Copy-writing in 'short bursts!'

I had the opportunity to do a little copy-writing as a favor for a friend and I thought it would be nice to post it in my Blog. Here it goes; -

Visualize........on the Castanets that 'click' in rhythm to the Spanish dance in triple-time accompanied by the Spanish guitar, where a Lady dressed in 'Peonies and other floral-embroidered' outfit, complete with Antonio Banderas' remake 'BOLERO -HAT' and ornamented necklace, flaunt her 'assets' in precise tempo.

That's the simple but bold 3-tiered creation of Master String-work Artist Kelvin Chua. And that's a FIESTA!!!

'NEWBIE ON THE BLOG'.

It has been a 'Touch & Go' affair since I started to blog months ago.........still not knowing which directions to set, what themes to base my blogs on, what character to project and which segment to cater for! After much mental deliberation, I decided...........(oh what the heck), to 'Just Do It!' I cannot remember where I heard this but it sounded something like 'there can never be a right time............for the right time can only be now!'

When I mentally flipped back the 'pages' of my career history, I was confused as to where I should start. I had worked in a Hotel, an Airline, a Wine Shop and a Sports Center. I was also a free-lance Spiritual Healer for quite a while. But I must say the greatest and best time of my life was spent in Malaysia Airlines. Nothing beats the experience in terms of fun, exposure, travel, food, entertainment and shopping...........and I love wearing uniforms! Every flight duty can be considered a paid working holiday and we get to taste First Class meals on board. I use to tell my crew, 'our Job as a Flight Attendant may not be the Best Job in the World but I cannot think of a Second Best job!' I had savored the Most Expensive Champagnes, tasted the Best Carviar and eaten countless Lobsters. (would have eaten the best Steaks from different parts of the world too.........but too bad I don't take Beef!) The Hotels we stayed in were mostly Internationally- renowned 5-Star Hotels with the finest amenities and services that pampered us without fail.

I gathered my subsequent blogs would be centered around Airline experiences, Supernatural Phenomenons and Spiritual Healing, Leadership, Motivation and Personal Development and Network Marketing. I would also leave my options open and subject to changes depending on the response level as I go along in this new undertaking. Suggestions and comments from the readership will be the best monitoring tool to gauge receptiveness. As a 'Newbie on the Blog', there is both apprehension and excitement as to what might be the outcome! Nevertheless, I believe with passion,........ anything is possible!

BEAUTY - ONLY SKIN DEEP!

I had a shock when I came across an article called, 'Twenty Most Shocking Photos of Celebrities Without Makeup!' (http://superbooyah.com/index.php/Home/Galleries/Celebrity/The-20-Most-Shocking-Photos-Of-Celebrities-Without-Makeup.html) The photos revealed many 'plain Jane' images of Celebrities, my favorites included, that I had never for a moment thought possible. Without their make-up, they appeared to be just another 'girl next door!' Some even looked 'much older' than their known ages.

I guess, in some cases it makes us wonder how many of them went for botox treatment, face-lift, breast augmentation and liposuction, and other cosmetic surgeries (including Rhinoplasty). According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, more than 160,000 American children, yes children underwent Cosmetic Surgery in 2008! In terms of the number of Miss Universe titles any country had won, Venezuela takes second place, but the rank in terms of surgical procedures being carried out in any Nation, took 20th place. Not too bad......I guess!

There are indeed many non-invasive ways to counter physical signs of aging such as wrinkles, cellulite and sagging skin namely, adequate sleep and proper dietary habits, Yoga , massage and spa treatment, human embryonic stem cells treatment, health supplements, skin care treatment and other alternative solutions. Most of these treatments are should we say, only able to achieve 'skin-deep beauty'.

