10 Days in Singapore (Part 4)

Day 9: Friday, 23.09.2011

I wake up and completed my routine job at a house. Today I have a symptom of an unhealthy resulting of the work such as sore throat, headache and weaken. I feel like my body is a desert where it drought for a decade. How much water I've drank not enough for my body's need. My assumption is the poor working condition causing a bad health of my housemate.

At the night club I find out something differently from one girl I met up in the restroom. She's been working in Singapore for few months. Her previous working place is namely Aura night club where many Vietnamese working there. She said that she don't like some behavior of Vietnamese as well as the customers. In her perception and former experience in this kind of job. She though that Singaporeans prefer Thais to Vietnamese and Singaporean girls. Because Thais are sweeter, lovelier and know how to treat a guy better than those Vietnamese and Singaporean. During our conversation the other girls come over sharing her experience about the other night club they worked for. When I probe on Neverland Night Club is recruiting Singers and Dancers, they said this is not a nice place to go because there is not many customers as the club I work at.

As soon as I and those girls finished our business, it times to work again. My first customers were the business men who just arrived Singapore and stayed at Windsor hotel. They just come to relax before went to bed. The characteristic of a Korean customer I interacted with him was more likely a student because what he was asking me all about my work and the price of those girls who working here compare to Korean one night stand girl. He informed me politely that S$100 is expensive price. And he asked how much I was offered before I just told him that mine is S$200 - 300. He just said that "It's a high price".

After they left the club, I approached another customers who come to a Birth Day Celebration. A birth day boy was absolutely drunk. At this table I had an opportunity to talk to an Indian guy who come to join his friends. He's mature Indian guy and shared his life in Singapore with me. He told me that his life in Singapore quite tough because every thing causing money. And in general Indian people who live in Singapore are called "Black". He said normally he goes to Philipinas club where he did not tell me where it is. Moreover, he asked me to accompany him to another Thai Night Club, Thai Disco at Golden Mile, where there are only Thais working there.

The 3rd customer was a group of National University of Singapore who like Thais. Nothing much information from this naughty boy, LOL!!!

Wrap up my tired morning with a polite customer who said that I am look like a good wife, LOL!!

Fotenote

• Some of the girls who receive high value of flower will give a sign to the giver that she will go out with him.
• Around 15 - 30 minutes after they attach with the customer without flowers given, they will leave, then look for another customer.
• Best position on the stage is at the front of the stage itself.
• Most of Thais who work here have been worked at night club before.

Day 10: Saturday 24.09.2011

There is nothing to be updated today because there is no value information. Everything run smoothly as it is. This is my relaxing day by enjoying cooking at cafe world. :( :( (T T)

Ending my tough life with 6 flowers, LOL!!!

Night Club Management

The nighclub is well-managed and organized

FINAL CONCLUSION

DIARY

Day 10 - Monday 26.09.2011

Eventually I decided to return homeland on this day according to sufficient data collection during pre-testing (pilot test) period as per the timeline was completed. During my valuable 10 days on field work observation at site selection in Singapore, I had new perception towards several aspects in life obtained from the extra miles in research field down there. Life is difficult especially for those who are under privilege. It seems like most of them are lack of good opportunities to have better choices in making a living as long as they do NOT have enough stuffs and money satisfy their basic needs in life such as shelter, clothes, foods, and so on. The lessons I have learnt from conducting social science research at real - life - station can be summarized as follows:-

Understandable Complexity Social Momentum Model

BRIEF ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION

Overall Analysis:

The cultural and value aspect seem to be one of a key critical drivers of those majority of Thais who were working at the sampling unit in Singapore. The pilot - test finding indicated that most of the labor are from the North and Northeast rather than other regions in Thailand. In some heritage cultural aspect in the Northern and Northeastern regions in Thailand show that if the children who show gratitude to their parent will be a very good children. The gratefulness to their parent seem to be the tradition and responsiveness of those children in both North and Northeast of Thailand. In the past many villages in the north, the parent willing to sell their children, especially their daughter (s) and many of the girls volunteer to work in a negative reputation places such as night club, pub, bar, massage parlor, and so on. It became a competition in specific rural areas which had a bad reputation in this kind of human trafficking. The competition was whose house was bigger, was the winner. Nowadays, this kind of attitudes are NOT really popular in this area anymore. In fact, this kind of perspective has a root from ancient tradition when a girl lose a virginity to a guy without marriage, a guy has to pay money or some valuable dowry to the girl's parent.

