The PC show

It was a bleary Sunday afternoon. Lunch was partaken and the prospect of a siesta was bright on the horizon. But we had a role to play in helping the limping economy recover. Defying the lunch induced stupor, we decided to visit the PC show that was held between June 11-14 at the Suntec City Hall, Singapore.

I had a specific deal in mind: consolidate my home internet, cell phone and TV subscriptions into one bundle and sign up for a 2 year lease and thus avail the discounts and collect a spanking new laptop that was the sign up gift. Given the state of the economy, I was naive enough to believe that there would be thin crowds and all that I would be required to do was sign the paperwork, collect the gifts and return home by train. May be even stop by at the cafe on the way back and indulge in a hot chocolate, cradling the new laptop. The only difficulty that I anticipated was to decide on the laptop color. Would I go with the dignity of a grey or make a statement with a red?

We got off at the train station, exactly 800 metres away from the venue. We didn't have to refer to any maps. A sea of humanity was headed in that direction. All we had to do was to walk with the crowd. The show was held on mutiple levels at Suntec City with over 600 exhibitors occupying the space available. Strewn pamphlets carpeted the floors and people packed every square inch of the aisles and walkways. There was a maddening display of computers, accessories, consumer electronic goods. Vendors were going ballistic, yelling details of their offers into microphones and holding count down sales. The bargain hunters, clutching a bunch of pamphlets and comparing offers were cris-crossing, lending to the chaos. Triumphant folks heading out were hauling trolleys and carts, with an oversized LCD TV perched precariously and an assortment of other goods. It was a sight to behold.

Some statistics:

Visitors: 1.13 million (2008: 1.1 million)

Money spent: S$52.1 million (2008: S$51.7 million)

(Source: The Straits Times and Asiaone Digital)

(Image courtesy: The Straits Times)

If there was a depression or an economic slump happening, it was definitely not evident there.

The deal that I wanted was "Fully redeemed!", a tattered sheet of paper that was pasted on the counter announced. Probably gone in the first few seconds. My means may have been redeemed but I still had the goal of helping the economy. We ended up buying a portable HDD - a very relevant purchase, given the times, a speaker for the computer system - not entirely unnecessary and an ipod nano - may be considered an indulgence but then it has been on our wish list for too long now. Hey, I have an economy to revive, remember? I even thought of giving it a booster shot by eyeing the Sharp Aquos LCD TV (Panel from Japppan-la, response time 5 ms onleeee-la) But my better half has a way of bringing me to reality with very few words. Having done our part, we boarded the bus back home.

So, ladies and gentlemen, those of you that have concerns about the ongoing recession, economic slump, slowdown or anything else that this current phenomenon is called, can now sit back and relax. Rest assured that it will all be over. If it doesn't, you know why.