There is a tagline that runs like this; 'Everyone Has A Right To Be Beautiful'. It may come as a 'shock' for some to know that it is used for the Miss Landmine Beauty Contest held in Cambodia, (a country that's littered and plagued with landmines) in 2009. This contest had raised quite a lot of controversies like for instance; it was considered a mockery and an insult to see these 'physically-challenged' handicap victims walking around with or without prosthetic limbs in a Beauty Contest! "What's important is that 'MISS LANDMINE' has been a tool for the participants to overcome prejudice, fear and discrimination. It allows them to highlight their abilities while acknowledging the disabilities to themselves and the outside world," says Morton Traavik, Miss Landmine Director and Creator. http://vimeo.com/15485224

Beauty is a subjective matter that concurs well with the saying, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' It also conjures thoughts of a 'perceptual' nature that connotes experience of pleasure, meaning and satisfaction. In Koine Greek, beauty was called 'hora', hour. Beauty was then associated with 'one's hour'. It was further expounded with the salient experience of positive reflection about the meaning of one's existence! I feel nobody in this whole wide world would disagree that everybody is beautiful in their own way!

After all if a BLIND MAN can be a 'photographer', what's so wrong about a lady without a leg or a hand taking part in a Beauty Contest?

KICKBACKS!

By implementing certain policies or practices without doing prior Research and Analysis puts the Company at risk of facing 'kickbacks' which erodes away the very fundamentals of Building, Sustaining and Growing. It may appear insignificant but over the long term, the side-effects are cumulative. At even a 10% loss of revenue each month, it is wasteful 'deterioration' that a new business can ill-afford.

Take for instance, a Cinema Operation where the main activity involves 'over-the-counter' transactions and 'call-in' telephone bookings. The main criteria for CUSTOMER SERVICE is friendliness, attentiveness, accuracy, communication skills, courtesy, promptness, pro-activity, sincerity and willingness of the Staff to 'go the extra mile'. Apart from cleanliness and freshness of utilities and environmental comfort (that includes ambiance) and consistent and constant upgrading of service, the drawing force that keeps the customer coming back is not in in the hands of the Cinema Staff. It is a pure waste of time and effort on the part of the staff to call the customers and enquire why they have stopped patronizing the Cinema for a period of time. Customers may conclude that 'the Company might be in financial problems to behave in such a desperate manner' apart from the feeling of annoyance, to be 'disturbed' in this way! As a means of ensuring compliance is maintained, Tools such as KPI (Key Performance Indicators) are implemented. Failure to fulfill certain individually-specified quotas (in revenue) will mean having to explain in writing why it was not fulfilled. On top of that, the Staff concerned will not qualify for incentive entitlement. Such punitive measures are demoralizing and puts the Company on the loosing end! Synergy will not be derived as Staff will have to fight for 'survival' in 'grabbing' as much of the 'cake' as possible, instead of pooling their energy resources to work as a TEAM and focusing on CUSTOMER-SERVICE SATISFACTION. To further compound the situation, it is part of the KPI requirement that the Staff is also to identify, reach out and introduce himself/herself as the personally appointed Staff-in-attendance. Somehow disharmony takes root when Staff start to think, 'well that's not my customer.........so I should not have to bother to do more than what is necessary!'

When Staff feel that they are being forced to do something that makes no sense because some 'smart alec' cooked up the idea that KPI initiatives is the effective way to derive strong bottom line gains is both frustrating and humiliating! The resulting 'kickbacks' will not be obvious though there will be 'adverse reactions' as Staff constantly 'conspire' to do the things that will 'on the surface' appear to be FULLY-COMPLIANT but in reality, many areas had been compromised. The Management hierarchy will also be affected if Venue Heads are included in the KPI exercise, as assertiveness lessens gradually to the extent enforcement is minimal. Top Management should know better than to lose their hold on the 'reins of influence' with Venue Heads.

It is clearly evident that certain categories of KPIs are NOT applicable in certain types of business operations. As we have read in the Newspapers, KPIs had even been found to backfire when applied to the Judiciary, and that can be said to be a matter of life and death!

The Convenient Way to FLY - AEROLINE!

