0

An ulcer grew on the bottom side of my tongue... of all places. I have to be extra careful when I drink or eat... lest I disturb that harmless looking white spot and send myself some shockwaves... oh well.

Anyway.

I've been working on a new ThinkQuest promotional website the past two days or so. It was then that I realised that I've grown rusty to the trade of web design - what used to be a breeze took me some time now.. and then I realised it's the same for all things - that things atrophy without regular practice; same with physical exercise, relationships, studies...

The saving grace is that most of the time it'll only take that bit of time to get back on track. And yeah... there're quite a bit of things I have to get back on track for... yep.

Thank God that the website's on its way to completion. :) But yeah - there're loads of other things to do and complete within the next two weeks or so... work is neverending. Haha...

I'm glad to be back... glad to see them... but I guess this kind of feeling's usually not reciprocable.

And somehow I'm affected by the knowledge of them being totally at ease of having vulgarities in their everyday speech, evidently shown especially in their casual self, either in speech with friends or in written form on blogs. I've thought through this quite a bit... and I've come to a preliminary conclusion that it isn't about going against rules... but simply a marring of the good impressions that I have of them. Everytime it happens it hurts, then I start to rebuild that impression myself, knowing that I'm in the end deceiving myself and that it would be more profitable to sit them down, talk about it and hopefully it'll all make sense and that they'll think about rethinking their values when it comes to vulgarities... and even perhaps, that they'll want to do something about it.

Well.

0

I'm BACK! It's late though... so I'll just be posting the stuff I typed on the plane and then catch up with some rest. Work looms ahead... shall not think about it for now!

Here goes:

I'm currently on board SQ15 from Seoul, about five hours from touching down to Singapore once again.

Well, it's been a good trip on the whole, just that I didn't really get to have much personal time to rest - the schedule's practically packed from day one till the very last day - the only times I had was in the nights when I would take quick strolls and hang round the nearby supermarkets... Haha. I remembered how I enthusiastically wrote long journal entries for my '98 trip to Los Angeles... don't think I'm game to jot down everything in detail this time round... just some bits and pieces and the things that stood out.

The plane touched down at San Francisco International Airport Saturday afternoon... then we're ferried to the Parc 55 Hotel near Union Square where we checked in and immediately went out for a bus city tour. A very chilly experience crossing the golden gate bridge on the exposed second deck of the bus I must say! Haha... but I'm thankful... can still remember the thoughts I had the year before, that it would be great if I could make a visit someday either through ThinkQuest or a personal holiday... and here I am now. :) We had dinner (another thing to be thankful for, for the team and chaperones to be travelling and touring together) at the basement of Macy's, where I had a taste of Boudin, the apparently famous bakery chain. Took a little stroll around the area and enjoyed a bit of the cool and dry air that I last enjoyed ten years ago. Haha... yup, that pretty much summed up the first day.

ThinkQuest Live! officially started on Sunday morning - headed down to the Parc Ballroom where the event's held. There was this staff at the registration counter who recognised my name - she mentioned that she had been with ThinkQuest even before Oracle Education Foundation took over its running... Haha was quite surprised that I'm remembered! Met Hui, the Oracle Foundation staff from Singapore, who's mending one of the registration tables. Chatted a while before heading into the ball room for breakfast.

They have this area where they set up a network of computers connected to the internet for our usage - it was previously known (pre-Oracle days) as the Generator - now it's called the Think Tank. Took the opportunity to check mail first... haha. Ice-breakers came next... then the coaches had a separate "seminar" luncheon in one of the rooms that basically talked about facilitation and role of coaches in general.

The boys had their website showcase in the afternoon - they took turns to present their website while the rest went round the other booths to listen to the other teams. It's heartening to see the way they presented and explained their project to those who surrounded their booth - sure did bring back some memories of me doing the same thing ten years ago! Haha... Had a good chat with Hui exploring the ways we could extend the competition to more students and schools in Singapore in the midst of the showcase - there's this tugging of the heart to know that I could be more involved in the future... but for now, I know the station where I am to keep to, and as far as He has led, I'll just continue to trust in His leading and provision. Haha... yeah I know this sounds cryptic. :P

Welcome dinner was held at a yatch club near to the golden gate bridge... we were treated to some great sunset views of the area (check out the photos! (: ) before returning back to the hotel.

Monday marked the start of the workshop. The entire team opted together to attend the "Sustainable Design" workshop - we visited Argone, a kindergarten with 'green' architechture and also a private "showcase" apartment built entirely on 'green' concepts - very posh looking! The most amazing part is that it has a huge wind turbine that generates about two-thirds of the house's electricity needs.

We're tasked on the second day to think of sustainable house designs - each group was given a different area of the house to think about: energy, water, public stuff (living room, kitchen) and private stuff (toilet, bathroom). The groups were taught brainstorming rules and engaged in a time of disccussion before each team came up with their ideas. Ruijin and Fanghui were in the private stuff group... they invented this all-in-one self sustained toilet seating furniture that doubles up as toilet bowl, work space, shower... you get the idea. They later termed it as iPoot in their presentation to everyone on the third day... which brought much laughter in the hall. Most of them understood it as iPoop, as Poot isn't exactly a term that most would know. Haha... cheecky boys.

We went to the Alcatraz and the Exploratorium for our excursions... The audio tour in Alcatraz was interesting - it was an intersting sight too to see the throngs of tourists walking around the place in unison but in different paces, each listening to the audio device given to us. It's interesting too to note how money is being made now off a defunct prision facility... Haha. Exploratorium was cool though!! We were given two hours or so to explore the place... I didn't have time to finish all the science exhibits. Spent a little time in the shop before we were supposed to meet up again to return to hotel... was contemplating hard whether to make some purchases... there's this air pump gun that shoots out a strong puff of air which caught my attention... but I had to leave before I had enough time to clearly make a decision. Sigh! Now it feels like there's unfinished business... I want to get back there! Haha...

Met up with Jason!!! Haha... he's an American friend whom I've met face to face in 1998 - ever since then we've been in contact - had the privilege to have an extended stay at his place in San Diego back then... twice! Haha... Worked subsequently with his mom on a couple more winning projects in 1999 and 2000. He saw my Facebook status and knew about my location, popped a message to say that he's just forty plus minutes from my hotel... and so we arranged to meet on the only free afternoon I had - Wednesday afternoon, before the Awards ceremony in the evening. He came to the hotel... we took a walk round the area. He called Mrs. A (his mom) on his cellphone and we had a chat for about twenty minutes while walking... eight years since I've last heard her voice!! :D We bought Ben & Jerry's and headed towards Union Square to sit and chat... had a good time hearing from him about his work at Microsoft and his dances. Really appreciated him making his way down just to catch up! :)

Then the highlight of the week's events began - the Awards Dinner and Ceremony. It was held in some theatre - we had red carpet treatment complete with paparazzi-like photo taking... hats off to the people at Oracle Foundation. Haha...

