Moving Away And The GE Issues

Discovery of discoveries. The "Thieves Market" of old is very much alive and well in this part of town. You can almost sense a thriving market here with second-hand goods poised for the export markets of the Third World. It is a hassle just haggling with these petty traders. After a brisk walk-around and much coaxing, I was only successful at the last shop.

I stole another look at prime places in the east and told myself these are the ideal and idyllic places to live, work and play. The beach is just round the corner. So is the town library and a shopping mall. It is quiet in some scenic places yet teeming in others. When will I get a chance to live here?

Cruising along the highway, it was a breathtaking panaromic view of the Kallang Basin and the apartments along its green turfs and sandy beaches. This will be the epitome of living life to the hilt. Moreover, the whole area has been slated for the future development of the IR, the Marina barrage, aboreta and a host of other water activities.

I finally got my Sony Ericsson W550i. This would be the mother of all cellphones I ever had in my entire life, after the Nokia 3100. When I compare it to the Nokia N70, its dazzling kaleidoscopic graphical screen and animation leaps off its video-quality screen. It is almost a mini-pc, video , audio and telecommunication tool all rolled into one. Best of all, I got it dirt cheap what with a $50 voucher and trade-in thrown in.

When I read the ST, I know instinctively who the pro-establishment writers are. No doubt, they are the ones who had benefited from a scholarship of sorts from the government or in some other ways. I remember this same writer who painted an almost glowing testimonial of an incoming parliamentarian. Now she serves as the government's mouthpiece, arguing against subsidies.

Which of course, coincides with the establishment's recent attacks on the opposition party's manifesto. As I mentioned before in an earlier blog, I am not too sure how much of an "unspecified" subsidy there is, particularly in the housing arena, and if there is any subsidy at all. But equating handing out subsidies to the rich subsidising the middle-income populace is like saying durians are only for natives.

If this is the line of argument, and while I agree that people living in HDB flats driving "brand new", luxurious and expensive cars are undeserving, what about lavishing on government buildings (administration headquarters and schools ), public and international functions and top civil servants which are also at taxpayers' expense.

I agree with a fellow blogger that the elected presidency is a non-issue as manifested in the recent saga of only one contender, who was ousted anyway. The GRCs and elected presidency cannot be pillars if as far as I can remember, I only voted twice when I came of age, once at the GE of my constituency in the mid-late 80s and another during the "elected" presidency of Ong Teng Cheong in 1991.

Thereafter, my ward was subsumed within the Marine Parade GRC as it was deemed anti-PAP, the party having lost a vast majority and at another ward I moved into, it was a perpetual walk-over. When will I ever exercise my voting right again in a republic democracy ?Hopefully this GE will? Though I am "moving away" , I have been decidedly anchored to my old hometown as the cut-off date was the 1st of January 2006.

Ethnic integration, from a social point of view, is certainly important. But, economically speaking, with the racial quota in place, an ethnic minor would be in a bind when trying to buy or sell his place in the queue. That would be an economical cost weighed against a social good.

As for the MHA's statement on the "fine balance" they seek in the white-elephant controversy and the sexual molestation during the pre-Xmas revelry, it isn't anything about aligning two extremes but more of a common sensical approach.

First, the groping of female revellers is tantamount to a sexual assault, though of the less serious kind. If the women had better sense to dress more appropriately and had sufficient shield among their other male and female companions, this may not have taken place. The police should act.

Which by the way, I have a cautionary to all the women out there, young or old. If you dress scantily to seduce one and all, someone's else boyfriend or husband, couldn't someone else do the same with yours truly too? So there, women. You did it again!

Contrast this with an innocent wear of the white-elephant tees as a protest against the non-opening of the Buangkok MRT and you would have noticed how this did not harm anyone in anyway, physically, emotionally or whatsoever. But the police came down hard on this .

How even-handed and justifiable is the course of action taken? Not very well applied, I would say, common-sensically and in proportion to the gravity of the situation.

I have never done so much co-ordination work before. I had a splitting headache and backache the last couple of days and weeks. It worsened as the tasks were never ending because goods were not sold . I am pretty glad I got my internet subscription and its cable modem out of the way. This is singularly the biggest ticket item ever.

The worst part of the moving away thingy is the interwoven mesh of electronic bank auto-payments tied with the billing cycle and the corresponding vendors. I have to ensure no more bank deductions are effected, informing both bank and billing rganisations. I have also resolved to hold better reins over finances and eliminate possible wrong deductions through online-payment instead. This is the biggest headache.

So much for a day's worth of thoughts. I will probably have more in the days and weeks to come. Till I am no longer here, that is.