OH! WHAT A RIDE! Made a trip back to Penang on 5th March, 2011 on 'Aeroline' coach service. ETD was 8.00 a.m. but had to change buses due 'air-con' malfunction. Good thing the operators realized it before the start of the journey. Observed that there were at least nine foreigners, four mainland Chinese and five Australians on board. The change was necessary considering the trip was going to take 4 hours and 30 minutes and the weather was hot and humid! I liked "Aeroline' because I can see that they have been making the effort to project themselves as having Airline service standards in almost every aspect of their service. Using a bold tagline such as 'The Convenient Way To FLY' is certainly committing themselves to delivering services that is nothing less than excellent! I also admire their support for our Tourism Industry by having their announcements made in English so everybody can understand but............sad to say the standards of announcements delivery in terms of content and grammar is mediocre! The announcer apologized for the inconvenience caused owing to the transfer from one bus to another by using words like 'sorry for the distress' and 'priority for senior citizens!' These terms are too 'serious' for a simple case that involved no immediate risk or danger involving life or property..........as such there is no need to alarm the passengers. The foreigners were indeed confused and were asking the locals as to exactly what had happened! Probably, somebody could have thought there was a 'bomb' on board. The journey was smooth, the Attendant did her job well but I guess it was not her fault if there were a few strands of hair stuck to the ear-pads/foams of the headphones! The other thing that I realized was nobody was watching the movie because the screen was simply not visible!(The seat backs were too high to see the screen.)

The return-journey was a little 'dramatic'. The scheduled time of departure was 6.00 p.m. in the

evening but forwarded to 5.00 p.m. The reason given was the 6.00 p.m. coach had 'broken' down and I had to take the 5.00 p.m. coach. I had to cut short my meeting and hurried to the Terminal at 4.30 p.m.(They informed me at 4.25 p.m.) Fortunately, the major part of my planned DAY-TRIP had been fulfilled. One of the passengers told me that when she made her booking, she was told beforehand there would be no 6.00 p.m. departure that day but I was still booked for it. I observed that there were less than eight passengers in the coach and could not help drawing the conclusion that they had actually cancelled the 6.00 p.m. departure owing to light load-factor! I believe I was the only 6.00 p.m. passenger and was being transferred to the 5.00 p.m. departure coach. I wondered; 'Is this practice right?..........legally?

I am glad AEROLINE existed to provide a decent, safe and comfortable means of transportation for commuters like us who need to travel to Penang (back and forth), from time to time. The service they provide is courteous, enthusiastic and friendly and I would never hesitate to recommend to anybody with travel needs to use AEROLINE! All the minor short-comings are not insurmountable..............announcements need practice and a standard text with

flexible inserts. The policy on schedule changes need to take into consideration passengers needs and priorities! Last minute changes are disruptive and stressful and can mean losses!

Passionate Cakes Write-up I recently completed for a Magazine

“PASSIONATE CAKES” bears the Hallmark of Character, Style and Quality and the scope of

production is seamless and has no boundaries! Numerous customers had commented that we are

always ‘raising the bar’ for others to follow – we are certainly flattered to the core!

Prominent Motivation Speaker Zig Zigler said, “Don’t be a wandering generality, be a meaningful

specific!” A Wedding Affair is an event that carries life-long memories that should be FUN and

HAPPY, intimate and inspiring and can be viewed by friends and relatives anytime online over and

over again! As for the Wedding Cake.........it should take Centre Stage! A cake for an occasion as

Grand as a Wedding just should not be compromised.........it has to be impressive, eye-catching,

Breath-taking and totally irresistible!! To design and create a ‘masterpiece’ is a challenge that

“PASSIONATE CAKES” specifically loves to take on. With a Theme in mind, the cake depicts a story of

Fairy-tale ‘Love and Symphony’ where Dreams come true and nothing is beyond imagination! Each

Cake is unique in itself – personalised to meet the needs and expectations of the discerning

Customer.

The PASSION and COMMITMENT shows through every time...........be it a Birthday Cake, Whimsical

Cake, Naughty Cake, Haute Couture Handbag/Shoe, Longevity Peach Cake, or even a Corporate Cake

Like The Great Wall of China or Hard Rock Cafe Guitar. Fine details are meticulously handled.......for

Example; you can see “different facial expressions on each individual tiny LADYBIRD” or even

“Freckles on Cupid’s face!” The vibrant reflection of COLORS and TEXTURES like for instance, Van

Gogh’s Masterpiece “TUSCAN” is utterly spell-binding! The conception of original ideas and

Disarming creativity is endless..........

“PASSIONATE CAKES” is the Brand name that comprises ‘two’ words namely, PASSION and NATE

(which actually is my youngest child’s name). “DUTY MAKES US DO THINGS WELL BUT LOVE MAKES

US DO THINGS BEAUTIFULLY!”