23rd December 2005.

I can’t remember exactly how many times I had sashayed down the same busy path of Orchard, bruising my abused shoulders with knocks from the passing human traffic.

I didn’t quite know what to expect with such a last minute mad rush.

I had a quick lunch at my usual coffeeshop, and the auntie was almost in shock when she realised it was me.

Cos, for the past years she had seen me, never once did I wear my contact lenses, nor was I ever fully made up.

She casually placed down the plate of noodles I had asked for, and when I replied her in my usual saccharine sweetness, it rang a bell and caused her to raise her head to have a glance at my face.

She was like, ‘Oh my! It is you! I still wonder who it is.’

I sheepishly replied how make up can really do miracles.

I took a bus in the drizzle.

Couple of bus stops down, I saw a tall figure boarding the bus, the exotic and beautiful features unmistakable.

I called VampTreSS to ask if Joanna lives in the west.

Positive.

VampTreSS made me pass the phone to the shocked Joanna(if any stranger suddenly walks up to me and passes me a handphone to speak into, I would freak out too!).

Joanna was such a sweet personality, and I liked her.

A lot.

SBB called somewhere along the journey, and cute short the conversation I had with the pleasant babe.

***

It was 2 days before Christmas and I had yet to get something, or something else.

To the point that, I gave up looking for something, and something else.

I ended up looking for something’s substitute, and a backup for something else.

I reached Orchard in the drizzle, and strutted into one of the boutiques in Paragon, before sashaying towards Takashimaya.

Bad timing.

SBB‘s call lasted throughout since I alighted from the bus, and roamed along the malls.

Because of that, I walked round and round the boutique in Takashimaya, not able to ask the sales assistant for help, cos that would probably give the game away.

I lamented how something and something else was almost impossible to find.

He tried coercing me into telling him what the 2 things are cos he was confident that he might know where to get them, and I refused.

Then he said that I might as well ask his friends for ideas or such, and I smirkly let known that the brilliance in me would have already thought of that.

But I decided not to ask some of his friends, cos they might let slip what I was getting for him. I dislike to spoil my surprises, ya know?

‘Unless you are getting me XXX, then it shouldn’t be any problem what…‘

I paused for a moment of silence, and my sudden giggles gave myself away.

@^#!%@#%!

Since I couldn’t find something already, I finally let rip that, XXX, is indeed, something I had planned to get for him.

Well, I shall not reveal what something is, since it is pretty much, er, exotic locally, and it is just not convenient for me to say so.

He then launched into a series of locations and told me where to get them.

@%#$!#%

The smart alec had originally thought I would make him a bike model.

Muahahaha.

When SBB finally hung up the phone, it took me less than 15 minutes to decide what I had wanted to get as I asked for help from the sales assistant.

I got pretty excited, and I called him to inform him that he wouldn’t be spending this Christmas without a present from me(not that it would make any difference from the ample amount of gifts he received this Christmas).

***

Right after I had walked out of the boutique, I darted into other stores to scout for some pressies for the girlies.

Another headache.

I was running out of my ideas, moolah, and I was getting a tad unwell from the crowd.

Eventually Mr Anonymous Y called, and we met up for coffee at Bakerzin, Paragon.

I haven’t seen the legal eagle for the longest time, and I have yet to return his 3 books, which were on loan to me since… er… March?

He is a fellow neighbour in my estate, and he threatened that I shouldn’t disclose our details of our conversation, or else he would sue my ass off.

Which of course, the kind man, didn’t.

I guess it is always nice that you thought that some friends would stay at a certain level, but you realise how fun it is when you disclose more about yourselves, and share with each other the experiences in life.

Cool.

But hey, it was a great deal of pleasure meeting up with ya, and, we should meet up more often, and soon.

Cos I owe you a treat for it.

My appetite even found the chocolate cake repulsive, and couldn’t finish it.

Something must be very wrong with me that day.

***

I had wanted Mr Anonymous Y to help with bringing my gift back home since he was on his way back home.

Eventually, I gave up that thought, and I stuffed the newly purchased gift into my tiny little bag.

I was going to meet up with VampTreSS and Brian, and SBB said he was somewhere in town.

Afraid that he might see the pressie, I kinda implied that I had hid it away, or asked a friend to help me to bring home.

Before I met up with the guys, I scrambled across the street to Takashimaya to browse at some items I might consider to replace something else…

***

I met up with SBB for a while before the rest arrived, and he didn’t quite want to reveal his identity to the group. He joined his friends instead.

I too shy also.

He tried peeking into my bag, which I guarded closely to my chest, and smacked his hand whenever it tried to come near.

Most of the time, he would turn back as we headed up or down an escalator, and found me out of sight.

My fear.

Once, he sheepishly laughed and said, ‘Oh, I forgot’, and led my hand as I stepped onto the escalator clumsily.

I think there was once, we were both just standing stationary, when he gave me one of those irritating cheeky glance.

As usual, I would respond with a frown.

He lunged forward and planted a big smacker on my lips in a swift and predatory motion.

I frowned even more, and responded in mocked offense.

Oh well.

Undeniably, it feels kinda nice.

The crowd in town was scary though.

His friend called to say that he was reaching, and we ended our short rendevous.

***

I ended up meeting VampTreSS and Brian who were already at Heeren’s Spinelli, around 8.

The 2 hungry ones needed some food, and the sudden downpour meant that they might as well settle their dinner there.

It felt so good that I could finally have a break from the buzzing crowd to ease the slight claustrophobe.

The rain veiled it with such a mesmerising thin sheet of mist.

And I was slowly getting…. sleepy.

