Korean drama, LiL & I....

Last Night: I was in the living hall, online with a couple of friends when LiL came over to use the house phone. She called our daughter Zeti in Dublin, and I could hear them talking about job interviews Zeti will be attending in London. My story this time is about the tears I saw running down her cheek after her phone call and when she came over to my side to convey Zeti's 'Salam'.

I asked her, "What happened? Why are you crying? Anything serious happened to Zeti ka?"
She replied with a forced smile, and at the same time wiping her cheek and her nose, "No lah. I was watching the Korean drama series just now".

"And you cried!" I teased her.

"It was so sad....", She replied and sat next to me.

"Do you want to tell me about the story? Nak juga tahu what kind of drama made you so sad macam tu?" I enquired, and logged off from the internet.

LiL began telling me. The episode shown last night was about a young wife and mom to two young children who have been told she will die of cancer. A few scenes had touched LiL's emotion strong enough to trigger those tears welling and overflowing.

• The devastation of the young wife upon knowing the diagnosis. She immediately thought of her two young children and her husband - how would they cope without her.




• MIL's callous remark to her, "You must not tell your husband about your cancer to spare him of any trauma." She felt hurt by the remark especially when all she was thinking about was about her husband and her children. She was hoping for her MIL to at least comfort and think of her needs too.




• The scenes where she was teaching her children, seven and eight years old, how to cook simple food, how to make sandwiches and how to look after themselves were the final straw for LiL. It was seeing motherly love in action - putting her children before her dying self - which burst LiL's dam of emotion.




• The lady decided to run away from home, to prepare her loved ones to start living without her.

* An ability to keep in touch with one's emotion shows the human side of a person. I promised to join LiL to watch the next episode which was this evening. And after dinner, I joined her in the TV lounge*

Tonight: Yes, watching the two kids frying egg, and combing each other's hair before school touched both of us. Seeing how her husband waited by the phone for her call - moved me. Watching how she struggled with her own emotion, trying to do the best for them reminded me of love in its purest form - To love is to give the best part of you!

And yes both LiL and I sat there close to each other without too many words, but with our emotion flying to Seoul visiting and comforting the lady and her children.

Death, is our ultimate goal. But still, death takes away a part of us. In the movie, it was hard for the family because they didn't know why she has suddenly dissappeared. It goes without saying, it was very hard for her too. We sat there well after the movie have ended, shamelessly feeling melancholic - and we spoke about what we have just watched. And we both knew, we were talking about 'what if that same situation were to happen to us......how would we cope?"

Tomorrow: If death is the purpose of life, then more has to be done now to achieve excellence in death. Has enough been done?

About Customer Service !

Have you ever asked someone to get something done and they say "No"...until you ask a second time?
Have you ever been told "No", but when you ask to speak to a supervisor the answer changes to "Yes"?
I wanted to transfer money to my daughter in Dublin. It was 12.30pm - my lunch time. I have a Special account with the bank and has signed an authorisation letter which enables me to give instruction by a phone call and a faxed letter to represent my request.

This morning I have authorized my bank to accept "instructions by fax", as I have done many times before.
My bank required me to call - which I did.

The Customer Service Representative said, "I will send your fax to your personal account manager and he will call you back."
But until 5 minutes to closing time - I did not receive any call.
So, what else can i do except to call them again.

I got through to my personal banker.

"I am sorry, I was tied up in a meeting the whole day, so I can only do your transaction tomorrow" Said he. *Good try*

"But I want to have that done today. I faxed the letter early this morning and actualy called your office before lunch time today" Said I.

"But I was in a meeting" Said he.

"I appreciate that, but how would I know you were having a problem since you did not call me. And I want that money sent today" Insisted I.

"But Mr Idham, what difference will tomorrow morning do?" Asked he.

"The difference is I will speak to your boss with a complain and maybe even close my account" Said I, as calmly as I started the conversation.

"I see. Since this transaction is very urgent - I will see what I can do to get it done today!" Said he, irritated - but what do I care!.

Why must he waited for me to mention his boss's name before he agreed to do what he could have agreed in the first place? Beats me!

Yes, I was happy in the end - the money transfer was done but it still left a bitter taste of poor service. If that was how they treated a Special account holder, I dare not even imagine how normal accounts are treated.

Wouldn't it have been easier to say, "You have come to the right place - I will see what I can do to get it done today! If for any reason it does not get through, I will let you know and I will make sure it is done first thing tomorrow morning".

* * *

As if one incident was not enough, one training provider called me around 3pm today. A thick accent of a certain arrogant nationality voiced "I am calling to confirm our training session with your group on March 19th and 20th".
And inside me went...WTF!!! I sent an email three weeks ago to confirm and they didn't even bother to reply - notwithstanding my calls to follow up. I have since then assumed they weren't interested and engaged another consultant.
"Since I did not get a reply - I have engaged another consultant" I said, trying hard to swallow my annoyance.
"What do you mean you cancelled! Why did not you called?" he tried to shift the blame to me, hard!
"But I did, I spoke to a lady - the same lady three times and she took my number with a promise someone will call back. No one did !" Yippieee, I managed to remain calm! What an effort it was...but I did.
"Why didn't you speak to our office manager - his name is Sam" Whoarrrr, he really was pushing!
"Look, why should I - I am your customer and the training you are supposed to do for us is about customer service. Doesn't that make you the expert on how to deal with a customer like me?"
"Ermm......ok, I am sorry. But why do you have to cancel" He was either deaf or dumb or both!
"Perhaps it has something to do with me being an unhappy customer!. I have engaged another consultant and we are going ahead" I purposely avoided using any apologetic word.
"Oh, we are also very busy actually. Maybe this time we skip this one. Next time will you call us for another training" Ooo he wasn't deaf afterall, only a bit numb!
"Maybe.....thanks for your call"
"Thank you. SORRY for losing the opportunity"
*Click*

"You bet - you should be sorry dude!, I am no trainer on customer service but I can teach you a few things on how to treat your customer right"