I'm sure this has been quite an experience for the five of them, as well as for all the other privileged students. One of the students from India noted something on the last day during farewell dinner... which I resonated with very much in my heart, that ThinkQuest really has given much to those who've participated in it in its true form - the chance to taste international collaboration, and especially for the lesser privileged, the chance to travel and have their experience of a lifetime.

Which is why I really hope that this year the boys will learn to go beyond their personal comforts and their focus simply to win the contest, but be challenged enough to meet new friends from over the world and work on meaningful projects. Exciting days ahead...! :)

0

Day 00 because it's a day before the official activities begin... Haha...

Hello from San Francisco! (:

The air journey was a rather smooth one - the plane's rather new I think... even the screens in the economy class section looked like they're first class... and most importantly, I managed to sleep accordingly... so... no jet lag issues!

Actually it's Sunday 11am now. We just had our first breakfast and a "Getting to know you" session... the boys are settling in quite well - two of them are going around picking up information from everyone else (an activity they've been 'tasked' to do). Mm. I'll probably write a more coherent summary when the whole event's over... currently uploading the first day's photos on flickr right now.

We made use of the free time after touch down the day before and toured round San Francisco on an exploration bus - those double deckers with the second deck exposed kind of bus. The golden gate bridge ride experience was whoa. SO COLD. Haha...

There'll be a lunch meeting for the coaches later on.. after which the teams will be engaged in a project showcase session before a welcome dinner in the evening.

More to come... think will spend some time to do some collages at night. Till then! :)

1

Here I am at Changi Airport Terminal 3 using their free wireless internet service... there's still about 45 mins to the opening of the boarding gates, just nice for an entry before I leave for San Francisco. Yeap. This year's been amazing in terms of travelling... I know it's nothing for those in families who have the time and money to afford yearly getaways... Haha yeah. Australia in the second quarter, now United States in the third... and probably a trip to East Asia in the fourth quarter... I can never imagine myself to have such opportunities... well. What can I do... but to be thankful? Mmm. :) This trip is especially meaningful... I can never imagine myself to be immersed in the 'ThinkQuest' buzzword ever since I stopped taking part in it as a student member ten years ago... and now there're students from the school winning again, I hope it'll spell the dawn of another new era for the school. Mm. :)

Thank God for yesterday night's mid term checkup for my discipleship course... I was reminded in a very perculiar way... how He's always been around. Char came by my boarding apartment in the early evening and we were supposed to study for the test together... but I ended up doing some packing... time basically dragged. In the end I did not manage to revise any of the memory verses which I was supposed to revise. We took a cab to church... and on the way I was feeling apologetic... kept telling God that I was sorry that I did not put in the effort and make the time to study - work took its toll. I would do my best, knowing that this 'best' isn't exactly my best... if you get what I mean. And I was prepared to fail.

I almost froze when the paper was distributed - Ps. William suddenly mentioned that the memory verses section would take up more than fifty percent of the paper... which meant that even though I could score full marks in the other sections, I might still not be able to pass. Started doing the sections which I studied for... and then the memory verses.

The bulk of those tested came from the Psalms. We were required to write out full Psalms... and somehow I just wrote... and I kept on writing... and giving thanks as I wrote them out.

Despite my unpreparedness, God taught me something. You know, I've always been plagued with low self esteem and low self confidence, even if my outer shell doesn't show. To make things worse... I can be quite a perfectionist for my personality, sounds rather contradictory I know. Even in my walk, there are times when I doubted myself.. asking myself time and again if I've moved on or if I'm still dabbling in shallow faith.

Char is right. At least our results showed how much of His Word is internalised and not cramped up in a day or two... and I'm thankful. Not to mention that my marker was lenient and didn't penalised me too much... I was given 96 percent in the end.

I'm humbled on one end, knowing that it isn't a score that I should deserve, yet affirmed on the other, that quite a bit of His Word has been etched in my long term memory. Ever more thankful... because I have very poor short term memory.. and my dear dear can attest to that.

Mmm. :) Please pray for me... that I will make use of this trip fruitfully, the free times in between, that I'll be given times of refreshing in Him. And hopefully I don't have to deal too much with jet lag... haha.

Thankful for the two boys who sms-ed me well wishes for the trip and another couple others who msned... they've overturned the impression that I have that this generation of youths don't really know how to encourage and affirm. Haha... on the other hand, I know these boys are an exception to the norm la. So what to do. :)

Okay... time to go for now. I guess the next time I leave a post, I should be in San Francisco already... till then.

0

Location : Universal City Hilton, Los Angeles
Date : 22/11/1998 (Sunday)

The team finally met up for a group breakfast in the cafeteria. I remembered lucidly that I had congee with peanuts, orange juice, fried dumpling, etc. Basically, the list came from the day before. Funny how I didn't get sick of the food. Palatability level was way too high up for me to say no to the food.

We discussed the strategies that we're going to take later on at the judging in the saloon over breakfast. When the time came, we walked in calmly and were greeted by a panel of three judges, one of whom I knew, Mr. Moses Sia - the Singaporean judge. I was uplifted with a sudden feeling of euphoria. He had our weekly statistics on his hands and was perusing through them while we churned out a whole lot of crap. Well, not really crap... But we managed to ramble on for more than an hour, which was quite a feat, as we heard some other teams finished their process in only fifteen minutes. We showed them photos taken while Cameron was visiting Guatemala for the project, comics drawn by Jeroen's father and all these pretty much captivated them. Well. This pretty much rounds up the judging. We were sort of elated when we left the saloon. It's finally over!

We had a hearty lunch in a fast food restaurant along Citywalk. The decor reminded me of that of the interior of a ship, a very woody feeling. It was burger coupled by onion rings and pepsi[poured from pet bottles] as usual. The lunch was satisfying in the spiritual sense as we finally got the chance to sit down together and enjoy a meal.

I rushed back to buy Frozen Fusion on our way back to the hotel. I remembered this as I held the entire team back. They had to stand and wait beside the big Universal Studios globe till I came rushing with my bottle of fusion. Yum!

The rest of the day was unknowingly spent in the hotel room watching all the available channels. I remembered watching the Disney Channel, Discovery Channel, etc. Then we moved on to order a video to watch. I chose "Parent's Trap" but didn't manage to finish it. I'd learnt how to waste money this way. We had to join in the dinner fiesta down at the ballroom.

The style was totally different. On the ThinkQuest schedule, this slot was labelled "Food Court + Arcade Games". It was supposed to be full of fun [fun indeed for many] but I didn't manage to identify with the atmosphere. I was left out in a sense. I should had been more outgoing. They had all the aparatus of American Gladiators, the Joust [I lacked the courage to go unto the uplifted platform and contend with a stick]... Hey. Actually only the Joust resembled any of the games in American Gladiators. Hehe. Others include the gigantic boxing gloves, the usual table soccer and hockey, the maze which resembled laserquest["pumped up" scenario] and the sticky castle which one dons a suit which sticks onto the surfaces of the castle upon contact. Sad to say, I only played the maze.

