Bug List Assignment
1) University students in Thailand are required to wear a uniform (mine is white shirt, navy skirt, and university logo belt) otherwise they are not allowed to go to class or take exams.
Why it exists? This has happened for nearly a hundred years since the university established. I believe the purpose is trying to create conformity and unity, since there is a high social gap in Thailand. Also, although current students try to change this rule, the idea has been rejected by alumni/professor or dean.
2)Currently, the air pollution in Bangkok is terrible (air quality index exceeding 150) that Bangkokians need to wear mask. A super sensitive person could feel their eyes itchy or suffocating while breathing.
Why it exists? The population is very dense, about 10 million people are living in Bangkok. Furthermore, this issue is related to wind factor because pollution will gather and stick around (smog) if the wind doesn't blow it away from the city.
3)Starbucks paper straw always soggy or falling apart when using with iced/ Frappuccino drinks.
Why it exists? Starbucks encourages people to reduce the use of plastic and they believe paper straws are easier to decompose.
4)There’s no Uber Carpool system available in Gainesville. I used this in Los Angeles and the fare was cheaper by 40-60%
Why it exists? The demand for Uber in Gainesville is not as much as that in Los Angeles, so it’s difficult to find match with people who would going on the same routes.
5)The lack of flights from major cities to Gainesville Regional Airports.
Why it exists? Gainesville is not a popular destination and it’s located not far from large airports in Orlando and Miami. It would not be profitable for airlines to increase routes to Gainesville.
6)Why can’t I use the same payment card for transportation system across Bangkok?
(In Bangkok, you’ll need different payment card for Bus, sky train, taxi, and subway. Unlike Korea and Hongkong, a single card can be used to every type of transportation)
Why it exists? Different types of transportation are operated by various private companies or some could be owned by government. Therefore, it’s difficult to combine payments into a one single card.
7)Lack of cooking space in my dormitory especially during the dinner time.
Why it exists? There is only one shared kitchen per floor, which there are about 30 people living in my floor. Also, the demand to cook during dinner time is very high.
8) Buying a premium ticket for greyhound bus to prioritize boarding doesn’t mean you’ll get to choose your seat.
Why it exists? Gainesville is not the first pick up destination, so there are passengers from norther/southern part who are already in the bus; therefore, you end up sitting at the remaining seats no matter how much you pay extra.
9)Laundry machines always unavailable during weekends at my dormitory.
Why it exists? Many people choose to do laundry on weekdays since they don’t have classes/ they’re free. Also, often they do not remove their clothes out from the machine right away after they’re done.
10)Although Starbucks claims itself as a place people gather for meetings, I barely have a good experience with that.
Why it exists? It’s very crowded and most of the time you’re unable to find a table. Also, it could be very noisy and not suitable for a formal talk. Moreover, it lacks facilities that are necessarily used for meetings such as a projector.
11)Many restaurants in the US like to name their dishes with “THAI” which it actually has nothing to do with Thai food such as Thai Chicken Salad at Panera bread or Thai curry served at gator dining
Why it exists? Thai food could be more commonly known over other Asian food, and Thai could give a sense of hot and spicy, so it could use to describe that certain taste.
12) Ordering online clothes and not getting what you expect it to be/seem to be.
Why it exists? Online store could photoshop/graphic to make it looks better online, and clothes could look even more better on models. Also, you cannot touch/feel the material until it ships to you.
13) The weather in Gainesville is super bipolar in January.
Why it exists? In general, the weather is quite sunny, but when it’s raining, it can turn out to be super cold.
14)Price of plane tickets and hotels increase as you keep searching it.
Why it exists? Internet can detect your demand from your VPN location or your frequent visit on website; therefore, the price of properties/tickets go up.
15)The lack of quiet study space in the library during exam week.
Why it exists? Students are looking for a place to read books that are free, open until late or provide learning facilities such as books and computer, so they all go to library. Therefore, it could be crowded.
16)The growing numbers of homeless in the United States.
Why it exists? The instability and recession in the world’s economy have an impact on job. Moreover, the cost of living is high: housing and food.
17)Group fitness class at student/southwest recreation always fully booked very early.
Why it exists? Because it’s free for all UF students and there are only a few classes per day. As comparing to the total number of UF student, the demand is higher.
18) The spreading of Wuhan Virus (corona virus) from Wuhan province is spreading across china then to many countries: Japan, USA, Thailand, Singapore, and Korea.
Why it exists? The world of globalization, people are connected and can travel anywhere. It’s difficult to control infection.
19)There’s no (or only a few) facial and aesthetic clinic in Gainesville.
Why it exists? Gainesville is a small city and most of the population are UF students; however, I believe that there is a high demand for those services since young girls would want to look appealing.
20)The souvenirs and merchandise sold at Disney World aren’t as many as Disney Land in Tokyo. There should be more creative styles and more various types of products.
Why it exists? The Disney world could be very profitable from ticket fares, resorts and restaurants, so they do not pay much attention to selling more Disney merchandise.
Reflection:
For me, this is a very good exercise to start thinking more about what we face every day, what we like or dislike, and what do we like to change. It turns out that there are loads of things to be considered if we become more aware of the surroundings and observe things around us. This is a great starting point of entrepreneurship, starting with the unsatisfying or unmeet point of mine, which others could also be related to. Furthermore, everything happens for a reason, so it’s a great way to ask myself on “why it exists” and understanding the root cause of problems. Overall, although this exercise could require some timing to think of events or take many days to jot down all the bug lists, it’s a very fun exercise and I’m hoping to apply this experience to any material discussed in class and probably in my own future career/business.
Hello, Piyaporn! I really enjoyed reading your Bug List and it was interesting to hear about your bugs not only in Gainesville, but also in your hometown. I never really thought about air quality or having different cards to pay for public transit here in Florida. This definitely gave me a different perspective on what people may be dealing with outside of Florida and in larger cities. I felt like our bugs for inside of Gainesville were some what similar and dealt with things such as food, laundry, etc. It was great to hear that you found this exercise helpful, too. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHey Piyaporn! I thought your list was very interesting as it pointed out many different things I necessarily didn't think of. It was cool you pointed out the Uber carpool because that also exists in my hometown of West Palm and it is significantly cheaper.
ReplyDeleteHello Piyaporn, this was a great list and I enjoyed reading about all of the problems that you described. I thought it was really cool how you mentioned the stuff that bothers you back in your hometown vs in Gainesville. It gave me a different perspective of how different our countries are. I agree with you that everything happens for a reason. We should ask ourselves why do these incidents occur in our lives and what can we do to help or to prevent something from happening.
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