… That I shall say good night till it be morrow.

For four years now, leaving Singapore is infinitely worse than saying farewell to Sydney.

It was so surreal and almost make-believe that I discounted the fact that it actually happened. And just like that, my ‘date with destiny’ came and went.

How more hardcore fans remain satisfied with such a short-lived encounter I can never fathom. I, too, quietly gasped when he made his appearance; laughed harder than necessary at his antics; gave him my undivided attention, even when he played the occasional peripheral role; applauded and yelled when he took his bow… But the similarities stop there.

I am a ‘not enough’ person. I sat four rows from the front, within 20 metres from the stage - not near enough. I saw Zheng Yuan Chang in person (he is as statuesque and easy on the eyes as I’d expected, but my judgment is dangerously skewed) - not drawn out enough. I snapped two pictures - not personal enough.

Momentary glee from autographs and photographs becomes overshadowed by the rude realisation that he will be unable to distinguish one screaming girl from the next, not to mention his inevitable leave – why bother? My ego cannot withstand this degree of bruising.

… You know the rest.

Travelling to the United States requires an unhealthy amount of kiasu-planning:

• I have researched the addresses of certain Hollywood Stars on the Walk of Fame; everyone else I will leave to coincidence.
• Paper and a camera will be my constant companions – I want to be prepared when I see Lindsay Lohan or Mickey Mouse.
• Shopping at three factory outlets means we’ll have to leave lots of room in our suitcases (Christopher will probably return with the most things – he’s the least picky).
• Books and music for killing time on the road.
• Packing is particularly inconvenient, since temperatures vary greatly from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to San Francisco.
• Despite obvious grammatical mistakes and the fact that there shouldn’t be any reason for us to express our boredom, we have decided to use ‘breakfast’, per our holiday tradition.

Only when we want to take a group picture.

Per contra, the encountered risks of spending time with BP and GB:

• They always, always gang up against me.
• Their pet names repulse my nonpartisan view on public displays of affection.
• Their intimate knowledge of each other makes me feel inadequate.
• I overeat.
• I lose sleep due to extensive Photoshopping of our photographs.
• Going back to Sydney does not get any easier.

Coming out of an eight-hour flight and arriving at midnight, I was already knackered. A shower and much-needed shuteye – simple things to ask for, but things rarely turn out as planned. Instead, Vanessa, Christopher and I stayed up and talked… All night.

Needless to say, I was a walking zombie completely comatose on my first day in Singapore.