Felt very bored. Luckily Gim Teck approached me and asked if I wanted to go catch a movie. So off we went, together with Vincent, a few Dutch counterparts and some American counterparts, to the Universal CityWalk Movie Theatre to watch Will Smith's [I forgot the movie title!]. Gosh, instead of remembering the movie title, I remembered seeing the advertisement for The Prince of Egypt! This proves that my mind registers the wrong things. Duh. After the movie, we went on a shopping spree. I had a second go at the Hard Rock Cafe merchandise shop and bought some more clothes for my relatives, after which I trudged on to another shop to purchase this huge "Babe" life size plush toy for my sis. Oh boy. It was HUGE[like my sis]! I wondered how I managed to squeeze it into my luggage. All thanks to Mrs A!

By the time we finished shopping, most of the shops had already closed. There was virtually no one in sight except for one cleaner mopping the floor. The atmosphere was one of a kind[besides being very cooling]. We returned to the hotel and shortly after retired to bed.

**********

Revision Status
[.....................................] 0.0%

Overweight Status
[OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO] 100.0%

0

Where art thou? I seek your deliverance. Hadn't been writing for a week or so. Obviously I'd been too busy with ThinkQuest, which concluded this morning. Should I be glad, or sad? Really, I had too much excitement for a day, so much so it dampened my spirits and instigated me to stay at home. Thought that I should do a write up or something so as not to disappoint you, faithful supporter, but me brain is wrecked, totally crushed up. I shall leave you with my entry form for ThinkQuest 1999. That way, you will learn about the entry before even seeing it. Till next time.

(Zane, I don't hate you. But you ought to think over it. If you can't do it, you should have told me at least a couple hours before the deadline. It's very heart-sinking to rush out an entire section in less than an hour. But don't you worry. I won't bring along a chopper should we get to meet. Make sure you present yourself very well at the Dutch finals. Awaiting your good news. )

ThinkQuest 1999 Entry Form

Team ID: 25014
Category: Social Science
Entry Title: ES2000 - Endangered Species of the Next Millennium

Entry Description: Please provide a brief description of your entry including its educational objectives. (250 word limit)

"ES2000 - Endangered Species of the Next Millennium" is a project undertaken to unravel the cruel fact that we, human beings, are the ultimate cause of the disappearing Animal Kingdom. Through our content sections, we aim to instill a sense of responsibility in our readers to help curb the worsening depletion of other living species on earth. Users will journey thorough the "What?", "Why?" and "How?" sections, enriching themselves with information about Endangered Species, after which they will be able to test themselves with the sectional quizzes. Other sections include the Species Profiles, where users immerse themselves and get acquainted with the different endangered species that exist throughout the world. The species communication panels allow users to track the latest developments of profiled species through other users. The media gallery houses the images, videos and sound snippets of endangered species that the team has collated throughout the creation of the entry. The entry also features a highly interactive game, whereby users take on the role of animal protectors in search for stolen endangered species, enriching themselves as they plod along the treacherous environments. We present to you ES2000, a comprehensive site on Endangered Species.

Describe the differences between student team members' access to technology (250 word limit)

Galvin owns a Pentium 233 system at home with constant Internet connection through the usage of cable modem, which runs at 300kbps, although the modem seldom reaches this speed. At school, he has access to Pentium 100 systems with Internet connection as well, though he never used them to work on the entry. He owns a low-resolution scanner, which allows him to process photographs and other materials that needed scanning. Helen uses an Intel Celeron 400 mHz system at home with 128 megabytes of RAM and 8.4 gigabytes of hard drive space. Her telephone modem runs at 56.6 kbp. She also owns a ScanPort 36 bit scanner. Zane owns a Pentium 166 MMX system at home with a phone line internet connection through the usage of a 56K modem, which runs at 5.4 kbps, because the connection was through a phone line his average phone bill was $100 during the building of the entry. At school, the computers have no appropriate software so they were not used. Most of the entry was done on holiday on Zane's dads laptop, a 266 MMX with a 56kps modem, and in the last two weeks uploading was done in the local internet café on Crete.

How did your team members collaborate to create your entry? (250 words limit)

Though we are bound by geographical differences, but our hearts and souls aren't. We experience different time zones and it was rather difficult for us to come together for meetings. However, we compromised to meet every Sunday with the help of ICQ. Throughout the week, we kept in touch by sending instant messages to one another through ICQ. We made sure everyone did their fair share of work and encouraged one another through inspiring messages like "I believe in you", "You can DO it!", etc. J

During the meeting, usually held on Sundays in IRC (Internet Relay Chat), each team member would present to the other team members the amount of work they accomplished that week. After which, each member would plan out the work to be completed before the next meeting. This has been going on with short breaks in between since December 1998. Agendas and minutes were carefully planned and typed out, allowing us to look back and smile with satisfaction, seeing how our entry had evolved from simple scratches to a wonderfully designed package, how a initial page of sitemap turned out to be three pages long. Till the very last minute, we toiled hard, in hope of a get together at the finals. The idea of meeting one another really spurred us on.

"Eighty percent of success is showing up."
-Woody Allen

Part Two tomorrow.

**********

Food of the Day
Burger King's Mushroom Swiss Meal

Colour of the Day
Dull Black

0

I'm bearing such a weary saturated brain which simply refuses to let creativity seep though its membrane. Nothing much in particular happened these two days anyways, so there wasn't anything to record. Yeah, the only thing I can think of right now under such a hazy [it was TERRIBLE yesterday... two points short of the unhealthy level] inert atmosphere is that Narcolepsy has surpassed the thousandth visitor mark. Thanks to all faithful readers out there! I know some of you read my stuff frequently but didn't bother to leave a mark. Please do so, really. It'll spur me on to write more. Those who'd signed can go sign again. The more the merrier.

How do you like my representation of Super CHSian? Muscular, studious, donned in the ever fashionable uniform, khaki pants and a superman-like cape grabbed from the backstage curtains. Hah. With ultra thick lenses. Hope you're not puking now. Luckily I bear no resemblance.

I find myself plummeting into the depths of doom as the days draw nearer... be it ThinkQuest or the Promotional Exams. Hence... the journal will be taking a break [OKAY... I admit I'm lazy...] commencing tomorrow till the sixteenth of August, when the deadline for ThinkQuest's over. By then, I should have more time to dwell upon other subjects of interest. The class pages should come in too then. In the meantime, please bear with it and drool over "Yesterdays". Heh. Yeah. Can't bear to leave you too. :"( Humpf. Maybe I'll continue to write, if I can manage my time well. It's really hazardous to leave ThinkQuest in the lurch at this point of time.

