Email to an Unknown Jetstar Staff

I pity the Jetstar worker who reads this early on a Monday morning. However, I pity myself more. Never give someone a promotional voucher on the pretext of a prize, and cause the winner agony and undue stress for what is supposed to be a happy event. It's not going to end here. Whoever is on my Jetstar plane to HK is going to receive another bolt of my wonderful scoldings. I love being a communications specialist.

This tirade was necessary. Because after this, I felt soooo much better. :)

###

To whom it may concern:

Thanks for awarding me these vouchers. I thought it would be best to give you some feedback because it has been bugging me for a while.

It was with great happiness that I received news of my win. It meant a lot that the story which I submitted would appear in Jetstar mag as it was an invaluable way for me to show my friend in Taipei how much I enjoyed my time with her during my trip.

What originated as happiness quickly evaporated into dismay once I read the terms and conditions presented in the vouchers. Within 3 weeks of receiving the vouchers, I had to take leave and book a flight, whilst confirming accomodation. Not just for myself but also for 4 fellow travellers because of a clause that stipulated that each person was entitled to using only 1 voucher. Another clause insisted that our travel must be completed by 2 Sep. Then another clause stated that we cannot travel on Fridays, Weekends, PH, PH eves and School holidays. Because we could only make payment via credit card, add another $12 per pax, excluding taxes and other fees which we have to pay. I shall not repeat the T&Cs since you came up with them. What you don't know is how much inconvenience it brings to the person who gets them.

Because of the T&Cs, we have to book tickets separately to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, this, and the stress of booking caused me and my brother to book the wrong flights. So slap another $12 + $40 change of flight fees. Not your fault though. But just to give you an idea of the amount of stress we faced whilst making our travel plans within the short timeline.

My parents initially wanted to travel nearby due to their age. However, the website didn't allow them to make bookings to Indonesia when we tried to use the vouchers. Because no one answers the Jetstar hotline within 30mins, we gave up. I got a scolding from them for causing them distress as they tried to use the vouchers over 2 days. And me, having to work, couldn't do the bookings for them.

I then tried to sell and/or giveaway the vouchers. It was quite surprisingly that no one wanted 3 vouchers worth $100 each. I think the short lead time was the key culprit. Many people asked me why the vouchers gave such terrible constraints. Everytime I repeated the story, the more convinced I was not a winner, but a victim. My parents have been repeating this terrible experience to their friends, and I'm quite sure their friends will repeat the same story to their other friends.

It's amazing to me how this happy incident has downward spiralled into so much unhappiness within a few short weeks. Even before I've began my trip to Hong Kong, Jetstar has already left a bad aftertaste.

I hope you will review the prizes you award for future contests.

Sincerely,

Janice

Congratulations from Jetstar Fan Club!

Dear Jetstar Fan Club supporter,

Thank you for sending us your travel stories. We are pleased to inform that you have been shortlisted as one of our lucky winners for the months of August/September 2010! Please send us a high resolution photo (at least 300dpi) of your trip by 6 July 2010, which we will be featuring on jetstarasiamag.com. If the photo is received after the deadline, Jetstar Asia reserves the right to transfer your prize to the contestant next in line.

....

Very happy to get this msg in my email inbox today! One step closer to winning free travel vouchers but also because this sorry meant a lot to me. As it was an advertorial/testimonial for Jetstar, it had to have that strong marketing angle. But it's true that I enjoyed my Jetstar flight, and it exceeded my expectations. And it's so cheap! Here it is... :)

###

Have you ever known someone for so long, and yet never met her? This was the case for me and my Taiwanese friend, Emily. Our friendship developed entirely via the internet, over the last eight years. We had clicked instantly through an online forum, thanks to our shared support for Hong Kong celebrity, Vivian Chow. Throughout the years, we maintained regular contact via MSN, exchanged photographs and spoke often about visiting each other's home countries.

I finally had the chance to meet Emily in Taiwan recently when I discovered Jetstar’s affordable flights to Taipei. I didn’t have a great impression of budget flights, as I once encountered a major flight delay with another airline. However, Jetstar exceeded my expectations immensely. The check-in counter was conveniently located at Terminal One of both airports, which made the already efficient and seamless check-in process even more perfect. The flight was comfortable, and service on board was always prompt and polite. Best of all, both my flights in and out of Taipei left and arrived on schedule.

I’m encouraging Emily to visit Singapore so that I can play host to her in return. Obviously I recommended Jetstar!

