A Fall Outside NUS

I went to work today. Nothing special. The bus driver was a man. The bus was a double-decker. People inside seemed to be busy. Some were reading, some sleeping and a few talking loudly on their hand phones. Everything was normal.

When the bus reached the stop at ITE opposite of NUS, I alighted. There was some rain and the floor was slippery. I was tired and busy thinking about my work and the things I had to do later. So I went up the overhead bridge, crossed over and was about to walk down when it happened.

I walked down the stairs and suddenly, this girl in front of me (she looks like a student of NUS) was on the floor. The senior man in front of her asked if she was okay. She didn't say anything (I think, or maybe I was sleepy and didn't catch what she said). The man left and she collected her stuff which was around her and stood up. By this time, I was beside her. Then before she moved one step down, she fell again. A lot of things went through my mind. Should I offer some tissue? Maybe. Should I give first aid? No, because I know nuts about first aid other than how to spell it. Should I call an ambulance? I don't think so. So I simply asked her a question.

Me: Do you need help?

She didn't say anything and stood up and walked. I walked beside her. She looked at her hands. I looked at her hands. They were dirty with some dirt and leaves. So I offered her a piece of tissue.

Me: Here's a tissue for you to wipe your hands.

I don't remember hearing her saying anything, but maybe she said thanks and gave a smile. Can't really remember.

I looked at her while she wiped the dirt and leaves. It was then that I saw blood on the tissue. She must have grazed or cut herself when she fell. It was a pity that I didn't have any plasters with me else I could have given her one. So, I offered another piece of tissue.

Me: Here's another piece. Use the clean one for your wound.

After all, a dirty tissue won't really help much on a wound.

From the overhead bridge onwards, I accompanied her in case she fell again. It was very awkward. She was there cleaning her wound while I was beside her walking. She was quiet. So I decided to start a conversation.

Me: It rains these days. So it can be pretty slippery.

She looked at me and smiled...and kept quiet after that. It was really awkward. I thought of asking questions like "What are you studying?" or "Are you a student in NUS?" (nah, that's a stupid question) but didn't do so as she's injured and quiet, so maybe she wasn't in the mood to talk. Nevertheless, I accompanied her.

We walked all the way to the zebra crossing and she went to some part of NUS while I went to the bus stop. She was in front of me.

Me: Okay...take care.

She looked back and smiled.

I went to the bus stop and waited for my bus.

In the bus I thought, "What will she do with that piece of tissue?" Keep it? Throw it away? If I were her, I would throw it as what's the point of keeping dirty tissues? But you never know, girls can be quite different...haha.

(If by any slim chance you happen to be that girl who fell this morning, please take care and watch your steps. The floor can be pretty slippery when it rains. Hope that you are well.)

Tags: NUS, Raining Season, Singapore, Slippery Floors

Miss Singapore Universe 2007 (MSU 2007)

If you have watched the show, you will realize that there is a wide range of participants. They come from different backgrounds, cultures and ages. Amidst these differences, they have something in common - they all vie for the title of "Miss Singapore Universe 2007".

I did not follow the show. Today was my first look on MSU 2007. When the ladies stood in a line to be judged, it reminded me of my primary school days where we would line up during canteen time for our food. Anyway, when they lined up, one lady stood from the rest. She was Jessica Tan. Later on, I realized I was not wrong when both Judges' Choice and People's Choice ranked her as first.

During the Q&A section, one lady answered one question in a very interesting way. Joey Feng picked a question that goes something like "would you strip for art". Her answer was nice. It went something like "No I won't as I come from a conservative family. However, I won't mind being the artist." It was at this point of time when Adrian Pang remarked that he would volunteer to pose. Cheeky fellow. In her answer, Joey stood for what she believed in. She wasn't ashamed to say no and tell others about her conservative family despite today's open society where posing nude for art is assumed to be normal. I respect her for that.

Jessica Tan's answers weren't really impressive. It sounded like an average answer. No offence, it's just my opinion.

Then came the stage where everyone was asked the same question. The question was this "If your mother disproves your relationship with the man you truly love, what would you do?". Now, this is a very deep question. It involves love, one towards one's mother and the other towards one's true love. It tests the values of an individual. The mother or the boyfriend?

