has seen the same type of instant mix for Hot Chocolate, MILO and TEA.
And there is instant noodles being sold in Styrofoam cups and packets. Some instant noodles can be eaten when we add hot water into the cup containing the dry noodles while instant noodles in packers need to be cooked and you can even add your favorite egg, vegetables and other food in or simply eat it by adding the seasoning, noodles without other toppings. Instant noodles also come in all kinds of flavors, some spicy, some sweet. And to those who are staying overseas for long period, this can be a great relief.
HAPPY WONDERS if there is anyone who would buy a pre-mix packet for BUBBLE MILK TEA. Just open a packet, pour into a cup and add hot water. Instantly, you will have a cup of BUBBLE MILK TEA, where ever you are in the world as the mix also contain dried bubbles (or pearls, you can “google” for BUBBLE MILK TEA and there are so many versions that will appear). HAPPY used to hear from friends and her mum that drinking and eating these “INSTANT” food and drink stuffs are very unhealthy, as they contain a lot of chemicals and preservatives to keep them “edible” for a long period of time, sometimes even years. Perhaps, the SCIENTISTS can come out with really healthy STUFFS.
Well HAPPY would still indulge in these pleasures if there is someone who would sell a pre-mix packet for BUBBLE MILK TEA. Haha.. WHY? Life is short, so be HAPPY like HAPPY. We never know what may happen in the next moment, if we do not enjoy NOW, then when should we really enjoy our lives?
And while BUBBLE TEA SHOPS open around SINGAPORE, HAPPY wonders if anyone would come up with a BUBBLE TEA VENDING MACHINE. That way, it is fully automated, and perfectly scalable everywhere in THE WORLD. In his imagination, HAPPY visualizes that the BUBBLE TEA VENDING MACHINE is one that allows buyers to pick their type of TEA (MILK TEA, ENGLISH TEA, CHINESE TEA, GREEN TEA and many more) while selecting their mix of toppings (different types of BUBBLES, JELLIES) and sugar level. Press a few buttons and the drink is dispensed, either HOT or COLD by choice, shortly after. Hot drinks will probably be preferred in countries experiencing their winter seasons while cold drinks sell best in SUNNY SINGAPORE which is around 30 degree Celsius all year round as the island is located along the equator in ASIA.
This actually mirrors what is in the BUBBLE TEA SHOP, a customer is allowed to customize his / her preferences and the BUBBLE TEA MAKER will make a drink in under 30 seconds, select the drink flavor, with or without MILK, size of cups (SMALL, MEDIUM, LARGE), SUGAR LEVEL (FULL SUGAR, LESS SUGAR and some shops offer in terms of Percentages: 100%, 70%, 50%, 25%, 0%) and types of toppings (different types of BUBBLES, JELLIES). Many school children would know these by heart as they visit these bubble tea shops daily for their own pleasures and the drinks are not cheap, they may cost almost one hour of wages of people who work at these shops!
HAPPY has lots of ideas, but in his heart, he loves the idea of instant BUBBLE TEA mix. You can pop a few into the suitcase during travelling, once you reach a hotel, all you need is a cup, add in HOT water and you get a cup of delicious HOT BUBBLE MILK TEA.
The BUBBLE MILK TEA in a CUP is probably too bulky to carry along for travel trips, but perhaps good for people who work in large offices and crave such a drink during office hours. HAPPY is thinking of his friends working for the BANKS located in the Central Business District of SINGAPORE – RAFFLES PLACE and TANJONG PAGAR by MRT Trains (the local metro / subway stations).
As for the BUBBLE TEA VENDING MACHINE, it allows the same quality of drinks being served 24 hours a day anywhere in the world, and there is no need to hire any people to learn to make the drinks. Money can be collected in the form of notes, coins and even tap-and-go cards. There are even machines which accept MOBILE Phone scanning, and fingerprints verification. Well HAPPY won’t be surprised if there are machines that can recognize faces and a bill will be sent to your account after you press a button to dispense a drink.
