TV

I have two English channels in my hotel. Channel News Asia, a 24 hours news channel, it's no BBC News 24 I can tell you. The other channel is Channel 5, a curious mix of American and Singaporean programmes. They are showing American Idol (welcome back Simon) at the minute, along with Ellen, Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy amongst others. The signature music of any Singaporean programme is all the warning you need to turn off. Although last week, I watched something called 'The Arena', which should be called 'Debate Idol'. Teams from local schools debate some motion or other and a team of judges award points. Last week a Methodist Girls' School demolished the opposition on whether Singaporean teens are motivated by self-centredness alone (they rightly concentrated on the alone part of the question, just in case you are interested).

Although there is no British television programme per se, I have got my own little bit of home right there on the screen. There are evidently less ads here than in the US, so rather than start the next programme before the hour mark, they fill the five or ten minutes with that NI based 'Just for Laughs' show. I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I saw it, right there in front of me in a hotel room is Singapore was Botanic Avenue, the Centra where you get nice sandwiches and an old woman dropping a present which is then magnetised to the ground. Ho ho ho. Strangely, I have actually laughed more at it now than I ever did at home. It must be heat. But still the best reason to watch is for people you know. I swear I saw a girl I used to go to school with.