Comment: Actually by ~**~mmm ~**~ on 43 Things

make a list of Singapore brands (read all 2 entries…)

This is the brand that many Singaporeans very often have referred to as the star brand of Singapore. But for some reason, I have often come acrossed foreigners misunderstood that Creative Technology is a Japanese or American brand. (Sigh..Anway, Singapore has been misunderstood for so many things )

Creative Technology is founded by Sim Wong Hoo, born in 1955, who is also the CEO and Chairman of Creative Technology, a pioneer of computer sound systems, a designer and manufacturer of products for personal computers and personal digital entertainment devices.

He graduated from the poly (In the older days, if you go to a polytechnic, is considered as good as going to an university, though it’s right after GCE “O” level-secondary school). In 1 July 1981, Sim Wong Hoo with his school friend Ng Kai Wa set up shop in Pearl Centre(chinatown) in Singapore. He got his start running Creative as a computer repair shop. While doing this, he developed an add-on memory board for the Apple II computer that they sold as well.

Later, Creative started creating customized PCs adapted for the Chinese language which included enhanced audio capabilities so that the device could produce speech and melodies. The success of this audio interface led to the development of a stand-alone sound card named Sound Blaster that Creative marketed. Sound Blaster was very successful and has been used as a standard of comparison for sound cards. Creative has sold over 100 million units of Sound Blaster since then.

Creative’s global corporate headquarters is located in Singapore, in the heart of the Asia-Pacific region. Besides having regional headquarters in the US, Europe and Singapore, they also have two manufacturing facilities in Malaysia and China.

Creative currently employs more than 5,000 people worldwide.

At age of 45, Sim Wong Hoo became the YOUNGEST billionaire in Singapore (2000). He was also the first person to be named the Businessman of the Year twice, in 1992 and 1997. In 2002, he was named Person of the Year by the Singapore Computer Society in recognition of his contribution to the IT industry. Sim is widely considered to be the star entrepreneur of Singapore and he currently chairs Singapore’s Technopreneurship 21 Private Sector Committee.

In 1999, Sim Wong Hoo released a book entitled “Chaotic Thoughts From The Old Millennium”.

Click on to each of the MP3 and you will get this
or this or even this and few other types to suit your different lifestyle!

This is a technology report I found written by an American co on Ipod and creative technology situation in Singapore.

Anyway, Singaporeans in general, still have this habit and preference for things made in “overseas” rather than home grown brand lol

_{If you scroll down, you will see some comments in there. They were talking about the differences of creative and ipod, but this American (1Dude1) in there came up with untrue story about our laws and Judicial system. Sigh, don’t understand why he wasn’t sticking to the “topic” of the report, and yet talking about other nonsense. His story is obviously a very ignorance perception about us.}

_{It’s really not fair to us, having to put up for so many years, and we still getting people misunderstood us. I really don’t understand why people like to come up with stories and without any proof. The author already said from the beginning that the news they heard in the U.S. are tabloids not fact.}

And very often, when we challenge their stories, they always claim to have their sis or bro lived here before, which of course always is a lie, otherwise they would have known what THE REAL SITUATION is like in Singapore. It’s no wonder people tend to generalize some Americans, sigh.

Thank goodness, there is a good American in there (cpo99), who has been to Singapore and gave a more accurate review about Singapore. He wrote, “I am an American and I love my country, but we need to recognize that there are other parts of the world that are also great places to live.” WELL SAID AND WISE THOUGHT.

If there is a country that is doing well and doing a good job for their people, sure, I will be happy for them, and not getting jealous of the country.

I am just glad that there are NO tabloid stories or paparazzi in Singapore (it’s not allowed here), otherwise we would become a nation of ignorance, rather than trusting the fact.

Attached a pic of my fav mp3 player, as it is so small..smaller than my palm :)

Oct 20, 2006, 10:35AM PDT | 27 cheers

Comments:

~**~mmm ~**~

Actually

What you said were all correct, not wrong, and I agree. But that WASN’T the point I was referring to. I wasn’t comparing the size.

The whole time I was talking about how “open minded” the people are in America as to compare the people in Singapore. And that doesn’t mean they are bad people, they just come across as being “naive” or “ignorant”. ;P

Even you have noticed that we have municipal bus lines and ferry to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. So this is my pt, Russellviii, we CONNECT TO THE WORLD. As far as I remember from young, we have contacts with the foreigners and grew up with them. And this is part of our culture of being familiar with the different types of foreigners(not just “races”).

So, it’s not just because we are “small” country compared to U.S., we watch their(foreign countries) shows and programs and we understand their mentality. This is the thing about Singapore that is very different from most part of the world, esp United States. We are interested to know the world. (And that’s why we travel so much)

Not sure if you have noticed before that I have emphasized alot on how the media structure of America has created that kind of “ethnocentrism” mentality in most Americans. It doesn’t take too hard for any foreigner to observe and notice that in America, you know? ;) ..As a foreigner, you will usually able to sense that more than a local.

Like I said earlier, it’s hard for a local to notice himself or herself esp if they haven’t been outside their own country.

Being patriotic is one thing, and being ethnocentric is another thing, my dear.

P.S. And it wasn’t us who like to “compare”, I noticed that alot of Americans like to compare themselves to the rest of the world, and even criticise other countries ;P..Darn, if they can compare, we can challenge them too, esp if they were to criticise us FIRST ;) (Sorry, me bad, hope you are not hating me now because of what I said here :P)

And P.S. again, don’t get me wrong, I love America too, ahem, I went to the school there, you know? It’s just that sometimes the attitude of the people there can “kill” me ;P

Oct 22, 2006, 10:00PM PDT | Parent | Respond to this 6 cheers

Waynesworld

Are you sure you weren't comparing the size?

Oops! (ducking) Please forgive me, In Style, have a great Tuesday! :)

Oct 23, 2006, 05:16PM PDT | Thread | Respond to this

~**~mmm ~**~

Yes

Very sure ;) I was talking about the “differences” in our “mentality” not size. =)

Though being big has much more advantages, ha!

Oct 23, 2006, 07:49PM PDT | Respond to this 3 cheers

russellviii Vacation time is coming soon

Sorry; I didn't mean to light the fuse

My intent was to say that because of its small size, people in Singapore are probably more likely to have a keener awareness of the outside world than many people from large countries.

I certainly hope that I am not one of those which you consider as an ethnocentric American. I have always respected people from other countries and taken an interest in their cultures.

Oct 23, 2006, 09:07PM PDT | Thread | Respond to this 2 cheers

~**~mmm ~**~

Of course not

(Don’t be silly :))

You are patriotic, but you are certainly not ethnocentric(you’re far from it)!

Sorry, ha, I should have put it clearly in my last comment, was in the hurry to go do something else earlier!

I meant to say there are quite a few of them I have come acrossed as being extremely patriotic to the extend of being ethnocentric, even on this site, so many of them around, pretty annoying to me! :P Sorry!

People who take interest in other cultures are usually not ethnocentric at all, and they find themselves learning much from others! (When you are learning from others, you are learning about yourself too)..You are definitely one of the few people here I considered VERY open minded, observant, intelligent, and well travelled!

P.S. Sometimes I wrote certain things is to indirectly direct at some idiots here who are reading what I wrote, so what I wrote there earlier wasn’t talking about you ;)

Oct 23, 2006, 09:31PM PDT | Respond to this 6 cheers

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Comments:

Actually

Are you sure you weren't comparing the size?

Yes

Sorry; I didn't mean to light the fuse

Of course not

The world wants to...