I tried their chicken salad, and it was yucky. I nicked a bit from Vamp’s brown rice salad, and it was equally bland too.

Eewwww.

The only thing edible was its toasts, which weren’t impressive either.

Nick reached shortly after, and we finally decided that we would play.. CounterStrike. VampTreSS suggested us to play at Cineleisure, Level 9.

I was kinda apprehensive actually, especially after my 1st attempt at it was as dramatic as a comedy.

The way I squirmed, screamt, dodged under the table and pushed my rollerchair away from the monitor speak volume about my superb gaming skills.

We sat outside Cheers at Cineleisure, watching the crowd goes by.

Cute guys, cute girls.

And I marvelled how skinny some of them are, and wished I am back to my waifish self.

Sigh.

I was feeling kinda tired and my thoughts were drifting and weren’t quite following their conversations actually.

Eventually, we went up to Level 9, and were duly impressed by the happening layout of the gaming place.

Awesome.

We chose seats in this particular caged area, and the guys were eager to try out Battlefield(whatever it is) instead of CounterStrike.

Trust me, that’s the best confident look I could manage from my pre-game jitters.

Kelvin and Roy joined us shortly after.

I managed only 1 kill from the first game, and as usual, multiple deaths.

Sigh.

And to think Nick killed me a few times by running over me with the jeep, crashing the helicopter I was in, drowning me when we were in a tank, and some other weirdass deaths.

AND HE IS MY OWN TEAM MATE!!!

My first glorious kill was of Brian, when I finished him off with whaddyacallit thingy of the tank.

Hurhurhur. So proud of myself okay.

The annoying thing was that Brian was rather cocky when it comes to gaming, and I am rather glad to make him my only kill since it was pretty much an insult to him.

By the 2nd session, I had increase my kills, and I could hear the disbelief(guys, do you have to make that so obvious?!) behind the other monitors.

Slowly, I got the hang of the directions, and was able to know the pathway like the back of my hand.

Muahahaha.

Eventually I was teamed up with AliBrian and AhmadNick, and whenever the 2 of them gimme a lift on the vehicle(cos I can’t direct them well at all!), it made things so much more easier.

I swear it was purely coincidences they are my Ali and Ahmad in real life.

So the most heard shrill from me of the night was, ‘Hey!! Wait for me! I need a lift! Wait wait wait!’

So cool, huh?

But I was having so much fun at the end of it.

***

The highlight of the night was also when I was… abducted.

Uhm, well, not really.

Brian and Nick had snuck into the gents for a smoke break, and had locked themselves in the same cubicle.

Sensing some hot actions might be taking place, the paparazzi blogger in me acted up, and I armed myself with my camera.

Alas, I knocked my hand and I didn’t manage to capture the picture when I raised the camera overhead into the cubicle they were in.

Yes, don’t tell anyone I actually sneaked into the gents.

VampTreSS was keeping watch at the entrance.

Before I knew it, the door swung open, and everything else, was a blur.

Uhm, not really.

This was the only other picture I managed, before I was being pulled on the arm by the above monster, and then I felt a shove on the shoulder, that pushed me into the cubicle.

Behind me was Nick, and then, the monster stood right at the door, refused to let me struggle my way out.

I was being abducted and retrained by 2 men in the toilet cubicle!

*Gasp*

Oooo. Sounds kinky, eh?

But noooooo!

I could somehow hear Vamp’s voice outside, calling out.

I was wondering what was he up to, until I realised how he had kept me in the cubicle for a while, until he turned his head to his left to glance at the entrance, before he suddenly stopped grabbing me, and strutted out of the toilet, with a smirk on his face.

Nick followed, and asked me to get out of the cubicle.

‘Oi.. what were you guys trying to…..’

Before I could finish my sentence in the usual cut-glass pitch, I brought my shawl to my face in utter embarrassment, and scurried out of the gents in record speed.

Cos a guy was standing at the urinal, relieving himself.

And then, another was walking in as I was walking out.

That was their intention!

They intended to keep me in the cubicle until some guy is using the urinal and that my presence would….

AHHHHHHHHHHH

How evil.

I swear I was dying from the embarrassment.

Nick was trying to imitate the look on the guy at the urinal, and I was silently cussing that I didn’t have the balls to stare straight at him, bring my focal point down, and point and laugh apologise for my intrusion.

For that, I shall post the above very ugly picture of the perpetrator to express my apologies to the poor chap using the urinal.

If it happened to you, it wasn’t me you saw.

***

We left around 2am, as the guys had their fags outside of Cineleisure.

I saw Nick pulling back this tall, and well-built guy back as I emerged, and it suddenly dawned upon me what they were trying to do.

With a swift motion that you seldom see coming from Ting, I dodged behind the pillar as I heard the guys looking around for me.

They had wanted to introduce Mr Handsome Hansen to me.

I emerged from my hiding place right after the cutie walked out of sight.

Lucky I fast.

*@&#^!#

We headed to the Youth Park’s foodcourt for supper.

Hardly any appetite, as usual.

I was almost too sickly or tired.

The motion sickness wasn’t quite helping either.

We sat there, and I bumped into Steve, an old friend from the biking circle.

He is also a brother-in-Christ, who had offered much encouragement to me in the past.

Ironically, Mr Ex used to be quite wary of him, though he didn’t quite seem to have a justification of doing so, except that all guys are up to no good.

Anyway, he was with his girlfriend, who seems like a real darling, and I was really happy to see him.

Then, we sat around somemore to talk about conversations I couldn’t quite recall from the fatigue.

Home, was then it, as I welcomed the peaceful Christmas’ eve as I boarded the very cold cab.

And a dramatic saga awaits on the unpleasant cab ride back.