From ‘Excuse me, can you buy me a sports car?’, 29 Sept 2012, article by Goh Shi Ting, ST
CALL him shameless or naive but a 20-year-old has sent more than 300 letters to the richest residents in Sentosa Cove asking for a “sports car sponsorship”. And as incredible as it may sound, he said 10 have responded to him within a week – though none has granted him his wish.
In a brief letter sent last Thursday, Mr Gaw Yu Han introduced himself, giving his name and age, before stating his purpose which was “the hope of finding a sponsor”. He said he likes cars and listed as his favourites Audi R8 Coupe, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and Honda CR-Z.
“May I have the courage to ask for a car as a gift from you?” he wrote. Owners of a Sentosa Cove property, he added, “must be a person of great success” and “it will be nice to know and perhaps learn from you”.
…”But I don’t like to ask my parents for money. I’d rather get a sponsorship,” said Mr Gaw, who has lived here for 13 years…”Anyway, I spent only five cents on a letter. And even if nobody offers a car, I can still make friends. It is important to network and have connections,” he said. “I don’t expect to give anything in return. What I can offer is casual friendship.”
So far, 10 Sentosa Cove residents, all Singaporeans, have contacted him, he claimed.
But they were more interested in finding out why he is doing this than buying him his dream car. One of them, a property developer known as Victor who owns two properties at Sentosa Cove, even arranged to meet him during the F1 race last Sunday and they chatted for 30 minutes, he told The Straits Times. Victor had asked about his background and even requested to see his identity card – but no promises were made.
“I could tell that he was not interested,” said Mr Gaw, who got his F1 ticket from an uncle.
“Singaporeans will never give me a car,” he said.
You’d probably have to forgive a 20 year old for trying to get something for nothing. After all, if Gaw could get a free F1 ticket, he may think that asking for a supercar is the next logical step. ‘Sponsorship’ doesn’t come cheap all the time. Gaw made no effort to justify why he’s entitled to a car, and without some sob story as a backdrop to emotionally manipulate the folks at Sentosa Cove, I don’t think his request would be entertained without the giver expecting something in return, something more than just ‘casual friendship’. I can only think of a few reasons why a lonely rich man would check the I/C of a 20 year old kid, in view of a number of rich people landing themselves in jail over underage sex. I don’t think the wealthy would want to associate themselves with LOSERS who go around begging people for stuff anyway. While I do agree that Singaporeans will NEVER give an able-bodied boy a car even if it were spare change to them, I doubt any self-respecting foreign billionaire would too. These people are rich, not STUPID. Gaw’s bid for a free car is as useful as sending letters to Santa’s elves in the North Pole, or wishing upon a falling star.
So how do you go about asking for a sponsorship and be successful without selling your kidney or your virginity? First, you have to be a popular female blogger with a flat chest. Qiu Qiu eventually got her wish for bigger cups fulfilled, though she later went back to normal ‘size’ and seems quite delighted with her ‘deflated’ self now. Or you could be a female blogger requesting for plastic surgery to boost your confidence like Peggy Heng. But it’s all not just pretty girls with blogs that win the hearts and sympathy of the generous. Popular food blogger Bradley Lau (Lady Iron Chef) gets to dine at fancy restaurants for free too. Donors in these cases are rewarded with the gratification of their ‘sponsorship’ gone into fruition, whether it’s deeper cleavage, a prettier face, or a good word in a review. Anyone handing Gaw a powerful car risks being labelled the one responsible if he drives recklessly and kills people, himself included, in the process.
Gaw does not have the minimum reputation of a blogger, nor has he even made the effort to pitch a tragic life story of poverty and childhood abuse. You’re not going to achieve anything in life by just sending letters to rich people and hope for the best. And Sentosa Cove residents will not achieve anything in return by doing this guy a favour as insane as giving Osama Bin Laden a grenade launcher for his birthday. It’s an insult to the handicapped busking in underpasses, or anyone desperate for money with at least an ounce of TALENT to show for. So here’s some advice, Gaw: Start a blog, gain at least 1000 followers, spin some stories about being abused and bullied as a kid, that all your life you NEVER got a single birthday or Christmas present, or never even stepped into a car showroom, not to mention IKEA. And then maybe someone from Sentosa Cove, someone without the assumption that you’re soliciting something beyond casual friendship, someone perhaps just as NAIVE as you, someone who thinks handing a fast car to a mere kid is a good idea, may actually give a damn about your pathetic plea.
Filed under: 2000s, 2012, Bloggers, Local food, Money Tagged: | bloggers, breasts, local food, Money