Have you been bored by the ostensible repetition of the word "ThinkQuest" over and over again? I have. Met up with Ms Judy Lee today (1998 TQ Coordinator, ETD Officer, MOE) to retrieve some photos and my video interview. Told her that chances of getting into the finals would be quite slim this year considering the arithmetic progression of skilled workers as compared to my stagnant tasteless buds. Agreed. ThinkQuest is nothing but a competition. It's an incentive to win. Losing, on the other hand, should be viewed upon as experience gained. I believe that there's nothing for me to worry about, as long as I put my heart and soul into it for the next two weeks. So here I go. See ya two weeks later. I'll be virtually disconnected. Bon voyage Ms Lee [who would be furthering her studies in Indiana], good luck in your future endeavours! Bon voyage to myself too, as I set forth and sail the last stretch of the ThinkQuest journey and hope that I'll beat the odds and reach the final destination... in time...

Thinkquest Status
[OOOOOOOOOOOO...............] 60.0%

Food of the Day
Spaghetti

Colour of the Day
Blackish White [Another Paradox]

0

What if I fail to get into the ThinkQuest finals this year? Dubious feelings never come across as good fortune to me. This is one question which I hope I won't need to have an answer for.

A day till the targeted deadline.

I could have done better in school if not for ThinkQuest. Sad but true. I've dedicated too much time on ThinkQuest this year. Call it an addiction, but if it doesn't pay off, I'll be losing my entire year to oblivion. My only hope is that everyone in the team works really hard for it, and if you're the one whom you think you are, my only advice for you is to buck up. Prove your existence or I'll nullify you. I don't need you to materialise in front of me for me to prove my ability to nullify.

You're getting out of hand.

There's still hope though.

There's still Helen and me.

You send chills down my spine (a phrase etched in memory since primary school days).

Promises. High hopes. All these eventually lead to disappointment. The best way to start off a project is to have no obligations with whatsoever. Yeah. Got that. What the hell am I telling myself this stuff anyway. I won't ever have a chance at it anymore. I'll be concentrating on my A Levels next year which means no no to any intrusions meant to distract. After which I'll be enlisted into the Army. Maybe I'll be a coach then, but I'll never have a chance to savor the experience like I had last year anymore.

Thank you my friend. Just make sure you make a U-turn before heading towards the wrong direction too far off and wander into the land of my foes. By the way, the land's barren as yet. I don't think you'll like it there. You'll be damn lonely. Sorry but I guess I'm just too frank sometimes.

I'm dedicating the rest of the week to my Math and the studying of my Physics test. Let's see how much you can churn out by then. It's really justifiable for me to say that I really don't understand thee.

Sorry but I'm not in the mood to write today. I'm turning into a paraniod freak. Thanks to you.

**********

Where I Belong

Silk woven sky fills the backdrop in this
Island I call my home, dreams sparkling bright at
Night. One mighty cresent and five mingling stars
Grace the beauty of the night. People filled with
Aspirations densely populate, proud but never
Pompous. Shoppers' paradise indeed, a stroll down
Orchard Road brings about incredible sights.
Relax and slow down, take you time to explore our
Esplanade, just a significant dot on the map.

(Like I said, I'm not in the mood to write, yet I forced myself to do so, and here's this junk bound for wasteland...)

**********

Thinkquest Status
[OOOOOOOO...................] 35.0%

Food of the Day
KFC 2 Piece Chicken set meal
(Real fattening... I'll have to compensate)

Colour of the Day
Black

1

Location : Hotel Room, Universal City Hilton, Los Angeles
Date : 21/11/1998 (Saturday)

Woke up feeling real tired. It was about seven thirty in the morning if I didn't remember wrongly. We missed the yoga session. Jeroen called up his coach and introduced him to me. We chatted for a while and proceeded to the cafeteria for breakfast.

Breakfast was interesting.

The cafeteria was situated right opposite to the entrance of the hotel. It was open-air and bordered by low walls about half a metre tall, simply marking its boundaries. A waitress came up to us and collected our breakfast coupons, after which she brought us to our seats, which were located at the inner-most of the cafeteria, close to the walls. The cafeteria had lots more variety to choose from than the so-called Food Festival the day before. Yes. There was Chinese food. Grabbed a bowl and filled it up with congee without hesitation. There was the fried dumpling (guo(1) tie(4)) as well. Took a few of those. Filled up the rest of the empty space with two croissants. What a weird combination for a breakfast.

Nothing much was being discussed. Mr. Hans asked where my teacher cheperon was. He was so surprised I didn't know where she was. Well, that was the fact. Hadn't met her since we parted in Narita Airport and I was surprised she hadn't tried contacting me in the hotel itself. She wasn't even present at the welcome reception the day before. God knows where she went.

We had the Event Orientation at the ballroom right after our breakfast. It wasn't much of an orientation, cause I remembered none of the points that was being discussed. Guess the main purpose there was for everyone to meet. Jason and I were discussing on what to do for the day and we decided on Universal Studios.

Location : Universal Studios Hollywood, Los Angeles

A gargantuan Christmas tree towered before us. Oh. Christmas's around the corner hehehe. It would serve as our meeting point if we ever got lost in the midst of all the excitement. It was great to have someone who'd been there before. Jason led us all the way to the inner depths of the theme park for the "Back to the Future" ride. Miraculously, the queue was short(see, I told ya). Working our way from the inside out was such a great idea.

We were split into two groups for the ride. Obviously, no car would be able to fit so many people. It was totally awesome. Gave me the feeling of an Omnimax movie with all the thrills and spills and real car movements as well, clashing and banging into billboards, houses, etc, dashing through the different eras in search for the evil guy(his name was insignificant) who stole the prototype car. There was one scene where we reached the prehistoric period. Mrs A made good fun of me when we were plummeting down a deep volcano, heat intensifying. "Quick, think of a solution, it's your topic you know!". A flash of light and we were back to the present. Heh.

We went on to the Jurasic Park ride. We faced the ultimate danger of getting real wet as we didn't bother to buy the ponchos. Well, nobody cared anyway. So we went onto the "boat". The initial part was so misleading. It was such a tranquil ride, the "boat" moving slowly through the meandering river. One or two friendly dinosaurs popped out once or twice. Nothing much to pump up our adrenaline. Then the boat tilted and entered a steep slope. It was dark with red alert lights surrounding us. Then the alert signal alarm buzzed through our ears. There, on the very top, we see bright light. No, it wasn't flat. It was a slope equally steep, but this time downwards. It happened so fast. My bum nearly left up the seat. SPLASH. Okay. Not too bad. I wasn't really that wet as compared to the others. Heh. Ahh. Didn't know we're being photographed on our way down! Saw our disgusting selves on the monitor above the sales counter. It would cost nine dollars to buy that in a folder. Looking at it on the monitor was bad enough. Buy it to remember how stupid we looked for the rest of our lives? Nah... you can erase the photo from the random access memory.

We were finding a place to dry ourselves. Ah! Exclaimed Jason, Backdraft would do the work. We went over and took a look. Sigh. Ride under renovation. On we went to the restrooms to clean up. I mean dry up.

