The Wannabe Economist

NETS says there is no shortage of CashCards
By Heather Tan, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 15 April 2008 2137 hrs

SINGAPORE: Electronic payments provider NETS said that there is no shortage of CashCards.

This assurance comes after some outlets reportedly ran out of cards on Tuesday.

But NETS said it has ample supply of the current Blue Butterfly CashCards, which cost S$7. This will continue to be sold while stocks last. Currently, a refundable S$2 deposit is payable for each NETS CashCard.

And from 1 May, NETS will introduce the S$10 CashCard which will feature an orange laser design.

With the new card, there is no need to pay a deposit. That’s because, of the S$10 you pay, S$5 is the cost of the card and the other S$5 is the stored value.

There are 4.5 million NETS CashCards in circulation today.

NETS CashCards are available at all Cheers, 7-Eleven and FairPrice Xpress outlets. You can call 6274 1212 for more information. - CNA/vm

via http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/341632/1/.html

I must comment on the language skill of this journalist. It was phrased so well that i was elated for that split second when i read that you do not have to pay a deposit with the new cashcard from 1 May on even though it’s going to cost you $10 at the point of purchase.

That was before my eyes went to the next line and noted that that is because the $5 is the cost of the card.

See, the wonders of language. Even a bad news can be phrased into something good.

I reckon if you’re the careless type like Mrs Chongky, go to the nearest 7-eleven right now and stock up on extra cashcards, just so that even if you lost / misplaced / displaced / dropped / forgot where you put it / lost you still won’t need to fork out $5 to pay for your own cashcard yet.

But i guess making you pay for your own cashcard is the right thing to do. It’s YOUR OWN cashcard after all, right?

I just recalled that a couple of days back, Mrs Chongky told me about Pine Garden getting onto the top 50 best cake list on The Straits Times while she was flipping through the papers.

I asked her about her opinion on the lychee martini cake and she claimed that she didn’t eat it so i should be asking myself that question.

Unfortunately, despite paying from my own pocket (which i seldom do nowadays =P) for the cake, i don’t remember much. Other than it tasted like the canned lychee. With a disappointing taint of alcohol taste. Nothing like the lychee martini that i had at Gina’s party. Yup i’m not a martini person and i hardly order martini, but i do remember the occassion when i had so much martini that i was rather happy the entire evening.

Then Mrs Chongky wondered how come Canele didn’t make the list. Hmmm…

I’m frigging tired now. We decided that we wanted a change in lifestyle, and thus went to bed at 9.30am and woke up at 4.30am…

(photo credit: TynaC on flickr)

to go to Mac’s and have breakfast. And TRIED without success to study a bit, before we gave up and went back to watch tv.

On another note, episode 7 of the America’s Best Dance Crew was out online yesterday.

!)(#*$)!*%)#*)8

(Disclaimer: Chongky would not be responsible for the premature release of information if you have not watched the show and intend to catch it soon.)

DAMNIT!

Kaba Modern is out of the competition.

How could this be? Kaba is definitely not the worse out of the three. And like many others, i’m anticipating a final showdown between Kaba and Jabba.

I think that’s a bloody good example of the spoiler effect. Kaba and Jabba are similar in the dance styles, with excellent isolation and neat group work. Even the race composition and (i suspect) other demographic of the members are almost identical. Despite both of them being extremely popular with the audiences right from the beginning of the season, the two group has probably split that majority support and this allowed Status Quo to win the both of them in vote count after last week.

Status Quo, on the other hand, is probably one of the best example of streets dance crew, if you know what i mean. I do not think there’s much formal training, and thus the seemingly lack of tidying up at each performance.

But now, i’m very sure that Jabba is going to be announced the winner next week. Considering the swing votes that Jabba is very likely to receive now that Kaba is out of the race, you do not have to know any voting theory to figure out where the odds are on.

I wish i stumbled across this site while we were still back in Sydney.

There’s a good section of video dedicated to bodyboarding.

How cool is that? We could be more proficient (this is how proficient should be used, not doing work fast that it’s efproficient) bodyboarders.

Oh how did i stumbled across this site in the first place? I was surfing photography websites and one of them directed me to the instructional videos. Do check out the videos… they practically covered every single subject that i could possibly think of.

Mrs Chongky, are you keen on photography? We could share one SLR after we start work!

Even though i whine quite a bit about this, i don’t actually regret doing it.

Special gift for a special someone on a particular special day.

Trumps everything else.

So this is the efficiency that Singapore is best known for?

I haven’t give this issue much thoughts, other than merely follow the news on LOCAL mainstream media and blogs of mr brown and mr wang.

Thanks to mr brown who referred to this article in his latest entry. I admit to my indifference to this incident on the whole, and i did not see any issues with regards to the local media coverage, other than the obvious blown-out-of-proportion exposure to the effort to hunt him down. But Cherian George sees the reporting from a more profesional journalism point of view and hence all the obvious shortcomings have been noted.

