Mobile Phones that are Immobile!!

I am sick and tired of people who give me their mobile numbers. Yet when you call them, the phone is either in the "off" mode, or the receiver never picks up the call. Granted that in this hectic world, the receiver could be in the shower or meeting when you call..... yet he never returns calls. A missed call would have registered the caller's number, unless it is a private number.

What is the point of carrying a mobile phone? It is quite frustrating to the caller to have a call unanswered especially when it could be an urgent call.

Some people even have the notion of wanting to save $$. There was this client from China - a researcher at the National University of Singapore by the name of Mr. Wang. He came with his wife one Saturday morning to view a unit that I was marketing. The couple liked my client's ground floor apartment. As I had just started marketing, of course, my owner was asking for the highest price he could possibly get. Later, when my client relented on his pricing by another $25,000/- I tried to call Mr. Wang, but his mobile was always not in service!! Even after I sent a message to tell him about the new pricing, there was no response. In the end, I sold the apartment to my regular client, Mr. Djoko from Indonesia. By hoping to save those few cents, Mr. Wang had actually missed out on a very good deal! A case of "Penny wise, pound foolish?".

I also get frustrated with private numbers unless the call is made from a public phone. Sometimes, I have a "missed" call but it is registered as "no number" because it is a private number. I am not able to call back and it is annoying. I dislike secretiveness of any kind. If a person wants to communicate, why be so secretive? In hectic Singapore, I believe others are not free to make a call unnecessarily, unless they are up to some pranks. So far I never had problems even though I hold two mobile phones. I have found out that it is actually cheaper to have two mobile phones than one! It is also more convenient for me as a real estate agent, because sometimes I have more than two advertisements and I can use both numbers. Sometimes callers cannot even remember why they call you, and I can immediately ask if they are referring to a particular property.

I thank God for the invention of mobile phones which are now small and light enough to be put in my pockets. I recall the first Nokia phone which I had. It was as big as a handbag. It could also be used as a "weapon" to knock on the head of a would-be molestor or snatch thief, because the weight of the phone could render the person senseless for a moment. But the reception of the phone was excellent. It was donated to me by my god-daughter, Carrie, who found it embarrassing to carry such a huge phone when there were smaller and more stylish ones in the market. Once in the MRT, my Nokia rang loud and clear. I realised some customers were staring at me, especially this youth sitting across me. After the call, I smiled at him and asked, "Boy, why are you staring so hard at my Nokia? Don't you know that our future coffins will be shaped just like this handphone?" He was momentarily taken aback, and some passengers were trying to stifle their laughter.

Oh! Mobile phones! Since day one, I have only been using Nokia phones. If you were a Nokia staff reading this article, won't you nominate me for the "Most faithful Nokia user award"?

Nokia mobiles! I can't leave home without them!

Gan Chau