NDP Copycat Blooper

They say a picture is worth a thousand words but they never said it had to be a thousand kind words.

No one thought that Singaporeans might have seen this very creative Japanese ad in support of their Children's Foundation before they chose to copy it for our National Day Parade 2008's theme video. 

Lucky we have eagle-eyed netizens (like STOMPer Daniel) to point this out.

Perhaps now you will have a greater appreciation for our nation building efforts based, unfortunately on plagiarism.

Here's the original Japanese ad

Our defining NDP 2008 video

And you thought that running a campaign to find an alternative name for Marina Bay only to end up retaining the original was a poorly conceived effort. Heh. 

JacJac's CALL Rhapsody

Fundamentals of Canine Companionship

Perhaps "prerequisites" would have made a better title. 

Anyway, following are some basic information that all prospective (and in some cases, even current) dog owners have to bear in mind.

1. Prepare to be bitten -- either accidentally through play or untamed aggression.

2. Prepare to play janitor -- in cleaning up your pet's pee and excrement even after graduation from potty-training. The potty trays do not clean themselves and... SHAME ON YOU if you are the sort who'd bring your dogs out to do their businesses and leave behind faecal booby traps for others, even and especially on grass.

3. Prepare to put up with animal hair -- all dogs shed. 

4. Prepare to make time -- it isn't companionship without companion.

5. Prepare to make the commitment -- please don't ever buy a dog and expect other people to take care of it for you. 

If you can put ticks to all the above, you are well on your way to enjoy one of the most unwaveringly loyal companionships that you can ever expect. 

Mr Some-Dogs-Never-Shed

I was in Pasir Ris last weekend to catch up with Hwee Hoon, the nice lady who sold us JacJac. In walks a man who looked in his mid-twenties with girlfriend in tow and asked to look at the Corgi on display in the play-pen. After a short pause, he started on his wannabe-styled, spouted in poor slang (as follows).

Wannabe: So, this Corgi, does it drop a lot of hair?

Hwee Hoon: Corgis will have seasonally change of coat in addition to normal shedding.

Wanabe: No no no. I mean do they drop a lot of hair? (Then turns to me and points to JacJac and addressing me) Like I mean your Jack drops a lot of hair, right?

Me: I think it is fair to say that all dogs shed...

Wanabe: No! Not all dogs will shed. Some dogs never shed!

Mr Wannabe then proceeds to try and wow us with his Singlish slang and use of words such as molting. 

My eyes rolled so hard I swore I could see my brains. 

First of all, Mr Some-Dogs-Never-Shed, all dogs shed. 

Even you, yes, your ignoramus self shed skin flakes (which becomes dust) and hair. 

Which means that even dogs like the Chinese Crested will shed. 

The only reason why people think some dogs never shed is that these dogs (long-coat species) hang onto their dead hair, i.e. the dead hair is entwined in the coat by other hairs. Such dogs require special grooming to have their dead hair removed. 

Whereas short/smooth coat species "give up" their hair quite readily all over the place. 

As soon as you try to pet an uncombed long-coat, you will be aghast at the amount of hair on your fingers. 

And to add insult to Mr Some-Dogs-Never-Shed's foolish assault, he never once inquired about the Corgi's wellness, age, price, diet, etc --- information any prospective buyer would want to know. Suffice to say, all Mr SDND wanted to do was to impress his girlfriend with his Some-Dogs-Never-Shed theories and slang Singlish. 

Pathetic. 

No Publicity Is Bad Publicity?

Some publicists will swear with their souls that there is no such thing as bad publicity. 

Or is there?

If you tune in to the local radio stations, you'd have been one of the many victims (or perhaps, miraculously fans of) the advertisements by MotorImage to promote their "chao Ah-Beng" Subaru cars. 

I mean... what's the rationale behind associating and linking one's company and products with the commonly ill-regarded, lowly neighbourhood lout?

Why continue the services of an uncreative advertising agency hell-bent on milking the Ah Seng character well past its use-by date?

If you factor in the huge costs involved in producing and blasting these ads over the airwaves, you'd really start to wonder if someone in MotorImage ought to lose his/her job. 

For goodness' sake, if you have nothing better to do with your advertising budget, please use it to offset the costs of your cars for potential buyers. That may actually help you get more business than to constantly annoy the rest of us. Or better yet, donate it to some orphanages or the Sichuan earthquake relief fund for some good karma. Geeze... 

I urge as many of you as possible to write in to protest this noise terrorist. Not that I think they care but if they can choose to ignore and antagonise us, I don't see why we shouldn't return the favour.