COLUMN I

SO how were Christmas and Boxing Day? Yesterday we heard a young lad ask his father when the boxing would begin; his father was embarrassed and the youngster almost got his ears boxed for his troubles. Gifts were once exchanged on Boxing Day rather than Christmas Day; they were traditionally presented in small and decorative boxes, hence the name of the day.
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SOME parents either don’t think ahead when buying Christmas gifts for their offspring, or they simply don’t care. One of our daughters rang in a state of fury on The Day to say that she could hardly hear herself speak because a neighbour had given large and expensive toy trumpets to his twin sons, aged 12.
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NOR was that the worst of it! For to complement the musical atmosphere of the neighbour’s gift-giving, Miss Eight had been given a long-awaited toy drum! We suggested to our daughter that she pack up her husband and the kids and get him to take her to a nearby resort and have Christmas lunch by the sea. We have yet to hear the outcome …
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THE battle between Digicel and Telikom continues fast and furious; we don’t want to take sides but Telikom should think twice about advertising B Mobile as the network that will put people in contact with their far-flung families. Our far-flung family includes a branch resident in Rabaul. One twig of that branch is now devoted to Digicel, while the other remains pro-Telikom.
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BUT it is virtually impossible to contact the B Mobile brigade, even though they are by no means isolated. Occasionally late at night, we can fluke a call to them; at all other times a recorded message assures us that the number is outside the range of Telikom.
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YET the Digicel supporters live less than a kilometre away, and can be reached with clarity at any hour. Our geriatric ho ho hos were faithfully transmitted to those of our small grandchildren waving the Digicel banner; the Telikom brigade remained ho ho ho-less despite valiant efforts.
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SHORTLY, a new slate to scribble upon as 2008 pokes its forelock over the horizon. Cheers!
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- Dee Nesenolis
 

 
 
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