改变

詞曲：黃韻玲

街上的行人匆匆忙忙
此刻的畫面是無聲的世界
我故意裝作不在乎
不在乎你和她的一切

我失去 了你
這是一開始就知道的劇情
我失去了你
也失去過去擁有的回憶
這樣的改變　你怎麼會不知道

我失去了你
這是一開始就知道的劇情
我失去了你
也失去過去擁有的回憶
這樣的改變　你從來不知道

###

《改变》是黄韵玲1987年的歌曲，是电影《我有话要说》的歌曲。多年后黄韵玲和好几位歌手如康康和阿妹依然对《改变》有偏爱，在多个节目都唱过。这是她和《遍体鳞伤》演唱者古皓合唱的新版本。

黄韵玲写的词不多， 早期较多。她的词不哗众取宠，不做作，有时简短的不像出自大师的手笔。但很能一针见血，tell you like it is, 让你的心更隐隐作痛。

能够为一首歌同时词曲创作是好事。即使不是最出色的词或曲，却是最契合的组合，能撞击最原始的火花。《改变》就是如此。

感动是

感动是知道在你的心里，有我的足迹。谢谢你真心记得我。

做不成你的同事一直是我的遗憾。那句，“Our loss is your gain”尤其窝心，就算是客套的骗话，我还是愿意相信。有缘我们还是会见面。希望下次见面，我会让你没有拒绝我的理由。

New Dept, New Gary

Wow. It's been 3 freakin' mths since I last blogged, and another 6 mths since I last contributed an article to My Paper. The 1st 4 months at Marketing this year has been one of the worst ever as it's peak hell compounded by EduTrust certification audits.

It was also around this time that I learnt that my application to transfer to Student Activities dept has been approved despite the fact that I've yet to cap the min. 2-yr service duration requirement. This announcement comes as a surprise, and one of mixed emotions as I also learnt that my boss and mentor Dolly was going off on a 1-yr break. It is likely that she will not return if she "enjoys what she's doing" (in her own words). Once again I sit next to a Gary, same name, different person and personality.

As I leave behind Marketing which had been my home for 1 yr and 10 mths (longer if you count the OT hours), and transfer to my new dept tmr, I would like to look back at the highs and lows, and give a laundry list on what I will miss and not miss after today.

What I will miss
1) Mentorship from Dolly
I have mixed emotions towards Dolly. Some days I love her to bits and other days I'm really terrified of her. She's got a wide range of emotions and so, sometimes she's like your best gal pal, and sometimes she's the perfectionist boss who (in her own words again) has no room for C-graders in her team. But not every boss will include mentorship in their leadership. I've had bosses who are just people that approve my leave. And also met those who are afraid that you will outshine them. Dolly is neither. She is a boss, mentor, coach and most importantly a friend.

2) My team
I clicked well with my latest team mates, Gary and Jane because we are of the same age group. They brought smiles and laughter to a department which was lacking in that after Rae left. They are all dedicated and great to work with. Bee Pheng and Celine are of a different generation, but we've grown close over the last 2 years - I will miss their motherliness.

3) My Regional Marketing Portfolio
It took me a while to gain trust and expertise in this exciting field. I had high hopes about furthering my career here, which I felt could springboard me to success in many other companies and fields. However the company hasn't progressed to where this could be 1 person's sole portfolio. To do this, I had to do other stuff which I didn't enjoy.

4) Proximity to Important People
Not everyone wants to get near the bosses. But the truth is, if you want to get ahead, you must be within sight and earshot of the bosses. Especially when you do good stuff. Being at 6th floor helped some impt people notice me and appreciate my work. Being in 2nd floor unfortunately is 4 floors far, and hopefully it isn't out of sight, out of mind.

5) Proximity to better facilities
6th floor being where management is, has nicer stuff. Bigger pantry, cleaner loos, colour printer, etc.

What I won't miss
1) Transportation via lift
Getting to work via 3 lifts to 6th floor is an agonising wait sometimes. And 1 lift doesn't operate to 3rd and 4th floors so it's a lot of time wastage waiting for lifts daily.

2) Late Nights
Working in marketing is damn scary. To leave at 7pm is godsend. But usually it's between 7.30-8pm. Leave after 9pm happens about 3-4 times each month. Sure you get $10 meal allowance, but that's about it. OTs are not applicable to my level. We've also heard the closing announcements before during our worse periods.

3) Lillian*
I've tried my best to be nice to her but that only causes her to take advantage of everything and everyone. I finally see for myself the evidence backing the RP rumours about her bad work attitude. I pray that my ex-team doesn't have to suffer for much longer. To have a burden in the team is to work doubly hard - doing your own work + overcoming her mistakes and incompetence.

4) Filing
I don't like administrative red tape and Edutrust has added more workload for us in terms of administration. I already went home late, and suddenly I'm returning even later cos of paperwork, and filing, and documentation. Is this what I want to do with my career?

*Updated 3 June: Lillian leaves our co tmr, at the command of her RO and HR. No surprise to me as I knew the backstory, but a shocker to many. A bit sad for her at the sudden departure. Though she's a pest, some dignity ought to be given to cushion her fall lah. Give her time to say goodbye. Then again, it's not my call.