[99% Pointless]: Personal

Well I am getting married soon,..

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:00:33 GMT

http://bbspot.com/News/2007/10/keep-playing.html

My new guitar

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 07:01:08 GMT

I just returned from Sinamex - the Taylor dealer here in Singapore - with a new addition to my (modest) collection of guitars.

A brand new Taylor GS4e-LTD - http://www.taylorguitars.com/Guitars/Fall-Limited/GS4e-LTD/

The sales assistant assured me that they had the lowest prices on Taylor guitars "IN THE WORLD",.... I'm not too sure about that but I did get a pretty good price. SG$2802.00 (including tax) down from SG$3100-ish.

Musicansfriend.com list the NON-e version (without pickups/electronics) for US$1349 (ex tax) down from $1798 (ex tax) but I can't seem to find a comparative price for the "E" SKU. I'll have to assume I didn't get shafted.

Regardless it's a gorgeous guitar. Incredibly bright and warm. Fantastic fast, low action.

Now who wants to buy a second hand Maton? :)

I'm in Bangkok

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 09:42:26 GMT

..for the next four days. Hooray!

I have some meeting's with the Thai Microsoft team this week and a brief speaking engagement (today) at a PixPros photography workshop.

I would love to link to an aerial shot of the BKK office tower via maps.live.com to show where I am (right now) but it turns out we don't have much data for Thailand. :(

Google does though.

Whenever I'm in Thailand - or in a Thai restaurant/supermarket in Singapore - I always try and find my favourite Thai desert; sticky rice (aka glutinous rice) with mango or Kao niao ma muang.

It's basically just rice that has been cooked in coconut milk (which makes it sticky) served with half a sweet mango and drizzled with (more)coconut cream.

It's simple, inexpensive and I would live off it exclusively if I could.

Harley Update

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 09:05:02 GMT

Previous post: http://nicfill.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!7064430FFDBD7884!150.entry

(As strange as this sounds) I now know the model number for my Harley Davidson.

It's a 2007 Dyna Wide Glide (FXDWG) and it is teh sexy! :)

(Click here for bike specs)

We're still investigation shipping options from the US to Singapore. At this stage it's still in the States and I don't really have an ETA as to when it might be arriving in Singapore.

I still have to get my Class 2 (and 2A and 2B) Singapore drivers licence for motorcycles greater than 400cc's. This will take a minimum of two years (!!!) as the FXDWG is 96 cubic inches or 1366 cubic centimeters in metric.

http://driving-in-singapore.spf.gov.sg/services/Driving_in_Singapore/Information/drivinglicence/legalreq.htm

http://learn-to-drive.spf.gov.sg/services/Learn_To_Drive/motorcycle/2procedure.htm

There are also restrictions for importing vehicles and the added complication of having to bid for and win (?) a COE or Certificate of Entitlement.

Certificate of Entitlement
Under the Vehicle Quota System which was implemented with effect from 1 May 1990, any person who wishes to register a vehicle must first obtain a Certificate of Entitlement in the appropriate vehicle category.

Motorcycles or scooters are classified under Category D.

There are 2 COE Open Bidding exercises in a month. The bidding exercises usually start on the first Monday and third Monday of the month at 12pm and lasts for 3 working days.

The exercises will usually end on the Wednesday in the same week at 4pm.

http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/onemotoring/en/lta_information_guidelines/buy_a_new_vehicle/self_importation_.html

http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/1m/coe/coeDetail.html

And of course there are the fees.

Fees Payable
In addition to the import duty which is payable to the Singapore Customs, the following fees are payable to LTA via Cashier’s Order, cash or NETS for the registration of a motor cycle or scooter:-
a) Processing Fee
Processing charge of S$25 per application (if registration is transacted at LTA counter);
b) Registration Fee
The registration fee payable is S$140;
c) Additional Registration Fee
An Additional Registration Fee computed at 15% of the Open Market Value (OMV) of the motor cycle or scooter is payable upon registration whether new or secondhand (used);
d) Vehicle Licence (Road Tax)
The road tax rate for motor cycles or scooters are as follows:-
Engine Capacity (EC) Road Tax Formula (per annum)*
EC ≤ 200 cc $80 (flat rate)
200cc < EC ≤ 1000 cc $80 + 0.3 x (EC – 200)
EC > 1,000cc $320 + 0.6 x (EC – 1,000)

So that's S$25 + S$140 + 0.15(S$28,000*) + S$320 + 0.6(366) = approx S$4904.6

(*estimate)

Add to that a Category D COE which at last bid went for approx S$1250 and the total cost of importing a US$18,000 motorcycle has is somewhere around S$6150 or ~ US$4050

That's about 22% of the bikes MSRP and this doesn't include the actual cost of shipping (and insuring) the bike from the US to Singapore. I haven't looked into what that would cost yet,...