One very interesting answer was from Peggy Chang. Who would expect that both parties, her mom and boyfriend, would be there? Now to answer this question in front of both parties was very tricky. You choose one, you offend the other. One's her mother the other is her boyfriend. Surprisingly, her answer accepts both! Very interesting. Her answer was for her boyfriend to win her mother's heart just like he had won hers.

Peggy Chang wasn't the only one who surprised me. Joey Feng surprised me too. I would expect her to be the conservative and listen-to-mother kind of lady. So I expected her to say something like "mothers knows best and if she said no, it's for my own best". However, she said something like she really love the man she's with and she hoped that her mother would accept him. Something like that. I guess she must really love the man. Lucky man.

After the score was tabulated, Jessica Tan became Miss Singapore Universe 2007. Joey Feng was 2nd and Christabel Campbell was 3rd. All the best to the three winners and the 17 finalist.

I wonder how will the boyfriends of these ladies feel? Haha...I don't know but it will be interesting to know.

Did you know that Jessica Tan's birthday is today? She mentioned it when interviewed by the news people. Judy Lee wasn't around because of "work commitments" as stated by Jade Seah. She is a flight stewardess so I guess her plane maybe leaving today hence she couldn't join the final stage.

After the show, one must remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Different people have different standards of beauty. What this show has achieved was to select a beauty queen. Fair enough. However, a lady isn't defined just by the way she looks, but what she believes in, her values and her personality. These intrinsic traits can never be judged fairly in a beauty pageant as all they do is change in different attire and do the catwalk. How are you suppose to get to know someone better by looking at her do the catwalk? The only aspect of a lady you can judge during the catwalk is her beauty and the way she carries herself. Of course there are a few questions here and there, but I feel that it still isn't an accurate measurement for these ladies. One maybe lucky to pick an easy question; one may fail in the first question and succeed in the next 10 questions; one may just be confused at that time. To really know a lady would need time and effort, not a 2 hour show.

Tags: Beauty Pageants, Jessica Tan, Joey Feng, Miss Singapore Universe 2007, Peggy Chang, Singapore

I Have Been Tagged!

I have been tagged by Nicole! So here are my "tagged" answers.

Layer One:On The Outside
Name : Stephen
Birth Date : 7 June 1986
Current status : Waiting to go to Material Science and Engineering (MSE)
Eye Colour : Dark brown
Hair Colour : Black
Righty or Lefty : Right

Layer Two :On The Inside
Your Heritage : Chinese
Your Fears : Never thought about it before.
Your Weakness : Not too sure.
Your Perfect Pizza : Must be free then I eat...mwahaha.

Layer Three :Yesterday, Today , Tomorrow
Your Thoughts First thing when I wake up : I won't know what your first thoughts are...sorry.
Your Bedtime : Trying to sleep early like before 12am.
Your Most Missed Memory : My childhood days.

Layer Four : Your Pick
Pepsi or Coke : I don't drink gassy drinks.
McDonald’s or Burger King : Neither, I would go for Subway.
Single or Group Dates : I don't eat red dates.
Adidas or Nike : Bata.
Tea or Nestea : Nestea is a subset of tea...tricky question eh.
Chocolate or Vanilla : They are both edible.
Cappuccino or Coffee : Same as above.

Layer Five : Do You..
Smoke : Nope, I am not flammable.
Curse : Nope. It's not nice to do so.
Take a shower : I don't think you can "buy" because they don't "sell" it. So I guess I do take it.
Have a crush : I accidentally crushed someone's toys before.
Think you’ve been in love: I don't think I've been there. The furthest I've gone is like Pasir Ris.
Go to school : Soon...
Want to get married : Provided there's a suitable girl for me.
Believe in yourself : "Yourself"? What kind of religion is that? I am a Christian.
Think you’re a health freak : Depends on how you define freak.

Layer Six : In The Past Month
Drank alcohol : Nope. The closest is Coke.
Gone to the mall : Which mall?
Been on stage : Yes.
Eaten sushi : Yes. It was like cheese between two slices of Gardenia.
Dyed your hair : Nope.

