How Now Brown Cow

The most bullshit phrase in the world: "Your call is important to us".

Because of this phrase, I have been on the receiving end of countless angry customers who, before launching into a scathing verbal tirade, would apologise to me for being the unlucky officer who picked up their call. They almost always follow the same script," I'm sorry that you're the officer who answer my call ah, but really you know, the service is getting from bad to worse. I've been waiting for the past half an hour just to speak to you".

Well, I can't blame them really for feeling so pissed off. If it was me, I also wouldn't want to be wasting my airtime listening to music which is interrupted every few seconds by that bullshit phrase. Over the weekend, I called various banks to set up or reset my internet banking facilities, and ALL of them answered my call within the industrial benchmark of 8 seconds. Impressive.

Not only did they answer first, the service provided was also top-notch, which makes me feel good after hanging up the phone. After all, it's my money that's in the bank. After I eventually graduate, I will be facing the tough choice of choosing which great financial institution to join. Of course, to be able to choose, I must firstly have the bargaining power in the form of at least a second-upper honours. Looking at the rate I am doing my revision for my 2nd attempt at bridging course, I would have to say I would be lucky enough to get away with a pass degree.

But working in a bank is not the only thing I wanna do. I have narrow my career options to these other two as well - being a great way to fly, or being a man in blue. After deciding not to pursue a career with the Air Force, my dream of being a pilot remains unfulfilled and unrealized. I dunno if it's every man's dream to fly, but it certainly is mine. And after my unforgettable experiences working with planes and choppers during my national service, more than ever I want to be a pilot.

My buddy Jasper, who is currently a flight attendant with SQ, told me that the dropout rate for cadet pilots is very high, and given the long training frame - 2 and a half years - earning a pittance of a salary, it would be a very risky decision career-wise. It's almost like once you are in, you better stay in or you-re f****** if you dropped out. You have an unemployable skill that the market does not require. And in the end, you may end up piloting something with four wheels and a meter instead.

The other option, to be a man in blue, has always been something I have wanted to do since I was a teenager. That was the reason I joined NPCC. Policing work has always thrilled me, and the thought of being involved in investigations and operations constantly resides in my mind. If I were ever to join, it would definitely not be the STAR Team. I do not need two red berets, one is enough to last me a lifetime. And the training is so shag and physically demanding, I would probably lose mobility in my legs by age 40.

I want to be a police detective, the type that does not wear uniforms and yet plays an important role in maintaining law and order. The only stumbling blocks: People laugh in my face when I tell them I want to join the Police Force. They say that there is no career there, no money etc... Being a uniformed civil servant means my career path would be very much fixed, with not much options for flexibility.

Thus, I am in a dilemma. The decision that I would make would be want that will affect the rest of my life until I finally lay to rest. So how? Better pass my bridging course first then think, fail again then no so how to think of.