But hey; who said this would be easy,.. or cheap!? And it's not every day you win a FREAKING HARLEY DAVIDSON!!! :)

Provost Norm McFarland - Just an Ordinary Bloke

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:54:40 GMT

My Grandfather Robert Norman "Norm" McFarland - or Poppy Norm as we call him - is an amazing man.

When in Sydney I try to attend the local Anzac Day dawn service in Hornsby, where Pop has lived the majority of his 80 plus years. Each year I watch Pop march, looking on with admiration and respect, but unable to properly empathise with the experiences he endured as a young man during the war.

A veteran of World War II, Norm enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force in 1940 at only 16 and a half. He lied about his age in order to serve his country 18 months before he was technically eligable to volunteer. From there he underwent five days of basic training in Sydney and soon found his way to India and then Greece as a member of the Provost Corps.

I had heard Pop talk a bit about his travels and experiences during the war, particularily his affiliation with motorbikes as a Provost in Europe and the Middle East, but never in great detail. Last month though, a two page feature was published in VEMA: The Greek Australian Newspaper, profiling Norm and his service during the time he spent in Greece.

The article penned by George Moscos has given me a new appreciation for the extrodinary life of my Grandfather as a soldier risking his life in a foreign country at such a young age. Especially considering, for me at that age, my biggest concern was getting my drivers licence and earning a few extra dollars to buy CD's and petrol.

George's article helps to convey the reality of life as an ANZAC during the Greek Campaign and provides an historical insight into the events that led to the eventual Allied retreat. But it also helps to illustrate my Grandfather the soldier; a brave, loyal and dignified man - the same man he is today - only a little younger.

From now on, when I stand in the freezing cold at the Hornsby cenotaph on Anzac Day watching Pop march I will hopefully be able to feel a greater sense of empathy towards the experiences he went through so that my generation will never have to.

From Georges article: "The Norman McFarland’s of this country deserve recognition. They are an example to the generation of today – an example of what service, duty and humility mean. Their example gives us hope and inspiration for the future."

The full article can be downloaded here in PDF format

1st page: http://folders.live.com/self.aspx/cGRDD_29eIQ/Public/VEMA%20290707%20page%2011-28.pdf

2nd page: http://folders.live.com/self.aspx/cGRDD_29eIQ/Public/VEMA%20290707%20page%2011-29.pdf

Me and my HOG

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 04:22:07 GMT

Last week I was in Orlando, Florida for MGX; Microsoft's annual global-employee-mega-super-conference.

I was fortunate enough to win an award at the D&PE keynote and along with the 20 other award winners I went into the draw to win a Harley Davidson 2007 Softail Custom - what an awesome prize,.. and pretty good odds,.. but I never win anything,...

Well Holy Freaking Crap I WON!!!!!!! I won a freaking Harley Davidson! Me! A Harley! How amazingly awesome is that!!!!

Must have been the lucky thundercats wristband I was wearing :)

The bike was so heavy I could barely get it vertical for the photo (it's 1366 cubic centimeters). Also the guy looking after the bikes told me I needed to put on another 100 pounds before I should ride it,... ha!

I think I might start a gang,..

One ticket for the band wagon please,...

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 03:40:00 GMT

I tried to resist; honestly I did.

I scoffed at those already engulfed.

I ignored invitations from trusted "friends" beconing me to join them.

I laughed defiantly when told it was only a matter of time.

But they were right.

For even the mighty can fall, the strong willed; bend and the resiliant; dissolve.

Alas, I too now have a Facebook profile.

The end is nigh.

But at least I'm not on MySpace,...

Project August

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 03:05:46 GMT

Welcome humans.

For the entire month of August I've decided to try and blog once per day in an effort to evaluate the "new and improved" Windows Live Spaces services.

Most of the people I know that blog on a regular basis use wordpress, blogspot, movable type, type pad etc etc. as their blogging engine of choice. So I'm challenging myself to give the home team (that's WL Spaces) a run for it's money to see how it stacks up against the competition.

Assuming that other people will actually read these entries let me provide a quick intro.

Hello friends; my name is Nic Fillingham and I work for the Microsoft corporation based in Singapore. Formerly of Syd-en-ee Australia I've lived in Singapore now for just under three years. I love the winter so living in Singapore's pertual 30 degree celcius, 100% humidity climate can be a bit of a challenge but I think I'm getting used to it.

My job at Microsoft has a very interesting title - I'm an Enthusiast Evangelist. There are a few different interpretations of what that term actually means but basically I get to head out into the community and evangelise cool and relavent Microsoft products and technologies to people that are into gaming, photography, music and the online universe but not necessarily professionals in any of these spaces.

As part pf my job I also create content for a Microsoft group blog called Channel 10 -> http://www.on10.net/blogs/nic

Living in Singapore I get to travel around Asia quite a bit which is cool. I post a lot of my photos onto Flickr and usually add to my Twitter feed whilst standing in customs lines waiting to enter said cool countries.

So stay tuned for more riveting blog posts like this one each day for the entire month of August - hooray!

The End.