Layer Seven : Have You Ever..
Played A Stripping Game : Nope.
Changed Who You Were To Fit In : Well, I used to be in the Trim And Fit (TAF) club in primary school so I guess I had to changed to fit into my teacher's "acceptable weight" list.

Layer Eight : Age
You’re Hoping To Be Married : When the right girl appears.

Layer Nine : In a Girl/Guy
Best Eye Colour : No preference.
Best Hair Colour : No preference.
Short Hair or Long Hair : Long hair.

Layer Ten : What Were You Doing
1 Min Ago : Writing this.
1 Hour Ago : Talking with my dad.
4.5 Hours Ago : At work.
1 Month Ago : Sleeping.
1 Year Ago: Celebrated my birthday.

Layer Eleven : Finish The Sentence
I Love : My family.
I Feel : Normal?
I Hate : Nothing.
I Hide : Hm...(thinking of something to hide).
I Need : things that I need.

Layer Twelve : Tag five people..
Okay, I won't list names here because if you see this I guess more or less you are tagged :)
Congrats, you just won the "Tagged By Steph" prize.

Tags: Friends, NTU, Singapore, Tags

Funny MIT Admissions Letter

The funny MIT Admissions Letter below was taken from here.

It is sad that I wasn't able to get the reply to John's letter. It would be very interesting to read it.

April 18, 1994

Mr. John T. Mongan
123 Main Street
Smalltown, California 94123-4567

Dear John:

You've got the grades. You've certainly got the PSAT scores. And now you've got a letter from MIT. Maybe you're surprised. Most students would be.

But you're not most students. And that's exactly why I urge you to consider carefully one of the most selective universities in America.

The level of potential reflected in your performance is a powerful indicator that you might well be an excellent candidate for MIT. It certainly got my attention!

Engineering's not for you? No problem. It may surprise you to learn we offer more than 40 major fields of study, from architecture to brain and cognitive sciences, from economics (perhaps the best program in the country) to writing.

What? Of course, you don't want to be bored. Who does? Life here is tough and demanding, but it's also fun. MIT students are imaginative and creative - inside and outside the classroom.

You're interested in athletics? Great! MIT has more varsity teams - 39 - than almost any other university, and a tremendous intramural program so everybody can participate.

You think we're too expensive? Don't be too sure. We've got surprises for you there, too.

Why not send the enclosed Information Request to find out more about this unique institution? Why not do it right now?

Sincerely,

Michael C. Benhke

Director of Admissions

P.S. If you'd like a copy of a fun-filled, fact-filled brochure, "Insight," just check the appropriate box on the form.

May 5, 1994

Michael C. Behnke
MIT Director of Admissions
Office of Admissions, Room 3-108
Cambridge MA 02139-4307

Dear Michael:

You've got the reputation. You've certainly got the pomposity. And now you've got a letter from John Mongan. Maybe you're surprised. Most universities would be.

But you're not most universities. And that's exactly why I urge you to carefully consider one of the most selective students in America, so selective that he will choose only one of the thousands of accredited universities in the country.

The level of pomposity and lack of tact reflected in your letter is a powerful indicator that your august institution might well be a possibility for John Mongan's future education. It certainly got my attention!

Don't want Bio-Chem students? No problem. It may surprise you to learn that my interests cover over 400 fields of study, from semantics to limnology, from object-oriented programming (perhaps one of the youngest professionals in the country) to classical piano.

What? Of course you don't want egotistical jerks. Who does? I am self indulgent and over confident, but I'm also amusing. John Mongan is funny and amusing - whether you're laughing with him or at him.

You're interested in athletes? Great! John Mongan has played more sports - 47 - than almost any other student, including oddball favorites such as Orienteering.

You think I can pay for your school? Don't be too sure. I've got surprises for you there, too.

Why not send a guaranteed admission and full scholarship to increase your chance of being selected by John Mongan? Why not do it right now?

Sincerely,

John Mongan

P.S. If you'd like a copy of a fun-filled, fact-filled brochure, "John Mongan: What a Guy!" just ask.

Would you ever write such a letter? Haha...I don't think I would.

