my crazy BBC frequency

Remember that song by Missy Britney Spears, You Drive Me Crazy?

Well, that pretty much sums up about my sleep these 2 weeks. I've not been able to sleep much, that is for sure. Below is a summary of why I couldn't sleep & why I'm of the view that THAT SONG by Britney is best.

I love listening to the BBC (that's the British Broadcasting Service, for you all out there) on the stereo that I brought back with me from Perth eons ago. That has been my habit every night in Singapore before I snooze; must listen to the BBC for awhile first.

This portable stereo has a compartment for cassette, radio & CD. It functions pretty much ok, EXCEPT for the times that it goes on "annual vacation". Then, "all hell breaks loose". For some strange reason, I start "hearing double". Meaning, that suppose I wish to tune into BBC, there is a lot of scratchy sounds AND get another radio station at the same frequency as BBC!!

Tweaking & fiddling the radio frequency was of no use at all, I just couldn't manage the right concoction. How I missed out on listening to my favourite BBC programmes.

Listening to BBC programmes has ONE MAJOR IRRITANT (for me at least).

For some unknown reason, every 15 minutes or so, someone at the management level has decreed that there be a news broadcast. Can you imagine that you are idly chilling out listening to BBC programmes & lulled into semi-consciousness, the radio blares out "... and now, for th latest news update ..."

I just wonder: why do you have to spoil the mood by such idiocy? As if the "half-hourly" news pipped out isn't good enough.

Despite that, I still listen. During those days (about 10 days or so) when I couldn't get my dose of BBC, I suffered from withdrawal symptoms. No other stations could compete to fill the void left in my heart with the unofficial abscence of BBC.

AT LONG LAST, on Friday night (11 November 2005), I could hear the programmes again!! Oh what joy it brought to me!! One does wonder: with all that English I listen to, did it do anything to my accent? As in the way I speak? Nope, not a slim chance.

Now, I better go get a longer antenna for my stereo. Just in case, my frequency decides to take emergency last-minute breaks & leave me in the lurch.