Sometimes, these technology moves so fast that it is hard to know it ALL unless we read the news online. Of course, the drawback of having machine is that we lose the SMILES that HAPPY loves to see when he interacts with PEOPLE.
THE BUBBLE TEA VENDING MACHINE is an example of recurring income from an OPERATING ASSET. INVEST in the design of one machine, mass produce and sell them will be a way to scale up. Owners of these BUBBLE TEA VENDING MACHINES can also enjoy recurring income as long as people buy the drinks after deducting for costs such as maintenance, electrical, rental of that place to place the machine.
With such a machine, money can be generated for the OWNERS of the machine 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, rain or shine! And the OWNERS are freed to explore anything they enjoy doing. IS THAT WHY WE SEE RICH PEOPLE IN MOVIES END UP AT THE GOLF COURSES PLAYING GOLF AND DISCUSSING NEW BUSINESS DEALS?
CHAPTER 3
HAPPY is thinking and saying aloud to his lovely family at home, they have a condominium apartment at ANG MO KIO. Do you think I can make the perfect yummy BUBBLE MILK TEA by myself at home? THE KIDS: DENISE, DESMOND, BENJAMIN and ROSWELL, ARE ADDICTED TO THE BUBBLE MILK TEA TOO!
HAPPY tried many ways and couldn’t replicate the famous BUBBLE MILK TEA by a Taiwanese BUBBLE MLIK TEA CHAIN that is the best in SINGAPORE and TAIWAN. 7 years ago, HAPPY travelled to TAIWAN to conduct a “HAPPY GO LUCKY” meditation and fell in love with the BUBBLE MILK TEA drink, but definitely not the drink lady who is selling it! Haha.. WHO KNOWS? YOUR LOVE OF YOUR LIFE MIGHT BE ONE OF THE LADY SELLING IT AND LOVE COMES WHEN LEAST EXPECTED?
So what do we do when we want to learn something? GO TO SCHOOL! WHICH ONE???
YES, however HAPPY was trying to find a community centre or baking school that can teach him how to make the drink, as he has already gone through the YouTube videos but cannot replicate fully the yummy delicious taste that hooks youngsters and working class alike. Perhaps, it is in the raw ingredients used by the Taiwanese BUBBLE MLIK TEA CHAIN that is the MAGIC?
HAPPY says I can do anything if I want to. Thus, he went to the BUBBLE TEA SHOP in ANG MO KIO and applied for a job! They pay $6.50 per hour, and even the staff uniform, the staff has to buy from the shop (UNLESS they work for over 20 days) plus pay $1 per month just to get their money deposited into the bank. This wage is pretty low by developed countries’ standards but it keeps prices of food and drinks generally affordable.
More details about the contract HAPPY signed with the BUBBLE TEA SHOP. Firstly, he was not allowed to use his mobile phone during working hours (WELL IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE as YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW CUSTOMERS WILL FEEL IF THE STAFF ARE ON FACEBOOK or PLAYING GAMES instead of ATTENDING PROMPTLY TO THEM).
Also, he was not paid for working more hours if he arrived earlier but deducted 20 cents per minute for arriving later than his supposed rostered timing.
For our illustrative purpose (FEEL FREE TO SKIP THIS PART), HAPPY would be rostered to work from 12 noon to 6pm on a weekday and maybe 3pm to 9pm on a Sunday. If HAPPY is there at 11.40am on a weekday, the additional 20 minutes would not be paid so naturally he can hang around until his START WORK timing. HOWEVER, if HAPPY arrives at 12.15pm because of some delay in the public transport system, such as the bus broke down, he will be deducted $3 automatically from his pay and it’s recorded by the COMPUTER SYSTEM when he clocks in and out. This is a big sum considering he earns $6.50 per hour. (PERHAPS, there has to be a little give and take between the employer and employee, pay a little bit more to keep them HAPPY if they arrive slightly earlier?)
AND perhaps shockingly to some including HAPPY’s wife ROSALINE, HAPPY has to work 3 days, rostered at PEAK HOURS for a GRAND TOTAL OF $50 (which is lower than the total of the hourly rates, because they are less efficient