Tags: Admission Letters, Funny, MIT, Universities

Funny Love Poems...And The Courage to Write Them

I was looking through Yahoo when I found this certain man who wrote some poems about love. After reading them, I don't know what to say. Here's the first one.

i see u the earth , your face is the moon , your eyes the deep blue seas , your heart have love of all people , ur body have hot of volcano , when u walk you make earthquick in my heart all rooms in my heart need help after u walk , if i make u sad pls dont cry cuze when u do it's raining .

I love the last sentence.

After a few minutes, he wrote another poem. Here's how it sounds like.

my love when u far i feel with ur hand touch ur soft brith and i miss both of them . come near and give me ur hand to feel with ur brith . u say love alone and i say love alone why we dont be together and do it face to face . i realy miss u

Somehow I have a feeling that it's "breath" and not "brith".

The poems are kinda funny (I know it's not nice, but I can't help it), but his sincerity for the girl whom he's writing for is quite true. Maybe English is not his first language.

I respect him for the time and effort he has put in to convey his feelings to the girl. It actually takes a lot of courage and determination to write a love poem in a foreign language.

Tags: Funny, Love Poems, Romance, Yahoo

The First Child In The Family (Part 2)

Today, I went to the wet market to buy some Chinese medicine for my mother. She asked me to buy some stuff which I had trouble pronouncing as my chinese wasn't that good. So when you ask someone who isn't good in chinese to buy chinese medicine, it's better to describe to him what the product looks like lest he brings home something else. That was what I did. No, I didn't bring home some antler's horn. I asked my mum to describe to me what I was suppose to buy. She drew it and it looked like some branch with leaves on it. I took down the hanyu pinyin name of it and went to the market. Along the way there, I practiced pronouncing the name of that medicine, lest I sound like an idiot in front of the shop keeper.

It was my first time in a long time in the market. The last time I was there I was quite young. There were people buying stuff. Vendors would shout from their stall the things they sell. The smell of vegetables and fish was there. In short, the scene was rowdy.

I went to this stall that had vegetables and fruits. So I approached the stall owner and asked him in chinese.

Me: Uncle, do you have "poh ho hiok"?
Uncle: No

Not bad, he understood my chinese.

I went to another stall and looked around. In that stall, there was this vegetable that looked like what my mother drew. I wanted to buy it but was afraid that it maybe another vegetable that looked similar. So I asked the lady owner. Before asking I thought whether I should address her as auntie or miss. She looked like she was in her mid-thirties but she may not like to be called an "auntie". Then suddenly she talked to me in chinese.

Auntie: What do you want?
Me: Do you have "poh ho hiok"?
Auntie: Yes I have. Wait a while.

She took that vegetable that I almost bought! So I was correct!

Auntie: How many of this do you want?
Me: How do you sell it?

She took it and place it on the weighing scale.

Auntie: I will sell this for $1.
Me: Okay.

After I bought "poh ho hiok", I bought some other stuff like breakfast, and some ingredients for some chinese medicine.

So that was my "adventure" in the wet market. Pretty boring I know.

In the afternoon, I went for lunch. After my lunch, I bought some cardboard to make a clothes folder. The concept is quite new and I thought why not make one? I went home and tried to make it. It took me about 30 minutes to make it and it was quite good. I tried folding clothes with it and it works! Not bad huh? In case you don't know what I am talking about, here's a video where I got my inspiration from.



Thank God that my mum's feeling much better now. I guess I can go back to work tomorrow. It's nice to know that your family is healthy.

Tags: Chinese Medicine, Family, Singapore, Wet Market

The First Child In The Family

When you were the only child in the family, all attention was given to you. When you have brothers/sisters, that attention is divided equally/unequally. While some say that being the firstborn means you have your own room (which I don't have), have more arguing power compared to your siblings (not sure about this) and the first to get new school books (because your siblings will use your books in the future), I feel that being the firstborn carries with it certain responsibilities. It's kinda like with-great-power-comes-great-responsibility feel but without the web slinging and anyone saving the world from impending doom.

