I realized that, until last week, I have not had a newspaper subscription for eight years. Most of that time was spent abroad, of course, and I never thought of having a local newspaper subscription during that time (the English SCMP was so lame in Hong Kong that I borrowed my colleague's Chinese papers to read everyday). That period also coincided with the Internet boom, and I found myself having much more news literature to read online than I had time for.
When I got home to Singapore, it wasn't obvious for me to get a print edition either, even though I was living alone. I thought it was easy enough to get the news online. I would also admit , with so many international publications and think tank magazines available in the office and on the internet, I didn't think I would be missing much by not reading our local paper. My interests are in the arts and finance, and clearly there are journals out that offer better commentary and insights.
However, having been back for 18 months, I found myself quite ignorant about local news on not more than just a few occasions. You know, the news about the guy who nearly paid $80,000 in lawyer's fees for a $100 *langa* case. The poor old person who died in her flat. MM Lee's full speeches.
So I decided to order a real print edition at home, if for nothing other than to get the local news which will never be reported in any other paper. In a matter of days, lunch time conversations started to make more sense.
One bonus was that I have found myself waking up earlier just to glance through the papers quickly, and actually eating breakfast (since I don't function at all without breakfast). The day seems more leisurely, you see the world a little differently, and I know I am home at last.
One might notice a lull in posting in this blog. Yes, things are hotting up at work for the relentless run towards year end launches. I am also PAW-ing. ;-)