Lunchtime. Went to Marvel Mania, the theme restaurant for all the Marvel comic characters. The decor was real cool. Television monitors stacked up to form one gigantic screen, displaying all the various characters from the X-Men series, Spiderman series, etc. Wolverine was there twisting and turning balloons into figurines for little kiddies. It was so ludicrous to see a red deformed balloon figurine with a maker-drawn spider on the body being called Spiderman. It didn't even remotely look like the actual super hero at all. Anyway, we surrendered our meal coupons and got our lunch in return. For me, I had a hamburger with fries and onion rings. The hamburger, as compared to the McDonalds' one, was a zillion times bigger, larger than BK Broiler. The slab of beef was at least three times thicker. Flourless onion rings was served. It was really deep fried onions. Needless to say, the meal was filling.

Next stop - the Backlot Tram Tour, where we had a deserving rest on the tram through the backlot of Universal Studios after hours of plodding, now that we knew that our legs were actually hurting. We were brought to see lots of buildings and special effects, including the homes of the Flintstones and the clock tower in Back to the Future. We visited houses of famous celebrities such as Alfred Hitchhock. On several occasions, the tram brought us into the different soundstages to experience different kinds of special effects. We had a friendly(not) encounter with King Kong raining destruction through the town (and of course, the tram), experienced an underground quake measuring eight on the richter scale with water gushing into the underground train station in all directions and fire ignited by exposed wiring. Truly amazing, the tour was definitely an eye-opener.

Location : Hotel Room, Universal City Hilton, Los Angeles

Finally we got back to the Hotel for a brief rest, after which we would be off to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. Took the chance and held a brief meeting instead in preparation for judging the next day. Cameron showed us the newspaper article featuring him and I showed mine. We exchanged gifts. Cameron gave each of us a Creed CD(much like 3EB, but more grunge) and I gave them T-shirts showing how "fine" Singapore is. I'm listening to it, Cam. =) Okay, so we'd decided on the strategy to use when we faced the judges. Now we could have a rest.

Location : Hard Rock Cafe, Universal Citywalk, Los Angeles

It was my first time in any Hard Rock Cafe. The atmosphere was very different: dark, gloomy, basically those kind you get when you attend rock concerts. Yeah, forgotten to include the noisiness. Rock music was blasting from all directions. We shared a table with a lady, also from Thinkquest. Every time a song started playing, we would compete to identify the song. Sad to say, I only recognised Alanis's Ironic. Heh.

Ahh. Hamburger AGAIN. Luckily there was salad this time round. No need for further description for the burger, cause it was identical to the one I had in the afternoon.

After the meal, there was desert - a bowl of brown solid with whipped cream on top. Cameron identified that as brownie. Oh, so that was how a brownie looked like. Scooped off and finished the whipped cream first. Tried poking the fork into the brownie but it failed to penetrate. "Ermm... are brownies that hard?" Cameron smiled. Forceful as I was, the brownie refused to give way. The others were having the same problem. Tried to bite it. Luckily it wasn't a forceful bite, or I would have lost all my teeth. "They've probably left them in the refrigerator for too long a time." Ahh. Enlightenment. All of us decided to forgo the brownie.

Bought a lot of Hard Rock Cafe stuff. Never knew I was such a shopaholic. One go and I could spend so much. Well, the only reason I could give was that I didn't want to bother to find other places to buy clothes and stuff for my relatives. Oh well. Bought a Hard Rock teddy bear for Ania as well. Her birthday's today!

Location : Ballroom, Universal City Hilton, Los Angeles

The magic show was, well, in my opinion, boring. Couldn't remember much of it. Funny though, I remembered the two metre tall tree stump monster who didn't fit into the picture at all. There he was at the corner waiting for the limelight to shine upon him. The magician called for him, he walked all the way to the front, and walked right out of the room. I wasn't amused, I was bemused.

Location : Mrs A's Room, Universal City Hilton, Los Angeles
Time : 11:30pm

Time to celebrate Ania's birthday. Jason asked Ania's father to bring her back to his room first while we got things started. A big piece of rice crispies served as the Birthday cake. On it were candles, a few which were sabotaged. Mrs A ringed her up for "an urgent team meeting". Hehe. Guessed she was really surprised when she entered the room. It was well decorated up with balloons and such. "Happy Birthday to you..." She tried blowing out the candles. Three of them kept on relighting. It was so fun to see how much effort she put into blowing them out. In the end we had to extinguish them in water. She finally realised it was trick candles. Hehe.. Oh evil Mrs A. =)

Location : Hotel Room, Universal City Hilton, Los Angeles
Time : 12:30am

Well, time to call it a day. Jeroen was already sleeping when I entered the room. Guessed I woke him up. Ah well. Had a warm and soothing bath and went to bed. The air was real cooling.

Thinkquest Status
[OOO...........................................] 2.5%

Food of the Day
Garlic Bread, Potatoes in addition of a Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pizza

Colour of the Day
White. Good for a change.

Phrase of the Day
"Ahhhhhh...."

0

Location : LA Airport, California, USA
Date : 20/11/1998 (Friday)

Time : 11:30am
Rolled out the luggage and waited by the Airport. Destination: Universal City Hilton Hotel by means of the slim blue "Super Shuttle". Cool air embraced me. Standing beside me waiting was another fellow competitor donned in grey sweater. Greeted the bespectacled guy and asked him which project he did. Too excited I forgot his reply. In a minute or two, the blue beauty arrived. The very first observation I made was the location of the steering wheel and the driver. Hah. Left side instead of the right side. Mountain tortoise me. Climbed into the passenger seat beside the driver. There wasn't a need for any air conditioning - the weather was real fine.

The journey to Hilton Hotel was long. We caught the LA Jam(I guessed) on our way. Enjoyed the scenes as the shuttle crawled through. There I saw the ever so famous "HOLLYWOOD" sign on the far side. Sigh... The jam was loooooong...

What a welcome.

Location : Lobby, Universal City Hilton, Los Angeles

Check in time. Checked my name against the Thinkquest namelist and received a goody haversack, well, sort of. It contained a water bottle, a T-shirt, a disposable camera, a Web Yellowpages and a few mags. Received a Thinkquest collar pin and a name tag as well. I've forgotten my room number, but I do remember the floor number, which was seventeen. Zoomed all the way up on the lift. Hah. First time I was using the swipe card to open a door. Had a little misadventure. Tried swiping the card in different directions but the door refused the budge. Then I swiped once more, saw the green light, and pushed the handle. There goes.

Location : Hotel Room, Universal City Hilton, Los Angeles

The air inside was rather stale. Warmness crept slowly out of the opened door. Stepped in and closed it shut. Oooo... I like the warmness... Unpacked my stuff and had a brief shower(erm... bath).

Ahh. Much refreshed. Called the operator to ask for instructions for International calls. Tried my Grandpa's house(Parents at work). Got through! After a series of greetings and miss yous, I hanged up and proceeded to the lobby to get acquanited with the surroundings.