When I was young, I remembered someone telling me that when my dad's overseas, I had to ensure that the family is in order because I am the firstborn. It was a casual remark. Who was it? I can't remember. It may be my dad or someone else. At that time, I was young and thought that I have my mum to depend on when my dad's overseas. I was right and wrong. Right because my mum would tell us what to do when my dad's not around. Wrong because my mum is now sick and my dad's overseas. I guess when that happens, the firstborn would need to help ensure that the house is in order.

My dad's overseas and my mum's sick. I realized that taking care of a family isn't that easy. You need to ensure that your family members have food and household chores (eg, washing clothes) had to be attended to. Of course everyone in the family plays a part in helping out one way or another, but somehow that phrase which I heard when I was young seems to hint that the firstborn has a greater part. It was scary at first, after all I am not even an adult yet, but I guess at times unpleasant things occur and we need to respond appropriately to the situation.

To make things worse, just a while ago there was some bad news. It was quite bad. I won't elaborate on it. The thought of it simply seems...unthinkable.

So what do we have? Not a very pleasant situation but nevertheless it's not the end of the world. It's ironic that I quoted this earlier to someone I know, but I feel that it's applicable to the current situation.

"The difficulties of life are intended to make us better, not bitter." ~ Author Unknown.

We can't control the things that happen to us, but we can control our response to the situation.

Tags: Family, Happenings, Life, Singapore

It Was Meant To Be A Game

A few weeks ago I wrote a story. While writing halfway, my computer crashed. It was not easy to write from scratch again. Hence I did not continue writing then. Today, I will try to write it again, hopefully, the computer doesn't crash. If it does, then I guess I won't write it again...haha. It's titled "It was meant to be a game". Here goes...

Mich looked at the last SMS she sent. Why must things turned out like this? Will he reply? Did she do the right thing? She sank her head on her pillow and sobbed.

It was in the morning that Mich SMSed Linus on where they should meet later on in the day.

Mich: Morning! You free today? Want to go out?
Linus: Okay, but I need to go submit my paper later on in the afternoon.
Mich: Would Bugis be fine? What time do you need to submit it?
Linus: Bugis? It's so far from NTU! I need to submit my paper before 4 pm. How about somewhere nearer like CCK or Westmall?
Mich: But I want Bugis...
Linus: Okay, okay, but I can't spend to much time there.
Mich: Okay. Thanks :D You can take your paper with you so after our outing you can go straight to NTU.
Linus: You mean FLY to NTU. Anyway, what time? Would 1 pm be fine?
Mich: Haha...okay. 1 pm then. See you.

Linus wondered why would Mich be so difficult? She wasn't like that in the past. There must be something amiss. Nevertheless, he scanned through his paper before taking it with him leaving home for Bugis.

Linus reached Bugis. He checked his watch and it was 12:58 pm. He was usually late and Mich would always be early, but on that day, he was happy that he was early. He remembered how Mich would fume and go on about why she was always early and why can't he be early for once. Then he would say sorry and she would suddenly laugh and say that she was joking. Linus smiled.

It was now 1 pm and Mich was nowhere in sight. Then suddenly his phone beeped.

Mich: So sorry, but I am still at home, please wait for me. I will rush over now.
Linus: At home? Oh no, then how am I suppose to reach NTU by 4 pm?
Mich: I guess we will just have to end our outing earlier so that you can go to NTU.
Linus: Erm, remember that you stay in Buona Vista. So it will be quite a while before you reach.
Mich: Sorry...I am coming over now.
Linus: Okay, okay. I guess I will just have to wait.
Mich: Thanks.

Something was definitely amiss. She was being difficult and now, she was late. What happened? Linus decided to ask her later. In the meantime while waiting, Linus calculated that he had around 45 minutes before Mich reached Bugis. So he shopped around, after all it was Mich's brother's birthday.

Linus finally bought a gift and checked his watch. It was 1.45 pm! Where could Mich be? He decided to SMS her.

Linus: Where are you? To reach NTU before 4, I would need to leave by 2.30 as I will be taking public transport over to NTU.
Mich: Three more stops to BV. Sorry. Why don't you take a taxi?
Linus: I am trying to save for my university fees, so I can't really afford to take taxi. You know the tight budget that I have.
Mich: Worse comes to worse, I can give you some money for the taxi fee.
Linus: No. That's not right. Just try to reach here as soon as you can.
Mich: I know. So sorry to make you wait.