Add social momentum aspect into this analysis and future prediction [refers to Example of Social Science Research Proposal and 10 Days in Singapore or Episode I]

Key Migrated Motivation

• Although working at night club aboard is a tough and difficult life but an opportunity to obtain lumpy money luring some Thais to come to work at this kind of underlying employment as a dancers, singers, and DJ in Singapore.
• Easy money or lumpy money is the key rational motivation and persuasion of migration of target labors from Thailand to Singapore.
• Under privilege and monetary problems - support to family are the key motivations of becoming a human products including migration to work at night club in Singapore. Although there are lower living standard and poor working condition i.e. high pollution from cigarette smoke, drinking alcohol daily basis, loud noise from music, no welfare or other benefits from work place and government, and even they have to put aside their pride but this kind of work is luring to the new comers still.
• Persuasion or influence by friends, relatives, agents or traffickers and family members who were currently or used to underlying employed in the night club in Singapore before would trick or over advertising to the target labor that the bottom line income you will earn at that place is at least 100,000 baht a month with good accommodation available for employees making the new comers to come.

Working Style and Income

• In general the night club will open around 9.00 p.m. until 4.00 a.m. (Singapore time, GMT+7). The stage performance would start around 11.00 p.m. which means that the singers and the bands would open the stage in order to entertain the customers as a priority. For the dancers, there were 2 rounds performance on stage after the band end their show. Besides, during the performance had a break for 1 hour approximately, DJ would take responsibility to entertain the customers.
• Short - term working life and highly competition among workers and labors from several countries such as Thai, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia is one of a major concerns of this kind of work. Highly competition and high cost of living probably lead employees or workers to earn extra income by going out with customers.
• The labors would earn different income or salary according to their roles and responsibilities. For the singers and dancers would receive extra income from flowers and drinks offered by customers beside based salary and wage. According to my observation the minimum wage was around ฿50K to maximum wage ฿200K (1 Singapore Dollar is estimated 23 - 24 Thai Bath).

Security and Risky Life

• Easily explore to drug addiction and sexual diseases for those who work at night club regardless of self - protection.
• Cheating and fraud from the employers. There were many cases the underlying labors cheated and they did not receive any wage or salary as initially promised.
• Getting arrest by local policemen and other authorized officers because there are prohibited and illegally employed. And Singapore has strictly rules and laws for illegally labors.

Laws and Regulations must know:-

1. Law of Singapore
2. Singapore labor laws

The Concept of Beauty and Plastic Surgery

• Plastic surgery is the symbols of beauty and sex appeal to the customers of those girls who work at night club. More than 99% of them have breast and nose job in order to get attraction from the customers.

Expectation and Dream Fulfillment

• Those workers are willing to migrate from Thailand to Singapore because of the monetary issue and opportunity to earn higher income.
• Most of them have a beautiful dreams of having better quality of life such as they would earn a lot of money to build a new house for their parent and children, met a good and rich man who could support or even marry them, and so on.

Respondent Background

• The mistakes at the young age and under educational standard is one of the key critical element of those people who decides to work at night club.
• Most of the workers or labors who work at a sampling unit have former working experiences at night club, pub, lounge, bar, ago ago bar and massage parlor in Bangkok or other regions in Thailand before decided to migrate to Singapore for work.
• Most of Thais working at a sampling night club in Singapore were from the Northern and Northeastern region around 35%, 45% respectively. The rest were from other regions of Thailand was around 20% approximately.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Aspiration and Inspiration

- My first trip to Singapore where was Geylang area I had stayed.

- Ex Professor and classmates at IMBA who raised this issue in class.

- A cousin who work at a sampling unit selection in Singapore.

- Ethnographic Research, a branch of social science research and anthropology, inspires me to study this topic.

I hope this hub will influence and educate the readers the disadvantage of the underlying employment as well as a good case studies you can learn from this story.