I still do not have much to comment on this issue, other than generally agreeing to what the 2 bloggers and Cherian George had mentioned.

I reckon the best readings of local current affairs are still online, through the two blogs. Concise. To the point. And focus is on the other side of the story.

Time to join Mrs Chongky to watch Sweets for my Sweets. Not for Jade Seah. But for the yummy deserts.

Just came back from Dempsey House.

Desert was great. I can’t decide which is my favourite, the strawberry shortcake, the lemo macademia tart, or the apple cider butterscotch cake. Ice mocha was intense (i meant thick and strong).

And it wasn’t expensive at all, and the noisy group of us stayed there for around 2 hours.

Haven’t had such good time with (Mrs Chongky and) friends for a while.

Ok Mrs Chongky said if i don’t blog about her i’ll be dead.

Thank you for applying the cream on my armpit abrasion. =)

Fool’s Gold isn’t as bad a movie as i thought. The presence of hunk and babes probably made it million times better than it would have been.

I’m suddenly thankful that i do have a OCBC card that offers more opportunities at discount relative to another bank which almost monopolize the consumer banking here. Movie is only at $8, as compared to the usual $9.50. Who needs to buy the bulk movie voucher or by a member of the cinema in this case?

We haven’t slept yet, and have been through 3 Macdee’s student’s upsized meals between us. I probably ate more than i should, but who cares. Sunday is let’s-all-go-Macs-and-get-fat-day anyway.

Probably had a bit too much to drink. Wine and vodka…

Was watching this HK movie on channel 8. Right after the movie there was this food segment (which has been used as filler in-between programmes nowadays) that features this handmade noodle place in Tanjong Pagar.

Which makes me want to go eat there tomorrow.

Which makes me miss dancing with the team very much again.

Don’t get me wrong. I leave not because i hate the team. I leave because i seek my own challenges. I now find more time to train, and had since completed my first biathlon, with one more coming up next saturday. Following which i am going to rush back to alma mater to play soccer (if time permits) / Waikiki at Sentosa at which i am playing for Econs once again. Sunday would most likely be National Vertical Marathon (Mrs Chongky, what say you?), and following which the practise session for MR500 inter-school dragonboat race. The following sunday will of course be the actual MR500 race.

Frankly, how would i be able to find the time to pursue these challenges if i had continue to dance? I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, it’s just that i ought to take a rest to chase after my own dream of doing more multi-sports after dancing for these few years.

While i am at the topic of dance, PLEASE GO SUPPORT TAN NGIAP HENG’S PHOTO EXHIBITION. You know i hardly use this avenue to generate any support for an event. So for me to do that, this event must be worth that penny.

I have known Tan Ngiap Heng the photographer since National Arts Festival 2005, during which June and Jackson got him to photo the performances. In 2006, i found him attending the beginners’ class i teach. Not that he is a beginner in dance, he actually picked up very fast (after all he used to dance professionally for a year).

I have always respected his work, and his passion for dance. He’s a nice guy too. There was this ocassion that i was well, running late for class because i can’t catch a bus, and he was on his way to the studio for my class. On his way, he saw me at the bus stop and just so happened that he was in the left lane. He stopped and gave me a lift, when he could just continue driving and save that hassle.

I can’t say i’m publicising this photo exhibition because he’s a friend. We haven’t been in contact for a couple of years. But i’m highlighting this event because i believe in what he is doing.

If you are free, visit this exhibition at The Arts House. It is on-going until 28 Feb, from 10am to 6.30pm. Admission is free. For more information, you can visit the homepage of this exhibition.

I am contemplating purchasing the book, but i can only make the decision after i browse at the copy at the exhibition.

To me, nothing beats having the company of Mrs Chongky. Even though she might be sleeping and i might be doing work at this time of the day, i’m even glad that she’s physically around.

Recently, Newsweek reported that an average courtship of 2.5 years could easily cost $40k. That’s large sum going by my standard. Undeniably, Mrs Chongky and i have both spent quite a fair sum of money in the past 2.5 years. However i do not think that all of this sum is spent on lavish items, save for the 2 D&Gs and Tiff that i bought, and maybe her bicycle. The rest all seems pretty useful to me.

Ok to be fair, i admit that our slightly pricey stays at the former KL Regent are unnecessary. And the Wii she gotten for my last birthday is my most expensive present so far. Maybe we shouldn’t have done the sakae sushi dinner last night as well.

Ultimately, at the end of the day, the expensive gifts and dinners have only that one signaling effect. (Being an wannabe economist, i continue to claim in signaling is observed in everyday life, as long as the choice made has the potential to be made known publicly). I’m glad that Mrs Chongky and i are past that stage of spurging on expensive dates to impress each other. In fact we might be way too past that stage from the start since we know each other for so long.

To cut the entire story short so that i can go catch a short nap before class in the morning, i want to declare that i’m very happy with this relationship and can see the future with us. Hope Mrs Chongky stays this way, calm and peaceful.

Good night.