For someone who was always early or punctual, it was definitely strange that Mich was late. And why Bugis? It was far from both his and her house. Linus decided that he must definitely ask her what's happening later on.

Linus waited at the control station and scanned his eyes around for Mich. Nope, she wasn't there. So he decided to SMS her.

Linus: Where are you? It's 2 pm already.
Mich: In front of you, but I have some bad news.

Linus lifted his head. True enough, she was there. He must have missed her. She looked down and walked towards him. Linus did not know whether he should be angry or what. Now he knew how Mich must have felt when he was late, but at most he was late for 15 minutes, but this time, it was 1 hour!

Mich: Sorry for being late.
Linus: Nah, it's okay. I used to be late. So what happened today?
Mich: What do you mean?
Linus: Well, you are late and you chose Bugis, which is like so far from our places.
Mich: ...
Linus: Okay, maybe let's eat first. I guess you must be hungry. I am hungry too.
Mich: Remember the bad news I SMSed you just now?
Linus: Yah?

Linus didn't know what to expect. He hoped that the bad news won't be IT.

Linus: What is it?
Mich: While on the escalator, my parents told me to go back. I think they need me to do something.
Linus: Oh ok.

Linus was relieved. It wasn't IT, but still he felt angry for wasting his time. First he was early and she was late. Next, she could not go out with him when she was the one who initiated this outing.

Mich: Sorry.
Linus: I guess I will just proceed over to NTU now huh. Anyway, it's almost time too.
Mich: ...
Linus: By the way, I bought this for your brother. It's his birthday today. Hope he likes it.
Mich: Okay. I will pass it to him. Thanks.

With that, he walked towards the gate. Mich waited. When the distance between them was enough she called for him.

Mich: Linus!

Apparently, Linus couldn't hear her as the crowd was rowdy and he himself was wondering why must things crop up in the last minute.

Mich: Linus!

Mich decided to do something before Linus tapped his card. She ran over to him.

Mich: Linus!

Linus turned his head.

Linus: Yeah?
Man behind Linus: Boy, the gate's open. Do you want to cross or not?
Linus: Sorry.

With that he crossed over the gate.

Mich: Oh no. You crossed already.
Linus: Why? I thought you need to go back too?
Mich: I was testing you.

At that point of time, Linus felt very angry. However, there were a lot of people around him and he didn't want to make a scene.

Linus: I see. So you made me wait and told me some excuse that your parents called you...all these to test me.
Mich: Well, my friends suggested me to do it to see how sincere and patient the you would be. I shouted for your name just now, but you didn't hear. And now, you've already tapped your card.
Linus: I see. So it was all just to test me. Well, since I am here, I should go to NTU. Since you are there you can go and find a present for your brother.
Mich: But don't you want to eat? You told me you were hungry just now.
Linus: I was hungry, but I guess I am not now. If you are hungry, you better find something to fill your stomach. It's not good to have an empty stomach during meal time.
Mich: I made some cookies in the morning knowing that you will be hungry after this stupid test of mine. I was thinking of sharing it with you, but I guess that's not possible now. So take them and eat along the way to NTU. Like you said, it's not good to have an empty stomach during meal time.

Should he accept or reject to show Mich how angry he was?

Linus: Thanks.

He took it and kept in his bag. With that, he left for the MRT. She stood there confused as to whether she had done the right thing.

Mich didn't have any mood to buy a birthday present for her brother. Her mind was on Linus. Was he angry? Would he make it in time to hand his paper? She couldn't help but blame herself.

Mich lifted her head from her pillow. There were wet spots. She wiped the tears away. It was meant to be a game. Who would have thought that things would turn out this way?

Mich's Mom: Mich has been in her room for quite sometime already.
Mich's Dad: I know. It's dinner time and I think you better call her to eat. It's Mike's birthday today, so try not to keep him waiting.
Mich's Mom: I don't know if she would listen to me but I will try.

