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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Join the Club: how SAFRA brings the brudders together

SAFRA is a club that is exclusive for all Singapore Armed Forces National Servicemen (full-time and regulars) and their dependents to join. How does SAFRA compare to some of the world's exclusive clubs?


Disney's Club 33 s the only place in Disneyland that serves alcohol, for the adults who still want to live in a fairy-tale. They probably are, with that kind of disposable income for membership is rumored to be $10,000. SAFRA membership is FREE in celebration of National Service 45th anniversary and as a one-off recognition initiative to thank National Service men for their dedicated service to the nation. In Club 33, you eat in a semi-secret dining room in New Orleans Square. Who cares if dining in SAFRA is not so secret! As Singaporeans, we care more about freebies. As part of the NS45, SAFRA vouchers ranging from $50 to $100 will be given to all NS and regulars. Redeemable at F&B outlets like Fish & Co, Breeks, Carl's Jr, PastaMania and many more. In Club 33, you also get to ride in a special train car called the Lilly Belle. That’s pretty much the benefits. You pay thousands to eat secretively and sit in a sissy car. Don’t worry if you can't afford to join just yet. As of 2007 the waiting list to join was 14 years. Meanwhile, take the FREE SAFRA membership first.

The Beefsteak Club s a club devoted exclusively to how awesome steak is. The members get together and eat steak, talk about how awesome steak is, sing a song about steak, and even wear a funny outfit including a badge proclaiming “Beef and Liberty”. Only 24 members are allowed to join at any time; even the Prince of Wales had to wait until someone died to become a member. Being at SAFRA is a little less insane. You can still enjoy steak at Jack's Place in Jurong SAFRA and i promise you don't have to sing.







It baffles me though, if it's the whos-whos,
how come their cars look so beaten up?


The Bilderberg Club This group of about 130 individuals are accused of pulling all the strings of governments around the world. Important members of the financial, political, and media from North America and Europe started meeting unofficially in 1954. Now they meet once a year in great secrecy and under heavy guard. No members of the press are allowed in and all conversations are completely off the record. Your brotherhood can also gather at SAFRA's facilities like the karaoke rooms, billiard and games or even the photography dark room studio. Conversations are also completely off the record.  

The Giga Club have 6 members; two in the United States and four in Europe. Membership is not limited by money, background, or a cap on the number of members allowed in but you have to be smarter than .999999999 of the population to join. According to their own web site this means “in theory one in a billion individuals can qualify”. To do so you have to score more than a 195 on one of their accepted IQ tests. Joining the Giga Club may be past your lifetime but you can start training your children in the numerous education centers in SAFRA locations.


The Ejection Tie Club To join this club of 5,607 members (only 10 of whom are women) you must have survived being fired out of a military plane by the ejection seat. Gather with your mates today at SAFRA and reminisce the bad-ass army days you went through and lived to the tale. In the Ejection Tie Club, former service men and women, who all at one point stared death in the face, are only handed out special ties so that “when they weren’t in uniform, members would have some form of recognition among themselves”. There are no dinners, no get-togethers, no awards for bravery. Just ties.





Singaporean males, look out for your NS45 eligibility letters in the mail from now till Apr 13. You’ll get to enjoy shopping, F&B, IT/gadgets and travel benefits at 5,000 outlets islandwide! (Registration for NS45 vouchers ends 28 Feb 14; vouchers are valid until 30 Mar 14). As a female, we get to enjoy SAFRA benefits if our husband or father are SAFRA members. 


I shouldn't be marrying an ang moh.

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