Location : Lobby, Universal City Hilton, Los Angeles

There, looking around, I noticed someone very familiar. Hey! It's Jason and his Mom checking in! They too saw me and we recognised one another immediately(prior to my flight, we sent one another photos of ourselves). Mrs Anderson gave me a real warm hug. =)

I found myself at the car park helping out with their luggage. The stay was going to be real fun. Heh. We were going to celebrate one of Jason's teammate's(Ania from Poland) birthday the next day! Found myself very much acquainted to them. After all the luggage stuff had been settled in the respective hotel rooms, we went down to the lobby again for a stroll. Jason introduced me to his other teammates who had already arrived and were waiting at the lobby sofas. Wasn't it a little bit early to hold a team meeting? My team mates hadn't even arrived yet! Hehe.

After the meeting, we found ourselves wondering aimlessly into the so-called Generator Room. Upon entering the room, our senses were assaulted by an inconceivably shocking juxtaposition of lime green and navy blue decorating the walls, floor and furniture. What seemed like an endless array of computers occupied bright-green "tables" that meandered their way across the entire room. The "carpeting," apparently blue astroturf, was interspersed with green "troll doll hair" carpeting. Inflatable chairs of all colours, pillows in the shapes of fish, star-shaped lamps, lanterns shaped like fishing bobbins, pipes, larger-than-life flowers, and a massive...erm... "generator" finished out the decor. It was totally awesome!

Jason introduced me to a game called "You Don't Know Jack". I guess those who are familiar with American culture will find this game very interesting. I sat on the chair and pondered over the questions. Ooo.. What the heck... Then we switched to Star Craft and began a multiplayer conquest. Heh. Total annihilation! Obviously, being the one who doesn't play computer games much, I lost terribly.

We went on to explore the outskirts of the hotel. Universal Studios and the Universal Citywalk was within walking distance. Took us less than five minutes to reach Universal Citywalk - a wide gravel path meandering down the street with shops lining both sides, leading up to Hard Rock Cafe with the bigger than life trademark electric guitar model.

Mrs Rosemary Anderson(Mrs A from now on) treated me to a new type of refreshment. Called Frozen Fusion, it's a blend of ice and fruits. A winning combination! Continued down the gravel path. Taken lots of pictures, of course.

Location : Lobby, Universal City Hilton, Los Angeles
Time : Night
Event : International Food Festival

The name sounded mystifying. Who wouldn't expect a myriad of International food? Was quite disappointed actually. Chinese food wasn't included in the fanfare. Duh. The only food worth savouring were the nachos and chips. Heh.

Cameron and Jeroen hadn't arrived. I was worried sick.

Location : Ballroom, Universal City Hilton, Los Angeles

It was time for welcome reception and group experience at the Ballroom. Saw Ms Judy Lee (Singapore Co-ordinator representative), Gim Teck and Vincent(both from National Junior College). No sign of Cameron and Jeroen. Sigh. Participated in supposed-to-be ice-breaker games in which we held our hands(crossed) together and tried to form an unbroken circle. Next came the ever so familiar treasure hunt. Before everything ended, I caught a glimpse of a tall guy with with a cap. Cameron!! Next came Jeroen! Team introduction came next. Sleep came next cause it's way past midnight. Zzz... (What a quick ending. Heh.)

Everytime You Cry
by Human Nature

Never before, have I seen you look so blue
I can't find a cure, and nothing comforts you
The light and end of the tunnel
Doesn't shine at the end of the day

CHORUS
Everytime you cry
Save up all your tears
I will be your rainbow when they disappear
Wash away the pain
'Til you smile again
I will be the laughter in your eyes
Everytime you cry (Everytime you cry) Everytime you cry

(Oooh yeah)

Time has a way, of woundin' what has healed
Oooh, what I can I say
I know just how you feel
Your soul is dark and troubled
Like a river runnin' wild

CHORUS
Everytime you cry
Save up all your tears
I will be your rainbow when they disappear
Wash away the pain
'Til you smile again
I will be the one who dries your eyes
Everytime you cry (Everytime you cry) Everytime you cry

BRIDGE
Well you know that's I'm here for
(Ooh I) I will give you when you need more
There'll be no hesitation
I will reap
No reward

REPEAT CHORUS TWICE

(Everytime you cry) Everytime
(Everytime)
(Everytime you cry) Everytime
(Everytime)
(Why don't you wash away) Wash away the tears
(Wash away)
(Everytime you cry)....etc etc

REPEAT CHORUS

Everytime you cry
Save up all your tears

Thinkquest Status
[OOO...........................................] 2.5%

Food of the Day
Self-cooked Egg Toasts! I'm very proud of em! Hee hee...

Colour of the Day
Black remains still

Phrase of the Day
"That's shakespeare in love..."

0

Location : Singapore
Date : 20/11/1998 (Friday)

Time : 4:00am
I was too excited to sleep. It would be my very first trip overseas - on a plane - in two hours time. Checked and rechecked the items in my bulging luggage bag. My mom simply refused to let me bring one less shirt. Prior to the red fabric luggage bag (which belonged to my aunt) which we(rather, my Mom) decided to use, I was using the hard purple pvc one (which belonged to my uncle). Realised the fabric one allowed me to pour in more stuff before the weight indicator on the scale showed ten kilos. Heh. Red. Hmmm... "I'm leaving on a jet plane..."

Time : 5:00am
Everyone plodded everywhere in a frantic search for THE taxi, which was supposed to arrive at five sharp. Obviously, it didn't... till five-thirty. Felt so devastated. Pretty sure the driver was sleeping on the job (What the heck am I saying... 'Tis so obvious!). The flight was scheduled for boarding at six-thirty I was supposed to meet my teacher cherperon (who was accompanying me... NOT) at the terminal at six...

The fastest taxi ride I'd ever taken in my life. The taxi perpetually flew above the road. It zoomed past all visible vehicles (The road was dimly and insufficiently lit by the orangy road lights.. I wonder why orange... is it a standard?). Reached the terminal by six. A sigh of relief. PHEW!

Time : 6:00am
Searched everywhere for my teacher chaperon. She was nowhere to be found. No... she wouldn't be late. Thought I'd got the wrong meeting place. Time was running out faster than I expected. Six-thirty and still she was nowhere to be found. In the end, I was left crossing the gate myself - for the first time. It was the emotional moment. My Mom tried to refrain herself but failed... Looked back through the window panels and saw her bulging red eyes, her hands waving goodbye. I wished I could rush back and hug her. Took me quite an effort to raise and wave my hand. It felt a thousand tonne heavier. Felt so funny. Yes. Funny.

I love you, Mom.

As I traversed the carpeted floor towards the boarding room, I saw her. There she was, legs crossed, reading some magazine. I entered. She saw me. Didn't bother to ask why she didn't wait for me. I felt extremely shaky, probably due to the fact that I didn't catch my sleep. Rather, I was extremely nervous. I'd never travelled on my own without my parents (Hey this is different from being pampered...).

