A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

in a futile attempt to gain credibility, I am going to post interesting facts from now on at the title bar of my post in order to disprove the doubters that blogs do not have educational merit. :P

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paid up for TV licence for our flat today. radio and TV licence is one of those cost of living that I do not quite comprehend. I have no idea why I am paying to have the right to watch television in my home. I even have to pay to operate the radio in my car. who does the money go to? and what does the monies collected do for the MDA (media development authority)?
which begs the question, what does MDA do? what is my money being used for?

"The MDA was established in 2003 to champion the realisation of the Media 21 vision and in the process, transform Singapore into a vibrant global media city. The MDA will achieve this with its dual-function role i.e championing the growth of the media industry through the Media 21 blueprint and manage media content to protect core values and safeguard consumers’ interests."
so am I paying to protect my err..'core values' and 'consumer interest'? moving on...

this is the very same organisation responsible for our archaic censorship laws. MDA is also the one we have to face the music from whenever we bring in 'illegal' video's. MDA also oversees our 'vibrant' local arts scene. in fact it seems any form of popular entertainment falls under the purview of MDA.

MDA's mission? "The MDA’s mission is to develop Singapore into a vibrant global city so as to foster a creative economy and connected society. "
Right.

anyway to make short story long (or should it be the other way round?), why am i paying bloody radio and television licencing fees for?

had a little problem finding out the reason from the official MDA website, as seemingly the server is down, so I had to revert to trustworthy third-part sites for answers:

"MDA collects TV licence fees to ensure that the public has access to quality public service programmes. These are programmes considered socially important and desirable for the public. However, they are often not commercially viable and require considerable support in order to ensure varied and quality programming for everyone, especially in a multi-racial and multi-cultural society. Such broadcasts include minority language programmes, culture, information, current affairs, quality drama and children's programmes which are shown regularly on the free-to-air channels. In total, licence fees go a long way in funding over 4,000 hours of television programmes a year in the four main languages."
so basically i am helping fund tamil, malay and kiddy shows now?

based on the above explanation I am to assume that TCS will go bust if I do not pay my TV licencing fee. I guess all the advertising dollars and sponsorship TCS gets is barely enough to make ends meet. 'Free-to-air' my foot. more like 'Fee-to-air' by the sound of it.

the other puzzle I have is what my radio licencing for Sunny is for. I have to pay it for using a radio in my car, but otherwise a licensing fee is not required for my home, or any other form of radio transmitters. I would assume the stock answer would not be much different from the rationale for TV licences.

or maybe MDA just channels the money into making groundbreaking corporate videos...



Oh the pain!! I give up!!
I will just pay the licence fee and not ask so many silly questions...

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i did work out today.swear i did.

did 12 push-ups and 10 curls on the bar bells.

in order not to wear myself out and reduce the chances of injury I may have to pace myself and spread my workout above into 4 days.

weekend warrior indeed.

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wonder how I look bald.
something to contemplate as hairlines rise and bald spots start to become more visible.



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things to bring over to the new flat:

- DVD player
- all the files, bills and documents pertaining to the flat
- my CD/DVD/video collection
- lamps, lights and bulbs
- the colour printer
- weighing scale
- clothes and stuff
- shoes and slippers
- X-box??
- my big lion jig saw puzzle. and to complete it..finally. then hand somewhere.
- our solemnisation stuff
- multi-purpose table
- labeller

(looksies like list just keeps getting longer..and longer more I think about it)

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Over in the north, a Fatal Four Way is looming. The combatants: Dr Mahathir, Anwar Ibrahim, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the PM Abdullah Badawi.
Anwar Ibrahim is the crowd favourite and ranked outsider in horse parlance.
Dr Mahathir the old warhorse and still a force to be reckoned despite being retired.
The embattled Prime Minister, Badawi, who needs some reprieve after the worst UMNO showing in history in the aftermath of the last General Elections.
and finally Najib Razak, the heir apparent to the premiership.

ultimately there can only be one to rule. but who?

who will win? who will even survive? and what lies in store for malaysia now? or is it already too late?

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recently added an old friend, Marc Grosse, to my Facebook. We have known one another since we were little kids. and it is really nice to be back in contact again. He is now living in Pasir Ris, which is not too far from my Bedok. In any case he says he will call me some day to have prata at the shop up the road from my house. til then...

I figure I have a pretty bad record of keeping in touch with friends from days bygone. not been keeping in touch with people from my last work place, let alone those from school, the army or church.

people I am still looking for:
Christopher Rodrigo
Ian Nicolich
Alexander Wisidagama
Eugene Chow
Keith Colaco
Lionel Chew
Tan Siow Chew
Raj Sunderason
... all I can think of at this time....

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Plan to get a fixed phone line for the bedok flat.
and then probably get a wireless broadband network as well at the same time.
but who gives the best broadband or mobile internet conection?

Singtel?
M1?
Starhub?

my gut feeling is that Singnet has the most reliable service, but which package to choose?

Singnet has 4 plans for broadband.
then there is Singtel Magix.
above that there is the option for a Mio package (broadband, phone, cable tv)
and then there are the mobile broadband packages. of which there are also 7 from which to choose from.

do not get me started on what M1 and Starhub have to offer...

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movie I/we plan to watch:

Hellboy 2:The Golden Army
Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Deception
Wanted
Hancock
The Strangers
Dark Knight
The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Wall-e
Star Wars: The Clone Wars

... that is until August

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still have loads (no pun intended) of laundry to do at the new flat. curtains. bedsheets....

and still to clean the floors again.

and then the cabinets etc.

maybe drop by the flat tomorrow. or even next weekend.

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Nameless, my hamster, is getting on in age. He does not climb as much as he used to do in his Heyday. and eats less. I know he can't live forever, but still it is sad to see a much loved pet pass away. although it is still rather premature to talk about Nameless now, I know the day will come when I have to say goodbye to my furry companion. as it is now he is my one constant companion each night as I sleep.

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