Tuesday, December 11, 2007

kopi, donuts and TAXI.

sunday was really lazy. Stayed at home wanting to do my tank, which i really went to do it. But i did the cleaning from 9pm to 10.30pm. The rest of the day? Spent on sleeeping.

i neglected the tank for about a month, and it had quite a serious hair/beard algae attack. The tank walls had beard algae, like some skin with fur. And my hairgrass too. The tank wall was easy; the beards came off with a phone card as scrapper. But the plants had to be trimmed. The smell coming from the water was smelly too. Eeeek... now it's alright =)

then had kopi and supper with friends. Have to kill off the suppering habit. But my study and work schedules seem to encourage suppers.

Eze took this. Hmm...

Newcomer to our kopi session - AL

My chin... really.... double chin!?

then monday came; to mini-celebrate jac's birthday. Time kinda flies. She's 1 year older in a snap of the finger. Hope she will treasure the company of great friends around her.

19 donuts!

shall leave the rest of the pics for Vicky.

read CNA just now. Yes, the taxi fares are set to rise. But the shocking raise of all: the $2 peak surcharge is gone, to be replaced with 35% surcharge on meter!

there's no change in the peak timing:
Mon-Fri, 7:00am-9:30am
Mon-Sat, 5:00pm-8:00pm
(not applicable on Public Holidays)

it's really crazy - assume i go to NUS Kent Ridge from my home, which is normally around $12.80. With this single (not counting in new flag down and distance-meter charges) peak surcharge, my bill will come to $17.30!

wow. And CDG brings in their rhetoric - "peak-hour cab fares are about the same as Hong Kong, but still only half of Sydney's". How about their subsidiaries in China? Why were they so selective in comparing their figures? And did they consider the differences in economic indicators such as GDP, demand/supply situation, the size of market, the strength and availability of substitutes? Finally, CDG is linked to our big brother, although appearing to be professionally managed.

is the Government listening to its citizens? Train and bus services are already very bad with SMRT. What's the formula to improve the situation? It's always raise this raise that, or raise this drop that.

did i mention this and that belongs to the same owner? Think - ComfortDelgro and SMRT. StarHub and Singtel. More examples if you look around. No matter what is raised, the owner benefits. Where's the competition?

come the next GE, the vote is definitely going somewhere else if the ruling party remains deaf to demands of the lower classes. Even if the economy is dead low then, i won't even give MIW a chance, as we seen in the 2001 elections. WP's words are so true - i give you a drumstick (all the grants and carrots) and i take a chicken from you (all the tax, fare, public good increases in price after GE).

it's time to teach the incumbent a lesson - take away 1x GRC, a minister loses his portfolio to the opposition. AMK and Aljunied were close to being taken away by WP a year ago. It's all about human nature - you don't know it until you're hit hard.

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