Uncles and Aunties in Singapore

One of the coolest things about Singapore is its diverse and varied cultures. I was reminded of this the other day when Ah Ti the family plumber/jack of all trades came to our flat to repair something in the bathroom. He is a very old man (age indeterminate as he dies his hair) and is about 2 feet high. Literally, he is definitely shorter than 5 foot. Anyway as he was checking out the problems he was talking to Ravi in a cut English/Malay/Chinese mixture. He came across something out of the ordinary and began scolding us. There was a time when last year I wanted to stop asking him to fix stuff, because whenever he came over to do work he ended up scolding us also. And in a very good natured way he continues on and on and then he fixes everything up. He is also so tiny and can fit in all kinds of tiny corners and is a very interesting looking fellow.

That seems to be the general trend of the uncles and aunties or elderly folk in Singapore. Their customer service is actually very loving, because they are only scolding you out of a mixture of care for your well-being and irritation at being troubled by it. It makes for a very lovable although sometimes painful customer service experience. But that's also what is so cool about it too. Much of the best work comes from that customer service scolding style.

Till next time. Sat Nam. GJ