphone for the last time and giving up this world. I could feel how it must have felt.
The last time I felt this way was when I left Seagate (my last company in Singapore) and there were tears. I wrote everyone a personal farewell card and did the same this time, though I was thankful that there were less to write. I also wrote emails to all my suppliers and some came back with beautiful compliments back, and I would like to share some of them here. It can be interpreted as "showing off" but I will take that risk to show how we can all colour others' lives with our efforts and make a difference:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear James,
What a truly beautiful email – I wish all our customers were as wonderful as you…!!!!
We will miss you very much as you have always been one of our very favourite “friends”
I want to wish you every success and happiness for whatever the future holds & also thankyou
for being such a genuine delight to deal with.
If the world had more people like you – it would be a much better place.
Take care and keep in touch
With my very best wishes & love
From Tara
Thank you James......It has been a real pleasure working
with you on the phones and helping you with your inquiries.
You always knew the products and your orders are just so
easy to work with and process.
Take care my friend ..the Book industry will not be same
without you and your knowledge of the products.
ALL THE VERY BEST.
Please keep in touch.
Cheers
Sylvia
If you ever move back into this line of business in the future, please contact me, as I would be more than happy to move my patronage to any enterprise you consider.
Regards, and all the very best for the future,
Tom
Congratulations James - we both wish you all the best in your new adventure!
We have always had the ultimate service experience from you and are sad to
see you leave the company. Thanks you so much!! We hope you have a very
special day tomorrow and look forward to your new journey!
Cheers,
Veronica
Hi James,
Thanks for the kind words.
Sorry to see you go.
You were the heart and soul of that business, I hope he appreciated everything you did!!
Good luck in your new ventures.
Cheers
Chris
LOL it’s the strangest thing being so attached to someone you have never
personally met but James we truly appreciate all the training and knowledge
you have patiently passed on to all of us here and really will miss you!
Just reading your email made me all teary and this customer walked in and
almost walked out again...and so I was trying to compose myself and then you
called and it made me cry all over again! Luckily hes a regular customer!
I really wish you all the best and hope you stay in touch with the bookware
team! It will always be a pleasure to work with you!
Best wishes and good luck with your future endeavours,
Maryam
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During my last interview that I was successful at, I was asked "What do you see as your biggest achievement" over the past 6 years at your current job? My answer was the relationships that I had built over the years with these people. That is my biggest achievement.
Friday was my last day and there was times when I cried when I read some of those emails. However, when I left my work as an ex-employee, there was a lightness that came along with the freedom. I can now look back on those days fondly and walk towards a new chapter of my life with new friends to make, and new lives to grace ...
Thursday, October 05, 2006
"Mr Big" in Our Lives - 片思い Part II -
Last Sunday at the pool while sunbaking, I was chatted by a fellow swimmer, who turned out to be a Chinese fashion designer. Once he realised I could speak Mandarin, he started spraying his life philosophies on "Love and Relationships" at me. After a few disappointments, especially in his last relationship, he is now jaded and prefers to be single.
I didn't offer any of my opinions. I just quietly listened and nodded at times, allowing for the conversation to flow like a lecture. Why he chose to say those things I don't know? Was he trying to warn me or did he try to make small conversation with such heavy opinions? Unfortunately, he wasn't that interested in knowing who I was, or he would have realised that he is wasting his time.
I have met people like him and maybe I was naive then, but I tried to convince them otherwise. They persisted but I am happy to say that sometimes, it just takes the right person to change that. I look back at my romances or fantasises and wonder how some would have turned out, if I had just made the "right move". I told my story to my dear friend, Dani, and he says that they are the "Mr Bigs of our lives", and everyone has them.
Mine happened at university. I was rather "blind" then. Thinking back, there must have been a few of them who were interested but I was oblivious. Maybe I wasn't physically attracted to them. The funniest thing is that during my 2nd and final year at uni, I fell for two "straight" guys. They were undeniably one of the hottest in the faculty and they were in some of my classes. Interestingly, they were polar opposites. Both gorgeous but R was dangerous while D was proper.
I will always remember the first day I set my eyes on R. He walked into my 6 pm Marketing class which I had no choice but to take because I wasn't available for the earlier classes. I was dreading it until he appeared. It was surreal because he seemed to float through, smiling at the lecturer and then nonchalantly taking a seat in class. It was almost like how one would see James Dean walk by the screen. So effortless yet so sexy. I soon noticed that I wasn't the only one looking because whenever he came to class, which wasn't very often, heads turned in his direction.
I fell hard in lust but all I really wanted was to get to know him. During the first mid term exam, I purposedly sat in front of him, and after we walked out of the hall, he said "So, what did you think?" I turned around like an idiot wondering if it was me he was talking to, and I even said (I think) "Me?". The rest is history.