Time : 7:00am
This was it. Take off. Taking everyone's account of the blocked ear due to increased pressure thingie, I searched my pockets and took out the strip of menthos I'd specially prepared. While the plane was still safely on the ground, I took one. Hmmm... Then the plane took speed. I took another one. Lift off. Another one. A quarter way up, another one. Halfway up, another one. Soon, I was left with only one. Hmmm. Must as well finish it. Funny taste.

Location : Narita Airport, Japan
Date : 20/11/1998 (Friday)

Time : 11:00am (Singapore time)
The air was different. Nah. It was the temperature. Felt like air conditioning. What a mountain tortoise I was. Had a safe journey, enjoyed looking at the clouds, though the window was shut most of the time. Tasted my first air-cooked meal. Wasn't really that nice. Not worth remembering(actually I forgot what I ate...).

There I was in Narita Airport waiting for a transit to Los Angeles. I met with an accident. It happened so that my cherperon had the boarding pass to continue the United Airlines flight while I hadn't. Worse still, we only discovered that at the very last moment when the United Airlines plane was about to fly. I had been transferred to an All-Nippon Airways(ANA) flight at the other terminal. She continue with the smooth flight to LA while I was left stranded at Narita Airport -- ALONE. I had to make my way to the other terminal myself. Fortunately, I found myself in a Japanese airport. Not that I knew how to speak Japanese, but the staff there were extremely helpful. In the end I managed to make my way to the boarding area ten minutes before actual boarding started.

Looked around in awe. They were all Japanese passengers! As the name goes... All-Nippon. ARGH. My legs began to wobble. Cutting short that part, I boarded the plane.

Another window seat.

Fortunately, no one sat beside me. The seat was much broader, but everything seemed so Japanese, naturally. The fun thing was, the air stewardess took me as a Japanese and asked me for my choice of newspapers to read. She was so surprised when I asked her for English papers, in plain English, of course. Off she went realising her stupid mistake. Heh.

Had a better air meal this time. Let me see... Scrambled eggs... noodles... raw fish! Hah. Wonderful Japanese delicacies...

Tried all the music channels available. There wasn't really any choice as only one was playing English music. So I stuck to that. "Truman Show" was played on screen. It would be my third time if I decided to watch it. By the way, it was also screened in the United Airlines flight I took earlier. So... oh well. Next came "Doctor Dolittle", another one which I'd watched before. Felt really bored on board. No nice music... no nice shows... Couldn't sleep either. I'm not sure why. Definitely not from excitement. Just couldn't sleep.

Location : LA Airport, Los Angeles, California, USA
Date : 20/11/1998 (Friday)

Time : 11:20am (Los Angeles time)
Woohooo. Final touchdown! Wasn't really that hard to get my passport chopped. The immigration officer asked for the reason for entering LA. I said Thinkquest. Thought she'd know. She shrugged and begged my pardon. So I tried explaining to her about this International competition which was being held in LA and blah blah blah... Guessed she got sick of it. Off I went to the luggage area. Waited a couple minutes. No sign of my bags. Oh no! They'd been hijacked! I'm left with no luggage! Heh. Finally saw two bags which I could identify as my aunt's. Row row row your bags gently down the plane(inclined)... And I saw a man holding the Thinkquest placard waving frantically at the waiting deck. That must be it.

Love Song For A Savior
by Jars Of ClayIn open fields of wild flowers,
She breathes the air and flies away
She thanks her Jesus for the daises and the roses
In no simple language
Someday she'll understand the meaning of it all

He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
As close as a heartbeat or a song on her lips
Someday she'll trust Hhim and learn how to see him
Someday he'll call her and she will come running
and fall in his arms and the tears will fall down and she'll pray,

Chorus
"I want to fall in love with You" (four times)

Sitting silent wearing Sunday best
The sermon echoes through the walls
A great salvation through it calls to the people
Who stare into nowhere, and can't feel the chains on their souls

He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
As close as a heartbeat or a song on our lips
Someday we'll trust him and learn how to see him
Someday he'll call us and we will come running
and fall in his arms and the tears will fall down and we'll pray,

Chorus

It seems too easy to call you "Saviour",
Not close enough to call you "God"
So as I sit and think of words I can mention
to show my devotion

Chorus

Thinkquest Status
[OOO...........................................] 2.5%

Food of the Day
Long John Silver's Fish and Chicken Combo

Colour of the Day
Black remains still

Phrase of the Day
"That's shakespeare in love..."

0

6:57pm... Gosh... Isn't Saturday the holy day for partying? I stayed at home all day! Alone! I'm stumbling in my way into world of terriblism... TERRIBLE! And what abnormal stuff I've been eating today. Woke up at 10:45am. Mom was about to go to work. Sensing I'm awake in my bed, she reminded me to do my chores. Her orders were simply ignored while I continued to lay motionless on my bed. The front door closed. Woke up and searched around for food (There is absolutely NOTHING in the kitchen). Ate a slab of malay-baked cake which tasted VERY funny. Continued with Thinkquest. 12pm. Time for lunch. Still at the computer working on Thinkquest. Ate another piece of that cake. 1pm. Stomach growling. Ate another piece of that cake. Before I knew it, there was only one piece left. Humpf.

Thinkquest... Thinkquest... Thinkquest... Everheard of addiction to work? Hmmm I guess I am a workaholic eh? I just can't stop doing Thinkquest! Not really. Deadline's not far away. August 16 if I remembered correctly. I still have lots of other stuff to do. Tutorials, revision, the Sensorium Vale website, the planning for HiTECH'99 (an IT competition which a few of us are thinking of holding), etc. Maybe I should rest a while. And then the thought of creating this website came up. See. I just can't stop working.

Okay... So I'm creating this website. Decided to make it text based after looking at so many similar websites. However I still want to give it a classy touch. In came the logo. Or title. Whichever is more appropriate.

Ouch. Me gettin hungry. Guess I'm off for a decent meal now. Maybe a Burger Thai meal? =)

Unusual Happening of the Day
Nothing in particular.... I stayed at home all day!

Food of the Day
The funny tasting Malay-baked cake... Hmmm Broke the Fast Food chain!

Colour of the Day
White. I'm all for white today.

Phrase of the Day
"Bye bye Luv... Bye Bye Luv Luv Luvvv" You know. That Fann Wong song.

0

12:38am... Hmmm TERRIBLE. Didn't work myself like this for a long time. Spent the entire day working on the layout to suit the stupid Netscape browser (imagine Netscape to be stupid, then Microsoft will be... hmmm). Worked till 5am. Couldn't take it any more and finally decided to engage myself in slumberland activities. Well, my stay was shortlived. Woke up at 10am in a blur state.

