The Long Awaited

17th May. A beautiful day. It was pleasantly sunny, not the glare we usually get here in Singapore when the sun seems to bear down on us with a vengeance matching that of The Bride. There was a cool breeze that sent my shiny hair whipping back as I stood in the Hall 12 bus stop, wearing a long, flowing gown. The early morning mist hovered on the edges of trees and rose from around my ankles. Rahman's Vande Mataram played softly in the background. I looked down at myself - I was 5'5" and had a figure to die for.

Of course, NMK has to spoil it all by giving me a wake-up call at an unearthly 5.30 a.m. His superstitions have dictated that he book the early morning flight to BKK rather than the 10.30 a.m. one. "I like the early morning mist you see on the drive to the airport," he says in the cab. Indranil and I manage a sleepy grunt in protest.

At the airport, things get worse. There's a haphazard checking-in ritual. A very boundy Sushil drags me off in random directions, clicking snaps like a madman. I change money. We lumber off to BK's for breakfast and things start to look up - there's a Shrek 2 cushion on offer with every meal. I buy one off Ramani... and that's where my problems really start.

I'm beginning to suspect, now, at the end of it all, that the cushion is cursed or something. Nothing went right on this trip from the moment I bought it.

Now we've all ranted and ranted and .. ok.. in the process of starting a rant about it, so I won't be repetitive. What I'm going to do is a freeze-frame kind of thing.

19 May, 2 p.m. : Lunch @ random Thai restaurnt in MBK with the SP gang
Bizzare (did I spell right?) experience, that lunch, in a good way. I look at the menu and there's not so much as a plate of rice that's vegetarian - I kid you not, Thais put dried shrimp in everything. I ask the waiter, and he pops out for a bit and comes back with a waitress from the cafe next door to take my order for the only vegetarian thing that's available on their menu. Vege Delight sandwich served right where I was from the restaurant next door. Cool.
Over lunch, Jo rants about Italians stealing and fucking up the Chinese Noodle and Europeans in general learning not to eat with their fingers after seeing chopsticks. For someone who's grown up with parents chanting "Indians did that first" every way you turn, this is an eye-opening experience - suddenly, I realise everyone brags about past glory. Not just my weirdo family any more. :)
After which, Jamie and I get our eyebrows done for 40B each and shop to our heart's content. My outfit for championship dinner is finally complete.

Day's tally: One pair of sexxxy shoes - 199B, one cool black purse - 199B.

21 May, 9 p.m. : Pizza dinner @ my room (775)
After four days of sucky food we (vegetarians all, with the exception of AniBunny) hit on a great idea - why not call Pizza Hut in to soothe our deprived palates? We order 4 large pizzas between 8 people, Sushil sharing with me, the only girl in the bunch, because he was extra ravenous. The pizza guy promises to deliver to my room.
Me, Karthik and Div go up first, and I make a complete ass of myself, telling Karthik to feel free to remove his shoes by saying, "Take off everything." Perfect start to a great evening. People arrived, pizzas arrived. We switched the TV on to Star Movies in a deliberate attempt to avoid BBC for that day at least, and hit on a beaut of a movie: Shark 3.
For people who haven't watched it, this is the story of a very hungry, big, toothy shark with a twist - it's Shiv Sena.
Scene: Chap and girl in bathing suit wading hand-in-hand in shallow water. They swin out, kiss and start making out in earnest. Shark music comes on - DEE DEE DEE DEE, as Dave Barry would put it. Camera moves shakily at water surface level towards the engrossed couple (how come sharks can see above water?). Kha-chaaak! Scnatily clad girl is no more!
Scene: Man is fishing from boat. Girlfriend entices him away from the line to make out, man's hand still on rod (fishing rod, you dirty pigs). DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE DEE - KHACHAAK! Man gets pulled into shark's mouth, along with girlfriend.
You get the picture. For the record, the heroine never makes out with the hero while at sea. She's the smart girl of the team - a marine biologist. Figures.
Nice movie, Shark 3. You might want to watch it when in a big drunk group.

Coming up...

22 May, 2 p.m. : Lunch @ John Paul XXVVIII-or-something-like-that Hall
19 May, 7 p.m. : En route to the opening ceremony
24 May, before, during and after midnight : As SMUians would put it, PIMP (party in my place)