We talked, we walked, we said goodbye. From then on, I kept notes for him when he never attended class and called to see if we could meet up so that I could pass him the notes. In many ways, I was like a shy school-girl. One common topic that binded us was our passion for Japan. We talked about it and he asked me what I thought about being an exchange student. I encouraged him to do so, so that we could have more opportunities to meet.
Funnily enough, a friend who later turned out to be my tutor felt the same way too, and it was coincidental that the person that we both swooned about, turned out to be the same person. Secretly, I think we were both envious of each other though we never did let that affect our friendship.
I will always remember a night when after we had drinks and when he took off in the bus, I waved and said goodbye. He mouthed it and then planted his palm on the window like they did in "Titanic" as the bus drove away. I smiled. I think that was the last time I met him.
It was pure kataomoi (crush) but my heart always raced whenever I see him. I think he could have experimented (or rather my friend thought so because heterosexual guys don't do coffee) but it was probably the wrong time. I never saw him again after we went on to 3rd year because he was apparently expelled.
D, on the other hand, was a Jewish hunk. He had a great body, beautiful face but no girlfriend. I first noticed him staring at me weirdly in class and this would happen not only once but almost all the time. I enjoyed the attention but I think I was waiting for R, so I didn't do anything.
One incident that I was still puzzled happened at the computer lab when I sat one seat away from him typing away at my report. There was an empty seat apart but from the corner of my eye, I saw him staring at me. After 5 or 10 minutes, he finally spoke and asked me something trivial. Unfortunately, I was still too smitten by R then to take on the "cue", and even though we would stare at each other in class, we never found the courage to take a step further. I wonder why he spoke that day? We shared the same him for a coffee?
I saw him again on a bus once after we both graduated but he alighted soon after. I think he recognised me but he never allowed me that pleasure of knowing.
They are both cases of beautiful "what if's ...". They could be life lessons for me then to know when not to let a good thing go later in my life. I am now happily married to the love of my life but like Mr Big in Carrie's life, they will always be beautiful "could've beens".
单恋是痛苦的，
但回忆时是甜美的。
一生要单恋几回，
才有真正的勇气去爱一个人。
I didn't offer any of my opinions. I just quietly listened and nodded at times, allowing for the conversation to flow like a lecture. Why he chose to say those things I don't know? Was he trying to warn me or did he try to make small conversation with such heavy opinions? Unfortunately, he wasn't that interested in knowing who I was, or he would have realised that he is wasting his time.
I have met people like him and maybe I was naive then, but I tried to convince them otherwise. They persisted but I am happy to say that sometimes, it just takes the right person to change that. I look back at my romances or fantasises and wonder how some would have turned out, if I had just made the "right move". I told my story to my dear friend, Dani, and he says that they are the "Mr Bigs of our lives", and everyone has them.
Mine happened at university. I was rather "blind" then. Thinking back, there must have been a few of them who were interested but I was oblivious. Maybe I wasn't physically attracted to them. The funniest thing is that during my 2nd and final year at uni, I fell for two "straight" guys. They were undeniably one of the hottest in the faculty and they were in some of my classes. Interestingly, they were polar opposites. Both gorgeous but R was dangerous while D was proper.
I will always remember the first day I set my eyes on R. He walked into my 6 pm Marketing class which I had no choice but to take because I wasn't available for the earlier classes. I was dreading it until he appeared. It was surreal because he seemed to float through, smiling at the lecturer and then nonchalantly taking a seat in class. It was almost like how one would see James Dean walk by the screen. So effortless yet so sexy. I soon noticed that I wasn't the only one looking because whenever he came to class, which wasn't very often, heads turned in his direction.
I fell hard in lust but all I really wanted was to get to know him. During the first mid term exam, I purposedly sat in front of him, and after we walked out of the hall, he said "So, what did you think?" I turned around like an idiot wondering if it was me he was talking to, and I even said (I think) "Me?". The rest is history.
We talked, we walked, we said goodbye. From then on, I kept notes for him when he never attended class and called to see if we could meet up so that I could pass him the notes. In many ways, I was like a shy school-girl. One common topic that binded us was our passion for Japan. We talked about it and he asked me what I thought about being an exchange student. I encouraged him to do so, so that we could have more opportunities to meet.
Funnily enough, a friend who later turned out to be my tutor felt the same way too, and it was coincidental that the person that we both swooned about, turned out to be the same person. Secretly, I think we were both envious of each other though we never did let that affect our friendship.
I will always remember a night when after we had drinks and when he took off in the bus, I waved and said goodbye. He mouthed it and then planted his palm on the window like they did in "Titanic" as the bus drove away. I smiled. I think that was the last time I met him.