3:05pm... Well, late again, as usual. Luckily, the actual time for the CIP(Community Involvement Program you bodo) report time was 3:15pm. Met Kelv, Slim and Dest at the CT bench and off we went to tutor Outram Park Sec peers. Found out that they were all sec fives. Cool. Same age. Looking forward to next Wednesday for the next session.

Went to Westmall to meet Keepy. He's leaving for Australia tomorrow. I'm putting myself at risk by lending him my lappy cause my Dad ain't gonna be happy if he ever finds out. Hope he never notice the absense of my lappy in my room for the next two weeks... Pray Pray.... Hah. Finally got the money to afford the Mushroom Swiss today.

Back to Thinkquest. Spent a humongous amount of time trying to link the correct frames together with javascript. Finally got it done by twelve midnight. My eyes are drooping down while I'm typing this... And I still have to complete my self introduction before I end up in bed. This is terrible. Sheez.

Unusual Happening of the Day
Must be the tutoring session... It doesn't happen everyday. Thought I'll meet up with some bengs and be simply overwhelmed with their bengish looks. Luckily they aren't that bad as I thought. One of them looked bengish, but he was being tutored by another person. Phew.

Food of the Day
Burger King King Size Mushroom Swiss Meal (Large Onion Rings + Large Barley). Notice I had different fast food meals for the past consecutive days. This accounts for...

Colour of the Day
Brown. Simply Brown.

Phrase of the Day
"You know how to do?" Caught it during the tutoring session.

0

Hey... Guess what... it's 1:35am! See how enthusiastic I am in writing diary entries... Well, it's only my second entry, guess my interest will eventually blend off and die out once the tutorials pour in once again. Besides that, I still have soooo many websites to complete I don't even have time to do one for myself! Life is so ironic... I create so many websites and I don't have a personal one. Oh well. Hm... Come to think of it, it's pretty late now. Zzzzz.

4:40pm... Hmmm.. Woke up late. Again. Nope, not 4:40pm. Who'd sleep till so late? Yeah, maybe you. Woke up at 9:45am. Supposed to reach Bukit Timah to meet Yusi by 10am. Maybe a cab might get me there on time, but I don't have that kind of money. Oh well. Called her. Nobody answered the phone. Either she's still sleeping or she'd already left. Switched on my overworked computer and hope to find Hongping online. Hah! There he is! Asked for Yusi's pager number. Paged her. 9:55am. I better get going.

Somehow I hate the self validators on SBS busses. My card got stuck in it again. It was so embarrassing. I had to bend down, catch a slight glimpse of my card, which was ninety nine percent stuck inside the machine, and pluck it out. Oh well. Finished a few more pages of Hidden Agendas along the way. Reached the bus stop at 10:45am. Late again.

Hah. So my pager call woke her up from her sleep. Which means she's probably late also. Hee. Felt so relieved.

Never imagined Signature Park to be SO HUGE. Two pools, a pool room, two squash courts, two tennis courts plus a couple of fitness corners. It is the biggest condo park in Singapore I guess. Took me one whole hour to explore! The treasure hunt next monday is going to be real fun... =) Oh yeah. Felt much better today.

Unusual Happening of the Day
It's not really unusual.... but quite stupid actually... Though I feel better, I'm not totally well. Took Bus Service 157 to Bukit Batok and decided to have Burger King for lunch in Westmall. Searched my wallet for cash but only managed to dig out a green note. Oh well. Strolled along Westmall's first level and ended up taking the MRT to Choa Chu Kang. Went to LOT 1 instead. Oh yes! Learned a new term for the crispy crispy stuff you get along with the chicken and fish in Long John Silvers. It's called crumbs! Haaa haaa..... Had I known it earlier... I called for crumbs and I got them! A whole lot! Went home, opened the box and was so surprised to find so much crumbs the LJS people gave me! WOW! I LOVE CRUMBS! (Stupid, right?)

Food of the Day
Long John Silvers Fish and Chicken Combo Max It with extra CRUMBS

Colour of the Day
Blue. I like the colour of the sky today. Oh yeah, I'm much better today.

Phrase of the Day
"Can I have some extra CRUMBS please?"

0

Hah... saw Dom's page and some of his diary entries.... I've always wanted to do something like that too... Guess I'll have to thank Dom for my recollections. Thanks, Dom! =)

FINALLY, I get to lay my hands on it today. The template I mean. You won't believe it, I mean, I cannot believe it myself either, that I've spent the entire day on this nitty bitty design that I've yet to complete. Oh well. Have to force myself on coffee I guess. Come to think of it, I hadn't have coffee for the past two months already! What an achievement! Can imagine how my Dad would rattle off when he sees me with my coffee cup, "Caffine will spoil your brain, just don't sleep so late kay?"... Hmm... Thought my brain's already spoilt? What the heck. Sleep comes in second when there's work to be done, am I not right? I gave my word to Zane that I'll show him my design today, so I'll have to finish it. (Zane's my Dutch partner for the Thinkquest Competition, and if you really still don't know what the heck I'm talking about, you should visit http://www.thinkquest.org/ and learn more about it. You should know if you know me.)

It's past 11:45pm now... the design's still laying stagnant in Photoshop while I'm typing aimlessly in this Mini NoteTab... Hey.. I haven't save this file yet! Better do so now... Done. "That's Shakespeare in Love.... That's Shakespeare in Love...." I've been playing this song on infinite loop. I must be mad, but I've been hooked on this song ever since Slimcea introduced this catchy song to me on Bus Service 67 back from the Bedok stadium (our Netball gals trashed RJC 41-15, remember?). I searched everywhere for different versions and remixes, and now I have a playlist of the normal version, the radio mix, the acoustic version and the recently added Oscar version, which I like best. The chorus is so soothing, though till now I can't make heads or tails out of it. Humpf.

Unusual Happening of the Day
Mrs. Nancy Tay actually called me!! The reason? Her PC went berserk! I was in my usual blur blur state this morning when I received the call. If I didn't remember wrongly, I was playing "Cyber Trooper Virtual On" on my lappy when the call came. I took the call and registered an alien female voice, one which I seldom, or rather, rarely hear. I didn't even manage to catch her name when she identified herself. Like I said, I was extremely blur then! On and on she blurted about her problems, then I finally tagged the voice with the face and then the name. Okay, so she's Mrs. Tay. Her computer refused to enter Windows 95. I really have to agree with Dom. Microsoft sucks. No denial. After a lenghty conversion, asking her to edit her config.sys file (asked her to type sys, she typed syf, thinking it stands for Singapore Youth Festival. Humpf), the problem persisted. Having no way out myself, I asked her to call for a technician. Full stop.

Food of the Day
KFC Zinger Meal + 2 Crispy Strips! Hmmm unhealthy but who cares? And hey I'm still sick! I'm coughing now! COUGH COUGH!!

Colour of the Day
Black... Guess wouldn't change till I'm back to normal... that is, when I stop getting sick.

Phrase of the Day
"That's Shakespeare in Love" =)