Mich's Mom: Dear, you in there? Is anything wrong?
Mich: I am fine...give me sometime for myself.
Mich's Mom: Okay.

Mich's Mom: See what I told you?
Mich's Dad: ...
Mich's Mom: So how?
Mich's Dad: I'll get the door. Meanwhile, you go and get the food ready.

In her room, Mich felt sorry for being so difficult to Linus and also not getting anything for her brother's birthday. Nevertheless, she tidied herself and got ready to celebrate her brother's birthday.

She looked at the mirror and tried to smile. After all, a long face won't be very suitable for a birthday. While trying to smile, she remembered how Linus would compliment how beautiful her smile was. She just wished for the best. After the little practice, she reached out for something to tie her hair. She randomly grabbed a hair clip and tied her hair. While tying, she paused...she looked at the hair clip and smiled. It was the one with a simple design given by Linus. Was it a coincidence?

She tied her hair and suddenly her phone beeped. Should she look at it? It could be a message from Linus. She was thinking halfway when there was a knock on the door. She decided that she shouldn't keep the whole family waiting and should proceed on with the birthday celebration, the phone can wait.

Mich: Yes Mom. Sorry to keep you waiting. I am coming out now.

Mich opened the door.

Mich: ...
???: Surprised?
Mich: Er...
???: Relax. Don't need to be so stiff. Oh, you are wearing that hair clip I gave you.
Mich: Yes...
Linus: I SMSed you but you didn't pick it up. If you did, you won't be so surprised and shocked.

Mich looked behind Linus and saw her parents smiling. They must have realized that by calling Linus to the house, her problem may be solved.

Mich: *whispering* Did my parents call you here?
Linus: *whispering* No, I came here because I knew that you would be worried.
Mich: Aw...that's so sweet of you.
Linus: :)
Mich: Oh yah, I have not given your present to Mike yet. Do you want to give it to him since you are here?
Linus: I have a better idea. Give me the present and follow me. Try to play along.
Mich: Huh? I don't know what you mean but I will try. Here's the present.

With that, Linus walked over to Mike with the present in his hand. Mich followed him.

Linus: Mike, today's your birthday. So...Mich and I got something for you.
Mike: Yay!
Mich: !!

At that point, Linus and Mike looked at Mich. Mich knew that she had to do something a.k.a. "try to play along". Mich smiled.

Mike: Thanks sis! Thanks Lin.
Linus: Haha...you are welcome. Hope that you like it.
Mike: Sure. By the way, with my sis standing beside you like that it reminds me of...
Mich: Mike, please...
Mike: Sis is blushing!
Mich: No I am not!

Everyone laughed.

The birthday celebration was simple. Mike opened the present and it was a music CD which he wanted. He went into his room and played it. Mich parents sat in front of the TV watching some chinese drama. As for Linus and Mich...

Linus: I've always liked your balcony. The view here is nice and it's breezy too.
Mich: Well, I guess I am fortunate to live here huh?
Linus: You bet.
Mich: I can hear my brother's CD from here. Seems like you bought for him some soft music.
Linus: Well, he told me once that he liked that CD so I bought it.
Mich: You know...I like this particular music...it's kinda...romantic...don't you think?
Linus: That's nice.
Mich: By the way, thanks for helping me with the present thing just now.
Linus: Welcome.
Mich: Oh yah! How's your paper? Did you manage to submit it?
Linus: Don't talk about it...
Mich: Oh no...sorry...
Linus: I took public transport and rushed over as fast as I could but...haiz...
Mich: I am sorry.
Linus: I managed to submit it.
Mich: Why you!
Linus: Hey stop it. One moment you were saying sorry and now you are pinching me.
Mich: That's mean. For a moment I thought that you didn't manage to submit your paper.
Linus: Nah...it was submitted in the end :)
Mich: :) Thanks.
Linus: Thanks for?
Mich: That's for me to know and for you to find out :D

And so it was that what was meant to be a game turned out...to be a game after all.

THE END

I would like to thank someone for helping me out with the story by providing something useful. I don't know if he/she wants to be named so I won't put any names. You know who you are. Thank you.

Tags: Couples, Love Stories, NTU, Relationships, Singapore, Universities