It was pure kataomoi (crush) but my heart always raced whenever I see him. I think he could have experimented (or rather my friend thought so because heterosexual guys don't do coffee) but it was probably the wrong time. I never saw him again after we went on to 3rd year because he was apparently expelled.
D, on the other hand, was a Jewish hunk. He had a great body, beautiful face but no girlfriend. I first noticed him staring at me weirdly in class and this would happen not only once but almost all the time. I enjoyed the attention but I think I was waiting for R, so I didn't do anything.
One incident that I was still puzzled happened at the computer lab when I sat one seat away from him typing away at my report. There was an empty seat apart but from the corner of my eye, I saw him staring at me. After 5 or 10 minutes, he finally spoke and asked me something trivial. Unfortunately, I was still too smitten by R then to take on the "cue", and even though we would stare at each other in class, we never found the courage to take a step further. I wonder why he spoke that day? We shared the same him for a coffee?
I saw him again on a bus once after we both graduated but he alighted soon after. I think he recognised me but he never allowed me that pleasure of knowing.
They are both cases of beautiful "what if's ...". They could be life lessons for me then to know when not to let a good thing go later in my life. I am now happily married to the love of my life but like Mr Big in Carrie's life, they will always be beautiful "could've beens".
单恋是痛苦的，
但回忆时是甜美的。
一生要单恋几回，
才有真正的勇气去爱一个人。
Can't Let Go?
With every second I draw nearer to Friday 13th October. I am not a superstitious person, so I had never paid particular attention to the day, but this time, it will be different.
It dawned upon me today as I stroll my usual path to work, that the few trips I will take next week will be one of my last routines. I seem to be more acutely aware than I had been, secretly savouring whatever is left, looking at things with a sense of nostaglia to come.
I think it is going to be tougher than I had thought. Six and a half years I had worked at my job. When I first started telling my suppliers that I am leaving, I was over-whelmed by their sense of loss. One said that she heard this "really nasty rumour" that I am leaving, and when I confirmed it, she said it was such a loss because it has been such a pleasure working with me over the years. They wished me luck in unison and said that I would have to call and say goodbye when it is time. I cried silent tears down the back of my eyes.
I have yet to call my customers but I will do so for my regulars. It almost feels like giving up my baby, but there is always a time when one has to let go. Maybe my body knows me better than my conscious mind and it's grieving. For the better of the past week, I have been suffering a tight back and a very sore neck. My masseuer says that it has to do with "letting go" and the body is unable to do so, which is why it is holding back. When will I let go? Will I cry at my own farewell party?
I was also a little surprised by the reactions of my co-workers whom I had trained. For the first time, I am the one leaving. Maybe I had played the part of big brother and protected them, providing them with a place that they feel comfortable enough to be themselves. Sophia, the only female colleague exclaimed once that the boys always come to me when they have troubles in their personal lives. Maybe I am really the lucky one instead ...
I know who I am and I am not one that lets go of friendships easily. Friendships to me are little miracles that we sometimes forget to celebrate every living day. Maybe if I see the new work as a chance for new miracles, then maybe my body might accept it easier ...
It dawned upon me today as I stroll my usual path to work, that the few trips I will take next week will be one of my last routines. I seem to be more acutely aware than I had been, secretly savouring whatever is left, looking at things with a sense of nostaglia to come.
I think it is going to be tougher than I had thought. Six and a half years I had worked at my job. When I first started telling my suppliers that I am leaving, I was over-whelmed by their sense of loss. One said that she heard this "really nasty rumour" that I am leaving, and when I confirmed it, she said it was such a loss because it has been such a pleasure working with me over the years. They wished me luck in unison and said that I would have to call and say goodbye when it is time. I cried silent tears down the back of my eyes.
I have yet to call my customers but I will do so for my regulars. It almost feels like giving up my baby, but there is always a time when one has to let go. Maybe my body knows me better than my conscious mind and it's grieving. For the better of the past week, I have been suffering a tight back and a very sore neck. My masseuer says that it has to do with "letting go" and the body is unable to do so, which is why it is holding back. When will I let go? Will I cry at my own farewell party?
I was also a little surprised by the reactions of my co-workers whom I had trained. For the first time, I am the one leaving. Maybe I had played the part of big brother and protected them, providing them with a place that they feel comfortable enough to be themselves. Sophia, the only female colleague exclaimed once that the boys always come to me when they have troubles in their personal lives. Maybe I am really the lucky one instead ...
I know who I am and I am not one that lets go of friendships easily. Friendships to me are little miracles that we sometimes forget to celebrate every living day. Maybe if I see the new work as a chance for new miracles, then maybe my body might accept it easier ...
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